Chapter 24: A Worried Father
I drum my fingers against the diner booth table. I look up to the T.V. to see that fat bitch Piggot lambasting my daughter on the local news again. Even if it's just her cape identity. I've already had an entire weekend of that, I don't need it here!
"Hey waiter, could you change the channel? I wanna watch the game." I have to yell it out for him to hear me. Perfect location for a clandestine meeting conversation wise.
"Which game?"
"Any game. This news is depressing." He nods, and a short while later it changes to a hockey game. It works. And it doesn't even distract me enough so that I miss Taylor walking in. Her eyes widen as she sees me, and she starts power walking to my location.
"Dad! What the hell are you doing here?! The entire point of us setting up this dead drop is that we are never in the same place at the same time!" She stage whispers at me.
"The entire point of this is so we can communicate even when we're apart, and I can't wait till Wednesday for you to get back to me on this! Taylor what the fuck were you thinking killing those people?!"
"Dad, weren't you the one who told me never to let any kidnappers get you away from the public? That what they would do to you behind closed doors would always be so much worse than what they would try in public? They already sent a kidnapping team after me. A cape team. And I know I told you this in my letter. I was just removing a threat to my life at the source."
"Well that's not what the news is reporting! Don't roll your eyes at me Taylor, this is important. There is a manhunt for you right now. You are a fugitive. And this all could have been avoided relatively easily."
"How."
"You could have unmasked and accused them. Make a media circus out of it."
"It wouldn't have stopped them."
"It could have! And if it didn't, it would be the rich guy unambiguously punching down. The narrative would have changed."
"And my secret identity?"
"Taylor, secret identities exist so capes don't have people hounding them day and night. So they can have a life outside of cape stuff. As much as it hurts to say it you have no life outside of cape stuff. You're on the run, I'm on the run, somebody blew up our fuckin' house last night,"
"Wait what?"
"Emma blew up your social life before all this, and killing that rot powered idiot seems to have done the same in Arcadia. And yes, somebody blew up our fucking house last night. Probably wasn't the Nazis. They would've done that weeks ago."
"Okay, table that bit about our house, cause we're definitely talking about that later, but what about high school? We fought for that transfer to Arcadia."
"Honey, Arcadia is a sunk cost fallacy right now. You can print diamonds out of basically anything, you don't need school. And if you do need school, you can go take night classes in New York or something. You have options."
"Fine I have options, I can go places. That won't stop assholes like-" Her face goes blank and she stops talking. I see a wisp of smoke curl up from where she's scratching at the table.
"Taylor?"
"We're being watched again. By Coil's people. I recognize the stupid radio crackling." She doesn't recognize the stupid radio crackling. That's one of our code phrases. It means he split the timeline and is currently fucking around in his other timeline. When I'm here.
"He wouldn't dare start something so publicly." A filthy lie and we both know it. What to talk about now that we're being watched? "So about our house blowing up. I just found out around noon, and the cops told me it was an explosive device instead of incendiary. Nothing else yet."
"Well it sounds like somebody from out of town then. All the local players would know how empty that place is. Do you think I'll have to finish what I started with the McCormicks? Or is that not smart enough?"
"Ahhh, well if you need to crack some heads, then you need to crack some heads. But for the love of God keep an eye out for any opportunities to get the truth out. I know you plan on being a hero after all this, but they won't accept you after too many shenanigans."
"But Sophia-"
"Killed some two bit gangsters and never made the news. It's unfair, but that matters. Speaking of all this, how much did those team members of yours contribute to the decision to kill them?"
"Well everybody but the shadow guy. He tried to stop it, but we outvoted him. Tattletale was very supportive of me."
"She's the thinker?"
"Yes." I give her a deadpan stare.
"Thinkers aren't infallible honey. You need to understand that smarts don't necessarily make you smart. Did she even bring up the possibility of waging an information warfare against them?"
"...That's not fair." I shrug in response.
"You should listen to that shadow guy. He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders."
"Are you ready to order?" From the waiter. He just walked up to us.
"Yes, I'll have the mushroom swiss burger." And Taylor gets her own sandwich. After we ordered we set up a system to set up a new line of communication. Maybe an actual dead drop this time who knows? Anyways we aren't actually discussing it here. I'm going to shake any tails I may have, and she'll follow me to my current place. We'll set it up there. Once we're both there she speaks up again.
"Tattletale can't split her power between taking down Coil and the McCormicks. Her usage of it is limited."
"Well if all the other McCormicks are after you right now, she's gonna have to do it anyways, right?" She turns her head and starts mumbling.
"Taylor, I don't like bursting your bubble like this, but if I don't do it reality will. And let me tell you reality is an asshole. It'll take all your dreams, aspirations, and hapiness, and grind them into so much dust. As much as it shames me to admit it, the only reason I'm not a drunken mess right now is good old fashioned spite. As much as I'd like to get things back to normal right now, I'd much rather see you succeed and thrive. So don't let anybody screw you over or kill you, okay?"
"Okay Dad. See you later." She gives me a(n almost) spine cracking hug, and leaps out of the window.
She stuck the landing. That's my girl.
"Hey waiter, could you change the channel? I wanna watch the game." I have to yell it out for him to hear me. Perfect location for a clandestine meeting conversation wise.
"Which game?"
"Any game. This news is depressing." He nods, and a short while later it changes to a hockey game. It works. And it doesn't even distract me enough so that I miss Taylor walking in. Her eyes widen as she sees me, and she starts power walking to my location.
"Dad! What the hell are you doing here?! The entire point of us setting up this dead drop is that we are never in the same place at the same time!" She stage whispers at me.
"The entire point of this is so we can communicate even when we're apart, and I can't wait till Wednesday for you to get back to me on this! Taylor what the fuck were you thinking killing those people?!"
"Dad, weren't you the one who told me never to let any kidnappers get you away from the public? That what they would do to you behind closed doors would always be so much worse than what they would try in public? They already sent a kidnapping team after me. A cape team. And I know I told you this in my letter. I was just removing a threat to my life at the source."
"Well that's not what the news is reporting! Don't roll your eyes at me Taylor, this is important. There is a manhunt for you right now. You are a fugitive. And this all could have been avoided relatively easily."
"How."
"You could have unmasked and accused them. Make a media circus out of it."
"It wouldn't have stopped them."
"It could have! And if it didn't, it would be the rich guy unambiguously punching down. The narrative would have changed."
"And my secret identity?"
"Taylor, secret identities exist so capes don't have people hounding them day and night. So they can have a life outside of cape stuff. As much as it hurts to say it you have no life outside of cape stuff. You're on the run, I'm on the run, somebody blew up our fuckin' house last night,"
"Wait what?"
"Emma blew up your social life before all this, and killing that rot powered idiot seems to have done the same in Arcadia. And yes, somebody blew up our fucking house last night. Probably wasn't the Nazis. They would've done that weeks ago."
"Okay, table that bit about our house, cause we're definitely talking about that later, but what about high school? We fought for that transfer to Arcadia."
"Honey, Arcadia is a sunk cost fallacy right now. You can print diamonds out of basically anything, you don't need school. And if you do need school, you can go take night classes in New York or something. You have options."
"Fine I have options, I can go places. That won't stop assholes like-" Her face goes blank and she stops talking. I see a wisp of smoke curl up from where she's scratching at the table.
"Taylor?"
"We're being watched again. By Coil's people. I recognize the stupid radio crackling." She doesn't recognize the stupid radio crackling. That's one of our code phrases. It means he split the timeline and is currently fucking around in his other timeline. When I'm here.
"He wouldn't dare start something so publicly." A filthy lie and we both know it. What to talk about now that we're being watched? "So about our house blowing up. I just found out around noon, and the cops told me it was an explosive device instead of incendiary. Nothing else yet."
"Well it sounds like somebody from out of town then. All the local players would know how empty that place is. Do you think I'll have to finish what I started with the McCormicks? Or is that not smart enough?"
"Ahhh, well if you need to crack some heads, then you need to crack some heads. But for the love of God keep an eye out for any opportunities to get the truth out. I know you plan on being a hero after all this, but they won't accept you after too many shenanigans."
"But Sophia-"
"Killed some two bit gangsters and never made the news. It's unfair, but that matters. Speaking of all this, how much did those team members of yours contribute to the decision to kill them?"
"Well everybody but the shadow guy. He tried to stop it, but we outvoted him. Tattletale was very supportive of me."
"She's the thinker?"
"Yes." I give her a deadpan stare.
"Thinkers aren't infallible honey. You need to understand that smarts don't necessarily make you smart. Did she even bring up the possibility of waging an information warfare against them?"
"...That's not fair." I shrug in response.
"You should listen to that shadow guy. He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders."
"Are you ready to order?" From the waiter. He just walked up to us.
"Yes, I'll have the mushroom swiss burger." And Taylor gets her own sandwich. After we ordered we set up a system to set up a new line of communication. Maybe an actual dead drop this time who knows? Anyways we aren't actually discussing it here. I'm going to shake any tails I may have, and she'll follow me to my current place. We'll set it up there. Once we're both there she speaks up again.
"Tattletale can't split her power between taking down Coil and the McCormicks. Her usage of it is limited."
"Well if all the other McCormicks are after you right now, she's gonna have to do it anyways, right?" She turns her head and starts mumbling.
"Taylor, I don't like bursting your bubble like this, but if I don't do it reality will. And let me tell you reality is an asshole. It'll take all your dreams, aspirations, and hapiness, and grind them into so much dust. As much as it shames me to admit it, the only reason I'm not a drunken mess right now is good old fashioned spite. As much as I'd like to get things back to normal right now, I'd much rather see you succeed and thrive. So don't let anybody screw you over or kill you, okay?"
"Okay Dad. See you later." She gives me a(n almost) spine cracking hug, and leaps out of the window.
She stuck the landing. That's my girl.
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