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Spirit Detective Taylor (Worm x Yu Yu Hakusho)

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Surprised to be Dead 1.4 Rework
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    • January 6th, 2011

    "Where did you come up with the brilliant notion to test your blaster power inside of a holding cell?" Director Piggot asked with stern eyes.

    I let out a pained sigh which quickly turned into a yawn. God, it was after three in the morning. I couldn't help but wonder when this damn night would end. This wasn't even the first time I had gotten this lecture. Between the PRT officers, my Father and Miss Militia I had now heard a different variation four times. They had at least let me shower off the dust and containment foam that I had been covered with before dragging me off to Director Piggot's office. Either they thought they were being funny, or that I really liked green, because the jumpsuit they gave me to replace the scrubs was almost the exact same shade.

    My overly drawn out yawn finished and I met Director Piggot's steely gaze. "I could ask you the same." I said softly. "Why the hell did you think it was a good idea to send me into a goddamn cell?"

    I knew I was being crabby but there was no denying that the entire day had been a cluster fuck of epic proportions. So, of course, it had to keep getting worse. Director Piggot had been abrasive before but now she was downright pissed. Not that I hadn't reached that point myself ten minutes ago. I was getting sick of the discussion of responsible use of powers. How was I supposed to know that shot would be strong enough to destroy the cell wall? It's not like I'd had a chance to explore my powers. Genkai didn't warn me it would be so easy to fire. Books and movies always made it seem like there would be more to using a power than point and shoot.

    Director Piggot was still rambling about responsible power usage. I really didn't have the energy to listen to her at this point. There were only so many times the same point could be reiterated before it became arduous.

    Seriously, I was almost impressed with the lungs on the woman. I wouldn't have guessed she had it in her considering how bloated and unhealthy she appeared. As much as I wanted to just doze off it was simply impossible. Her voice kept pulling me back in and demanding my attention just so she could throw more vitriol in my face over that damned cell. You would think a woman like her would be a bit more cautious of antagonizing a fresh trigger, but I suppose that's why Armsmaster was here. The restraints I had found myself in probably helped too.

    The PRT troopers insisting that I be placed in specialized restraints meant to prevent many blaster abilities from being used was a sensible precaution, even if I hated it. I had taken out a wall designed to withstand up to a blaster three's onslaught after all. I only knew that because of how many times the various troopers had repeated it. Even Genkai had been impressed at the power I had managed to conjure up without having slept to recover. She had been even more surprised that my Spirit Energy was fully recovered by the time I had exited the shower. She mentioned how abnormal that was and that she needed to contact that Koenma person immediately.

    I picked out a bit of half dissolved foam from my hair, which meant my shower hadn't been nearly effective enough. The foam was unpleasant but the solvent was even worse. I shuddered at the thought of needing to smell the stuff again to properly clean my hair.

    "Can… Is there any chance we could just do this tomorrow? I'm utterly exhausted." I said, cutting off whatever lecture she had been giving.

    "You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?" Director Piggot's face twitched when I shrugged. "I suppose I should just add the additional hours to your training schedule instead."

    I frowned in confusion. Judging by the look she gave me I must have missed something important. "What do you mean by training schedule?"

    "All Wards are required to complete preliminary training programs." Director Piggot explained. I bit my tongue as my bubbling anger rose back to the surface. "You would be required to complete this training before your probationary period would be considered complete."

    I took a slow and measured breath. I could feel my Spirit Energy roiling within me, especially now that Genkai had taught me to recognize it. Practically begging me to call upon it. I set that desire aside as I doubted that blowing up the Director's office would do me any favors, satisfying as it might be.

    "What in the hell makes you think I would want to join an organization that let Sophia Hess in?" My question caused both Director Piggot and Armsmaster to tense as a silence filled the air.

    When Director Piggot finally spoke her words came slowly. She sounded like she was having to force them to remain calm and professional. "Explain it to me then, why would you not be joining the Wards? You don't have many other options available to you."

    I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "I just gave you my reason. You let in Sophia. Fucking. Hess. How can I trust an organisation that values having capes on hand more than the wellbeing of minors in their employment? One that allows such abuse to just fly under the radar so easily?"

    "That matter is still under investigation." Director Piggot said. "Her disappearance may have a perfectly reasonable explanation, and until such investigations conclude I have to consider all of my options. If it comes to light she was Mastered, her place on the team would be there for when she is cleared."

    "What if I spoke to the other Wards about their opinions of her?" I asked, leaning forward with my voice practically a growl. The knot in my stomach was growing tighter by the moment. I couldn't fathom how she could expect me to work with the person that had killed me. Not that she was aware of that. "What would they tell me? How many reports were ignored from them? I find it hard to believe she was a model hero at all times given how she's acted since I've known her. Are you going to insist she was Mastered that entire time? What about before she joined the Wards? I've known her for around eighteen months after all."

    "That is not your concern." Director Piggot said. "My job is to ensure all of this is handled appropriately, you've already done your part in that."

    "That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard. She's gotten away with everything so far, not one authority figure in my damn life has done anything about her. It sounds to me like you would happily sweep it all under the rug just like everyone else has." I said calmly and flopped against the back of my chair. "I have tried playing nice all day. I'm sick of it. I'm not joining the Wards. Just the fact that she was on the team is enough of a reason for me to stay away. Shadow Stalker joined the Wards six months ago, in all that time you've missed how much? Why should I trust you if you can't even keep one Ward in line?"

    Director Piggot leaned back, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "You wouldn't be the first person to turn down the Wards, and statistically you would be likely to die within three months if one of the gangs didn't recruit you first. I've seen this happen to six different young Heroes since I assumed this post, I regret each and every one of those lives lost. There are several nights I lie awake wondering what I could have done differently, if I could have said something that would have saved those children. At the same time I do have responsibilities as well as rules and laws I have to enforce."

    I nodded more for her to continue than to agree. The last thing I wanted to show was any sign that her argument was working. I was a gay girl in a city with literal Nazis, I would be a prime target once they heard about me.

    "However, you did cause considerable damage with your blaster power, both to my building as well as your school. The money to repair it has to come from somewhere and some might argue that both could be considered acts of terror."

    "What? So, you want me in the Wards so you can garnish my pay?"

    Director Piggot shook her head. "No, the act of joining would see all debts and potential charges forgiven. A few extra hours of training on the appropriate topics would also do wonders to appease my superiors since it would mean another hero on the team."

    "I feel your priority here is more how your superiors see you, rather than me."

    She ignored my barb and continued. "I know you're young and might not see any of this as your fault, but in the real world people are still responsible for accidents, especially when they happen due to unsafe testing. Do you really think a court would look at you and not see your sheer irresponsibility?

    "That would leave your Father, as your guardian, to deal with the consequences of your actions." A smirk came to her lips. "I doubt the Dockworkers salary would cover much of the court expenses. As a Ward you would likely make more than your Father does. Between the base wages and the trust set aside until you are of legal age you'd be setting him up for early retirement rather than crippling debt should my superiors force my hand and pursue charges against you for your destructive acts, something that wouldn't happen if you joined as we would handle everything internally instead."

    "And without joining I would likely be forced into villainy to pay for the debt." I said thoughtfully. I knew what I said was petty and silly but I honestly didn't have an answer about our financial safety. Dad's already struggling to keep us afloat… "Which isn't really an option since you know enough about me to be able to immediately link any crimes I commit to my civilian identity."

    "I'm glad you've finally decided to pay attention." Director Piggot said. "You're quite right. We'd have you in custody within the week."

    "Then again..." I trailed off, memories of Sophia taunting me as she once again got away with near murder, a vicious smirk came to my lips. "That still sounds preferable to working for the same people that kept Sophia around." I shook my head as Director Piggot's face turned a deep shade of red. "Hell, it feels like you would rather I turned villain with the way you're treating me. The choices you've offered certainly suggest that."

    "The PRT is in the business of stopping villains, not creating them." Director Piggot said through gritted teeth.

    "You could have fooled me."

    Armsmaster slammed his spear, which was clearly compensating for something, onto the floor. Effectively ending our argument as he took a heavy step forward, forcing me to look up at him.

    "Enough." He said, calmly. "We are wasting valuable time arguing over nothing. I was pulled away from helping Dragon discover how our security was breached because this was supposedly important. If all you are going to do is argue then get someone else to play witness. I have work that needs done."

    "Watch your tone, Armsmaster." Director Piggot said. "You are under my command here. Ms. Hebert is a potential danger to herself and others in her current state and is fully capable of leveling half the building. The best place for you at the moment is right here."

    "I fail to understand why you pulled me away from my work for this." Armsmaster restated. "Miss Militia could have continued working with the girl, or even Assault for that matter. Why bring me into this at all?"

    "You are the head of the Protectorate for this region." Director Piggot said. "You may no longer be in charge of the Wards, but you are a part of their chain of command, which she will soon fall under."

    I couldn't help myself, I laughed. "Damn, you're still trying to force me to join?" Director Piggot however, was not amused. "I think I've made it as obvious as I can. I'm not joining your kiddie club."

    "You're being stubborn to the point of idiocy, what are you hoping to accomplish by taking such a combative stance against us? All you're doing is hurting your own case. However, if you're still feeling destructive, I suppose I could open up the cell we designed for Lung." Director Piggot said.

    "I just want some damn sleep." I said with a delirious chuckle. I was so far past caring about all of this, I just wanted it over with. "Sounds to me like you could use some too."

    "Armsmaster, since she's so insistent, see to it she makes it there." Director Piggot ordered. "She wants to act like an immature villain then she can be treated like one."

    "Called it." I said under my breath. Armsmaster hesitated for a moment, but with a sigh he walked towards me. I hopped to my feet and gave him a grin. "Lead the way, oh Master of Arms."

    I snorted when he actually paused mid-step. You would think he'd be used to those kinds of comments working with Assault. Just as he opened the door I was greeted by a severe looking blonde woman. Her hair was a tight bun and she wore an expensive grey pantsuit that was tailored to her athletic frame. Somehow I found her more intimidating than anyone else I'd met tonight.

    "Hello Armsmaster." The woman said. "I see you've found my client for me."

    "Carol Dallon." Armsmaster said. "Since when were you Ms. Hebert's attorney?"

    She glanced at her watch. "Thirty-seven minutes ago. When her Father officially hired me."

    "Then you should be aware that your client is in our custody for destruction of government property via Parahuman power." Armsmaster said.

    "I am aware." Mrs. Dallon said as she walked past us and right up to Director Piggot's desk. I could see the intense look in her eyes as she glared down at Director Piggot. "I am also aware that she was being illegally detained without any charges pressed against her prior to this."

    "She voluntarily entered protective custody." Director Piggot said.

    "Yes, a sleep deprived minor who just recently triggered is able to consent to voluntary confinement without duress." Director Piggot started to say something else but Mrs. Dallon cut her off. "I also know that Mr. Hebert objected to her confinement even if he was in no shape to provide consent. Is this really a hill you wish to die on?"

    "What are your intentions here?" Director Piggot finally asked.

    "Taylor, your Father and Victoria are just outside. Please go have a seat with them while I have a short discussion with the Director."

    "This is the safest place for her." Armsmaster said.

    Mrs. Dallon turned on him sharply. "If that was the case, Taylor's name and face wouldn't be making the rounds on Empire affiliated sites alongside one Sophia Hess, who also has a bounty for her capture, dead or alive."

    "What?" I asked, my voice suddenly emotionless. A simmering rage roiled within me, my arms strained against the cold metal of my restraints. "Please tell me that I misheard you." A metallic snap was the only indication that my shackles had given way under the strain. My eyes widened as Armsmaster deployed his Halberd at me and I threw up my hands in a show of innocence, a squeak escaping my lips.

    "Unfortunately not, I'm…" Mrs. Dallon paused and spun to me then raised an eyebrow. "Taylor, you're glowing."

    I looked down at myself, examining my hands. Sure enough a cobalt glow was emanating from my entire body, like evaporating steam. "That's new."

    "Interesting." Armsmaster said, his posture readjusting slightly but he kept his phallic spear aimed in my direction. "That glow is visible to my eyes but not one of my instruments can detect it, even on the visible spectrum." His spare hand lifted up as though he were attempting to take readings from a device on his wrist. He was muttering under his breath but I couldn't hear any of it.

    "Taylor, everything will be alright." Mrs. Dallon said with a warm smile and a gentle hand on my arm. She leaned in to whisper. "Please don't escalate against the Protectorate. I may be good at my job but not that good."

    I gave Armsmaster another look and pushed myself to relax. I forced in and out deep breaths until my mind started to slow down. The blue wisps of light faded away and Armsmaster returned his Haberd to its place on his back. He was now fully engrossed with the sensor readings while mumbling some technobabble that went clear over my head. Piggot however was pinching her nose in exasperation.

    "I'll be outside then, I guess." I said and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll try and avoid further property damage."

    "Thank you." Mrs. Dallon said as I stepped outside the secretary's office and shut the door behind me. My Dad was seated in the closest chair and across from him was Victoria Dallon. She was immediately coming out of her chair, airborne and right at me.

    I was wrapped into a tight hug and let out a startled squeak at the sudden embrace.

    "Sorry that it took so long to get Mom out here." Vicky muttered into my shoulder. "I knew they wouldn't play fair, but I didn't expect all this."

    "What do you mean?" I asked while trying to ignore the rising heat in my cheeks.

    "I knew from experience they would pitch the Wards hard with how strong you seem. Then add in that a Ward was involved with your trigger, I thought it best if I got you the best lawyer I know, and once I mentioned all this to Mom she started getting ready immediately. She's pissed enough about Barnes' pet project being involved with what happened. She said something about him being a fool for taking that case."

    "Pet project?" Dad asked.

    "That Hess girl Taylor mentioned. Emma brought her up a few times at their company dinners. She said her Dad was helping her with some misunderstanding. It wasn't too much of a leap in logic to piece together the girl totally wasn't Shadow Stalker. Nope, no way in hell anything Taylor said could have helped me come to that conclusion." She followed that with the most blatant wink I had ever seen.

    "Oh, I guess that makes sense then." I muttered, lacking the energy to play along.

    "Speaking of cases." My Dad said as he patted my shoulder. "It seems we'll be filing a few. Mrs. Dallon was quite insistent after I filled her in, though I don't know all the details about…"

    I was feeling a bit awkward as Vicky still hadn't released me from the hug. I hadn't really had hugs since Emma. "We'll need my notebooks from home if she wants the full story. Assuming Sophia doesn't torch the house just to be a bitch."

    "That can wait till morning." Dad said. "For now just try to rest."

    "Yeah, that sounds amazing." I said softly as I stumbled over to the nearby sofa. I barely noticed Vicky helping me lay down. After everything I had been through today, to finally be able to unwind and relax, I could just close my eyes and…


    Author's Notes:

    And with this, the rewrite is complete. The other chapters have been updated and I will get around to swapping the threadmarks tomorrow.
     
    Last edited:
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    • Fun chapter as always. However you misspelled Armsmaster twice in the last paragraph he's mentioned. It ends with "Piggot however was pinching her nose in exasperation".
     
    In the original version Amy will first meet Taylor in the next chapter. But here in the rewrite Vicky took Taylor too Amy in the second chapter. I wonder how that will play out.
     
    Hexcalibur said:
    In the original version Amy will first meet Taylor in the next chapter. But here in the rewrite Vicky took Taylor too Amy in the second chapter. I wonder how that will play out.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I didn't see much reason to change that. They barely interacted and it is still the first time Tay sees her out of costume. So doesn't really change anything.
     
    Haunted by the Past 3.5
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    • February 5th, 2011

    Four words, probably some of the most dreaded words in the English lexicon. Words loaded to such a degree that it can induce a panic attack in anyone who knows the weight they could carry. Words so heavy that even Assault sucked in a breath upon hearing them.

    "I'm going to need more details than that." I said carefully, my voice almost breathless. "Please."

    "Shit. I- That's not what I mean… Not here, come on." Amy said and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the exit. She paused at the door and turned back towards the assembled capes. "Anyone who tries to follow or eavesdrop, I will turn your skin purple, permanently." With her threat delivered she continued guiding me out of the building and, to my mounting concern, away from all witnesses.

    We walked in silence, my voice seemingly frozen in fear. The place she was dragging me to turned out to be an overnight diner that was somehow completely empty aside from the waitress and a single line cook. Amy asked how recently the coffee was brewed, then offered the waitress a twenty to keep the pot fresh. Two mugs were placed in front of us and with full cups of steaming coffee and with two more twenties passed along for our privacy, the waitress gave us our space. All in all, that had given me fifteen minutes to come up with scenarios that ranged from the silly to the terrifying.

    Amy fiddled with her cup for some time, taking distracted sips here and there, while I sat in silence waiting for whatever bombshell she was going to drop on me. Had I been too overbearing? Had I scared her away? Was I going to ruin things again like I had with…

    Amy's cup hit the table with the clunk of ceramic on wood. "Alright, I'm just going to rip the bandaid off. Taylor, I like you."

    That wasn't the pained confession I was expecting. "Then why all the-"

    "I'm getting to that," Amy interrupted, rubbing her hand across her face. "This is going to be a bit roundabout and kinda weird, but bare with me alright?" All I could do was simply nod. "Right, can you tell me how you feel about Vicky? I know you have a crush on her."

    Immediately I felt like a kicked puppy, slumping back in my seat. She wasn't wrong, Vicky liked to playfully flirt with me in an attempt to get me to loosen up, but it had just served to make me like her. I hadn't realised my emotions had been quite so obvious to Amy.

    "She's a great friend." I said carefully. "A frustratingly straight friend."

    "Isn't that just the fucking truth." Amy muttered to my own confusion. "Alright, that answers that part. Now, this is where it gets weird. Her aura still worked on you the day we met, I'm assuming it doesn't anymore?"

    Amy hadn't been wrong when she said this would be a weird conversation. "Yeah, Genkai showed me a way to block it a few days into my training after that first time Vicky visited. Turns out that if I kept my Spirit Energy flowing just right, her aura didn't affect me. I made it a habit to keep that going at all times on the off chance that it blocks similar effects."

    Amy nodded and drained her cup, gesturing for a refill. I waved the waitress off, having barely taken a sip so far. Coffee just wasn't my drink of choice. "That lines up with my own experiences with her aura." Amy said with a heavy sigh. "I thought I was immune, but that wasn't the case at all. I only realised how much her aura was affecting me when Genkai taught me that same trick. Turns out that prolonged exposure has left me addicted to the effects."

    Well, that was certainly a bomb to drop. Genkai had theorized that the effects could be cumulative, but we had dismissed it since the people closest to her seemed unaffected. We hadn't considered that if someone had been exposed over an extended time period then their altered emotions wouldn't seem out of place. That the people involved would have been effectively Mastered…

    "Shit, that brings Carol's issues into a whole new light."

    Amy snorted. "Not really. The bitch treated me like that long before Vicky triggered, it just got progressively worse afterwards and I'm not even sure if I can blame that on Vicky. Anyway, the point of that is the part that sucks to talk about. Vicky triggered months before I did, while I was barely starting puberty. What kind of effects do you think that would have on a child who hadn't even figured out her own sexuality?"

    The world froze as a kaleidoscope of information snapped into focus all at once, a feeling of dread began to settle in my stomach. "You think you only like girls because… Because she made you like her, to fixate on and adore her."

    "Yeah." Amy sighed. "I have no idea if it's true or not, I'll probably never know to be honest. The damage is done and trying to wean myself off her aura resulted in serious temptation to not even bother turning my defenses back on. I haven't stopped my energy from circulating through my head for a week now, and my feelings for her haven't diminished. Shit's locked down and likely permanent."

    "Yet, you aren't stuck liking only Vicky." I hedged. "You admitted that you have feelings for me. Shit, on some level that probably feels like you're betraying her if everything is as bad as you described it."

    "Sometimes I forget that Genkai's lessons have included psychology and therapy." Amy said with a strained laugh. "Yeah, that about sums it up. I like you Taylor, but I can't do anything about it in a way that would be fair to you, not right now."

    We sat in silence for some time after that, Amy drained two more cups before my own was low enough for a top off. She had dropped several revelations on me, the one about her crushing on Vicky was obvious now in hindsight. I wanted to be jealous, but it wasn't even her own fault and Vicky seemed clueless not only about the crush but about the full ramifications of her aura as well.

    "So, where does that leave us?"

    "I don't know." Amy said. "I'm a mess Tay, and I don't want to dump my problems on you, there's been enough shit in your life for you to try and handle mine on top of it. Hell, I don't even know if I could kiss you without something disastrous happening."

    I blinked. "Just what twisted scenario is your anxiety feeding you now?"

    "We kiss, it's everything I hoped for and I get lost in the moment, then my power decides to make sure you stick around, it makes you devoted to me in full, my own slave."

    "If that happened, you could just fix it right back. Just because your power isn't fully under your control doesn't mean you can't correct it if you slip. I trust you Amy, if you mess up I know you'll do everything in your power to make it right."

    "You don't understand. My power is a burden Tay, I'm consciously trying to keep it reigned in and it fights back when my guard is down. I'm constantly aware of all the things my power can do but if I'm not dedicating effort to not do those things it's like my power nudges me in any moment of weakness. I don't know how you can stand to touch me with that knowledge that I could slip up so easily."

    "You could, just like I could accidentally kill someone in a fight if I let my anger get away from me. Maintaining control even in the heat of the moment isn't always so simple." I reached out and took Amy's hand, she sucked in a breath as I did so, but didn't pull away.

    "Tay, you forget that I'm gaining similar powers. What am I going to do when I can call on even greater abilities? If I continue training with Genkai, I'll eventually be able to summon entire forests to do my bidding."

    "I could see you leading an army of Ent into battle." I said with a forced laugh. Amy however just scowled at me. "Alright, bad attempts at jokes aside, maybe I should open up about a few things too."

    "Taylor, what are you getting at?"

    I took a shuddering breath, forcing my body to not tremble, was I really considering telling Amy one of my darkest secrets? "I think it's time I finally told someone the story of how I wound up the target of the Trio. I've kept it to myself for so long, hell, I haven't even told Genkai about this story in full, just the censored bits. The parts that don't make me look just as guilty as they were in those early days."

    Amy stared at me with wide and unblinking eyes. "Taylor, they killed you. How can you think you're just as guilty as they were?"

    "Like I said, in the early days." I paused and took a deep breath. "I came out to Mom back in 2008, during my last year of middle school. It wasn't some grand reveal, or anything special. She simply caught me checking out someone while we were shopping on the Boardwalk. Being a former member of Lustrum's movement, she didn't miss the way I was looking at the young heroine on patrol."

    "Okay, and this is related to your death, how?" Amy asked.

    "The context helps," I said. "Anyway, the talk lasted a few hours and continued well after we had gotten home. Through the course of our conversation, I figured out I had a crush on my best friend, Emma."

    "Wait, is this the same Emma that was involved in your death?" Amy hissed.

    "Yeah, so how does someone go from your best friend and crush to a mortal enemy?" I asked, she raised an eyebrow in question, I felt myself tense and forced down the torrent of Spirit Energy that itched to be freed. "You have your Mom die in a car accident while trying to answer a call from her daughter because she had kissed her best friend and was shot down immediately after."

    My body was coiled tight as the phone rang. Mom answered my dejected greeting in a pleasant tone, likely already knowing that things hadn't worked out with Emma. I had just about said something when a scream was abruptly cut off by a sickening crunch of twisted metal. The call died and in that same instant I knew she had too.

    A shudder ran through me as I came back to the present moment, the flashback subsiding. Amy's hand was on mine, an expression I couldn't quite place looked back at me.

    "Emma was there through the funeral, but things weren't the same. We barely talked in the months to follow when a reminder came in the mail. Mom had signed me up for an LGBT retreat in New York, it even included a meet and greet with Legend. A part of me didn't really want to go, but it was the last thing Mom had given me and I wasn't willing to toss that aside."

    I glanced back up at Amy, and tears were rolling down her face. Absently, I noticed they were running down mine as well. She squeezed my hand a bit tighter as I pressed on.

    "The first few days were the usual boring affair, and I was still depressed as hell. One of the counselors made sure to check up on me from time to time and even introduced me to someone who had also gone through a recent traumatic event."

    I smiled at the warm memories that came back to me of the weeks that followed, then grimaced at what I would have to go over in order to reach the warm and fuzzy parts. "Her name was Lily and at first we hated how they were forcing us to be friends. A few nights later I woke up from a nightmare about Mom, Lily was beside my bed and I just broke down. We started talking, me about my Mom, her about being put into the foster system after her Mom was arrested for possession of tinker drugs. Then she started talking about her sister…"

    I took my time to go over her frequent moves from one foster home to the next before one decided to take her in on a more permanent basis. There had been a struggle over custody when her mom got out of prison a year later, but it was thrown out of court when Lily herself refused to go back to her family and chose her foster mother instead.

    A part of me felt I was betraying her trust a bit, even if she had opened up about all of this in front of the group before the camp ended. Amy needed the context though, I could only hope that Lily would understand. Keeping things as vague as I could was probably for the best.

    I took a steading breath. "Her sister didn't take that too well. About six weeks before the camp her sister had caught up with her, and attacked her. She never told me what happened in the attack, but she was shaken to hell and back over it."

    "Okay, Lily sounds like a classic case of a recent trigger but I'm failing to see why you went on such a tangent about one of your crushes, especially given our current point of conversation."

    "Sorry." I said while blushing. "It really isn't fair in that regard, but I want you to have as much context as possible. Yes, Lily and I grew close over the following week and when I called Emma one night, I brought her up. Emma had seemed happy I made a friend, but after a moment she suddenly hung up on me."

    "You took it as jealousy, didn't you?" Amy asked.

    "Yeah, Lily and I kept hanging out and Emma refused my attempts to call her so I stopped trying. She and I never really got past the 'steal a kiss when nobody was looking' phase, and after we learned more about each other, agreed we should probably not pursue a relationship."

    "Well, that's a loaded statement, and you've left me curious." Amy said. "So spill, because you don't strike me as the type to give up like that."

    I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, you would think, but she turned out to be a few years older than me. If we were to try things now, it wouldn't be as bad, but when I was barely fourteen and she was almost sixteen, it was just a bit much for us, her living in New York City didn't help matters. She gave me her cell number regardless and we planned to keep in touch, then I came home."

    "I'm guessing this is where the context starts coming in?" Amy asked, no doubt noticing that my expression had fallen into a forced neutrality.

    "Yeah, I came home and went to visit Emma, only to find her sporting a stereotypical bi haircut along with a new trophy girlfriend in the form of one Sophia Hess." Amy sucked in a breath, whether that be at the tone or contents I wasn't sure. "Needless to say I didn't react well. I'm not really proud of the things I said, looking back. I'd called my then best friend some of the worst that growing up on the docks had taught me. I railed at her for turning me down, but jumping on the first hot piece of ass she saw, then Sophia punched me. Bruised ego aside, the part that hurt the worst was when Emma told me to leave and never speak to her again.

    "I'd actually turned down Arcadia so I could stick with Emma, which might have been the biggest mistake of my life. Emma and Sophia swiftly climbed the social ladder at Winslow and started attracting attention, and in my ignorance I thought it would be a good idea to stir some shit up. I called out Emma for picking Sophia over me, right in front of some Empire wannabes."

    "Well that was incredibly dangerous, and stupid as shit." Amy said.

    "No kidding. Sophia didn't have any of it either, called me a dyke and told me to stop harassing Emma just because she wasn't a pervert like me. Hindsight on this one is a bitch, because she probably saved hers and Emma's lives by doing that."

    "Likely yours as well…" Amy muttered. My body went rigid as her words hit me. Her eyes widened in panic as she pulled back. "Context, right. Taylor, when did they start to really bully you?"

    How could Amy even suggest that… My fury died as ice cold realisation shot through my veins. "Not even two days after that, that's the first time they truly bullied me."

    "It was a moronic plan, but it is possible that their starting intent was to distract the Empire." Amy said softly, my mind was reeling at the possibility. "It doesn't excuse things, but it might help you fill in that missing piece of the puzzle."

    "Fuck… FUCK!" I was on my feet and heading for the door before my mind caught up with me, years of bullying was being re-examined in my mind, looking for further clues. In hindsight they were almost obvious, at least for that first year. Once Madison had joined the group they started attracting more groupies and that's when things started getting worse. They had created expectations, and for whatever reason took that as a sign they needed to escalate, right up until I had died.

    If that had been Emma's intention originally, I had to wonder just how she felt about 'almost' killing me. It made me want to tell her that I had died, but she didn't deserve to know the truth. It wasn't like I would ever see her again if the terms of the restraining order were being followed. She should have been out of the Bay by now if what Carol had told dad was accurate. If only I could say the same about Sophia.

    I wasn't quite sure when or even how I had found my way to Brockton General's roof, but it was a peaceful place to brood. Naturally, it hadn't taken Amy terribly long to track me down, though I could tell she had stopped by one of the rooms on her way up.

    I forced myself to be as stoic as I was able when she sat on the roof edge alongside me. I couldn't help but notice the lit cigarette hanging from her lips but I wasn't about to comment on her vices. We sat in further silence until the faint glow of the soon to be rising sun began to peek over the bay.

    "With that context," Amy started, taking a long drag off her cigarette. "I have to agree, we're both disasters on par with an Endbringer attack."

    I couldn't help it, I snorted at her poor attempt at breaking the ice before we both broke down into quiet chuckles that escalated into full on laughter that required us to brace on the other to keep from falling off the building. I wasn't sure which of us had begun to cry first, but we were both reduced to ugly tears moments later. The sun had moved above the horizon by the point we had fully calmed down, leaning into each other for support.

    "So?" I asked.

    Amy took a breath. "So, we can agree that anything we might have would be unhealthy as fuck, correct."

    "No doubt in my mind." I said in agreement. "But I'm willing to try if you are."

    "Let's agree to just see where they go for now." Amy said and I felt my heart deflate. "We both have our issues, but yours aren't in your face almost daily, taunting you into relapsing. Mine are, and I just… I need to take my time to work through this. The way Vicky's aura makes me feel is still too raw, too fresh to give you what you deserve. I don't want you to be some rebound, if we happen, I want it to be done right because you, Taylor Hebert, are an amazing person and deserve someone who likes you for who you are. Even if you can be a bit of a control freak at times, I'm not sure I'd still be here without you."

    I wasn't too full of myself to deny that I was in tears once more, from both the initial rejection to just how strongly she felt about me. It wasn't what I wanted, not even close, but it was something. It was a starting point for the both of us to move forward from, it was Amy's pace to set and I would respect that.

    "You're killing me Ames." I whispered into her shoulder as I hugged her tight. "I'm not going anywhere, so you do what you need to do and I'll be there to support you every step of the way. I just want you to be happy, regardless of what that means for us."

    Time seemed to slip away as we enjoyed each other's company in less awkward silence.



    ~~~


    It wasn't until just after noon that a service technician woke us up, having passed out on the roof from our exhaustion catching up with us. Despite our embarrassment, the technician promised that none of what she saw would end up on PHO, including the picture that she forwarded to Amy of us cuddled up against each other.

    A glance at my phone had Amy and I burning Spirit Energy in a mad dash towards Captain's Hill. We'd almost slept through my appointment with Warlock and were attempting to make up for lost time whenever we couldn't sense anyone that would notice her enhanced speed.

    Amy was practically cackling as she leapt across rooftops with ease, her Spirit Energy appearing as a blazing inferno under her skin to my senses. It was refreshing to see her simply cut loose and just enjoy the moment, especially after the night we just had.

    "I wish I could get away with this more often." Amy said with a wide grin as we cleared the next building.

    "It's a lot more fun than the bus, that's for sure." I agreed with an equally wide smile.

    Amy took the next leap with a flair that an olympic judge would appreciate, landing with a grace that didn't break her stride. "Or the Glory Girl express."

    As the buildings shrank down to single stories we were forced back to ground level and a more baseline jog to regain ground. The GPS in my Spirit Phone insisted this was still faster than waiting for the next bus.

    Approaching Captain's Hill, I could sense Warlock was already waiting for us ahead, a glance at Amy had confirmed that she had as well. Jogging up the trail I expanded my senses to their limits. Unless someone could fully conceal their energy, aside from the three of us, there wasn't another person for several blocks. We would be safe to discuss sensitive topics.

    Cresting the hill we slowed to a walk, neither of us breathing particularly hard, but we had worked up a sweat. I also noticed I was still wearing my jacket from the prior night, which sported over a dozen bullet holes.

    "I guess I should just get used to needing to replace my clothes after each fight I get in." I said as my eyes locked onto the location of Warlock's energy. A younger man was sitting at a picnic table near the monument to the founder of Brockton Bay. "I may be able to survive bullets thanks to your enhancements and Genkai's training but my clothes sure as shit can't."

    Amy chuckled and patted my shoulder. "You should make an appointment to go see Parian, if you can. She should be able to make something a bit more durable."

    "Isn't she the one that does the puppet shows on the boardwalk?" I asked, slowing my pace down just enough so I could get Amy's answer before we took our seats and started the meeting.

    "She is. I'm also betting that Insight uses her for her Cape's outfits as well." Amy said and left me to consider that as she stepped ahead of me to claim the far seat on the opposite side of the bench.

    I swung around and took my seat and finally got a good look at the slouching… Christ, he was younger than I was and somehow familiar. I tried to place him from Winslow but drew a blank, then a memory of soup and sandwiches popped back into my mind and it clicked.

    "You're the kid we saw when eating lunch before I fought Oni Lee." My words drew his attention up from the table and he met my eyes. The eyes I saw looking back were filled with sorrow and regret, as though he bore a weight upon his very soul. Given the admission that he was former Empire, that was likely the case.

    "Yeah, sorry about the freakout." He said and I was taken aback. For as deep as his Warlock voice was, hearing the soft voice of a boy who likely hadn't even fully entered puberty was jarring to say the least. "I wasn't expecting to run into Panacea like that."

    "Gotta say, I'm surprised to find out that you're Warlock." Amy said with a wave of her hand at him. "I knew you were a parahuman when I helped you, but honestly, I expected you to leave this city after what you asked of me."

    "Well, I do have a fair amount of baggage, as well as a few debts I want to repay." The boy said. "To Taylor especially, she deserves some closure. What the Empire tried to do to her was wrong, and had I known that was their intention, I would have refused to get involved."

    "You were there?" I asked. "You seem a bit young to have been one of the henchmen, and the only capes were…"

    I glanced at Amy and caught the moment her eyes went wide, her expression shifted from curiosity to horror then rage in the span of a second. The next second saw hundreds of roots and vines explode from under her sleeves. Warlock was pinned almost in an instant, letting out a squawk of surprise as one wrapped around his throat.

    "You." Amy practically growled with murder in her eyes. The vines shifted and tightened around the boy, forcing his head back, and she placed a hand on his throat.. "Explain everything. I will know if you're lying."

    "My name is Castiel Novak!" The boy squealed. Well, that answered one of my questions. "I left the Empire with the help of Insight, who called in a favor with Panacea to give me a new identity!"

    "Keep talking." Amy ordered as her vines constricted tighter. Thorns formed along the vines around his neck and I could see the pinpricks of blood being drawn. Castiel was hyperventilating at this point, whatever the secret was, he really didn't want to share it. A sinking pit formed in my gut as my Spirit Energy roiled, filling the forming void, yet nothing made sense for why Amy was reacting like this.

    "Tell Taylor who you used to be." Amy demanded, several mouths formed along some of the larger tendrils, their drool sizzled on contact with the table, eating away as though it were cotton candy in water. "I can't believe I didn't see it before. Insight tricked me to do something I most definitely wouldn't have done if I knew who you were beforehand. Tell Taylor now before I do it for you."

    "Tammi Herren!" He yelled, now in tears. "My former name was Tammi, but you knew me as Rune!"


    Author's Notes:

    Whew, this chapter was a lot. Next week we'll kick off the interludes with a Warlock PoV, hopefully things don't go too poorly for him with an enraged biokinetic at his throat and a pissed off Spirit Detective backing her up...

    Hopefully the accelerated posting we managed for interludes before can be maintained this time as well since there are four of them this time. For those not following the updates, the rewrites of the first four chapters have been posted and the threadmarks have been updated to reflect this, even if they don't change the story, I hope they serve it better all the same. Cheers!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Fun chapter as always. And that went poorly for Runelock. I wonder if they'll go back to being a girl if given the opportunity/option.
     
    Hmm i Hope the whole Taylor have some blame on the bullying doesn't stop the trio from getting punished for murdering Taylor...
     
    Xared said:
    Hmm i Hope the whole Taylor have some blame on the bullying doesn't stop the trio from getting punished for murdering Taylor...
    Click to expand...
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    Regardless of the reasons, Emma still tortured Taylor, killed her, and Sophia fully went along with all of it. Just because Taylor carries some blame for how it all started doesn't mean that she is to blame for how it ended. They still chose to go through with everything and Taylor will never forgive them.
     
    Ah-hah!!! I knew the PHO post about Rune getting vaporized was suspicious! The facts did not line up properly!

    That being said I certainly didn't expect this twist. Transgender Rune is certainly the best reason I've yet seen for her to bail out of the Empire and have a redemption arc…. Also I have serious questions. Didn't the lady reaper oh inhabiter of the mountain lion flesh suit tell the girls that Rune had indeed passed on? Or am I miss remembering? Because if I'm not then I'm thoroughly confused on how this slipped through the cracks.
     
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    Fencer said:
    Ah-hah!!! I knew the PHO post about Rune getting vaporized was suspicious! The facts did not line up properly!

    That being said I certainly didn't expect this twist. Transgender Rune is certainly the best reason I've yet seen for her to bail out of the Empire and have a redemption arc…. Also I have serious questions. Didn't the lady reaper oh inhabiter of the mountain lion flesh suit tell the girls that Rune had indeed passed on? Or am I miss remembering? Because if I'm not then I'm thoroughly confused on how this slipped through the cracks.
    Click to expand...
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    Genkai confirmed that Rune hadn't passed on, nothing more.
     
    Um, not to be a meany mcmeanypants but I thought the reveal about Rune was telegraphed to the point that I didn't consider it a secret.

    Warlock was obviously Rune in disguise from the start.
     
    Interlude 3.w
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    • Trigger Warning: Transphobia

    February 5th, 2011

    Castiel couldn't control his breathing as the goddess of nature that was Amy Dallon stared into his very soul. She had just ripped his greatest secret from him and now held his life at her whim. It was hardly a secret that Amy was dating Taylor, hell, it was a running meme on PHO. Of all the people that had wronged Taylor, he doubted many ranked as highly as he did.

    He still felt shame over it, using her mother's grave as a weapon, especially after finding out that Kaiser never intended to recruit her due to her sexual orientation. Shipping her off had just been the easier option compared to trying to break an unwilling Brute. Much like they had broken Tammi.

    Even now, it was simply easier to think of Tammi as someone separate from himself, some twin that had died yet he barely grieved. Perhaps he would be joining her soon if the look of pure loathing in Panacea's eyes was any indication. Even now the vines dug deeper into his skin, restricting his airways so he couldn't scream. The maws of the abominations of nature dripping acidic drool nipped at him, a clear and present threat that he was under her full control.

    He had faced death before, at the hands of Shadow Stalker when the bitch had shot him in the back on his first night out with the Empire. Hell, even Hookwolf had tried to kill him at one point in an attempt to toughen him up for the kind of work he would be expected to do. Not to mention the number of times he came close to death fighting the other gangs.

    This however felt different in some primal way that he couldn't explain. There was a saying about how dangerous it was to piss off the healer, because they knew exactly how to dismantle someone in the most painful ways imaginable, and then put you back together again with no one the wiser. Amy Dallon was dangerous in a way that nobody else he had ever encountered was.

    To think, he had thought it would be a simple thing to come clean to Taylor. Naive optimism was the only word to describe it. Even if Genkai had suggested it, he should have known better. He hadn't expected Amy to be a fucking druid of all things. Now they knew and all he could do was pray that their judgement wouldn't be quite so final.

    "Had I known who you were, I would have reduced you to a puddle of black sludge just for the irony." Amy said in a way that made Cas want to soil himself. "To think that Insight actually fooled me. She had me convinced I was helping to hide Rune's killer when in reality I was hiding Rune herself."

    He managed to glance at Taylor despite his predicament and the pain it caused and found her to be staring at him without a hint of human emotion on her face. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing at this point, she was simply frozen.

    Castiel knew right then that he was well and truly fucked. The fact he could feel Spirit Energy pulsing through each vine only served to reinforce that feeling. At least he knew that when he died there was an afterlife, pity he probably wasn't going to end up anywhere pleasant thanks to the foolish choices of his youth, which felt hilarious to think about when he still had a few months before he would turn fifteen. Still, death would be better than being at the mercy of whatever the fuck Amy Dallon was at this point.

    "What's the matter? Afraid?" Amy taunted as she hefted him into the air with her vines and looked him dead in his eyes, he couldn't even muster a sound in protest. Hell, not even Glory Girl going all out had scared him to this degree. "You should be, after what you did to Taylor. You should know by now that biology doesn't mean shit to my powers, it is simply what I make of it."

    Castiel gave her the faintest of nods, it was all he could manage given his bindings but even that small of an act caused excruciating pain. Amy brought a hand up to his cheek and ever so gently wiped away a small amount of blood that had been trickling from one of the cuts her vines had made. The droplets twisted and convulsed on her fingertip, slowly shifting like something out of an Aleph horror film until it took the form of a small fly, which promptly flew off. If he had thought his blood was running cold before, it was positively glacial after that casual display of forming a living creature from his own blood.

    "Human, animal, male, female… None of it means anything in the face of my powers. I could easily change you back into who you once were."

    Castiel's mind lurched at those words. He didn't even notice his breathing turn shallow as a cold sweat dripped down from his brow, the sting of salt in the hundreds of barely skin deep cuts was a distant afterthought in his mind as a fire ignited deep within himself. She would change him back? Make him Tammi again? Castiel knew he would rather die than suffer that fate, he couldn't go back, wouldn't go back.

    Reaching deep within himself Castiel pulled forward every last drop of Spirit Energy he had, meager as it was compared to the girl he was confronting. He could feel it empowering him with each rapid beat of his heart, threatening to burst from his chest and lash out at the threat before him..

    Brilliant emerald energy erupted from him, tearing the vines free from his skin in a shower of blood. His world was pain but his spirit burned with a fierce desire to endure, to not lose what he had gained, his life, his sense of self. He would fight, even if it meant his death.

    He held no weapons, having foolishly left them at his apartment, but his arm was free, so he clenched his fist, blood squeezing out between his fingers as he pulled back. Amy was still reeling from the surprise of his sudden outburst, the world moving in slow motion around him. Taylor however was still as stoic as ever, unflinching at the display before her. Castiel didn't care either way, he was going to live dammit!

    His fist glowed brightly, just as Genkai had taught him, a primal yell tore it's way from his aching throat, and he threw a punch with all the desperation that he could muster right at Amy Dallon's fucking face! His fist smashed into her cheek with enough force to shatter concrete and he couldn't help the smirk that came to his face. That was until he saw the defiance still in Amy's eyes as she looked back at him with only a thin trickle of blood emerging from her lip. She hadn't even flinched under the crushing force of his blow.

    He could barely process what had just happened, when he felt his skin begin to crawl and a chill ran down his spine. He tried to pull his fist back but he couldn't, he was paralyzed. Amy had him at her mercy again and there was nothing he could do about it. Castiel's aura vanished along with his resolve.

    Castiel couldn't help the retching sob that escaped as his last hope crashed down around him. Worse, he realised he could only sob as he was because Amy was allowing it. His life was at an end, one way or another. Either they would kill him or Amy would change him back into… her.

    "Why play games with me?" Cas asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "You clearly have me at your mercy, it's obvious I can't stop you."

    Amy reached out and patted him on the cheek even as his stomach roiled at the contact. "Hmm, changing you back would be too simple, even if turning you in would be satisfying."

    "Just fucking kill me then." Castiel growled through his tears. "I'd rather die as I am than live as I was."

    "Oh, now there's an idea. Why stop at changing you back? I could make you want to be a girl again, make you happy to be her…" Amy Dallon's face twisted into a sneer. "Or, maybe I'll just leave you like this, but tweak your brain so you want to go back to being her again. What do you say, Tammi?"

    "Do not call me that." Castiel growled. "I was never Tammi, she was a prison, being her was torture. My name is Castiel and I refuse to go back!"

    "As if I'm giving you a choice." Amy said with a smirk.

    "Amy, don't." Taylor said, her voice a flat monotone. "We've talked about this, no acting on impulse when emotionally compromised, especially when brains are involved."

    "You're standing up for the person that was going to sell you to the Gesselschaft?" Amy yelled, betrayal hanging off of every word. "Rune broke your Mom's headstone Tay, across your damn face. How can you forgive that?"

    "I never said anything about forgiveness, but I'm not going to let you corrupt who he clearly wants to be just to satisfy yourself in the heat of the moment. You'll just use it as another reason to hate yourself." Amy was making every effort to not react to Taylor's words, and he couldn't help the fear that even now he was being altered under her ministrations. "What would Genkai say if she saw you right now?"

    Amy flinched at the question, and from what Castiel knew of the spirit, it wouldn't have been pleasant. Especially if this was a recurring issue that had been addressed multiple times, Genkai was not one to stand for repeating herself after all.

    "Thank you, Taylor." He managed to choke out between renewed sobs.

    "Warlock, do not misunderstand me." Taylor said without emotion in her voice. "I am every bit as pissed as she is right now, but I would simply shoot you in the head if I gave in to my own impulses. I suggest you do not push me to entertain that thought further, or worse, push me to contemplate leaving you alone with her."

    Castiel forced down the bile that rose in his throat. Taylor wasn't an ally here, but she didn't have to be an enemy. He could still salvage this, he just had to be careful and remember that she would side with her girlfriend over him in almost every scenario he could imagine.

    "I invited you here intending to tell you who I used to be" He began, choking a bit at Taylor's suspicious glare. "I didn't expect it to go quite so poorly, but I needed someone to know, and despite everything we've been through, you've been nicer to me than anyone else I know."

    "Then get on with it." Taylor said. "I have little patience left as it is given the conversation I need to have with my mentor about keeping secrets."

    So, Castiel explained things. Starting with Tammi's parents being low level Empire recruiters in a nearby city due to their family ties. How their 'clan' was known for providing Parahumans for the cause. He detailed Tammi ending up in Juvie due to a botched job and how feeling trapped made Tammi trigger. The wince that Taylor gave was not lost on him, he was well aware of how her own trigger would color her feelings on such things.

    He then got into Tammi's time with the Empire itself after Tammi's parents had turned Tammi over to Kaiser in exchange for a clean break from the gang and a new life without criminal ties. They were both given well to do positions with an out of state branch of an Empire aligned company that he refused to name to them much to both girls ire.

    Taylor blinked as he reached one of the subjects he knew would be hard to cover. "You're telling me that Madison wasn't bullshitting me about Sophia being an Empire recruitment tool?"

    "Where do you think Maddy got that information?" Cas asked the girls. "I told Insight everything I knew as part of my agreement with her. She was already aware of most of it, but she appreciated the confirmation of her data all the same. Sophia doesn't know though, if you ever feel like kicking her when she's down."

    He personally hadn't known Stalker's identity until Kaiser gave Tammi the script for 'recruiting' Taylor, hand crafted from their best informants in Winslow, which included several of the teachers. Finally came the worst part, the part he didn't want to tell them, Tammi's role in the attack on Taylor.

    "Words can't express how sorry I am for what I did to you. Kaiser kept me out of the loop, I was supposed to either capture you, or teach you a lesson for being a dy- for being gay." Cas wilted at his near slip as Taylor shot him a glare clearly picked up from Genkai. "Kaiser just wanted a cape that he could easily trade for one that would be loyal to the cause, he lied to me to make sure I would play my part. Victor had been read in on the plan, he and I had an argument over it before you lashed out and he beat you down. Last I heard he was still in a coma before Insight lost track of him."

    Castiel couldn't help but think back to how Kaiser had interrogated Tammi for their failure, a failure that Tammi hadn't even known was a possibility. Hookwolf was there to serve as intimidation, and it was the murder blender that had 'suggested' Tammi take Taylor's place as the bargaining chip with the Gesellshaft. It was obviously scripted given how easily Kaiser rolled into it, they had planned it all out before Tammi had even entered that office.

    So, Tammi had infused the chair with power, as well as a few marbles in their pocket. The surprise attack followed Kaiser ordering Hookwolf to restrain Tammi. The window behind them had been shattered and Tammi rode the chair to freedom. It wasn't long until Insight had tracked down their hiding place, through an intermediary. Insight had then offered a possible outcome, but needed to see Tammi in person to figure out the best options.

    That meeting had been with a blue haired fox girl, likely an elaborate disguise looking back on it. Insight had figured out Tammi spent time at an Empire run reeducation camp with minimal input from him and then proceeded to 'scramble his egg across the sidewalk' as Insight referred to it after she had thoroughly proven that his gender identity was male in the span of five minutes.

    "That's how I met Amy. Insight planned to give me a whole new identity for my help, and said she had a favor with Panacea to make it happen." Amy looked away but Cas didn't flinch. "She faked my death with a simple PHO post and people just went with it on reputation alone. I played a small part to throw off Thinkers looking at things, no idea how that worked but Insight insisted it was necessary."

    "It worked for most people, but not us." Taylor said. "Genkai and our employer confirmed you never crossed over to the other side, so we knew you were either alive, or playing ghost somewhere."

    "I wondered about that when I met the spirit, but she wouldn't tell me things outside of the basics of this Spirit Energy stuff." He held up a hand, willing his remaining power into his hand, it barely produced a glow after his earlier attack. "She said if I wanted to learn more, I would need to approach you, and tell you who I really was."

    "Of course she did." Taylor said with a weary sigh and pulled Amy into a side hug. "Her methods for dealing with issues can be baffling at times."

    "I'm such a horrible person." Amy muttered, still refusing to meet his eyes. Taylor simply pulled her in closer. "Using Tinkertech to hide your abilities was clever."

    "It was Insight's idea. She let me pick a bunch of stuff from Toybox to experiment with, along with some more mundane things to use my power on. Another anti-Thinker technique according to her, using my own power on actual Tinkertech would fuck with them or something." He didn't point out to either girl how Insight seemed to be speaking from experience on that one.

    "So, when did Genkai find you?" Taylor asked. "Based on your aptitude, I'd say at least a few weeks ago or more."

    "She found me the night you put Oni Lee down." Cas confirmed. "She almost flew off to tell you both everything, but I begged her to let me be the one to explain things. I now understand why she cackled at my request and why she had described it as a 'spectacular disaster to come'." Hell, now that he thought about it, she was probably nearby with a bag of ghost popcorn.

    "Why can't Genkai ever do things the easy way?" Amy said with a groan. "Fuck, I feel like an ass. I really can't take back what I said to you, and no apology can make up for what I threatened to do to you, so I'm just going to shut up before I say something else that's stupid, or let my emotions run with my words again."

    "You do have a bad habit of shoving your foot into your mouth." Taylor grumbled. "Better than me, I stick my finger in everything."

    "Nope, not making that joke to the scary ladies that could end me." Cas said which earned him a glare from both girls. "Look, if you two want any help taking the Empire down, I promise to tell you everything I know that the rules allow. I won't give you identities or affiliate companies, but everything else should be fair game."

    "I appreciate that." Taylor said.

    "So, are we square, or do I need to worry about things if we meet again either in or out of costume?" Castiel asked.

    Taylor and Amy glanced at each other before Amy shrugged and turned back to face him. "I don't think I'll have any further outbursts like my absolutely shameful showing earlier… I didn't think I was transphobic, but apparently I have the capacity for it if I'm pissed enough and for that I am truly sorry."

    Castiel gave her a curt nod, polite but not friendly. He likely wouldn't be trusting Amy to touch him at any point in the future, but it was a decent enough first step. He then turned to Taylor who let out a weary sigh.

    "I should hate you, for using my Mother's headstone as a weapon if for nothing else." Taylor said as Amy rubbed her back in soothing circles causing her to curl up closer to the mousy terror. "The rest of your history tempered my anger however, so I think that as long as you stay away from your Empire roots, I can look past things. Clean slate?"

    A weight lifted from Castiel's shoulders, Taylor didn't hate him. He didn't even attempt to hide his emotions as he smiled and held out his hand. "Clean slate."


    Author's Notes:

    Amy's still got hella issues to work through, and Cas narrowly avoided being her canvas. At least everyone seems to have reached an understanding on things and can move forward now. I wonder how Insight will take to these three getting chummy? Next Interlude will be a New Wave meeting over the events at the PRT building and Vicky's in the hot seat. I hope to have it posted before the weekend to keep up my preferred accelerated posting rate for Interlude arcs. The plan is two interludes a week, knocking all four out and getting back to the meat of the story, Taylor kicking ass and cuddling cute girls.

    Trying to show Amy's guilt over her outburst was something I struggled with, especially since it wasn't her pov. I hope I relayed that she went full self hatred over it once it clicked what she had said and done in the heat of the moment. I hated writing that part, but given what Amy did in canon, I didn't want to shy away from some of the threats she could very easily carry out in that situation. Amy becoming someone that doesn't hate herself or others is a journey, and it isn't going to be all smooth sailing, I still have more than a few bumps planned for the grumpy hair trigger apocalypse waiting to happen.
     
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    • Amy felt pretty natural, she had every reason to be righteously pissed off. Though including more facial reactions from Taylor and Amy during the recounting of Tammi's life might be helpful. Either throughout the recounting or afterwards. Taylor wincing was a step in the right direction. Though making them convey understanding through facial expressions via text isn't the easiest thing to do, at least for me.
     
    Was Castiel supposed to remind us of Cassie? A popular fanon name for Tammi before her civilian name was shown in canon.
     
    I personally wouldn't have called Amy's behavior traditional transphobia. Like, the agression and hate didn't seem to be caused by the trans thing to me, rather the hate was caused by Castiel himself, turning the trans stuff into a lever with which to hurt him.
    Cruelty to an individual versus discrimination against a group, as it were.
     
    Clear Heart said:
    I personally wouldn't have called Amy's behavior traditional transphobia. Like, the agression and hate didn't seem to be caused by the trans thing to me, rather the hate was caused by Castiel himself, turning the trans stuff into a lever with which to hurt him.
    Cruelty to an individual versus discrimination against a group, as it were.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It was the best descriptor I could think of since Amy is threatening his very gender identity.
     
    Interlude 3.n
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    • February 5th, 2011

    Sarah Pelham was many things: a hard worker, a devoted wife, and a mother of two amazing kids. One thing she was not at this moment, however, was patient. Her sister was currently in the recovery ward at Brockton General from a hypoxic brain injury. Sarah had no idea if her sister would recover from the induced coma they needed to put her in, she just had to hope it wasn't crippling. Even if it angered her that Amy dumped her sister at the hospital like she wasn't family, Amy hadn't been able to do anything for the damage to her mind.

    The damage to their relationship was even more worrying. How could it have deteriorated to the point that Amy considered leaving Carol to die? Sarah had known that things were rocky between Carol and Amy when her relation to Marquis had come into the open at some point in January. It hadn't helped that she was unavailable at the time due to some out of town work and hadn't been there to mediate until the disaster was done.

    That blow up had led Amy to move in with Taylor. The Taylor that Sarah hadn't even met until a few hours ago when she not only talked Amy down, but walked her through saving Carol's life in a way that felt familiar, as if they had practiced that sort of thing before. There were so many questions that she needed answered, about Taylor, about Amy's wellbeing, and about how she could have been so distracted to not be able to prevent any of this in the first place?

    Taylor's presence was commanding, she knew she had power and carried herself in a way that showed it. Victoria carried herself in a similar manner, but at the same time it was different. Victoria acted as though nothing could hurt her, carefree and reckless. Taylor acted as though she were likely to break everything around her, one wrong move and something precious would be lost forever. Her movements were deliberate and precise. She carried herself like a veteran soldier, which was disconcerting to see in a fifteen year old girl who by all accounts had been in exactly two fights. Taylor had the presence of someone who had walked through hell and came out the other side changed.

    This girl was who Amy had clung to in her moment of need, not her family. Was New Wave even her family anymore? Had they ever been? There was so much Sarah simply didn't understand about Amy and it was eating away at her.

    It was why she had called this meeting. Everyone that was able to attend were here, all except for Amy who wasn't answering her cell. Victoria and Mark were about to be in the hot seat and they knew it, both of them seemed nervous. Well, it was the most nervous Mark had seemed to be in the last few years.

    The meeting was in a spare room at Brockton General, one that Amy frequented if the personalized New Wave mug next to the coffee pot was any indication. Crystal's skin was no longer burnt, but instead of Amy regrowing the scorched section of hair Crystal had left it as a stylish undercut. If Sarah had to be honest, the look kinda worked for her. Eric was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but he was the youngest in New Wave, it was expected.

    Neil stood beside her and was doing a damn good job being the intimidating muscle to her stern leader. It was a tried and true routine that worked great on the average thug, as well as a niece that was doing her damndest, yet still failing spectacularly, to fade into the background.

    "Alright Victoria, I know you've been hanging out with Taylor and Amy where they're staying for protective custody." Sarah said as she stared her niece down. "Can you tell me just what the hell happened that led to this? I need to know how Amy almost let my sister die in my arms."

    "It's complicated." Victoria muttered while refusing to make eye contact. "I'm not sure they're my secrets to tell. Taylor went through more than even Mom or Danny knew, and Amy…"

    "Alright then, Amy." Sarah said. "Surely you can tell us something on that front."

    Victoria froze stiff, clearly conflicted on what she should say, which wasn't a good sign at all for just how much wasn't going to be said. Sarah clenched her fist under the table, this was like pulling teeth.

    "The breakdown in January was apparently worse than I let on, I didn't listen in on the details as much as I should have because I was trying to set Amy up with Taylor, so I made sure Tay was the shoulder that Amy cried on instead."

    The big secret behind all of this was that Victoria was trying to help her sister get a girlfriend? If they were dating it would explain how close the pair had seemed both before and after the fighting. That just meant that getting answers would be all the more difficult.

    "You have to understand how frustrating this is for me. I feel like I've failed my sister, who is currently comatose in a hospital, and all you can tell me is you weren't paying enough attention." Sarah said, much to Vicky's discomfort. Sarah didn't say anything for a moment to let her stew on that, while she glanced at her own kids. Eric was wide eyed and anxiously glancing between Sarah and Vicky, whilst Crystal just stared at Vicky with a look that seemed unimpressed, almost bordering on anger.

    "Is Amy at least safe?" Sarah asked, eventually. Of that she was sure Victoria would be able to answer, what she hadn't expected was such a dismissive snort from her niece.

    "Ames is perfectly safe. Safer than she's ever been." Victoria said with absolute confidence. "We've been learning how to fight."

    "From Taylor?" Sarah asked.

    Victoria seemed hesitant to answer and as the silence dragged on Sarah got the impression she wouldn't be getting any further answers on the subject. Then Crystal surprised her with a silent curse on her breath.

    "Not from Taylor, from someone else." Crystal said as Victoria leveled a look of betrayal on her cousin. "She's been training Taylor and Amy while Vicky and I have been helping where we can."

    "Who's training them?" Neil cut in with a tone Sarah hadn't heard from him in years.

    "She calls herself Genkai." Victoria said softly. "She's the one who saved Taylor from the locker and has been teaching her to use her powers."

    "An unknown cape that might be influencing everyone?" Sarah said. "Just what we need, a Master Stranger situation. We'll need to report this to the PRT."

    "You can't!" Victoria shouted, suddenly airborne. Her aura was pulsing so powerfully with fear that even Sarah almost buckled. "Genkai may be strict, but she's been good for them."

    "Get a hold of yourself, Victoria. You know the rules when it comes to your aura." Sarah said as sternly as she could manage. It wasn't very convincing to her own ear but it seemed to work, and Victoria folded in on herself, muttering about how it wasn't even that strong. Thankfully, the aura faded to the background. "You have to understand things from our side, some unknown person comes along and suddenly Amy seems to be a different person. We can't just ignore it."

    "Frankly, we need to meet this mentor at a minimum." Neil said and Sarah nodded in full agreement. "Assuming of course that we can confirm that Genkai isn't a human Master."

    It was Crystal's turn to snort. "That may be difficult since she's apparently dead."

    Everyone just stared at Crystal. Everyone except for Victoria who had instead opted to facepalm and groan.

    "Technically correct." Victoria muttered. "She's the grim reaper that Taylor met when she died in the locker."

    "Died in the…" Sarah trailed off as her words failed her.

    "Yes, Taylor died and was brought back to life." Victoria said once more with absolute certainty. "I've met her, hell, I've listened to a phone conversation with her boss. She's taught Taylor so much, and helped Amy learn to-" Victoria's words died mid thought, her lips pressed together tightly.

    "Please continue Victoria, there's no point holding onto secrets at this point if you're claiming an agent of the afterlife is guiding my niece and her girlfriend." Victoria just shook her head. This was madness, they were absolutely going to be spending a few days at a minimum in Master Stranger confinement at this rate, maybe even the dreaded week, hopefully Vicky would give some answers beforehand.

    Neil scoffed. "Apparently Amy's time in the asylum didn't help her as much as we thought."

    "What part of 'I've met her' didn't you understand?" Victoria said through grit teeth. "These ghost things are real, Amy and Taylor can both see them."

    "How is it that you can see them then?" Neil asked. "We've never seen the Spirits that Amy used to claim were right in front of us, so how is it that you can see them too?"

    "The form we've met her in was a possessed mountain lion that could talk." Crystal said, cutting Victoria off. "I'm pretty sure she could also possess people if she wanted to."

    "Master Stranger screening for the both of you, I don't see any way around that now." Sarah said with a tone of finality. "It's disturbing that such a parahuman has managed to get their hooks so deeply into our family, but now that we're aware a Master is involved, we can hopefully get ahead of things. I'll need to contact the PRT about getting Amy into screening as well as testing Taylor as our potential Master, I know they've been wanting her in for power testing regardless and this would make for a good excuse."

    "So what? Amy finally finds someone that gives a damn about her and the only explanation is that she's being Mastered?" Victoria's tone was harsh, and Sarah could feel her aura building up again. "What is it with this family and doing right by her? First you steal her from her home and effectively kidnap her, then everyone treats her like some pariah that doesn't belong. I'm fucking sick of it, she deserves better."

    "We took down one of the most dangerous villains in the country, what were we supposed to do with his daughter? Give her up to the system? Taking her in was for her own good."

    "Yeah, just look at how much better off the city has been with Marquis gone. At least he kept things relatively safe given he shared the city with fucking Nazis. He kept their little Empire in check, and there was no way in hell Lung would have been able to set up his brothels and farms if Marquis was still around. Face it, New Wave is a failure. Congratulations." Victoria was walking now, clearly done with things.

    "Just where do you think you're going?" Sarah demanded.

    "To check on my sister." Victoria said and turned towards the window.

    "This meeting isn't over."

    "Maybe so," Victoria said as she stopped and ever so carefully opened the window. "Unfortunately it's New Wave members only, and it seems I no longer qualify." With that parting shot Victoria raced off into the night sky.

    The remaining members of New Wave just stared out the door for long after Victoria had left. Sarah was at a complete loss, had Victoria just quit New Wave because Crystal had looked out for her family's welfare? She needed to contact the PRT as soon as possible, find out just how deep the situation ran, get this Taylor under Master Stranger isolation, and figure out who or what this Genkai truly was.

    "Well, that was a trainwreck." Mark said as he stood. "I'm going to go spend some time at my wife's side since I'm the only Dallon left here and Sarah seems to have things well in hand."

    Was… Had Mark just used sarcasm? Just how bad were things if he was reacting at all. Mark never reacted, he just went with the flow ever since his illness had consumed his life. It hit Sarah that in essence, the Dallon family had just fractured before her eyes. New Wave was effectively done. All because of Taylor Hebert.

    Sarah Pelham had some phone calls to make.




    Sarah arrived back at the hospital in the afternoon, having spent much of the morning at the PRT building explaining what had happened. Unfortunately, they needed Director Calvert to be released from Master Stranger quarantine before any testing of Taylor's potential Master ability could be done. Given how little evidence there was that Taylor had such an ability, all she could do now was wait.

    What she hadn't expected walking into the emergency department was finding Mark and Victoria flanking a fully recovered Carol and signing her out of the hospital.

    "Carol! How?" Sarah asked as rushed over to her sister, fighting down the urge to take flight to close the distance faster. "I thought you were in a coma?"

    "Amy came through late last night and took another look at her." Mark said. "She didn't elaborate on what she did, but Carol woke up less than an hour later with nothing seeming to be out of sorts."

    The Endbringer sirens may as well have been blaring directly into Sarah's ears at that admission. Amy could affect brains. It was the only explanation, she was the potential Master they were looking for, not Taylor. Did Amy Master Taylor into caring about her? Had she now Mastered Carol? Had she been subtly influencing everyone she came into contact with ever since her trigger?

    "Carol, could I speak to you in private when you're done?" Sarah asked.

    "I figured you would have some questions after Vicky informed me she quit New Wave last night. Give me a minute to finish these last few forms."

    It took another ten minutes but finally Sarah was alone in a room with her sister. "Amy said you had severe oxygen deprivation, if that was even remotely correct, how are you well and…"

    "Not a drooling vegetable?" Carol asked with a mirthless chuckle. "I think we all underestimated Marquis' daughter. I'll be handing myself over for a Master Stranger check as soon as I'm able."

    "It may be too late for that if Amy was manipulating us all along, there would be no baseline to compare things to." Sarah said.

    "I don't think that was the case." Carol said, earning a confused tilt of the head from Sarah. "I think Taylor said it best, that if Amy was going to Master anyone, it would be me. I wasn't nearly as subtle as I thought with my dislike of Amy. She could have made me love her at any time, yet she never did. Even now I still distrust her, so I don't think she did anything beyond healing the damages, not that I'm going to dismiss the possibility that she altered subtle things."

    "Even still, it is a concerning ability. Should we restrict her from the hospitals as a precaution?"

    "What good would that do us?" Carol asked. "Until she proves to the rest of the world just how dangerous she can be, would anyone actually believe us if we went public with this?"

    "I guess it simply comes down to trusting her." Sarah said, then paused. "Shit, I already submitted a request with the PRT for testing Taylor as a potential Master. I don't think I can withdraw that without raising even more questions."

    Carol winced. "The PRT would kick up a legal shitstorm if we even hinted that Amy was capable of Mastering people. Best case scenario would likely see her in the Birdcage and the rest of us folded into the Protectorate and Wards."

    "So, we keep this quiet for now?" Sarah asked. "This goes against everything that New Wave stands for."

    "True." Carol said, her gaze turning distant for a moment. "Ask me again after I've been cleared of Master effects, just to be safe."

    "I can do that." Sarah said, then after a moment she pulled her sister into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay, even if the reasons why are dubious at best."

    Carol snorted and hugged her back. "I couldn't leave you behind to clean up my mess, what kind of sister would that make me?"

    "I don't know… I seem to recall spring break of ninety three where you did just that."

    Carol pulled away from the hug. "You promised we would never bring that up again!"

    Sarah laughed and pulled Carol into a side hug, then led her back into the hallway to confused looks from Victoria and Mark. The last twenty four hours may have been a shit show, but at least her sister was alive and seemingly well.




    Author's Notes:

    Well, New Wave's imploding. There's a lot to unpack in this chapter and I'm very curious to see what everyone's interpretation on the fallout will be. Next chapter will be from everyone's least favorite snake and how he's handling the recent events. Stay tuned!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Ahhh M/S screening. The inconsistent boil of insanity which can be used to justify anything and everything. You know it actually reminds me of the real world history around the concept of changelings?

    Start acting differently and your family gets suspicious, keep acting differently and you must have been swapped for one of the fae. Of course M/S screening is a lot gentler considering there is no torture or murder involved but the initial panic reaction certainly holds true.

    Of course M/S is only meant to take a few days but that's for useful capes where it's just a possibility, it's ten months for a civilian to get out of a ziz zone.

    Be interested to see how long you plan to draw out the testing if they can even drag Taylor in for it. Given what has happened recently tay might just assume she'll be getting disappeared.

    Which considering how she messes with Coil's power? Could actually be a real danger. Course she'd survive but that makes a whole knew problem.

    Anyone fighting their way out of Protectorate or PRT custody when they were taken in for M/S screening and or power testing? No one would ask questions. That narrative writes itself.

    Very, very interested to see just how you plan to play this.
     
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