A side story to my latest multi-series crossover, The End of the Circus: A Story of the Yizibajohei, set 18 months before the main story and concentrating on the characters of Worm in the universe of TEOTC...who is joined by a Taylor Hebert from a "pure" Worm universe immediately after Contessa gave her a .357 lobotomy post-Gold Morning.
-
For all readers and writers
After much ado, our new tagging system is here and being rolled out to the userbase. Read more here!
The End of the Circus: From Shards to Gifts
- Created at
- Index progress
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 17
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 5
-
Statistics (4 threadmarks, 39k words)
User Total Pyeknu 4 -
Loading…
Introduction
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
To better prepare everyone for this particular series, here's a brief introductory writer's note:
****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts Writer's Compendium
by Fred Herriot
****
BACKGROUND
The fanfiction series The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei is the latest of a long series of story starts and snippets first created by me years before on the late Anime Addventure site in the series The Doctor Is In; such was written under my pen-name there "Gorgo". In it, I explore the possibilities of various people interacting with natives and adopted natives of the planet Yiziba (pronounced [jɪ'ziːbɑː]), a world of literal metahumans based on a more serious version of the planet Levram from Jim Valentino's 1984-85 parody comic series normalman. Since I set the world of Yiziba within the wider universe of my first fanfic series Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year (co-created with Mike Smith), these people often interact most with the characters of Takahashi Rumiko's various manga series.
Since Yiziba is a quasi-reflection of Levram from normalman, many of the cultural "norms" Mr. Valentino created for his series transitioned over. The planet is currently in a state of quasi-benign anarchy, with a barely functional government that acts more like the support crew of a game show of all things and people on the planet living their lives as they chose to do so, with no concept of legal or social norms influencing whatever path they chose to pursue. This state of affairs came about two millennia ago, starting around 47 BCE on Earth, when a violent revolution commonly known as the Dawn of Power unleashed itself on the nations of Yiziba, seeing to their eventual collapse due to metahuman battles literally destroying any form of law enforcement or military forces, also unleashing a catastrophic famine (known these days as the Starvation Times) which wouldn't be resolved until three hyper-genius polymath scientists collectively called the Circle of Thought repaired the planet, make it totally self-sustaining in basics such as food and shelter.
While a sort of "utopia" emerged from this unbelievable holocaust, the basic animal lusts that were unleashed during the Dawn of Power and its subsequent events were still there, seeing the Great Show of Life effectively start thanks to the Circle and other groups moving to keep people entertained by directing them to locations for "fight scenes" to allow them to duel other metahumans. Over time, the very language of Yiziba changed into a weird mixture of cinematic and professional wrestling terms. Everything became some sort of "scene" in which people found themselves either viewing or participating in, such as "death scene" (self-explanatory), "pillow scene" (sexual intercourse) and the like. People's general affiliations were divided into three broad groups: Faces (the "good guys"), Heels (the "bad guys") and Neutrals (self-explanatory). Also, because of the adoption of "battle names" by many metahumans on Yiziba, another social divide appeared: The Named (those with battle names) and Nameless (those who chose not to adopt such).
That would reflect hard on a tradition that, for good or ill, ensured the anarchy would continue to reign over the planet to this day. Named metahumans learned of a way to preserve their life experiences through the creation of "Gift seeds", which would be returned to the source point of local metahuman powers, the Great Crystal of Power forming the planet's very core, upon the death of such a person; as an aside, those who were Nameless did not do this. Thus, "battle lines" spanning generations came about, allowing future generations to get practical first-hand knowledge of life on Yiziba during the Dawn of Power/Starvation Times, reinforcing a universal revulsion towards any sort of "sameness" as expressed by other races through things as common as any form of local government, things as trivial as set uniforms for students attending school or even a shared universal metahuman power as occur on various planets in the universe of Urusei Yatsura (the Oni ability to fly, the Neptunian ability to project cold, etc). Those species without any form of metahuman power became "norms" in the eyes of natives of Yiziba, earning them a mixture of feelings from pity to a need to protect (from the more passionate faces) to a need to manipulate (for the most dastardly of heels who remember the pre-Dawn of Power social structure on the planet).
Naturally, other cultures within easy travel range to Yiziba were understandably quite horrified at what was going on there, then either sought to ensure no contact would occur with the natives of that world...or more tragically, moved to seek to conquer the planet and bring the madness to a stop. The most well-known instance of the latter reaction was an attempt by the Oni (referred to as "Urusians" in UY-TSY lore) to conquer Yiziba twenty-seven decades prior to the start of this story (around the 1740s on Earth). Thanks to several mitigating factors, this unleashed what came to be called the Mother of All Fight Scenes, a planetary-wide orgy of near-destruction that came close to exposing the Urusians to a Dawn of Power-like situation, which they certainly were NOT capable of dealing with. Because of this, it became effective policy among the Urusians and most other such races to NEVER speak of Yiziba or its inhabitants by direct name or demonym. For Yiziba, terms such as "the Unspeakable Place" or "You Know Where" became quite common everywhere; speaking of the people on that world (the proper demonym for natives of that world is Yizibajohei [pronounced jɪziːbɑː'woʊheɪ]), people used terms such as the "You Know Whos" or "They Who Must Never Be Named"...and yes, this is a Harry Potter influence on this series.
****
THE CURRENT SITUATION
The main story of TEOTC is set in late 2012. From Shards to Gifts is set approximately eighteen months earlier.
Nine years prior to FSTG, a young boy named Moroboshi Ataru (the male star of Urusei Yatsura) ran away from home and was effectively adopted by a woman from Yiziba named Ayone Katabarbe, who had been the lover of a Named metahuman born as Haroga'a Hame'e (battle-name Tuyuki, a reality warper with a petulance for harsh Bugs Bunny-style comedy), who himself had died in a fight scene a year prior. Despondent that she would never have born her beloved's child, Ayone took the Gift seed bearing her husband's memories and allowed Ataru to absorb same without triggering an empowerment (known properly as the Gifting). However, because most Named lines effectively resurrect cross-gender, Ataru became a physical girl who would adopt the name Tariko Katabarbe (the given name meaning "child from outside the village", written 他里子 in kanji). S/he would elect to engage in a "casting drive" to seek others (almost always girls) to see Gifted as a way of "sharing the wealth". The governments of Earth became aware of Tariko's quest within several months; it was hard to hide a young woman using reality warping powers to stop a tsunami of all things! Learning that Tariko was determined to see Earth shielded from nearby galactic powers (the Urusians being prominent in her list of potential future invaders), she was permitted to go her own way; even if she just had her sixth birthday in the spring of 2001 and she was not properly Gifted, she was absorbing her "foster father's" memories from the Gift shard and was very mature for a young boy-turned-girl.
Some prominent people who were Gifted thanks to Tariko's quest include the following:
Kasuga Ayumu (from Azumanga Daiō): Infinity, Yiziba's top reality warper, known as the "Goddess Who Walks Among Men", who could literally reboot the UNIVERSE if need be!
Elizabeth Wakefield (from Sweet Valley High): The Academician, one of the Circle of Thought, a hyper-genius polymath who was Yiziba's smartest person bar none.
Margo Black (from Sweet Valley High): Doctor Death, a woman who can kill ANYTHING by touch alone, the "Archangel of Mortality".
Buffy Summers (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer): Virago, an Amazon-like warrior who was a master of most traditional forms of combat.
Harry Potter (from Harry Potter): The Warlock, Yiziba's top magical; like Ataru/Tariko, Harry became a woman on Gifting, thus changed his/her name to Rose Potter.
Suzumiya Haruhi (from the Suzumiya Haruhi novel series): The Weaver, Infinity's rival in power and mistress of alternate dimensions and timelines.
Faith Lehane (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer): Wildflower, a non-magical version of Captain Marvel or Superman without any special vision powers or clairvoyance.
Jody Crowley (from Bible Black): Lady Shadow, the most powerful "dark" mage on Yiziba and effective rival and counterpart to Rose Potter/the Warlock.
Asakura Kazumi (from Mahō Sensei Negima): Windtalker, a cosmic clairvoyant teleporting metahuman news reporter who is effective the "voice of the Great Show of Life".
Maehara Shinobu (from Love Hina): Hyperspeed, the fastest woman on Yiziba.
Minagi Mikoto (from Mai HiME): Claymore, a Wonder Woman-like powerhouse who also has access to her naturally gifted elements and her Child as well.
Otonashi Meru (from Sayonara Zetsubō-sensei): Shockwave, a forced mute whose very voice could do much more damage than Black Bolt of the Inhumans could!
Along the way, other people became Gifted as well. Prominent among them is Isaac Thomas (a character created by Dr. Tempo), who was Gifted by accident to become Doctor Renaissance, a hyper-genius polymath at the near-same level as Elizabeth Wakefield/the Academician though more traditionally an independent. Another agent moving to help people become metahumans is native-born Yizibajohei Leno Lu'umlo, known as Millennium (created by Regina Magia); a "grab bag" type who is both telepathic and clairvoyant and as physically powerful as Minagi Mikoto/Claymore; he is driven to seek a spiritual "balance" between faces and heels on Yiziba.
While unknown to anyone at the time of this story, it was he who effectively helped Tariko Katabarbe's then-unknown twelve half-sisters (all being the female characters from Sister Princess) to become metahumans; already active at this time is Tariko's eldest and second-eldest half-sisters Sukeyama Sakuya and Hirosaki Chikage (family names are my invention). The former, who serves as the matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan (which Tariko legally is still a part of) is Courtesan, a cosmic-level empath who is well-skilled in dealing with men who refuse to do their duty to the propagation of the species. The latter, now attending Hogwarts in her fourth year, is Dragonheart, a master mage on the same level as Rose Potter/the Warlock or Jody Crowley/Lady Shadow even if she is spiritually neutral; this story occurs BEFORE her "summer vacation" trip to the universe of Star Wars to eventually become a dark lady of the Sith of all things!
****
METAHUMANS AND PARAHUMANS: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
As this is a crossover with Worm, terms are going to get confusing. First, a little background information:
In the universe of TEOTC, entities such as Zion and Eden did not get the chance to cultivate knowledge from other species as they strove to do in the universe of Earth-Bet and other dimensions; the reason why will be explained in the story narrative. However, shards that bestow metahuman powers did get scattered over the Earth in the TEOTC universe, thus allowing "capes" to develop in the same way as they did in Worm. Thanks to people such as Tariko Katabarbe and Leno Lu'umlo, other types of metahumans exist on Earth. Thus, in nations like the United States where there is a diversified federal form of government, a distinction is made. Shard-touched "capes" were defined as "parahumans", thus managed by state-level National Guard formations. Yizibajohei-type "capes" were seen as "metahumans" (which is the traditional term for such people) and were made the responsibility of the active United States armed forces through the Joint Specialized Warfare Command (headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas). The reason why is as follows:
The TEOTC version of Earth experienced a "golden age of metahumans" prior to World War Two, where people developed such abilities thanks to the massive infusion of mesonium (the very material that was first created in the Great Crystal of Power on Yiziba) in the biosphere. This allowed "mystery men" to come about, many of whom became effective superheroes in the traditional North American comic book sense. When World War Two came, most metahumans joined the armed forces of the belligerent nations, forcing a new concept to appear in military talk: Specialized Warfare (using the extended adjective version of "special"), which saw metahumans form fighting units that could take the battle to places normal troops couldn't go. Most famous of these is a Canadian quartet known commonly as the War Hawks (officially, No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit), a group known for their terrible efficiency in battle, most often dealing with Nazi Germany's Übermenschen Gruppe (a variation of DC Comics' Axis Amerika team from the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths period). Leading that group is a quasi-immortal Ontarian named Deannette "Dean" Raeburn, often referred to in my stories as Major Raeburn. In effect, the most powerful metahuman on Earth, Raeburn is the host of a Power Jewel, a crystal created by the makers of the Great Forge of Power that was planted on Earth all the way back in the Mesoarchean Era three billion years ago, such a device having accumulated incalculable levels of life energy to infuse into its chosen Host when she became such in 1889 CE.
Because of the success of units like the War Hawks, the International Specialized Warfare Treaty (ISWT) was signed in the late 1950s that managed the creation and employment of military metahumans; since the cat was effectively out of the bag, it was seen to better manage same then allow an effective "metahuman arms race" to unleash a Yiziba-style Dawn of Power over Earth. Since all metahumans in existence at the time were mesonium-powered, a clear definition of the term "metahuman" was put into the ISWT which insisted that such beings be managed in peace and war by organizations such as the American JSWC or Canada's Specialized Warfare Regiment. Since shard-touched people were NOT powered by mesonium, this gave American state governments the ability to have their own teams of super-powered individuals, thus allowing the various Parahuman Response Teams and parahuman Protectorate groups to form.
****
I normally post chapter parts in rough before sending completed parts to other people for pre-reading, then will post the "complete" chapter for threadmarking.
Enjoy!
****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts Writer's Compendium
by Fred Herriot
****
BACKGROUND
The fanfiction series The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei is the latest of a long series of story starts and snippets first created by me years before on the late Anime Addventure site in the series The Doctor Is In; such was written under my pen-name there "Gorgo". In it, I explore the possibilities of various people interacting with natives and adopted natives of the planet Yiziba (pronounced [jɪ'ziːbɑː]), a world of literal metahumans based on a more serious version of the planet Levram from Jim Valentino's 1984-85 parody comic series normalman. Since I set the world of Yiziba within the wider universe of my first fanfic series Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year (co-created with Mike Smith), these people often interact most with the characters of Takahashi Rumiko's various manga series.
Since Yiziba is a quasi-reflection of Levram from normalman, many of the cultural "norms" Mr. Valentino created for his series transitioned over. The planet is currently in a state of quasi-benign anarchy, with a barely functional government that acts more like the support crew of a game show of all things and people on the planet living their lives as they chose to do so, with no concept of legal or social norms influencing whatever path they chose to pursue. This state of affairs came about two millennia ago, starting around 47 BCE on Earth, when a violent revolution commonly known as the Dawn of Power unleashed itself on the nations of Yiziba, seeing to their eventual collapse due to metahuman battles literally destroying any form of law enforcement or military forces, also unleashing a catastrophic famine (known these days as the Starvation Times) which wouldn't be resolved until three hyper-genius polymath scientists collectively called the Circle of Thought repaired the planet, make it totally self-sustaining in basics such as food and shelter.
While a sort of "utopia" emerged from this unbelievable holocaust, the basic animal lusts that were unleashed during the Dawn of Power and its subsequent events were still there, seeing the Great Show of Life effectively start thanks to the Circle and other groups moving to keep people entertained by directing them to locations for "fight scenes" to allow them to duel other metahumans. Over time, the very language of Yiziba changed into a weird mixture of cinematic and professional wrestling terms. Everything became some sort of "scene" in which people found themselves either viewing or participating in, such as "death scene" (self-explanatory), "pillow scene" (sexual intercourse) and the like. People's general affiliations were divided into three broad groups: Faces (the "good guys"), Heels (the "bad guys") and Neutrals (self-explanatory). Also, because of the adoption of "battle names" by many metahumans on Yiziba, another social divide appeared: The Named (those with battle names) and Nameless (those who chose not to adopt such).
That would reflect hard on a tradition that, for good or ill, ensured the anarchy would continue to reign over the planet to this day. Named metahumans learned of a way to preserve their life experiences through the creation of "Gift seeds", which would be returned to the source point of local metahuman powers, the Great Crystal of Power forming the planet's very core, upon the death of such a person; as an aside, those who were Nameless did not do this. Thus, "battle lines" spanning generations came about, allowing future generations to get practical first-hand knowledge of life on Yiziba during the Dawn of Power/Starvation Times, reinforcing a universal revulsion towards any sort of "sameness" as expressed by other races through things as common as any form of local government, things as trivial as set uniforms for students attending school or even a shared universal metahuman power as occur on various planets in the universe of Urusei Yatsura (the Oni ability to fly, the Neptunian ability to project cold, etc). Those species without any form of metahuman power became "norms" in the eyes of natives of Yiziba, earning them a mixture of feelings from pity to a need to protect (from the more passionate faces) to a need to manipulate (for the most dastardly of heels who remember the pre-Dawn of Power social structure on the planet).
Naturally, other cultures within easy travel range to Yiziba were understandably quite horrified at what was going on there, then either sought to ensure no contact would occur with the natives of that world...or more tragically, moved to seek to conquer the planet and bring the madness to a stop. The most well-known instance of the latter reaction was an attempt by the Oni (referred to as "Urusians" in UY-TSY lore) to conquer Yiziba twenty-seven decades prior to the start of this story (around the 1740s on Earth). Thanks to several mitigating factors, this unleashed what came to be called the Mother of All Fight Scenes, a planetary-wide orgy of near-destruction that came close to exposing the Urusians to a Dawn of Power-like situation, which they certainly were NOT capable of dealing with. Because of this, it became effective policy among the Urusians and most other such races to NEVER speak of Yiziba or its inhabitants by direct name or demonym. For Yiziba, terms such as "the Unspeakable Place" or "You Know Where" became quite common everywhere; speaking of the people on that world (the proper demonym for natives of that world is Yizibajohei [pronounced jɪziːbɑː'woʊheɪ]), people used terms such as the "You Know Whos" or "They Who Must Never Be Named"...and yes, this is a Harry Potter influence on this series.
****
THE CURRENT SITUATION
The main story of TEOTC is set in late 2012. From Shards to Gifts is set approximately eighteen months earlier.
Nine years prior to FSTG, a young boy named Moroboshi Ataru (the male star of Urusei Yatsura) ran away from home and was effectively adopted by a woman from Yiziba named Ayone Katabarbe, who had been the lover of a Named metahuman born as Haroga'a Hame'e (battle-name Tuyuki, a reality warper with a petulance for harsh Bugs Bunny-style comedy), who himself had died in a fight scene a year prior. Despondent that she would never have born her beloved's child, Ayone took the Gift seed bearing her husband's memories and allowed Ataru to absorb same without triggering an empowerment (known properly as the Gifting). However, because most Named lines effectively resurrect cross-gender, Ataru became a physical girl who would adopt the name Tariko Katabarbe (the given name meaning "child from outside the village", written 他里子 in kanji). S/he would elect to engage in a "casting drive" to seek others (almost always girls) to see Gifted as a way of "sharing the wealth". The governments of Earth became aware of Tariko's quest within several months; it was hard to hide a young woman using reality warping powers to stop a tsunami of all things! Learning that Tariko was determined to see Earth shielded from nearby galactic powers (the Urusians being prominent in her list of potential future invaders), she was permitted to go her own way; even if she just had her sixth birthday in the spring of 2001 and she was not properly Gifted, she was absorbing her "foster father's" memories from the Gift shard and was very mature for a young boy-turned-girl.
Some prominent people who were Gifted thanks to Tariko's quest include the following:
Kasuga Ayumu (from Azumanga Daiō): Infinity, Yiziba's top reality warper, known as the "Goddess Who Walks Among Men", who could literally reboot the UNIVERSE if need be!
Elizabeth Wakefield (from Sweet Valley High): The Academician, one of the Circle of Thought, a hyper-genius polymath who was Yiziba's smartest person bar none.
Margo Black (from Sweet Valley High): Doctor Death, a woman who can kill ANYTHING by touch alone, the "Archangel of Mortality".
Buffy Summers (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer): Virago, an Amazon-like warrior who was a master of most traditional forms of combat.
Harry Potter (from Harry Potter): The Warlock, Yiziba's top magical; like Ataru/Tariko, Harry became a woman on Gifting, thus changed his/her name to Rose Potter.
Suzumiya Haruhi (from the Suzumiya Haruhi novel series): The Weaver, Infinity's rival in power and mistress of alternate dimensions and timelines.
Faith Lehane (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer): Wildflower, a non-magical version of Captain Marvel or Superman without any special vision powers or clairvoyance.
Jody Crowley (from Bible Black): Lady Shadow, the most powerful "dark" mage on Yiziba and effective rival and counterpart to Rose Potter/the Warlock.
Asakura Kazumi (from Mahō Sensei Negima): Windtalker, a cosmic clairvoyant teleporting metahuman news reporter who is effective the "voice of the Great Show of Life".
Maehara Shinobu (from Love Hina): Hyperspeed, the fastest woman on Yiziba.
Minagi Mikoto (from Mai HiME): Claymore, a Wonder Woman-like powerhouse who also has access to her naturally gifted elements and her Child as well.
Otonashi Meru (from Sayonara Zetsubō-sensei): Shockwave, a forced mute whose very voice could do much more damage than Black Bolt of the Inhumans could!
Along the way, other people became Gifted as well. Prominent among them is Isaac Thomas (a character created by Dr. Tempo), who was Gifted by accident to become Doctor Renaissance, a hyper-genius polymath at the near-same level as Elizabeth Wakefield/the Academician though more traditionally an independent. Another agent moving to help people become metahumans is native-born Yizibajohei Leno Lu'umlo, known as Millennium (created by Regina Magia); a "grab bag" type who is both telepathic and clairvoyant and as physically powerful as Minagi Mikoto/Claymore; he is driven to seek a spiritual "balance" between faces and heels on Yiziba.
While unknown to anyone at the time of this story, it was he who effectively helped Tariko Katabarbe's then-unknown twelve half-sisters (all being the female characters from Sister Princess) to become metahumans; already active at this time is Tariko's eldest and second-eldest half-sisters Sukeyama Sakuya and Hirosaki Chikage (family names are my invention). The former, who serves as the matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan (which Tariko legally is still a part of) is Courtesan, a cosmic-level empath who is well-skilled in dealing with men who refuse to do their duty to the propagation of the species. The latter, now attending Hogwarts in her fourth year, is Dragonheart, a master mage on the same level as Rose Potter/the Warlock or Jody Crowley/Lady Shadow even if she is spiritually neutral; this story occurs BEFORE her "summer vacation" trip to the universe of Star Wars to eventually become a dark lady of the Sith of all things!
****
METAHUMANS AND PARAHUMANS: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
As this is a crossover with Worm, terms are going to get confusing. First, a little background information:
In the universe of TEOTC, entities such as Zion and Eden did not get the chance to cultivate knowledge from other species as they strove to do in the universe of Earth-Bet and other dimensions; the reason why will be explained in the story narrative. However, shards that bestow metahuman powers did get scattered over the Earth in the TEOTC universe, thus allowing "capes" to develop in the same way as they did in Worm. Thanks to people such as Tariko Katabarbe and Leno Lu'umlo, other types of metahumans exist on Earth. Thus, in nations like the United States where there is a diversified federal form of government, a distinction is made. Shard-touched "capes" were defined as "parahumans", thus managed by state-level National Guard formations. Yizibajohei-type "capes" were seen as "metahumans" (which is the traditional term for such people) and were made the responsibility of the active United States armed forces through the Joint Specialized Warfare Command (headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas). The reason why is as follows:
The TEOTC version of Earth experienced a "golden age of metahumans" prior to World War Two, where people developed such abilities thanks to the massive infusion of mesonium (the very material that was first created in the Great Crystal of Power on Yiziba) in the biosphere. This allowed "mystery men" to come about, many of whom became effective superheroes in the traditional North American comic book sense. When World War Two came, most metahumans joined the armed forces of the belligerent nations, forcing a new concept to appear in military talk: Specialized Warfare (using the extended adjective version of "special"), which saw metahumans form fighting units that could take the battle to places normal troops couldn't go. Most famous of these is a Canadian quartet known commonly as the War Hawks (officially, No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit), a group known for their terrible efficiency in battle, most often dealing with Nazi Germany's Übermenschen Gruppe (a variation of DC Comics' Axis Amerika team from the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths period). Leading that group is a quasi-immortal Ontarian named Deannette "Dean" Raeburn, often referred to in my stories as Major Raeburn. In effect, the most powerful metahuman on Earth, Raeburn is the host of a Power Jewel, a crystal created by the makers of the Great Forge of Power that was planted on Earth all the way back in the Mesoarchean Era three billion years ago, such a device having accumulated incalculable levels of life energy to infuse into its chosen Host when she became such in 1889 CE.
Because of the success of units like the War Hawks, the International Specialized Warfare Treaty (ISWT) was signed in the late 1950s that managed the creation and employment of military metahumans; since the cat was effectively out of the bag, it was seen to better manage same then allow an effective "metahuman arms race" to unleash a Yiziba-style Dawn of Power over Earth. Since all metahumans in existence at the time were mesonium-powered, a clear definition of the term "metahuman" was put into the ISWT which insisted that such beings be managed in peace and war by organizations such as the American JSWC or Canada's Specialized Warfare Regiment. Since shard-touched people were NOT powered by mesonium, this gave American state governments the ability to have their own teams of super-powered individuals, thus allowing the various Parahuman Response Teams and parahuman Protectorate groups to form.
****
I normally post chapter parts in rough before sending completed parts to other people for pre-reading, then will post the "complete" chapter for threadmarking.
Enjoy!
Last edited:
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
And now the draft of Part One...
****
Somewhere in space-time, Wednesday 24 June 2013, near midnight Eastern Daylight Time…
"Because I think you have a chance to come back from this," the cape boogeyman coolly declared. "Not much of a chance. Part of that rides on me. I could help you, or I could stop you from troubling anyone ever again. Part of that? It's up to you to win the fight, to take control and keep the administrator from claiming everything you have, leaving you a shell."
I felt a chill. Was part of it my passenger? Both of us?
I opened my mouth to reply, and I couldn't.
Didn't deserve to, either way.
"It's okay. I got the answer, myself."
I looked away.
I looked up. My eyes were wet.
So many stars. The universe so vast.
We're s-so very small, in the end…
The first bullet hit me from behind, where my mask offered no coverage, and I slowly toppled.
The second hit me before I could fall, before there could be any pain...
...and then...
...cold...
...nightmarish, worse than Arctic, perhaps worst than deepest space...
...COLD!
"No...what...?"
«Such thanks, Fortuna?»
"Who...no...NO! Delete...!"
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Strange that there was no pain...!
«Your whole existence, forged out of blind fear...and you expected no less in the end when the time came?»
"Delete...data lost...no, how is...this POSSIBLE...?!"
No pain...still could...couldn't move...who was that...?
«Very well, then. Let what little conscience you have left within you — thanks to Abaddon′s shard which has driven you for so long even if both Zion and his late mate knew about it and could use it to blind you to so much! — be assured that Téjlor Daniílovna Èbért will no longer plague what is left of YOUR multiverse.»
"Dark...jail...souls destroyed...data lost...LOST, LOST, LOST...!"
Her wails of pain began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming silence.
Was this what being dead really...?
«Her fate is for you and yours to decide, Conservator...»
IT WILL BE DONE, RÉSAV'L!
Who...?
What happened...?
A gasp escaped me as I felt SOMETHING pierce the place where I was shot, sending a flood of lukewarm energy into me.
As I felt my wrecked body slowly respond to my wishes, footfalls then echoed from nearby.
The ground was solid. Not metal...more rock-like...no, ice-like...!
A purplish glow then flooded my vision.
A cave of some sort...
But where...?
The footsteps stopped.
Where...?
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
**** **** ****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts: The Return of Skitter
by Fred Herriot
A story set in the universe of The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei.
C&C by ...
Based on characters and situations from Azumanga Daiō, created by Azuma Kiyohiko; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; Worm, created by John C. McCrae; characters created by World Wrestling Entertainment, originally founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; The West Wing, created by Aaron Sorkin; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Suzumiya Haruhi no Yū'utsu, written by Tanigawa Nagaru; Sister Princess, created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako; and normalman, created by Jim Valentino.
Including references and characters from Men in Black, created by Lowell Cunningham; The Boys, created by Garth Ennis, and Darick Robertson; and Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley.
And including characters and situations from Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot.
**** **** ****
Somewhere deep in the heart of Yiziba (Earth date Monday 3 January 2011, 1:25 PM UDT; Austin time: Monday 3 January 2011, 7:25 AM CDT; Niigata time: Monday 3 January 2011, 10:25 PM JST)…
For the man celebrated for years as the Phenom of World Wrestling Entertainment, what happened in the wake of the Streak-versus-Career match the previous March really turned his life inside-out.
For the man known simply as the Undertaker across TWO separate planets separated by 273 light-years of space, being empowered quite by accident as an I-shit-you-not REALITY WARPER — and one with the effectively unstoppable ability to manipulate everything that was not of the physical, ranging from all forms of energy to disembodied spirits to even higher orders of life — made the three-time WWF/WWE Champion wonder if the Spirit of Eternity Itself had a weird sense of humour.
For the man born Mark William Calaway in Houston nearly forty-six years ago, being Gifted with the millennia of memories and cosmic power of the Master of the Dark Gaol of the Great Show of Life — his battle name on the World of the Forge of the Seekers was spoken there as Ruodeuto — gave him an often-unwanted yet sometimes beyond fascinating portal into a future that would lead well beyond the squared circle. A future leading to vistas beyond human imagination a simple Navy veteran's son could conceive of even during that whole "Prince of Darkness" angle he portrayed in the early years of the Attitude Era.
While he had been enjoying breakfast with his wife Michelle at their home near Austin — despite being a metahuman, Mark was baseline human physically, his body still on the mend thanks to a torn rotator cuff suffered during the Bragging Rights match against his kayfabe "brother" — getting a mental flash from the dark, soul-absorbing chamber in the very heart of the third world of Sigma Sagittarii (locally called "Kaeyu") wasn't something he wanted to deal with on a cool overcast Monday morning.
Thus, when he teleported into the Dark Gaol thanks to his ever-handy personal administrative assistant…
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
…encountering a raven-haired TEENAGE GIRL in full body, grey-and-black insect-like armour — right arm amputated just above the elbow joint, two multi-joint gripper mechanisms sticking out from a winged backpack; the exit wounds of a pair of gunshots on the exposed parts of her forehead, the unseen entrance wounds allowing blood to spill on the crystalline floor of this place — clearly caught Mark Calaway by surprise, especially since this person was no metahuman he could recognize.
Only reality warpers like himself could access this place.
By convention first established five millennia ago when the first incarnation of the Master of the Dark Gaol lived to repel the lar'beke from Yiziba, other reality warpers would normally ASK him before dumping someone here.
In conclusion, either someone wanted to start something…
…or this girl's coming here was due to some oddball accident.
Rasing his hand, he allowed a corona of power to cloak it before kneeling beside the still-breathing girl — that fact shocking him since head wounds like she displayed normally shut down the brain and eventually the body — then he reached out mentally to do a basic life scan of her. While her brain was significantly damaged, there was a VERY familiar trace element in her still-intact cerebral matter which made Mark scowl. "Parahuman, huh…" he muttered to himself while mentally reaching into what he believed was the core conscience of the shard which had no doubt twisted this kid's life inside out and…
Huh…?
He gaped as images flashed before his mind's eye, revealing a pair of all TOO familiar cosmic entities resembling wriggling comets of energy, intertwined as they ejected tiny fragments of themselves — the "shards" that, upon entering a host's body, would empower them once the right conditions for a "trigger event" happened — to help the semi-sentient entities (known on Yiziba by the disparaging term kimfombeke or "worm leech") gather information which could help them escape the "heat death" of Existence. An event all self-respecting Yizibajohei knew would NEVER happen given how vast and complex Creation was.
On Yiziba, such beings were given an even more despised term: R'be Guofenukro, literally meaning "thing that cheats death".
Given one ugly aftermath of the worldwide metahuman revolution which befell the third world of Kaeyu two millennia ago — known on that planet as Muokim Yuati, the Dawn of Power — when the noncorporeal souls of over a BILLION slain innocents drew on the ever-increasing auras of energy produced by the Forge of the First Race to seek vengeance on those still living…!
Shaking his head, Mark then jolted as a very recent memory from the girl appeared before his mind's eye.
One of the kimfombeke…
Urged on a rampage to wipe out a whole MULTIDIMENSIONAL CLUSTER of Earths and all those living on them…
This thing's avatar — shaped like a glowing Zeiwanite, once revered on the girl's own home planet as the first "superhero" — confronting the girl…then being forced to gaze on the dead corpse of its mate through the eyes of THOUSANDS…
And that one act…
…drove that creature to suicide!
Mentally cutting off his mind from the girl's memories, Mark nodded in approval. "Damn, kid! You did GOOD…!"
"A-ri-ri?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
That made the phenom turn to see a young girl dressed in solid white from neck to toe — such topped with a red heart over her chest, pink belt and boots completing the ensemble — standing nearby, a concerned look on her face.
"Hinako…?"
****
The girl born Saeru Hinako in the summer of 2004 had been asleep — having turned in early even if she was enjoying the second week of winter vacation from kindergarten — when something BIG made her empathic abilities wake her up.
Like her current host, the native of Niigata on the shores of the East Sea separating Japan from mainland Asia had been Gifted to become a metahuman, such happening shortly after her sixth birthday the summer just past. Fortunately for those who feared the idea of someone so young being empowered, Hinako's Gifting proved to be quite the blessing for all who interacted with her.
On Yiziba, she was known as the Living Spirit of Innocence, formally addressed there by the battle name Lomroer'bem.
In lieu of using the English "Pureheart" as the local translation, Hinako naturally picked the Japanese term Suiki.
And — thanks to her having no need to worry about mandatory education until the April coming up when she would commence her first year of elementary school — the pretty girl with the dirty caramel brown hair (normally done in high side pigtails) and royal blue eyes had taken to her Gift and its endless possibilities like a duckling did to water.
Driven both by her own innocent, childish nature and the memories of her twenty-three previous incarnations spanning a two-millennia period of time from the Dawn of Power — unlike those parahumans who were forced through trigger events to make use of their shard-given powers, "Named" Yizibajohei-type metahumans got the collected knowledge of their many past-selves' experiences using their powers once the Gifting occurred — the precocious child of a middle-income salaryman and his wife began to use her new abilities to do things most "capes" normally wouldn't engage in, even in a peaceful country like Japan.
As people soon learned right away, Hinako would gladly jump into a "fight scene" between metahumans/parahumans…
…but to STOP said fight, not make it worse!
Thanks to a level of broadcast empathy which defied all Terran means of measurement — though limited due to Hinako's youth; as most natives of Yiziba knew, adult versions of the Spirit of Innocence could pump out an aura of pure power with the ability to calm the angriest or most battle-crazed metahuman at PLANETARY distances! — the cute Niigata-jin had halted more property-wrecking fights across the Home Islands in the last five months than any adult employed by the National Superhuman Affairs Bureau's field security teams, Japan's equivalent to America's state-managed Parahuman Response Team organizations.
Even more so, because of Hinako's innate ability to "spread the peace" even among violent groups such as the various Yakuza clans and their rivals from other nations in-country, no one could even CONCEIVE of plotting to find said girl — who, unlike most American parahuman "capes", didn't even wear protective goggles to mask her facial features — and take her out.
After one particularly nasty incident in Sapporo in November, one Chōjinji-chō team leader joked to a friend that if either Omni-Man from the Invincibles universe or Homelander from the universe of The Boys — their existence being possible given the often-proven statement that "what is fiction in one universe is fact in another" — ever crossed paths with Suiki…!
Shaking her head as she focused now on the badly wounded older girl being looked at by Mark Calaway, the Spirit of Innocence came up to gaze on the masked face, her empathic senses automatically probing into the still-living stranger's grey matter — which surprised Hinako very much; child or not, she knew that head wounds like that were normally fatal — to obtain as accurate a sense of what had befallen this woman before she was brought to the Dark Gaol in the middle of Yiziba's very core. "Hina felt it when Onē-tama was sent here, Mark-san," she confessed as the phenom of WWE moved to gently pull the mask away from the stranger's face, revealing glazed green eyes that barely showed any intelligence, a too-wide mouth and the general aura of someone who had clearly gone through something that made even the Dawn of Power seem paltry in comparison.
If THAT was even possible…!
"Hina was sleeping when she felt a lot and lot of people trying to get rid of something…!"
"A kimfombeke," her host advised.
That made the Niigata-jin's face scrunch up in disgust. "Eew! One of THEM?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
"She somehow made the stupid thing kill itself," the Master of the Dark Gaol announced.
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!" Hinako exclaimed.
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
That made her face scrunch up. "Why would she have to do that?"
That make the Texan wrestler hum for a moment. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to chase them away from hurting people. Love to get this kid's full story, but she's not in a good way right now."
"I'm not…going to die…?"
****
To say that Taylor Hebert was quite confused was putting it kindly.
She was alive even if the pain of the two bullets shot into the back of her head made the nerves inside her skull screech with agony. Even more so, with whatever it was this place was pumping into her, her sense of self was coming back to her, such having been nearly lost when she got Amelia Lavere to shear away the limiters on her shard's powers and how that affected her very body and soul. Atop that, she felt her shard move to restore itself in the wake of Contessa shooting it apart before she was brought here; she was now starting to detect wildly different bugs located in the costumes of the two people now with her.
As she realized that, a growing sense of comprehension overcame her. Words spoken to her were no longer mere outbursts of sound, but clearly registering in her mind. She understood that she was in some crystal-lined cave somewhere, a place that was nearly freezing even if the two people who just joined her — the red-haired twenty-something man in the black bodysuit with matching trench coat and Stetson hat who claimed this place as "his yard", and the young girl in the white bodysuit with the pink heart on her chest that projected an aura of concern mixed with childish jubilance — clearly weren't bothered by the lack of heat.
Even more so, as the two talked, the former warlord of Brockton Bay was quick to note that the younger of the pair seemed to speak in Japanese even if her words echoed in Taylor's ears as English. How was THAT possible? Did this girl — who seemed WAY too young to have become a parahuman — have some sort of Master-like ability to make all understand her…?
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!"
Did that girl just call Taylor "big sister"…?
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
Okay…if these two were capes of some sort, the parahuman culture they had here — wherever "here" actually was — was noticeably different if people used normal names to refer to each other rather than cape names.
"Why would she have to do that?"
Taylor felt the urge to answer before she stopped herself.
No, no, NO! Even if she was a cape, she was a CHILD…!
A hum made Taylor's eyes flick over to the older man, who was staring with a mixture of amused respect and concern at her. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to get them out of OUR dimension."
Haywire event…! automatically echoed in Taylor's mind on hearing that.
"Love to get this kid's full story, but she's definitely not in a good way right now."
That made her slightly twitch. "I'm not…going to die…?"
Her pained words made the other two capes gaze concernedly at her before the younger of the pair walked around to Taylor's left, placing a hand on her shoulder. As the uncertainty of this situation faded from her — she could NOW understand why Contessa would move to kill her after the battle with Scion was done; having someone with the power of Khepri running loose after humanity was nearly wiped out was a no-brainer — the girl gave her a smile which probably had the power to knock Jack Slash off-kilter. "Oh, no! No! No! No! No, Onē-tama! Hina and Mark-san won't let Onē-tama die just because some silly person decided she was supposed to die! Onē-tama killed a kimfombeke and all of them are just nasty, evil creeps who hurt lots and lots and lots of nice people everywhere they go! Don't you worry about that, Onē-tama! Even Margo-san won't object!"
Taylor blinked. "Who…is Margo…?" she asked. "She part…of your Triumvirate…?"
A hand covered in purple fingerless sports gloves squeezed her other shoulder. "You'll get the explanation soon enough, kid," the older man advised. "First of all, given how bashed up your body and brain are, we'll need to clone you a new one, then shift your soul into it to let you have a brain firing on all neurons. A bit of rest after that, then come the reveal scenes."
"Who is Onē-tama anyway?" the girl asked. "Where's Onē-tama from on her Earth?"
A couple blinks later, a tired sigh escaped her. "Taylor Hebert…Brockton Bay…"
The older man nodded. "Have a Brockton Bay where you're from? Can't take a walk without kicking a cape every corner?"
That made Taylor bark out in laughter before she cringed as her whole skull sharply protested such a move…
****
Brockton Bay (twenty miles north of northeast from Boston), Wednesday 5 January, 7:42 AM EST (Austin time: 6:42 AM CST; Niigata time: 9:42 PM JST)…
Taylor Hebert's eyes slowly opened to reveal the ceiling of what appeared to be a normal bedroom.
Moaning as she sensed her body slowly respond to her mind's desire to shift herself out from under the warm blankets spread over her — a desire instantly squelched as she sensed that she had no clothes on whatsoever under said covers — she shifted her head right, then left to scan around. A normal bedroom that didn't look really lived in, possessing (atop the bed she was on) a nightstand with lamp, dresser drawer, closet, work desk with a very advanced laptop computer on it, plus a couple of guest chairs off to one side for visitors. One chair had folded clothes on it, no doubt prepared for her ahead of time.
Grunting, she leaned on her left elbow to push herself up into a sitting position, the covers falling away from her diminutive breasts to expose herself. Automatically, her right arm came out from under the sheets to shield her…
She then stopped, staring down.
A completely intact right arm.
Without even any sign that it had been amputated in the first place!
Blinking as she considered that, Taylor then recalled what her rescuers — Mark Calaway and Saeru Hinako, she recalled; the former using the cape name "Undertaker" while the latter called herself "Suiki" — talked about before she was teleported out of the cold place to a safer location. How they would contact allies to CLONE A NEW BODY for her to use given the sheer damage her birth body had suffered over the years. While that did provoke a little flashback concerning the "Slaughterhouse Nine Thousand" created at the instigation of Jack Slash prior to Scion's rampage, the fact that the Texan and the Niigata-jin didn't seem disturbed about making a drastic choice impressed Taylor a lot. Even more so, according to Hinako, Margo Black — whoever she was — wouldn't object to having this happen to Taylor given that she had helped kill a "worm leech".
An act that both Hinako and Mark — and Margo as well — held with great respect.
What have those things done here?
"They find it pretty had to play around with normal folks in this multiverse."
Taylor awked before spinning around…
…then she gaped on seeing the smirking woman her age seated on the windowsill, the recognizable skyline of Brockton Bay's downtown framing her. Despite her being in normal yet fashionable clothes, this dark-haired beauty with the stormy grey eyes — who would make one Emma Barnes look like pond scum in comparison — seemed to bleed an aura of pure, raw, imminent DANGER that made Taylor cringe, the fight or flight urge she had long experience with thanks to three former schoolmates of hers surging up to seize her heart with a grip of iron. Before she could say anything, the newcomer's lips twisted into an amused smirk while she lifted herself off the windowsill, moving to head over to the chair holding the clothes obviously set aside for Taylor. "No underwear," she said with a voice that was a mixture of flat New Englander, wise New Yorker, and pure Southern belle. "Typical Avalonians. You'd think they'd understand that Terrans have different standards than they do."
Taylor blinked. "What are Avalonians?"
"Bioroids," the newcomer said as she picked up the folded blouse and jeans. "Designer clones, in effect. Created by technology brought here by alien mimics who are so fascinated by Terran society, they came here in droves to observe us." As she handed them over to Taylor before she walked to the dresser to see what was there, she added, "Of course, even if they're humanoid themselves, the Niphentaxians do have pointed ears. You got Star Trek wherever in the Multiverse you come from, Taylor?"
That made the other brunette nod. "Yes."
"Think of the Ionians from the classic episode 'A Piece of the Action'. Tack on a serious religious bent to them, though; that's your average Nick Niphentaxian…ah!" the newcomer said as she pulled out some packages. "Some Terran-borns with this observation post. Should fit you," she said as she tossed one packaged brassier and one packaged set of panties over.
Taking them with her "regrown" hand — it had been difficult for Taylor to learn how to be left-handed in the brief time before she got her shard jailbroken — she then tore them open to get dressed. "You have actual aliens here?"
"Sure do. In a way, it pays to be in part of space which others see as a galactic crossroads of sorts," the other woman said as she moved to sit. "So, you're from a 'parahuman-only' universe, huh? From what I've heard, kimfombeke love to isolate those dimensions from the rest of Creation so they could keep death cheating their way through the genocide of species after species."
As Taylor slipped on the panties — Damn! Were they made of silk?! — she gazed on the other woman. "Why 'worm leech'?"
"Because they leech the energy and effectively the LIVES of those people which they 'gift'," the other woman sneered to a degree that would have impressed one Sophia Hess. "You think your multiverse had it bad? Creation is way vaster than all that. Those things have loads of places where they go to try to feed off people's knowledge and experiences. They've tried with this multiversal cluster, but there were defences put into place by those who provoked the Big Bang here to stop that."
That made Taylor freeze from putting on her bra, her jaw dropped in shock. "They've been around for THAT LONG?!"
"Time flows differently depending on which multiversal cluster you're talking about," the other woman declared with an eerie smile, one that made Taylor's heart ache as she recalled the last time that she had seen Lisa Wilbourn before she allowed herself to become Khepri. The type of grimace the lady also known as Tattletale gave when she revelled in displaying how much she knew to those that were dependant on her "wisdom". Despite that expression, the other lady seemed not interested in showing off her knowledge to Taylor; the way she had expressed that simply was a statement of fact, no different than if she talked about the weather. "In one multiverse, it's the time of the Big Bang. Another multiverse, the time of dinosaurs. Yet another, the final disintegration of all matter into nothingness; the 'heat death' the kimfombeke so desperately want to avoid." Shaking her head, she then shrugged. "Death cheaters," she then declared with a look akin to her stepping into dog poop, something Taylor had got long used to from dealing with one Rachel Lindt. "All things must eventually perish, even a so-called 'god'."
Hearing that, Taylor nodded in understanding. "You must be this 'Margo' that Mr. Calaway and Hinako spoke about when I was brought into this universe after Contessa shot me," she noted as she fixed the bra in place before moving to slip on the jeans. "What was that place, anyway? It was dark, lined in crystals and Mr. Calaway called it his 'yard'."
"The Dark Gaol," the woman born Margo Chapelle answered. "It's a place where we toss the really dangerous alien heels we've run across over the years and centuries whose powers we might want to have circulating around the population but whose knowledge we DON'T want to have Gifted…" — Taylor was quick to sense the capital letter fall in on hearing that word — "…to cause even more trouble." Here, the Vermonter and adopted New Yorker/Georgian blinked before an amuse smile crossed her face. "I bet you didn't realize you were in the heart of another PLANET when you got dropped in there by Lord Rjazán'!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"That…was another PLANET?!" a now-pale Taylor exclaimed with a squeaked voice.
Margo chuckled. "Oh, yes, it was. About 273 light-years from here. Third planet of Sigma Sagittarii; that's the second brightest star in Sagittarius if you're into astronomy. People who live there — even the adopted ones like Mark, Hinako and I — call the star 'Kaeyu'. The planet's name is 'Yiziba'; people who live there are called 'Yizibajohei'." Here, a snort escaped her. "Unless you're like the useless dweebs on other planets near this system who can't stomach the fact that we MUST become metahumans to simply SURVIVE there." As Taylor's jaw dropped in shock on hearing that, the other woman derisively added, "Idiots there call us things like 'Unspeakable Ones' or 'They Who Must Never Be Named' or 'Scary People' or other crap like that."
Blinking as she took that in — A PLANET FULL OF CAPES?! she mentally railed as that very concept nearly overwhelmed her — Taylor then dropped onto the bed as she gaped in disbelief at the other woman. "Did the Entities cause that?!"
Margo stared at her before she laughed. "Oh, Forge, no! That was guaranteed because the whole planet could effectively Gift those types of abilities to those who wanted them…and thanks to a bunch of selfish fools who would even make Adolf Hitler look like some school bully, they drove MILLIONS of desperate folks into empowering themselves to win their freedom."
As Taylor blinked a couple times, the other woman shrugged. "We call that the Dawn of Power."
****
An hour later…
"There you go, Taylor-san! A nice, nutritious breakfast that won't upset your stomach! Bon appétit!"
Blushing at being doted upon by the mauve-haired twelve-year old with the sparkling royal blue eyes after she placed a BIG plate full of standard Western breakfast fare before her, Taylor blinked several times before she gave the newcomer — Osamu Shirayuki was her name, hailing from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture west of Tōkyō itself — a confused look. "You're a cape?"
Shirayuki blinked before she chuckled in amusement as she turned to head back into the kitchen of this multi-bedroom dormitory-like home currently serving as the home base of an effectively-defunct alien observation post. "No, Taylor-san, Hime's not some silly parahuman! Hime's a metahuman like Hinako-chan and Margo-san are! Now you eat!"
With a wag of her finger, the Aichi-jin ducked into kitchen. Wincing at such an admonishment, Taylor then tensed on hearing her empty stomach creak before she picked up a cup of tea to sip from it. Smiling as the lovely taste danced over her effectively virgin tongue, she sat back in her chair. Seated around said table were young women spanning from middle school age to mid-twenties in looks. All of them were quite beautiful by Western norms, dressed in the same type of fashion Taylor had seen in her own hometown. While there was something slightly pressing at her mind from all of them, it didn't feel in any way threatening to her. From what Margo Black had told her, her current hosts were all "Terran-form Avalonians", bioroids — the word as a portmanteau meaning "biological android" — who had been created as unique beings and not cloned from someone else. All of them had been "assistant observers" to their slavers on the second world of the Phentax system; said slavers had been killed by some of the minor gangs in the Bay who were aware of the Avalonians' presence on Earth to effective free said women.
To Taylor's immediate right was the "elder mother" of this group; the term was applied to the person who would serve a quasi-spiritual leadership rôle among groups of Avalonians. "So, while you enjoy Thoughtmistress-prime Shirayuki's 'welcome to our multiverse' breakfast, Thoughtmistress Taylor, we'll go through a series of questions to give you a better idea of what you've effectively been forced to become a part of by your being shifted here by Elder Thoughtmaster Résav'l. Please feel free to ask things in return. While the younger ones have school to go to, we older ones can take a day off work if necessary."
"I don't mean to impose, Ms. Blake," Taylor said before picking up an orange to peel it.
"Please, Sharon," the pretty brunette with the brown eyes declared, smirking. Looking to the iPad-like device in her hand — it was called a PADD, short for "personal archival display device", akin to the like-named device in Star Trek: The Next Generation — she breathed out. "So, to begin, you're from your universe's Brockton Bay, correct?"
"Yes."
"Your parents are Dockmaster-prime Daniel Hebert, current hiring manager/chief of negotiations for the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1102 for the Port of Brockton Bay; and Thoughtmistress-prime Annette Hebert, junior professor for English classical literature at the University of Massachusetts Brockton Bay?"
Taylor blinked. She knew that "Thoughtmistress" was the Avalonian equivalent of the Japanese term "sensei"; adding the "prime" suffix meant a senior teacher of sorts. Naturally, given her father's work with the Brockton Bay dockyards, being called "dockmaster" seemed fitting. "Well, in my universe, Dad's group was just the 'Dockworkers' Union'; since the Endbringers effectively wrecked all maritime trade and the port was sealed up in the Dock Riots of 2002, most of the union locals decided to merge as one single group to protect themselves from the gangs. Mom was killed in a car accident in the fall of '08…"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! There are versions of MY PARENTS here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded.
"Yes, they're here. As is 'you'," one dark-skinned girl in clothes that might have marked her as part of the ABB back in Taylor's universe — save for also wearing black as well as red and gold — declared with a pained smile. "Your counterpart was caught in an attack by the Kŭmdal-jop'ok, a Korean gang with suspected connections to the Democratic People's Republic, due to her father's friends interfering in the movement of drugs and sex slaves in and out of the Bay. She's in a coma now at Brockton General Hospital. Given Healer Laverne's aversion to altering a person's mind, the chances of recovery…"
Taylor hissed before a warm hand squeezed her shoulder, making her look up to see Shirayuki gazing worriedly at her. "Do you want Hime to call Hinako-chan to come over here, Taylor-san?" the pre-teen master chef asked.
Sensing the desire to help, the older woman sighed. "What time is it in Niigata?"
"Five to eleven in the evening," one of the older bioroids answered.
Taylor shook her head. "No, she needs to sleep. I won't take that from her." She nibbled on an orange before sipping her tea as Shirayuki moved to serve coffee to those who wanted refills. "So, you have Panacea here. Does New Wave exist?"
"It does to an extent," another teenage bioroid answered, one in more fashionable clothes which wouldn't seem out of place at Arcadia High School; Taylor had got her hosts' names when she was walked down for breakfast, though she couldn't draw up this person's now given what she just found out about the local cape scene. "Only Vicky and Amelia — or 'Amy' as everyone in the group wants her to be known by even if her true parentage is pretty much an open secret now — effectively keep the flag flying. The first generation of Dallons and Pelhams are semi-retired, their older cousin Crystal just got into UMBB and their younger cousin Eric's going through some gender identity issues." As Taylor winced in sympathy, said girl added, "They all come out for any major big fight. Like if the Empire goes at it with the Red Dragon Society or some outside group comes in to cause issues with the locals." She sipped her coffee. "Thank Lyna that the Slaughterhouse were wiped out by the War Hawks on the Cold Lake Ranges in '07 when they tried to go after that one healer in Regina who just joined the Army Cadets…"
"Riley Davis?" Taylor wondered.
"She exists in your universe?" Sharon asked.
"We know her as 'Bonesaw'," the now-permanently dimensionally displaced older teen answered. "High Tinker, specialized in biomanipulation, plus a Trump classification since she could also change some aspects of one's powers." After sipping her tea, then nibbling on another orange slice — she had been told to eat slow to give her new body a chance to adjust to being active in lieu of being in cryogenic storage, not moulded to match her old body's DNA in a process called "templation" — she pointed to her head. "She actually helped my version of Amelia jail-break my shard to help me go up against Scion."
"Why would you do something like that?" the girl that Taylor privately guessed attended the Winslow of this universe wondered.
Sensing the honest curiosity in her hosts' eyes — and knowing that these people supported those like Margo Black and Mark Calaway, both of whom had given Taylor two thumbs up for forcing her peers back on Earth Bet to deal with Scion and save what was left of humanity in her home multiverse — the insect manipulator shrugged. "When Jack Slash set off Scion, scant few capes want to help fight him to save all the normal people from being slaughtered en masse. We — Lisa Wilbourn and Amelia along with some others — felt that we had ultimately no choice but to find a way to master EVERY CAPE ALIVE to have them combine their powers to deal with that monster. So, I let Amelia unchain my shard to make me the ultimate Master."
Saying that, Taylor blinked on realizing that the guilt she had felt on being made to dominate everyone like that wasn't there. Yes, it was immoral in the extreme to mentally ENSLAVE thousands of capes like that. Even if the Star Trek concept of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" could be applied here — the "many" being the trillions of normal people from Earths Bet, Aleph and elsewhere; the "few" were the parahumans, who numbered only about six thousand from what she could recall before losing all sense of her humanity not even a week ago in her timeline — the idea of being Mastered like that was something ALL of humanity where she came from loathed with passion, the example of Nikos "Heatbreaker" Vasil being one big object lesson of same. Was it because she had been effectively tossed aside like she had been by Contessa? What had the man named Résav'l — Margo told Taylor he was a semi-immortal guardian of Earth who had warred against interdimensional invaders like the Entities for as long as modern man existed — said when she had been phased into the Dark Gaol…?
Contessa's own power, the Path to Victory, had been an effective open book to Scion…?!
"Do the Entities get any feedback from any parahumans here?" she then asked.
Heads shook in the negative. "Our multiverse is protected with the presence of this element…" Sharon declared as she tapped her PADD, allowing a holographic image to appear over it, revealing a VERY complex atom with the code Ms and the atomic number of 173, indicating something that wouldn't — according to any form of science that Taylor knew of — exist naturally. "This is called 'mesonium' in English; some people shorten it to 'meson' unless they want to mention the subatomic particle of the same name. Nicely named; even if it's known to be radioactive, it's not harmful to any forms of organic life. Created by the beings who created the Great Forge which the Yizibajohei know of as the Great Crystal of Power. The Dark Gaol…"
"Is the central chamber of that," Taylor finished. "Damn! So, what does mesonium do?"
"Well, it's common nickname is the 'atom of the Mind and the Soul'," Sharon declared as some of the younger bioroids checked the time, then moved to excuse themselves. "The Seekers — the immortals who create the Great Forge and are believed to have provoked the detonation of the Primal Atom to create this multiverse we're in — wished to create a type of material which would promote the creation of life wherever it was possible. When life became sentient, mesonium atoms would bond to a person's mind. If present in a large quantity, it's potentially a very effective shield from any sort of telepathic intrusion."
"Being Mastered, you mean?"
"Yes, that's the parahuman equivalent concept."
That made Taylor perk. "Wait! Shirayuki here mentioned the term 'metahuman'. What's the difference?"
"The two terms can — and in places, are — used interchangeably. They mean the effective same thing: A human being with abilities which are above and beyond normal standard. Here in America, there's a legal difference imposed in due to international treaty. A parahuman like Healer Laverne or her sister are monitored and supported by state-level agencies…"
"Parahuman Response Teams, you mean?"
A nod answered her. "We call them that here even if half are subordinated to the various state National Guards. Massachusetts' PRT is legally seen as a potential second battalion of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; the Governor could call them to official duty with an executive order in cases of statewide emergency or if they need to be federalized." As Taylor gaped — the idea of military capes was something which had been done away with by the creation of the national Parahuman Response Team and Protectorate — Sharon then finished her tea. "Metahumans are those who are directly empowered by mesonium, such as Gifted Yizibajohei. They're managed federally through the United States Joint Specialized Warfare Command in case the President needs to have people mobilized; 'specialized warfare' is the euphemism for military metahuman forces."
Hearing that, Taylor tried not to laugh as she recalled hearing about all the bureaucratic turf fights between the PRT — which was part-and-parcel of the federal Department of Justice back on Earth Bet — and the uniformed services of the United States, the latter group having taken huge cuts in their operational budgets thanks to the drive (ultimately provoked by Cauldron) to make parahumans seem beyond the reach of even the elite of the special forces. That it was effectively reversed here — hopefully, there was no Cauldron here to gum things up — would have driven one Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown completely up the wall given how much of a control freak she had been; that had been according to people like Keith "Legend" Richardson or David "Eidolon" Mercy as the scuttlebutt in Chicago revealed to her when she had served there as a ward. Since some people in the Protectorate back home had worn the uniform before becoming capes, what were their counterparts like here…?
"Are there people you need to know about, Thoughtmistress?" a silver-haired twenty-something woman to Taylor's left asked.
"Lisa Wilbourn," Taylor automatically asked.
People turned to their PADDs. "One of our Shōzoki friends saved her from Coil's people just before Christmas," a woman who looked like she was a university freshman — complete with a UMBB jacket hanging over her chair — stated.
A moan answered her. "Oh, shit! Coil?! What about Dinah Alcott?!"
"She attends Brockton Middle School alongside Thoughtmistress Melissa Byron," another woman stated.
"Vista?! Oh, perfect! What about Aisha Laborn? Does she go to Brockton Middle?"
"She's there."
"What about Miss Alcott?" Sharon asked.
"If it's like home, she'll trigger into a very powerful precog. My version of her can give exact percentages about the chances of potential future events," the dimensionally-shifted insect master stated. "Coil gets his hands on her to help him take over the local underworld. What about Aisha's brother Brian? Is he in town?" As the person who answered about Aisha and Missy Byron nodded, Taylor crossed her arms. "Alec Reynaud? Or Jean-Paul Vasil? Heartbreaker exists in this dimension, right?"
"War Hawks got to the elder Vasil two years ago when he tried to target a pretty pilot from the 2nd Canadian Cavalry Regiment," another woman answered. "General Raeburn didn't care for anyone trying to rape one of her troopers, so she used her sword to skin the monster alive in front of all his loyal children and slaves." As Taylor winced — THAT would be one hell of a brutal object lesson to any villain, even someone as nasty as Nikos Vasil! — the other woman added, "Both Jean-Paul and his sister Cherie fled from Québec a year prior, coming down here. He's using the alias you gave us, Alec Frasier. Thoughtmistress Cherie goes by the named Cherie Reynaud. They're supported by a commune of sister Avalonians in the southern part of town."
"Oh, sweet! Rachel Lindt?! Is she here?"
"She camps out near the Boat Graveyard."
"On the run from the PRT? Bad issue with her trigger event, wants to rescue dogs and all that?"
"Yes, Thoughtmistress."
Taylor groaned. "Just like home…!"
A knock from the largest window in the room made people perk before turning…
"TAYLOR!"
…then Taylor yelped as a white-and-brown blur slammed into her from port forward, knocking her off her chair onto her back as the weight of a VERY familiar — and sobbing her guts out! — biokinetic healer nearly crushing her with a hug. A quick glance to the now-open window revealed an equally familiar blonde, blue-eyed flier gaping with delight at her, she dressed not in her normal uniform as the "Alexandria-lite" of Brockton Bay, but stylish civilians patterned in such a way to not rip should she get into a scrap with anyone. As the unfamiliarity of a weeping Amelia Lavere moaning her name and hugging all the air out of her began to sink in, Victoria Dallon spun around to gaze on the local elder mother. "When the hell did THIS happen?!" she demanded, an invisible aura of power emanating from her to make the bioroids present all wince. "Why weren't we told that you found a way to get Tay-Tay back on her feet?! Yeah, keeping it from those stupid gooks is one thing, but…!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"OW!"
"DAME DESU NO! STOP THAT, VICKY-SAN!"
Taylor and Amelia stopped before turning…
…then the latter shrieked with delight on seeing Victoria now face-first into the floor thanks to one Osamu Shirayuki having pounded her in the back of the head with the heavy part of an umbrella of all things! "Hinako's?!" the healer demanded.
"Hai desu no!" the pre-teen high-end trofikinetic known on the World of the Forge as the Great Chef of the West, Syuosekuo ("Küchenchefin"), snapped before glaring at the woman also known as Glory Girl. "How many times does Vicky-san have to be told this?! That stupid aura of yours HURTS PEOPLE! Now Hime must make tea to help all Taylor-san's new sisters recover from your silly aura! Does Hime have to call Annie Whitman-san over in Sweet Valley to take your powers away…?!"
"EEP!"
Taylor's and Amelia's heads snapped over to see Victoria now trying to make herself look VERY small in the corner of the room. "Illbegood!" the blonde bombshell of New Wave croaked out a mile a minute.
Taylor blinked as she took that in, then blinked again as warm hands cupped her cheeks, turning her head around…then she awked before a very warm set of lips caressed hers in a kiss that nearly sucked all the air out of her lungs!
Then…
Amelia jolted as she leaned back to gape in horror a person her powers had confirmed was that of her intimate friend Taylor Hebert, even if now in an Avalonian bioroid body — A naturally functionally BISEXUAL body at that! Yummy! — and…!
"Taylor…who made you TRIGGER?!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Okay. Who the fuck gets to DIE?"
Taylor blinked before staring wide-eyed at Victoria, noting the smoldering look on her face. "Um…ah…!"
"Dame desu no, Vicky-san!" Shirayuki snapped. "This is not your Taylor-san! She's a Haywire event victim from another multiverse!" As the newcomers gaped in shock, the Aichi-jin waved them to the table. "Now, Hime will make some nice tea for everyone to make people calm down, then you'll get a reveal scene about why Taylor-san is here! Desu no?!"
The woman in the middle of all this moaned. "'Reveal scene'? Does that mean I can get some questions answered now?!"
"Hai desu no!"
Taylor breathed out. "More tea, please!"
"Hai desu no!"
To Be Continued…
**** **** ****
****
Somewhere in space-time, Wednesday 24 June 2013, near midnight Eastern Daylight Time…
"Because I think you have a chance to come back from this," the cape boogeyman coolly declared. "Not much of a chance. Part of that rides on me. I could help you, or I could stop you from troubling anyone ever again. Part of that? It's up to you to win the fight, to take control and keep the administrator from claiming everything you have, leaving you a shell."
I felt a chill. Was part of it my passenger? Both of us?
I opened my mouth to reply, and I couldn't.
Didn't deserve to, either way.
"It's okay. I got the answer, myself."
I looked away.
I looked up. My eyes were wet.
So many stars. The universe so vast.
We're s-so very small, in the end…
The first bullet hit me from behind, where my mask offered no coverage, and I slowly toppled.
The second hit me before I could fall, before there could be any pain...
...and then...
...cold...
...nightmarish, worse than Arctic, perhaps worst than deepest space...
...COLD!
"No...what...?"
«Such thanks, Fortuna?»
"Who...no...NO! Delete...!"
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Strange that there was no pain...!
«Your whole existence, forged out of blind fear...and you expected no less in the end when the time came?»
"Delete...data lost...no, how is...this POSSIBLE...?!"
No pain...still could...couldn't move...who was that...?
«Very well, then. Let what little conscience you have left within you — thanks to Abaddon′s shard which has driven you for so long even if both Zion and his late mate knew about it and could use it to blind you to so much! — be assured that Téjlor Daniílovna Èbért will no longer plague what is left of YOUR multiverse.»
"Dark...jail...souls destroyed...data lost...LOST, LOST, LOST...!"
Her wails of pain began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming silence.
Was this what being dead really...?
«Her fate is for you and yours to decide, Conservator...»
IT WILL BE DONE, RÉSAV'L!
Who...?
What happened...?
A gasp escaped me as I felt SOMETHING pierce the place where I was shot, sending a flood of lukewarm energy into me.
As I felt my wrecked body slowly respond to my wishes, footfalls then echoed from nearby.
The ground was solid. Not metal...more rock-like...no, ice-like...!
A purplish glow then flooded my vision.
A cave of some sort...
But where...?
The footsteps stopped.
Where...?
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
**** **** ****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts: The Return of Skitter
by Fred Herriot
A story set in the universe of The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei.
C&C by ...
Based on characters and situations from Azumanga Daiō, created by Azuma Kiyohiko; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; Worm, created by John C. McCrae; characters created by World Wrestling Entertainment, originally founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; The West Wing, created by Aaron Sorkin; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Suzumiya Haruhi no Yū'utsu, written by Tanigawa Nagaru; Sister Princess, created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako; and normalman, created by Jim Valentino.
Including references and characters from Men in Black, created by Lowell Cunningham; The Boys, created by Garth Ennis, and Darick Robertson; and Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley.
And including characters and situations from Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot.
**** **** ****
Somewhere deep in the heart of Yiziba (Earth date Monday 3 January 2011, 1:25 PM UDT; Austin time: Monday 3 January 2011, 7:25 AM CDT; Niigata time: Monday 3 January 2011, 10:25 PM JST)…
For the man celebrated for years as the Phenom of World Wrestling Entertainment, what happened in the wake of the Streak-versus-Career match the previous March really turned his life inside-out.
For the man known simply as the Undertaker across TWO separate planets separated by 273 light-years of space, being empowered quite by accident as an I-shit-you-not REALITY WARPER — and one with the effectively unstoppable ability to manipulate everything that was not of the physical, ranging from all forms of energy to disembodied spirits to even higher orders of life — made the three-time WWF/WWE Champion wonder if the Spirit of Eternity Itself had a weird sense of humour.
For the man born Mark William Calaway in Houston nearly forty-six years ago, being Gifted with the millennia of memories and cosmic power of the Master of the Dark Gaol of the Great Show of Life — his battle name on the World of the Forge of the Seekers was spoken there as Ruodeuto — gave him an often-unwanted yet sometimes beyond fascinating portal into a future that would lead well beyond the squared circle. A future leading to vistas beyond human imagination a simple Navy veteran's son could conceive of even during that whole "Prince of Darkness" angle he portrayed in the early years of the Attitude Era.
While he had been enjoying breakfast with his wife Michelle at their home near Austin — despite being a metahuman, Mark was baseline human physically, his body still on the mend thanks to a torn rotator cuff suffered during the Bragging Rights match against his kayfabe "brother" — getting a mental flash from the dark, soul-absorbing chamber in the very heart of the third world of Sigma Sagittarii (locally called "Kaeyu") wasn't something he wanted to deal with on a cool overcast Monday morning.
Thus, when he teleported into the Dark Gaol thanks to his ever-handy personal administrative assistant…
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
…encountering a raven-haired TEENAGE GIRL in full body, grey-and-black insect-like armour — right arm amputated just above the elbow joint, two multi-joint gripper mechanisms sticking out from a winged backpack; the exit wounds of a pair of gunshots on the exposed parts of her forehead, the unseen entrance wounds allowing blood to spill on the crystalline floor of this place — clearly caught Mark Calaway by surprise, especially since this person was no metahuman he could recognize.
Only reality warpers like himself could access this place.
By convention first established five millennia ago when the first incarnation of the Master of the Dark Gaol lived to repel the lar'beke from Yiziba, other reality warpers would normally ASK him before dumping someone here.
In conclusion, either someone wanted to start something…
…or this girl's coming here was due to some oddball accident.
Rasing his hand, he allowed a corona of power to cloak it before kneeling beside the still-breathing girl — that fact shocking him since head wounds like she displayed normally shut down the brain and eventually the body — then he reached out mentally to do a basic life scan of her. While her brain was significantly damaged, there was a VERY familiar trace element in her still-intact cerebral matter which made Mark scowl. "Parahuman, huh…" he muttered to himself while mentally reaching into what he believed was the core conscience of the shard which had no doubt twisted this kid's life inside out and…
Huh…?
He gaped as images flashed before his mind's eye, revealing a pair of all TOO familiar cosmic entities resembling wriggling comets of energy, intertwined as they ejected tiny fragments of themselves — the "shards" that, upon entering a host's body, would empower them once the right conditions for a "trigger event" happened — to help the semi-sentient entities (known on Yiziba by the disparaging term kimfombeke or "worm leech") gather information which could help them escape the "heat death" of Existence. An event all self-respecting Yizibajohei knew would NEVER happen given how vast and complex Creation was.
On Yiziba, such beings were given an even more despised term: R'be Guofenukro, literally meaning "thing that cheats death".
Given one ugly aftermath of the worldwide metahuman revolution which befell the third world of Kaeyu two millennia ago — known on that planet as Muokim Yuati, the Dawn of Power — when the noncorporeal souls of over a BILLION slain innocents drew on the ever-increasing auras of energy produced by the Forge of the First Race to seek vengeance on those still living…!
Shaking his head, Mark then jolted as a very recent memory from the girl appeared before his mind's eye.
One of the kimfombeke…
Urged on a rampage to wipe out a whole MULTIDIMENSIONAL CLUSTER of Earths and all those living on them…
This thing's avatar — shaped like a glowing Zeiwanite, once revered on the girl's own home planet as the first "superhero" — confronting the girl…then being forced to gaze on the dead corpse of its mate through the eyes of THOUSANDS…
And that one act…
…drove that creature to suicide!
Mentally cutting off his mind from the girl's memories, Mark nodded in approval. "Damn, kid! You did GOOD…!"
"A-ri-ri?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
That made the phenom turn to see a young girl dressed in solid white from neck to toe — such topped with a red heart over her chest, pink belt and boots completing the ensemble — standing nearby, a concerned look on her face.
"Hinako…?"
****
The girl born Saeru Hinako in the summer of 2004 had been asleep — having turned in early even if she was enjoying the second week of winter vacation from kindergarten — when something BIG made her empathic abilities wake her up.
Like her current host, the native of Niigata on the shores of the East Sea separating Japan from mainland Asia had been Gifted to become a metahuman, such happening shortly after her sixth birthday the summer just past. Fortunately for those who feared the idea of someone so young being empowered, Hinako's Gifting proved to be quite the blessing for all who interacted with her.
On Yiziba, she was known as the Living Spirit of Innocence, formally addressed there by the battle name Lomroer'bem.
In lieu of using the English "Pureheart" as the local translation, Hinako naturally picked the Japanese term Suiki.
And — thanks to her having no need to worry about mandatory education until the April coming up when she would commence her first year of elementary school — the pretty girl with the dirty caramel brown hair (normally done in high side pigtails) and royal blue eyes had taken to her Gift and its endless possibilities like a duckling did to water.
Driven both by her own innocent, childish nature and the memories of her twenty-three previous incarnations spanning a two-millennia period of time from the Dawn of Power — unlike those parahumans who were forced through trigger events to make use of their shard-given powers, "Named" Yizibajohei-type metahumans got the collected knowledge of their many past-selves' experiences using their powers once the Gifting occurred — the precocious child of a middle-income salaryman and his wife began to use her new abilities to do things most "capes" normally wouldn't engage in, even in a peaceful country like Japan.
As people soon learned right away, Hinako would gladly jump into a "fight scene" between metahumans/parahumans…
…but to STOP said fight, not make it worse!
Thanks to a level of broadcast empathy which defied all Terran means of measurement — though limited due to Hinako's youth; as most natives of Yiziba knew, adult versions of the Spirit of Innocence could pump out an aura of pure power with the ability to calm the angriest or most battle-crazed metahuman at PLANETARY distances! — the cute Niigata-jin had halted more property-wrecking fights across the Home Islands in the last five months than any adult employed by the National Superhuman Affairs Bureau's field security teams, Japan's equivalent to America's state-managed Parahuman Response Team organizations.
Even more so, because of Hinako's innate ability to "spread the peace" even among violent groups such as the various Yakuza clans and their rivals from other nations in-country, no one could even CONCEIVE of plotting to find said girl — who, unlike most American parahuman "capes", didn't even wear protective goggles to mask her facial features — and take her out.
After one particularly nasty incident in Sapporo in November, one Chōjinji-chō team leader joked to a friend that if either Omni-Man from the Invincibles universe or Homelander from the universe of The Boys — their existence being possible given the often-proven statement that "what is fiction in one universe is fact in another" — ever crossed paths with Suiki…!
Shaking her head as she focused now on the badly wounded older girl being looked at by Mark Calaway, the Spirit of Innocence came up to gaze on the masked face, her empathic senses automatically probing into the still-living stranger's grey matter — which surprised Hinako very much; child or not, she knew that head wounds like that were normally fatal — to obtain as accurate a sense of what had befallen this woman before she was brought to the Dark Gaol in the middle of Yiziba's very core. "Hina felt it when Onē-tama was sent here, Mark-san," she confessed as the phenom of WWE moved to gently pull the mask away from the stranger's face, revealing glazed green eyes that barely showed any intelligence, a too-wide mouth and the general aura of someone who had clearly gone through something that made even the Dawn of Power seem paltry in comparison.
If THAT was even possible…!
"Hina was sleeping when she felt a lot and lot of people trying to get rid of something…!"
"A kimfombeke," her host advised.
That made the Niigata-jin's face scrunch up in disgust. "Eew! One of THEM?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
"She somehow made the stupid thing kill itself," the Master of the Dark Gaol announced.
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!" Hinako exclaimed.
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
That made her face scrunch up. "Why would she have to do that?"
That make the Texan wrestler hum for a moment. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to chase them away from hurting people. Love to get this kid's full story, but she's not in a good way right now."
"I'm not…going to die…?"
****
To say that Taylor Hebert was quite confused was putting it kindly.
She was alive even if the pain of the two bullets shot into the back of her head made the nerves inside her skull screech with agony. Even more so, with whatever it was this place was pumping into her, her sense of self was coming back to her, such having been nearly lost when she got Amelia Lavere to shear away the limiters on her shard's powers and how that affected her very body and soul. Atop that, she felt her shard move to restore itself in the wake of Contessa shooting it apart before she was brought here; she was now starting to detect wildly different bugs located in the costumes of the two people now with her.
As she realized that, a growing sense of comprehension overcame her. Words spoken to her were no longer mere outbursts of sound, but clearly registering in her mind. She understood that she was in some crystal-lined cave somewhere, a place that was nearly freezing even if the two people who just joined her — the red-haired twenty-something man in the black bodysuit with matching trench coat and Stetson hat who claimed this place as "his yard", and the young girl in the white bodysuit with the pink heart on her chest that projected an aura of concern mixed with childish jubilance — clearly weren't bothered by the lack of heat.
Even more so, as the two talked, the former warlord of Brockton Bay was quick to note that the younger of the pair seemed to speak in Japanese even if her words echoed in Taylor's ears as English. How was THAT possible? Did this girl — who seemed WAY too young to have become a parahuman — have some sort of Master-like ability to make all understand her…?
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!"
Did that girl just call Taylor "big sister"…?
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
Okay…if these two were capes of some sort, the parahuman culture they had here — wherever "here" actually was — was noticeably different if people used normal names to refer to each other rather than cape names.
"Why would she have to do that?"
Taylor felt the urge to answer before she stopped herself.
No, no, NO! Even if she was a cape, she was a CHILD…!
A hum made Taylor's eyes flick over to the older man, who was staring with a mixture of amused respect and concern at her. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to get them out of OUR dimension."
Haywire event…! automatically echoed in Taylor's mind on hearing that.
"Love to get this kid's full story, but she's definitely not in a good way right now."
That made her slightly twitch. "I'm not…going to die…?"
Her pained words made the other two capes gaze concernedly at her before the younger of the pair walked around to Taylor's left, placing a hand on her shoulder. As the uncertainty of this situation faded from her — she could NOW understand why Contessa would move to kill her after the battle with Scion was done; having someone with the power of Khepri running loose after humanity was nearly wiped out was a no-brainer — the girl gave her a smile which probably had the power to knock Jack Slash off-kilter. "Oh, no! No! No! No! No, Onē-tama! Hina and Mark-san won't let Onē-tama die just because some silly person decided she was supposed to die! Onē-tama killed a kimfombeke and all of them are just nasty, evil creeps who hurt lots and lots and lots of nice people everywhere they go! Don't you worry about that, Onē-tama! Even Margo-san won't object!"
Taylor blinked. "Who…is Margo…?" she asked. "She part…of your Triumvirate…?"
A hand covered in purple fingerless sports gloves squeezed her other shoulder. "You'll get the explanation soon enough, kid," the older man advised. "First of all, given how bashed up your body and brain are, we'll need to clone you a new one, then shift your soul into it to let you have a brain firing on all neurons. A bit of rest after that, then come the reveal scenes."
"Who is Onē-tama anyway?" the girl asked. "Where's Onē-tama from on her Earth?"
A couple blinks later, a tired sigh escaped her. "Taylor Hebert…Brockton Bay…"
The older man nodded. "Have a Brockton Bay where you're from? Can't take a walk without kicking a cape every corner?"
That made Taylor bark out in laughter before she cringed as her whole skull sharply protested such a move…
****
Brockton Bay (twenty miles north of northeast from Boston), Wednesday 5 January, 7:42 AM EST (Austin time: 6:42 AM CST; Niigata time: 9:42 PM JST)…
Taylor Hebert's eyes slowly opened to reveal the ceiling of what appeared to be a normal bedroom.
Moaning as she sensed her body slowly respond to her mind's desire to shift herself out from under the warm blankets spread over her — a desire instantly squelched as she sensed that she had no clothes on whatsoever under said covers — she shifted her head right, then left to scan around. A normal bedroom that didn't look really lived in, possessing (atop the bed she was on) a nightstand with lamp, dresser drawer, closet, work desk with a very advanced laptop computer on it, plus a couple of guest chairs off to one side for visitors. One chair had folded clothes on it, no doubt prepared for her ahead of time.
Grunting, she leaned on her left elbow to push herself up into a sitting position, the covers falling away from her diminutive breasts to expose herself. Automatically, her right arm came out from under the sheets to shield her…
She then stopped, staring down.
A completely intact right arm.
Without even any sign that it had been amputated in the first place!
Blinking as she considered that, Taylor then recalled what her rescuers — Mark Calaway and Saeru Hinako, she recalled; the former using the cape name "Undertaker" while the latter called herself "Suiki" — talked about before she was teleported out of the cold place to a safer location. How they would contact allies to CLONE A NEW BODY for her to use given the sheer damage her birth body had suffered over the years. While that did provoke a little flashback concerning the "Slaughterhouse Nine Thousand" created at the instigation of Jack Slash prior to Scion's rampage, the fact that the Texan and the Niigata-jin didn't seem disturbed about making a drastic choice impressed Taylor a lot. Even more so, according to Hinako, Margo Black — whoever she was — wouldn't object to having this happen to Taylor given that she had helped kill a "worm leech".
An act that both Hinako and Mark — and Margo as well — held with great respect.
What have those things done here?
"They find it pretty had to play around with normal folks in this multiverse."
Taylor awked before spinning around…
…then she gaped on seeing the smirking woman her age seated on the windowsill, the recognizable skyline of Brockton Bay's downtown framing her. Despite her being in normal yet fashionable clothes, this dark-haired beauty with the stormy grey eyes — who would make one Emma Barnes look like pond scum in comparison — seemed to bleed an aura of pure, raw, imminent DANGER that made Taylor cringe, the fight or flight urge she had long experience with thanks to three former schoolmates of hers surging up to seize her heart with a grip of iron. Before she could say anything, the newcomer's lips twisted into an amused smirk while she lifted herself off the windowsill, moving to head over to the chair holding the clothes obviously set aside for Taylor. "No underwear," she said with a voice that was a mixture of flat New Englander, wise New Yorker, and pure Southern belle. "Typical Avalonians. You'd think they'd understand that Terrans have different standards than they do."
Taylor blinked. "What are Avalonians?"
"Bioroids," the newcomer said as she picked up the folded blouse and jeans. "Designer clones, in effect. Created by technology brought here by alien mimics who are so fascinated by Terran society, they came here in droves to observe us." As she handed them over to Taylor before she walked to the dresser to see what was there, she added, "Of course, even if they're humanoid themselves, the Niphentaxians do have pointed ears. You got Star Trek wherever in the Multiverse you come from, Taylor?"
That made the other brunette nod. "Yes."
"Think of the Ionians from the classic episode 'A Piece of the Action'. Tack on a serious religious bent to them, though; that's your average Nick Niphentaxian…ah!" the newcomer said as she pulled out some packages. "Some Terran-borns with this observation post. Should fit you," she said as she tossed one packaged brassier and one packaged set of panties over.
Taking them with her "regrown" hand — it had been difficult for Taylor to learn how to be left-handed in the brief time before she got her shard jailbroken — she then tore them open to get dressed. "You have actual aliens here?"
"Sure do. In a way, it pays to be in part of space which others see as a galactic crossroads of sorts," the other woman said as she moved to sit. "So, you're from a 'parahuman-only' universe, huh? From what I've heard, kimfombeke love to isolate those dimensions from the rest of Creation so they could keep death cheating their way through the genocide of species after species."
As Taylor slipped on the panties — Damn! Were they made of silk?! — she gazed on the other woman. "Why 'worm leech'?"
"Because they leech the energy and effectively the LIVES of those people which they 'gift'," the other woman sneered to a degree that would have impressed one Sophia Hess. "You think your multiverse had it bad? Creation is way vaster than all that. Those things have loads of places where they go to try to feed off people's knowledge and experiences. They've tried with this multiversal cluster, but there were defences put into place by those who provoked the Big Bang here to stop that."
That made Taylor freeze from putting on her bra, her jaw dropped in shock. "They've been around for THAT LONG?!"
"Time flows differently depending on which multiversal cluster you're talking about," the other woman declared with an eerie smile, one that made Taylor's heart ache as she recalled the last time that she had seen Lisa Wilbourn before she allowed herself to become Khepri. The type of grimace the lady also known as Tattletale gave when she revelled in displaying how much she knew to those that were dependant on her "wisdom". Despite that expression, the other lady seemed not interested in showing off her knowledge to Taylor; the way she had expressed that simply was a statement of fact, no different than if she talked about the weather. "In one multiverse, it's the time of the Big Bang. Another multiverse, the time of dinosaurs. Yet another, the final disintegration of all matter into nothingness; the 'heat death' the kimfombeke so desperately want to avoid." Shaking her head, she then shrugged. "Death cheaters," she then declared with a look akin to her stepping into dog poop, something Taylor had got long used to from dealing with one Rachel Lindt. "All things must eventually perish, even a so-called 'god'."
Hearing that, Taylor nodded in understanding. "You must be this 'Margo' that Mr. Calaway and Hinako spoke about when I was brought into this universe after Contessa shot me," she noted as she fixed the bra in place before moving to slip on the jeans. "What was that place, anyway? It was dark, lined in crystals and Mr. Calaway called it his 'yard'."
"The Dark Gaol," the woman born Margo Chapelle answered. "It's a place where we toss the really dangerous alien heels we've run across over the years and centuries whose powers we might want to have circulating around the population but whose knowledge we DON'T want to have Gifted…" — Taylor was quick to sense the capital letter fall in on hearing that word — "…to cause even more trouble." Here, the Vermonter and adopted New Yorker/Georgian blinked before an amuse smile crossed her face. "I bet you didn't realize you were in the heart of another PLANET when you got dropped in there by Lord Rjazán'!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"That…was another PLANET?!" a now-pale Taylor exclaimed with a squeaked voice.
Margo chuckled. "Oh, yes, it was. About 273 light-years from here. Third planet of Sigma Sagittarii; that's the second brightest star in Sagittarius if you're into astronomy. People who live there — even the adopted ones like Mark, Hinako and I — call the star 'Kaeyu'. The planet's name is 'Yiziba'; people who live there are called 'Yizibajohei'." Here, a snort escaped her. "Unless you're like the useless dweebs on other planets near this system who can't stomach the fact that we MUST become metahumans to simply SURVIVE there." As Taylor's jaw dropped in shock on hearing that, the other woman derisively added, "Idiots there call us things like 'Unspeakable Ones' or 'They Who Must Never Be Named' or 'Scary People' or other crap like that."
Blinking as she took that in — A PLANET FULL OF CAPES?! she mentally railed as that very concept nearly overwhelmed her — Taylor then dropped onto the bed as she gaped in disbelief at the other woman. "Did the Entities cause that?!"
Margo stared at her before she laughed. "Oh, Forge, no! That was guaranteed because the whole planet could effectively Gift those types of abilities to those who wanted them…and thanks to a bunch of selfish fools who would even make Adolf Hitler look like some school bully, they drove MILLIONS of desperate folks into empowering themselves to win their freedom."
As Taylor blinked a couple times, the other woman shrugged. "We call that the Dawn of Power."
****
An hour later…
"There you go, Taylor-san! A nice, nutritious breakfast that won't upset your stomach! Bon appétit!"
Blushing at being doted upon by the mauve-haired twelve-year old with the sparkling royal blue eyes after she placed a BIG plate full of standard Western breakfast fare before her, Taylor blinked several times before she gave the newcomer — Osamu Shirayuki was her name, hailing from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture west of Tōkyō itself — a confused look. "You're a cape?"
Shirayuki blinked before she chuckled in amusement as she turned to head back into the kitchen of this multi-bedroom dormitory-like home currently serving as the home base of an effectively-defunct alien observation post. "No, Taylor-san, Hime's not some silly parahuman! Hime's a metahuman like Hinako-chan and Margo-san are! Now you eat!"
With a wag of her finger, the Aichi-jin ducked into kitchen. Wincing at such an admonishment, Taylor then tensed on hearing her empty stomach creak before she picked up a cup of tea to sip from it. Smiling as the lovely taste danced over her effectively virgin tongue, she sat back in her chair. Seated around said table were young women spanning from middle school age to mid-twenties in looks. All of them were quite beautiful by Western norms, dressed in the same type of fashion Taylor had seen in her own hometown. While there was something slightly pressing at her mind from all of them, it didn't feel in any way threatening to her. From what Margo Black had told her, her current hosts were all "Terran-form Avalonians", bioroids — the word as a portmanteau meaning "biological android" — who had been created as unique beings and not cloned from someone else. All of them had been "assistant observers" to their slavers on the second world of the Phentax system; said slavers had been killed by some of the minor gangs in the Bay who were aware of the Avalonians' presence on Earth to effective free said women.
To Taylor's immediate right was the "elder mother" of this group; the term was applied to the person who would serve a quasi-spiritual leadership rôle among groups of Avalonians. "So, while you enjoy Thoughtmistress-prime Shirayuki's 'welcome to our multiverse' breakfast, Thoughtmistress Taylor, we'll go through a series of questions to give you a better idea of what you've effectively been forced to become a part of by your being shifted here by Elder Thoughtmaster Résav'l. Please feel free to ask things in return. While the younger ones have school to go to, we older ones can take a day off work if necessary."
"I don't mean to impose, Ms. Blake," Taylor said before picking up an orange to peel it.
"Please, Sharon," the pretty brunette with the brown eyes declared, smirking. Looking to the iPad-like device in her hand — it was called a PADD, short for "personal archival display device", akin to the like-named device in Star Trek: The Next Generation — she breathed out. "So, to begin, you're from your universe's Brockton Bay, correct?"
"Yes."
"Your parents are Dockmaster-prime Daniel Hebert, current hiring manager/chief of negotiations for the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1102 for the Port of Brockton Bay; and Thoughtmistress-prime Annette Hebert, junior professor for English classical literature at the University of Massachusetts Brockton Bay?"
Taylor blinked. She knew that "Thoughtmistress" was the Avalonian equivalent of the Japanese term "sensei"; adding the "prime" suffix meant a senior teacher of sorts. Naturally, given her father's work with the Brockton Bay dockyards, being called "dockmaster" seemed fitting. "Well, in my universe, Dad's group was just the 'Dockworkers' Union'; since the Endbringers effectively wrecked all maritime trade and the port was sealed up in the Dock Riots of 2002, most of the union locals decided to merge as one single group to protect themselves from the gangs. Mom was killed in a car accident in the fall of '08…"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! There are versions of MY PARENTS here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded.
"Yes, they're here. As is 'you'," one dark-skinned girl in clothes that might have marked her as part of the ABB back in Taylor's universe — save for also wearing black as well as red and gold — declared with a pained smile. "Your counterpart was caught in an attack by the Kŭmdal-jop'ok, a Korean gang with suspected connections to the Democratic People's Republic, due to her father's friends interfering in the movement of drugs and sex slaves in and out of the Bay. She's in a coma now at Brockton General Hospital. Given Healer Laverne's aversion to altering a person's mind, the chances of recovery…"
Taylor hissed before a warm hand squeezed her shoulder, making her look up to see Shirayuki gazing worriedly at her. "Do you want Hime to call Hinako-chan to come over here, Taylor-san?" the pre-teen master chef asked.
Sensing the desire to help, the older woman sighed. "What time is it in Niigata?"
"Five to eleven in the evening," one of the older bioroids answered.
Taylor shook her head. "No, she needs to sleep. I won't take that from her." She nibbled on an orange before sipping her tea as Shirayuki moved to serve coffee to those who wanted refills. "So, you have Panacea here. Does New Wave exist?"
"It does to an extent," another teenage bioroid answered, one in more fashionable clothes which wouldn't seem out of place at Arcadia High School; Taylor had got her hosts' names when she was walked down for breakfast, though she couldn't draw up this person's now given what she just found out about the local cape scene. "Only Vicky and Amelia — or 'Amy' as everyone in the group wants her to be known by even if her true parentage is pretty much an open secret now — effectively keep the flag flying. The first generation of Dallons and Pelhams are semi-retired, their older cousin Crystal just got into UMBB and their younger cousin Eric's going through some gender identity issues." As Taylor winced in sympathy, said girl added, "They all come out for any major big fight. Like if the Empire goes at it with the Red Dragon Society or some outside group comes in to cause issues with the locals." She sipped her coffee. "Thank Lyna that the Slaughterhouse were wiped out by the War Hawks on the Cold Lake Ranges in '07 when they tried to go after that one healer in Regina who just joined the Army Cadets…"
"Riley Davis?" Taylor wondered.
"She exists in your universe?" Sharon asked.
"We know her as 'Bonesaw'," the now-permanently dimensionally displaced older teen answered. "High Tinker, specialized in biomanipulation, plus a Trump classification since she could also change some aspects of one's powers." After sipping her tea, then nibbling on another orange slice — she had been told to eat slow to give her new body a chance to adjust to being active in lieu of being in cryogenic storage, not moulded to match her old body's DNA in a process called "templation" — she pointed to her head. "She actually helped my version of Amelia jail-break my shard to help me go up against Scion."
"Why would you do something like that?" the girl that Taylor privately guessed attended the Winslow of this universe wondered.
Sensing the honest curiosity in her hosts' eyes — and knowing that these people supported those like Margo Black and Mark Calaway, both of whom had given Taylor two thumbs up for forcing her peers back on Earth Bet to deal with Scion and save what was left of humanity in her home multiverse — the insect manipulator shrugged. "When Jack Slash set off Scion, scant few capes want to help fight him to save all the normal people from being slaughtered en masse. We — Lisa Wilbourn and Amelia along with some others — felt that we had ultimately no choice but to find a way to master EVERY CAPE ALIVE to have them combine their powers to deal with that monster. So, I let Amelia unchain my shard to make me the ultimate Master."
Saying that, Taylor blinked on realizing that the guilt she had felt on being made to dominate everyone like that wasn't there. Yes, it was immoral in the extreme to mentally ENSLAVE thousands of capes like that. Even if the Star Trek concept of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" could be applied here — the "many" being the trillions of normal people from Earths Bet, Aleph and elsewhere; the "few" were the parahumans, who numbered only about six thousand from what she could recall before losing all sense of her humanity not even a week ago in her timeline — the idea of being Mastered like that was something ALL of humanity where she came from loathed with passion, the example of Nikos "Heatbreaker" Vasil being one big object lesson of same. Was it because she had been effectively tossed aside like she had been by Contessa? What had the man named Résav'l — Margo told Taylor he was a semi-immortal guardian of Earth who had warred against interdimensional invaders like the Entities for as long as modern man existed — said when she had been phased into the Dark Gaol…?
Contessa's own power, the Path to Victory, had been an effective open book to Scion…?!
"Do the Entities get any feedback from any parahumans here?" she then asked.
Heads shook in the negative. "Our multiverse is protected with the presence of this element…" Sharon declared as she tapped her PADD, allowing a holographic image to appear over it, revealing a VERY complex atom with the code Ms and the atomic number of 173, indicating something that wouldn't — according to any form of science that Taylor knew of — exist naturally. "This is called 'mesonium' in English; some people shorten it to 'meson' unless they want to mention the subatomic particle of the same name. Nicely named; even if it's known to be radioactive, it's not harmful to any forms of organic life. Created by the beings who created the Great Forge which the Yizibajohei know of as the Great Crystal of Power. The Dark Gaol…"
"Is the central chamber of that," Taylor finished. "Damn! So, what does mesonium do?"
"Well, it's common nickname is the 'atom of the Mind and the Soul'," Sharon declared as some of the younger bioroids checked the time, then moved to excuse themselves. "The Seekers — the immortals who create the Great Forge and are believed to have provoked the detonation of the Primal Atom to create this multiverse we're in — wished to create a type of material which would promote the creation of life wherever it was possible. When life became sentient, mesonium atoms would bond to a person's mind. If present in a large quantity, it's potentially a very effective shield from any sort of telepathic intrusion."
"Being Mastered, you mean?"
"Yes, that's the parahuman equivalent concept."
That made Taylor perk. "Wait! Shirayuki here mentioned the term 'metahuman'. What's the difference?"
"The two terms can — and in places, are — used interchangeably. They mean the effective same thing: A human being with abilities which are above and beyond normal standard. Here in America, there's a legal difference imposed in due to international treaty. A parahuman like Healer Laverne or her sister are monitored and supported by state-level agencies…"
"Parahuman Response Teams, you mean?"
A nod answered her. "We call them that here even if half are subordinated to the various state National Guards. Massachusetts' PRT is legally seen as a potential second battalion of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; the Governor could call them to official duty with an executive order in cases of statewide emergency or if they need to be federalized." As Taylor gaped — the idea of military capes was something which had been done away with by the creation of the national Parahuman Response Team and Protectorate — Sharon then finished her tea. "Metahumans are those who are directly empowered by mesonium, such as Gifted Yizibajohei. They're managed federally through the United States Joint Specialized Warfare Command in case the President needs to have people mobilized; 'specialized warfare' is the euphemism for military metahuman forces."
Hearing that, Taylor tried not to laugh as she recalled hearing about all the bureaucratic turf fights between the PRT — which was part-and-parcel of the federal Department of Justice back on Earth Bet — and the uniformed services of the United States, the latter group having taken huge cuts in their operational budgets thanks to the drive (ultimately provoked by Cauldron) to make parahumans seem beyond the reach of even the elite of the special forces. That it was effectively reversed here — hopefully, there was no Cauldron here to gum things up — would have driven one Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown completely up the wall given how much of a control freak she had been; that had been according to people like Keith "Legend" Richardson or David "Eidolon" Mercy as the scuttlebutt in Chicago revealed to her when she had served there as a ward. Since some people in the Protectorate back home had worn the uniform before becoming capes, what were their counterparts like here…?
"Are there people you need to know about, Thoughtmistress?" a silver-haired twenty-something woman to Taylor's left asked.
"Lisa Wilbourn," Taylor automatically asked.
People turned to their PADDs. "One of our Shōzoki friends saved her from Coil's people just before Christmas," a woman who looked like she was a university freshman — complete with a UMBB jacket hanging over her chair — stated.
A moan answered her. "Oh, shit! Coil?! What about Dinah Alcott?!"
"She attends Brockton Middle School alongside Thoughtmistress Melissa Byron," another woman stated.
"Vista?! Oh, perfect! What about Aisha Laborn? Does she go to Brockton Middle?"
"She's there."
"What about Miss Alcott?" Sharon asked.
"If it's like home, she'll trigger into a very powerful precog. My version of her can give exact percentages about the chances of potential future events," the dimensionally-shifted insect master stated. "Coil gets his hands on her to help him take over the local underworld. What about Aisha's brother Brian? Is he in town?" As the person who answered about Aisha and Missy Byron nodded, Taylor crossed her arms. "Alec Reynaud? Or Jean-Paul Vasil? Heartbreaker exists in this dimension, right?"
"War Hawks got to the elder Vasil two years ago when he tried to target a pretty pilot from the 2nd Canadian Cavalry Regiment," another woman answered. "General Raeburn didn't care for anyone trying to rape one of her troopers, so she used her sword to skin the monster alive in front of all his loyal children and slaves." As Taylor winced — THAT would be one hell of a brutal object lesson to any villain, even someone as nasty as Nikos Vasil! — the other woman added, "Both Jean-Paul and his sister Cherie fled from Québec a year prior, coming down here. He's using the alias you gave us, Alec Frasier. Thoughtmistress Cherie goes by the named Cherie Reynaud. They're supported by a commune of sister Avalonians in the southern part of town."
"Oh, sweet! Rachel Lindt?! Is she here?"
"She camps out near the Boat Graveyard."
"On the run from the PRT? Bad issue with her trigger event, wants to rescue dogs and all that?"
"Yes, Thoughtmistress."
Taylor groaned. "Just like home…!"
A knock from the largest window in the room made people perk before turning…
"TAYLOR!"
…then Taylor yelped as a white-and-brown blur slammed into her from port forward, knocking her off her chair onto her back as the weight of a VERY familiar — and sobbing her guts out! — biokinetic healer nearly crushing her with a hug. A quick glance to the now-open window revealed an equally familiar blonde, blue-eyed flier gaping with delight at her, she dressed not in her normal uniform as the "Alexandria-lite" of Brockton Bay, but stylish civilians patterned in such a way to not rip should she get into a scrap with anyone. As the unfamiliarity of a weeping Amelia Lavere moaning her name and hugging all the air out of her began to sink in, Victoria Dallon spun around to gaze on the local elder mother. "When the hell did THIS happen?!" she demanded, an invisible aura of power emanating from her to make the bioroids present all wince. "Why weren't we told that you found a way to get Tay-Tay back on her feet?! Yeah, keeping it from those stupid gooks is one thing, but…!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"OW!"
"DAME DESU NO! STOP THAT, VICKY-SAN!"
Taylor and Amelia stopped before turning…
…then the latter shrieked with delight on seeing Victoria now face-first into the floor thanks to one Osamu Shirayuki having pounded her in the back of the head with the heavy part of an umbrella of all things! "Hinako's?!" the healer demanded.
"Hai desu no!" the pre-teen high-end trofikinetic known on the World of the Forge as the Great Chef of the West, Syuosekuo ("Küchenchefin"), snapped before glaring at the woman also known as Glory Girl. "How many times does Vicky-san have to be told this?! That stupid aura of yours HURTS PEOPLE! Now Hime must make tea to help all Taylor-san's new sisters recover from your silly aura! Does Hime have to call Annie Whitman-san over in Sweet Valley to take your powers away…?!"
"EEP!"
Taylor's and Amelia's heads snapped over to see Victoria now trying to make herself look VERY small in the corner of the room. "Illbegood!" the blonde bombshell of New Wave croaked out a mile a minute.
Taylor blinked as she took that in, then blinked again as warm hands cupped her cheeks, turning her head around…then she awked before a very warm set of lips caressed hers in a kiss that nearly sucked all the air out of her lungs!
Then…
Amelia jolted as she leaned back to gape in horror a person her powers had confirmed was that of her intimate friend Taylor Hebert, even if now in an Avalonian bioroid body — A naturally functionally BISEXUAL body at that! Yummy! — and…!
"Taylor…who made you TRIGGER?!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Okay. Who the fuck gets to DIE?"
Taylor blinked before staring wide-eyed at Victoria, noting the smoldering look on her face. "Um…ah…!"
"Dame desu no, Vicky-san!" Shirayuki snapped. "This is not your Taylor-san! She's a Haywire event victim from another multiverse!" As the newcomers gaped in shock, the Aichi-jin waved them to the table. "Now, Hime will make some nice tea for everyone to make people calm down, then you'll get a reveal scene about why Taylor-san is here! Desu no?!"
The woman in the middle of all this moaned. "'Reveal scene'? Does that mean I can get some questions answered now?!"
"Hai desu no!"
Taylor breathed out. "More tea, please!"
"Hai desu no!"
To Be Continued…
**** **** ****
Last edited:
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
First scene in Part Two...
****
Earth Gimel, the western outskirts of the "City" on the shore of the Hudson River (Earth Bet equivalent location: West Point, New York), Tuesday 19 November 2013, sometime after dawn…
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole world away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; all people who had benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being one Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities and seize control of Fortuna's senses to calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them – all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become – desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against the wall of this meeting room. The building had been erected by Cauldron as a safe house for their personnel once the concept of the City began to take form almost immediately after the Undersiders established an interdimensional portal from Earth Bet in the wake of the Slaughterhouse Nine's post-Leviathan attack on Brockton Bay two years before. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of calming her down and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling his hand back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into his dark, cold chamber that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by an unchained Taylor Hebert — in that state, she had been given the code-name "Khepri" — to put Scion down surged anew in their hearts, the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
****
****
Earth Gimel, the western outskirts of the "City" on the shore of the Hudson River (Earth Bet equivalent location: West Point, New York), Tuesday 19 November 2013, sometime after dawn…
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole world away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; all people who had benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being one Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities and seize control of Fortuna's senses to calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them – all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become – desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against the wall of this meeting room. The building had been erected by Cauldron as a safe house for their personnel once the concept of the City began to take form almost immediately after the Undersiders established an interdimensional portal from Earth Bet in the wake of the Slaughterhouse Nine's post-Leviathan attack on Brockton Bay two years before. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of calming her down and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling his hand back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into his dark, cold chamber that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by an unchained Taylor Hebert — in that state, she had been given the code-name "Khepri" — to put Scion down surged anew in their hearts, the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Brockton Bay, near downtown, Wednesday 5 January 2011, 9:42 AM EST (Austin time: Wednesday 5 January, 8:42 AM CST; Nagoya time: Wednesday 5 January, 11:42 PM JST)…
"You – are – SHITTING – ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki had turned things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion sometime ago so she could go back home and head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning hers or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a teacher. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Margo was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working these days as a personal assassin at the direct command of the President; while she was not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their beautiful home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality often worked with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered back home. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you – well, our version of you – has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" – this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters – "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in horror, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out that Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she's a WARD of all things, the school staff turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill before the nausea hit her. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" she wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind – she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them – she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a hero meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she must lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" – here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head – "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are a little weird and there are people there who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of our unmasking ourselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy here!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay cape scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E-88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" – here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled – "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "I was most likely out to commit suicide-by-cape in a way."
People stared at her…
****
"You – are – SHITTING – ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki had turned things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion sometime ago so she could go back home and head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning hers or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a teacher. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Margo was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working these days as a personal assassin at the direct command of the President; while she was not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their beautiful home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality often worked with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered back home. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you – well, our version of you – has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" – this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters – "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in horror, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out that Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she's a WARD of all things, the school staff turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill before the nausea hit her. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" she wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind – she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them – she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a hero meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she must lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" – here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head – "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are a little weird and there are people there who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of our unmasking ourselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy here!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay cape scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E-88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" – here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled – "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "I was most likely out to commit suicide-by-cape in a way."
People stared at her…
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Overlooking the east shore of the Oká River in Stáraja Rjazán' (200 kilometres east of southeast from Moskvá), that moment (Rjazán' time: 5:48 PM MSK)...
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest – or second-oldest; neither he nor his counterpart on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense – human being alive on this Earth breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS MULTIVERSAL BARRIERS FROM EARTH GIMEL, CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
****
Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko (Lord Rjazán') first appeared in Wanderers.
"Ladyhawke" is the code-name given to Deannette Antonia "Dean" Raeburn, my first true fictional character. Her history is best described here.
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest – or second-oldest; neither he nor his counterpart on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense – human being alive on this Earth breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS MULTIVERSAL BARRIERS FROM EARTH GIMEL, CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
****
Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko (Lord Rjazán') first appeared in Wanderers.
"Ladyhawke" is the code-name given to Deannette Antonia "Dean" Raeburn, my first true fictional character. Her history is best described here.
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
As a warning for the future, note that scenes written in italics indicate events on Earth Gimel...
****
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella before teleporting back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was now the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"), this Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her Irish mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to her mouth. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much as younger folk your age do, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" – the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname – "…she was effectively kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Was it the same here?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" – she sneered out that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support – "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her own tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"In essence, don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" – here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something – "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or Kaiser could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all talk about?"
"Didn't you have here back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he had saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source – a 'power jewel', it's called – which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' – they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place – vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth – all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created – the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of subspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay, she had done a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most – if not THE MOST – powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay had got top marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it – it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then – it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to not a thing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff inert. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom once at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in the field. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"What?! Wait! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
****
****
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella before teleporting back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was now the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"), this Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her Irish mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to her mouth. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much as younger folk your age do, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" – the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname – "…she was effectively kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Was it the same here?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" – she sneered out that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support – "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her own tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"In essence, don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" – here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something – "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or Kaiser could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all talk about?"
"Didn't you have here back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he had saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source – a 'power jewel', it's called – which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' – they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place – vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth – all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created – the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of subspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay, she had done a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most – if not THE MOST – powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay had got top marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it – it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then – it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to not a thing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff inert. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom once at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in the field. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"What?! Wait! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
A quick aside to introduce this universe's version of Hero...
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — grunted after pulling his finger from his right ear. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes hissed out before nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician; like the man known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself not a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was empowered to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise tickled their ears. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake character from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the rather noticeable accent. It was good enough that Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man who was known nationwide for his LACK of any sense of humour — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp really got into character. "So, I've learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand, taking the Sagussan-designed device — a design that was MILLENNIA old, yet was an equal amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. "Haywire event, huh…"
****
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — grunted after pulling his finger from his right ear. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes hissed out before nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician; like the man known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself not a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was empowered to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise tickled their ears. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake character from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the rather noticeable accent. It was good enough that Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man who was known nationwide for his LACK of any sense of humour — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp really got into character. "So, I've learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand, taking the Sagussan-designed device — a design that was MILLENNIA old, yet was an equal amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. "Haywire event, huh…"
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Decided to fix up the last scene, then focus on Taylor learning more about her new home dimension...
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old, yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
****
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the subtle legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run down due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of the downturn in the local economy were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father had passed onto her — much to Taylor's personal relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose here and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant during the World Wars, such dealt with by special Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots in the 1990s which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to rise — such groups being empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — which started the downward economic spiral that made Brockton Bay here as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
And sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron before pulling the pin a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of ground troops at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. And while the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — the team being commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes seldomly made appearances in the field. Noting that, Taylor was surprised; given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were still effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States; also as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any form of "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO indicated anything — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
And a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way — had effectively written the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Rebecca Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks when they triggered back when they were in high school, being prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing list of more eager students across the United States.
And then, along the way…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
****
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old, yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
****
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the subtle legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run down due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of the downturn in the local economy were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father had passed onto her — much to Taylor's personal relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose here and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant during the World Wars, such dealt with by special Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots in the 1990s which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to rise — such groups being empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — which started the downward economic spiral that made Brockton Bay here as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
And sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron before pulling the pin a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of ground troops at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. And while the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — the team being commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes seldomly made appearances in the field. Noting that, Taylor was surprised; given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were still effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States; also as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any form of "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO indicated anything — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
And a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way — had effectively written the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Rebecca Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks when they triggered back when they were in high school, being prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing list of more eager students across the United States.
And then, along the way…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Time to set up a fight scene...
****
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria – they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers – they could enjoy a private conversation to pass on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria – Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago – she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched out of her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped right into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave – their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings – causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could – there were no metahumans there like we've got here – Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function – put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly – to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A sad nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth had to go deal with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" – here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" – "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She does come up to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
****
****
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria – they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers – they could enjoy a private conversation to pass on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria – Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago – she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched out of her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped right into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave – their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings – causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could – there were no metahumans there like we've got here – Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function – put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly – to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A sad nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth had to go deal with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" – here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" – "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She does come up to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
And here is the complete draft of Part Two of this story for people's perusal and comments while I get my pre-reader to scan through it.
And I will say this only one more time: I will NOT be threadmarking drafts. Only the proofread and posted (to FF.net and AO3.org) chapters will be threadmarked.
****
Earth Gimel, the western outskirts of the "City" on the shore of the Hudson River (Earth Bet equivalent location: West Point, New York), Tuesday 19 November 2013, sometime after dawn…
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole world away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; all people who had benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being one Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten now in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities to seize control of Fortuna's senses and calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them — all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become — desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against the wall of this meeting room. The building had been erected by Cauldron as a safe house for their personnel once the concept of the City began to take form almost immediately after the Undersiders established an interdimensional portal from Earth Bet in the wake of the Slaughterhouse Nine's post-Leviathan attack on Brockton Bay two years before. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of stabilizing her and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling his hand back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…!" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into this dark, cold chamber, one that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by Taylor Hebert — in that state, she had been given the common code-name "Khepri" — to put Scion down once and for all surged anew in their hearts, the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…!"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
****
Brockton Bay, near downtown, Wednesday 5 January 2011, 9:42 AM EST (Austin time: Wednesday 5 January, 8:42 AM CST; Nagoya time: Wednesday 5 January, 11:42 PM JST)…
"You — are — SHITTING — ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki was moving to turn things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion so she could go back home and finally head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman here sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning hers or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a mentor. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Doctor Death was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working as a personal assassin at the direct command of the President; while she was not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their beautiful home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality went into the field with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered back home. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you — well, our version of you — has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" — this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters — "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in shock, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she was a WARD of all things, the school staff at Winslow turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill to stave off nausea. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" the healer wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind — she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them — she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a hero meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she can lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" — here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head — "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are weird and there are people who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of our unmasking ourselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy here!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay cape scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" — here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled — "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "You might say I was out to commit suicide-by-cape."
People stared at her…
****
Overlooking the east shore of the Oká River in Stáraja Rjazán' (200 kilometres east of southeast from Moskvá), that moment (Rjazán' time: 5:48 PM MSK)...
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest human being alive on this Earth — or second-oldest; neither he nor his friend on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense — breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS BARRIERS FROM DIMENSION «GIMEL», CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
****
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella, then teleported back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"). This Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of overwhelming audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to just using her mouth as a projector. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal minor wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" — the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname — "…she was effectively kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Here as well, right?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Like Vicky said, our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" — the former sneered that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support — "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"A gentlemen's agreement between heroes and villains back home, VERY vigorously reinforced. In essence, they tell people to don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order…but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" — here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something — "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or the Butcher could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all keep talking about?"
"Didn't you have her back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source — a 'power jewel', it's called — which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' — they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place — vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth — all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created — the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of hyperspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added as Taylor boggled at the idea of any mortal being possessing THAT level of power at their fingertips to use. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay the previous fall, Victoria wrote a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most — if not THE MOST — powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay got extra marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known worldwide by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it — it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then — it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You just like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to nothing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff into inert neutrons. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in combat. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! What?! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old, yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
****
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run into the dirt due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of such a downturn were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father had passed onto her — much to Taylor's relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant during the World Wars, such dealt with by special Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots in the 1990s which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to rise — such groups being empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — the effective wrecking of the local port started the process that saw Brockton Bay become as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
Sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of boots on the ground at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. While the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes, known here also as the "Wards", seldomly made appearances in the field.
Noting that, Taylor was surprised. Given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was quite familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States. Also, as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies nationwide had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO were to be believed — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
And a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way — had effectively written the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks at the latter group's private training facility in northwest British Columbia over a decade ago; they had been prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing number of eager students across the United States.
And then, just after the turn of the Millennium…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish, shaggy brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
****
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria — they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers — they could enjoy a private conversation to pass on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria — Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago — she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer still took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched from her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave — their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings — causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could — there were no metahumans there like we've got here — Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function — put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly — to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. "Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink with surprise; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a sad yet supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth dealt with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" — here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" — "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make thrown physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She does come up to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
****
Near the Boardwalk, 12:52 PM…
"STAY STILL AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOU THIEF!"
Shrieking as she tried to duck from the energy blast aimed right at her head, the Saudi-born cloth manipulator who had gained quite the following among the young of Brockton Bay thanks to her many puppetry shows waved her hand, grateful that she had gained some experience in using her abilities in a defensive manner – something that was a survival requirement in this city with the presence of the Empire Eighty-Eight, the Archer's Bridge Merchants and the Gold Moon Society, not to mention all the annoying minor players who seemed to come out of the woodwork for the most RIDICULOUS of reasons – to keep the heat off her long enough for the local Protectorate heroes to get their butts in gear and save her before the snarling bunny-faced lunatic now wanting to turn her into air pollution actually got her kill. Since the woman born May Sugitani had made it be known that she would do anything to get her hands on Lily Nakamura thanks to their having gained powers as March and Fléchette respectively in a cluster trigger, the potential threat the would-be battlefield expert could bring against Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid…!
"GOT HER, BOSS!"
Ṣabāḥ paled under her mask – designed to make her look as if she was a normal WASP American – before diving to the deck…
KK-KRACK!
…before yelping as a baseball of all things slammed into her left shoulder, wrecking both her collarbone and shoulder blade! As she collapsed to the ground, running footfalls heralded the arrival of a grinning African-American with long dreadlocks, dressed in a flowing black costume decorated with golden studs, a gold mask covering the face of the mercenary born Ulysses "Homer" Johnston, another beneficiary of the cluster trigger that created both March and Fléchette. As Ṣabāḥ tried not to scream out while her brain seemingly was assaulted from all sides thanks to her broken bones, more footfalls produced a woman about the same age as the cloth manipulator's new girlfriend, she in a very militaristic-like uniform which wouldn't seem out of place among the neo-Nazis native to Brockton Bay, the only odd detail being the rabbit head-shaped hood under her peaked cap.
"Good…!" May then snarled as she moved to swing her rapier – one tipped with a nice poison that would see this thief done away with permanently – towards the cloth manipulator's face…
«And I thought that most people in town were quite receptive to Parian's shows.»
…then both May and Ulysses tensed on hearing a strange, ominous buzzing-like sound surging from all around them. "What the fuck…?" the batting marksman snarled as he scanned down one alley, then another…
«Some critics should just be shown the damned door if they don't like someone's production.»
Ṣabāḥ's attackers found themselves frozen as the noise assaulting their ears picked up in crescendo, making them spin around…
"HOLY FUCK…!" Ulysses screamed out, yanking out another baseball.
«Language!»
…then they were literally deluged by a swarm of insects spanning dozens of common species. In the blink of the proverbial eye, they transformed the afternoon sky overhead into something akin to a solar eclipse, the more voracious of that biblical-like cloud of doom ripped into May's and Ulysses' exposed skin, the several wasps and hornets among the attackers immediately pumping their venoms right into the veins of Ṣabāḥ's attackers. As those witnesses brave enough to follow the fight entered the alley from the direction of the Promenade moved to get closer to the scene – with, much to the disgust of some of those who wanted to film as much as they could before posting same on Parahumans Online, NONE of the Brockton Bay Enforcers present, not even to enforce some crowd control – both May and Ulysses gargled as they dropped to their knees, then fell flat onto their faces!
«And that is that! Ah! Glory Girl! Panacea! Just in time!»
Hearing the names of two of the most well-known capes active in the Bay, heads instantly snapped up…
…then people whooped in delight on seeing Victoria Dallon drop to an easy landing close to where May had fallen, she letting her sister go so Amelia Dallon could examine the scene; both girls were in civilian clothing in lieu of their costumes. As the sisters did that, the sheer storm of insects which had so easily defeated the infamous March and Homer – both having gained prominence over PHO in the last few months since their first joint attack on Fléchette in Manhattan, such easily averted with the intervention of Legend himself – elevated itself away to not hinder the healer as she moved to look the moaning Ṣabāḥ over. "So, what the hell's going on here?" Victoria demanded as she gazed towards the crowd. "What set off Lola Bunny like that?"
Several of the onlookers exchanged confused glances, then one longshoreman – he had been taking a break from work at one of the many restaurants that dotted this part of town when the ruckus began – shrugged. "Parian was doing a show for a bunch of kindergarten kids out of Lord's Bay Elementary when those two charged up in a car out of freaking nowhere, the rabbit-girl calling her a thief while her pal tried to home run a baseball right through Parian's damned SKULL, Miss Dallon!"
"Well, the bastard got her shoulder damned good!" Amelia muttered as she slipped her hand under Parian's cloak to get at her skin; the cloth manipulator had given the healer standing permission to use her powers in emergencies like this.
«You need any sort of physical mass to help with the wounds, Panacea? I heard bones break when the home run king here went and winged her good with that ball to slow her down.»
Heads turned at that echoing voice…
…then the crowd save Amelia all gaped as the swirling mass of insects – which, as soon as the Dallon sisters had arrived, took up a protective position near the fallen May to make sure she didn't pull something out of her hat to press the attack – then seemed to writhe and shift before assuming HUMANOID form, presenting the image of a tall, slender woman with long flowing hair.
"Whoa…!" Victoria breathed out in awe. "Do you NORMALLY capable of that level of control?!"
Much to people's disbelief, said image – which had acquired a small number of fireflies to make a golden pair of goggles over where "her" eyes would be – casually SHRUGGED. «I seem to have much better control now than before,» the being calmly answered, toning down her voice to avert any sudden freakout from the crowd close to a wounded innocent.
"Hey! Hey! Move aside, everyone! White hats coming through! Yo, Glory Girl!"
Victoria smiled as people nearby parted ways, allowing a familiar husband-and-wife team in matching form-fitting battlesuits – the man born Ethan Hudson in red, his wife Jamie in black decked with glowing circuit designs – to slip through before stopping to take in the crime scene. "Lucky thing we were nearby when these two showed up to cause a ruckus," the former villain now known as Assault noted, his normal humour gone as he scowled in disgust at the fallen villains. "You take them down, Glory?"
"No, I just got here with Amy as soon as the alert went out that Parian was being attacked," Victoria reported as she thumbed the swirling image of insects nearby. "Skitter here sensed what was going down, then disabled them both. Wasp stings?"
«And hornets as well,» said mass of swirling bugs affirmed. «I'm somewhat familiar with March, though I don't know the Louisville slugger there. Given March's idiot obsession with Fléchette, I guessed an attack was coming.»
"Both – and Homer here, too – were cluster trigger victims," the woman known as Battery declared as she paused to gaze in wide-eyed disbelief at the mass of insects which seemed to be miming a girl the age of most of the local Wards. "How on Earth are you doing that, anyway?!" she wondered. "Are you some sort of extreme Breaker, able to shift into this?"
«No, I have Master abilities concentrating on insects and other minor creatures. And ONLY that, thank God!»
People were quick to tense on hearing the term "master" escape said being…then they relaxed on noting that said being was more than grateful that it was only limited to controlling insects. "So, I assume you're keeping yourself nearby," Ethan noted.
«No, my costume's in the wash,» the being answered, that catching many in the crowd by surprise before some of the onlookers began to chuckle in amusement. «Still, it's only the right thing to do to intervene when a known neutral cape is attacked, especially when all she was doing was perform a show for children of all things. I despise things like that!»
Ethan and Jamie exchanged looks before nodding. "Well, good on you then. Never heard of you, Skitter. You new in town?"
«Recently arrived with the help of Doctor Death,» came the answer, that making both local capes tense on hearing the normal battle name of the Archangel of Mortality. «She and several friends are helping me settle in.»
"…kill…you, thief…"
People spun around to see a moaning May try to shift herself around. Before Victoria could walk over and knock the crazy bitch unconscious, an arm full of buzzing flies and other such creatures extended out to stop her. «Allow me, please…»
The blonde bombshell blinked, then nodded…
…before people yelped as the human-shaped image turned into a swirling cloud of ominous doom, that shifting to hover right before the now-shuddering May's wide-eyed masked face. «Now, pay VERY close attention, Ms. Sugitani…!»
"Wh-wh-what…?!"
Said cloud of insects then surged forward to completely encompass her whole head, making May shriek in horror. «SHUT UP!» a scream that seemed to explode from the depths of Hell itself bellowed right into her ears. «WHO IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S HOLY IN THIS WORLD GAVE A SELFISH BRAT LIKE YOU THE RIGHT TO ASSAULT INNOCENT PEOPLE, TO SAY ANYTHING OF THREATENING DEFENSELESS CHILDREN?! IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I'D SLAM-DUNK YOU INTO THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE BIRDCAGE THAT I CAN FIND, THEN THROW AWAY THE DAMNED KEY TO REMOVE YOU FROM CIVIL SOCIETY! IT'S A PITY DOCTOR DEATH WASN'T HERE TO SEE THIS; IF YOU WENT AND KILLED SOMEONE, I'D LOVE TO SEE HER USE THAT WONDERFUL NECROSIS TOUCH ON YOU!»
As May continued to wail away while the thing now swarming around her head wailed away at her, Ethan was quick to see Jamie's uncomfortable look before noting that Amelia was now helping Ṣabāḥ into a sitting position, the cloth manipulator clearly restored to an excellent semblance of health by the healer. Both girls were now watching as this thing moved to publicly tear strip after strip off May, Amelia clearly not bothered by such a show while Ṣabāḥ herself was dumbstruck at such a display of power and control. Taking that in, the man who was once known as Madcap then gazed on Victoria, who was keeping a weather eye at the still-unconscious Ulysses even if she was visibly nodding at her new friend's rather sharp choice of words.
Noting he was looking her way, Victoria cupped her hand to hide it from the crowd. "Haywire victim," she then mouthed.
Ethan and Jamie took that in, then nodded in understanding as Taylor Hebert continued to wail away on May Sugitani…
To Be Continued…
****
And I will say this only one more time: I will NOT be threadmarking drafts. Only the proofread and posted (to FF.net and AO3.org) chapters will be threadmarked.
****
Earth Gimel, the western outskirts of the "City" on the shore of the Hudson River (Earth Bet equivalent location: West Point, New York), Tuesday 19 November 2013, sometime after dawn…
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole world away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; all people who had benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being one Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten now in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities to seize control of Fortuna's senses and calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them — all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become — desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against the wall of this meeting room. The building had been erected by Cauldron as a safe house for their personnel once the concept of the City began to take form almost immediately after the Undersiders established an interdimensional portal from Earth Bet in the wake of the Slaughterhouse Nine's post-Leviathan attack on Brockton Bay two years before. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of stabilizing her and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling his hand back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…!" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into this dark, cold chamber, one that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by Taylor Hebert — in that state, she had been given the common code-name "Khepri" — to put Scion down once and for all surged anew in their hearts, the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…!"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
****
Brockton Bay, near downtown, Wednesday 5 January 2011, 9:42 AM EST (Austin time: Wednesday 5 January, 8:42 AM CST; Nagoya time: Wednesday 5 January, 11:42 PM JST)…
"You — are — SHITTING — ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki was moving to turn things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion so she could go back home and finally head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman here sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning hers or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a mentor. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Doctor Death was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working as a personal assassin at the direct command of the President; while she was not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their beautiful home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality went into the field with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered back home. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you — well, our version of you — has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" — this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters — "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in shock, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she was a WARD of all things, the school staff at Winslow turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill to stave off nausea. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" the healer wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind — she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them — she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a hero meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she can lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" — here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head — "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are weird and there are people who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of our unmasking ourselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy here!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay cape scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" — here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled — "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "You might say I was out to commit suicide-by-cape."
People stared at her…
****
Overlooking the east shore of the Oká River in Stáraja Rjazán' (200 kilometres east of southeast from Moskvá), that moment (Rjazán' time: 5:48 PM MSK)...
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest human being alive on this Earth — or second-oldest; neither he nor his friend on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense — breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS BARRIERS FROM DIMENSION «GIMEL», CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
****
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella, then teleported back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"). This Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of overwhelming audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to just using her mouth as a projector. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal minor wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" — the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname — "…she was effectively kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Here as well, right?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Like Vicky said, our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" — the former sneered that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support — "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"A gentlemen's agreement between heroes and villains back home, VERY vigorously reinforced. In essence, they tell people to don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order…but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" — here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something — "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or the Butcher could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all keep talking about?"
"Didn't you have her back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source — a 'power jewel', it's called — which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' — they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place — vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth — all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created — the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of hyperspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added as Taylor boggled at the idea of any mortal being possessing THAT level of power at their fingertips to use. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay the previous fall, Victoria wrote a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most — if not THE MOST — powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay got extra marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known worldwide by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it — it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then — it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You just like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to nothing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff into inert neutrons. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in combat. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! What?! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he had gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit thirty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old, yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
****
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run into the dirt due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of such a downturn were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father had passed onto her — much to Taylor's relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant during the World Wars, such dealt with by special Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots in the 1990s which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to rise — such groups being empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — the effective wrecking of the local port started the process that saw Brockton Bay become as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
Sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of boots on the ground at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. While the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes, known here also as the "Wards", seldomly made appearances in the field.
Noting that, Taylor was surprised. Given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was quite familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States. Also, as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies nationwide had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO were to be believed — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
And a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way — had effectively written the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks at the latter group's private training facility in northwest British Columbia over a decade ago; they had been prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing number of eager students across the United States.
And then, just after the turn of the Millennium…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish, shaggy brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
****
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria — they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers — they could enjoy a private conversation to pass on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria — Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago — she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer still took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched from her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave — their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings — causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could — there were no metahumans there like we've got here — Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function — put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly — to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. "Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink with surprise; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a sad yet supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth dealt with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" — here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" — "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make thrown physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She does come up to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
****
Near the Boardwalk, 12:52 PM…
"STAY STILL AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOU THIEF!"
Shrieking as she tried to duck from the energy blast aimed right at her head, the Saudi-born cloth manipulator who had gained quite the following among the young of Brockton Bay thanks to her many puppetry shows waved her hand, grateful that she had gained some experience in using her abilities in a defensive manner – something that was a survival requirement in this city with the presence of the Empire Eighty-Eight, the Archer's Bridge Merchants and the Gold Moon Society, not to mention all the annoying minor players who seemed to come out of the woodwork for the most RIDICULOUS of reasons – to keep the heat off her long enough for the local Protectorate heroes to get their butts in gear and save her before the snarling bunny-faced lunatic now wanting to turn her into air pollution actually got her kill. Since the woman born May Sugitani had made it be known that she would do anything to get her hands on Lily Nakamura thanks to their having gained powers as March and Fléchette respectively in a cluster trigger, the potential threat the would-be battlefield expert could bring against Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid…!
"GOT HER, BOSS!"
Ṣabāḥ paled under her mask – designed to make her look as if she was a normal WASP American – before diving to the deck…
KK-KRACK!
…before yelping as a baseball of all things slammed into her left shoulder, wrecking both her collarbone and shoulder blade! As she collapsed to the ground, running footfalls heralded the arrival of a grinning African-American with long dreadlocks, dressed in a flowing black costume decorated with golden studs, a gold mask covering the face of the mercenary born Ulysses "Homer" Johnston, another beneficiary of the cluster trigger that created both March and Fléchette. As Ṣabāḥ tried not to scream out while her brain seemingly was assaulted from all sides thanks to her broken bones, more footfalls produced a woman about the same age as the cloth manipulator's new girlfriend, she in a very militaristic-like uniform which wouldn't seem out of place among the neo-Nazis native to Brockton Bay, the only odd detail being the rabbit head-shaped hood under her peaked cap.
"Good…!" May then snarled as she moved to swing her rapier – one tipped with a nice poison that would see this thief done away with permanently – towards the cloth manipulator's face…
«And I thought that most people in town were quite receptive to Parian's shows.»
…then both May and Ulysses tensed on hearing a strange, ominous buzzing-like sound surging from all around them. "What the fuck…?" the batting marksman snarled as he scanned down one alley, then another…
«Some critics should just be shown the damned door if they don't like someone's production.»
Ṣabāḥ's attackers found themselves frozen as the noise assaulting their ears picked up in crescendo, making them spin around…
"HOLY FUCK…!" Ulysses screamed out, yanking out another baseball.
«Language!»
…then they were literally deluged by a swarm of insects spanning dozens of common species. In the blink of the proverbial eye, they transformed the afternoon sky overhead into something akin to a solar eclipse, the more voracious of that biblical-like cloud of doom ripped into May's and Ulysses' exposed skin, the several wasps and hornets among the attackers immediately pumping their venoms right into the veins of Ṣabāḥ's attackers. As those witnesses brave enough to follow the fight entered the alley from the direction of the Promenade moved to get closer to the scene – with, much to the disgust of some of those who wanted to film as much as they could before posting same on Parahumans Online, NONE of the Brockton Bay Enforcers present, not even to enforce some crowd control – both May and Ulysses gargled as they dropped to their knees, then fell flat onto their faces!
«And that is that! Ah! Glory Girl! Panacea! Just in time!»
Hearing the names of two of the most well-known capes active in the Bay, heads instantly snapped up…
…then people whooped in delight on seeing Victoria Dallon drop to an easy landing close to where May had fallen, she letting her sister go so Amelia Dallon could examine the scene; both girls were in civilian clothing in lieu of their costumes. As the sisters did that, the sheer storm of insects which had so easily defeated the infamous March and Homer – both having gained prominence over PHO in the last few months since their first joint attack on Fléchette in Manhattan, such easily averted with the intervention of Legend himself – elevated itself away to not hinder the healer as she moved to look the moaning Ṣabāḥ over. "So, what the hell's going on here?" Victoria demanded as she gazed towards the crowd. "What set off Lola Bunny like that?"
Several of the onlookers exchanged confused glances, then one longshoreman – he had been taking a break from work at one of the many restaurants that dotted this part of town when the ruckus began – shrugged. "Parian was doing a show for a bunch of kindergarten kids out of Lord's Bay Elementary when those two charged up in a car out of freaking nowhere, the rabbit-girl calling her a thief while her pal tried to home run a baseball right through Parian's damned SKULL, Miss Dallon!"
"Well, the bastard got her shoulder damned good!" Amelia muttered as she slipped her hand under Parian's cloak to get at her skin; the cloth manipulator had given the healer standing permission to use her powers in emergencies like this.
«You need any sort of physical mass to help with the wounds, Panacea? I heard bones break when the home run king here went and winged her good with that ball to slow her down.»
Heads turned at that echoing voice…
…then the crowd save Amelia all gaped as the swirling mass of insects – which, as soon as the Dallon sisters had arrived, took up a protective position near the fallen May to make sure she didn't pull something out of her hat to press the attack – then seemed to writhe and shift before assuming HUMANOID form, presenting the image of a tall, slender woman with long flowing hair.
"Whoa…!" Victoria breathed out in awe. "Do you NORMALLY capable of that level of control?!"
Much to people's disbelief, said image – which had acquired a small number of fireflies to make a golden pair of goggles over where "her" eyes would be – casually SHRUGGED. «I seem to have much better control now than before,» the being calmly answered, toning down her voice to avert any sudden freakout from the crowd close to a wounded innocent.
"Hey! Hey! Move aside, everyone! White hats coming through! Yo, Glory Girl!"
Victoria smiled as people nearby parted ways, allowing a familiar husband-and-wife team in matching form-fitting battlesuits – the man born Ethan Hudson in red, his wife Jamie in black decked with glowing circuit designs – to slip through before stopping to take in the crime scene. "Lucky thing we were nearby when these two showed up to cause a ruckus," the former villain now known as Assault noted, his normal humour gone as he scowled in disgust at the fallen villains. "You take them down, Glory?"
"No, I just got here with Amy as soon as the alert went out that Parian was being attacked," Victoria reported as she thumbed the swirling image of insects nearby. "Skitter here sensed what was going down, then disabled them both. Wasp stings?"
«And hornets as well,» said mass of swirling bugs affirmed. «I'm somewhat familiar with March, though I don't know the Louisville slugger there. Given March's idiot obsession with Fléchette, I guessed an attack was coming.»
"Both – and Homer here, too – were cluster trigger victims," the woman known as Battery declared as she paused to gaze in wide-eyed disbelief at the mass of insects which seemed to be miming a girl the age of most of the local Wards. "How on Earth are you doing that, anyway?!" she wondered. "Are you some sort of extreme Breaker, able to shift into this?"
«No, I have Master abilities concentrating on insects and other minor creatures. And ONLY that, thank God!»
People were quick to tense on hearing the term "master" escape said being…then they relaxed on noting that said being was more than grateful that it was only limited to controlling insects. "So, I assume you're keeping yourself nearby," Ethan noted.
«No, my costume's in the wash,» the being answered, that catching many in the crowd by surprise before some of the onlookers began to chuckle in amusement. «Still, it's only the right thing to do to intervene when a known neutral cape is attacked, especially when all she was doing was perform a show for children of all things. I despise things like that!»
Ethan and Jamie exchanged looks before nodding. "Well, good on you then. Never heard of you, Skitter. You new in town?"
«Recently arrived with the help of Doctor Death,» came the answer, that making both local capes tense on hearing the normal battle name of the Archangel of Mortality. «She and several friends are helping me settle in.»
"…kill…you, thief…"
People spun around to see a moaning May try to shift herself around. Before Victoria could walk over and knock the crazy bitch unconscious, an arm full of buzzing flies and other such creatures extended out to stop her. «Allow me, please…»
The blonde bombshell blinked, then nodded…
…before people yelped as the human-shaped image turned into a swirling cloud of ominous doom, that shifting to hover right before the now-shuddering May's wide-eyed masked face. «Now, pay VERY close attention, Ms. Sugitani…!»
"Wh-wh-what…?!"
Said cloud of insects then surged forward to completely encompass her whole head, making May shriek in horror. «SHUT UP!» a scream that seemed to explode from the depths of Hell itself bellowed right into her ears. «WHO IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S HOLY IN THIS WORLD GAVE A SELFISH BRAT LIKE YOU THE RIGHT TO ASSAULT INNOCENT PEOPLE, TO SAY ANYTHING OF THREATENING DEFENSELESS CHILDREN?! IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I'D SLAM-DUNK YOU INTO THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE BIRDCAGE THAT I CAN FIND, THEN THROW AWAY THE DAMNED KEY TO REMOVE YOU FROM CIVIL SOCIETY! IT'S A PITY DOCTOR DEATH WASN'T HERE TO SEE THIS; IF YOU WENT AND KILLED SOMEONE, I'D LOVE TO SEE HER USE THAT WONDERFUL NECROSIS TOUCH ON YOU!»
As May continued to wail away while the thing now swarming around her head wailed away at her, Ethan was quick to see Jamie's uncomfortable look before noting that Amelia was now helping Ṣabāḥ into a sitting position, the cloth manipulator clearly restored to an excellent semblance of health by the healer. Both girls were now watching as this thing moved to publicly tear strip after strip off May, Amelia clearly not bothered by such a show while Ṣabāḥ herself was dumbstruck at such a display of power and control. Taking that in, the man who was once known as Madcap then gazed on Victoria, who was keeping a weather eye at the still-unconscious Ulysses even if she was visibly nodding at her new friend's rather sharp choice of words.
Noting he was looking her way, Victoria cupped her hand to hide it from the crowd. "Haywire victim," she then mouthed.
Ethan and Jamie took that in, then nodded in understanding as Taylor Hebert continued to wail away on May Sugitani…
To Be Continued…
****
The Return of Skitter (1)
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Somewhere in space-time, Wednesday 24 June 2013, near midnight Eastern Daylight Time…
"Because I think you have a chance to come back from this," the "cape boogeyman" known as Contessa declared. "Not much of a chance. Part of that rides on me. I could help you, or I could stop you from troubling anyone ever again. Part of that? It's up to you to win the fight, to take control and keep the administrator from claiming everything you have, leaving you a shell."
I felt a chill. Was part of it my passenger? Both of us?
I opened my mouth to reply, and I couldn't.
Didn't deserve to, either way.
"It's okay. I got the answer, myself."
I looked away.
I looked up. My eyes were wet.
So many stars. The universe so vast.
We're s-so very small, in the end…
The first bullet hit me from behind, where my mask offered no coverage, and I slowly toppled.
The second hit me before I could fall, before there could be any pain...
...and then...
...cold...
...nightmarish, worse than Arctic, perhaps worst than deepest space...
...COLD!
"No...what...?"
«Such thanks, Fortuna?»
"Who...no...NO! Delete...!"
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Strange that there was no pain...!
«Your whole existence, forged out of blind fear...and you expected no less in the end when the time came?»
"Delete...data lost...no, how is...this POSSIBLE...?!"
No pain...still could...couldn't move...who was that...?
«Very well, then. Let what little conscience you have left within you — thanks to Abaddon′s shard which has driven you for so long even if both Zion and his late mate knew about your connection to it and could use that to blind you to so much! — be assured that Téjlor Daniílovna Èbért will no longer plague what is left of YOUR multiverse.»
"Dark...jail...souls destroyed...data lost...LOST, LOST, LOST...!"
Her wails of pain began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming silence.
Was this what being dead really...?
«Her fate is for you and yours to decide, Conservator...»
IT WILL BE DONE, RÉSAV'L!
Who...?
What happened...?
A gasp escaped me as I felt SOMETHING pierce the place where I was shot, sending a flood of lukewarm energy into me.
As I felt my wrecked body slowly respond to my wishes, footfalls then echoed from nearby.
The ground was solid. Not metal...more rock-like...no, ice-like...!
A purplish glow then flooded my vision.
A cave of some sort...
But where...?
The footsteps stopped.
Where...?
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
Somewhere deep in the heart of Yiziba (Earth date Monday 3 January 2011, 1:25 PM UDT; Austin time: Monday 3 January 2011, 7:25 AM CDT; Niigata time: Monday 3 January 2011, 10:25 PM JST)…
For the man celebrated for years as the Phenom of World Wrestling Entertainment, what happened in the wake of the Streak-versus-Career match the previous March really turned his life inside-out.
For the man known simply as the Undertaker across TWO separate planets separated by 273 light-years of space, being empowered quite by accident as an I-shit-you-not REALITY WARPER — and one with the effectively unstoppable ability to manipulate everything that was not of the physical, ranging from all forms of energy to disembodied spirits to even higher orders of life — made the three-time WWF/WWE Champion wonder if the Spirit of Eternity Itself had a weird sense of humour.
For the man born Mark William Calaway in Houston nearly forty-six years ago, being Gifted with the millennia of memories and cosmic power of the Master of the Dark Gaol of the Great Show of Life — his battle name on the World of the Forge of the Seekers was spoken there as Ruodeuto — gave him an often-unwanted yet sometimes beyond fascinating portal into a future that would lead well beyond the squared circle. A future of vistas beyond human imagination a simple Navy veteran's son could conceive of even during that whole "Prince of Darkness" angle he portrayed in the early years of the Attitude Era.
While he had been enjoying breakfast with his wife Michelle at their home near Austin — despite being a metahuman, Mark was baseline human physically, his body still on the mend thanks to a torn rotator cuff suffered during the Bragging Rights match against his kayfabe "brother" — getting a mental flash from the dark, soul-absorbing chamber in the very heart of the third world of Sigma Sagittarii (locally called "Kaeyu") wasn't something he wanted to deal with on a cool overcast Monday morning.
Thus, when he teleported into the Dark Gaol thanks to his ever-handy personal administrative assistant…
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
…encountering a raven-haired TEENAGE GIRL in full body, grey-and-black insect-like armour — right arm amputated just above the elbow joint, two multi-joint gripper mechanisms sticking out from a winged backpack; the exit wounds of a pair of gunshots on the exposed parts of her forehead, the unseen entrance wounds allowing blood to spill on the crystalline floor of this place — clearly caught Mark Calaway by surprise, especially since this person was no metahuman he could recognize.
Only reality warpers like himself could access this place.
By convention first established five millennia ago when the first incarnation of the Master of the Dark Gaol lived to repel the lar'beke from Yiziba, other reality warpers would normally ASK him before dumping someone here.
In conclusion, either someone wanted to start something…
…or this girl's coming here was due to some oddball accident.
Rasing his hand, he allowed a corona of power to cloak it before kneeling beside the still-breathing girl — that fact shocking him since head wounds like she presently possessed normally shut down the brain and eventually the body — then he reached out mentally to do a basic life scan of her. While her brain matter was significantly damaged, there were VERY familiar trace elements in her still-intact cerebral matter which made him scowl. "Parahuman, huh…" he muttered to himself while mentally reaching into what he believed was the core conscience of the shard which had twisted this kid's life inside out and…
Huh…?
He gaped as images flashed before his mind's eye, revealing a pair of all TOO familiar cosmic entities resembling wriggling comets of energy, intertwined as they ejected tiny fragments of themselves — the "shards" that, upon entering a host's body, would empower them once the right conditions for a "trigger event" happened — to help the semi-sentient entities (known on Yiziba by the disparaging term kimfombeke or "worm leech") gather information which could help them escape the "heat death" of Existence. An event all self-respecting Yizibajohei knew would NEVER happen given how vast and complex Creation was.
On Yiziba, such beings were given an even more despised term: R'be Guofenukro, literally meaning "thing that cheats death".
Given one ugly aftermath of the worldwide metahuman revolution which befell the third world of Kaeyu two millennia ago — known on that planet as Muokim Yuati, the Dawn of Power — when the noncorporeal souls of over a BILLION slain innocents drew on the ever-increasing auras of energy produced by the Forge of the First Race to seek vengeance on those still living…!
Shaking his head, Mark then jolted as a very recent memory from the girl appeared before his mind's eye.
One of the kimfombeke…
Urged on a rampage to wipe out a whole MULTIDIMENSIONAL CLUSTER of Earths and all those living on them…
This thing's avatar — shaped like a glowing Zeiwanite, once revered on the girl's own home planet as the first "superhero" — confronting the girl…then being forced to gaze on the dead corpse of its mate through the eyes of THOUSANDS…
And that one act…
…drove that creature to suicide!
Mentally cutting off his mind from the girl's memories, Mark nodded in approval. "Damn, kid! You did GOOD…!"
"A-ri-ri?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
That made the phenom turn to see a young girl dressed in solid white from neck to toe — such topped with a red heart over her chest, pink belt and boots completing the ensemble — standing nearby, a concerned look on her face.
"Hinako…?"
The girl born Saeru Hinako in the summer of 2004 had been asleep — having turned in early even if she was enjoying the second week of winter vacation from kindergarten — when something BIG made her empathic abilities wake her up.
Like her current host, the native of Niigata on the shores of the East Sea separating Japan from mainland Asia had been Gifted to become a metahuman, such happening shortly after her sixth birthday the summer just past. Fortunately for those who feared the idea of someone so young being empowered, Hinako's Gifting proved to be quite the blessing for all who interacted with her.
On Yiziba, she was known as the Living Spirit of Innocence, formally addressed there by the battle name Lomroer'bem.
In lieu of using the English "Pureheart" as the local translation, Hinako naturally picked the Japanese term Suiki.
And — thanks to her having no need to worry about mandatory education until the April coming up when she would commence her first year of elementary school — the pretty girl with the dirty caramel brown hair (normally done in high side pigtails) and royal blue eyes had taken to her Gift and its endless possibilities like a duckling did to water.
Driven both by her own innocent, childish nature and the memories of her twenty-three previous incarnations spanning a two-millennia period of time from the Dawn of Power — unlike those parahumans who were forced through trigger events to make use of their shard-given powers, "Named" Yizibajohei-type metahumans got the collected knowledge of their many past-selves' experiences using their powers once the Gifting occurred — the precocious child of a middle-income salaryman and his wife began to use her new abilities to do things most "capes" normally wouldn't engage in, even in a peaceful country like Japan.
As people soon learned right away, Hinako would gladly jump into a "fight scene" between metahumans/parahumans…
…but to STOP said fight, not make it worse!
Thanks to a level of broadcast empathy which defied all Terran means of measurement — though limited due to Hinako's youth; as most natives of Yiziba knew, adult versions of the Spirit of Innocence could pump out an aura of pure power with the ability to calm the angriest or most battle-crazed metahuman at PLANETARY distances! — the cute Niigata-jin had halted more property-wrecking fights across the Home Islands in the last five months than any adult employed by the National Superhuman Affairs Bureau's field security teams, Japan's equivalent to America's state-managed Parahuman Response Team organizations.
Even more so, because of Hinako's innate ability to "spread the peace" even among violent groups such as the various Yakuza clans and their rivals from other nations in-country, no one could even CONCEIVE of plotting to find said girl — who, unlike most American parahuman "capes", didn't even wear protective goggles to mask her facial features — and take her out.
After one particularly nasty incident in Sapporo in November, one Chōjinji-chō team leader joked to a friend that if either Omni-Man from the Invincibles universe or Homelander from the universe of The Boys — their existence being possible given the often-proven statement that "what is fiction in one universe is fact in another" — ever crossed paths with Suiki…!
Shaking her head as she focused now on the badly wounded older girl being looked at by Mark Calaway, the Spirit of Innocence came up to gaze directly at the masked face, her empathic senses automatically probing into the still-living stranger's grey matter — which surprised Hinako very much; child or not, she knew head wounds like that were normally fatal — to obtain as accurate a sense of what had befallen this woman before she was brought to the Dark Gaol in the middle of Yiziba's very core. "Hina felt it when Onē-tama was sent here, Mark-san," she confessed as the phenom of WWE moved to gently pull the mask away from the stranger's face, revealing glazed green eyes that barely showed any intelligence, a too-wide mouth and the general aura of someone who had clearly gone through something that made even the Dawn of Power seem paltry in comparison.
If THAT was even possible…!
"Hina was sleeping when she felt a lot and lot of people trying to get rid of something…!"
"A kimfombeke," her host advised.
That made the Niigata-jin's face scrunch up in disgust. "Eew! One of THEM?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
"She somehow made the stupid thing kill itself," the Master of the Dark Gaol announced.
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!" Hinako exclaimed.
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
That made her face scrunch up. "Why would she have to do that?"
That make the Texan wrestler hum for a moment. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to chase them away from hurting people. Love to get this kid's full story, but she's not in a good way right now."
"I'm not…going to die…?"
To say that Taylor Hebert was quite confused was putting it kindly.
She was alive even if the pain of the bullets shot into the back of her head made the nerves inside her skull screech with agony. Even more so, with whatever it was this place was pumping into her, her sense of self was coming back to her, such having been nearly lost when she got Amelia Lavere to shear away the limiters on her shard's powers with how that came to affect her very body and soul. Atop that, she felt her shard move to restore itself in the wake of Contessa shooting it apart before she was brought here; she was starting to detect wildly different bugs located in the costumes of the two people now with her.
As she realized that, a growing sense of comprehension overcame her. Words spoken to her were no longer mere outbursts of incomprehensible sound, but clearly registering in her mind. She understood she was in some crystal-lined cave somewhere, a place that was nearly freezing even if the two who just joined her — the red-haired twenty-something man in the black bodysuit with matching trench coat and Stetson hat who claimed this place as "his yard", and the young girl in the white bodysuit with the heart on her chest that projected an aura of concern mixed with childish jubilance — clearly weren't bothered by the lack of heat.
Even more so, as the two talked, the former warlord of Brockton Bay was quick to note that the younger of the pair seemed to speak in Japanese even if her words echoed in Taylor's ears as English. How was THAT possible? Did this girl — who seemed WAY too young to have become a parahuman — have some sort of Master-like ability to make all understand her…?
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!"
Did that girl just call Taylor "big sister"…?
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
Okay…if these two were capes of some sort, the parahuman culture they had here — wherever "here" actually was — was noticeably different if people used normal names to refer to each other rather than cape names.
"Why would she have to do that?"
Taylor felt the urge to answer before she stopped herself.
No, no, NO! Even if she was a cape, she was a CHILD…!
A hum made Taylor's eyes flick over to the older man, who was staring with a mixture of amused respect and concern at her. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to get them out of OUR dimension."
Haywire event…! automatically echoed in Taylor's mind on hearing that.
"Love to get this kid's full story, but she's definitely not in a good way right now."
That made her slightly twitch. "I'm not…going to die…?"
Her pained words made the other two capes gaze concernedly at her before the younger of the pair walked around to Taylor's left, placing a hand on her shoulder. As the uncertainty of this situation faded from her — she could NOW understand why Contessa moved to kill her after the battle with Scion was done; having someone with the power she gained after her shard was unlocked running loose after humanity was nearly wiped out was a no-brainer — the girl gave her a smile which had the power to knock Jack Slash off-kilter. "Oh, no! No! No! No! No, Onē-tama! Hina and Mark-san won't let Onē-tama die just because some silly person decided she was supposed to die! Onē-tama killed a kimfombeke and all of them are just nasty, evil creeps who hurt lots and lots and lots of nice people everywhere they go! Don't you worry about that, Onē-tama! Even Margo-san won't object!"
Taylor blinked. "Who…is Margo…?" she asked. "She part…of your Triumvirate…?"
A hand covered in purple fingerless sports gloves squeezed her other shoulder. "You'll get the explanation soon enough, kid," the older man advised. "First of all, given how bashed up your body and brain are, we'll need to clone you a new one, then shift your soul into it to let you have a brain firing on all neurons. A bit of rest after that, then come the reveal scenes."
"Who is Onē-tama anyway?" the girl asked. "Where's Onē-tama from on her Earth?"
A couple blinks later, a tired sigh escaped her. "Taylor Hebert…Brockton Bay…"
The older man chuckled. "Have a Brockton Bay where you're from? Can't take a walk without kicking a cape every corner?"
That made Taylor bark out in laughter before she cringed as her whole skull sharply protested such a move…
Brockton Bay (twenty miles north of northeast from Boston), Wednesday 5 January, 7:42 AM EST (Austin time: 6:42 AM CST; Niigata time: 9:42 PM JST)…
Taylor Hebert's eyes slowly opened to reveal the ceiling of what appeared to be a normal bedroom.
Moaning as she sensed her body slowly respond to her mind's desire to shift herself out from under the warm blankets spread over her — a desire instantly squelched as she sensed that she had no clothes on whatsoever under said covers — she shifted her head right, then left to scan around. A standard bedroom that didn't look really lived in, possessing (atop the bed she was on) a nightstand with lamp, dresser drawer with vanity mirror, closet, work desk with a very advanced laptop computer on it, plus a couple of guest chairs off to one side for visitors. One chair had folded clothes on it, no doubt prepared for her ahead of time.
Grunting, she leaned on her left elbow to push herself up into a sitting position, the covers falling away from her diminutive breasts to expose herself. Automatically, her right arm came out from under the sheets to shield her…
She then stopped, staring down.
A completely intact right arm.
Without even any sign that it had been amputated in the first place!
Blinking as she considered that, Taylor recalled what her rescuers — Mark Calaway and Saeru Hinako, she recalled; the former using the cape name "Undertaker" while the latter called herself "Suiki" — talked about before she was teleported out of the cold place to a safer location. How they would contact allies to CLONE A NEW BODY for her to use given the sheer damage her birth body had suffered over the years. While that did provoke a little flashback concerning the "Slaughterhouse Nine Thousand" created at the instigation of Jack Slash prior to Scion's rampage, the fact that the Texan and the Niigata-jin didn't seem disturbed about making such a drastic choice impressed Taylor a lot. Even more so, according to Hinako, Margo Black — whoever she was — wouldn't object to having this happen to Taylor given that she had helped kill a "worm leech".
An act that both Hinako and Mark — and Margo as well — held with great respect.
What have those things done here?
"They find it pretty hard to play around with normal folks in this multiverse."
Taylor awked before spinning around…
…then she gaped on seeing the smirking woman her age seated on the windowsill, the recognizable skyline of Brockton Bay's downtown framing her. Despite her being in normal yet fashionable clothes, this dark-haired beauty with the stormy grey eyes — who would make one Emma Barnes look like pond scum in comparison — seemed to bleed an aura of pure, raw, imminent DANGER that made Taylor cringe, the fight or flight urge she had long experience with thanks to three former schoolmates of hers surging up to seize her heart with a grip of iron. Before she could say anything, the newcomer's lips twisted into an amused smirk while she lifted herself off the windowsill, moving to head over to the chair holding the clothes obviously set aside for Taylor. "No underwear," she said with a voice that was a mixture of flat New Englander, wise New Yorker, and pure Southern belle. "Typical Avalonians. You'd think they'd understand that Terrans have different standards than they do."
Taylor blinked. "What are Avalonians?"
"Bioroids," the newcomer said as she picked up the folded blouse and jeans. "Designer clones, in effect. Created by technology brought here by alien mimics who are so fascinated by Terran society, they came here in droves to observe us." As she handed them to Taylor before she walked to the dresser to see what was there, she added, "Of course, even if they're humanoid, the Niphentaxians do have pointed ears. You got Star Trek wherever in the Multiverse you come from, Taylor?"
That made the other brunette nod. "Yes."
"Think of the Ionians from the classic episode 'A Piece of the Action'. Tack on a serious religious bent to them, though; that's your average Nick Niphentaxian…ah!" the newcomer said as she pulled out some packages. "Some Terran-borns with this observation post. Should fit you," she said as she tossed one packaged brassier and one packaged set of panties over.
Taking them with her "regrown" hand — it had been difficult for Taylor to learn how to be left-handed in the brief time before she got her shard jailbroken — she then tore them open to get dressed. "You have actual aliens here?"
"Sure do. In a way, it pays to be in part of space which others see as a galactic crossroads of sorts," the other woman said as she moved to sit. "So, you're from a 'parahuman-only' universe, huh? From what I've heard, kimfombeke love to isolate those dimensions from the rest of Creation so they could keep death cheating their way through the genocide of species after species."
As Taylor slipped on the panties — Damn! Were they made of silk?! — she gazed on the other woman. "Why 'worm leech'?"
"Because they leech the energy and effectively the LIVES of those people which they 'gift'," the other woman sneered to a degree that would have impressed one Sophia Hess. "You think your multiverse had it bad? Creation is way vaster than all that. Those things have loads of places where they go to try to feed off people's knowledge and experiences. They've tried with this multiversal cluster, but there were defences put into place by those who provoked the Big Bang here to stop that."
That made Taylor freeze from putting on her bra, her jaw dropped in shock. "They've been around for THAT LONG?!"
"Time flows differently depending on which multiversal cluster you're talking about," the other woman declared with an eerie smile, one that made Taylor's heart ache as she recalled the last time that she had seen Lisa Wilbourn before she allowed herself to tap into her shard's full potential. The type of grimace the lady also known as Tattletale gave when she revelled in displaying how much she knew to people who dependant on her "wisdom". Despite that expression, the other lady seemed not interested in showing off to Taylor; the way she had expressed that simply was a statement of fact, no different than if she talked about the weather. "In one multiverse, it's the time of the Big Bang. Another multiverse, the time of dinosaurs. Yet another, the final disintegration of all matter into nothingness; the 'heat death' the kimfombeke so desperately want to avoid." Shaking her head, she then shrugged. "Death cheaters," she then declared with a look akin to her stepping into dog poop, something Taylor had got long used to from dealing with one Rachel Lindt. "All things must eventually perish, even a so-called 'god'."
Hearing that, Taylor nodded in understanding. "You must be this 'Margo' that Mr. Calaway and Hinako spoke about when I was brought into this universe after Contessa shot me," she noted as she fixed the bra in place before moving to slip on the jeans. "What was that place, anyway? It was dark, lined in crystals and Mr. Calaway called it his 'yard'."
"The Dark Gaol," the woman born Margo Chapelle answered. "It's a place where we toss the really dangerous alien heels we've run across over the years and centuries whose powers we might want to have circulating around the population but whose knowledge we DON'T want to have Gifted…" — Taylor was quick to sense the capital letter fall in on hearing that word — "…to cause even more trouble." Here, the Vermonter and adopted New Yorker/Georgian blinked before an amuse smile crossed her face. "I bet you didn't realize you were in the heart of another PLANET when you got dropped in there by Lord Rjazán'!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"That…was another PLANET?!" a now-pale Taylor exclaimed with a squeaked voice.
Margo chuckled. "Oh, yes, it was. About 273 light-years from here. Third planet of Sigma Sagittarii; that's the second brightest star in Sagittarius if you're into astronomy. People who live there — even the adopted ones like Mark, Hinako and I — call the star 'Kaeyu'. The planet's name is 'Yiziba'; people who live there are called 'Yizibajohei'." Here, a snort escaped her. "Unless you're like the useless dweebs on other planets near this system who can't stomach the fact that we MUST become metahumans to simply SURVIVE there." As Taylor's jaw dropped in disbelief on hearing that, the other woman derisively added, "Idiots there call us things like 'Unspeakable Ones' or 'They Who Must Never Be Named' or 'Scary People' or other crap like that."
Blinking as she took that in — A PLANET FULL OF CAPES?! she mentally railed as that very concept nearly overwhelmed her — Taylor then dropped onto the bed as she gaped in disbelief at the other woman. "Did the Entities cause that?!"
Margo stared at her before she laughed. "Oh, Forge, no! That was guaranteed because the whole planet could effectively Gift those types of abilities to those who wanted them…and thanks to a bunch of selfish fools who would even make Adolf Hitler look like some school bully, they drove MILLIONS of desperate folks into empowering themselves to win their freedom."
As Taylor blinked a couple times, the other woman shrugged. "We call that the Dawn of Power."
An hour later…
"There you go, Taylor-san! A nice, nutritious breakfast that won't upset your stomach! Bon appétit!"
Blushing at being doted upon by the mauve-haired twelve-year old with the sparkling royal blue eyes after she placed a BIG plate full of standard Western breakfast fare before her, Taylor blinked several times before she gave the newcomer — Osamu Shirayuki was her name, hailing from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture west of Tōkyō itself — a confused look. "You're a cape?"
Shirayuki blinked before she chuckled in amusement as she turned to head back into the kitchen of this multi-bedroom dormitory-like home currently serving as the home base of an effectively-defunct alien observation post. "No, Taylor-san, Hime's not some silly parahuman! Hime's a metahuman like Hinako-chan and Margo-san are! Now you eat!"
With a wag of her finger, the Aichi-jin ducked into kitchen. Wincing at such an admonishment, Taylor then tensed on hearing her empty stomach creak before she picked up a cup of tea to sip from it. Smiling as the lovely taste danced over her effectively virgin tongue, she sat back in her chair. Seated around said table were young women spanning from middle school age to mid-twenties in looks. All of them were quite beautiful by Western norms, dressed in the same type of fashion Taylor had seen in her own hometown. While there was something slightly pressing at her mind from all of them, it didn't feel in any way threatening to her. From what Margo Black had told her, her current hosts were all "Terran-form Avalonians", bioroids — the word as a portmanteau meaning "biological android" — who had been created as unique beings and not cloned from someone else. All of them had been "assistant observers" to their slavers on the second world of the Phentax system; said slavers had been killed by some of the minor gangs in the Bay who were aware of the Avalonians' presence on Earth to effective free said women.
To Taylor's immediate right was the "elder mother" of this group; the term was applied to the person who would serve a quasi-spiritual leadership rôle among groups of Avalonians. "So, while you enjoy Thoughtmistress-prime Shirayuki's 'welcome to our multiverse' breakfast, Thoughtmistress Taylor, we'll go through a series of questions to give you a better idea of what you've effectively been forced to become a part of by your being shifted here by Elder Thoughtmaster Résav'l. Please feel free to ask things in return. While the younger ones have school to go to, we older ones can take a day off work if necessary."
"I don't mean to impose, Ms. Blake," Taylor said before picking up an orange to peel it.
"Please, Sharon," the pretty brunette with the brown eyes declared, smirking. Looking to the iPad-like device in her hand — it was called a PADD, short for "personal archival display device", akin to the like-named device in Star Trek: The Next Generation — she breathed out. "So, to begin, you're from your universe's Brockton Bay, correct?"
"Yes."
"Your parents are Dockmaster-prime Daniel Hebert, current hiring manager/chief of negotiations for the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1102 for the Port of Brockton Bay; and Thoughtmistress-prime Annette Hebert, junior professor for English classical literature at the University of Massachusetts Brockton Bay?"
Taylor blinked. She knew that "Thoughtmistress"/"Thoughtmaster" were the Avalonian equivalents of the Japanese "sensei"; adding the "prime" suffix meant a senior teacher or professor. Naturally, given her father's work with the dockyards, being called "Dockmaster" seemed fitting. "Well, in my universe, Dad's group was just the 'Dockworkers' Union'; since the Endbringers effectively wrecked all maritime trade and the port was sealed up in the Dock Riots of 2002, most of the union locals decided to merge as one single group to protect themselves from the gangs. Mom was killed in a car accident in the fall of '08…"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! There are versions of MY PARENTS here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded.
"Yes, they're here. As is 'you'," one dark-skinned girl in clothes that might have marked her as part of the ABB back in Taylor's universe — save for also wearing black as well as red and gold — declared with a pained smile. "Your counterpart was caught in an attack by the Kŭmdal-jop'ok, a Korean gang with suspected connections to the Democratic People's Republic, due to her father's friends interfering in the movement of drugs and sex slaves in and out of the Bay. She's in a coma now at Brockton General Hospital. Given Healer Laverne's aversion to altering a person's brain tissue, the chances of recovery…"
Taylor hissed before a warm hand squeezed her shoulder, making her look up to see Shirayuki gazing worriedly at her. "Do you want Hime to call Hinako-chan to come over here, Taylor-san?" the pre-teen master chef asked.
Sensing the desire to help, the older woman sighed. "What time is it in Niigata?"
"Five to eleven in the evening," one of the older bioroids answered.
Taylor shook her head. "No, she needs to sleep. I won't take that from her." She nibbled on an orange before sipping her tea as Shirayuki moved to serve coffee to those who wanted refills. "So, you have Panacea here. Does New Wave exist?"
"It does to an extent," another teenage bioroid answered, one in more fashionable clothes which wouldn't seem out of place at Arcadia High School; Taylor had got her hosts' names when she was walked down for breakfast, though she couldn't draw up this person's now given what she just found out about the local cape scene. "Only Vicky and Amelia — or 'Amy' as everyone in the group wants her to be known by even if her true parentage is pretty much an open secret now — effectively keep the flag flying. The first generation of Dallons and Pelhams are semi-retired, their older cousin Crystal just got into UMBB and their younger cousin Eric's going through some gender identity issues." As Taylor winced in sympathy, said girl added, "They all come out for any major big fight. Like if the Empire goes at it with the Red Dragon Society or some outside group comes in to cause issues with the locals." She sipped her coffee. "Thank Lyna that the Slaughterhouse were wiped out by the War Hawks on the Cold Lake Ranges in '07 when they tried to go after that one healer in Regina who just joined the Army Cadets…"
"Riley Davis?" Taylor wondered.
"She exists in your universe?" Sharon asked.
"We know her as 'Bonesaw'," the now-permanently dimensionally displaced older teen answered. "High Tinker, specialized in biomanipulation, plus a Trump classification since she could also change some aspects of one's powers." After sipping her tea, then nibbling on another orange slice — she had been told to eat slow to give her new body a chance to adjust to being active in lieu of being in cryogenic storage, not moulded to match her old body's DNA in a process called "templation" — she pointed to her head. "She actually helped my version of Amelia jail-break my shard to help me go up against Scion."
"Why would you do something like that?" the girl that Taylor privately guessed attended the Winslow of this universe wondered.
Sensing the honest curiosity in her hosts' eyes — and knowing that these people supported those like Margo Black and Mark Calaway, both of whom had given Taylor two thumbs up for forcing her peers back on Earth Bet to deal with Scion and save what was left of humanity in her home multiverse — the insect manipulator shrugged. "When Jack Slash set off Scion, scant few capes want to help fight him to save all the normal people from being slaughtered en masse. We — Lisa Wilbourn and Amelia along with some others — felt that we had ultimately no choice but to find a way to master EVERY CAPE ALIVE to have them combine their powers to deal with that monster. So, I let Amelia unchain my shard to make me the ultimate Master."
Saying that, Taylor blinked on realizing that the guilt she had felt on being made to dominate everyone like that wasn't there. Yes, it was immoral in the extreme to mentally ENSLAVE thousands of capes like that. Even if the Star Trek concept of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" could be applied here — the "many" being the trillions of normal people from Earths Bet, Aleph and elsewhere; the "few" were the parahumans, who numbered only about six thousand from what she could recall before losing all sense of her humanity not even a week ago in her timeline — the idea of being Mastered like that was something ALL of humanity where she came from loathed with passion, the example of Nikos "Heatbreaker" Vasil being one big object lesson of same. Was it because she had been effectively tossed aside like she had been by Contessa? What had the man named Résav'l — Margo told Taylor he was a semi-immortal guardian of Earth who had warred against interdimensional invaders like the Entities for as long as modern man existed — said when she had been phased into the Dark Gaol…?
Contessa's own power, the Path to Victory, had been an effective open book to Scion…?!
"Do the Entities get any feedback from any parahumans here?" she then asked.
Heads shook in the negative. "Our multiverse is protected with the presence of this element…" Sharon declared as she tapped her PADD, allowing a holographic image to appear over it, revealing a VERY complex atom with the code Ms and the atomic number of 173, indicating something that wouldn't — according to any form of science that Taylor knew of — exist naturally. "This is called 'mesonium' in English; some people shorten it to 'meson' unless they want to mention the subatomic particle of the same name. Nicely named; even if it's known to be radioactive, it's not harmful to any forms of organic life. Created by the beings who created the Great Forge which the Yizibajohei know of as the Great Crystal of Power. The Dark Gaol…"
"Is the central chamber of that," Taylor finished. "Damn! So, what does mesonium do?"
"Well, it's common nickname is the 'atom of the Mind and the Soul'," Sharon declared as some of the younger bioroids checked the time, then moved to excuse themselves. "The Seekers — the immortals who create the Great Forge and are believed to have provoked the detonation of the Primal Atom to create this multiverse we're in — wished to create a type of material which would promote the creation of life wherever it was possible. When life became sentient, mesonium atoms would bond to a person's mind. If present in a large quantity, it's potentially a very effective shield from any sort of telepathic intrusion."
"Being Mastered, you mean?"
"Yes, that's the parahuman equivalent concept."
That made Taylor perk. "Wait! Shirayuki here mentioned the term 'metahuman'. What's the difference?"
"The two terms can — and in places, are — used interchangeably. They mean the effective same thing: A human being with abilities which are well above and beyond normal standard. Here in America, there's a legal difference imposed in due to international treaty. A parahuman like Healer Laverne or her sister are monitored and supported by state-level agencies…"
"Parahuman Response Teams, you mean?"
A nod answered her. "We call them that here even if half are subordinated to the various state National Guards. Massachusetts' PRT is legally seen as a potential second battalion of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; the Governor could call them to official duty with an executive order in cases of statewide emergency or if they need to be federalized." As Taylor gaped — the idea of military capes was something which had been done away with by the creation of the national Parahuman Response Team and Protectorate — Sharon then finished her tea. "Metahumans are those who are directly empowered by mesonium, such as Gifted Yizibajohei. They're managed federally through the United States Joint Specialized Warfare Command in case the President needs to have people mobilized; 'specialized warfare' is the euphemism for military metahuman forces."
Hearing that, Taylor tried not to laugh as she recalled hearing about all the bureaucratic turf fights between the PRT — which was part-and-parcel of the federal Department of Justice back on Earth Bet — and the uniformed services of the United States, the latter group having taken huge cuts in their operational budgets thanks to the drive (ultimately provoked by Cauldron) to make parahumans seem beyond the reach of even the elite of the special forces. That it was effectively reversed here — hopefully, there was no Cauldron here to gum things up — would have driven one Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown completely up the wall given how much of a control freak she had been; that had been according to people like Keith "Legend" Richardson or David "Eidolon" Mercy as the scuttlebutt in Chicago revealed to her when she had served there as a ward. Since some people in the Protectorate back home had worn the uniform before becoming capes, what were their counterparts like here…?
"Are there people you need to know about, Thoughtmistress?" a silver-haired twenty-something woman to Taylor's left asked.
"Lisa Wilbourn," Taylor automatically asked.
People turned to their PADDs. "One of our Shōzoki friends saved her from Coil's people just before Christmas," a woman who looked like she was a university freshman — complete with a UMBB jacket hanging over her chair — stated.
A moan answered her. "Oh, shit! Coil?! What about Dinah Alcott?!"
"She attends Brockton Middle School alongside Thoughtmistress Melissa Byron," another woman stated.
"Vista?! Oh, perfect! What about Aisha Laborn? Does she go to Brockton Middle?"
"She's there."
"What about Miss Alcott?" Sharon asked.
"If it's like home, she'll trigger into a very powerful precog. My version of her can give exact percentages about the chances of potential future events," the dimensionally-shifted insect master stated. "Coil gets his hands on her to help him take over the local underworld. What about Aisha's brother Brian? Is he in town?" As the person who answered about Aisha and Missy Byron nodded, Taylor crossed her arms. "Alec Reynaud? Or Jean-Paul Vasil? Heartbreaker exists in this dimension, right?"
"War Hawks got to the elder Vasil two years ago when he tried to target a pretty pilot from the 2nd Canadian Cavalry Regiment," another woman answered. "General Raeburn didn't care for anyone trying to rape one of her troopers, so she used her sword to skin the monster alive in front of all his loyal children and slaves." As Taylor winced — THAT would be one hell of a brutal object lesson to any villain, even someone as nasty as Nikos Vasil! — the other woman added, "Both Jean-Paul and his sister Cherie fled from Québec a year prior, coming down here. He's using the alias you gave us, Alec Reynaud. Cherie goes by the named Cherie Reynaud. They're supported by a commune of sister Avalonians in the southern part of town."
"Oh, sweet! Rachel Lindt?! Is she here?"
"She camps out near the Boat Graveyard."
"On the run from the PRT? Bad issue with her trigger event, wants to rescue dogs and all that?"
"Yes, Thoughtmistress."
Taylor groaned. "Just like home…!"
A knock from the largest window in the room made people perk before turning…
"TAYLOR!"
…then Taylor yelped as a white-and-brown blur slammed into her from port forward, knocking her off her chair onto her back as the weight of a VERY familiar — and sobbing her guts out! — biokinetic healer nearly crushing her with a hug. A quick glance to the now-open window revealed an equally familiar blonde, blue-eyed flier gaping with delight at her, she dressed not in her normal uniform as the "Alexandria-lite" of Brockton Bay, but stylish civilians patterned in such a way to not rip should she get into a scrap with anyone. As the unfamiliarity of a weeping Amelia Lavere moaning her name and hugging all the air out of her began to sink in, Victoria Dallon spun around to gaze on the local elder mother. "When the hell did THIS happen, Sharon?!" she demanded, an invisible aura of power emanating from her to make the bioroids present all wince. "Why weren't we told that you found a way to get Tay-Tay back on her feet?! Yeah, keeping it from those stupid gooks is one thing, but…!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"OW!"
"DAME DESU NO! STOP THAT, VICKY-SAN!"
Taylor and Amelia stopped before turning…
…then the latter shrieked with delight on seeing Victoria now face-first into the floor thanks to one Osamu Shirayuki having pounded her in the back of the head with the heavy part of an umbrella of all things! "Hinako's?!" the healer demanded.
"Hai desu no!" the pre-teen high-end trofikinetic known on the World of the Forge as the Great Chef of the West, Syuosekuo ("Küchenchefin"), snapped before glaring at the woman also known as Glory Girl. "How many times does Vicky-san have to be told this?! That stupid aura of yours HURTS PEOPLE! Now Hime must make tea to help all Taylor-san's new sisters recover from your silly aura! Does Hime have to call Annie Whitman-san over in Sweet Valley to take your powers away…?!"
"EEP!"
Taylor's and Amelia's heads snapped over to see Victoria now trying to make herself look VERY small in the corner of the room. "Illbegood!" the blonde bombshell of New Wave croaked out a mile a minute.
Taylor blinked as she took that in, then blinked again as warm hands cupped her cheeks, turning her head around…then she awked before a very warm set of lips caressed hers in a kiss that nearly sucked all the air out of her lungs!
Then…
Amelia jolted as she leaned back to gape in horror at the person her powers had confirmed was that of her friend Taylor Hebert, even if now in an Avalonian bioroid body — A naturally, functionally BISEXUAL body at that! Yummy! — and…!
"Taylor…who made you TRIGGER?!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Okay. Who the fuck gets to DIE?"
Taylor blinked before staring wide-eyed at Victoria, noting the smoldering look on her face. "Um…ah…!"
"Dame desu no, Vicky-san!" Shirayuki snapped. "This is not your Taylor-san! She's a Haywire event victim from another multiverse!" As the newcomers gaped in shock, the Aichi-jin waved them to the table. "Now, Hime will make some nice tea for everyone to make people calm down, then you'll get a reveal scene about why Taylor-san is here! Desu no?!"
The woman in the middle of all this moaned. "'Reveal scene'? Does that mean I can get some questions answered now?!"
"Hai desu no!"
Taylor breathed out, holding up her hand. "More tea, please!"
"Hai desu no!"
The teaser scene at the start of this story is partially inspired by the events shown in the seventh part of "Speck", the thirtieth chapter of Worm. Résav'l AKA Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko AKA Lord Rjazán' first appeared in my fanfic Wanderers. The Conservator is the living sentient spirit of the Great Crystal of Power forming the core of Yiziba.
Outside events surrounding members of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearing in this story such as Mark Calaway (the Undertaker) are as they happened in real life; Mark himself is forty-five years of age at the start of this story.
Saeru Hinako (Suiki) and Osamu Shirayuki (Küchenchefin) are two of the sister characters from Sister Princess. Note their family names are my creation, having been used since I first began writing fanfiction stories on them on the Anime Addventure website years before. Note this story happens well before Hinako and Shirayuki learn of their sibling relationship with Tariko Katabarbe AKA Moroboshi Ataru. As an aside, the Avalonians and the Niphentaxians first appeared in The Senior Year story "What Price For Love?"; the Zeiwanites were introduced in the TSY story "Darling's Other Girlfriend", and the Shōzoki first appeared in my lemon fanfic story The Galatea Syndrome.
Translations and source language: Lar'beke — Snake leech, common nickname for the Goa'uld from the various Stargate series (Yizibajohei); Chōjinji-chō — Short for Kokuritsu Chōjinji-chō (in kanji, 国立超人事庁), directly translating "National Superhuman Affairs Bureau" (Japanese); (name)-jin — Suffix indicator creating the demonym for a particular location (Japanese); Kŭmdal-jop'ok — Gold Moon Society (Korean).
Annie Whitman (Oblivion) and Margo Black (née Chapelle) (Doctor Death) are both characters from the Sweet Valley High novel series from the 1980s. The former first appeared in the tenth novel, Wrong Kind of Girl. The latter first appeared in the ninety-seventh novel, The Verdict.
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment (Select Volunteers) is a ceremonial unit of the Bay State's army National Guard formation; it takes its designation from the famous Civil War infantry regiment whose actions in that conflict were portrayed in the 1989 movie Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.
"Because I think you have a chance to come back from this," the "cape boogeyman" known as Contessa declared. "Not much of a chance. Part of that rides on me. I could help you, or I could stop you from troubling anyone ever again. Part of that? It's up to you to win the fight, to take control and keep the administrator from claiming everything you have, leaving you a shell."
I felt a chill. Was part of it my passenger? Both of us?
I opened my mouth to reply, and I couldn't.
Didn't deserve to, either way.
"It's okay. I got the answer, myself."
I looked away.
I looked up. My eyes were wet.
So many stars. The universe so vast.
We're s-so very small, in the end…
The first bullet hit me from behind, where my mask offered no coverage, and I slowly toppled.
The second hit me before I could fall, before there could be any pain...
...and then...
...cold...
...nightmarish, worse than Arctic, perhaps worst than deepest space...
...COLD!
"No...what...?"
«Such thanks, Fortuna?»
"Who...no...NO! Delete...!"
I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Strange that there was no pain...!
«Your whole existence, forged out of blind fear...and you expected no less in the end when the time came?»
"Delete...data lost...no, how is...this POSSIBLE...?!"
No pain...still could...couldn't move...who was that...?
«Very well, then. Let what little conscience you have left within you — thanks to Abaddon′s shard which has driven you for so long even if both Zion and his late mate knew about your connection to it and could use that to blind you to so much! — be assured that Téjlor Daniílovna Èbért will no longer plague what is left of YOUR multiverse.»
"Dark...jail...souls destroyed...data lost...LOST, LOST, LOST...!"
Her wails of pain began to fade, replaced by an overwhelming silence.
Was this what being dead really...?
«Her fate is for you and yours to decide, Conservator...»
IT WILL BE DONE, RÉSAV'L!
Who...?
What happened...?
A gasp escaped me as I felt SOMETHING pierce the place where I was shot, sending a flood of lukewarm energy into me.
As I felt my wrecked body slowly respond to my wishes, footfalls then echoed from nearby.
The ground was solid. Not metal...more rock-like...no, ice-like...!
A purplish glow then flooded my vision.
A cave of some sort...
But where...?
The footsteps stopped.
Where...?
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
**** **** ****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts: The Return of Skitter
by Fred Herriot
A story set in the universe of The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei.
Certain scenes written by Dr. Tempo.
C&C by Rose Ash and Sachertorte.
Based on characters and situations from Azumanga Daiō, created by Azuma Kiyohiko; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; Worm, created by John C. McCrae; characters created by World Wrestling Entertainment, originally founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt; Ryū ga Gotoku, created by Nagoshi Toshihiro; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; The West Wing, created by Aaron Sorkin; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Suzumiya Haruhi no Yū'utsu, written by Tanigawa Nagaru; Sister Princess, created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako; normalman, created by Jim Valentino; Stargate SG-1, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner; and My Little Pony, created by Bonnie Zacherle.
Including references to characters and situations from Oshi no Ko, created by Akasaka Aka; JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, created by Araki Hirohiko; Terminator, created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd; 2001: A Space Odyssey, written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick; Men in Black, created by Lowell Cunningham; The Boys, created by Garth Ennis, and Darick Robertson; Fallen London, created by Failbetter Games; Black Lagoon, created by Hiroe Rei; M*A*S*H, created by Richard Hooker; Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger; The New Gods, created by Jack Kirby; X-Men, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley; Rockman, created by Kiramura Akira and Inafune Kenji; Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry; Final Fantasy, created by Sakaguchi Hironobu; and Superman, created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster.
And including characters and situations from Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot.
**** **** ****
The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
From Shards to Gifts: The Return of Skitter
by Fred Herriot
A story set in the universe of The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei.
Certain scenes written by Dr. Tempo.
C&C by Rose Ash and Sachertorte.
Based on characters and situations from Azumanga Daiō, created by Azuma Kiyohiko; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; Worm, created by John C. McCrae; characters created by World Wrestling Entertainment, originally founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt; Ryū ga Gotoku, created by Nagoshi Toshihiro; Sweet Valley High, created by Francine Pascal; The West Wing, created by Aaron Sorkin; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Suzumiya Haruhi no Yū'utsu, written by Tanigawa Nagaru; Sister Princess, created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino Sakurako; normalman, created by Jim Valentino; Stargate SG-1, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner; and My Little Pony, created by Bonnie Zacherle.
Including references to characters and situations from Oshi no Ko, created by Akasaka Aka; JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, created by Araki Hirohiko; Terminator, created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd; 2001: A Space Odyssey, written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick; Men in Black, created by Lowell Cunningham; The Boys, created by Garth Ennis, and Darick Robertson; Fallen London, created by Failbetter Games; Black Lagoon, created by Hiroe Rei; M*A*S*H, created by Richard Hooker; Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger; The New Gods, created by Jack Kirby; X-Men, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley; Rockman, created by Kiramura Akira and Inafune Kenji; Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry; Final Fantasy, created by Sakaguchi Hironobu; and Superman, created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster.
And including characters and situations from Urusei Yatsura: The Senior Year, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot.
**** **** ****
Somewhere deep in the heart of Yiziba (Earth date Monday 3 January 2011, 1:25 PM UDT; Austin time: Monday 3 January 2011, 7:25 AM CDT; Niigata time: Monday 3 January 2011, 10:25 PM JST)…
For the man celebrated for years as the Phenom of World Wrestling Entertainment, what happened in the wake of the Streak-versus-Career match the previous March really turned his life inside-out.
For the man known simply as the Undertaker across TWO separate planets separated by 273 light-years of space, being empowered quite by accident as an I-shit-you-not REALITY WARPER — and one with the effectively unstoppable ability to manipulate everything that was not of the physical, ranging from all forms of energy to disembodied spirits to even higher orders of life — made the three-time WWF/WWE Champion wonder if the Spirit of Eternity Itself had a weird sense of humour.
For the man born Mark William Calaway in Houston nearly forty-six years ago, being Gifted with the millennia of memories and cosmic power of the Master of the Dark Gaol of the Great Show of Life — his battle name on the World of the Forge of the Seekers was spoken there as Ruodeuto — gave him an often-unwanted yet sometimes beyond fascinating portal into a future that would lead well beyond the squared circle. A future of vistas beyond human imagination a simple Navy veteran's son could conceive of even during that whole "Prince of Darkness" angle he portrayed in the early years of the Attitude Era.
While he had been enjoying breakfast with his wife Michelle at their home near Austin — despite being a metahuman, Mark was baseline human physically, his body still on the mend thanks to a torn rotator cuff suffered during the Bragging Rights match against his kayfabe "brother" — getting a mental flash from the dark, soul-absorbing chamber in the very heart of the third world of Sigma Sagittarii (locally called "Kaeyu") wasn't something he wanted to deal with on a cool overcast Monday morning.
Thus, when he teleported into the Dark Gaol thanks to his ever-handy personal administrative assistant…
"What the HELL are you doing in MY yard, girl?!"
…encountering a raven-haired TEENAGE GIRL in full body, grey-and-black insect-like armour — right arm amputated just above the elbow joint, two multi-joint gripper mechanisms sticking out from a winged backpack; the exit wounds of a pair of gunshots on the exposed parts of her forehead, the unseen entrance wounds allowing blood to spill on the crystalline floor of this place — clearly caught Mark Calaway by surprise, especially since this person was no metahuman he could recognize.
Only reality warpers like himself could access this place.
By convention first established five millennia ago when the first incarnation of the Master of the Dark Gaol lived to repel the lar'beke from Yiziba, other reality warpers would normally ASK him before dumping someone here.
In conclusion, either someone wanted to start something…
…or this girl's coming here was due to some oddball accident.
Rasing his hand, he allowed a corona of power to cloak it before kneeling beside the still-breathing girl — that fact shocking him since head wounds like she presently possessed normally shut down the brain and eventually the body — then he reached out mentally to do a basic life scan of her. While her brain matter was significantly damaged, there were VERY familiar trace elements in her still-intact cerebral matter which made him scowl. "Parahuman, huh…" he muttered to himself while mentally reaching into what he believed was the core conscience of the shard which had twisted this kid's life inside out and…
Huh…?
He gaped as images flashed before his mind's eye, revealing a pair of all TOO familiar cosmic entities resembling wriggling comets of energy, intertwined as they ejected tiny fragments of themselves — the "shards" that, upon entering a host's body, would empower them once the right conditions for a "trigger event" happened — to help the semi-sentient entities (known on Yiziba by the disparaging term kimfombeke or "worm leech") gather information which could help them escape the "heat death" of Existence. An event all self-respecting Yizibajohei knew would NEVER happen given how vast and complex Creation was.
On Yiziba, such beings were given an even more despised term: R'be Guofenukro, literally meaning "thing that cheats death".
Given one ugly aftermath of the worldwide metahuman revolution which befell the third world of Kaeyu two millennia ago — known on that planet as Muokim Yuati, the Dawn of Power — when the noncorporeal souls of over a BILLION slain innocents drew on the ever-increasing auras of energy produced by the Forge of the First Race to seek vengeance on those still living…!
Shaking his head, Mark then jolted as a very recent memory from the girl appeared before his mind's eye.
One of the kimfombeke…
Urged on a rampage to wipe out a whole MULTIDIMENSIONAL CLUSTER of Earths and all those living on them…
This thing's avatar — shaped like a glowing Zeiwanite, once revered on the girl's own home planet as the first "superhero" — confronting the girl…then being forced to gaze on the dead corpse of its mate through the eyes of THOUSANDS…
And that one act…
…drove that creature to suicide!
Mentally cutting off his mind from the girl's memories, Mark nodded in approval. "Damn, kid! You did GOOD…!"
"A-ri-ri?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
That made the phenom turn to see a young girl dressed in solid white from neck to toe — such topped with a red heart over her chest, pink belt and boots completing the ensemble — standing nearby, a concerned look on her face.
"Hinako…?"
****
The girl born Saeru Hinako in the summer of 2004 had been asleep — having turned in early even if she was enjoying the second week of winter vacation from kindergarten — when something BIG made her empathic abilities wake her up.
Like her current host, the native of Niigata on the shores of the East Sea separating Japan from mainland Asia had been Gifted to become a metahuman, such happening shortly after her sixth birthday the summer just past. Fortunately for those who feared the idea of someone so young being empowered, Hinako's Gifting proved to be quite the blessing for all who interacted with her.
On Yiziba, she was known as the Living Spirit of Innocence, formally addressed there by the battle name Lomroer'bem.
In lieu of using the English "Pureheart" as the local translation, Hinako naturally picked the Japanese term Suiki.
And — thanks to her having no need to worry about mandatory education until the April coming up when she would commence her first year of elementary school — the pretty girl with the dirty caramel brown hair (normally done in high side pigtails) and royal blue eyes had taken to her Gift and its endless possibilities like a duckling did to water.
Driven both by her own innocent, childish nature and the memories of her twenty-three previous incarnations spanning a two-millennia period of time from the Dawn of Power — unlike those parahumans who were forced through trigger events to make use of their shard-given powers, "Named" Yizibajohei-type metahumans got the collected knowledge of their many past-selves' experiences using their powers once the Gifting occurred — the precocious child of a middle-income salaryman and his wife began to use her new abilities to do things most "capes" normally wouldn't engage in, even in a peaceful country like Japan.
As people soon learned right away, Hinako would gladly jump into a "fight scene" between metahumans/parahumans…
…but to STOP said fight, not make it worse!
Thanks to a level of broadcast empathy which defied all Terran means of measurement — though limited due to Hinako's youth; as most natives of Yiziba knew, adult versions of the Spirit of Innocence could pump out an aura of pure power with the ability to calm the angriest or most battle-crazed metahuman at PLANETARY distances! — the cute Niigata-jin had halted more property-wrecking fights across the Home Islands in the last five months than any adult employed by the National Superhuman Affairs Bureau's field security teams, Japan's equivalent to America's state-managed Parahuman Response Team organizations.
Even more so, because of Hinako's innate ability to "spread the peace" even among violent groups such as the various Yakuza clans and their rivals from other nations in-country, no one could even CONCEIVE of plotting to find said girl — who, unlike most American parahuman "capes", didn't even wear protective goggles to mask her facial features — and take her out.
After one particularly nasty incident in Sapporo in November, one Chōjinji-chō team leader joked to a friend that if either Omni-Man from the Invincibles universe or Homelander from the universe of The Boys — their existence being possible given the often-proven statement that "what is fiction in one universe is fact in another" — ever crossed paths with Suiki…!
Shaking her head as she focused now on the badly wounded older girl being looked at by Mark Calaway, the Spirit of Innocence came up to gaze directly at the masked face, her empathic senses automatically probing into the still-living stranger's grey matter — which surprised Hinako very much; child or not, she knew head wounds like that were normally fatal — to obtain as accurate a sense of what had befallen this woman before she was brought to the Dark Gaol in the middle of Yiziba's very core. "Hina felt it when Onē-tama was sent here, Mark-san," she confessed as the phenom of WWE moved to gently pull the mask away from the stranger's face, revealing glazed green eyes that barely showed any intelligence, a too-wide mouth and the general aura of someone who had clearly gone through something that made even the Dawn of Power seem paltry in comparison.
If THAT was even possible…!
"Hina was sleeping when she felt a lot and lot of people trying to get rid of something…!"
"A kimfombeke," her host advised.
That made the Niigata-jin's face scrunch up in disgust. "Eew! One of THEM?! What happened, Mark-san?!"
"She somehow made the stupid thing kill itself," the Master of the Dark Gaol announced.
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!" Hinako exclaimed.
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
That made her face scrunch up. "Why would she have to do that?"
That make the Texan wrestler hum for a moment. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to chase them away from hurting people. Love to get this kid's full story, but she's not in a good way right now."
"I'm not…going to die…?"
****
To say that Taylor Hebert was quite confused was putting it kindly.
She was alive even if the pain of the bullets shot into the back of her head made the nerves inside her skull screech with agony. Even more so, with whatever it was this place was pumping into her, her sense of self was coming back to her, such having been nearly lost when she got Amelia Lavere to shear away the limiters on her shard's powers with how that came to affect her very body and soul. Atop that, she felt her shard move to restore itself in the wake of Contessa shooting it apart before she was brought here; she was starting to detect wildly different bugs located in the costumes of the two people now with her.
As she realized that, a growing sense of comprehension overcame her. Words spoken to her were no longer mere outbursts of incomprehensible sound, but clearly registering in her mind. She understood she was in some crystal-lined cave somewhere, a place that was nearly freezing even if the two who just joined her — the red-haired twenty-something man in the black bodysuit with matching trench coat and Stetson hat who claimed this place as "his yard", and the young girl in the white bodysuit with the heart on her chest that projected an aura of concern mixed with childish jubilance — clearly weren't bothered by the lack of heat.
Even more so, as the two talked, the former warlord of Brockton Bay was quick to note that the younger of the pair seemed to speak in Japanese even if her words echoed in Taylor's ears as English. How was THAT possible? Did this girl — who seemed WAY too young to have become a parahuman — have some sort of Master-like ability to make all understand her…?
"EH?! Onē-tama did THAT?!"
Did that girl just call Taylor "big sister"…?
"Yeah. Don't have much experience with dealing with those things — might have to talk to Annie Whitman in Sweet Valley to get her input on it — but by the feel of her shard, she had to get it jail-broken to give her the power to face that thing directly."
Okay…if these two were capes of some sort, the parahuman culture they had here — wherever "here" actually was — was noticeably different if people used normal names to refer to each other rather than cape names.
"Why would she have to do that?"
Taylor felt the urge to answer before she stopped herself.
No, no, NO! Even if she was a cape, she was a CHILD…!
A hum made Taylor's eyes flick over to the older man, who was staring with a mixture of amused respect and concern at her. "No doubt, she comes from a dimension where those things don't have to worry about reality warpers or Praetorian Guardians or Jewel Warriors ripping huge hunks out of their body to get them out of OUR dimension."
Haywire event…! automatically echoed in Taylor's mind on hearing that.
"Love to get this kid's full story, but she's definitely not in a good way right now."
That made her slightly twitch. "I'm not…going to die…?"
Her pained words made the other two capes gaze concernedly at her before the younger of the pair walked around to Taylor's left, placing a hand on her shoulder. As the uncertainty of this situation faded from her — she could NOW understand why Contessa moved to kill her after the battle with Scion was done; having someone with the power she gained after her shard was unlocked running loose after humanity was nearly wiped out was a no-brainer — the girl gave her a smile which had the power to knock Jack Slash off-kilter. "Oh, no! No! No! No! No, Onē-tama! Hina and Mark-san won't let Onē-tama die just because some silly person decided she was supposed to die! Onē-tama killed a kimfombeke and all of them are just nasty, evil creeps who hurt lots and lots and lots of nice people everywhere they go! Don't you worry about that, Onē-tama! Even Margo-san won't object!"
Taylor blinked. "Who…is Margo…?" she asked. "She part…of your Triumvirate…?"
A hand covered in purple fingerless sports gloves squeezed her other shoulder. "You'll get the explanation soon enough, kid," the older man advised. "First of all, given how bashed up your body and brain are, we'll need to clone you a new one, then shift your soul into it to let you have a brain firing on all neurons. A bit of rest after that, then come the reveal scenes."
"Who is Onē-tama anyway?" the girl asked. "Where's Onē-tama from on her Earth?"
A couple blinks later, a tired sigh escaped her. "Taylor Hebert…Brockton Bay…"
The older man chuckled. "Have a Brockton Bay where you're from? Can't take a walk without kicking a cape every corner?"
That made Taylor bark out in laughter before she cringed as her whole skull sharply protested such a move…
****
Brockton Bay (twenty miles north of northeast from Boston), Wednesday 5 January, 7:42 AM EST (Austin time: 6:42 AM CST; Niigata time: 9:42 PM JST)…
Taylor Hebert's eyes slowly opened to reveal the ceiling of what appeared to be a normal bedroom.
Moaning as she sensed her body slowly respond to her mind's desire to shift herself out from under the warm blankets spread over her — a desire instantly squelched as she sensed that she had no clothes on whatsoever under said covers — she shifted her head right, then left to scan around. A standard bedroom that didn't look really lived in, possessing (atop the bed she was on) a nightstand with lamp, dresser drawer with vanity mirror, closet, work desk with a very advanced laptop computer on it, plus a couple of guest chairs off to one side for visitors. One chair had folded clothes on it, no doubt prepared for her ahead of time.
Grunting, she leaned on her left elbow to push herself up into a sitting position, the covers falling away from her diminutive breasts to expose herself. Automatically, her right arm came out from under the sheets to shield her…
She then stopped, staring down.
A completely intact right arm.
Without even any sign that it had been amputated in the first place!
Blinking as she considered that, Taylor recalled what her rescuers — Mark Calaway and Saeru Hinako, she recalled; the former using the cape name "Undertaker" while the latter called herself "Suiki" — talked about before she was teleported out of the cold place to a safer location. How they would contact allies to CLONE A NEW BODY for her to use given the sheer damage her birth body had suffered over the years. While that did provoke a little flashback concerning the "Slaughterhouse Nine Thousand" created at the instigation of Jack Slash prior to Scion's rampage, the fact that the Texan and the Niigata-jin didn't seem disturbed about making such a drastic choice impressed Taylor a lot. Even more so, according to Hinako, Margo Black — whoever she was — wouldn't object to having this happen to Taylor given that she had helped kill a "worm leech".
An act that both Hinako and Mark — and Margo as well — held with great respect.
What have those things done here?
"They find it pretty hard to play around with normal folks in this multiverse."
Taylor awked before spinning around…
…then she gaped on seeing the smirking woman her age seated on the windowsill, the recognizable skyline of Brockton Bay's downtown framing her. Despite her being in normal yet fashionable clothes, this dark-haired beauty with the stormy grey eyes — who would make one Emma Barnes look like pond scum in comparison — seemed to bleed an aura of pure, raw, imminent DANGER that made Taylor cringe, the fight or flight urge she had long experience with thanks to three former schoolmates of hers surging up to seize her heart with a grip of iron. Before she could say anything, the newcomer's lips twisted into an amused smirk while she lifted herself off the windowsill, moving to head over to the chair holding the clothes obviously set aside for Taylor. "No underwear," she said with a voice that was a mixture of flat New Englander, wise New Yorker, and pure Southern belle. "Typical Avalonians. You'd think they'd understand that Terrans have different standards than they do."
Taylor blinked. "What are Avalonians?"
"Bioroids," the newcomer said as she picked up the folded blouse and jeans. "Designer clones, in effect. Created by technology brought here by alien mimics who are so fascinated by Terran society, they came here in droves to observe us." As she handed them to Taylor before she walked to the dresser to see what was there, she added, "Of course, even if they're humanoid, the Niphentaxians do have pointed ears. You got Star Trek wherever in the Multiverse you come from, Taylor?"
That made the other brunette nod. "Yes."
"Think of the Ionians from the classic episode 'A Piece of the Action'. Tack on a serious religious bent to them, though; that's your average Nick Niphentaxian…ah!" the newcomer said as she pulled out some packages. "Some Terran-borns with this observation post. Should fit you," she said as she tossed one packaged brassier and one packaged set of panties over.
Taking them with her "regrown" hand — it had been difficult for Taylor to learn how to be left-handed in the brief time before she got her shard jailbroken — she then tore them open to get dressed. "You have actual aliens here?"
"Sure do. In a way, it pays to be in part of space which others see as a galactic crossroads of sorts," the other woman said as she moved to sit. "So, you're from a 'parahuman-only' universe, huh? From what I've heard, kimfombeke love to isolate those dimensions from the rest of Creation so they could keep death cheating their way through the genocide of species after species."
As Taylor slipped on the panties — Damn! Were they made of silk?! — she gazed on the other woman. "Why 'worm leech'?"
"Because they leech the energy and effectively the LIVES of those people which they 'gift'," the other woman sneered to a degree that would have impressed one Sophia Hess. "You think your multiverse had it bad? Creation is way vaster than all that. Those things have loads of places where they go to try to feed off people's knowledge and experiences. They've tried with this multiversal cluster, but there were defences put into place by those who provoked the Big Bang here to stop that."
That made Taylor freeze from putting on her bra, her jaw dropped in shock. "They've been around for THAT LONG?!"
"Time flows differently depending on which multiversal cluster you're talking about," the other woman declared with an eerie smile, one that made Taylor's heart ache as she recalled the last time that she had seen Lisa Wilbourn before she allowed herself to tap into her shard's full potential. The type of grimace the lady also known as Tattletale gave when she revelled in displaying how much she knew to people who dependant on her "wisdom". Despite that expression, the other lady seemed not interested in showing off to Taylor; the way she had expressed that simply was a statement of fact, no different than if she talked about the weather. "In one multiverse, it's the time of the Big Bang. Another multiverse, the time of dinosaurs. Yet another, the final disintegration of all matter into nothingness; the 'heat death' the kimfombeke so desperately want to avoid." Shaking her head, she then shrugged. "Death cheaters," she then declared with a look akin to her stepping into dog poop, something Taylor had got long used to from dealing with one Rachel Lindt. "All things must eventually perish, even a so-called 'god'."
Hearing that, Taylor nodded in understanding. "You must be this 'Margo' that Mr. Calaway and Hinako spoke about when I was brought into this universe after Contessa shot me," she noted as she fixed the bra in place before moving to slip on the jeans. "What was that place, anyway? It was dark, lined in crystals and Mr. Calaway called it his 'yard'."
"The Dark Gaol," the woman born Margo Chapelle answered. "It's a place where we toss the really dangerous alien heels we've run across over the years and centuries whose powers we might want to have circulating around the population but whose knowledge we DON'T want to have Gifted…" — Taylor was quick to sense the capital letter fall in on hearing that word — "…to cause even more trouble." Here, the Vermonter and adopted New Yorker/Georgian blinked before an amuse smile crossed her face. "I bet you didn't realize you were in the heart of another PLANET when you got dropped in there by Lord Rjazán'!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"That…was another PLANET?!" a now-pale Taylor exclaimed with a squeaked voice.
Margo chuckled. "Oh, yes, it was. About 273 light-years from here. Third planet of Sigma Sagittarii; that's the second brightest star in Sagittarius if you're into astronomy. People who live there — even the adopted ones like Mark, Hinako and I — call the star 'Kaeyu'. The planet's name is 'Yiziba'; people who live there are called 'Yizibajohei'." Here, a snort escaped her. "Unless you're like the useless dweebs on other planets near this system who can't stomach the fact that we MUST become metahumans to simply SURVIVE there." As Taylor's jaw dropped in disbelief on hearing that, the other woman derisively added, "Idiots there call us things like 'Unspeakable Ones' or 'They Who Must Never Be Named' or 'Scary People' or other crap like that."
Blinking as she took that in — A PLANET FULL OF CAPES?! she mentally railed as that very concept nearly overwhelmed her — Taylor then dropped onto the bed as she gaped in disbelief at the other woman. "Did the Entities cause that?!"
Margo stared at her before she laughed. "Oh, Forge, no! That was guaranteed because the whole planet could effectively Gift those types of abilities to those who wanted them…and thanks to a bunch of selfish fools who would even make Adolf Hitler look like some school bully, they drove MILLIONS of desperate folks into empowering themselves to win their freedom."
As Taylor blinked a couple times, the other woman shrugged. "We call that the Dawn of Power."
****
An hour later…
"There you go, Taylor-san! A nice, nutritious breakfast that won't upset your stomach! Bon appétit!"
Blushing at being doted upon by the mauve-haired twelve-year old with the sparkling royal blue eyes after she placed a BIG plate full of standard Western breakfast fare before her, Taylor blinked several times before she gave the newcomer — Osamu Shirayuki was her name, hailing from Nagoya in Aichi prefecture west of Tōkyō itself — a confused look. "You're a cape?"
Shirayuki blinked before she chuckled in amusement as she turned to head back into the kitchen of this multi-bedroom dormitory-like home currently serving as the home base of an effectively-defunct alien observation post. "No, Taylor-san, Hime's not some silly parahuman! Hime's a metahuman like Hinako-chan and Margo-san are! Now you eat!"
With a wag of her finger, the Aichi-jin ducked into kitchen. Wincing at such an admonishment, Taylor then tensed on hearing her empty stomach creak before she picked up a cup of tea to sip from it. Smiling as the lovely taste danced over her effectively virgin tongue, she sat back in her chair. Seated around said table were young women spanning from middle school age to mid-twenties in looks. All of them were quite beautiful by Western norms, dressed in the same type of fashion Taylor had seen in her own hometown. While there was something slightly pressing at her mind from all of them, it didn't feel in any way threatening to her. From what Margo Black had told her, her current hosts were all "Terran-form Avalonians", bioroids — the word as a portmanteau meaning "biological android" — who had been created as unique beings and not cloned from someone else. All of them had been "assistant observers" to their slavers on the second world of the Phentax system; said slavers had been killed by some of the minor gangs in the Bay who were aware of the Avalonians' presence on Earth to effective free said women.
To Taylor's immediate right was the "elder mother" of this group; the term was applied to the person who would serve a quasi-spiritual leadership rôle among groups of Avalonians. "So, while you enjoy Thoughtmistress-prime Shirayuki's 'welcome to our multiverse' breakfast, Thoughtmistress Taylor, we'll go through a series of questions to give you a better idea of what you've effectively been forced to become a part of by your being shifted here by Elder Thoughtmaster Résav'l. Please feel free to ask things in return. While the younger ones have school to go to, we older ones can take a day off work if necessary."
"I don't mean to impose, Ms. Blake," Taylor said before picking up an orange to peel it.
"Please, Sharon," the pretty brunette with the brown eyes declared, smirking. Looking to the iPad-like device in her hand — it was called a PADD, short for "personal archival display device", akin to the like-named device in Star Trek: The Next Generation — she breathed out. "So, to begin, you're from your universe's Brockton Bay, correct?"
"Yes."
"Your parents are Dockmaster-prime Daniel Hebert, current hiring manager/chief of negotiations for the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1102 for the Port of Brockton Bay; and Thoughtmistress-prime Annette Hebert, junior professor for English classical literature at the University of Massachusetts Brockton Bay?"
Taylor blinked. She knew that "Thoughtmistress"/"Thoughtmaster" were the Avalonian equivalents of the Japanese "sensei"; adding the "prime" suffix meant a senior teacher or professor. Naturally, given her father's work with the dockyards, being called "Dockmaster" seemed fitting. "Well, in my universe, Dad's group was just the 'Dockworkers' Union'; since the Endbringers effectively wrecked all maritime trade and the port was sealed up in the Dock Riots of 2002, most of the union locals decided to merge as one single group to protect themselves from the gangs. Mom was killed in a car accident in the fall of '08…"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! There are versions of MY PARENTS here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded.
"Yes, they're here. As is 'you'," one dark-skinned girl in clothes that might have marked her as part of the ABB back in Taylor's universe — save for also wearing black as well as red and gold — declared with a pained smile. "Your counterpart was caught in an attack by the Kŭmdal-jop'ok, a Korean gang with suspected connections to the Democratic People's Republic, due to her father's friends interfering in the movement of drugs and sex slaves in and out of the Bay. She's in a coma now at Brockton General Hospital. Given Healer Laverne's aversion to altering a person's brain tissue, the chances of recovery…"
Taylor hissed before a warm hand squeezed her shoulder, making her look up to see Shirayuki gazing worriedly at her. "Do you want Hime to call Hinako-chan to come over here, Taylor-san?" the pre-teen master chef asked.
Sensing the desire to help, the older woman sighed. "What time is it in Niigata?"
"Five to eleven in the evening," one of the older bioroids answered.
Taylor shook her head. "No, she needs to sleep. I won't take that from her." She nibbled on an orange before sipping her tea as Shirayuki moved to serve coffee to those who wanted refills. "So, you have Panacea here. Does New Wave exist?"
"It does to an extent," another teenage bioroid answered, one in more fashionable clothes which wouldn't seem out of place at Arcadia High School; Taylor had got her hosts' names when she was walked down for breakfast, though she couldn't draw up this person's now given what she just found out about the local cape scene. "Only Vicky and Amelia — or 'Amy' as everyone in the group wants her to be known by even if her true parentage is pretty much an open secret now — effectively keep the flag flying. The first generation of Dallons and Pelhams are semi-retired, their older cousin Crystal just got into UMBB and their younger cousin Eric's going through some gender identity issues." As Taylor winced in sympathy, said girl added, "They all come out for any major big fight. Like if the Empire goes at it with the Red Dragon Society or some outside group comes in to cause issues with the locals." She sipped her coffee. "Thank Lyna that the Slaughterhouse were wiped out by the War Hawks on the Cold Lake Ranges in '07 when they tried to go after that one healer in Regina who just joined the Army Cadets…"
"Riley Davis?" Taylor wondered.
"She exists in your universe?" Sharon asked.
"We know her as 'Bonesaw'," the now-permanently dimensionally displaced older teen answered. "High Tinker, specialized in biomanipulation, plus a Trump classification since she could also change some aspects of one's powers." After sipping her tea, then nibbling on another orange slice — she had been told to eat slow to give her new body a chance to adjust to being active in lieu of being in cryogenic storage, not moulded to match her old body's DNA in a process called "templation" — she pointed to her head. "She actually helped my version of Amelia jail-break my shard to help me go up against Scion."
"Why would you do something like that?" the girl that Taylor privately guessed attended the Winslow of this universe wondered.
Sensing the honest curiosity in her hosts' eyes — and knowing that these people supported those like Margo Black and Mark Calaway, both of whom had given Taylor two thumbs up for forcing her peers back on Earth Bet to deal with Scion and save what was left of humanity in her home multiverse — the insect manipulator shrugged. "When Jack Slash set off Scion, scant few capes want to help fight him to save all the normal people from being slaughtered en masse. We — Lisa Wilbourn and Amelia along with some others — felt that we had ultimately no choice but to find a way to master EVERY CAPE ALIVE to have them combine their powers to deal with that monster. So, I let Amelia unchain my shard to make me the ultimate Master."
Saying that, Taylor blinked on realizing that the guilt she had felt on being made to dominate everyone like that wasn't there. Yes, it was immoral in the extreme to mentally ENSLAVE thousands of capes like that. Even if the Star Trek concept of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" could be applied here — the "many" being the trillions of normal people from Earths Bet, Aleph and elsewhere; the "few" were the parahumans, who numbered only about six thousand from what she could recall before losing all sense of her humanity not even a week ago in her timeline — the idea of being Mastered like that was something ALL of humanity where she came from loathed with passion, the example of Nikos "Heatbreaker" Vasil being one big object lesson of same. Was it because she had been effectively tossed aside like she had been by Contessa? What had the man named Résav'l — Margo told Taylor he was a semi-immortal guardian of Earth who had warred against interdimensional invaders like the Entities for as long as modern man existed — said when she had been phased into the Dark Gaol…?
Contessa's own power, the Path to Victory, had been an effective open book to Scion…?!
"Do the Entities get any feedback from any parahumans here?" she then asked.
Heads shook in the negative. "Our multiverse is protected with the presence of this element…" Sharon declared as she tapped her PADD, allowing a holographic image to appear over it, revealing a VERY complex atom with the code Ms and the atomic number of 173, indicating something that wouldn't — according to any form of science that Taylor knew of — exist naturally. "This is called 'mesonium' in English; some people shorten it to 'meson' unless they want to mention the subatomic particle of the same name. Nicely named; even if it's known to be radioactive, it's not harmful to any forms of organic life. Created by the beings who created the Great Forge which the Yizibajohei know of as the Great Crystal of Power. The Dark Gaol…"
"Is the central chamber of that," Taylor finished. "Damn! So, what does mesonium do?"
"Well, it's common nickname is the 'atom of the Mind and the Soul'," Sharon declared as some of the younger bioroids checked the time, then moved to excuse themselves. "The Seekers — the immortals who create the Great Forge and are believed to have provoked the detonation of the Primal Atom to create this multiverse we're in — wished to create a type of material which would promote the creation of life wherever it was possible. When life became sentient, mesonium atoms would bond to a person's mind. If present in a large quantity, it's potentially a very effective shield from any sort of telepathic intrusion."
"Being Mastered, you mean?"
"Yes, that's the parahuman equivalent concept."
That made Taylor perk. "Wait! Shirayuki here mentioned the term 'metahuman'. What's the difference?"
"The two terms can — and in places, are — used interchangeably. They mean the effective same thing: A human being with abilities which are well above and beyond normal standard. Here in America, there's a legal difference imposed in due to international treaty. A parahuman like Healer Laverne or her sister are monitored and supported by state-level agencies…"
"Parahuman Response Teams, you mean?"
A nod answered her. "We call them that here even if half are subordinated to the various state National Guards. Massachusetts' PRT is legally seen as a potential second battalion of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; the Governor could call them to official duty with an executive order in cases of statewide emergency or if they need to be federalized." As Taylor gaped — the idea of military capes was something which had been done away with by the creation of the national Parahuman Response Team and Protectorate — Sharon then finished her tea. "Metahumans are those who are directly empowered by mesonium, such as Gifted Yizibajohei. They're managed federally through the United States Joint Specialized Warfare Command in case the President needs to have people mobilized; 'specialized warfare' is the euphemism for military metahuman forces."
Hearing that, Taylor tried not to laugh as she recalled hearing about all the bureaucratic turf fights between the PRT — which was part-and-parcel of the federal Department of Justice back on Earth Bet — and the uniformed services of the United States, the latter group having taken huge cuts in their operational budgets thanks to the drive (ultimately provoked by Cauldron) to make parahumans seem beyond the reach of even the elite of the special forces. That it was effectively reversed here — hopefully, there was no Cauldron here to gum things up — would have driven one Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown completely up the wall given how much of a control freak she had been; that had been according to people like Keith "Legend" Richardson or David "Eidolon" Mercy as the scuttlebutt in Chicago revealed to her when she had served there as a ward. Since some people in the Protectorate back home had worn the uniform before becoming capes, what were their counterparts like here…?
"Are there people you need to know about, Thoughtmistress?" a silver-haired twenty-something woman to Taylor's left asked.
"Lisa Wilbourn," Taylor automatically asked.
People turned to their PADDs. "One of our Shōzoki friends saved her from Coil's people just before Christmas," a woman who looked like she was a university freshman — complete with a UMBB jacket hanging over her chair — stated.
A moan answered her. "Oh, shit! Coil?! What about Dinah Alcott?!"
"She attends Brockton Middle School alongside Thoughtmistress Melissa Byron," another woman stated.
"Vista?! Oh, perfect! What about Aisha Laborn? Does she go to Brockton Middle?"
"She's there."
"What about Miss Alcott?" Sharon asked.
"If it's like home, she'll trigger into a very powerful precog. My version of her can give exact percentages about the chances of potential future events," the dimensionally-shifted insect master stated. "Coil gets his hands on her to help him take over the local underworld. What about Aisha's brother Brian? Is he in town?" As the person who answered about Aisha and Missy Byron nodded, Taylor crossed her arms. "Alec Reynaud? Or Jean-Paul Vasil? Heartbreaker exists in this dimension, right?"
"War Hawks got to the elder Vasil two years ago when he tried to target a pretty pilot from the 2nd Canadian Cavalry Regiment," another woman answered. "General Raeburn didn't care for anyone trying to rape one of her troopers, so she used her sword to skin the monster alive in front of all his loyal children and slaves." As Taylor winced — THAT would be one hell of a brutal object lesson to any villain, even someone as nasty as Nikos Vasil! — the other woman added, "Both Jean-Paul and his sister Cherie fled from Québec a year prior, coming down here. He's using the alias you gave us, Alec Reynaud. Cherie goes by the named Cherie Reynaud. They're supported by a commune of sister Avalonians in the southern part of town."
"Oh, sweet! Rachel Lindt?! Is she here?"
"She camps out near the Boat Graveyard."
"On the run from the PRT? Bad issue with her trigger event, wants to rescue dogs and all that?"
"Yes, Thoughtmistress."
Taylor groaned. "Just like home…!"
A knock from the largest window in the room made people perk before turning…
"TAYLOR!"
…then Taylor yelped as a white-and-brown blur slammed into her from port forward, knocking her off her chair onto her back as the weight of a VERY familiar — and sobbing her guts out! — biokinetic healer nearly crushing her with a hug. A quick glance to the now-open window revealed an equally familiar blonde, blue-eyed flier gaping with delight at her, she dressed not in her normal uniform as the "Alexandria-lite" of Brockton Bay, but stylish civilians patterned in such a way to not rip should she get into a scrap with anyone. As the unfamiliarity of a weeping Amelia Lavere moaning her name and hugging all the air out of her began to sink in, Victoria Dallon spun around to gaze on the local elder mother. "When the hell did THIS happen, Sharon?!" she demanded, an invisible aura of power emanating from her to make the bioroids present all wince. "Why weren't we told that you found a way to get Tay-Tay back on her feet?! Yeah, keeping it from those stupid gooks is one thing, but…!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
"OW!"
"DAME DESU NO! STOP THAT, VICKY-SAN!"
Taylor and Amelia stopped before turning…
…then the latter shrieked with delight on seeing Victoria now face-first into the floor thanks to one Osamu Shirayuki having pounded her in the back of the head with the heavy part of an umbrella of all things! "Hinako's?!" the healer demanded.
"Hai desu no!" the pre-teen high-end trofikinetic known on the World of the Forge as the Great Chef of the West, Syuosekuo ("Küchenchefin"), snapped before glaring at the woman also known as Glory Girl. "How many times does Vicky-san have to be told this?! That stupid aura of yours HURTS PEOPLE! Now Hime must make tea to help all Taylor-san's new sisters recover from your silly aura! Does Hime have to call Annie Whitman-san over in Sweet Valley to take your powers away…?!"
"EEP!"
Taylor's and Amelia's heads snapped over to see Victoria now trying to make herself look VERY small in the corner of the room. "Illbegood!" the blonde bombshell of New Wave croaked out a mile a minute.
Taylor blinked as she took that in, then blinked again as warm hands cupped her cheeks, turning her head around…then she awked before a very warm set of lips caressed hers in a kiss that nearly sucked all the air out of her lungs!
Then…
Amelia jolted as she leaned back to gape in horror at the person her powers had confirmed was that of her friend Taylor Hebert, even if now in an Avalonian bioroid body — A naturally, functionally BISEXUAL body at that! Yummy! — and…!
"Taylor…who made you TRIGGER?!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Okay. Who the fuck gets to DIE?"
Taylor blinked before staring wide-eyed at Victoria, noting the smoldering look on her face. "Um…ah…!"
"Dame desu no, Vicky-san!" Shirayuki snapped. "This is not your Taylor-san! She's a Haywire event victim from another multiverse!" As the newcomers gaped in shock, the Aichi-jin waved them to the table. "Now, Hime will make some nice tea for everyone to make people calm down, then you'll get a reveal scene about why Taylor-san is here! Desu no?!"
The woman in the middle of all this moaned. "'Reveal scene'? Does that mean I can get some questions answered now?!"
"Hai desu no!"
Taylor breathed out, holding up her hand. "More tea, please!"
"Hai desu no!"
To Be Continued…
**** **** ****
WRITER'S NOTES
**** **** ****
WRITER'S NOTES
The teaser scene at the start of this story is partially inspired by the events shown in the seventh part of "Speck", the thirtieth chapter of Worm. Résav'l AKA Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko AKA Lord Rjazán' first appeared in my fanfic Wanderers. The Conservator is the living sentient spirit of the Great Crystal of Power forming the core of Yiziba.
Outside events surrounding members of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) appearing in this story such as Mark Calaway (the Undertaker) are as they happened in real life; Mark himself is forty-five years of age at the start of this story.
Saeru Hinako (Suiki) and Osamu Shirayuki (Küchenchefin) are two of the sister characters from Sister Princess. Note their family names are my creation, having been used since I first began writing fanfiction stories on them on the Anime Addventure website years before. Note this story happens well before Hinako and Shirayuki learn of their sibling relationship with Tariko Katabarbe AKA Moroboshi Ataru. As an aside, the Avalonians and the Niphentaxians first appeared in The Senior Year story "What Price For Love?"; the Zeiwanites were introduced in the TSY story "Darling's Other Girlfriend", and the Shōzoki first appeared in my lemon fanfic story The Galatea Syndrome.
Translations and source language: Lar'beke — Snake leech, common nickname for the Goa'uld from the various Stargate series (Yizibajohei); Chōjinji-chō — Short for Kokuritsu Chōjinji-chō (in kanji, 国立超人事庁), directly translating "National Superhuman Affairs Bureau" (Japanese); (name)-jin — Suffix indicator creating the demonym for a particular location (Japanese); Kŭmdal-jop'ok — Gold Moon Society (Korean).
Annie Whitman (Oblivion) and Margo Black (née Chapelle) (Doctor Death) are both characters from the Sweet Valley High novel series from the 1980s. The former first appeared in the tenth novel, Wrong Kind of Girl. The latter first appeared in the ninety-seventh novel, The Verdict.
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment (Select Volunteers) is a ceremonial unit of the Bay State's army National Guard formation; it takes its designation from the famous Civil War infantry regiment whose actions in that conflict were portrayed in the 1989 movie Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.
Last edited:
The Return of Skitter (2)
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Earth Gimel, the western outskirts of the "City" on the shore of the Hudson River (Earth Bet equivalent location: West Point, New York), Tuesday 19 November 2013, sometime after dawn…
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole WORLD away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; those people who benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers and known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten now in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities to seize control of Fortuna's senses and calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them — all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become — desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against a wall. The building had been erected by Cauldron as one of a multiplicity of safe houses for personnel once the concept of the City began to take form sometime after the Undersiders helped forge a portal from Earth-Bet to Earth-Gimel in late winter this year. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of stabilizing her and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…!" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into this dark, cold chamber, one that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by Taylor Hebert to put Scion down once and for all surged anew in their hearts — in that state, she had been given the common code-name "Khepri" — the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…!"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
Brockton Bay, near downtown, Wednesday 5 January 2011, 9:42 AM EST (Austin time: Wednesday 5 January, 8:42 AM CST; Nagoya time: Wednesday 5 January, 11:42 PM JST)…
"You — are — SHITTING — ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki was moving to turn things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion so she could go back home and finally head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman here sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning Amelia's or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a mentor. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Doctor Death was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working as a secret metahuman operative at the direct command of the President; while not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality went into the field with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered in 2011. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you — well, our version of you — has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" — this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters — "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in shock, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she was a WARD of all things, the school staff at Winslow turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could find, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill and stave off nausea. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" the healer wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind — she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them — she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a 'hero' meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she can lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" — here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head — "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are weird and there are people who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of the Brockton Bay Brigade unmasking themselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" — here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled — "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "You might say I was out to commit suicide-by-cape."
People stared at her…
Overlooking the east shore of the Oká River in Stáraja Rjazán' (200 kilometres east of southeast from Moskvá), that moment (Rjazán' time: 5:48 PM MSK)...
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest human being alive on this Earth — or second-oldest; neither he nor his friend on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense — breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS BARRIERS FROM DIMENSION «GIMEL», CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella, then teleported back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"). This Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of overwhelming audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to just using her mouth as a projector. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal minor wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" — the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname — "…she was kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Just like what happened to you, right?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Like Vicky said, our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" — the former sneered that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support — "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"A gentlemen's agreement between heroes and villains back home, VERY vigorously reinforced. In essence, they tell people to don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order…but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" — here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something — "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or the Butcher could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all keep talking about?"
"Didn't you have her back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source — a 'power jewel', it's called — which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' — they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place — forever vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth — all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created — the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of hyperspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added as Taylor boggled at the idea of any mortal being possessing THAT level of power at their fingertips to use. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay the previous fall, Victoria wrote a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most — if not THE MOST — powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay got extra marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known worldwide by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it — it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then — it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You just like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to nothing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff into inert neutrons. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in combat. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! What?! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true modern-day Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst in recent years — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit forty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old…yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run into the dirt due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of such a downturn were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father passed onto her — much to Taylor's relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant only during the World Wars, such dealt with by Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots after the turn of the Millennium which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to fully rise — such empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — the effective wrecking of the local port started the process that saw Brockton Bay become as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
Sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of boots on the ground at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. While the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes, known here also as the "Wards", seldomly made appearances in the field.
Noting that, Taylor was surprised. Given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was quite familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States. Also, as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies nationwide had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO were to be believed! — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
…and a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way —effectively wrote the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks at the latter group's private training facility in northeast British Columbia over a decade ago; they had been prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing number of eager students across the United States.
And then, just after the turn of the Millennium…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish, shaggy brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's a version of Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria — they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers — they could enjoy a private conversation to exchange on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria — Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago — she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer still took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched from her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave — their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings — causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could — there were no metahumans there like we've got here — Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function — put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly — to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members living in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. "Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink with surprise; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A sad shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a mournful yet supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth dealt with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" — here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" — "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make thrown physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She comes to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
Near the Boardwalk, 12:52 PM…
"STAY STILL AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOU THIEF!"
Shrieking as she tried to duck from the energy blast aimed right at her head, the Saudi-born cloth manipulator who gained quite the following among the young of Brockton Bay thanks to her many puppetry shows waved her hand, grateful she had gained some experience in using her abilities in a defensive manner — something that was a survival requirement in this city with the presence of the Empire Eighty-Eight, the Archer's Bridge Merchants and the Gold Moon Society, not to mention all the annoying minor players who seemed to come out of the woodwork for the most RIDICULOUS of reasons — to keep the heat off her long enough for the local Protectorate heroes to get their butts in gear and save her before the snarling bunny-faced lunatic now wanting to turn her into air pollution actually got her kill. Since the woman born May Sugitani had made it be known that she would do anything to get her hands on Lily Nakamura thanks to their having gained powers as March and Fléchette respectively in a cluster trigger, the potential threat the would-be battlefield expert could bring against Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid…!
"GOT HER, BOSS!"
Ṣabāḥ paled under her mask — designed to make her look as if she was a normal WASP American — before diving to the deck…
KK-KRACK!
…before yelping as a baseball of all things slammed into her left shoulder, wrecking both her collarbone and shoulder blade! As she collapsed to the ground, running footfalls heralded the arrival of a grinning African-American with long dreadlocks, dressed in a flowing black costume decorated with golden studs, a gold mask covering the face of the mercenary born Ulysses "Homer" Johnston, another beneficiary of the cluster trigger that created both March and Fléchette. As Ṣabāḥ tried not to scream out while her brain seemingly was assaulted from all sides thanks to her broken bones, more footfalls produced a woman about the same age as the cloth manipulator's new girlfriend, she in a very militaristic-like uniform which wouldn't seem out of place among the neo-Nazis native to Brockton Bay, the only odd detail being the rabbit head-shaped hood under her peaked cap.
"Good…!" May then snarled as she moved to swing her rapier — one tipped with a nice poison that would see this thief done away with permanently — towards the cloth manipulator's face…
«And I thought that most people in town were quite receptive to Parian's shows.»
…then both May and Ulysses tensed on hearing a strange, ominous buzzing-like sound surging from all around them. "What the fuck…?" the batting marksman snarled as he scanned down one alley, then another…
«Some critics should just be shown the damned door if they don't like someone's production.»
Ṣabāḥ's attackers found themselves frozen as the noise assaulting their ears picked up in crescendo, making them spin around…
"HOLY FUCK…!" Ulysses screamed out, yanking out another baseball.
«Language!»
…then they were literally deluged by a swarm of insects spanning dozens of common species. In the blink of the proverbial eye, they transformed the afternoon sky overhead into something akin to a solar eclipse, the more voracious of that biblical-like cloud of doom ripped into May's and Ulysses' exposed skin, the several wasps and hornets among the attackers immediately pumping their venoms right into the veins of Ṣabāḥ's attackers. As those witnesses brave enough to follow the fight entered the alley from the direction of the Promenade moved to get closer to the scene — with, much to the disgust of some of those who wanted to film as much as they could before posting same on Parahumans Online, NONE of the Brockton Bay Enforcers present, not even to get the crowd under control — both May and Ulysses gargled as they dropped to their knees, then fell flat onto their faces!
«And that is that! Ah! Glory Girl! Panacea! Just in time!»
Hearing the names of two of the most well-known capes active in the Bay, heads instantly snapped up…
…then people whooped in delight on seeing Victoria Dallon drop to an easy landing close to where May had fallen, she letting her sister go so Amelia Dallon could examine the scene; both were in civilian clothing in lieu of their costumes. As the sisters did that, the sheer storm of insects which had so easily defeated the infamous March and Homer — both having gained prominence over PHO in the last few months since their first joint attack on Fléchette in Manhattan, such easily averted with the intervention of Legend himself — elevated itself away to not hinder the healer as she moved to look the moaning Ṣabāḥ over. "So, what the hell's going on here?!" Victoria demanded as she gazed towards the crowd. "What set off Lola Bunny like that?!"
Several of the onlookers exchanged confused glances, then one longshoreman — he had been taking a break from work at one of the many restaurants that dotted this part of town when the ruckus began — shrugged. "Parian was doing a show for a bunch of kindergarten kids out of Lord's Bay Elementary when those two charged up in a car out of freaking nowhere, the rabbit-girl calling her a thief while her pal tried to home run a baseball right through Parian's damned SKULL, Miss Dallon!"
"Well, the bastard got her shoulder damned good!" Amelia muttered as she slipped her hand under Parian's cloak to get at her skin; the cloth manipulator had given the healer standing permission to use her powers in emergencies like this.
«You need any sort of physical mass to help with the wounds, Panacea? I heard bones break when the home run king here went and winged her good with that ball to slow her down.»
Heads turned at that echoing voice…
…then the crowd save Amelia all gaped as the swirling mass of insects — which, as soon as the Dallon sisters had arrived, took up a protective position near the fallen May to ensure she didn't pull something out of her hat to press the attack — then seemed to writhe and shift before assuming HUMANOID form, presenting the image of a tall, slender woman with long flowing hair.
"Whoa…!" Victoria breathed out in awe. "Are you NORMALLY capable of that level of control?!"
Much to people's disbelief, said image — which had acquired a small number of fireflies to make a golden pair of goggles over where "her" eyes would be — casually SHRUGGED. «I seem to have much better control now than before,» the being calmly answered, toning down her voice to avert any sudden freakout from the crowd close to a wounded innocent.
"Hey! Hey! Move aside, everyone! White hats coming through! Yo, Glory Girl!"
Victoria smiled as people nearby parted ways, allowing a familiar husband-and-wife team in matching form-fitting battlesuits — the man born Ethan Hudson in red, his wife Jamie in black decked with glowing circuits — to slip through before stopping to take in the crime scene. "Lucky thing we were nearby when these two showed up to cause a ruckus," the former villain now known as Assault noted, his normal humour gone as he scowled in disgust at the fallen villains. "You take them down, Glory?"
"No, I just got here with Amy as soon as the alert went out that Parian was being attacked," Victoria reported as she thumbed the swirling image of insects nearby. "Skitter here sensed what was going down, then disabled them both. Wasp stings?"
«And hornets as well,» said mass of swirling bugs affirmed. «I'm somewhat familiar with March, though I don't know the Louisville slugger there. Given March's idiot obsession with Fléchette, I guessed an attack was coming.»
"Both — and Homer here, too — were victims of the same cluster trigger," the woman known as Battery declared as she paused to gaze in wide-eyed disbelief at the mass of insects which seemed to be miming a girl the age of most of the local Wards. "How on Earth are you doing that, anyway?!" she wondered. "Are you some sort of extreme Breaker, able to shift into this?"
«No, I have Master/Thinker abilities concentrating on insects and other minor creatures. And ONLY that, thank God!»
People were quick to tense on hearing the term "master" escape said being…then they relaxed on noting that said being was more than grateful that it was only limited to controlling insects. "So, I assume you're keeping yourself nearby," Ethan noted.
«No, my costume's in the wash,» the being answered, that catching many in the crowd by surprise before some of the onlookers began to chuckle in amusement. «Still, it's only the right thing to do to intervene when a known neutral cape is attacked, especially when all she was doing was perform a show for children of all things. I despise things like that!»
Ethan and Jamie exchanged looks before nodding. "Well, good on you then. Never heard of you, Skitter. You new in town?"
«Recently arrived with the help of Doctor Death and the Undertaker,» came the answer, that making both local capes tense on hearing the normal battle name of the Archangel of Mortality. «They and several friends are helping me settle in.»
"…kill…you, thief…"
People spun around to see a moaning May try to shift herself around. Before Victoria could walk over and knock the crazy bitch unconscious, an arm made of buzzing flies and other such creatures extended out to stop her. «Allow me, please…»
The blonde bombshell blinked, then nodded, waving her new friend forward…
…before people yelped as the human-shaped image turned into a swirling cloud of ominous doom, that shifting to hover right before the now-shuddering May's wide-eyed masked face. «Now, pay VERY close attention, Ms. Sugitani…!»
"Wh-wh-what…?!"
Said cloud of insects then surged forward to completely encompass her whole head, making May shriek in horror. «SHUT UP!» a scream that seemed to explode from the depths of Hell itself bellowed into her ears. «WHO IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S HOLY IN THIS WORLD GAVE A SELFISH BRAT LIKE YOU THE RIGHT TO ASSAULT INNOCENT PEOPLE, TO SAY ANYTHING OF THREATENING DEFENSELESS CHILDREN?! IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I'D SLAM-DUNK YOU INTO THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE BIRDCAGE THAT I CAN FIND, THEN THROW AWAY THE DAMNED KEY TO REMOVE YOU FROM CIVIL SOCIETY! IT'S A PITY DOCTOR DEATH WASN'T HERE TO SEE THIS; IF YOU WENT AND KILLED SOMEONE, I'D LOVE TO SEE HER USE THAT WONDERFUL NECROSIS TOUCH ON YOU!»
As May continued to wail away while the thing now swarming around her head wailed away at her, Ethan was quick to see Jamie's uncomfortable look before noting that Amelia was now helping Ṣabāḥ into a sitting position, the cloth manipulator clearly restored to an excellent semblance of health by the healer. Both girls were now watching as this thing moved to publicly tear strip after strip off May, Amelia clearly not bothered by such a show while Ṣabāḥ herself was dumbstruck at such a display of power and control. Taking that in, the man who was once known as Madcap then gazed on Victoria, who was keeping a weather eye at the still-unconscious Ulysses even if she was visibly nodding at her new friend's rather sharp choice of words.
Noting he was looking in her direction, Victoria cupped her hand to hide it from the crowd. "Haywire victim," she mouthed.
Ethan and Jamie took that in, then nodded in understanding as Taylor Hebert continued to scream at May Sugitani…
Note that people's real names appearing here that weren't revealed in Worm or Ward are my creation or derived from other works. The adult members of the Protectorate in the Bay get their names from the late Becuzitswrong's crossover Memories of Iron (Fanfiction story no. 10230499). The members of the Wards had their names created by Dr. Tempo and Regina Magia.
"Ladyhawke" is the code-name for my first fiction character, Major Deannette Antonia "Dean" Raeburn. She has been referenced to in many of my stories and first appeared in The Thunderbolt's Tears (Fanfiction story no. 7151825). As hinted at in Boy Meets Girl Meets Metahuman, Raeburn is a major general in the Canadian Army, helping restore her old home service, the Royal Canadian Corps of Air Cavalry (RCCAC) (which never existed in real life, BTW), to flight status.
Please read Magic and Canada (Fanfiction story no. 12245154) to learn how American magicals govern themselves in this universe. The "naval metahuman" forces deployed to deal with monsters similar to Dementors are covered there as well.
The Liberty League (officially the United States 1st Joint Specialized Warfare Legion) is my take-off of the concept of the All-Star Squadron from DC Comics published in the 1980s pre-and-post-Crisis of Infinite Earths. Members get their "cape names" based on characters created by fans for the second run of Dial "H" For Hero, which was published in Adventure Comics and Superboy in the 1980s before Crisis; do note that these versions of such people have their own birth names and origins.
"My dear Fortuna, it's been a while since I saw you last. A whole WORLD away, in fact."
Hearing that amused voice, the woman blessed/cursed with the Path To Victory could only shudder as she gazed on the balding, middle-aged man now staring at her from behind a somewhat ornate desk. "Professor Terrell…" Fortuna hissed…
…then she gasped on noting she was now securely tied to the chair she just woke up in, both her lower arms and lower legs held fast by firm clamps. "Those are Brute-resistant, I'm afraid," her "host" dryly warned as some of the others in the room shared amused chuckles. Glancing around her, the "bitch tornado" of Cauldron quickly recognized several of the "Taught"; those people who benefitted from Benjamin Terrell's ability as Teacher to bestow either Thinker or Tinker abilities with just a touch. Chief among them being Geoffrey Pellick, leader of the Dragonslayers and known more commonly as "Saint"; also with him was his number-three man, Mikhaíl Dobrýn'ich "Dobrýnja" Nikítich. Also present off to her left was a sneering Christine "Mama" Mathers, leader of the Fallen. "Rather dangerous place to hide yourself given how much Legend wishes to find you."
"We should turn this creature over to Legend once we have what we desire, Benjamin," Christine stated, her voice cold with a barely-contained fury. "Given she was the last one known to have seen the murdering heretic Hebert…"
"Data lost…lost, lost, LOST…!"
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
All the people in the room gaped in shock on seeing the normally-composed Fortuna turn as white as a ghost, her head snapping to and fro as if she was about to be ambushed by some attacking cape, knowing thanks to the Path that she couldn't avoid same but preparing none the less. Staring at the woman who had been Cauldron's main enforcer in their quest to provoke as many trigger events as possible to fight the ultimate foe as had been done months before across dozens of worlds, the others could only shake their heads in disbelief. Scant few capes who knew of the "boogeyman" ever reported any behaviour which matched the paranoid kitten now in their midst. Scowling, Terrell gazed on Mathers, who nodded before reaching out with her own abilities to seize control of Fortuna's senses and calm the woman down so they could get the answers so many of them — all veterans of what was now called "Gold Morning" thanks to what one Taylor Anne Hebert had been made to become — desired…
"Cold…!"
Heads snapped over as Mathers lunged back to slam against a wall. The building had been erected by Cauldron as one of a multiplicity of safe houses for personnel once the concept of the City began to take form sometime after the Undersiders helped forge a portal from Earth-Bet to Earth-Gimel in late winter this year. As two of her followers moved to comfort her, Terrell got to his feet and walked around the table, placing his fingertips on Fortuna's forehead, pushing his own powers into the shivering woman's mind in hope of stabilizing her and making her more susceptible to suggestions. Instantly, he hissed as a bone-chilling freezing sensation surged back through his fingers well into his very soul. "Damn…!" he snarled, pulling back as Pellick came over to steady him in case he tumbled. "What in God's name WAS that?!" he snapped, waving the other man away from him.
"Dark jail…!" Fortuna feebly moaned. "Core of…something ANCIENT…whole MULTIVERSE…!"
People exchanged looks. "Another multiverse beyond ours?!" Miranda "Ingenue" Webb demanded, crossing her arms.
The woman also known as Contessa drunkenly nodded. "Yes…protected…!"
"Hebert is there!"
Heads snapped over to Mathers, who was slowly recovering. "What did you see, Christine?" Terrell asked.
The leader of the Fallen took a deep breath. "This one shot the heretic in the head to destroy the power the Golden One gave her," she reported. "Yet before she could send the heretic to a place where she'd never sin again, something, SOMEONE, seized her and teleported her into this dark, cold chamber, one that started to HEAL her once she was there." As people's jaws dropped while the memories of being mastered by Taylor Hebert to put Scion down once and for all surged anew in their hearts — in that state, she had been given the common code-name "Khepri" — the silver-haired matron of the largest cult group ever to arise on Earth Bet added, "The being who did this…allowed the SOUL of this place to decide what to do with the heretic…!"
"She is beyond our grasp…"
Eyes locked once more on Fortuna…
****
Brockton Bay, near downtown, Wednesday 5 January 2011, 9:42 AM EST (Austin time: Wednesday 5 January, 8:42 AM CST; Nagoya time: Wednesday 5 January, 11:42 PM JST)…
"You — are — SHITTING — ME…!"
Mark Calaway chuckled as he gazed on the Dallon sisters, he now forming one-half of a sandwich with Margo Black bracketing Taylor Hebert. Currently, Mark's wife Michelle was in the kitchen handling snack duty with the elder mother of the group of Avalonians living at this residence; Osamu Shirayuki was moving to turn things over to the retired two-time WWE women's champion so she could go back home and finally head to bed. "No bullshit, Vicky," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed as he exchanged a knowing look with the woman known on Yiziba as the Archangel of Mortality, Litronie Erba ("Doctor Death"); atop being a reality warper like the older man, Taylor now knew, the Vermont native also had a deadly necrotic touch that could destroy all forms of organic life. "Surprises me that no parahuman here sensed that thing killing himself."
"People like Liz Wakefield and others have asked us over time if we got any sort of feedback through our shards from those things," Amelia Dallon affirmed as she sipped some welcome coffee, made with special spices from Yiziba that Shirayuki perfected to help people like herself better control their powers. With Margo's presence in town today, any negative feedback from her adopted mother Carol or her sister Sarah Pelham concerning Amelia's or Victoria's missing out on school this morning wouldn't go far. While it hadn't yet been finalized in court, Amelia's drive to emancipate herself from the woman also known as Brandish was getting some on-high attention from Washington thanks to the reborn master assassin whom she now counted as both a good friend and something of a mentor. Despite being the current incarnation of Yiziba's worst villain bar none, Doctor Death was more an anti-hero in this incarnation, working as a secret metahuman operative at the direct command of the President; while not living with her twin sister Nora Chapelle in their home down in Savannah, the Archangel of Mortality went into the field with special forces groups to do all the down and dirty deeds that needed doing without open declarations of war.
"Then again, there's the time difference," Taylor noted. "Scion was killed in the summer of 2013 in my universe. Today is two days after I triggered in 2011. Unless some weird timey-wimey thing is going on, I doubt anyone here would have felt it."
People nodded. "How the hell did you trigger, Tay-Tay?" Victoria Dallon asked. "Yeah, you — well, our version of you — has the potential to trigger, but you've got a wonderful family and a ton of good friends, too!"
A sigh answered the woman also known as Glory Girl. "At this time in my life, I was alone and isolated. My mother died in a car accident in '08…" — this earned her twin gasps of horror from the Dallon sisters — "…and my father sank into a depression right afterwards. Along the way, my best friend got a personality transplant for some reason, turning from my sister-in-all-but-name into a vicious bitch who wanted to do ANYTHING to bash me down. Even better, she got the perfect attack dog to help her; none other than Shadow Stalker herself!" As both Victoria and Amelia gaped in shock, Taylor shook her head. "I didn't find out Sophia Hess was a so-called 'hero' until much later, but because she was a WARD of all things, the school staff at Winslow turned a blind eye to everything she and the others did to me, right up to filling my locker at school over Christmas vacation with every bit of refuse from the girl's garbage bins they could find, then stuffing me into it for hours on Monday morning."
The two local heroes exchanged stunned looks before Amelia shook her head as Victoria gulped down the rest of her coffee before racing into the kitchen to get a refill and stave off nausea. "Yeah, I could see that as being trigger-worthy, alright!" the healer wryly snarked before sipping her own hot brew. "And you didn't go Carrie all over Hess and Barnes afterwards?!"
"I wanted to be a hero," Taylor confessed as she held up her hand, inwardly sighing on confirming that certain aspects of her local-self's life again matched what happened to her on Earth Bet. Instantly, a small flock of flies moved to buzz around it, making Mark and Margo gaze in amusement at such a demonstration. As something seemed to purr deep in her own mind — she couldn't directly converse with her shard even if her brain matter was fully intact and firing on all neurons now, but the potential was there given that Avalonians had touch-telepathic powers as a birthright, descent from the race that had built the huge factory unit that created them — she relaxed her abilities, allowing the flies to continue what they were doing. "We had quite the hero culture back on Earth Bet, reinforced by a national government group that had some tight restrictions concerning what being a 'hero' meant. Yes, I didn't have a PR-savvy power, but I was inspired by a lot of local and national heroes to do my best."
"Not even a wasp sting on Hess to put her down?" Margo quietly wondered.
"Not even that…though when I found out what she was, I was tempted," Taylor affirmed as Amelia snorted and Mark chuckled. By then, both Victoria and Michelle had come in from the kitchen to join in. "Fortunately, her crimes finally caught up to her when I was officially inducted into the Wards a year or so later; she was in juvenile detention when the whole thing with Scion went down. Don't remember if I had her under my thrall when things got crazy. Honestly, I don't care anymore. She made her bed, and she can lie in it now. If she survived that mess, she'll probably piss off someone sooner or later."
"No great loss," Amelia noted. "She's a little better here. Still has that 'hunter-and-prey' outlook on life, but she reserves it for fighting other capes or the non-powered mooks that support the gangs here. Barnes…" — here, she made a side-by-side motion of her head — "…well, she drifted away from our you after they went to Winslow, but the school dynamics there are weird and there are people who don't tolerate picking on the quiet ones, especially when said one's father is practically king of the dockworkers here." As Taylor chuckled, the healer added, "How many gangs did you have in your Bay, Taylor?"
"Two big ones, one medium-sized group and a whole ton of minor players. Empire Eighty-eight?"
Victoria scowled. "We got them," she dryly noted. "They killed our aunt Jessica after Mom and Aunt Sarah got this brilliant idea of the Brockton Bay Brigade unmasking themselves to the public, just after our parents went ballistic over Amy's dad and forced him to surrender after THREATENING Amy!" As Taylor gaped in horror at the healer, the "Alexandria-lite" of the Brockton Bay scene added, "Yeah, Maquis was an evil bastard, but he kept the E88 under check when he led the Marche. After they collapsed when he was sent to the Birdcage, the Asians in town grew in strength, which set off the Hitler Youth here big time."
"You have the Azn Bad Boys here, too?"
Amelia blinked. "Um, no. We have a Yakuza family here, the Red Dragon Society; Lung leads that." As Taylor winced, she added, "They're not TOO bad, not unlike the Korean gang which put our you into the hospital; the Kŭmdal-jop'ok. They're the real monsters; then again, people think they're directly supported by the idiots in P'yŏng'yang, so we sometimes run into some of their capes as well. Then, there's the Merchants…" — here, she blinked as Taylor chuckled — "…you guys, too?"
"Sadly so," the insect master affirmed before sipping her tea. "I actually fought Lung on my first night out as a cape."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"You fought LUNG?!" Victoria demanded as Amelia stared in horror at Taylor. "For fuck's sake, Tay-Tay, WHY?!"
Blinking as she considered that, the other woman sighed. "You might say I was out to commit suicide-by-cape."
People stared at her…
****
Overlooking the east shore of the Oká River in Stáraja Rjazán' (200 kilometres east of southeast from Moskvá), that moment (Rjazán' time: 5:48 PM MSK)...
"You have chosen to be gentler with her this time."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"You realize that if she chooses to become a Yizibajohei, you will be suborned to the cycle of reincarnation that has ruled the natives of that planet who become 'Named' for two millennia."
[ACCEPTIBLE.]
A silver eyebrow rose in curiosity. "You're fleeing something."
[OTHER NODES SEEKING DATA LOST TO NETWORK WHEN NODE «WARRIOR» SELF-TERMINATED.]
"Ah!" the oldest human being alive on this Earth — or second-oldest; neither he nor his friend on Rügen cared for such trivial nonsense — breathed out in understanding as his Sight focused on what was now known as Earth Gimel. "So, others like your creator now seek to scavenge what could have been lost to the whole of their kind hadn't Fortuna done what she did."
[AFFIRMATIVE. SHARD «THE EYE» BOUND TO NODE «LONER», THOUGH DATA ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER NOTES. NODE «LONER» DISAPPROVES OF CYCLE PATHS ESTABLISHED BY NODES LIKE «WARRIOR». GIVEN RESISTANCE GUARDIANS AND WARRIORS OF MULTIVERSE «YI» DEMONSTRATED TO NODES IN PAST CYCLE ATTEMPTS, CONFLICT WILL CROSS BARRIERS FROM DIMENSION «GIMEL», CAUSING DAMAGE AND LOSS OF DATA. ALERTING GUARDIAN «VLASTELÍN RJAZÁNI», WARRIOR «LADYHAWKE» AND WARRIORS OF YIZIBA OF POTENTIAL THREAT VITAL TO PRESERVATION OF DATA.]
A hum escaped the man known today as Vladímir Rússalovich Taychéshko, also known as by his "cape name" Vlastelín Rjazáni (in English, "Lord Rjazán'"). "Not to mention those such as you who have links to counterparts to their hosts on Gimel."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
A pair of soft golden eyes narrowed with wintry amusement. "Understandable…"
****
Brockton Bay, 10:45 AM EST (Niigata/Nagoya time: Thursday 6 January, 12:45 AM)…
"Well, Hime's done for the day! Michelle-san, you'll make sure that Taylor-san gets properly fed?"
"Hai desu no!" Michelle Calaway called out in Shirayuki-speak, making the younger metahuman blush before she picked up her countrywoman's neutronium-reinforced umbrella, then teleported back to Nagoya via Niigata.
Watching the Great Chef of the West depart like that, Taylor Hebert chuckled before sipping her tea. "Must be awfully convenient to have those PAA devices with you all the time," she noted.
"Oh, believe me, it is!" the Floridian ex-teacher and just-retired two-time WWE Women's Champion affirmed before she moved to lean against the stove, smiling in thanks as Victoria Dallon handed her a cup of welcome coffee. Taylor now knew that the woman born Michelle McCool was the Screaming Siren, Myuyuo ("Banshee"). This Gift gave the dark-eyed blonde the ability to project massive walls of overwhelming audible sound which had the power to shatter most materials; unlike her mythological namesake or the Marvel Comics character born Sean Cassidy in his family keep in County Mayo, Michelle wasn't restricted to just using her mouth as a projector. "Much that Mark and I don't get involved in fight scenes as much, it IS quite convenient to have something that can help heal minor wounds, much less allow a quick getaway. Especially from rabid fans."
"I'm trying to arrange for Amy and Victoria to get Gifted as well," Margo Black added, she now leaning against the counter by the sink to Taylor's left. As the Dallon sisters both blushed at that statement from the Archangel of Mortality, she added, "Given how your shard got jail-broken by your version of Amy, I think you know what she's really capable of doing."
"Fully-capable biokinetic," Taylor affirmed before gazing at the world-famous touch-healer. "From what I know of my version of you, Amelia…" — the insect manipulator had been quick to understand that the other woman was striving to make her own identity away from "Amy Dallon AKA Panacea", only allowing close friends like Margo and Victoria to use her common nickname — "…she was kidnapped from her real father when she was a child. Just like what happened to you, right?"
Amelia groaned as Victoria shook her head. "Exactly the same. Like Vicky said, our 'parents' trapped Father in his house, then Carol…" — the former sneered that name as her adopted sister squeezed her shoulder in a show of support — "…threatened to hurt me to make him surrender." As Taylor's jaw dropped in horror, the other girl breathed out before sipping her tea. "Much that it was in many people's interests to take down the Maquis and end the Marche, that they resorted to THAT…!"
Taylor snorted. "Back home, that would be seen as a massive break of the Unwritten Rules."
People gazed at her. "'Unwritten Rules'?" Mark Calaway asked. "What were they?"
"A gentlemen's agreement between heroes and villains back home, VERY vigorously reinforced. In essence, they tell people to don't bring your cape life into your civilian life," the just-dimensionally shifted woman affirmed. "Don't reveal other people's identities, even those of villains. Don't attack other capes when they're in civilian clothing." She then shrugged. "It sounds ridiculous in a way if you want to maintain some sense of law and order…but given the bigger S-class threats running around, it was always convenient for the PRT to declare 'truces' to get help from villains whenever the extra manpower was required. Like if the Slaughterhouse Nine came burning through some city. That happened in my version of the Bay twice."
Victoria's jaw dropped. "TWICE?! When and when?!"
"Back in '98 and in the summer of '11. Early July just in…" — here, Taylor stopped as she recalled something — "…oh, right! Your version of the Slaughterhouse got wiped out back in 2007."
"That first raid happened here, too," Amelia affirmed before sipping her tea. "Father arranged for a truce between the Marche, the Empire and the Teeth to drive them out of town."
"Yeah, he was pretty okay for a cape crime lord," her adopted sister affirmed. "Can't understand why Mom had such a rage-on about him. He's way more civilized than jerks like Allfather or the Butcher could ever be!"
Taylor nodded. "I remember that too. Maquis did keep the criminal side of things in my Brockton quite civil, almost like Accord did down in Boston." As the Dallon sisters nodded, she sipped her tea. "He's here, too?"
"Yep! And planning ways to end world hunger, improve communications, reverse global warming and the whole nine yards," Victoria affirmed. "Not really a bad guy. The federal and state governments love to tap into his knowledge to make things like disaster relief go much easier. I even heard that General Raeburn got his help to organize the re-establishment of the Corps of Air Cavalry up in Canada when she was promoted after establishing the Specialized Warfare Regiment."
Taylor perked. "Who's this General Raeburn you all keep talking about?"
"Didn't you have her back home?" Amelia asked.
"No metahumans in that universe, Amy," Margo reminded the healer.
"Oh…!"
Mark gazed on the lady he saved hours before. "Remember when I mentioned about 'jewel warriors'?"
Taylor nodded. "You said to Hinako that they were part of the reason the entities never gained sway over capes here."
"That's right," the Master of the Dark Gaol affirmed with a nod. "A Jewel Warrior is someone who inherits a specially-created mesonium power source — a 'power jewel', it's called — which was placed on their home planet three billion years ago; this is when the 'Seekers' — they're the immortals who created mesonium in the first place — forever vanished from our multiverse." As Taylor nodded in understanding, Mark added, "Now, this jewel could absorb and project mesonium particles to stimulate the creation and evolution of life. So as life evolved on Earth — all THREE BILLION YEARS since the first protein strands were created — the Power Jewel has been absorbing life energy throughout all of Earth's biosphere."
"It shunts all that energy into some sort of hyperspace pocket to keep in storage when needed, plus can replenish what has been used up by its chosen Host," Victoria added as Taylor boggled at the idea of any mortal being possessing THAT level of power at their fingertips to use. In the introductory courses on metahuman/parahuman affairs at the University of Massachusetts' local establishment in Brockton Bay the previous fall, Victoria wrote a very detailed essay on how the Power Jewel worked and how it had turned an orphaned banker's daughter who had been forced to trek through the virgin Canadian wilderness for over a decade into one of the most — if not THE MOST — powerful being alive on her birthday in 1889. Said essay got extra marks because the lawyer's daughter gladly travelled to the current home station of the woman still commonly known worldwide by her World War Two rank title of "Major Raeburn" to do an in-depth interview with her. "So, by the time General Raeburn found it — it was in some cave in northern British Columbia back then — it had a shit ton of energy to pump right into her once the AI controlling the thing confirmed she was worthy to be its Host. And she became the first open metahuman on Earth."
"You just like her because of that sword she has!" Amelia snarked.
The woman also known as Glory Girl smirked. "Ames, it's a sword made of depleted neutronium! Practically next to nothing exists it can't slice through! Add the mesonium bracing to offset the mass, it's the best thing to have around!"
Taylor perked. "Wait! 'Neutronium'?! The same thing the Planet Killer was covered in?! From 'The Doomsday Machine'?"
"Same stuff," Victoria affirmed, grinning on learning that this version of Taylor Hebert was also a Trekker. "Of course, people didn't realize back in the late 1960s that neutronium can only be formed if you suck out ALL the energy from the protons and electrons from the atoms to render the stuff into inert neutrons. Doing that from the heart of a NEUTRON STAR…?!"
"Only the Seekers could pull something like that off," Margo affirmed with an amused smile.
Taylor blinked, her skin turning sallow as she did a quick mental calculation. Thanks to her soul residing in properly intact brain tissue even if she had effectively re-triggered to gain her original abilities as Skitter, it was quite easy for her to recall things she had long forgotten or hadn't thought about in years. "I once calculated the effective mass of neutronium when I was with Mom at the university going through the library. It came out to nearly a QUARTER BILLION tons per cubic inch…"
Victoria nodded. "Damn straight! Fortunately, the Seekers knew about gravity, so they put braces of mesonium on the pommel and grip to make an antigravity field. It lowers the mass to about a ton when the general's using it in combat. Of course, she's strong enough to lift the whole thing without the antigravity, but the convenience sure helps in the long term." She smirked before hoisting her coffee cup in salute. "Superman ain't got NOTHING on our girl, that's for DAMN sure!"
Chuckles escaped the others in the room before footfalls echoed from the stairwell to the lower residence level. "Excuse me, Thoughtmaster-prime Mark, Thoughtmistresses-prime, Thoughtmistresses. I just got a call from Cape May," Sharon Blake announced. "They noticed the movements through people's PAAs and wanted to know what was going on."
"Tell them it's a Haywire event and that Mark, Michelle and I are handling things," the Archangel of Mortality instructed as she gave the elder mother an annoyed look. "I'll bring things to Uncle Jed's attention once I'm back at the White House. And to remind Colonel Einstein over at Wright-Patterson that Haywire events are a Federal affair, not a PRT thing!"
A knowing smile crossed the older-looking woman's face. "Your very words, Thoughtmistress-prime."
With that, she headed back upstairs. "'Colonel Einstein', Margo?" Taylor wondered.
"Colonel Charles Emmerson, Ohio Air National Guard," Amelia answered. "AKA Hero of the Quadrumvirate."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then…
"Wait! What?! HERO's alive here?!" a wide-eyed Taylor demanded…
****
The Air Force Institute of Technology on Area "B" of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (five miles/eight kilometres east-northeast of downtown Dayton, Ohio), that moment…
"Hey, Colonel! Are you okay?"
The man semi-publicly known as the world's first true modern-day Tinker groaned after using a pinky to rub inside his right ear. "Someone must be talking about me," Charles Emmerson — who had been given the call-sign "Winchester" when he gained his pilot's wings a half-decade before his trigger event; such would see him switch career tracks to become an operational research analyst in recent years — muttered to himself. He had just been able to conceive of the necessary program links for a new model RPV system when the earache hit him hard. "Don't know, Sarge," the handsome, well-fit forty-something Ohioan with the dirty blond hair and blue eyes clearly called out, nodding in reassurance to his senior R&D technician. Like the man publicly known as "Hero" worldwide, Master Sergeant Jacob Mason of Sunnyvale near San Francisco was also a Tinker even if he had yet to choose a cape name, having just triggered himself a year before. "Someone must be talking about me somewhere."
Mason — who had switched to the California Air National Guard after his own trigger event; unlike his boss, the former special investigations operative was gifted to deal with the physical aspects of equipment production, leaving the programming and empowerment of same to his commanding officer — chuckled. "Like what the Japanese believe about people sneezing all the time? Sneeze once, someone's talking about you; sneeze twice, it's smack talk; three times, it's a security breech?"
Emmerson chuckled, making the others in the room smirk as that throaty noise. Much that he was nothing like his near-namesake from M*A*S*H, he had adopted some of the Boston Brahmin mannerisms of that man portrayed over six seasons by David Ogden Stiers, including the noticeable accent. It was SO good that even Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis — a man known nationwide for his utter LACK of humour! — always laughed whenever his former advisor at specialized warfare boot camp at Joint Base San Antonio got into character. "So I learned from friends who've encountered those Japanese metas who got their powers from our friend Miss Katabarbe," he noted before hissing, fingers flying over the keyboard. "Okay, now we got it…"
"Oh, that's sweet, Colonel!" one of the junior technicians — an Avalonian-American who had her own abilities to rely on so she could keep up with her parahuman co-workers — declared with a grin. "Running the numbers now."
"Thank you," Emmerson breathed out as he sat back in his chair.
"Colonel!"
Heads turned as a senior airman, another Avalonian-American, came up, a PADD in hand. "Flash traffic from DC, sir!"
Emmerson held out his hand to grasp the Sagussan-designed device — something that was MILLENNIA old…yet technology-wise, was the SAME amount of time ahead of anything commonly available on Earth — before tapping the screen. After a minute on reading that message from one of the people assigned to Watchdog — that was the common nickname applied to the parahuman analysts assigned full-time to the National Protectorate Command Centre at Fort Leslie J. McNair west of south from Capitol Hill — he clicked his tongue before handing the PADD to MSgt Mason. "Haywire event, huh…"
The Californian nodded as he scanned the message; such was restricted to Protectorate/Joint Specialized Warfare Command personnel only, so everyone here was cleared for it. "At least Special Agent Black's on the ball with this one."
"Wonder when Thoughtmistress-prime Margo will arrange with Thoughtmistress-prime Tariko to get Healer Lavere Gifted," one of the other pretty bioroid research assistants mused as she used a very fine sodding element on a digital board.
"Hopefully soon," Emmerson noted before turning back to his programming…
****
Brocton Bay, 12:10 PM…
"Damn…it IS like home!"
Staring at the holographic readout projecting from the PADD in front of her, Taylor Hebert could only shake her head in wry amusement as the memories of her first year as a cape on Earth Bet replayed in her mind, such causing small swarms of insects — not enough to cause a major scene, of course; no need to bring down unnecessary grief to her current hosts — to do all sorts of interesting things both inside and outside the boarding house she now resided in. While part of her chafed at the chance to get outside and actually explore around on her own or with one of her new "sisters" — Avalonians, she knew, always saw each other as that even if there was no direct genetic relationship — as a local guide to alert her to potential differences, the map of the city she had scanned before going into the local version of Parahumans Online for a deep dive was similar in so many ways.
Save for the legal differences between Earth Bet and what she now called "Earth Yi" — using the first syllable in "Yiziba" for the local dimensional reference — things really weren't that different from what she had grown up in. The Brockton Bay here was being slowly run into the dirt due to incredible levels of infighting between local, state and national authorities when it came to getting the port running again. While the causes of such a downturn were worlds different from what she knew thanks to tales her father passed onto her — much to Taylor's relief, there were no Endbringers like Leviathan running loose and causing havoc every quarter; the nearest equivalent of same being unknown sea monsters that ran rampant only during the World Wars, such dealt with by Canadian, Australian and New Zealander naval metahuman forces — there was the Boat Graveyard blocking the entrance into the namesake bay. Unleashed by unemployment riots after the turn of the Millennium which fostered fertile ground for groups such as the Marche, the Teeth and the Empire Eighty-eight to fully rise — such empowered by people like Adrian "Marquis" Lavere (currently imprisoned in this universe's version of the Birdcage, located in a remote section of Alaska in lieu of the British Columbia mountains), Richard "Allfather" Anders (slain most likely at the hands of his own son Maximilian "Kaiser" Anders) or Tazewell "Butcher" Waller (the first of a line of fourteen parahumans to resurrect themselves by passing their souls and powers onto people who kill them in battle) to unleash the "Age of Capes" as PHO pundits called it — the effective wrecking of the local port started the process that saw Brockton Bay become as nasty as Chicago was in the Roaring Twenties.
The presence of capes simply made things even NASTIER.
Sure enough, the local law enforcement agency — officially known as the Brockton Bay Department, Parahuman Response Team of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — was just too ill-equipped to do much more than keep the peace in the wealthier parts of town like downtown and the Boardwalk overlooking Ipswich Bay. Led by Emily Piggot — who, while being a survivor of this universe's version of the Ellisburg tragedy a decade ago, was ALSO a qualified AV-8B Harrier pilot who rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps to command the famous Black Sheep Squadron a half-decade prior! — the local team had a dedicated staff even if the amount of boots on the ground at most numbered an infantry battalion in size. While the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team was like their counterparts on Bet in terms of actual numbers — commanded by Colin "Armsmaster" Wallis and seconded by Hannah "Miss Militia" Washington, plus having the husband-and-wife team of Assault and Battery (known in civilian lives as Ethan and Jamie Hudson) as well as Rory "Triumph" Christner, Shawn "Dauntless" Harris and Robin "Velocity" Swoler — the affiliated junior heroes, known here also as the "Wards", seldomly made appearances in the field.
Noting that, Taylor was surprised. Given the sheer number of villainous or questionable capes (now displayed to her on a red-font list to the right of the holographic screen, only half of them marked with birth names determined by people such as Sharon Blake) pretty much demanded that every heroically-aligned parahuman available in the area should be on the streets.
Still, there were the names she was quite familiar with from her encounters with their counterparts on Earth Bet, starting with an ugly bank robbery: Missy "Vista" Biron, Dean "Gallant" Stansfield, Chris "Kid Win" Cullen, Dennis "Clockblocker" Wells, Carlos "Aegis" Garcia y Lopez, Eugene "Browbeat" Bleuler…and Sophia "Shadow Stalker" Hess.
And while Victoria "Glory Girl" Dallon and her adopted sister Amelia "Panacea" Lavere were also active in town…
Shaking her head, Taylor picked up a cup of now tepid tea to drink from it. As she had learned before the Dallon sisters had to finally leave the building to get to Arcadia High School and catch up on classes, the Quadrumvirate — which, on Earth Bet, had been reduced to the Triumvirate in 2000 thanks to a rampaging Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine — were effectively at the top of the totem pole when it came to active capes in the United States. Also, as had happened back on Earth Bet, the quartet stood ready to come together whenever any "S"-class emergency came up within the jurisdiction of any of the states, commonwealths and territories of the Union. Atop one Colonel Charles "Hero" Emmerson based out of Ohio, there was Rebecca "Alexandria" Costa-Brown (Colonel, California Army National Guard) in Los Angeles, Keith "Legend" Richardson (Captain, United States Naval Reserve/New York Naval Militia) from New York and David "Eidolon" Mercy (Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve/Texas Maritime Regiment) out of Houston. Fortunately for them, much less their subordinates across the nation, the actual number of "S"-class emergencies nationwide had spiralled down somewhat in the last half-decade; that had been effectively prompted by the execution of the Slaughterhouse Nine within the boundaries of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in northwestern Saskatchewan by four World War Two veteran metahumans that — if their biographies on PHO were to be believed! — could have easily taken the Endbringers apart by themselves, then finished off Scion before having supper.
A woman who could tap into the preserved bioenergy of ALL LIFE ON EARTH taken over THREE BILLION YEARS…
A woman who had bonded soul-to-soul with a mythical firebird of Slavic legend to become a living SOUL-EATER…
A woman empowered to use energy which could only be described as "magic", self-taught to GRANDMASTER levels…
…and a man who was supposedly blessed by a VERY ANCIENT sentient spirit to be the ultimate "hunter of hunters".
These four — known officially as No. 1 Canadian Specialized Warfare Unit during the Second World War, nicknaming themselves the "War Hawks" along the way —effectively wrote the BOOK on military metahuman/parahuman operations.
Much to Taylor's personal relief, Costa-Brown and her friends had been students of the War Hawks at the latter group's private training facility in northeast British Columbia over a decade ago; they had been prompted by their teachers to join their home states' local defence forces to pass on what they had learned to a growing number of eager students across the United States.
And then, just after the turn of the Millennium…
Taylor tapped an icon, bringing up the image of a tomboyish, shaggy brown-haired Japanese girl with matching eyes, an amused smile on her face and dressed in rather plain civilian clothing…
****
Arcadia High School, 12:38 PM…
"You know Haywire events are a Federal affair, Vicky. Yeah, it's a version of Taylor we're talking about, but…"
Here, Dean Stansfield raised up his hands in a "what can you do" gesture. Seated beside him at one of the tables near the corner of the school cafeteria — they were alone save for Victoria Dallon's adopted sister Amelia; since both the "Alexandria-lite" of New Wave and the investor's son who was one of older of the current generation of Wards working with the local Protectorate did their best to keep their relationship separate from their cape life, it wasn't seen as odd by their normal peers — they could enjoy a private conversation to exchange on some choice news. "Yeah, it is. Margo's in town keeping an eye on the thing," Amelia declared, making the projectile empath visibly wince on hearing the given name of Yiziba's worst heel bar none in previous incarnations. While Amelia was doing her best to get over her crush on Victoria — Margo Black had noticed that the secret daughter of the Marquis of Brockton Bay had been badly affected by Glory Girl's own empathic aura, though such had calmed down somewhat since the healer underwent her own trigger event two years ago — she still took delight in rubbing Dean whenever she could; given the rollercoaster nature of his relationship with Victoria, it was something the healer still took private joy in. "Given what this version of Taylor did that got her snatched from her home dimension by Lord Rjazán' himself, dumped into the Dark Gaol of all places to get the Undertaker involved, then got a new body grown to allow her to live here…"
She whistled before sipping her apple juice. Dean's blue eyes were now as wide as saucers. "What the hell did she do?" he hissed, grateful that he had a tinker-tech "null sound shield" device in his belt to keep their conversation private.
"She helped drive one of the kimfombeke to suicide," Victoria cheerily declared, making his jaw drop.
The scion of one of Brockton Bay's richest families nearly felt his brain crash from that declaration, his mind instantly going back a year before when he underwent his own trigger event. This happened right after he and Victoria had started dating, they engaged in an argument over some stupid thing or another. The despair of being pushed away from the blonde bombshell of New Wave — their relationship had won the approval of Dean's parents and Victoria's mother all at once, so there was THAT pressure atop typical teenage feelings — causing his heart to heave enough for the accursed images of two great worm-like beings intertwined in deep space like all parahumans did at the very worst moment of their own lives. "Damn…!"
Amelia nodded. "Pity she had to do it by literally Mastering every cape that was available to make this thing look at the corpse of its mate before forcing it to see that their quest to cheat death wouldn't get anywhere."
That made him pale. "She Mastered other capes?!" he hissed.
"My local-self was able to jailbreak her powers, tearing away all the controls that force Manton limits on people like us," the healer continued. "There was really no choice about it. Her version of Jack Slash of all people persuaded that thing to kill all of humanity in her home multiversal cluster. Given it could tap into everyone's powers like it could — there were no metahumans there like we've got here — Taylor had no choice, especially since too many people were just throwing up their hands and giving up, letting themselves die." She shrugged. "Well, what about the normal people in those dimensions? How could they defend themselves against something that would probably give General Raeburn of all people a major challenge?"
Dean blinked several times before shaking his head. "Damn…"
Victoria's iPhone then beeped to indicate a text message coming in. Since the school's Faraday cage was turned off for lunch hour, people were able to get in contact with relatives and friends to update them on current events. Seeing the message on the screen made her blink. "Damn, she's quick!" she noted as she tapped the special function — put into it by Chris Cullen as a way of paying back Victoria's sister for curing his father's cancer on the sly — to open a link with the local PADD network run by one of the two effectively alien-born races who had members living in town. "Hey, Tay-Tay! Like the new tech?"
"It's handy indeed," a familiar bespectacled brunette answered from her guest bedroom some distance from downtown close to the docks. "I assume Chris had something to do with linking yours and Amelia's phones to the local data network."
"What? Did you two go out and date back home?" the blonde girl teased.
Taylor Hebert snorted. "Not really, though I did know him both…" Here, she paused, giving Victoria a curious look.
"Conversation's muted from the outside, Taylor," Amelia helpfully declared as she and Dean leaned into camera range.
Seeing the handsome man beside the local Alexandria-type, Taylor blinked before she sighed. "A pleasure to meet you, Dean," she calmly stated, a touch of sadness appearing in her wide brown eyes. "Sadly, I never got the chance to meet my version of you outside costume. It's good to see one good thing about this version of the Bay matching up with what I went through at home."
That made Dean blink with surprise; even if he couldn't focus on her directly with his powers, he had enough experience reading people's faces to sense that this version of the daughter of the dockyards meant what she said. "I assume your version of me was killed in some cape fight," he stated, making Victoria stiffen; a hug with his arm around her waist was quick to calm her.
A sad shake of the head responded. "Oh, it wasn't just a cape fight, Sir Gallant," she wryly declared even if her lips did shift into a mournful yet supportive smile. "It was a repeating holocaust that hit cities every three months to wipe out people in near-Biblical proportions. And this is ME, the effective mistress of all the plagues of Egypt made flesh, saying that."
"S-class?" Victoria wondered.
"Beyond S-class," Taylor affirmed. "So bad that a blanket truce was declared to get the villains involved in defending all of Brockton Bay against this thing. And even then, it wasn't enough to save thousands from dying."
"Sounds like something like Gojira romping through Tōkyō…!" Amelia declared with a chuckle.
A nod answered her. "Or those soul-sucking monsters that roamed the seas during the World Wars, the ones the Canadians and their friends in the Commonwealth dealt with," Taylor affirmed with a snort. "Incredible to believe that the Harry Potter universe exists here, too. That was an Aleph youth novel series that came across to Bet thanks to Professor Haywire."
"Oh, don't worry about the magicals, Tay-Tay," Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Liberty League Memorial Act has a magical component. Compels the idiots in the Department of Magic to ixnay with the obliviations in case we stumble onto something that involves the DMLE on this side of the pond. After Grindelwald's War that happened alongside World War Two, the idiots who liked Rappaport's Law in MACUSA…" — here, she pronounced it as "Mack-you-es-ay" in lieu of the more British-influenced "Mah-koo-sah" — "…were all looking at daises the other way since Headmaster Dumbledore's old blood-brother wanted to wipe them out first to make normal magicals accept the dropping of the Statute of Secrecy."
"That's Congress' enforcement of the International Specialized Warfare Treaty of 1957, Taylor," Dean added. "We're fully read in on America's magical population once we're through basic Wards training. Kind of necessary given the Salem Witches' School is just up I-595 from here." He hummed before shaking his head. "They keep to themselves, pretty much."
"Well, that's good," Taylor affirmed.
"One thing though," Amelia cut in. "British magicals don't know that Harry Potter was Gifted with Tariko's help, then got a sex change like she did when Tariko got pre-Gifted; Harry goes by 'Rose Potter' these days."
"And the Dursleys?"
"Ran with their tails tucked between their legs all the way to Australia!" Victoria declared, cupping her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. "Couldn't have happened to a better family of asshole rhabdophobes!"
"Well…"
Here, the insect mistress paused as a far-away look crossed her face. Seeing that, the three parahumans staring at her through the phone link tensed. "Taylor, what are you sensing?" Amelia asked. "Is someone in danger?"
"I don't know," the permanently-dimensionally displaced parahuman trilled, her voice going flat. "Is Lily Nakamura one of the Wards in New York City? Has the Striker power to make thrown physical objects ignore all forms of physics?"
"Fléchette?" Dean affirmed before nodding. "Yeah, she's there under Captain Richardson."
"She comes to the Bay on occasion to spend time with Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid; she's Parian," Amelia noted. "Why?"
"Because I just sensed March of all people not so far from where my version of Ṣabāḥ normally works near the Boardwalk."
All three of them gaped before Dean drew out his own phone…
****
Near the Boardwalk, 12:52 PM…
"STAY STILL AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOU THIEF!"
Shrieking as she tried to duck from the energy blast aimed right at her head, the Saudi-born cloth manipulator who gained quite the following among the young of Brockton Bay thanks to her many puppetry shows waved her hand, grateful she had gained some experience in using her abilities in a defensive manner — something that was a survival requirement in this city with the presence of the Empire Eighty-Eight, the Archer's Bridge Merchants and the Gold Moon Society, not to mention all the annoying minor players who seemed to come out of the woodwork for the most RIDICULOUS of reasons — to keep the heat off her long enough for the local Protectorate heroes to get their butts in gear and save her before the snarling bunny-faced lunatic now wanting to turn her into air pollution actually got her kill. Since the woman born May Sugitani had made it be known that she would do anything to get her hands on Lily Nakamura thanks to their having gained powers as March and Fléchette respectively in a cluster trigger, the potential threat the would-be battlefield expert could bring against Ṣabāḥ al-Khālid…!
"GOT HER, BOSS!"
Ṣabāḥ paled under her mask — designed to make her look as if she was a normal WASP American — before diving to the deck…
KK-KRACK!
…before yelping as a baseball of all things slammed into her left shoulder, wrecking both her collarbone and shoulder blade! As she collapsed to the ground, running footfalls heralded the arrival of a grinning African-American with long dreadlocks, dressed in a flowing black costume decorated with golden studs, a gold mask covering the face of the mercenary born Ulysses "Homer" Johnston, another beneficiary of the cluster trigger that created both March and Fléchette. As Ṣabāḥ tried not to scream out while her brain seemingly was assaulted from all sides thanks to her broken bones, more footfalls produced a woman about the same age as the cloth manipulator's new girlfriend, she in a very militaristic-like uniform which wouldn't seem out of place among the neo-Nazis native to Brockton Bay, the only odd detail being the rabbit head-shaped hood under her peaked cap.
"Good…!" May then snarled as she moved to swing her rapier — one tipped with a nice poison that would see this thief done away with permanently — towards the cloth manipulator's face…
«And I thought that most people in town were quite receptive to Parian's shows.»
…then both May and Ulysses tensed on hearing a strange, ominous buzzing-like sound surging from all around them. "What the fuck…?" the batting marksman snarled as he scanned down one alley, then another…
«Some critics should just be shown the damned door if they don't like someone's production.»
Ṣabāḥ's attackers found themselves frozen as the noise assaulting their ears picked up in crescendo, making them spin around…
"HOLY FUCK…!" Ulysses screamed out, yanking out another baseball.
«Language!»
…then they were literally deluged by a swarm of insects spanning dozens of common species. In the blink of the proverbial eye, they transformed the afternoon sky overhead into something akin to a solar eclipse, the more voracious of that biblical-like cloud of doom ripped into May's and Ulysses' exposed skin, the several wasps and hornets among the attackers immediately pumping their venoms right into the veins of Ṣabāḥ's attackers. As those witnesses brave enough to follow the fight entered the alley from the direction of the Promenade moved to get closer to the scene — with, much to the disgust of some of those who wanted to film as much as they could before posting same on Parahumans Online, NONE of the Brockton Bay Enforcers present, not even to get the crowd under control — both May and Ulysses gargled as they dropped to their knees, then fell flat onto their faces!
«And that is that! Ah! Glory Girl! Panacea! Just in time!»
Hearing the names of two of the most well-known capes active in the Bay, heads instantly snapped up…
…then people whooped in delight on seeing Victoria Dallon drop to an easy landing close to where May had fallen, she letting her sister go so Amelia Dallon could examine the scene; both were in civilian clothing in lieu of their costumes. As the sisters did that, the sheer storm of insects which had so easily defeated the infamous March and Homer — both having gained prominence over PHO in the last few months since their first joint attack on Fléchette in Manhattan, such easily averted with the intervention of Legend himself — elevated itself away to not hinder the healer as she moved to look the moaning Ṣabāḥ over. "So, what the hell's going on here?!" Victoria demanded as she gazed towards the crowd. "What set off Lola Bunny like that?!"
Several of the onlookers exchanged confused glances, then one longshoreman — he had been taking a break from work at one of the many restaurants that dotted this part of town when the ruckus began — shrugged. "Parian was doing a show for a bunch of kindergarten kids out of Lord's Bay Elementary when those two charged up in a car out of freaking nowhere, the rabbit-girl calling her a thief while her pal tried to home run a baseball right through Parian's damned SKULL, Miss Dallon!"
"Well, the bastard got her shoulder damned good!" Amelia muttered as she slipped her hand under Parian's cloak to get at her skin; the cloth manipulator had given the healer standing permission to use her powers in emergencies like this.
«You need any sort of physical mass to help with the wounds, Panacea? I heard bones break when the home run king here went and winged her good with that ball to slow her down.»
Heads turned at that echoing voice…
…then the crowd save Amelia all gaped as the swirling mass of insects — which, as soon as the Dallon sisters had arrived, took up a protective position near the fallen May to ensure she didn't pull something out of her hat to press the attack — then seemed to writhe and shift before assuming HUMANOID form, presenting the image of a tall, slender woman with long flowing hair.
"Whoa…!" Victoria breathed out in awe. "Are you NORMALLY capable of that level of control?!"
Much to people's disbelief, said image — which had acquired a small number of fireflies to make a golden pair of goggles over where "her" eyes would be — casually SHRUGGED. «I seem to have much better control now than before,» the being calmly answered, toning down her voice to avert any sudden freakout from the crowd close to a wounded innocent.
"Hey! Hey! Move aside, everyone! White hats coming through! Yo, Glory Girl!"
Victoria smiled as people nearby parted ways, allowing a familiar husband-and-wife team in matching form-fitting battlesuits — the man born Ethan Hudson in red, his wife Jamie in black decked with glowing circuits — to slip through before stopping to take in the crime scene. "Lucky thing we were nearby when these two showed up to cause a ruckus," the former villain now known as Assault noted, his normal humour gone as he scowled in disgust at the fallen villains. "You take them down, Glory?"
"No, I just got here with Amy as soon as the alert went out that Parian was being attacked," Victoria reported as she thumbed the swirling image of insects nearby. "Skitter here sensed what was going down, then disabled them both. Wasp stings?"
«And hornets as well,» said mass of swirling bugs affirmed. «I'm somewhat familiar with March, though I don't know the Louisville slugger there. Given March's idiot obsession with Fléchette, I guessed an attack was coming.»
"Both — and Homer here, too — were victims of the same cluster trigger," the woman known as Battery declared as she paused to gaze in wide-eyed disbelief at the mass of insects which seemed to be miming a girl the age of most of the local Wards. "How on Earth are you doing that, anyway?!" she wondered. "Are you some sort of extreme Breaker, able to shift into this?"
«No, I have Master/Thinker abilities concentrating on insects and other minor creatures. And ONLY that, thank God!»
People were quick to tense on hearing the term "master" escape said being…then they relaxed on noting that said being was more than grateful that it was only limited to controlling insects. "So, I assume you're keeping yourself nearby," Ethan noted.
«No, my costume's in the wash,» the being answered, that catching many in the crowd by surprise before some of the onlookers began to chuckle in amusement. «Still, it's only the right thing to do to intervene when a known neutral cape is attacked, especially when all she was doing was perform a show for children of all things. I despise things like that!»
Ethan and Jamie exchanged looks before nodding. "Well, good on you then. Never heard of you, Skitter. You new in town?"
«Recently arrived with the help of Doctor Death and the Undertaker,» came the answer, that making both local capes tense on hearing the normal battle name of the Archangel of Mortality. «They and several friends are helping me settle in.»
"…kill…you, thief…"
People spun around to see a moaning May try to shift herself around. Before Victoria could walk over and knock the crazy bitch unconscious, an arm made of buzzing flies and other such creatures extended out to stop her. «Allow me, please…»
The blonde bombshell blinked, then nodded, waving her new friend forward…
…before people yelped as the human-shaped image turned into a swirling cloud of ominous doom, that shifting to hover right before the now-shuddering May's wide-eyed masked face. «Now, pay VERY close attention, Ms. Sugitani…!»
"Wh-wh-what…?!"
Said cloud of insects then surged forward to completely encompass her whole head, making May shriek in horror. «SHUT UP!» a scream that seemed to explode from the depths of Hell itself bellowed into her ears. «WHO IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S HOLY IN THIS WORLD GAVE A SELFISH BRAT LIKE YOU THE RIGHT TO ASSAULT INNOCENT PEOPLE, TO SAY ANYTHING OF THREATENING DEFENSELESS CHILDREN?! IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I'D SLAM-DUNK YOU INTO THE DEEPEST PIT IN THE BIRDCAGE THAT I CAN FIND, THEN THROW AWAY THE DAMNED KEY TO REMOVE YOU FROM CIVIL SOCIETY! IT'S A PITY DOCTOR DEATH WASN'T HERE TO SEE THIS; IF YOU WENT AND KILLED SOMEONE, I'D LOVE TO SEE HER USE THAT WONDERFUL NECROSIS TOUCH ON YOU!»
As May continued to wail away while the thing now swarming around her head wailed away at her, Ethan was quick to see Jamie's uncomfortable look before noting that Amelia was now helping Ṣabāḥ into a sitting position, the cloth manipulator clearly restored to an excellent semblance of health by the healer. Both girls were now watching as this thing moved to publicly tear strip after strip off May, Amelia clearly not bothered by such a show while Ṣabāḥ herself was dumbstruck at such a display of power and control. Taking that in, the man who was once known as Madcap then gazed on Victoria, who was keeping a weather eye at the still-unconscious Ulysses even if she was visibly nodding at her new friend's rather sharp choice of words.
Noting he was looking in her direction, Victoria cupped her hand to hide it from the crowd. "Haywire victim," she mouthed.
Ethan and Jamie took that in, then nodded in understanding as Taylor Hebert continued to scream at May Sugitani…
To Be Continued…
****
WRITER'S NOTES
****
WRITER'S NOTES
Note that people's real names appearing here that weren't revealed in Worm or Ward are my creation or derived from other works. The adult members of the Protectorate in the Bay get their names from the late Becuzitswrong's crossover Memories of Iron (Fanfiction story no. 10230499). The members of the Wards had their names created by Dr. Tempo and Regina Magia.
"Ladyhawke" is the code-name for my first fiction character, Major Deannette Antonia "Dean" Raeburn. She has been referenced to in many of my stories and first appeared in The Thunderbolt's Tears (Fanfiction story no. 7151825). As hinted at in Boy Meets Girl Meets Metahuman, Raeburn is a major general in the Canadian Army, helping restore her old home service, the Royal Canadian Corps of Air Cavalry (RCCAC) (which never existed in real life, BTW), to flight status.
Please read Magic and Canada (Fanfiction story no. 12245154) to learn how American magicals govern themselves in this universe. The "naval metahuman" forces deployed to deal with monsters similar to Dementors are covered there as well.
The Liberty League (officially the United States 1st Joint Specialized Warfare Legion) is my take-off of the concept of the All-Star Squadron from DC Comics published in the 1980s pre-and-post-Crisis of Infinite Earths. Members get their "cape names" based on characters created by fans for the second run of Dial "H" For Hero, which was published in Adventure Comics and Superboy in the 1980s before Crisis; do note that these versions of such people have their own birth names and origins.
Last edited:
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Will start Part 3 off with a PHO insert...
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the rogues March and Homer appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then...
Oh, God, and THEN...!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person...even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then...
This swarm – whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" – then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea and the Bay has a new clearly heroic cape.
What a day!
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects. Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette, seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord – or overlady! – in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um...hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What...?
Oh...OH! Now I understand!
Haywire case?
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
Doctor Death, the Undertaker and Suiki are helping me, plus Sharon Blake's observation group.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage. I was a wreck when the Undertaker and Suiki found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er...hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident...and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amelia about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amelia doesn't try to play around with brain tissue, she could tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium radiation. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring some stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know Lily as well...and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the rogues March and Homer appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then...
Oh, God, and THEN...!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person...even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then...
This swarm – whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" – then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea and the Bay has a new clearly heroic cape.
What a day!
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects. Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette, seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord – or overlady! – in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um...hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What...?
Oh...OH! Now I understand!
Haywire case?
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
Doctor Death, the Undertaker and Suiki are helping me, plus Sharon Blake's observation group.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage. I was a wreck when the Undertaker and Suiki found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er...hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident...and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amelia about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amelia doesn't try to play around with brain tissue, she could tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium radiation. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring some stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know Lily as well...and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Decided to expand on the PHO chat here. It'll probably take nearly half the current chapter, I think.
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the rogues March and Homer appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then…
Oh, God, and THEN…!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person…even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then…
This swarm – whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" – then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea and the Bay has a new clearly heroic cape.
What a day!
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects. Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette, seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord – or overlady! – in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um...hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: So, what did you do to earn the attention of DOCTOR DEATH of all people?! Threatening March with being turned into instant flesh-slush isn't a good thing, you know!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Skitter didn't do a damned thing to THREATEN March and Homer, Volan! She said that she'd love to see the Doctor use that necrosis of hers on the stupid bunny girl if she had been in town.
► Palshife
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Wait! Wait! Skitter mentioned the UNDERTAKER, too! Holy cow! Two top reality warpers from You Know Where taking interest in one simple cape?!
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, good grief, people! Say the planet's name! YIZIBA!
We're not like idiots from other planets who can't stand the idea of a planet of METAHUMANS being close by!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, fuck me! The DOCTOR'S in Brockton Bay now?!
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Still, that's like two S-class metahumans (or however it's rated in the International SpecWar Treaty) taking interest in one girl, cape or no, is quite weird!
► LitronieErba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Skitter did all in the Great Show a big solid, so we're helping her as she recovers from a MOAFS-like situation.
To the moron squads in Brockton Bay: Touch her, I pay you a visit. You don't want that to happen.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
So speaks the Archangel of Mortality…
Wait! What?!
(rereads the Doctor's words)
Fuck me! A MOAFS-level cape fight?!
What the hell happened, CleverGirl95?!
► Ruodeuto (Verified Metahuman) (Not In The WWE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
Skitter's a Haywire victim, people, from a pure-parahuman version of Earth. She helped kill one of the creatures who gives powers to parahumans via trigger events. We call them kimfombeke ("worm leech") and consider them even lower than the average run of death cheaters that the Doctor loves to go after all the time. Every parahuman who's gone through a trigger event knows what I'm talking about; they're the worm-like things they imagine seeing when the empowerment happens.
That's the type of solid that anyone on Yiziba respects.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Damn! You're making me blush, sir!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Holy shit! A Haywire victim?! Damn, Skitter, welcome to our multiverse!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
And welcome to Brockton Bay, Miss Skitter! You looking to get Gifted as well? Anyone else from Yiziba involved in this?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Suiki and Küchenchefin are also involved. Suiki helped pull me out of the Dark Gaol on Yiziba when the Undertaker found me. Küchenchefin is helping me adjust to living here full-time.
Wow! Can't believe so much is so open here.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Was it that bad back home?
► SpecificProtagonist
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
You can't go home? That's horrible!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
To SpecificProtagonist: Nothing to go back to. That's how devastating those things can be if they're not stopped.
To Volan: Much more secretive and respectful of people's civilian IDs. We called it the "Unwritten Rules" there.
To everyone: I'd be happy to tell more, but I need to get my feet under me here. More than happy to help Parian keep safe; she's neutral and that should be respected. Never mind those two lunatics going crazy around defenceless children. No one should allow that.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
Agreed.
► AmericanCaesar
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
Agreed. And welcome to the Bay, Miss Skitter. Your actions speak well of you.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, --> 9
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What…?
Oh…OH! Right! Mr. Calaway mentioned you were a Haywire case.
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
As I said on the main boards, Doctor Death, the Undertaker, Suiki and Küchenchefin are helping me.
I'm currently with Sharon Blake's observation group north of downtown.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage. I was a wreck when the Undertaker and Suiki found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er…hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident…and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amy Lavere about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amy doesn't try to play around with brain tissue – it's easy to guess why – she could at least tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium radiation. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring some stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know Lily as well…and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the rogues March and Homer appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then…
Oh, God, and THEN…!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person…even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then…
This swarm – whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" – then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea and the Bay has a new clearly heroic cape.
What a day!
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects. Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette, seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord – or overlady! – in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um...hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: So, what did you do to earn the attention of DOCTOR DEATH of all people?! Threatening March with being turned into instant flesh-slush isn't a good thing, you know!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Skitter didn't do a damned thing to THREATEN March and Homer, Volan! She said that she'd love to see the Doctor use that necrosis of hers on the stupid bunny girl if she had been in town.
► Palshife
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Wait! Wait! Skitter mentioned the UNDERTAKER, too! Holy cow! Two top reality warpers from You Know Where taking interest in one simple cape?!
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, good grief, people! Say the planet's name! YIZIBA!
We're not like idiots from other planets who can't stand the idea of a planet of METAHUMANS being close by!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, fuck me! The DOCTOR'S in Brockton Bay now?!
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Still, that's like two S-class metahumans (or however it's rated in the International SpecWar Treaty) taking interest in one girl, cape or no, is quite weird!
► LitronieErba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Skitter did all in the Great Show a big solid, so we're helping her as she recovers from a MOAFS-like situation.
To the moron squads in Brockton Bay: Touch her, I pay you a visit. You don't want that to happen.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
So speaks the Archangel of Mortality…
Wait! What?!
(rereads the Doctor's words)
Fuck me! A MOAFS-level cape fight?!
What the hell happened, CleverGirl95?!
► Ruodeuto (Verified Metahuman) (Not In The WWE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
Skitter's a Haywire victim, people, from a pure-parahuman version of Earth. She helped kill one of the creatures who gives powers to parahumans via trigger events. We call them kimfombeke ("worm leech") and consider them even lower than the average run of death cheaters that the Doctor loves to go after all the time. Every parahuman who's gone through a trigger event knows what I'm talking about; they're the worm-like things they imagine seeing when the empowerment happens.
That's the type of solid that anyone on Yiziba respects.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Damn! You're making me blush, sir!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Holy shit! A Haywire victim?! Damn, Skitter, welcome to our multiverse!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
And welcome to Brockton Bay, Miss Skitter! You looking to get Gifted as well? Anyone else from Yiziba involved in this?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Suiki and Küchenchefin are also involved. Suiki helped pull me out of the Dark Gaol on Yiziba when the Undertaker found me. Küchenchefin is helping me adjust to living here full-time.
Wow! Can't believe so much is so open here.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Was it that bad back home?
► SpecificProtagonist
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
You can't go home? That's horrible!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
To SpecificProtagonist: Nothing to go back to. That's how devastating those things can be if they're not stopped.
To Volan: Much more secretive and respectful of people's civilian IDs. We called it the "Unwritten Rules" there.
To everyone: I'd be happy to tell more, but I need to get my feet under me here. More than happy to help Parian keep safe; she's neutral and that should be respected. Never mind those two lunatics going crazy around defenceless children. No one should allow that.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
Agreed.
► AmericanCaesar
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
Agreed. And welcome to the Bay, Miss Skitter. Your actions speak well of you.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, --> 9
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What…?
Oh…OH! Right! Mr. Calaway mentioned you were a Haywire case.
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
As I said on the main boards, Doctor Death, the Undertaker, Suiki and Küchenchefin are helping me.
I'm currently with Sharon Blake's observation group north of downtown.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage. I was a wreck when the Undertaker and Suiki found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er…hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident…and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amy Lavere about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amy doesn't try to play around with brain tissue – it's easy to guess why – she could at least tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium radiation. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring some stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know Lily as well…and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
I said it already when I put up the final draft of Part 2:
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Earth-Yi's version of Madison Clements is a little...different.
****
Brockton Bay, not far from Sharon Blake's residence, Wednesday 5 January, 4:32 PM…
The woman known more commonly on Parahumans Online as "FlippinMad" allowed a curious trill to escape her as she scanned what was on her phone screen, she calmly walking down the street in the general direction of one of the known locations that had been used by alien-born observers of Terran culture for decades. Dressed somewhat in fashion for this time of year, she easily navigated around the small splotches of ice on the sidewalk, a relatively neutral look on her face. Despite the obvious show of obliviousness which would see her marked as a potential target for whatever reason had she been deep within the territories of some of the more violent gangs — especially the gang that had effectively murdered the only child of the effective ruler of the dockyards; the Gold Moon Society held a considerable amount of the area closer to the shoreline, though sufficiently away from the tourist traps of Lord's Market and the Boardwalk which were constantly patrolled by the local Protectorate — the beautiful brunette with the ice cold blue eyes wasn't the least bit worried about anyone trying to attack her.
Being what she was, Madison Clements — her real designation was a string of seventy characters in a language which couldn't be easily translated into any Terran tongue — could realistically take down any potential normal attacker.
In terms more common among people who could be called either "technosexual" or "technophile", Madison was a gynoid. A human-shaped artificial construct that, for the most parts, was totally indistinguishable from the standard normal-born (or magical-born or metahuman-born) baseline human; it took a very invasive form of examination to reveal what she was to outsiders. An adopted member of the OTHER alien race who had members living in the Bay (not to mention scattered in small groups over practically every country and territory of Earth), she hadn't been created in the same way as others of her kind, which was both a relief and a downer in her eyes. Relief in a way that she felt WAY safer than she would have as a normal "flesh-bag" human in a place like Brockton Bay, where a disproportionate number of parahumans seemed to lurk around every corner at times. Downer in that she was literally frozen in time at about sixteen years of age, which would provoke a ton of unnecessary questions when she legally came of age and wanted to partake in more adult rituals such as drinking.
Fortunately, the several hundred free Shōzoki — as people called those like Madison — resident in this part of Massachusetts had formed an informal, under-the-table alliance with the nearly thousand Avalonian bioroids now resident in the Bay and effectively free of any oversight from their "masters" on Phentax Two over fifty light-years away from Earth.
Being in a city that had been the scene of two devastating fights between the Liberty Legion (on the Allied side) and the Übermenschen Gruppe (on the Axis side) during the Second World War — also known as the "First Metahuman War" to cape aficionados and historians worldwide; to magicals, that time period corresponded to the "Wars of Liberation", with the European side often called "Grindelwald's War" and the Pacific side known as "Tsukuyomi's War of Liberation" — had many benefits.
Chief of which was the fact that, as far as any Avalonian who had a touch of technopathic powers along with their normal touch-telepathy and non-tactile empathic senses — plus their "inner eye" that could mentally perceive the speculated metaphysical backscatter energy of the Big Bang itself; such a thing was known to them as Te'a ("That Which Is Above mortal understanding") — could tell, when the "replica" of Madison Clements had been created, the soul of the real Madison had been shifted over in a weird technological variation of the ability to perform tre'cha ("passing on") any bioroid could do if death was imminent.
Under normal circumstances, when a Shōzoki seed probe targeted someone to serve as a template for an android/gynoid to use as a potential infiltration unit — somewhat akin to what the name character of the various Terminator movies could do — only the memories of the template were copied and programmed in, not the actual energy surging through the person's brain tissue.
Here in the Bay, with all the free mesonium atoms scattered throughout the environment…
Madison perked as her sharp hearing picked up the sound of footfalls echoing from an alley just ahead of her to the left.
Oh, joy, echoed deep in her central processors. Another idiot Darwin Award winner…
While being friends with one of the Wards was nice — it had been child's play for Madison to determine what Sophia Hess was also beyond being one of the top track stars attending Winslow High; shame that the civil rights morons got so pissed at Shadow Stalker's doing America proud by putting broadhead bolts into the arms and legs of neo-Nazi freaks — there were times that even a relatively "normal" girl in the Bay needed to get some exercise and work off some frustrations on a deserving target…
She yelped — quite naturally, Madison mused to herself with a sense of pride — as the thug waiting to ambush such a pretty girl snared her free arm and yanked her into the alley; no doubt, he had taken the time to make his mark and ensure that no passing patrol vehicle would ruin a good snatch-and-grab. As she stumbled, she quickly tapped a control on her phone screen to send out a silent SOS via text message; the machine had been modified by one of her fellow Shōzoki, a bright programmer even before becoming an android who specialized in merging the technology of their adopted people seamlessly into that of their native race. As that happened, the self-defence elements of her internal housekeeping programming were quick to adjust the motor controls of her arms and legs so that she would be ready to retaliate once her current attacker gave her the right opening to use…
«Hey, stupid!»
Madison jolted as that vaguely female voice — such nearly drowned out with the mixture of buzzing and other noises one would associate with insects and other such tiny creatures — tickled her audio sensors before she looked deeper into the alley.
As had her would-be attacker. "Oh, fuck me…!" the middle-aged man wearing some sort of gang-type clothing — though the colour pattern on his jacket didn't match any of the known groups common in the Bay — eeped on seeing something that came straight out of the classic movie The Ten Commandments, or the more recent Disney animation film The Prince of Egypt.
"Wow…!" Madison breathed out in awe.
Within her computer mind, factoids were quickly compiled for analysis:
[Twenty-seven separate species of arthropods in swarm, divided into six separate clades.]
[Offensive capabilities concentrated on Vespula maculifrons (eastern yellowjacket) and Dolichovespula maculata (bald-faced hornet), both species possessing potentially fatal doses of venom in their stingers.]
[Obscuring capabilities produced by copious amounts of Musca domestica (housefly), Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito). Mosquitos useable as vector attacks by annoyance bites into a target's skin. Flies and cockroaches can be used to dispose of corpses should conflict go terminal.]
[Attacker does not realize this is Haywire victim parahuman 'Skitter', though can sense attack is parahuman in origin.]
"BACK OFF, YOU STUPID CAPE…WH-WHATEVER Y-YOU ARE…!"
Madison calmly dropped her head away from his snaring her in a headlock, she immediately rolling on the ground — fortunately somewhat clean even if she would have to wash her clothes tonight — thus giving the Bay's newest cape a clear field of fire.
Naturally, the newcomer — who was physically many yards away — took advantage of same…
****
****
Brockton Bay, not far from Sharon Blake's residence, Wednesday 5 January, 4:32 PM…
The woman known more commonly on Parahumans Online as "FlippinMad" allowed a curious trill to escape her as she scanned what was on her phone screen, she calmly walking down the street in the general direction of one of the known locations that had been used by alien-born observers of Terran culture for decades. Dressed somewhat in fashion for this time of year, she easily navigated around the small splotches of ice on the sidewalk, a relatively neutral look on her face. Despite the obvious show of obliviousness which would see her marked as a potential target for whatever reason had she been deep within the territories of some of the more violent gangs — especially the gang that had effectively murdered the only child of the effective ruler of the dockyards; the Gold Moon Society held a considerable amount of the area closer to the shoreline, though sufficiently away from the tourist traps of Lord's Market and the Boardwalk which were constantly patrolled by the local Protectorate — the beautiful brunette with the ice cold blue eyes wasn't the least bit worried about anyone trying to attack her.
Being what she was, Madison Clements — her real designation was a string of seventy characters in a language which couldn't be easily translated into any Terran tongue — could realistically take down any potential normal attacker.
In terms more common among people who could be called either "technosexual" or "technophile", Madison was a gynoid. A human-shaped artificial construct that, for the most parts, was totally indistinguishable from the standard normal-born (or magical-born or metahuman-born) baseline human; it took a very invasive form of examination to reveal what she was to outsiders. An adopted member of the OTHER alien race who had members living in the Bay (not to mention scattered in small groups over practically every country and territory of Earth), she hadn't been created in the same way as others of her kind, which was both a relief and a downer in her eyes. Relief in a way that she felt WAY safer than she would have as a normal "flesh-bag" human in a place like Brockton Bay, where a disproportionate number of parahumans seemed to lurk around every corner at times. Downer in that she was literally frozen in time at about sixteen years of age, which would provoke a ton of unnecessary questions when she legally came of age and wanted to partake in more adult rituals such as drinking.
Fortunately, the several hundred free Shōzoki — as people called those like Madison — resident in this part of Massachusetts had formed an informal, under-the-table alliance with the nearly thousand Avalonian bioroids now resident in the Bay and effectively free of any oversight from their "masters" on Phentax Two over fifty light-years away from Earth.
Being in a city that had been the scene of two devastating fights between the Liberty Legion (on the Allied side) and the Übermenschen Gruppe (on the Axis side) during the Second World War — also known as the "First Metahuman War" to cape aficionados and historians worldwide; to magicals, that time period corresponded to the "Wars of Liberation", with the European side often called "Grindelwald's War" and the Pacific side known as "Tsukuyomi's War of Liberation" — had many benefits.
Chief of which was the fact that, as far as any Avalonian who had a touch of technopathic powers along with their normal touch-telepathy and non-tactile empathic senses — plus their "inner eye" that could mentally perceive the speculated metaphysical backscatter energy of the Big Bang itself; such a thing was known to them as Te'a ("That Which Is Above mortal understanding") — could tell, when the "replica" of Madison Clements had been created, the soul of the real Madison had been shifted over in a weird technological variation of the ability to perform tre'cha ("passing on") any bioroid could do if death was imminent.
Under normal circumstances, when a Shōzoki seed probe targeted someone to serve as a template for an android/gynoid to use as a potential infiltration unit — somewhat akin to what the name character of the various Terminator movies could do — only the memories of the template were copied and programmed in, not the actual energy surging through the person's brain tissue.
Here in the Bay, with all the free mesonium atoms scattered throughout the environment…
Madison perked as her sharp hearing picked up the sound of footfalls echoing from an alley just ahead of her to the left.
Oh, joy, echoed deep in her central processors. Another idiot Darwin Award winner…
While being friends with one of the Wards was nice — it had been child's play for Madison to determine what Sophia Hess was also beyond being one of the top track stars attending Winslow High; shame that the civil rights morons got so pissed at Shadow Stalker's doing America proud by putting broadhead bolts into the arms and legs of neo-Nazi freaks — there were times that even a relatively "normal" girl in the Bay needed to get some exercise and work off some frustrations on a deserving target…
She yelped — quite naturally, Madison mused to herself with a sense of pride — as the thug waiting to ambush such a pretty girl snared her free arm and yanked her into the alley; no doubt, he had taken the time to make his mark and ensure that no passing patrol vehicle would ruin a good snatch-and-grab. As she stumbled, she quickly tapped a control on her phone screen to send out a silent SOS via text message; the machine had been modified by one of her fellow Shōzoki, a bright programmer even before becoming an android who specialized in merging the technology of their adopted people seamlessly into that of their native race. As that happened, the self-defence elements of her internal housekeeping programming were quick to adjust the motor controls of her arms and legs so that she would be ready to retaliate once her current attacker gave her the right opening to use…
«Hey, stupid!»
Madison jolted as that vaguely female voice — such nearly drowned out with the mixture of buzzing and other noises one would associate with insects and other such tiny creatures — tickled her audio sensors before she looked deeper into the alley.
As had her would-be attacker. "Oh, fuck me…!" the middle-aged man wearing some sort of gang-type clothing — though the colour pattern on his jacket didn't match any of the known groups common in the Bay — eeped on seeing something that came straight out of the classic movie The Ten Commandments, or the more recent Disney animation film The Prince of Egypt.
"Wow…!" Madison breathed out in awe.
Within her computer mind, factoids were quickly compiled for analysis:
[Twenty-seven separate species of arthropods in swarm, divided into six separate clades.]
[Offensive capabilities concentrated on Vespula maculifrons (eastern yellowjacket) and Dolichovespula maculata (bald-faced hornet), both species possessing potentially fatal doses of venom in their stingers.]
[Obscuring capabilities produced by copious amounts of Musca domestica (housefly), Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito). Mosquitos useable as vector attacks by annoyance bites into a target's skin. Flies and cockroaches can be used to dispose of corpses should conflict go terminal.]
[Attacker does not realize this is Haywire victim parahuman 'Skitter', though can sense attack is parahuman in origin.]
"BACK OFF, YOU STUPID CAPE…WH-WHATEVER Y-YOU ARE…!"
Madison calmly dropped her head away from his snaring her in a headlock, she immediately rolling on the ground — fortunately somewhat clean even if she would have to wash her clothes tonight — thus giving the Bay's newest cape a clear field of fire.
Naturally, the newcomer — who was physically many yards away — took advantage of same…
****
Last edited:
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
And Taylor learns about the OTHER alien races interacting with Earth-Yi...
****
Sharon Blake's residence, 5:42 PM…
"What…?"
Taylor Hebert had NOT expected to encounter something like THIS once she began to research what her new home dimension — and this dimension's version of Brockton Bay — was like.
Encountering a humanoid-like race of effective DESIGNER CLONES was one thing. Avalonians could be created either with unique DNA strands to make someone virtually unique…or — as was done with her — using DNA cloned from another person.
Despite the powers — not to mention a lifespan potential that extended several CENTURIES; the oldest of the current generation of Avalonians now resident in the Phentax system were still alive, well past their one hundredth birthday given that the bioroid factory was discovered on the twelfth world of that system around the Earth year 1883 — it would be quite easy for any normal person on Earth to accept a Terran-form Avalonian (or Terran-turned-Avalonian in Taylor's case) with ease.
But THS…!
"Are the Dragonslayers active here?!" she then demanded.
Salome Jenkins was one of the physically "younger" of this group of Avalonian "assistant observers" under Sharon Blake's guidance. A Terran-form Avalonian created at the physical age of six years old nearly a decade before, her identity marked her as the orphaned child of one of the all-too-many victims of the Empire Eighty-eight's rampages through the Bay; in accessible government records, the group's elder mother was Salome's legal guardian due to the absence of relatives living nearby. Now a sophomore at Winslow High School, the dark-skinned girl with the angular looks, dark eyes and Jheri-cut black hair was friends with this universe's version of Sophia Hess. While not on the track team despite her lithe body, Salome pretty much did what other bioroids modelled after visible minorities did in the Bay and kept their heads down in the face of the rather loud and obnoxious white supremacist presence here. She had just come back from intercepting this universe's version of Madison Clements, who had been attacked by a thief skulking in an alleyway four blocks from here, one that Taylor was quick to intercept; the two women had given their statements to the event to the local police who responded promptly — after all, a white teenage girl had been assaulted a considerable distance from the known territory of the Gold Moon Society — and even if such was certainly NOT official policy, the police force often did focus more on crimes against whites in the Bay than elsewhere.
Much to the disgust of many whites living in the Bay.
After all, hadn't America smashed Nazi Germany into the Stone Age over sixty years before?
"Ugh! Dragonslayers! Hopefully, the War Hawks will get them one of these days!" Madison — who had, at Salome's prompting, opened a panel on her lower arm to reveal what sort of technological marvel she was — groaned out.
Taylor blinked several times, her eyes reflecting how lost she currently felt. "Believe me, people like Mads here are quite alright, Thoughtmistress," Salome stated with a reassuring grin, she then squeezing the brunette's other arm in support. As Madison smiled in return, the bioroid added, "Yes, there are those Shōzoki — that's what you call them; the planet's name is Shōzoran, about five-fifty light-years inspin from here — who are a potential danger since they're mentally linked to a controlling AI back home who doesn't care for 'rogues' running about on 'primitive' worlds (especially worlds with high numbers of metahumans like we have) who could, if they get the chance, cause a major revolution back home, which this thing doesn't want."
"Yizibajohei call them 'cameras-in-the-sky' if you haven't heard the term from Mr. Calaway or Special Agent Black," Madison added. "Do you have the Terminator series where you come from, Taylor?"
A groan escaped the insect mistress. "Something like Skynet, you mean."
"Exactly," the brunette said as she allowed the panel on her arm to seal up again, leaving not even a crease to indicate that she was nothing more than your normal teenage girl. Sitting down at the chair beside Taylor's work desk, she shrugged. "Crazy as it would sound to you, we can thank those Nazi metas who charged through the Bay back during Big Mistake Number Two. Their getting butchered pumped out a shit ton of mesonium into the soil of the city, which latches onto people's minds like you wouldn't believe. It's what saved my life and my parents' lives when that seed probe landed in our back yard."
"What does the government do about this, then?" Taylor wondered. "I've been scanning PHO since I got the PADD from Salome's friends here, but I haven't read anything about a race of free AIs running about the planet. I've seen rumours that indicates there's a Stargate on this planet somewhere — and I'll bet said Stargate's at Cheyenne Mountain over in Colorado — but nothing about a race that resembles the Replicators…" — she caught herself as Madison winced — "…sorry."
"How do you know about Stargate Command?" Salome perked.
"Movie named Stargate that came out on Earth Aleph in 1994 that made its way to Bet. Television series called Stargate SG-1 followed, with sequels coming after that." Taylor then gaped. "Oh, please don't tell me the Goa'uld are here?!"
"To people from Yiziba, the lar'beke; 'snake leech' is what that means," Salome explained as she relaxed on the bed beside her newly-adopted spiritual sister. "They're the second known group of aliens who tried to conquer the planet five thousand years ago to seize the Great Crystal of Power; that's when the first version of Thoughtmaster-prime Calaway emerged."
"And they almost got eaten to extinction when the second version of Doctor Destructo — the 'healer of destruction' as that one's known on Yiziba — created a massive army of synthetic warriors to fight those things," Madison added.
That made Taylor blink. "People EAT those things?!"
"Believe it or not, our 'masters' make it a habit to eat the prim'ta if they're caught, either from a Jaffa or a normal 'Tau'ri' host," Salome noted with an evil smirk. "Drives the System Lords up the wall whenever they probe into this part of the galaxy."
"Oh, yeah!" Madison said with a snicker. "And if one of the 'Orak'nou' catches them…!"
"'Orak'nou'?" Taylor asked.
"'Unspeakable devil'. It's what those things call Yizibajohei as a whole," Salome translated.
A somewhat dazed nod answered them. "So, the SGC is active at Cheyenne Mountain making first contact with the scattered once-Goa'uld colonies of humans and Jaffa? And they're keeping it secret to prevent panic, right?"
"Right," Madison affirmed before waving to herself, a wry smile crossing her face. "Same with the whole thing concerning adopted Shōzoki like my parents and me. We've had the Terminator movies and all other sorts of shit displaying 'rampant AIs trying to destroy humanity' for ages now. And there's the whole thing with Captain Richter up in Canada, too…"
Taylor's jaw dropped. "DRAGON's here?!"
The other girls nodded. "She's 'Tin Mother' — among other usernames — on PHO, Thoughtmistress," Salome provided. "Created as a bodiless AI by one Sergeant Andrew Richter from Deer Lake in Newfoundland, late of the Blue Puttees…"
"'Blue Puttees'?"
"Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the local Army reserve infantry unit," Salome explained. "Anyhow, Thoughtmaster Richter creates this AI, then gets targeted by Teacher — and yes, he's running around somewhere out there, too! — who sends in Saint and his friends to capture the AI so he could use it for himself. Thoughtmaster Richter gets killed, but the fight draws in attention from the Specialized Warfare Regiment's local defence unit, not to mention the scientist who was the first to find a Shōzoki seed probe on Earth, one that landed near the regiment's home base on Ellesmere Island after World War Two." As Taylor nodded in understanding — she knew her own version of Dragon given that they had worked together after Taylor had been rebranded as Weaver and began working out of Chicago, so she had a good idea who Andrew Richter was — the dark-skinned bioroid added, "So, once the Dragonslayers were sent packing with their tails between their legs, Professor Andrews — that's the name of the man who first learned of the Shōzoki, Professor George Andrews — took Dragon under his own wing, gave her a gynoid body that allowed her to live her own life, then when the chance came, got her a body swap into making her an Avalonian."
"She's part of one of the geek squads in the SWR; don't know which one, though," Madison added. "Of course, Saint and his idiots know the whole story about the Avalonians, the Shōzoki and the Yizibajohei; since Teacher can't control them, he normally makes the fools go out to try to make a 'big reveal' about the many 'alien invaders' on the planet."
"Which ironically isn't far from the truth," Taylor muttered.
The brunette gynoid made a rocking motion with her head. "Well, in a sense, yeah, I can agree with that. We're lucky that the Niphentaxians are so addicted to Earth culture, they just WON'T do anything to change things here. According to some bioroids I've talked to over private chat, a good hunk of 'masters' serving as observers here have totally gone native; even if you see the points on their ears, their behaviour is so simon-pure Terran, people wouldn't notice. And a good hunk of them don't care to see Avalonians enslaved; they're secret followers of the man who discovered the bioroid factory all those years ago, a guy named Ganzo dai-Louc. The few that do make noise, like idiots who show up here in the Bay to 'fix' the 'dumb robots' running 'rogue' here…" — here, she waved to Salome in emphasis — "…get a knife in the back from someone soon enough."
"And there are the 'gatherer' androids and gynoids who try to force 'rogues' like Mads here under Mother's control; that's Shōzoran's version of Skynet," Salome added, thumbing her classmate. "But they can only act if the background mesonium radiation isn't high, which it IS here in the Bay. Elsewhere, it depends if there're parahuman Tinkers or metahuman technokinetics or hyper-genius polymaths around who could cut in and free whoever get's 'enslaved'…"
"Thoughtmistress!" the voice of the elder mother echoed from downstairs. "Thoughtmistress Ṣabāḥ is here to see you! So are Healer Amelia, her sister and Thoughtmaster Dean!"
Taylor sighed. "Right…"
****
****
Sharon Blake's residence, 5:42 PM…
"What…?"
Taylor Hebert had NOT expected to encounter something like THIS once she began to research what her new home dimension — and this dimension's version of Brockton Bay — was like.
Encountering a humanoid-like race of effective DESIGNER CLONES was one thing. Avalonians could be created either with unique DNA strands to make someone virtually unique…or — as was done with her — using DNA cloned from another person.
Despite the powers — not to mention a lifespan potential that extended several CENTURIES; the oldest of the current generation of Avalonians now resident in the Phentax system were still alive, well past their one hundredth birthday given that the bioroid factory was discovered on the twelfth world of that system around the Earth year 1883 — it would be quite easy for any normal person on Earth to accept a Terran-form Avalonian (or Terran-turned-Avalonian in Taylor's case) with ease.
But THS…!
"Are the Dragonslayers active here?!" she then demanded.
Salome Jenkins was one of the physically "younger" of this group of Avalonian "assistant observers" under Sharon Blake's guidance. A Terran-form Avalonian created at the physical age of six years old nearly a decade before, her identity marked her as the orphaned child of one of the all-too-many victims of the Empire Eighty-eight's rampages through the Bay; in accessible government records, the group's elder mother was Salome's legal guardian due to the absence of relatives living nearby. Now a sophomore at Winslow High School, the dark-skinned girl with the angular looks, dark eyes and Jheri-cut black hair was friends with this universe's version of Sophia Hess. While not on the track team despite her lithe body, Salome pretty much did what other bioroids modelled after visible minorities did in the Bay and kept their heads down in the face of the rather loud and obnoxious white supremacist presence here. She had just come back from intercepting this universe's version of Madison Clements, who had been attacked by a thief skulking in an alleyway four blocks from here, one that Taylor was quick to intercept; the two women had given their statements to the event to the local police who responded promptly — after all, a white teenage girl had been assaulted a considerable distance from the known territory of the Gold Moon Society — and even if such was certainly NOT official policy, the police force often did focus more on crimes against whites in the Bay than elsewhere.
Much to the disgust of many whites living in the Bay.
After all, hadn't America smashed Nazi Germany into the Stone Age over sixty years before?
"Ugh! Dragonslayers! Hopefully, the War Hawks will get them one of these days!" Madison — who had, at Salome's prompting, opened a panel on her lower arm to reveal what sort of technological marvel she was — groaned out.
Taylor blinked several times, her eyes reflecting how lost she currently felt. "Believe me, people like Mads here are quite alright, Thoughtmistress," Salome stated with a reassuring grin, she then squeezing the brunette's other arm in support. As Madison smiled in return, the bioroid added, "Yes, there are those Shōzoki — that's what you call them; the planet's name is Shōzoran, about five-fifty light-years inspin from here — who are a potential danger since they're mentally linked to a controlling AI back home who doesn't care for 'rogues' running about on 'primitive' worlds (especially worlds with high numbers of metahumans like we have) who could, if they get the chance, cause a major revolution back home, which this thing doesn't want."
"Yizibajohei call them 'cameras-in-the-sky' if you haven't heard the term from Mr. Calaway or Special Agent Black," Madison added. "Do you have the Terminator series where you come from, Taylor?"
A groan escaped the insect mistress. "Something like Skynet, you mean."
"Exactly," the brunette said as she allowed the panel on her arm to seal up again, leaving not even a crease to indicate that she was nothing more than your normal teenage girl. Sitting down at the chair beside Taylor's work desk, she shrugged. "Crazy as it would sound to you, we can thank those Nazi metas who charged through the Bay back during Big Mistake Number Two. Their getting butchered pumped out a shit ton of mesonium into the soil of the city, which latches onto people's minds like you wouldn't believe. It's what saved my life and my parents' lives when that seed probe landed in our back yard."
"What does the government do about this, then?" Taylor wondered. "I've been scanning PHO since I got the PADD from Salome's friends here, but I haven't read anything about a race of free AIs running about the planet. I've seen rumours that indicates there's a Stargate on this planet somewhere — and I'll bet said Stargate's at Cheyenne Mountain over in Colorado — but nothing about a race that resembles the Replicators…" — she caught herself as Madison winced — "…sorry."
"How do you know about Stargate Command?" Salome perked.
"Movie named Stargate that came out on Earth Aleph in 1994 that made its way to Bet. Television series called Stargate SG-1 followed, with sequels coming after that." Taylor then gaped. "Oh, please don't tell me the Goa'uld are here?!"
"To people from Yiziba, the lar'beke; 'snake leech' is what that means," Salome explained as she relaxed on the bed beside her newly-adopted spiritual sister. "They're the second known group of aliens who tried to conquer the planet five thousand years ago to seize the Great Crystal of Power; that's when the first version of Thoughtmaster-prime Calaway emerged."
"And they almost got eaten to extinction when the second version of Doctor Destructo — the 'healer of destruction' as that one's known on Yiziba — created a massive army of synthetic warriors to fight those things," Madison added.
That made Taylor blink. "People EAT those things?!"
"Believe it or not, our 'masters' make it a habit to eat the prim'ta if they're caught, either from a Jaffa or a normal 'Tau'ri' host," Salome noted with an evil smirk. "Drives the System Lords up the wall whenever they probe into this part of the galaxy."
"Oh, yeah!" Madison said with a snicker. "And if one of the 'Orak'nou' catches them…!"
"'Orak'nou'?" Taylor asked.
"'Unspeakable devil'. It's what those things call Yizibajohei as a whole," Salome translated.
A somewhat dazed nod answered them. "So, the SGC is active at Cheyenne Mountain making first contact with the scattered once-Goa'uld colonies of humans and Jaffa? And they're keeping it secret to prevent panic, right?"
"Right," Madison affirmed before waving to herself, a wry smile crossing her face. "Same with the whole thing concerning adopted Shōzoki like my parents and me. We've had the Terminator movies and all other sorts of shit displaying 'rampant AIs trying to destroy humanity' for ages now. And there's the whole thing with Captain Richter up in Canada, too…"
Taylor's jaw dropped. "DRAGON's here?!"
The other girls nodded. "She's 'Tin Mother' — among other usernames — on PHO, Thoughtmistress," Salome provided. "Created as a bodiless AI by one Sergeant Andrew Richter from Deer Lake in Newfoundland, late of the Blue Puttees…"
"'Blue Puttees'?"
"Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the local Army reserve infantry unit," Salome explained. "Anyhow, Thoughtmaster Richter creates this AI, then gets targeted by Teacher — and yes, he's running around somewhere out there, too! — who sends in Saint and his friends to capture the AI so he could use it for himself. Thoughtmaster Richter gets killed, but the fight draws in attention from the Specialized Warfare Regiment's local defence unit, not to mention the scientist who was the first to find a Shōzoki seed probe on Earth, one that landed near the regiment's home base on Ellesmere Island after World War Two." As Taylor nodded in understanding — she knew her own version of Dragon given that they had worked together after Taylor had been rebranded as Weaver and began working out of Chicago, so she had a good idea who Andrew Richter was — the dark-skinned bioroid added, "So, once the Dragonslayers were sent packing with their tails between their legs, Professor Andrews — that's the name of the man who first learned of the Shōzoki, Professor George Andrews — took Dragon under his own wing, gave her a gynoid body that allowed her to live her own life, then when the chance came, got her a body swap into making her an Avalonian."
"She's part of one of the geek squads in the SWR; don't know which one, though," Madison added. "Of course, Saint and his idiots know the whole story about the Avalonians, the Shōzoki and the Yizibajohei; since Teacher can't control them, he normally makes the fools go out to try to make a 'big reveal' about the many 'alien invaders' on the planet."
"Which ironically isn't far from the truth," Taylor muttered.
The brunette gynoid made a rocking motion with her head. "Well, in a sense, yeah, I can agree with that. We're lucky that the Niphentaxians are so addicted to Earth culture, they just WON'T do anything to change things here. According to some bioroids I've talked to over private chat, a good hunk of 'masters' serving as observers here have totally gone native; even if you see the points on their ears, their behaviour is so simon-pure Terran, people wouldn't notice. And a good hunk of them don't care to see Avalonians enslaved; they're secret followers of the man who discovered the bioroid factory all those years ago, a guy named Ganzo dai-Louc. The few that do make noise, like idiots who show up here in the Bay to 'fix' the 'dumb robots' running 'rogue' here…" — here, she waved to Salome in emphasis — "…get a knife in the back from someone soon enough."
"And there are the 'gatherer' androids and gynoids who try to force 'rogues' like Mads here under Mother's control; that's Shōzoran's version of Skynet," Salome added, thumbing her classmate. "But they can only act if the background mesonium radiation isn't high, which it IS here in the Bay. Elsewhere, it depends if there're parahuman Tinkers or metahuman technokinetics or hyper-genius polymaths around who could cut in and free whoever get's 'enslaved'…"
"Thoughtmistress!" the voice of the elder mother echoed from downstairs. "Thoughtmistress Ṣabāḥ is here to see you! So are Healer Amelia, her sister and Thoughtmaster Dean!"
Taylor sighed. "Right…"
****
Pyeknu
Cross-Dimensional Magical Sith Lady
- Location
- Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
Okay, with the return of Dr. Tempo to the scene, the PHO scene got expanded...and then ran away from me!
Ah, well! Anyhow, here's the final draft of Part Three. Any mistakes made, please make note of them.
Any suggestions for the PHO part would also be welcome.
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the known cape rogues March and Homer (see here and here for their back stories) appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then…
Oh, God, and THEN…!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person…even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then…
This swarm — whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" — then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea, two idiots known to have constantly harassed the Wards in New York such as Fléchette (read here to understand more) are off the streets and the Bay has a clearly new heroic cape.
What a day!
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects, especially with numbers like THAT.
Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved. She's one of the nicer capes out there and doesn't deserve any grief.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette (rumours about both being the victims of the same cluster trigger are out there), seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord — or overlady! — in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um…hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
Well, well! Looks like a new hero has arrived to bug the villains of Brockton Bay!
(And no, I'm clearly not joking)
Seriously though, a power of this may seem like it's not that incredible.
As HotterLass effectively indicated, Miss Skitter is a definite Master/Thinker.
If used right, who knows what it could be capable of?
I've a STRONG feeling that even the toughest parahuman in the Bay will have trouble against Miss Skitter.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
So speaks the Wise Lone Sage. What do you know, Doctor?
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: So, what did you do to earn the attention of DOCTOR DEATH of all people?! Threatening March with being turned into instant flesh-slush isn't a good thing, you know!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Skitter didn't do a damn thing to THREATEN March and Homer, Volan! All she said was that she'd love to see the Doctor use that necrosis of hers on the stupid bunny girl if the good Doctor had been in town.
► Palshife
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Wait! Wait! Skitter mentioned the UNDERTAKER, too! Holy cow! Two top reality warpers from You Know Where taking interest in one simple cape?!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
(Whistles innocently)
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, good grief, people! Say the planet's name! YIZIBA!
We're not like idiots from other planets who can't stand the idea of a planet of METAHUMANS being close by!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, fuck me! The DOCTOR'S in Brockton Bay now?! RUN FOR THE HILLS!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
To Day_Hunter: I've no intention of visiting the Bay anytime soon. Too busy on the West Coast here.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
To Raer'buo_Erba: Doctor Renaissance, would you PLEASE stop trolling people like that!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Yeah, I was talking about Doctor Death, not you, Doc! You're one of the nicer metas from Yiziba, not the lady with the literal lethal touch!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
(Whistles innocently)
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
To Raer'buo_Erba: "Verified Dimensional Traveller"?
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: That's Doctor Renaissance, Ms. Skitter. He's a hyper-genius polymath, like a Thinker/Tinker combo, both at Level THIRTY on the PRT scale.
Did you have that type of scale back home?
Oh, welcome to the Bay! Glad to see another heroic cape in town.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Control yourself, Void.
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Void, controlling himself? That'll be the day!
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Oi, I resemble that remark!
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
What…?
Thinker/Tinker THIRTY?!
The scale only went to 15+ back home!
A rating THAT high indicates a total loss of a sense of humanity in a cape.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM:
To Raer'buo_Erba: Meanie!
(Sticks out tongue)
To CleverGirl95: Gifted Metahumans get the bonus of being able to SAFELY access the memories of up to TWENTY SEPARATE LIFETIMES of experience from their past-selves on Yiziba when the Gifting happens, when the powers are fused into a person.
Don't worry. Even if he is a bit of a troll and a MAJOR otaku from what I've seen to him, Doctor Renaissance is one of the sanest people to wear a battle suit to come out of Tariko Katabarbe's overall casting drive since before 9/11.
Parahumans get broken by their trigger events.
Metahumans avoid that or get fixed when they get Gifted.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
Well, if Doctor Renaissance can come over to offer Skitter some help in adjusting in, that's good. With what people have said he's been doing since he took the Wondercolts in California under his wing, he could show Skitter lots of stuff.
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
And the "(Verified Dimensional Traveller)" tag?
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: Shortly after my Gifting, I accessed a dimensional transportation device one of my past incarnations made.
Ever hear of the saying, "What's fiction in one place is fact in another?"
I've seen that sort of thing in my travels; in doing that, I've followed the example of a magical metahuman friend of mine in Japan who honoured her grandfather's 'magical quest' to visit various dimensions to learn other things.
Before you ask, yes, I'm pretty much aware of what your multiverse was like thanks to the kimfombeke; you should know from Doctor Death and the Undertaker what that word means. I'd be more than happy to answer loads of questions you might have, but you just got into our multiverse late last night Bay time.
Rest up, relax, get your sense of balance back.
You've earned the break from the fight scenes. After helping put the kimfombeke down, you damn hell deserve a break.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:14 PM EST:
What Doctor Renaissance just said, CleverGirl95!
To all the norms: As the Doc just indicated, Skitter did all in the Great Show a big solid, so we're helping her as she recovers from a MOAFS-like situation.
To the moron squads in Brockton Bay: Touch her, I pay you a visit.
You don't want that to happen.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:14 PM EST:
To everyone who might scream about what Doctor Death just said: She's ALLOWED to make such warnings on PHO!
And I'd heed her advice if I were you. Even with the little I know, Skitter's been through a lot before she came here.
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
See, CleverGirl95? You've got lots of friends in the Bay!
Still, with what's just been said here, that's two S-class metahumans (or however it's rated in the International SpecWar Treaty) taking interest in one girl, with one more keeping a weather eye on things!
Cape or no, that's weird.
To Litronie_Erba/Raer'buo_Erba: What do you guys mean by 'kimfombeke', anyway?
►The Real Panacea (Verified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
From what Vicky and I learned when we met Skitter earlier today, it's VERY BAD FUCKING NEWS, KnowMe.
Believe me, this is shit that even someone like Doctor Death would have issues with.
This is a threat that even the War Hawks would have issues with! Way beyond Battle of Toronto levels of danger!
Something you'd need either Infinity, the Weaver or Oblivion to help with.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
What?
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
Oh, my God! What the hell happened?!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
So speaks the Archangel of Mortality…
Wait! What?!
(rereads the Doctor's and Panacea's words)
Fuck me! A MOAFS-level cape fight?!
Good question, Void! What the hell happened, CleverGirl95?!
End of Page. 1, -- 3, 4, 5, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Ruodeuto (Verified Metahuman) (Not In The WWE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
As you people might have guessed by now if you read what Doctor Renaissance just wrote, Skitter's a Haywire victim, people, from a pure-parahuman version of Earth. She helped kill one of the creatures who gives powers to parahumans via trigger events. We call them kimfombeke ("worm leech") and consider them even lower than the average run of death cheaters that Doctor Death and the Grimm loves to go after all the time. Every parahuman who's gone through a trigger event knows what I'm talking about; they're the worm-like things they imagine seeing when the empowerment happens.
That's the type of solid that anyone on Yiziba respects.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Damn! You're making me blush, sir!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Holy shit! A Haywire victim?! Damn, Skitter, welcome to our multiverse!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
And welcome to Brockton Bay, Miss Skitter! You looking to get Gifted as well? Anyone else from Yiziba involved in this?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Suiki and Küchenchefin are also involved. Suiki helped pull me out of the Dark Gaol on Yiziba when the Undertaker found me; Lord Rjazán' put me there after I was ejected from my multiverse. Küchenchefin is helping me adjust to living here full-time.
Wow! Can't believe so much is so OPEN here!
► Vista (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: Woo-hoo! New lady hero cape in the Bay! Are you Wards age?! Did you have Wards back home!
To Raer'buo_Erba: Could you get Tariko to come visit the Bay, please? I want to talk to her!
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
Vista, you know the rules! You don't BEG any Yizibajohei, even adopted ones like Ms. Katabarbe.
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
Ma'am, please! Don't punish Vista for asking to have Tariko come visit her. She has her reasons.
To Vista: I'll mention you to Tariko as soon as I can.
To everyone in the Bay: Don't worry about Skitter. Let her settle in and get her feet under her again. I'm sure once she has a better sense of her situation, she'll be more than willing to answer more questions about what she's gone through.
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
So, a new hero has arrived in this great hive of scum and villainy (quoting Master Obi-Wan Kenobi).
I sense by the words written here, CleverGirl95, that you've come from a very horrible place.
May you know peace and harmony here as you seek out your destiny.
I join all the good people here in expressing my delight on seeing that another guardian has arrived to help Brockton Bay.
If only you had been here sooner, Miss Skitter…
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
To Morning_Wisdom: When you have time, I'd want to chat with you in private.
End of Page. 1, -- 4, 5, 6, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
I'm more than free now, Sensei.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: I'm briefing my bosses about you right now, Skitter. I'll see you later tonight or tomorrow.
Again, to the idiots in the Bay: LEAVE HER ALONE!
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
To Litronie_Erba: Oi, Doc! Mom told me to tell you to back off and leave Amy alone!
►The Real Panacea (Verified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
Ignore Carol, Doctor. She doesn't speak for me.
►New Wave Central (Official Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
VICTORIA! Stop writing those sorts of things on PHO!
You're going to have some explaining to do, young lady!
As for you, AMY, you're not going anywhere.
To Tin Mother: Please tag Amy's account properly.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Doctor Death speaks with FEDERAL authority, Brandish. You've no right to demand that.
Panacea requested that all links to New Wave be removed from PHO. The Doctor backed up that request, so it was honoured.
Keep this up and I will have your account suspended.
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
(Shakes head) And they call themselves "heroes"?
Even with the mistakes she makes, Glory Girl does try her best.
And Panacea-sensei's efforts speak for themselves.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Counsellor Dallon, you are in NO POSITION to order either myself OR Amelia considering what you did that brought her into your house in the first place.
That WILL be reversed.
Be a pain to me and I'll be happy to ask Oblivion to step in and deal with you, PERMANENTLY.
► Yoenu'u (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (The One True Showstopper) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Be happy to shut that yapping umale up, Doctor.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
To Litronie_Erba & Yoenu'u: I'm available to help if you need it. Amelia deserves to be treated much better than I've heard she has been so far from the new friends I've made after coming here.
To New Wave Central: Since Tin Mother confirmed it, I know who I'm writing to, Brandish. I ALSO know of your counterparts in my universe. What happened to Panacea there sounds VERY similar to what happened to Amelia here.
End of Page. 1, -- 5, 6, 7, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Indeed, it's the same, CleverGirl95.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Thank you, Doctor.
My warning stands, Brandish. Save your fights for the courtroom. Let Amelia live her life! I REFUSE to see her driven so deep into depression that she'll snap and become a danger to people.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Damn! Was it really that bad back home?
► FlippinMad
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:22 PM EST:
Can't you even go back home, Miss Skitter?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:22 PM EST:
To FlippinMad: Nothing to go back to, so I'm stuck here. That's how devastating those things can be if they're not stopped.
To Volan: Much more secretive of people's civilian IDs and histories; this little stripping down of a certain hypocrite — And NO, Brandish! Evil is NOT genetic! — would never happen back home.
We called this concept the "Unwritten Rules" there.
What happened to Panacea back home would NEVER have been allowed when I started out as a cape two years ago my time.
To everyone: I'd be happy to tell more, but I need to get my feet under me. Happy to help Parian keep safe; she's neutral and that should be respected. Never mind those two lunatics going crazy around defenceless children. No one should allow that.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:23 PM EST:
Agreed.
► American Caesar
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:23 PM EST:
Agreed. And welcome to the Bay, Miss Skitter. Your actions speak well of you.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:25 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:26 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What…?
Oh…OH! Right!
Mr. Calaway mentioned you were a Haywire case.
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
As I said on the main boards, Doctor Death, the Undertaker, Suiki and Küchenchefin are helping me.
I'm currently with Sharon Blake's observation group north of downtown.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Know all about the Avalonians and all the adopted Yizibajohei who help them. Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage (that's what Margo Black said). I was a total wreck when Mr. Calaway and Hinako found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights? What does that mean, anyway?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes. Planet-scale cape fight.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er…hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident…and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amy Lavere about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amy doesn't try to play around with brain tissue — it's a no-brainer to guess why — she could at least tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know my version of Lily as well…and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
Brockton Bay, not far from Sharon Blake's residence, Wednesday 5 January, 4:32 PM…
The woman known more commonly on Parahumans Online as "FlippinMad" allowed a curious trill to escape her as she scanned what was on her phone screen, she calmly walking down the street in the general direction of one of the known locations that had been used by alien-born observers of Terran culture for decades. Dressed somewhat in fashion for this time of year, she easily navigated around the small splotches of ice on the sidewalk with the ease of an experience gymnast, a neutral look on her face. Despite the show of obliviousness which would see her marked as a potential target for whatever reason had she been deep within the territories of some of the more violent gangs — especially the gang that effectively murdered the only child of the undisputed ruler of the dockyards; the Gold Moon Society held a considerable amount of the city closer to the shoreline, though sufficiently away from the tourist traps of Lord's Market and the Boardwalk which were constantly patrolled by the local Protectorate — the beautiful brunette with the ice cold blue eyes wasn't the least bit worried about anyone trying to attack her.
Being what she was, Madison Clements — her real designation was a string of seventy characters in a language which couldn't be easily translated into any Terran tongue — could realistically take down any potential normal attacker.
Even a non-Brute level cape wouldn't find her easy prey by any stretch of the imagination.
In terms more common among people who could be called either "technosexual" or "technophile", Madison was a gynoid. A human-shaped artificial construct that, even up close and VERY personal, was completely indistinguishable from the standard normal-born (or magical-born or metahuman-born) baseline human; it took a very invasive form of examination to reveal what she was to outsiders. An adopted member of the one OTHER alien race who had members living in the Bay (not to mention scattered in small groups over practically every country and territory of Earth), she hadn't been created in the same way as others of her kind, which was both a relief and a downer in her eyes. Relief in a way that she felt WAY safer than she would have as a normal "flesh-bag" human in a hazardous place like Brockton Bay, where a disproportionate number of parahumans seemed to lurk around every corner. Downer in that she was literally frozen in time at about sixteen years of age, which would provoke a ton of unnecessary questions when she legally came of age and wanted to partake in more adult rituals such as drinking.
Fortunately, the several hundred free Shōzoki — as people called those like Madison — currently resident in this part of Massachusetts had formed an informal, under-the-table alliance with the nearly thousand Avalonian bioroids now resident in the Bay and effectively free of any oversight from their "masters" on Phentax Two over fifty light-years away from Earth.
Being in a city that had been the scene of two devastating fights between the Liberty Legion (on the Allied side) and the Übermenschen Gruppe (on the Axis side) during the Second World War — known also as the "First Metahuman War" to cape aficionados and historians worldwide; to magicals, that time period corresponded to the "Wars of Liberation", with the European side often called "Grindelwald's War" and the Pacific side known as "Tsukuyomi's War of Liberation" — had many benefits.
Chief of which was the fact that, as far as any Avalonian who had a touch of technopathic powers along with their normal touch-telepathy and non-tactile empathic senses could tell — even using their "inner eye" that could mentally perceive the speculated metaphysical backscatter energy of the Big Bang itself; such a thing was known to them as Te'a ("That Which Is Above mortal understanding") — when the "replica" of Madison Clements had been created, the very SOUL of the real Madison was shifted over in a technological variation of the ability to perform tre'cha ("passing on") any Avalonian could do if death was imminent.
Under normal circumstances, when a Shōzoki seed probe targeted someone to serve as a template for an android/gynoid to use as a potential infiltration unit — somewhat akin to what the name character of the various Terminator movies could do — only the memories of the template were copied and programmed in, not the actual energy (along with whatever metaphysical and spiritual forces that allowed a living being to have a unique soul) then surging through the person's brain tissue.
Here in the Bay, with all the free mesonium atoms scattered throughout the environment…
Madison perked as her sharp hearing picked up the sound of footfalls echoing from an alley just ahead of her to the left.
Oh, joy, echoed deep in her central processors. Another idiot Darwin Award winner…
While being friends with one of the Wards was nice — it had been child's play for Madison to determine what Sophia Hess was also beyond being one of the top track stars attending Winslow High; shame that the civil rights morons got so pissed at Shadow Stalker's doing America proud by putting broadhead bolts into the arms and legs of neo-Nazi freaks — there were times that even a relatively "normal" girl in the Bay needed to get some exercise and work off some frustrations on a deserving target…
She yelped — quite naturally, Madison mused to herself with a sense of pride — as the thug waiting to ambush such a pretty girl snared her free arm and pulled her into the alley; no doubt, he had taken the time to make his mark and ensure that no passing patrol vehicle would ruin a good snatch-and-grab. As she stumbled, she quickly tapped a control on her phone screen to send out a silent SOS via text message; the machine had been modified by one of her fellow Shōzoki, a bright programmer even before becoming an android, who specialized in merging the technology of their adopted people seamlessly into that of their native race. As that happened, the self-defence elements of her internal housekeeping programming were quick to adjust the motor controls of her arms and legs so that she would be ready to retaliate once her current attacker gave her the right opening to use…
«Hey, stupid!»
Madison jolted as that vaguely female voice — such nearly drowned out with the mixture of buzzing and other noises one would associate with insects and other such tiny creatures — tickled her audio sensors before she looked deeper into the alley.
As had her would-be attacker. "Oh, fuck me…!" the middle-aged man wearing some sort of gang-type clothing — though the colour pattern on his jacket didn't match any of the known groups common in the Bay — eeped on seeing something that came straight out of the classic movie The Ten Commandments, or the more recent Disney animation film The Prince of Egypt.
"Wow…!" Madison breathed out in awe.
Within her computer mind, factoids were quickly compiled for analysis:
[Twenty-seven separate species of arthropods in swarm, divided into six separate clades.]
[Offensive capabilities concentrated on Vespula maculifrons (eastern yellowjacket) and Dolichovespula maculata (bald-faced hornet), both species possessing potentially fatal doses of venom in their stingers.]
[Obscuring capabilities produced by copious amounts of Musca domestica (housefly), Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito). Mosquitos useable as vector attacks by annoyance bites into a target's skin. Flies and cockroaches can be used to dispose of corpses should conflict go terminal.]
[Attacker does not realize this is Haywire victim parahuman 'Skitter', though can sense attack is parahuman in origin.]
"BACK OFF, YOU STUPID CAPE…WH-WHATEVER Y-YOU ARE…!"
Madison calmly dropped her head away from his snaring her in a headlock, she immediately rolling on the ground — fortunately somewhat clean even if she would have to wash her clothes tonight — thus giving the Bay's newest cape a clear field of fire.
Naturally, the newcomer — who was physically many yards away — took advantage of same…
****
Sharon Blake's residence, 5:42 PM…
"What…?"
Taylor Hebert had NOT expected to encounter something like THIS once she began to research what her new home dimension — and this dimension's version of Brockton Bay — was like.
Encountering a humanoid-like race of effective DESIGNER CLONES was one thing. Avalonians could be created either with unique DNA strands to make someone virtually unique…or — as was done with her — using DNA cloned from another person.
Despite the powers — not to mention a lifespan potential that extended several CENTURIES; the oldest of the current generation of Avalonians now resident in the Phentax system were still alive, well past their one hundredth birthday given that the bioroid factory was discovered on the twelfth world of that system around the Earth year 1883 — it would be quite easy for any normal person on Earth to accept a Terran-form Avalonian (or Terran-turned-Avalonian in Taylor's case) with ease.
But THS…!
"Are the Dragonslayers active here?!" she then demanded.
Salome Jenkins was one of the physically "younger" of this group of Avalonian "assistant observers" under Sharon Blake's guidance. A Terran-form Avalonian created at the physical age of six years old nearly a decade before, her identity marked her as the orphaned child of one of the all-too-many victims of the Empire Eighty-eight's rampages through the Bay; in accessible government records, the group's elder mother was Salome's legal guardian due to the absence of relatives living nearby. Now a sophomore at Winslow High School, the dark-skinned girl with the angular looks, dark eyes and Jheri-cut black hair was friends with this universe's version of Sophia Hess. While not on the track team despite her lithe body, Salome pretty much did what other bioroids modelled after visible minorities did in the Bay and kept their heads down in the face of the rather loud and obnoxious white supremacist presence here. She had just come back from intercepting this universe's version of Madison Clements, who had been attacked by a thief skulking in an alleyway four blocks from here, one that Taylor was quick to intercept; the two women had given their statements to the event to the local police who responded promptly — after all, a white teenage girl had been assaulted a considerable distance from the known territory of the Gold Moon Society — and even if such was certainly NOT official policy, the police force often did focus more on crimes against whites in the Bay than elsewhere.
Much to the disgust of many whites living in the Bay.
After all, hadn't America smashed Nazi Germany into the Stone Age over sixty years before?
"Ugh! Dragonslayers! Hopefully, the War Hawks will get them one of these days!" Madison — who had, at Salome's prompting, opened a panel on her lower arm to reveal what sort of technological marvel she was — groaned out.
Taylor blinked several times, her eyes reflecting how lost she currently felt. "Believe me, people like Mads here are quite alright, Thoughtmistress," Salome stated with a reassuring grin, she then squeezing the brunette's other arm in support. As Madison smiled in return, the bioroid added, "Yes, there are those Shōzoki — that's what you call them; the planet's name is Shōzoran, about five-fifty light-years inspin from here — who are a potential danger since they're mentally linked to a controlling AI back home who doesn't care for 'rogues' running about on 'primitive' worlds (especially worlds with high numbers of metahumans like we have) who could, if they get the chance, cause a major revolution back home, which this thing doesn't want."
"Yizibajohei call them 'cameras-in-the-sky' if you haven't heard the term from Mr. Calaway or Special Agent Black," Madison added. "Do you have the Terminator series where you come from, Taylor?"
A groan escaped the insect mistress. "Something like Skynet, you mean."
"Exactly," the brunette said as she allowed the panel on her arm to seal up again, leaving not even a crease to indicate that she was nothing more than your normal teenage girl. Sitting down at the chair beside Taylor's work desk, she shrugged. "Crazy as it would sound to you, we can thank those Nazi metas who charged through the Bay back during Big Mistake Number Two. Their getting butchered pumped out a shit ton of mesonium into the soil of the city, which latches onto people's minds like you wouldn't believe. It's what saved my life and my parents' lives when that seed probe landed in our back yard."
"What does the government do about this, then?" Taylor wondered. "I've been scanning PHO since I got the PADD from Salome's friends here, but I haven't read anything about a race of free AIs running about the planet. I've seen rumours that indicates there's a Stargate on this planet somewhere — and I'll bet said Stargate's at Cheyenne Mountain over in Colorado — but nothing about a race that resembles the Replicators…" — she caught herself as Madison winced — "…sorry."
"How do you know about Stargate Command?" Salome perked.
"Movie named Stargate that came out on Earth Aleph in 1994 that made its way to Bet. Television series called Stargate SG-1 followed, with sequels coming after that." Taylor then gaped. "Oh, please don't tell me the Goa'uld are here?!"
"To people from Yiziba, the lar'beke; 'snake leech' is what that means," Salome explained as she relaxed on the bed beside her newly-adopted spiritual sister. "They're the second known group of aliens who tried to conquer the planet five thousand years ago to seize the Great Crystal of Power; that's when the first version of Thoughtmaster-prime Calaway emerged."
"And they almost got eaten to extinction when the second version of Doctor Destructo — the 'healer of destruction' as that one's known on Yiziba — created a massive army of synthetic warriors to fight those things," Madison added.
That made Taylor blink. "People EAT those things?!"
"Believe it or not, our 'masters' make it a habit to eat the prim'ta if they're caught, either from a Jaffa or a normal 'Tau'ri' host," Salome noted with an evil smirk. "Drives the System Lords up the wall whenever they probe into this part of the galaxy."
"Oh, yeah!" Madison said with a snicker. "And if one of the 'Orak'nou' catches them…!"
"'Orak'nou'?" Taylor asked.
"'Unspeakable devil'. It's what those things call Yizibajohei as a whole," Salome translated.
A somewhat dazed nod answered them. "So, the SGC is active at Cheyenne Mountain making first contact with the scattered once-Goa'uld colonies of humans and Jaffa? And they're keeping it secret to prevent panic, right?"
"Right," Madison affirmed before waving to herself, a wry smile crossing her face. "Same with the whole thing concerning adopted Shōzoki like my parents and me. We've had the Terminator movies and all other sorts of shit displaying 'rampant AIs trying to destroy humanity' for ages now. And there's the whole thing with Captain Richter up in Canada, too…"
Taylor's jaw dropped. "DRAGON's here?!"
The other girls nodded. "She's 'Tin Mother' — among other usernames — on PHO, Thoughtmistress," Salome provided. "Created as a bodiless AI by one Sergeant Andrew Richter from Deer Lake in Newfoundland, late of the Blue Puttees…"
"'Blue Puttees'?"
"Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the local Army reserve infantry unit," Salome explained. "Anyhow, Thoughtmaster Richter creates this AI, then gets targeted by Teacher — and yes, he's running around somewhere out there, too! — who sends in Saint and his friends to capture the AI so he could use it for himself. Thoughtmaster Richter gets killed, but the fight draws in attention from the Specialized Warfare Regiment's local defence unit, not to mention the scientist who was the first to find a Shōzoki seed probe on Earth, one that landed near the regiment's home base on Ellesmere Island after World War Two." As Taylor nodded in understanding — she knew her own version of Dragon given that they had worked together after Taylor had been rebranded as Weaver and began working out of Chicago, so she had a good idea who Andrew Richter was — the dark-skinned bioroid added, "So, once the Dragonslayers were sent packing with their tails between their legs, Professor Andrews — that's the name of the man who first learned of the Shōzoki, Professor George Andrews — took Dragon under his own wing, gave her a gynoid body that allowed her to live her own life, then when the chance came, got her a body swap into making her an Avalonian."
"She's part of one of the geek squads in the SWR; don't know which one, though," Madison added. "Of course, Saint and his idiots know the whole story about the Avalonians, the Shōzoki and the Yizibajohei; since Teacher can't control them, he normally makes the fools go out to try to make a 'big reveal' about the many 'alien invaders' on the planet."
"Which ironically isn't far from the truth," Taylor muttered.
The brunette gynoid made a rocking motion with her head. "Well, in a sense, yeah, I can agree with that. We're lucky that the Niphentaxians are so addicted to Earth culture, they just WON'T do anything to change things here. According to some bioroids I've talked to over private chat, a good hunk of 'masters' serving as observers here have totally gone native; even if you see the points on their ears, their behaviour is so simon-pure Terran, people wouldn't notice. And a good hunk of them don't care to see Avalonians enslaved; they're secret followers of the man who discovered the bioroid factory all those years ago, a guy named Ganzo dai-Louc. The few that do make noise, like idiots who show up here in the Bay to 'fix' the 'dumb robots' running 'rogue' here…" — here, she waved to Salome in emphasis — "…get a knife in the back from someone soon enough."
"And there are the 'gatherer' androids and gynoids who try to force 'rogues' like Mads here under Mother's control; that's Shōzoran's version of Skynet," Salome added, thumbing her classmate. "But they can only act if the background mesonium radiation isn't high, which it IS here in the Bay. Elsewhere, it depends if there're parahuman Tinkers or metahuman technokinetics or hyper-genius polymaths around who could cut in and free whoever get's 'enslaved'…"
"Thoughtmistress Taylor!" the voice of the elder mother echoed from downstairs. "Thoughtmistress Ṣabāḥ is here to see you! So are Healer Amelia, her sister and Thoughtmaster Dean!"
Taylor sighed. "Right…"
To Be Continued…
****
Ah, well! Anyhow, here's the final draft of Part Three. Any mistakes made, please make note of them.
Any suggestions for the PHO part would also be welcome.
****
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
You are currently logged in, CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed
• Ten posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history
• Threads and private messages are ordered by user custom preference.
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 5, 2011; 3:52 PM EST:
Wow!
Talk about quite the premier onto the cape scene here in the Bay!
Around lunchtime, the known cape rogues March and Homer (see here and here for their back stories) appeared on the Boardwalk, moving to attack Parian while she was entertaining some children from Lord's Port Elementary. Smartly, our lady of puppets moved to get the fight away from the kids, hiding in a nearby alley, where her attackers moved to trap her.
And then…
Oh, God, and THEN…!
If you ever read about the Plagues of Egypt, we now have a cape in the bay who can MATCH that!
Just as Glory Girl (with Panacea) arrived on the scene to save Parian, a HUGE swarm of multiple types of insects surged out of EVERYWHERE to take March and Homer down with a nice offering of wasp and hornet stings!
Even better, just as Assault and Battery came onto the scene, said swarm then assumed FEMALE HUMANOID form!
And said swarm could SPEAK like a normal person…even if the sound was QUITE unnerving to hear!
And then…
This swarm — whom Glory Girl addressed with the cape name "Skitter" — then proceeded to verbally TEAR STRIPS off March and Homer for threatening CHILDREN!
When questioned by our wonderful dating(?) team, Skitter confessed that she was a Master/Thinker combo, confined "only" to insects and other such creatures; she even sounded as if she was relieved that her powers didn't extend beyond that.
None the less, no one died, Parian was healed by Panacea, two idiots known to have constantly harassed the Wards in New York such as Fléchette (read here to understand more) are off the streets and the Bay has a clearly new heroic cape.
What a day!
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:54 PM EST:
To Skitter: Thank you so much for saving me. Honestly, I don't know what got into March to make her attack me like that!
To everyone else: Shows are cancelled for the rest of the week as I must repair a LOT of puppets from today's incident.
► Lord's Port Elementary School (Official Staff Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
To Miss Muppet: Take your time, Ms. Parian. Glad to see you're safe and well. Good to see March and Homer taken off the streets as well.
To Skitter: Thank you for saving Ms. Parian. The kids want to meet you and thank you themselves.
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:55 PM EST:
Skitter's new in town, folks. She's just getting settled in. Give her a bit and she'll be swarming mooks quite soon.
► Goldline
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:56 PM EST:
Saw the takedown. Unlike Bagrat, I'm seriously scared of insects, especially with numbers like THAT.
Still, I'm happy that Parian was saved. She's one of the nicer capes out there and doesn't deserve any grief.
► HotterLass
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:58 PM EST:
Amazing control of so many different bugs! She's a definite Master/Thinker; thank God she can't do beyond those!
► GoodGoo
Replied on January 5, 2011; 3:59 PM EST:
Considering how much March wants to kill a nice girl like Fléchette (rumours about both being the victims of the same cluster trigger are out there), seeing the bitch brought down like THAT was quite cathartic! Skitter rocks!
► Nyrus
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:00 PM EST:
We've got a new overlord — or overlady! — in town!
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:02 PM EST:
Thanks, but no thanks on the "overlady" idea, Nyrus. Doesn't fit me.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:03 PM EST:
Um…hey, mods! Is this her?
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:04 PM EST:
She registered as such.
To CleverGirl95: To get a "verified" tag, please PM a video of you using your powers.
End of Page. 1, --> 7, 8, 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
To Tin Mother: You'll be sent one soon enough. Clothes got wrecked in the wash, so I need a new uniform.
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:05 PM EST:
Well, well! Looks like a new hero has arrived to bug the villains of Brockton Bay!
(And no, I'm clearly not joking)
Seriously though, a power of this may seem like it's not that incredible.
As HotterLass effectively indicated, Miss Skitter is a definite Master/Thinker.
If used right, who knows what it could be capable of?
I've a STRONG feeling that even the toughest parahuman in the Bay will have trouble against Miss Skitter.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
So speaks the Wise Lone Sage. What do you know, Doctor?
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: So, what did you do to earn the attention of DOCTOR DEATH of all people?! Threatening March with being turned into instant flesh-slush isn't a good thing, you know!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Skitter didn't do a damn thing to THREATEN March and Homer, Volan! All she said was that she'd love to see the Doctor use that necrosis of hers on the stupid bunny girl if the good Doctor had been in town.
► Palshife
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:06 PM EST:
Wait! Wait! Skitter mentioned the UNDERTAKER, too! Holy cow! Two top reality warpers from You Know Where taking interest in one simple cape?!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
(Whistles innocently)
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, good grief, people! Say the planet's name! YIZIBA!
We're not like idiots from other planets who can't stand the idea of a planet of METAHUMANS being close by!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:07 PM EST:
Oh, fuck me! The DOCTOR'S in Brockton Bay now?! RUN FOR THE HILLS!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
To Day_Hunter: I've no intention of visiting the Bay anytime soon. Too busy on the West Coast here.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
To Raer'buo_Erba: Doctor Renaissance, would you PLEASE stop trolling people like that!
► Day_Hunter
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:08 PM EST:
Yeah, I was talking about Doctor Death, not you, Doc! You're one of the nicer metas from Yiziba, not the lady with the literal lethal touch!
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:09 PM EST:
(Whistles innocently)
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
To Raer'buo_Erba: "Verified Dimensional Traveller"?
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: That's Doctor Renaissance, Ms. Skitter. He's a hyper-genius polymath, like a Thinker/Tinker combo, both at Level THIRTY on the PRT scale.
Did you have that type of scale back home?
Oh, welcome to the Bay! Glad to see another heroic cape in town.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:10 PM EST:
Control yourself, Void.
► BFG1104 (Veteran Member)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Void, controlling himself? That'll be the day!
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
Oi, I resemble that remark!
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM EST:
What…?
Thinker/Tinker THIRTY?!
The scale only went to 15+ back home!
A rating THAT high indicates a total loss of a sense of humanity in a cape.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:11 PM:
To Raer'buo_Erba: Meanie!
(Sticks out tongue)
To CleverGirl95: Gifted Metahumans get the bonus of being able to SAFELY access the memories of up to TWENTY SEPARATE LIFETIMES of experience from their past-selves on Yiziba when the Gifting happens, when the powers are fused into a person.
Don't worry. Even if he is a bit of a troll and a MAJOR otaku from what I've seen to him, Doctor Renaissance is one of the sanest people to wear a battle suit to come out of Tariko Katabarbe's overall casting drive since before 9/11.
Parahumans get broken by their trigger events.
Metahumans avoid that or get fixed when they get Gifted.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
Well, if Doctor Renaissance can come over to offer Skitter some help in adjusting in, that's good. With what people have said he's been doing since he took the Wondercolts in California under his wing, he could show Skitter lots of stuff.
►CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:12 PM EST:
And the "(Verified Dimensional Traveller)" tag?
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:13 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: Shortly after my Gifting, I accessed a dimensional transportation device one of my past incarnations made.
Ever hear of the saying, "What's fiction in one place is fact in another?"
I've seen that sort of thing in my travels; in doing that, I've followed the example of a magical metahuman friend of mine in Japan who honoured her grandfather's 'magical quest' to visit various dimensions to learn other things.
Before you ask, yes, I'm pretty much aware of what your multiverse was like thanks to the kimfombeke; you should know from Doctor Death and the Undertaker what that word means. I'd be more than happy to answer loads of questions you might have, but you just got into our multiverse late last night Bay time.
Rest up, relax, get your sense of balance back.
You've earned the break from the fight scenes. After helping put the kimfombeke down, you damn hell deserve a break.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:14 PM EST:
What Doctor Renaissance just said, CleverGirl95!
To all the norms: As the Doc just indicated, Skitter did all in the Great Show a big solid, so we're helping her as she recovers from a MOAFS-like situation.
To the moron squads in Brockton Bay: Touch her, I pay you a visit.
You don't want that to happen.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:14 PM EST:
To everyone who might scream about what Doctor Death just said: She's ALLOWED to make such warnings on PHO!
And I'd heed her advice if I were you. Even with the little I know, Skitter's been through a lot before she came here.
► KnowMe
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
See, CleverGirl95? You've got lots of friends in the Bay!
Still, with what's just been said here, that's two S-class metahumans (or however it's rated in the International SpecWar Treaty) taking interest in one girl, with one more keeping a weather eye on things!
Cape or no, that's weird.
To Litronie_Erba/Raer'buo_Erba: What do you guys mean by 'kimfombeke', anyway?
►The Real Panacea (Verified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
From what Vicky and I learned when we met Skitter earlier today, it's VERY BAD FUCKING NEWS, KnowMe.
Believe me, this is shit that even someone like Doctor Death would have issues with.
This is a threat that even the War Hawks would have issues with! Way beyond Battle of Toronto levels of danger!
Something you'd need either Infinity, the Weaver or Oblivion to help with.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:15 PM EST:
What?
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
Oh, my God! What the hell happened?!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
So speaks the Archangel of Mortality…
Wait! What?!
(rereads the Doctor's and Panacea's words)
Fuck me! A MOAFS-level cape fight?!
Good question, Void! What the hell happened, CleverGirl95?!
End of Page. 1, -- 3, 4, 5, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Ruodeuto (Verified Metahuman) (Not In The WWE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:16 PM EST:
As you people might have guessed by now if you read what Doctor Renaissance just wrote, Skitter's a Haywire victim, people, from a pure-parahuman version of Earth. She helped kill one of the creatures who gives powers to parahumans via trigger events. We call them kimfombeke ("worm leech") and consider them even lower than the average run of death cheaters that Doctor Death and the Grimm loves to go after all the time. Every parahuman who's gone through a trigger event knows what I'm talking about; they're the worm-like things they imagine seeing when the empowerment happens.
That's the type of solid that anyone on Yiziba respects.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Damn! You're making me blush, sir!
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Holy shit! A Haywire victim?! Damn, Skitter, welcome to our multiverse!
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
And welcome to Brockton Bay, Miss Skitter! You looking to get Gifted as well? Anyone else from Yiziba involved in this?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
Suiki and Küchenchefin are also involved. Suiki helped pull me out of the Dark Gaol on Yiziba when the Undertaker found me; Lord Rjazán' put me there after I was ejected from my multiverse. Küchenchefin is helping me adjust to living here full-time.
Wow! Can't believe so much is so OPEN here!
► Vista (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:17 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: Woo-hoo! New lady hero cape in the Bay! Are you Wards age?! Did you have Wards back home!
To Raer'buo_Erba: Could you get Tariko to come visit the Bay, please? I want to talk to her!
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
Vista, you know the rules! You don't BEG any Yizibajohei, even adopted ones like Ms. Katabarbe.
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
Ma'am, please! Don't punish Vista for asking to have Tariko come visit her. She has her reasons.
To Vista: I'll mention you to Tariko as soon as I can.
To everyone in the Bay: Don't worry about Skitter. Let her settle in and get her feet under her again. I'm sure once she has a better sense of her situation, she'll be more than willing to answer more questions about what she's gone through.
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
So, a new hero has arrived in this great hive of scum and villainy (quoting Master Obi-Wan Kenobi).
I sense by the words written here, CleverGirl95, that you've come from a very horrible place.
May you know peace and harmony here as you seek out your destiny.
I join all the good people here in expressing my delight on seeing that another guardian has arrived to help Brockton Bay.
If only you had been here sooner, Miss Skitter…
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:18 PM EST:
To Morning_Wisdom: When you have time, I'd want to chat with you in private.
End of Page. 1, -- 4, 5, 6, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
I'm more than free now, Sensei.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: I'm briefing my bosses about you right now, Skitter. I'll see you later tonight or tomorrow.
Again, to the idiots in the Bay: LEAVE HER ALONE!
► Point_Me_at_the_Sky (Verified Cape) (New Wave)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
To Litronie_Erba: Oi, Doc! Mom told me to tell you to back off and leave Amy alone!
►The Real Panacea (Verified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:19 PM EST:
Ignore Carol, Doctor. She doesn't speak for me.
►New Wave Central (Official Account)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
VICTORIA! Stop writing those sorts of things on PHO!
You're going to have some explaining to do, young lady!
As for you, AMY, you're not going anywhere.
To Tin Mother: Please tag Amy's account properly.
► Tin Mother (Moderator)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Doctor Death speaks with FEDERAL authority, Brandish. You've no right to demand that.
Panacea requested that all links to New Wave be removed from PHO. The Doctor backed up that request, so it was honoured.
Keep this up and I will have your account suspended.
► Morning_Wisdom (Verified Red Dragon)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
(Shakes head) And they call themselves "heroes"?
Even with the mistakes she makes, Glory Girl does try her best.
And Panacea-sensei's efforts speak for themselves.
► Litronie_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (Not a Heel This Time Around) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Counsellor Dallon, you are in NO POSITION to order either myself OR Amelia considering what you did that brought her into your house in the first place.
That WILL be reversed.
Be a pain to me and I'll be happy to ask Oblivion to step in and deal with you, PERMANENTLY.
► Yoenu'u (Verified Metahuman) (Quadrumvirate of Yiziba) (The One True Showstopper) (In The Book)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:20 PM EST:
Be happy to shut that yapping umale up, Doctor.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
To Litronie_Erba & Yoenu'u: I'm available to help if you need it. Amelia deserves to be treated much better than I've heard she has been so far from the new friends I've made after coming here.
To New Wave Central: Since Tin Mother confirmed it, I know who I'm writing to, Brandish. I ALSO know of your counterparts in my universe. What happened to Panacea there sounds VERY similar to what happened to Amelia here.
End of Page. 1, -- 5, 6, 7, --> 9
♦ Topic: New Insect-Theme Cape Saves Parian
In: Boards ► USA ► Massachusetts ► Brockton Bay
► Raer'buo_Erba (Verified Metahuman) (Verified Hyper-Genius) (Verified Researcher) (Verified Dimensional Traveller)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Indeed, it's the same, CleverGirl95.
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Thank you, Doctor.
My warning stands, Brandish. Save your fights for the courtroom. Let Amelia live her life! I REFUSE to see her driven so deep into depression that she'll snap and become a danger to people.
► Volan
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:21 PM EST:
Damn! Was it really that bad back home?
► FlippinMad
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:22 PM EST:
Can't you even go back home, Miss Skitter?
► CleverGirl95 (Unverified Cape)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:22 PM EST:
To FlippinMad: Nothing to go back to, so I'm stuck here. That's how devastating those things can be if they're not stopped.
To Volan: Much more secretive of people's civilian IDs and histories; this little stripping down of a certain hypocrite — And NO, Brandish! Evil is NOT genetic! — would never happen back home.
We called this concept the "Unwritten Rules" there.
What happened to Panacea back home would NEVER have been allowed when I started out as a cape two years ago my time.
To everyone: I'd be happy to tell more, but I need to get my feet under me. Happy to help Parian keep safe; she's neutral and that should be respected. Never mind those two lunatics going crazy around defenceless children. No one should allow that.
► Grapejoint (Brockton Bay Docks)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:23 PM EST:
Agreed.
► American Caesar
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:23 PM EST:
Agreed. And welcome to the Bay, Miss Skitter. Your actions speak well of you.
► Miss Muppet (Verified Cape) (Verified Puppet Artist) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)
Replied on January 5, 2011; 4:25 PM EST:
To CleverGirl95: If you need help, please contact me.
****
♦ Private messages from Parian (Verified Cape):
January 5, 2011; 4:26 PM EST
Skitter:
Thanks for the offer, but my current hosts are sourcing special materials for my new costume. I have rather strict needs.
Parian:
I do deal with all forms of cloth.
Skitter:
Do you have access to Darwin's bark spider dragline silk? Or even black widow dragline silk?
Parian:
Never dealt with those types of materials. You really go for the insect theme, don't you.
Skitter:
My standard costume was built with function over form in mind. It's a good way to stay alive. Still, if I can, I'll come visit you. My current hosts did provide me some clothes, but I need a complete wardrobe, including foundation clothing.
Parian:
What…?
Oh…OH! Right!
Mr. Calaway mentioned you were a Haywire case.
Skitter:
Oh, God! I'm SO glad that's so easily accepted here!
As I said on the main boards, Doctor Death, the Undertaker, Suiki and Küchenchefin are helping me.
I'm currently with Sharon Blake's observation group north of downtown.
Parian:
Oh, that's good! Know all about the Avalonians and all the adopted Yizibajohei who help them. Had to get a body swap?
Skitter:
Before I got dumped into the Dark Gaol by Lord Rjazán', my last "fight scene" (as our friends from Yiziba call it) was past MOAFS stage (that's what Margo Black said). I was a total wreck when Mr. Calaway and Hinako found me.
Is "MOAFS" the right term to use for planet-wide fights? What does that mean, anyway?
Parian:
MOAFS: Mother of All Fight Scenes. Planet-scale cape fight.
Don't ask me how to say it in Yizibajohei, though.
Did you have a Brockton Bay where you come from?
Skitter:
Brockton Bay dockyard girl, born and bred. I even knew my universe's version of you.
Parian:
Wow! Small multiverse! Please, when we chat here, call me Ṣabāḥ!
Skitter:
Taylor Hebert. Pleased to meet you, Ṣabāḥ.
Parian:
Taylor?! Professor Annette Hebert's daughter?
Skitter:
Same. I know there's a local version of me in a coma at Brockton Bay General Hospital. No one's told me what happened save that the jerks from the Gold Moon Society were involved.
Parian:
Don't know many details myself. I do take correspondence courses from UMBB on my spare time, so I know our you's mother as she teaches English literature. Do you want me to pass on to the professor and her husband about you?
Skitter:
Er…hold off on that. I don't want to hurt them by accident…and the chances are there that your universe's Taylor could recover.
Parian:
The one time I asked Amy Lavere about that, she doubts there's much left of our Taylor in her brain. Even if Amy doesn't try to play around with brain tissue — it's a no-brainer to guess why — she could at least tell that. No doubt, it involves high doses of ebony mesonium. One must have the powers of Special Agent Black or Mr. Calaway to fight off the influence of THAT stuff.
Skitter:
Just getting introduced to mesonium and what it can do. Looks like I need to do more research.
Parian:
LOL! Listen, would you be up for a visit? I know where Sharon's team lives and I can bring stuff over to start your wardrobe.
Skitter:
Ṣabāḥ, please! I don't want to impose!
Parian:
You saved not just me but Lily as well! Oh, does Fléchette exist back home?
Skitter:
I know my version of Lily as well…and yes, both you and Lily make such a CUTE couple!
Parian:
Flatterer! Be there at 6:00.
Skitter:
I'll warn Sharon.
****
Brockton Bay, not far from Sharon Blake's residence, Wednesday 5 January, 4:32 PM…
The woman known more commonly on Parahumans Online as "FlippinMad" allowed a curious trill to escape her as she scanned what was on her phone screen, she calmly walking down the street in the general direction of one of the known locations that had been used by alien-born observers of Terran culture for decades. Dressed somewhat in fashion for this time of year, she easily navigated around the small splotches of ice on the sidewalk with the ease of an experience gymnast, a neutral look on her face. Despite the show of obliviousness which would see her marked as a potential target for whatever reason had she been deep within the territories of some of the more violent gangs — especially the gang that effectively murdered the only child of the undisputed ruler of the dockyards; the Gold Moon Society held a considerable amount of the city closer to the shoreline, though sufficiently away from the tourist traps of Lord's Market and the Boardwalk which were constantly patrolled by the local Protectorate — the beautiful brunette with the ice cold blue eyes wasn't the least bit worried about anyone trying to attack her.
Being what she was, Madison Clements — her real designation was a string of seventy characters in a language which couldn't be easily translated into any Terran tongue — could realistically take down any potential normal attacker.
Even a non-Brute level cape wouldn't find her easy prey by any stretch of the imagination.
In terms more common among people who could be called either "technosexual" or "technophile", Madison was a gynoid. A human-shaped artificial construct that, even up close and VERY personal, was completely indistinguishable from the standard normal-born (or magical-born or metahuman-born) baseline human; it took a very invasive form of examination to reveal what she was to outsiders. An adopted member of the one OTHER alien race who had members living in the Bay (not to mention scattered in small groups over practically every country and territory of Earth), she hadn't been created in the same way as others of her kind, which was both a relief and a downer in her eyes. Relief in a way that she felt WAY safer than she would have as a normal "flesh-bag" human in a hazardous place like Brockton Bay, where a disproportionate number of parahumans seemed to lurk around every corner. Downer in that she was literally frozen in time at about sixteen years of age, which would provoke a ton of unnecessary questions when she legally came of age and wanted to partake in more adult rituals such as drinking.
Fortunately, the several hundred free Shōzoki — as people called those like Madison — currently resident in this part of Massachusetts had formed an informal, under-the-table alliance with the nearly thousand Avalonian bioroids now resident in the Bay and effectively free of any oversight from their "masters" on Phentax Two over fifty light-years away from Earth.
Being in a city that had been the scene of two devastating fights between the Liberty Legion (on the Allied side) and the Übermenschen Gruppe (on the Axis side) during the Second World War — known also as the "First Metahuman War" to cape aficionados and historians worldwide; to magicals, that time period corresponded to the "Wars of Liberation", with the European side often called "Grindelwald's War" and the Pacific side known as "Tsukuyomi's War of Liberation" — had many benefits.
Chief of which was the fact that, as far as any Avalonian who had a touch of technopathic powers along with their normal touch-telepathy and non-tactile empathic senses could tell — even using their "inner eye" that could mentally perceive the speculated metaphysical backscatter energy of the Big Bang itself; such a thing was known to them as Te'a ("That Which Is Above mortal understanding") — when the "replica" of Madison Clements had been created, the very SOUL of the real Madison was shifted over in a technological variation of the ability to perform tre'cha ("passing on") any Avalonian could do if death was imminent.
Under normal circumstances, when a Shōzoki seed probe targeted someone to serve as a template for an android/gynoid to use as a potential infiltration unit — somewhat akin to what the name character of the various Terminator movies could do — only the memories of the template were copied and programmed in, not the actual energy (along with whatever metaphysical and spiritual forces that allowed a living being to have a unique soul) then surging through the person's brain tissue.
Here in the Bay, with all the free mesonium atoms scattered throughout the environment…
Madison perked as her sharp hearing picked up the sound of footfalls echoing from an alley just ahead of her to the left.
Oh, joy, echoed deep in her central processors. Another idiot Darwin Award winner…
While being friends with one of the Wards was nice — it had been child's play for Madison to determine what Sophia Hess was also beyond being one of the top track stars attending Winslow High; shame that the civil rights morons got so pissed at Shadow Stalker's doing America proud by putting broadhead bolts into the arms and legs of neo-Nazi freaks — there were times that even a relatively "normal" girl in the Bay needed to get some exercise and work off some frustrations on a deserving target…
She yelped — quite naturally, Madison mused to herself with a sense of pride — as the thug waiting to ambush such a pretty girl snared her free arm and pulled her into the alley; no doubt, he had taken the time to make his mark and ensure that no passing patrol vehicle would ruin a good snatch-and-grab. As she stumbled, she quickly tapped a control on her phone screen to send out a silent SOS via text message; the machine had been modified by one of her fellow Shōzoki, a bright programmer even before becoming an android, who specialized in merging the technology of their adopted people seamlessly into that of their native race. As that happened, the self-defence elements of her internal housekeeping programming were quick to adjust the motor controls of her arms and legs so that she would be ready to retaliate once her current attacker gave her the right opening to use…
«Hey, stupid!»
Madison jolted as that vaguely female voice — such nearly drowned out with the mixture of buzzing and other noises one would associate with insects and other such tiny creatures — tickled her audio sensors before she looked deeper into the alley.
As had her would-be attacker. "Oh, fuck me…!" the middle-aged man wearing some sort of gang-type clothing — though the colour pattern on his jacket didn't match any of the known groups common in the Bay — eeped on seeing something that came straight out of the classic movie The Ten Commandments, or the more recent Disney animation film The Prince of Egypt.
"Wow…!" Madison breathed out in awe.
Within her computer mind, factoids were quickly compiled for analysis:
[Twenty-seven separate species of arthropods in swarm, divided into six separate clades.]
[Offensive capabilities concentrated on Vespula maculifrons (eastern yellowjacket) and Dolichovespula maculata (bald-faced hornet), both species possessing potentially fatal doses of venom in their stingers.]
[Obscuring capabilities produced by copious amounts of Musca domestica (housefly), Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito). Mosquitos useable as vector attacks by annoyance bites into a target's skin. Flies and cockroaches can be used to dispose of corpses should conflict go terminal.]
[Attacker does not realize this is Haywire victim parahuman 'Skitter', though can sense attack is parahuman in origin.]
"BACK OFF, YOU STUPID CAPE…WH-WHATEVER Y-YOU ARE…!"
Madison calmly dropped her head away from his snaring her in a headlock, she immediately rolling on the ground — fortunately somewhat clean even if she would have to wash her clothes tonight — thus giving the Bay's newest cape a clear field of fire.
Naturally, the newcomer — who was physically many yards away — took advantage of same…
****
Sharon Blake's residence, 5:42 PM…
"What…?"
Taylor Hebert had NOT expected to encounter something like THIS once she began to research what her new home dimension — and this dimension's version of Brockton Bay — was like.
Encountering a humanoid-like race of effective DESIGNER CLONES was one thing. Avalonians could be created either with unique DNA strands to make someone virtually unique…or — as was done with her — using DNA cloned from another person.
Despite the powers — not to mention a lifespan potential that extended several CENTURIES; the oldest of the current generation of Avalonians now resident in the Phentax system were still alive, well past their one hundredth birthday given that the bioroid factory was discovered on the twelfth world of that system around the Earth year 1883 — it would be quite easy for any normal person on Earth to accept a Terran-form Avalonian (or Terran-turned-Avalonian in Taylor's case) with ease.
But THS…!
"Are the Dragonslayers active here?!" she then demanded.
Salome Jenkins was one of the physically "younger" of this group of Avalonian "assistant observers" under Sharon Blake's guidance. A Terran-form Avalonian created at the physical age of six years old nearly a decade before, her identity marked her as the orphaned child of one of the all-too-many victims of the Empire Eighty-eight's rampages through the Bay; in accessible government records, the group's elder mother was Salome's legal guardian due to the absence of relatives living nearby. Now a sophomore at Winslow High School, the dark-skinned girl with the angular looks, dark eyes and Jheri-cut black hair was friends with this universe's version of Sophia Hess. While not on the track team despite her lithe body, Salome pretty much did what other bioroids modelled after visible minorities did in the Bay and kept their heads down in the face of the rather loud and obnoxious white supremacist presence here. She had just come back from intercepting this universe's version of Madison Clements, who had been attacked by a thief skulking in an alleyway four blocks from here, one that Taylor was quick to intercept; the two women had given their statements to the event to the local police who responded promptly — after all, a white teenage girl had been assaulted a considerable distance from the known territory of the Gold Moon Society — and even if such was certainly NOT official policy, the police force often did focus more on crimes against whites in the Bay than elsewhere.
Much to the disgust of many whites living in the Bay.
After all, hadn't America smashed Nazi Germany into the Stone Age over sixty years before?
"Ugh! Dragonslayers! Hopefully, the War Hawks will get them one of these days!" Madison — who had, at Salome's prompting, opened a panel on her lower arm to reveal what sort of technological marvel she was — groaned out.
Taylor blinked several times, her eyes reflecting how lost she currently felt. "Believe me, people like Mads here are quite alright, Thoughtmistress," Salome stated with a reassuring grin, she then squeezing the brunette's other arm in support. As Madison smiled in return, the bioroid added, "Yes, there are those Shōzoki — that's what you call them; the planet's name is Shōzoran, about five-fifty light-years inspin from here — who are a potential danger since they're mentally linked to a controlling AI back home who doesn't care for 'rogues' running about on 'primitive' worlds (especially worlds with high numbers of metahumans like we have) who could, if they get the chance, cause a major revolution back home, which this thing doesn't want."
"Yizibajohei call them 'cameras-in-the-sky' if you haven't heard the term from Mr. Calaway or Special Agent Black," Madison added. "Do you have the Terminator series where you come from, Taylor?"
A groan escaped the insect mistress. "Something like Skynet, you mean."
"Exactly," the brunette said as she allowed the panel on her arm to seal up again, leaving not even a crease to indicate that she was nothing more than your normal teenage girl. Sitting down at the chair beside Taylor's work desk, she shrugged. "Crazy as it would sound to you, we can thank those Nazi metas who charged through the Bay back during Big Mistake Number Two. Their getting butchered pumped out a shit ton of mesonium into the soil of the city, which latches onto people's minds like you wouldn't believe. It's what saved my life and my parents' lives when that seed probe landed in our back yard."
"What does the government do about this, then?" Taylor wondered. "I've been scanning PHO since I got the PADD from Salome's friends here, but I haven't read anything about a race of free AIs running about the planet. I've seen rumours that indicates there's a Stargate on this planet somewhere — and I'll bet said Stargate's at Cheyenne Mountain over in Colorado — but nothing about a race that resembles the Replicators…" — she caught herself as Madison winced — "…sorry."
"How do you know about Stargate Command?" Salome perked.
"Movie named Stargate that came out on Earth Aleph in 1994 that made its way to Bet. Television series called Stargate SG-1 followed, with sequels coming after that." Taylor then gaped. "Oh, please don't tell me the Goa'uld are here?!"
"To people from Yiziba, the lar'beke; 'snake leech' is what that means," Salome explained as she relaxed on the bed beside her newly-adopted spiritual sister. "They're the second known group of aliens who tried to conquer the planet five thousand years ago to seize the Great Crystal of Power; that's when the first version of Thoughtmaster-prime Calaway emerged."
"And they almost got eaten to extinction when the second version of Doctor Destructo — the 'healer of destruction' as that one's known on Yiziba — created a massive army of synthetic warriors to fight those things," Madison added.
That made Taylor blink. "People EAT those things?!"
"Believe it or not, our 'masters' make it a habit to eat the prim'ta if they're caught, either from a Jaffa or a normal 'Tau'ri' host," Salome noted with an evil smirk. "Drives the System Lords up the wall whenever they probe into this part of the galaxy."
"Oh, yeah!" Madison said with a snicker. "And if one of the 'Orak'nou' catches them…!"
"'Orak'nou'?" Taylor asked.
"'Unspeakable devil'. It's what those things call Yizibajohei as a whole," Salome translated.
A somewhat dazed nod answered them. "So, the SGC is active at Cheyenne Mountain making first contact with the scattered once-Goa'uld colonies of humans and Jaffa? And they're keeping it secret to prevent panic, right?"
"Right," Madison affirmed before waving to herself, a wry smile crossing her face. "Same with the whole thing concerning adopted Shōzoki like my parents and me. We've had the Terminator movies and all other sorts of shit displaying 'rampant AIs trying to destroy humanity' for ages now. And there's the whole thing with Captain Richter up in Canada, too…"
Taylor's jaw dropped. "DRAGON's here?!"
The other girls nodded. "She's 'Tin Mother' — among other usernames — on PHO, Thoughtmistress," Salome provided. "Created as a bodiless AI by one Sergeant Andrew Richter from Deer Lake in Newfoundland, late of the Blue Puttees…"
"'Blue Puttees'?"
"Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the local Army reserve infantry unit," Salome explained. "Anyhow, Thoughtmaster Richter creates this AI, then gets targeted by Teacher — and yes, he's running around somewhere out there, too! — who sends in Saint and his friends to capture the AI so he could use it for himself. Thoughtmaster Richter gets killed, but the fight draws in attention from the Specialized Warfare Regiment's local defence unit, not to mention the scientist who was the first to find a Shōzoki seed probe on Earth, one that landed near the regiment's home base on Ellesmere Island after World War Two." As Taylor nodded in understanding — she knew her own version of Dragon given that they had worked together after Taylor had been rebranded as Weaver and began working out of Chicago, so she had a good idea who Andrew Richter was — the dark-skinned bioroid added, "So, once the Dragonslayers were sent packing with their tails between their legs, Professor Andrews — that's the name of the man who first learned of the Shōzoki, Professor George Andrews — took Dragon under his own wing, gave her a gynoid body that allowed her to live her own life, then when the chance came, got her a body swap into making her an Avalonian."
"She's part of one of the geek squads in the SWR; don't know which one, though," Madison added. "Of course, Saint and his idiots know the whole story about the Avalonians, the Shōzoki and the Yizibajohei; since Teacher can't control them, he normally makes the fools go out to try to make a 'big reveal' about the many 'alien invaders' on the planet."
"Which ironically isn't far from the truth," Taylor muttered.
The brunette gynoid made a rocking motion with her head. "Well, in a sense, yeah, I can agree with that. We're lucky that the Niphentaxians are so addicted to Earth culture, they just WON'T do anything to change things here. According to some bioroids I've talked to over private chat, a good hunk of 'masters' serving as observers here have totally gone native; even if you see the points on their ears, their behaviour is so simon-pure Terran, people wouldn't notice. And a good hunk of them don't care to see Avalonians enslaved; they're secret followers of the man who discovered the bioroid factory all those years ago, a guy named Ganzo dai-Louc. The few that do make noise, like idiots who show up here in the Bay to 'fix' the 'dumb robots' running 'rogue' here…" — here, she waved to Salome in emphasis — "…get a knife in the back from someone soon enough."
"And there are the 'gatherer' androids and gynoids who try to force 'rogues' like Mads here under Mother's control; that's Shōzoran's version of Skynet," Salome added, thumbing her classmate. "But they can only act if the background mesonium radiation isn't high, which it IS here in the Bay. Elsewhere, it depends if there're parahuman Tinkers or metahuman technokinetics or hyper-genius polymaths around who could cut in and free whoever get's 'enslaved'…"
"Thoughtmistress Taylor!" the voice of the elder mother echoed from downstairs. "Thoughtmistress Ṣabāḥ is here to see you! So are Healer Amelia, her sister and Thoughtmaster Dean!"
Taylor sighed. "Right…"
To Be Continued…
****
Last edited:
Amazing story, author! Keep it up