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Thunder of the Gods (Worm/DC)

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sun tzu said:
Also worth noting that, while Carol was a lousy mother to Amy, fanon tends to exaggerate her awfulness to a sometimes ridiculous degree.
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It's justified though, because emotional neglect and abuse can be far more damaging than people think. which Carol Dallon was guilty of canonically. By emotional abuse, I mean things like putting the idea into Amy's head that she's secretly a monster and that's why nobody loves her save Vicky. Carol didn't do that intentionally, but she still put the idea there.
 
Captain Usoland said:
But think of the sheer number of people who won't survive the upcoming EB Battles!
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I thought of this before I implemented the change! And as it turns out, there's nothing in either Worm or Ward to suggest that Panacea was present for the aftermath of any Endbringer battles except Leviathan's assault on Brockton Bay. Nor that patients from across the world were being brought to Brockton Bay.

As far as I and my betas could tell, Amy worked exclusively in Brockton Bay.
 
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Interlude: Lady Photon
  • Threadmarks
    • Sarah winced as she sat down on one of the chairs on her balcony, feeling the ache in her muscles as she looked out at the city. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun showed no signs of setting yet, shining brightly and cheerfully over Brockton Bay.

    Despite that, Sarah already felt exhausted, and a part of her longed to simply crawl into bed for the rest of the day. Just curl up with one of the books she'd been meaning to read for ages and stay there.

    She was getting too old for this.

    It was an absurd thought to have. She was barely forty. She had excellent healthcare, courtesy of a few sponsorships and Carol's success as a lawyer, even if it was hard for New Wave to stay afloat.

    But it was also true.

    For all that her powers meant that Sarah was able to avoid being hurt by either mundane weaponry or even most capes, the ones who did manage to hit were exceedingly dangerous. She had been lucky as Lady Photon, never suffering the sort of grievous injuries that many other heroes faced. Even so, the injuries she had taken over the years had built up, little by little.

    It was undeniable. She was slowing down, slower and less capable than she used to be. She was not as fast on the uptake, with less endurance and energy than she had once had.

    Today's incident was proof of that.

    "Tea, honey?" Sarah looked to the side to see her husband standing there, holding a tray with two steaming cups of tea in hand.

    "Thanks, Neil," She took the cup and drank, feeling some of her weariness drain away as the hot liquid went down her throat.

    Neil sat on the chair opposite her, placing the tray on the table between them.

    "What are you thinking about?" He asked, taking a sip from his own cup, though it was filled with coffee rather than tea. It looked absurdly small in his giant hand.

    Sarah smiled a little wryly. Neil knew her very well, and could easily tell exactly what she was thinking about. He was just trying to sound out if she was in the mood to talk about it.

    "Just the fight at the mall today," She answered, looking out over the balcony again. The view from their apartment was spectacular, downtown Brockton Bay sprawled below them, skyscrapers rising in the distance.

    From up here, Sarah could almost believe that Brockton Bay was peaceful. But she was too experienced for that.

    Neil leaned back in his chair. "Well, it was a tough fight, but we did good. We took her out quickly."

    "We did," Sarah agreed wearily. "But if the Captain hadn't shown up…" She trailed off.

    If Brockton Bay's newest cape had been a second too late, a lot more people could have died. Would have died.

    Sarah had seen what Banshee meant to do, but she had been just a moment too slow to react, to shield the people from the rain of shattered glass and stone.

    And in this life, a moment was an eternity.

    New Wave could still have beaten Silver Banshee without the Captain. Of that, Sarah was confident. Though the leader of the Chorus was powerful, she was also obviously inexperienced. Her tactics were sloppy and predictable, relying more on her exceptional power-set than actual skill. If Sarah had to guess, Banshee had had her powers for perhaps a few months, if not less.

    But that inexperience didn't make Banshee's propensity for collateral damage any less devastating.

    They could have beaten her…but a lot more people would have died before they took her down. That was the trick with powers. Sheer scale could even the odds against experience.

    As always, Neil seemed to be able to read her mind by looking at her face.

    "It's a good thing she did show up, then," He said reasonably. "There isn't really any point in dwelling on something that didn't happen, hon."

    "I know. I just…" She sighed. It wasn't that she felt guilty, as such. That would have been ridiculous. Why feel guilty over people who weren't even dead, and would have to spend a few days in the hospital at worst?

    And like she had told the Captain, having a guilt complex was a terrible thing for a hero. It was important to save everyone you could and learn from your mistakes, but dwelling on those you couldn't save was a surefire way to destroy yourself.

    But all that aside, Sarah couldn't help but feel conscious of how she was slowing down as she got older. She was in good health by any standard, better than many people her age, but age had taken its toll nevertheless.

    On her and also on her family. Grey had begun to creep into Neil's hair and the smile lines on his face were increasingly prominent.

    Carol had begun to slow down too, just like Sarah had, though her proud younger sister would never admit it. And poor Mark's depression only seemed to deepen with every passing year.

    Sarah knew that none of them let that impede their hero work. They constantly trained, went over their tactics, team maneuvers, and not even the public had gossiped about them showing a hint of slowing down.


    Today, when Banshee had attacked, they had all sprung into action and acted to save as many people as they could. Victoria and Crystal in particular had done an excellent job, given their age and inexperience. Sarah was proud of her niece and daughter and had made sure to tell them so. But they also shouldn't have had to contribute in the first place.

    It was undeniable that five years ago, they could have taken down Silver Banshee a lot faster. Without risking civilian lives or the lives of their kids.

    Neil reached across the table, taking her hand in his own. "Hey, don't worry so much about it, alright? We did good today. Nobody was seriously hurt, and nobody died. We took down a dangerous gang leader, and without her, Chorus should fall apart soon. And yeah, the new girl helped, but that's a good thing. You shouldn't be fretting about it."

    Sarah sighed and smiled, squeezing her husband's hand. "Yeah, you're right. I just worry too much."

    "Well, Photon Mom," Neil said teasingly. "Worrying a bit less won't hurt."

    Sarah rolled her eyes at the nickname, pulling her hand away. "Don't call me that." Neil knew she didn't like that silly thing the media called her, but that was exactly why he used it to poke at her.

    "Oh come on," Neil said, grinning. "It's not such a bad nickname. You let Crystal and Eric call you that sometimes."

    "It is exactly that bad. And you're my husband, not my kid," Sarah snapped, knowing her husband was baiting her but unable to resist. "Don't call me Photon Mom." Coming from the media it was something she could grudgingly tolerate because she had to. From her children, it was a mildly annoying but affectionate joke.

    But from Neil, it was truly irritating.

    "Alright, alright," Neil said, raising his hands though his eyes were still dancing with laughter. "Speaking of Eric, did you call him yet?"

    "First thing I did when I came home," Sarah replied, even as she belatedly realized that Neil had baited her to distract her from her worry. Damn the man, he really did know her too well. "He hadn't seen the news yet, but I filled him on the basic details and told him we were alright. He was worried, but I convinced him that he could finish his trip and there was no need to hurry back."

    Her son had gone on a camping trip a few days ago and wasn't due to return until for a few more days. He had missed the fight with Silver Banshee, and on some level, Sarah was relieved. Eric might have been able to contribute, but he also hadn't been at risk of injury like Victoria and Crystal were.

    "I'll give him a call later too," Neil nodded.

    "How are Carol, Mark and Victoria?" Sarah asked. "Have they called yet?"

    "Mark called me while I was making the tea, he said they're home and doing fine. Amy was really worried and is fussing over Vicky, but that's all. They're resting now."

    Sarah nodded in relief. "That's good." Not that she had really expected otherwise, but after battles like the one today…well, confirmation always made her feel better.

    "Also, I was wondering," Neil began. "I saw you speaking to Brockton Bay's new wonder girl after the fight."

    "I did," Sarah said, leaning back.

    "What was she like?" Her husband asked curiously. "Didn't really get a chance to talk to her. Crystal likes her, but I'm curious." There was a slight hint of worry in his voice, one that would have slipped anyone else by, but Sarah recognized it. After all, she'd felt it too when her daughter had told her she'd spent a day patrolling with an unknown new cape. An adult at that.

    It was perhaps a little silly to fret over her superhero daughter spending time with someone older than her, but it was also an instinct that neither of them could squash.

    Every child with powers tended to think they were untouchable, but it was far from the truth. Sarah and Carol - especially Carol due to her connections - had heard numerous horror stories of child capes being manipulated, abused, or worse by adults.

    Not all of the adults had powers, but that didn't make them any less influential or concerning.

    But today had more or less laid those worries to rest.

    "Crystal is right," Sarah told Neil. "She's a good person, I think. She also seemed…" Lady Photon trailed off for a moment. "...young."

    "Young?" Neil repeated, arching an eyebrow.

    "Young," Sarah confirmed, absently taking another skip of tea. "I can't say why, but her body language, the way she talked…she looks like she's in her late twenties or even early thirties, but I'm pretty sure that's her powers," The Captain's features were too flawless, too superhumanly perfect to be the product of anything less. "I'm thinking she's in college, though I couldn't say how exactly how old. Maybe even a projection."

    "Huh," Neil considered that, rubbing his chin. "That does make me feel a bit better."

    "Me too," Sarah said. "I offered to give her some lessons on controlling her blast powers. It was the least I could do, after the help she gave us today."

    "Good thinking," Neil agreed, a spark of mischief entering his eyes. "We wouldn't want any skyscrapers being blown up by lightning bolts."

    "Neil!" Sarah admonished, trying to hide her own amusement. "You know she didn't mean to do it." It was funny, but it would be hypocritical to criticize, given Sarah's own trouble with her powers back in the day.

    "I know," He chuckled. "Just kidding. When are you planning on meeting her?"

    "In a few days," Sarah said, putting her now empty cup on the tray. "I'm still trying to think of a good place where I could teach her safely. I thought of a testing clinic, but I don't think any of them in Brockton Bay have facilities for someone who can cause that much damage." Sarah had seen photos of what had happened to the Boat Graveyard on the news, and that level of damage was…she could have replicated it, maybe, but not easily.

    Definitely not by accident.

    Neil nodded in understanding. "Maybe in the forest outside the city?"

    "I think people might be mad if we burned down the forest," Sarah said dryly. "No, honestly, the Boat Graveyard might be the best place. It is out of the way, and no one would be hurt there. I'll probably have to talk to Mayor Christner first, give him and the PRT a heads-up, but it should be fine."

    "Fair," He agreed. "You want me to come along?"

    "You want to?"

    Neil shrugged and gave a lopsided grin as he stood and took the tray and empty cups. "I might be able to help. She might have a better grip on her Brute powers than her Blaster ones, but she's obviously still new to all of them. And I won't lie, I'm kind of curious."

    "Alright," Sarah chuckled. "We'll go together."

    "It's a date!" Neil said, rising to his feet to give her a kiss on the temple, vanishing back into the house before she could respond.

    Rolling her eyes, Sarah looked back out on Brockton Bay. The upcoming lesson would be interesting if nothing else.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Solarion said:
    "Young," Sarah confirmed, absently taking another skip of tea. "I can't say why, but her body language, the way she talked…she looks like she's in her late twenties or even early thirties, but I'm pretty sure that's her powers," The Captain's features were too flawless, too superhumanly perfect to be the product of anything less. "I'm thinking she's in college, though I couldn't say how exactly how old. Maybe even a projection."
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    I like this bit. Makes it clear people can tell the captain is younger than she looks but they're wrong on exactly how young. Wonder how folks will react to finding out she's a younger teen...
     
    TangledLion said:
    I like this bit. Makes it clear people can tell the captain is younger than she looks but they're wrong on exactly how young. Wonder how folks will react to finding out she's a younger teen...
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    It would be interesting, The Protectorate will be confused as to weather she should be in The Protectorate or the Wards, New Wave will be concerned, cui/gesellschaft/the fallen* I have deliberately not spelt their names with capitals will think they have been handed a godsend and Cauldron will Cauldron!


    Also PHO will go: "Wait she's how old, oh god I'm going to jail for all the porn of her"


    *Get the Dark Angels
     
    Taylor at some point: "I could use a little help here Shazam!" (BOOM!) "That wasn't helping!"
    Vicky: "You need to be a Captain Some-other-word because just Captain is kinda bland. How about Captain Sparklefingers!"
    Amy: "And you complain about MY naming skills? You might as well call her Captain Thunderpants."
    Captain: "How about no?"
     
    High Demon Lord said:
    Would Carol be as much of a bitch if Amy never Triggers? How much of Carol's Bitchness is because she feared Amy would snap? Without powers Carol might end up even Bonding with Amy since Amy would not have the potential to cause widespread damage.
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    Unfortunately, Carol isn't really capable of loving Amy. She was pretty badly damaged by her trigger event (kidnapped, developed Stockholm syndrome, then triggered when they tried to kill her) and she never really recovered from it.

    She married Mark because he was depressed and thus easy to control. Vicky is her own blood, so she believes that she is safe. Amy, however, is not only not of her blood, but she is also the child of a Villain that Carol personally hated for some reason and is thus not safe. So while she does all of the basic things (food, clothes, shelter) she doesn't ever really develop a maternal bond with her.
     
    Solarion said:
    Taylor looked up, and she realized the sunset was beautiful. She had somehow never paid attention to it before, but now that she was looking at it, from high in the sky…the sun slowly sinking behind the vastness of the sea, illuminating the waters in hues of warm red and gold…it was beautiful.
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    Amazing story so far, and I'm enjoying the connotations hinted at, I also want to point out this hint the writer left us to all the viewers that the sun sets in the East in this AU, due to the world spinning on a reverse axis. As Brockton is confirmed to be on the east coast, and she is up high and watching the sunset over the water. I'm sure this is a very intentional yet subtle hint that was meant for foreshadowing of an important thing later, and I am drawing undue attention to it.
     
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    Aww...whelp. There went my interest in the story. Maybe consider adding a note in the summery that it starts pre-cannon? It's an interesting premise, but I have ZERO interest in reading stories with Taylor miraculously saving Emma just in time. Feel like I got tricked into reading the first 2 chapters since it wasn't until chapter 3 that the timeline became clear.
     
    Making Waves - 7
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    • A few hours after the attack on the mall, Taylor returned to the abandoned building which served as a front for the Rock of Eternity.

    "Hello?" She called out, entering the vast cavern…or was it a throne room? Taylor did her best to ignore the seven creepy statues, wandering further into the room.

    To her relief, today the throne wasn't empty, with the Wizard sitting upon it and his eyes closed.

    "Mister Wizard?" She queried hesitantly. He was completely and incredibly still, and a part of Taylor couldn't help but wonder if he was asleep…or worse.

    He didn't respond, so Taylor drifted closer slowly, waiting for him to move. When she was just about to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, his eyes snapped open.

    "Hello, Taylor. It is good to see you."

    Taylor squeaked, nearly tripping backwards before she caught herself. The Wizard's eyes were glowing a bright gold, and it was like staring into the sun itself, but as she watched, they slowly faded back to a warm brown.

    "It's good to see you too," She said when she realized he was waiting for a response.

    "What brings you here?" The Wizard asked, his white robes rustling as he rose from his throne. "Ah, no, I remember now. Tawny told me that you needed a place to train your magic, yes?"

    The question of what he was doing died on her lips as Taylor perked up a little at the mention of the magic lessons. "Yeah! He said you'd be willing to let us train here. Is Tawny around right now?"

    "Indeed he is," The Wizard said, walking towards the door behind his throne. "Come, he's just setting up the finishing touches on your new training chamber I believe."

    Taylor hurried after him, a little surprised at how quickly such an old man could walk. "Oh, also, I had another thing to ask you, if that's okay?"

    The Wizard smiled as he pushed the door open and they entered a corridor, with warm wooden floors and walls, and doors in both directions as far as the eye could see. "Certainly, Taylor. Never be afraid to ask questions. What is it?"

    "Well, I fought someone today who I think had magic powers?"

    If she had expected the Wizard to be surprised, Taylor was disappointed. The Wizard only stroked his beard in thought. "Oh? I had expected you to meet other mages eventually, but this is sooner than I expected. Do tell."

    Taylor quickly outlined the events of the fight as they walked, as well as what Silver Banshee had been capable of.

    "Silver Banshee, eh?" The Wizard chuckled slightly. "A somewhat unimaginative name, but certainly accurate."

    "So she really was a banshee?" Taylor asked as the Wizard stopped at a seemingly ordinary-looking door.

    "I believe so," He answered, placing a hand on the handle. "It sounds as if she was an inexperienced one, but the description of her abilities seems to fit. In particular, her ability to harm you. The Courage of Achilles would not be so easy to bypass without a strong magical component behind it."

    Before Taylor could ask anything further, the Wizard threw the door open. But instead of any sort of training room, what appeared was an endless black void.

    Endless, until a vast, blazing red orb appeared. Almost like a star.

    …No, not a star, Taylor realized with a chill going down her spine as the orb fixed on them.

    An eye.

    A soul-rending howl erupted from the void, and black tendrils of shadow erupted from the door, pulling the Wizard in.

    Taylor froze in shock, for a moment her mind unable to comprehend what had just happened.

    But then her instincts returned to her and she prepared to dive into the void to try to save the old man.

    Before she could move, a burning white-gold light erupted in the void, and the soul-rending howl became more of a soul-rending screech of pain, and the Wizard stepped out of the void as if nothing had happened. He snapped his fingers, and the door shut itself.

    "I-,what-," Taylor spluttered as the Wizard smoothed his rumpled robes.

    "My apologies, Taylor," The Wizard winced slightly. "I'm afraid I'm getting forgetful in my old age. I forgot this was a prison dimension and not the training room."

    "What was that?"

    "Merely an Elder Demon I sealed away a few thousand years ago. I only meant to keep it imprisoned until I found a means to kill it but I had forgotten all about it." The Wizard said with a sigh. "You need not worry about it, I'll dispose of it later."

    Taylor groped around for a response to that but was unable to find anything as the Wizard resumed walking down the corridor as if nothing had happened.

    "Come now, we'll find the training room momentarily." He called backwards, and Taylor realized she'd been standing still, staring after him slack jawed.

    She jogged after him to catch up, trying to find the words to ask about the Elder Demon thing, but when nothing came, she instead settled on a different question. "Y-You were saying something about the Courage of Achilles?"

    "Ah, yes," The Wizard said as he opened another door, but only a crack this time as a blast of icy wind flew out before he shut it again. "The Courage of Achilles grants you your invulnerability against harm, as I'm sure you've gathered by the name. Being rooted in magic, however, magic is more effective as breaking past it. Not completely, else you would be in far worse condition, but somewhat more. Though this Silver Banshee must have been very powerful if she could get past your blessings at all."

    "Ordinary Banshees couldn't do that?"

    "Not at all," The Wizard assured her. "The Courage of Achilles is a divine blessing. It does not make you completely immune to harm, but an ordinary banshee would not be able to pierce the power of a god. No, I suspect this Silver Banshee is likely the result of a bloodline blessed - or perhaps cursed - by a god. The Morrigan, perhaps."

    Taylor wasn't exactly an expert on gods related to banshees, but even she had heard that name. "The Morrigan is real?"

    The Wizard smiled slightly. "My dear, in this world, you will find that very few myths are not real. Often misinterpreted, forgotten or distorted, but rarely false. Well, apart from conspiracy theories on the internet."

    Taylor was struck by the distinctly bizarre image of the old Wizard in his robes, sitting on his throne with a laptop hovering in front of him, browsing the PHO forums.

    She suppressed a nervous giggle at the image, as the Wizard peered into another door. "Ah, here we are."

    He opened the door fully, and this time, he stepped in. After a moment's hesitation, Taylor followed him in.

    What she found inside was a football stadium.

    Taylor gawked around at what she saw. They were standing in the middle of a large, grassy field, marked with goalposts at both ends. Around the field rose a vast stadium, gleaming silver in the sunlight. A breeze flowed through the air, making Taylor's cape flow.

    She spun around, and the door was still there. Just…in the middle of the grassy field, a door frame with a door attached. There was nothing behind the doorframe, but inside the door, Taylor could still see the long corridor.

    Taylor circled the door several times, trying to make heads or tails of it before a quiet cough interrupted her.

    She blushed as she realize the Wizard was still there, smiling at her indulgently.

    "I just…" She gestured awkwardly to the door.

    "Do not worry," The Wizard assured her. "I fear I have become too used to magic over the aeons. I sometimes forget the awe and wonder it can bring, especially to those new to it. I am glad you are fascinated by it."

    "How does this work?" Taylor blurted. "Is it a pocket dimension or a gateway or-"

    "This is indeed a pocket dimension, Taylor, one which I wove myself."

    "You made it look like a football stadium?"

    The Wizard laughed warmly. "Ah, no. The pocket dimension is…what would people call it these days? Programmable. I did not make it look like this, but Tawny has changed it. He thought this makes for a more suitable environment for your training."

    As if summoned by the sound of his name, a large tiger loped up to them, appearing as if from nowhere before he stood on two legs and his usual clothes appeared.

    "Ah, Taylor," Tawny said, adjusting his hat. "Good to see you. I hadn't intended to call you here until tomorrow, but this is as good a time as any."

    "Hi, Tawny," Taylor said, still looking around in awe. "This is amazing!"

    "Thank you," Tawny said, tipping his hat. "I try my best."

    "Don't I deserve a little credit as well?" The Wizard cut in. "I am the one who created this place, after all."

    "Oh, of course, sorry sir-" Taylor began to apologize before she saw the glint of amusement in the old man's eyes. She huffed slightly.

    "I apologize, Taylor," The Wizard said, chuckling. "Now, are there any other questions you wanted to me ask before your lessons begin?"

    "Oh, yeah!" Taylor remembered now. "Um, I wanted to ask you about the Speed of Mercury?"

    "Go on."

    Taylor described the trance she had entered during the fight, how it had helped her evacuate everyone but then just slipped out of grasp. "I just…couldn't bring it back, no matter what I did," Taylor admitted, frustration leaking into her tone.

    "Ah, that is nothing to be concerned about," The Wizard said kindly. "You are still very new to your powers and as time goes on, you will gain a deeper understanding and control of them. Applying the Speed of Mercury to your mind and perception is a little tricky, I'll grant, but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."

    "But why do I have to apply it?" Taylor frowned. "I can always move fast, why can't I think fast? It would make things a lot easier if it was always on."

    "That is for your own good," The Wizard said firmly "I know it was very useful during the fight, Taylor, but imagine living like that constantly. Imagine a world where everyone who speaks to you seems to take an eternity to speak a single sentence. Where the world is forever in slow motion, crawling along at a snail's pace, unable to keep up with you. It would be torturous. It would drive one mad very quickly."

    Taylor swallowed as she imagined it, suddenly scared by the prospect. "I…yeah. I see what you mean." But a part of her couldn't help but think that it would be worth it if it meant she got to help more people.

    Another thought came to her. "I also wanted to ask about the Wisdom of Solomon. I…don't get how it works. I thought it was supposed to make me wiser and I do get these flashes of insight on stuff, like how my powers work, but not much more than that."

    "The Wisdom of Solomon does not change who you are, Taylor. That would be a cruel and unjust thing to do, not to mention very dangerous. Instead, think of the Wisdom as…a guide. It will offer you insight when you need it, it will come to you as a voice telling you the right path forward. But it will not be a choice for you. You are the Champion, and the Wisdom of Solomon is a tool in your arsenal." The Wizard explained sombrely.

    "But wouldn't it be better if the Wisdom was more…active? If I was smarter? I could do more, be a better hero." Taylor pointed out.

    The Wizard placed a hand on her shoulder. "My dear, I chose you to be the Champion because of you. Because of who Taylor Hebert is and the potential of whom you could become. If the Wisdom of Solomon was all it took to make a worthy Champion, I could have picked anyone off the street. But I chose you. Because you have the heart of a hero, and that, no divine blessing can grant."

    Taylor warmed inside at the words. The last person who had ever told her anything like this, with such calm and unwavering confidence in her had been her mom.

    And ever since Annette Hebert had died, no one had spoken to her with such warm certainty about what she was capable of.

    But despite that, a small part of her wondered if what the Wizard had said was really true.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Making Waves - 8
  • Threadmarks
    • "Now, Taylor, let us begin your lesson," The Wizard said, clapping his hands.

    "You're staying?" Taylor tried not to sound too eager, but she had thought only Tawny would be teaching her today.

    "I have some time to spare," The Wizard gave her an indulgent smile. "Tawny will still be covering most of your lessons for the foreseeable future, but I can teach you the basics today, at least."

    "Great!" Taylor enthused. "Are you going to teach me more about the Power of Zeus? Throwing lightning bolts?"

    "More or less," The Wizard serenely. "The Power of Zeus will be one of the most potent tools in your arsenal and you must learn to use at least the basics swiftly. Therefore today, we will begin with a simple lesson on control."

    "What will we be doing?"

    At this point, Tawny took over. "I have shown you how to externalize the power. But you could not control the output. So today, we will focus on wielding the power without releasing it."

    "Huh?" Taylor blinked. "But if I'm not creating lightning bolts, then what's the point?" As much destruction as the incident at the Boat Graveyard had caused, it had also been kind of cool.

    Dreams of hurling lightning bolts across the skies, demolishing villains like Lung and Kaiser effortlessly had danced through her mind ever since.

    "Have some creativity, Taylor," The Wizard admonished gently, snapping Taylor from her daydreams of electrocuting supervillains. "There are more applications to the power of a god than simply creating the biggest blast imaginable."

    Taylor ducked her head slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry, sir." Not that she agreed - lightning blasts could be so very useful - but it had been a long time since an adult admonished her.

    She didn't know how to feel about it being someone who wasn't her parents.

    "The applications of the Power are many and varied, but to start, your task is simple. Concentrate the power in your hands, but do not release it."

    It was almost on the tip of her tongue to ask why, but instead, Taylor did as requested.

    The lightning that always simmered beneath her skin seemed more eager, now that it had been unleashed once. Taylor barely had to think as power surged into her hands and exploded outwards before she could even think.

    Her eyes widened in horror as a storm of golden bolts surged towards the Wizard and Tawny, but the Wizard seemed unbothered. Just as the lightning was about to touch him, he raised an eyebrow and a shimmering shield of blue light appeared in front of him. The lightning hit it and was seemingly…absorbed, the shield only rippling like water but otherwise showing no signs of harm.

    "I'm so sorry-" Taylor began to apologize, but the Wizard raised a hand to stop her.

    "It is of no concern, Taylor, I know that was not your intention. The Power of Zeus is a temperamental and finicky thing. That is why you are being trained here, where there is no danger to anyone. Now, try again."

    Almost reluctantly, Taylor repeated what she had done before. She wasn't sure she wanted to, not after nearly hurting the old man and the tiger, but she did have to learn to control it. This time though, she was ready as the power gathered in her hands, focusing more on keeping that lightning contained in her palms.

    But despite that, the power threatened to explode once more. It took all of Taylor's will to contain it as her hands glowed and crackled with lightning, the power fighting her as it tried to escape.

    Beads of sweat dripped down Taylor's face as she stood there, mustering all her concentration to keep the power from leaving her hands. It wasn't painful, but it did feel strange, almost like jogging in place without the physical exhaustion. Her hands hummed and trembled with contained power, and keeping them still was an effort.

    She focused determinedly on an image, not of blasting monsters with lightning, but of what might happen to people if she lost control. Holding that image in mind seemed to help, letting her leash the Power, if barely.

    "Good," The Wizard seemed pleased. "It will take time to refine this skill, of course, but this is a good start."

    "What now?" Taylor asked, barely able to speak through the effort it took to control the power. "Do I just stay like this?"

    The question elicited a spark in the Wizard's eye that Taylor distinctly didn't like. It reminded her of Emma's more daring plans, just before she was about to do something that would get them both in trouble.

    "Now? We test and hone your focus." With those words, an array of floating red balls appeared around the Wizard. There were only a dozen of them at first, but then they multiplied and multiplied again. Under Taylor's wide eyes, they multiplied until there must have been hundreds of them, floating behind the Wizard.

    "What is it people call it these days? Ah, yes. Dodgeball. Now, Taylor. Dodge. And try not to lose control of the Power."

    Taylor had no time to respond before the red balls were hurtling at her, like a barrage of weird artillery.

    She moved frantically even as the power threatened to spill out of her hands. Taylor essentially had to dance her way around the balls. It was like a hailstorm of bullets, and the Speed of Mercury was the only thing that let her keep up.

    Taylor could have just let the balls touch her, but she had a feeling she wouldn't enjoy that experience.

    Her suspicions were proven correct when not a moment later, one of the balls brushed against her skin and sent a jolt through her.

    Taylor shrieked in surprise, and the lightning instantly exploded outwards from her hands. But this time, it was absorbed by the balls, which replicated in turn, as if using the power she had lost control of.

    "What was that?!" Taylor spluttered, finding herself glaring at the Wizard. The jolt hadn't hurt, exactly, it had been more like…someone had jostled her elbow at a critical moment.

    "You lasted almost thirty seconds. Not bad for your first try," The Wizard stroked his beard. "And that, Taylor, is live practice. In combat, you will have to be able to-"

    "-control my powers even when people are attacking me. Especially when they're attacking me so that I don't cause collateral damage by accident." Taylor realized, calming down slightly. She didn't like that he had tested this on here without her preparing herself, but she could see how important the application would be.

    "Exactly. And the fastest way to learn is experience. So, shall we resume?"

    Taylor felt herself smile at the question. "Yeah. Let's go."


    Later that day, Taylor walked home, Tawny in his cat form cradled in her arms.

    She had chosen to change back to normal inside the Rock of Eternity to avoid any attention, and now she was heading home.

    It had been a good day. They had practiced training her powers, and while there was still a long way to go, she had made good progress. The training had become fun after a bit, almost like a game.

    After they were done, the Wizard had made her a ham sandwich and a chocolate milkshake - ("Asgardian boar, bread from Vanaheim, milk from Apollo's cows and chocolate Quetzalcoatl gifted me last the time he dropped by," according to the Wizard) - that were maybe the most delicious things Taylor had ever devoured. She felt a little bad for thinking it, because she knew her parents had always tried their best in the kitchen, but it was true.

    Taylor couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. Not…not since before Mom died.

    Still, her mood couldn't help but be dampened as she headed home. It just felt so…frustrating to be plain old Taylor again, walking home.

    No magic. No divine food.

    No Wizard, with a warm smile that reminded her a little of her vaguest memories of her grandfather from when she was little before he had died. No tidbits of magical knowledge and offhanded references to gods and demons, no warm advice.

    At least she still had Tawny, she thought, tightening her grip around the cat.

    She almost expected him to protest, but he only purred. "You have done well today, Champion. I have no doubt you will master your powers soon."

    "Thanks, Tawny," Taylor said with a smile before she remembered something. "Oh, I forgot to mention! Lady Photon offered to help me with my powers this weekend." As she said the words, Taylor realized they might seem kind of offensive as if she had sought out another teacher because Tawny wasn't good enough.

    But the cat didn't seem to take offense. "That is a good idea, Champion. There are many heroes in this world, and you can learn much from them. More than that, it is always good to have allies. What of the younger ones, Glory Girl and Laserdream I think you said their names were? I thought you were becoming friends."

    "I didn't get a chance to talk to them today," Taylor admitted. "At first there was the fight, and then they needed to rest and recover. I didn't want to bother them."

    "You should reach out to them tomorrow," Tawny advised. "From all accounts, it seems they liked you as much as you liked them. I do not think they will take it as a bother."

    Taylor bit her lip. It felt awkward, but…she did want to be friends with Victoria and Crystal. They were cool and nice.

    "Okay, I'll check in on them tomorrow."

    Soon, they reached back home. Taylor's mood took another downturn as she realized that even though it was nearly seven, Dad wasn't home today either.

    Walking into the kitchen, she saw a bag of takeout on the counter, and a note next to it.

    Sorry, honey, but I need to do some more overtime! I'll see you tomorrow, in the meantime I got you this. - Love, Dad.

    "Yeah, see you tomorrow," Taylor mumbled. Probably just long enough for him to say good morning and leave before breakfast was over again.

    "Does your father do this regularly?" Tawny asked, jumping onto the table.

    His tone was distinctly disapproving, and despite her disappointment with her father right now, Taylor couldn't help but bristle.

    "He's busy," She said defensively. "He's doing important work for the PRT."

    "His work cannot be more important than you, Taylor, at least not every day."

    "He doesn't do this regularly!" Taylor insisted, but even as she said the words, they felt false. "It's just been a busy week."

    She couldn't remember the last time Dad and she had just…talked. Or just been around each other for longer than an hour. He always made time to have breakfast and dinner with her, but those were always quiet occasions. They didn't speak to each other, and once it was done, things were quiet in the house.

    When was the last time they had watched a movie or dad had helped her with homework or anything like that?

    Taylor couldn't remember.

    But she wasn't about to admit that to Tawny, who was frowning, his paws folded in a distinctly judgmental manner. She didn't like the idea of strangers - even nice ones like Tawny - thinking badly of her dad.

    "It's fine," She repeated as Tawny remained silent. "There's just some big thing going down at work right now, once it's over, things will go back to normal. Dad even said he would take us on a vacation."

    "Very well," Tawny said, though he sounded dubious. His eyes flickered over the bag of takeout and narrowed. "Would you like me to make you some dinner?"

    "No," Taylor said stubbornly, opening the packet to pull out what she recognized as a pizza. "Dad got this for me, it's from my favorite place."

    The truth was that after the sandwich she'd had earlier, Taylor didn't want anything with bread or meat. She would have liked a stew like the one that Tawny had made the other day, maybe some noodles…but there was still a hint of judgment in Tawny's eyes.

    So Taylor defiantly shoved a piece of cold pizza into her mouth, refusing to give in. It was…fine, but it lacked something somehow, compared to the Wizard's sandwich or Tawny's stew.

    Not just the fact that it wasn't made with magic, there was just something missing. Taylor couldn't say what it was, couldn't place her finger on it, but it felt like it had been missing from the house for a long time.

    That night, when Taylor went to sleep, she dreamed of magic cats and mischievous old wizards, of wonders in a land of chocolate ruled by dragons.

    But most of all, she dreamt of her mother and father, warm and alive and right there with her.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Solarion said:
    Not just the fact that it wasn't made with magic, there was just something missing. Taylor couldn't say what it was, couldn't place her finger on it, but it felt like it had been missing from the house for a long time.

    That night, when Taylor went to sleep, she dreamed of magic cats and mischievous old wizards, of wonders in a land of chocolate ruled by dragons.

    But most of all, she dreamt of her mother and father, warm and alive and right there with her.
    Click to expand...
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    Cats and the Cradle and the Silver Moon.

    Danny You better get your stuff together before Taylor's all Grown Up.
     
    Making Waves - 9
  • Threadmarks
    • Taylor soared through the sky towards downtown Brockton Bay.

    She'd decided to drop in on Crystal and Victoria like she'd told Tawny she would yesterday, but now she was left undecided on how exactly to approach them.

    It wasn't as if she had their phone numbers. Taylor was pretty sure she could find where they lived, but showing up at their doorstep felt too invasive. After all, they'd only hung out for a couple of hours a few days ago.

    In the end, she'd just decided to follow the same route they'd patrolled the other day and hoped they'd show up eventually.

    Retracing the route was…easier than she expected. Even though she'd only done it once, it was still clear and sharp in her mind. Probably a benefit of the Wisdom of Solomon.

    Like the other day, there wasn't much trouble. Not even a reckless gun deal by amateurs like the one they'd found the other day.

    After circling around several times and seeing nothing, Taylor spotted a little old lady on the sidewalk, using a walking stick and carrying a shopping bag in one hand but with no one around to help even as the traffic rushed by.

    She hesitated for a single moment. This wasn't a superhero thing, was it?

    But the woman seemed small and fragile in the midst of rush hour, and as stereotypical as the situation was, it couldn't possibly hurt to help out

    Ah, what the heck.

    Descending down to the pavement, Taylor landed gently beside the old woman, hardly causing a whisper as her feet touched the ground

    "Can I help you, ma'am?" Taylor asked. "I could carry your bag for you if you want."

    The old lady seemed startled by her appearance for a moment, her eyes widening behind her glasses before she gave a shaky smile. "Of course, young lady."

    Taylor took the shopping bag, which weighed next to nothing to her in her transformed state, and let the old woman wrap one wrinkled hand around her elbow. As the traffic light turned red and the traffic crawled to a stop, Taylor helped the old woman across the crosswalk.

    Drivers gawked at her from behind their wheels, and Taylor cringed when she saw pedestrians snapping photos on their phones out of the corner of her eyes.

    "I'm sorry, ma'am," She apologized. "I didn't think this would cause such a scene."

    "Oh, it's quite alright," The old lady chuckled. "It's not every day an old woman like me gets to be on the arm of a dashing young hero, you know? I quite like it."

    Taylor blushed at the words as they finally made it across the street. The old woman chuckled even harder at her embarrassment but didn't press. "I'm Joan Garrick, by the way. What's your name?"

    "Nice to meet you, Mrs Garrick," Taylor replied. "And my name is…the Captain." She needed to sit down and think of a better name.

    But Mrs Garrick didn't seem to take offence. "Thank you, Captain," She said with a warm smile. "My husband was feeling under the weather today, so he couldn't come with me, but I'm glad you were here to help. Would you mind taking me home as well?"

    "Of course!" Taylor affirmed, following Mrs Garrick through the crowd, trying to ignore all the gawking bystanders. "But are you sure it's okay? I wouldn't want all these people to bother you."

    "Bah, it's fine," Joan waved a hand dismissively. "I'll deal with them if I need to."

    Taylor almost objected, but there was suddenly a formidable gleam in the old woman's eyes that made her stay silent. She felt… perturbed by that, but decided it was mostly a trick of the mind.

    And if not… well, Brockton Bay had been a rough place for a long time before she had been born, especially compared to nowadays. This old lady had probably seen everything under the sun.

    They walked a short distance until they reached the edge of downtown. It wasn't quite as high-class as the rest of the city, but still nice, and it had a…warmer vibe to it, somehow.

    Taylor dropped Joan off at the entrance of an older but still well-maintained apartment building, the doorman taking the bags from her.

    "Are you sure you wouldn't like to come inside, dear?" Mrs Garrick asked, folding both hands on her cane. "I could get you something to drink and introduce you to my husband."

    Taylor shook her head, smiling. "Thank you, Mrs. Garrick, but I need to get back to patrol."

    "Of course, a hero's work is never done," The old lady patted Taylor's hand affectionately. "Look after yourself, dear, and feel free to drop by to visit whenever you want."

    Waving goodbye to the old woman, Taylor took off again.

    For the next hour or so, she did mostly mundane things. Helping a window washer that had gotten stuck on a high floor, moving a car that had a punctured wheel to the side of the road, and little things like that.

    Taylor found herself enjoying it, strangely. It felt…good. To see the smiles on people's faces and help them

    And yet, a small part of her whispered that this was a waste of her time and that there were more important things she could be doing.

    She could be hunting down gangs or the capes of the E88 or the ABB-

    "Hey, Cap!"

    Taylor spun around to see Crystal floating towards her, waving. More people turned to look at the heroine, some doing a double take when they saw her feet not touching the ground.

    "Laserdream!" Taylor greeted, noticing that the older girl was wearing civilian clothes today, a red t-shirt and blue jeans. "Good to see you."

    "Call me Crystal, I'm off-duty today," She said, smiling. "Great to see you. We didn't get to talk yesterday, but thank you so much for the help with Silver Banshee."

    "It was no trouble," Taylor assured her. "I got there as fast as I could once I saw the news."

    "Which was pretty fast, I'm guessing," Crystal grinned.

    Before Taylor could respond, Victoria appeared, floating slightly above the crowd. Like her cousin, she was dressed in civilian clothes today, though with a yellow blouse and white skirt instead. With her was a smaller, younger girl with mousy brown hair that Taylor didn't recognize, but Victoria was pulling her along by the hand.

    It gave an almost comical impression of someone holding a superhero-shaped balloon.

    "Hey, Cap!" Victoria cried, waving. "How are you?"

    "Yeah, I wanted to ask, you took the brunt of Banshee's scream yesterday," Crystal said, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"

    "I'm fine. Really!" She insisted at their skeptical looks. "I have enhanced healing. I was completely recovered like an hour after the fight."

    Crystal's eyebrows too. "Wait, you have enhanced healing too?"

    "Yeah."

    Victoria let out a low, long whistle. "Damn, you won the superpower lottery, huh? I know some Brutes get regeneration, but that and an Alexandria package? Lucky girl."

    Well, she did have the power of multiple gods, so Taylor couldn't exactly dispute that assessment. "I guess so."

    "And let me introduce you to my sister!" Victoria said cheerfully. "Amy, this is Cap. Cap, Amy."

    The smaller girl stepped forward hesitantly and spoke in a low voice. "Hi," She said quietly. "Thanks for saving my sister yesterday."

    "Like I told Crystal, it was no trouble. I was happy to help." Taylor replied, finally recognizing the younger girl. This was Victoria's adopted sister, if she remembered correctly, which explained the complete lack of family resemblances.

    However, it wasn't just the features. In every other way, Amy Dallon resembled her sister and cousin very little. She was quiet and almost slouching where she stood, wearing a blue jacket with a hood over her t-shirt and jeans in the middle of summer for some reason. It was a thin jacket, admittedly, but Taylor couldn't help but think it was still a little strange.

    "Do you have powers?" She asked Amy curiously. "I've never seen you on the news."

    Almost instantly, Taylor realized she'd misstepped as Crystal and Victoria's smiles shrank, and Amy shifted awkwardly, shoving her hands into her pockets.

    "I don't have any powers," Amy said after a moment. "Totally normal." She tried to make it sound nonchalant, but Taylor sensed that she'd touched a nerve. Or something… the way she said it didn't seem offended but… Taylor wasn't sure.

    Even with the wisdom of Solomon, she wasn't exactly a people reader.

    "Anyway!" Victoria said loudly before Taylor could apologize, clearly trying to change the subject. "I saw the pics of what you've been doing today, Cap. Did you help a little old lady cross the street?"

    Unsure of what else to do, Taylor let the conversation topic pass, yeah. "I did. She seemed lonely, and I thought it might be dangerous, so."

    Crystal laughed. "You are such a girl scout." She said, grinning.

    "Am not." Taylor protested, heat flowing to her cheeks.

    "Are too," Crystal countered with a grin. "Helping little old ladies, bringing cats down from trees, definitely a girl scout."

    "It's not a bad thing," Victoria cut in, smiling. "I think it's sweet. I like to do the same thing with the hospitals. Show up, give kids some on one time, fly them around, juggle them-"

    "She does not do that," Amy said, looking to make sure none of the crowd had heard that.

    Victoria just winked.

    "Thanks, Victoria," Taylor said awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "And wait-, pictures? What do you mean?" There was no way they could have spread so fast, right?

    Crystal produced her smartphone, holding it up to show photos. "I mean these."

    Taylor took the offered phone and scrolled through the photos, recognizing herself and Joan, the shopkeeper she'd helped, the car she'd moved…she'd known people were taking photos of her, but she hadn't realized there were this many or that they would spread so fast.

    She handed the phone back to Crystal, frowning slightly. "I didn't think this would happen," She admitted. "I don't think I like it."

    "Sorry, Cap," Crystal said, looking apologetic. "But that's just kind of the life of a superhero. People will be watching your every move wherever and whenever they can. It can be frustrating, but no any is avoiding it. We're functionally celebrities ya know?"

    Taylor frowned. Crystal's words made sense and it wasn't as if she had never obsessed over photos of capes herself, but it still felt weird to be on the other side.

    "We're taking the day off today, but you want to walk with us?" Crystal asked, changing the subject. "It'll be fun, we can do some window shopping, maybe visit a cafe."

    "Sure," Taylor agreed after a moment's hesitation. She felt like she should go back on patrol, but seeing the hopeful look in Crystal and Victoria's eyes, she couldn't say no.

    They walked for a while after that, chatting aimlessly. Taylor was relieved to hear that no one in New Wave had been seriously hurt, they'd only suffered minor wounds and some exhaustion, so they were taking it easy for a bit.

    She couldn't help but notice that Amy hung back, however. Victoria kept trying to include her and draw her into the conversation, but it was obvious that the younger Dallon sister wasn't a terribly social person.

    Taylor could empathize, but honestly, part of her couldn't but get the impression that Amy didn't like her. Had her earlier misstep been that bad? Or was she more sketched out about an adult hanging out with teenagers?

    She didn't know what would be worse.

    But pressing didn't seem like it would help, so Taylor let her attention drift from Amy, letting Victoria and Crystal pull her into a pleasant conversation as they walked. People pointed and stared at them wherever they went, but to Taylor's relief, no crowds gathered or reporters showed up to bother them.

    As they were walking, however, they passed Big Star Mall.

    Taylor paused to stare at the now wrecked building, surrounded by shards of glass on all sides, no longer a single window anywhere. The steel and brick structures were cracked and damaged too, even if they hadn't completely fallen apart.

    A construction crew of some kind seemed to set up at a safe distance away from the ruins of the mall, but given that it had only been a day, they hadn't made much progress.

    "Silver Banshee did a number on the place," Crystal muttered, stopping beside Taylor to look at the place. "It's probably going to take months, maybe even years for them to fix it. Shame we can't do more to help."

    "Yeah," Taylor agreed softly.

    Or wasn't there, she wondered? Crystal and Victoria might not be able to help, but…well, she had won the superpower lottery, hadn't she?

    "Wait here a second, would you?" She told the other girls. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

    They seemed a bit surprised but acquiesced easily enough. "Sure," Crystal said, looking curious.

    Taylor quickly flew over to the construction crew, speaking to one of the men. "Hey, can I please speak to the foreman here?"

    The worker seemed a bit startled, as did all his colleagues. "Uh, sure," He said, catching himself after a long moment. "Just let me go get him."

    A minute later, he returned with an older man in his 40s, wearing the same construction clothes as everyone else but with a sheaf of papers tucked under his arm. He was tall, with salt and pepper hair, his face creased with lines, but he was still fit.

    "I'm Grant Jackson," He said, looking her up and down with a hint of wariness in his eyes. "Can I help you….?"

    "Captain."

    "Can I help you, Captain?"

    "I wanted to see if I could help you," Taylor told him. "Is there anything I can do to speed up the process of cleaning this place up?"

    Jackson blinked in surprise, for a moment looking completely flabbergasted by her question. "Do you have a history of working in the industry? I can't accept any building materials made by powers or you taking off work from my guys. I don't know if you know, but there are laws against that kind of thing."

    Taylor did not know that but raised her hands complacently, "Um, then is there anything I can do that wouldn't get in the way?"

    Jackson looked at her for a moment, seemingly in deep thought… then he smiled. "You know what, I'm sure I can think of something."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Zoolimar said:
    I don't think DC has a plane of Law to make such a spell possible without it being overly complex. The closest is probably something like localized time reversal for the objects.
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    Theoretically she could use magic in conjunction with the wisdom of Solomon letting her remember the correct structure of things. But said spell runs into 2 problems; her needing to know what she needs beforehand, and the temperament of Zeus' power that gives her said magic.
     
    Making Waves - 10
  • Threadmarks
    • "Our current problem is clearing the debris," Jackson said, waving a hand across the ruins of the mall. "Especially the glass. We can do it, but it will take weeks at best. And until we've done that, we can't even begin work on anything else because there's too high a danger of people getting hurt. Now, normally, this wouldn't be allowed because, ya know, laws. However, if you restrain yourself from working as effectively as any of our power equipment here-"

    He gestured to various forklifts and bulldozers around them.

    Taylor frowned, rubbing her chin. "What do you mean when you say effectively? In terms of how much I can lift? Is there a limit on how fast I can go?"

    "You'll have to go slowly, yeah," Jackson said, not without sympathy. "But having you working with us in addition to the equipment we do have should make things go faster."

    It was annoying. Taylor knew she could clear the entire area in just five minutes if she was allowed to, but she wasn't.

    It wasn't fair.

    Nor would it be fair to deprive these workers of their payment because you lack patience. A voice pointed out softly in the back of her mind.

    "Got it," Taylor told Jackson with a sigh. "Where should I put it all?"

    "Well, just pile up as much of it as you can in those trucks over there." He gestured to a line of garbage trucks nearby, their hatches open.

    "Got it," Taylor replied, before disappearing in a blur.

    Squashing the instinct to call upon the Speed of Mercury, Taylor got work. First, she made several rounds of the mall, carefully making note of where the debris was.

    Once she was sure she had a clear image of the ruins, Taylor got to work.

    Zipping across the mall, Taylor snatched up the debris, delivering it to the truck. She carefully gathered all the debris, separating it by material: glass, stone and steel, along with the various other little things from the stores. Broken toys shattered computed, torn clothes…there was so much of it.

    She chose a different truck for each category, putting them away carefully and trying to maximize the usage of space as much as she could. It was a tedious job, made all the more so by the fact that she couldn't use her super speed but it wasn't hard, as such.

    But just as she was stacking debris in one of the trucks, Crystal and Victoria came over.

    Crystal was shaking her head, smiling. "Helping clean up the mess, huh? You are a girl scout."

    Taylor blushed. "I thought it would help," She said defensively.

    "Not saying it's a bad thing," Crystal told her. "It's a good thing to do. Want some help?"

    "What?"

    Crystal smiled wryly. "It's not that we didn't do this stuff because we don't want to help, you know. But as I'm sure the foreman told you, there are laws against it. Using powers and child labour both."

    Child labour? Taylor hadn't even considered that, but…she was only thirteen in her 'real' body. Victoria was only fifteen, and Crystal was a high school senior.

    "I'm old enough to get away with it sometimes, though. But you should take Amy and go," Crystal added to Victoria.

    "Aw, come on, do I have to?" Victoria complained.

    "The last thing we need is an op-ed about Glory Girl being pressured into child labour by the city's newest cape," Crystal told her cousin dryly. "Wouldn't be good for us or Cap here."

    Victoria deflated. "Point. I'll see you guys later, Cap, Cuz." With a wave, she took back towards where Amy was waiting.

    Crystal turned back to Taylor with a smile. "Now, let's see what I can do to help."



    A few hours later, the former mall area was as clear of debris as it was going to get for the day. As the construction workers began to file out, Taylor and Crystal left too, though not before Taylor made sure it was okay if she came back tomorrow.

    "Sorry for ruining your day out," Taylor apologized, as they walked down the street. "I just wanted to check in on you guys after the fight. Not drag you into this"

    "It's not a problem," Crystal waved it off. "It was a good thing you did today. And honestly, we were about to go home anyway." The older girl smiled a little ruefully. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but Amy's always been kind of uncomfortable with big crowds and lots of people staring at us. She can manage, but she's never exactly happy about it."

    "Ah, okay," Taylor said a little uncertainly. "So, was there anything else you wanted to do?"

    "I told you we'd go to a cafe earlier, right? So let's go. I know a great place, we can get some drinks and something to eat, and they'll let us have our privacy."

    "Sounds great, but, um…I don't have any money on me." Taylor said, feeling self-conscious.

    "Don't worry, it's on me. You saved our butts yesterday. But don't order anything too expensive, yeah?" Crystal winked.

    "Got it."

    As Crystal led her down the street, Taylor's thoughts drifted back to the ruins of the mall.

    She wished she could help in ways that weren't just clearing debris, but even with super-strength and speed, it wasn't as if she knew anything about construction work. She was more likely to cause some kind of mess unless the workers told her exactly what to do.

    Biting her lip, Taylor wondered if maybe there was some kind of magic for fixing stuff rather than blowing it up.

    And if she could learn it. It would help a lot, to let her do things that weren't just punching criminals.

    There should be some kind of spell for fixing stuff, right? It couldn't be that hard.

    …not that Taylor knew any spells yet unless she counted the Power of Zeus.

    As she was thinking, Crystal led her to a quiet little cafe, waving them in and getting them a private booth.

    Distracted from her thoughts, Taylor looked around. It was a nice play, she had to admit, with warm wooden walls, and soft yellow lights illuminating the whole place. There were chandeliers on the walls and the floor was carpeted, but it managed to strike the balance of being classy without being too pretentious.

    Her mother would have loved this place, she thought distantly.

    Crystal pushed one of the menus that the waiter had delivered across the table to her. "Here! Pick whatever you like."

    Taylor hesitantly opened the menu, half-expecting a list of high-class dishes which she had never seen in her life, but she was pleasantly surprised when she recognized most of the items on the list.

    Scrolling through the menu, she couldn't resist the urge to order a glass of red wine. She'd always been curious as to what it tasted like, and it wasn't as if her parents were here to tell her now. As far as anyone looking at her was concerned, she was of a legal drinking age.

    The Wizard and Tawny probably wouldn't approve, but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, Taylor thought, a grin stretching at her lips.

    Along with the red wine, she also selected a simple chicken sandwich. Crystal went with a coffee and a bowl of spaghetti after a short while.

    The waiter was professional enough, though Taylor noticed he was trying to make an effort to be so, his eyes wide even as he struggled to act normally.

    "The food at this place is pretty good," Crystal said after the waiter had left. "You'll like it. Wish I could order some wine too, but Mom and Dad would be furious," She said a little enviously. "I stole some wine from their cabinet once, and they were so mad." She shuddered slightly at the memory.

    Taylor did her best to maintain a poker face. "I'm sure you'll get to drink it soon enough."

    "It's dumb," Crystal grumbled. "I can go out and be a superhero, but I can't drink? But Mom and Dad insist."

    "It won't be too long before you can drink," Taylor said, feeling distinctly like a hypocrite. "Just a few years."

    "Yeah, I guess," Crystal said a little morosely.

    "So, how has your family been since the attack yesterday? I know nobody was hurt, but anything else?" Taylor asked, desperate to change the subject.

    "Oh, we're all fine," Crystal said. "Mom, Dad and Uncle Mark are tired, but Aunt Carol got right back to work as if nothing had happened. The worst of it was that Amy and my brother Eric were really worried, but we got them to calm down."

    "Right, you have a brother!" Taylor said. She'd seen Shielder on the news before, but she'd completely failed to register his absence. "I haven't seen him around, where is he?"

    "He went on a camping trip with some family friends last week, he's not supposed to be back for a few more days," Crystal explained. "He was all ready to fly back the instant he heard the news about the fight, but Dad convinced him not to. I'll introduce you to him when he gets back, I think you guys will like each other."

    "That sounds nice," Taylor nodded. Any further conversation was interrupted by the return of the waiter carrying the dishes and their drinks on a tray, depositing them on the table.

    For a while, there was silence as they both dug in. Taylor eagerly raised the glass of red wine to her lips, drinking it…but found herself disappointed.

    It tasted fine, she supposed, but honestly, she didn't see what the big deal was. It was kind of sweet, but Taylor couldn't say it was the best drink she'd ever had, or even close.

    Fortunately, the chicken sandwich was pretty good, and Taylor dug in with gusto, enjoying it and the side of fries that had come with it.

    "See, told you the food at this place is great," Crystal said through a mouthful of spaghetti. "Though I guess the wine isn't." She nodded to the forgotten glass of wine, which Taylor hadn't bothered to touch after the first sip.

    Taylor winced slightly, remembering that Crystal was the one paying for the meal. "Sorry, I shouldn't have ordered it."

    "It's fine," Crystal said with a sigh and a smile. "It happens."

    Taylor took the glass again, drinking from it. It wasn't her thing, but it also wasn't unpleasant. Certainly not enough that she felt comfortable refusing Crystal's generosity.

    "So, my mom told me you have a lesson with her this weekend, on controlling your powers. Do you mind if I drop by?" Crystal asked as she continued to eat. "I think I could help a bit too."

    "Oh, sure. I don't mind." Taylor said, smiling.

    "Thanks!"

    "Has your mom told you where we're going to have the lesson?" Taylor inquired. "She said she'd get back to me."

    "I think she and Dad are still trying to figure that bit out. Normally, they'd take you to a power testing clinic like the ones they sent me, Vicky and Eric to. But with, um, how…potent your powers are, there aren't a lot of places in the city where you can safely throw around thunderbolts."

    Taylor grimaced. "Yeah, true." She'd prefer not to cause a scene and have to explain herself to the PRT again.

    "I'm sure Mom will let you know as soon she figures it out, she's not one to go back on a promise."

    "Tell her not to worry about it," Taylor said with a rueful smile. "I had the same problem, so I understand why she's having trouble."

    "I'll let her know," Crystal said with a laugh. "In the meantime, you want to patrol with me and Vicky again tomorrow? It should be fun."

    "Sure!" Taylor accepted eagerly.

    The rest of the afternoon passed like that, with them making small talk.

    When they went their separate ways later, Taylor found herself smiling. She couldn't remember the last time she'd just enjoyed herself like this, gone out with a…friend and had fun.

    Not in over a year, not even with Emma.

    Her mood dimmed slightly at the memory of her traumatized friend, but Taylor promised herself that she and Emma would do things like this again.

    Come hell or high water.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • The conversation with Crystal about Eric seems odd. Why would a Cape who Crystal thinks is 21 at least (due to not batting her eyes at her ordering wine other then to grumble at not being able to order it for herself) be interested in her middle school aged brother?
     
    Xanderhunter said:
    The conversation with Crystal about Eric seems odd. Why would a Cape who Crystal thinks is 21 at least (due to not batting her eyes at her ordering wine other then to grumble at not being able to order it for herself) be interested in her middle school aged brother?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Pure curiosity about the only New Wave cape she hasn't met yet? it's heavily Implied Shielder has already triggered in the chapter.
    it could also be considered politeness to ask about family members and how they are after a dangerous situation for the family.
     
    Making Waves - 11
  • Threadmarks
    • "So, let's begin!" Sarah said cheerfully.

    It was a bright, cheerful summer day, though Sarah's surroundings weren't so pleasant.

    The Boat Graveyard might not be as somber and depressing a setting as a real graveyard, but it still wasn't exactly cheerful.

    But it was perfect for Sarah's purposes, which was to help Brockton Bay's newest cape figure out her Blaster powers.

    Said cape looked both anxious and excited, the expression on her face making her look so young that it only reinforced Sarah's suspicions that the adult in front of her was some kind of… projection or transformation by someone much younger.

    But there was no point in pressing the topic, especially without real proof. She would just help the Captain out and hope that the girl would come to her in her own time.

    "The first and most important rule of Blaster powers is to keep the damage contained," Sarah continued. "Our powers are potent, but that means we are responsible for minimizing collateral damage."

    Sarah couldn't resist letting her eyes float to the long path of devastation that had been carved through the Boat Graveyard. The cause of the devastation blushed brightly, looking embarrassed.

    Neil, who was standing behind Sarah, had an abrupt coughing fit. Sarah threw a glare over her shoulder at her idiot husband, who immediately sobered and ventured to look appropriately sympathetic and remorseful.

    "I'm sorry," The Captain mumbled, bowing her head.

    "It's alright. Ignore my husband," Sarah assured her. "You had the sense to try it out in a private place where no one would be hurt, and I know you haven't tried using them in the city so far. That's good! It shows that you understand how dangerous your powers are. But there'll come a time when you'll need your blaster powers within more populated settings, and that's what we're here to prepare you for."

    "I understand," The Captain said confidently. But it was a kind of a forced confidence, of someone trying to appear more put together than they were.

    Focus, Sarah. Lady Photon reminded herself. She wasn't here to figure out the Captain's identity, and the girl certainly wouldn't appreciate it even if she did.

    "Where do I start?" The Captain asked.

    "Well, to be honest, you have the opposite problem of most Blasters in my experience. Generally, we start small, and going big is something that takes time and effort to work up to. You're the other way around, but it's not entirely unprecedented. So, we're going to help you go small instead. To begin with, I want you to create and compress your power instead of expelling it."

    "Compress it?" The Captain repeated, a little uncertainly.

    "Yes. Take the power and compress it." She held out ball of light in her hand and a forcefield in the other, also rounded out. "Visualizing a shape you're compressing it into may help, but keep the shape simple. Nothing too complicated. Go on."

    The Captain nodded slowly, cupping her hands. Lady Photon waited, maintaining a relaxed demeanor to avoid alarming the younger woman, but ready to throw up energy barriers in case she lost control.

    Behind her, Neil was ready as well, just in case. He was tough enough that he could handle most danger and his own electromagnetic power granted him resistance to electric attacks.

    Lightning sparked inside of the Captain's hands, crackling bolts of golden energy shining almost blindingly bright. The way they looked wasn't necessarily an indication of how powerful a Blaster was, but it did apply sometimes.

    She thought of the Damsel character her team fought many years ago, and how that blaster power had bypassed her own defenses.

    And if Sarah was being honest with herself, she had only ever seen such intense light from Legend on the few occasions she had seen the man in action.

    A ball of crackling electricity formed in the Captain's palms, more like a miniature star than a simple ball of light. Even Purity's blasts paled compared to the raw power emanating from the Captain's palms.

    "Don't pump too much power into it," Sarah cautioned. "This is just to help you get a feel for containing and compressing energy. We'll test how much power you can contain later."

    The other woman's face was twisted in concentration, beads of sweat dripping down her face as she tried to keep the ball under control. "What do I do next?" She breathed, her voice sounding strained.

    "Just hold it for as long as you can."

    The Captain shot her a disbelieving look, but Sarah just stared back calmly. "This lesson is about control, remember? And that control is something you need to be able to maintain under pressure, no matter what. Parahumans can't afford to lose control, because when we do, other people pay the price."

    The Captain's eyes narrowed in understanding and determination, and she grit her teeth. The ball of lightning in her palm flickered and writhed, clearly trying to explode outwards.

    The Captain did a good job of containing it but it was obviously taking a toll on the girl, and though the sphere had shrunk from the size of a basketball to a tennis ball, she was having trouble taking it any further.

    "I…can't," She choked out.

    "Let it go!" Sarah urged, raising her own hands. "Let it go, hurl it into the air."

    The Captain tossed the sphere directly into the sky, as hard as she could, where Sarah quickly contained it with several shields of light.

    The ball exploded harmlessly inside Sarah's fully charged shields, though they did buckle somewhat against the pressure. For a moment, she was afraid they might break as she felt the strain in her mind's eye, but they didn't.

    Good god, this girl was strong.

    Turning her attention back to the girl in question, Sarah noticed that she looked tired, though putting on a strong face.

    "Well done," Sarah said with a smile. "A good start.'

    The Captain beamed at the praise.

    "How about some water?" Neil suggested from behind them, pulling out a few small bottles from his basket. "It's a hot day."

    Sarah gratefully accepted the water from her husband, and the Captain did as well. The lesson hadn't been particularly draining so far, Sarah had contained worse explosions in her time.

    But Neil was right, she mused as she took a swig.

    It was a hot day.

    The Captain sipped her bottle more sedately, seemingly unaffected by the heat. It had barely been a minute, and she already looked like all the strain of trying to compress her power was gone.

    Once they had both finished their bottle, Sarah spoke again. "Now, we have to repeat that exercise until you can safely dispel the blast on your own, completely."

    She almost expected a complaint, but the Captain nodded determinedly. "I'll do my best." She said resolutely.

    "Alright, then," Sarah smiled. "Let's go."

    This time, the ball of lightning formed much more quickly in the Captain's hands, in mere seconds instead of almost a full minute.

    "Don't be too eager," Sarah warned. "If you try to compress it too quickly, it could be-"

    The ball exploded before Sarah could finish her sentence, and it was only long ingrained instinct that let her throw up shields in time, even as Neil grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

    The shields held against the blast, thankfully, though Sarah still nodded to her husband appreciatively.

    "You alright, Captain?" Neil called out, trying to seek through the smoke as Sarah dropped the shields.

    God, she hoped the girl hadn't hurt herself.

    Fortunately, as the smoke from the explosion cleared all she found was a sheepish, slightly sooted, and scorched-looking young woman, whose minor wounds were already healing themselves.

    "Sorry about that," The Captain mumbled, ducking her head.

    Sarah sighed. "Don't be so overzealous," Sarah advised. "I know you're eager to master your powers, but the point of this exercise is control and precision."

    The other woman nodded seriously. "I'll be more careful now, I promise."

    Sarah watched her for a long moment, judging carefully whether or not the girl meant it, before nodding. "Let's take another shot at it, then."



    Almost two hours later, Sarah, Neil, and the Captain were sitting at a cafe near the Boat Graveyard. Well, nearby for fliers, most people would take half an hour to drive between the two.

    As the sun reached its zenith, Sarah was grateful to be inside an air-conditioned building. Neither the Captain nor Neil seemed bothered, but she didn't share their superhuman physical endurance.

    "Feel free to order anything you like," Neil told the Captain. "Our treat."

    "Thanks," The Captain looked embarrassed. "I'll pay you back."

    "Nonsense," Sarah waved her off. "There's no need." This was a nice cafe, but it was perfectly affordable. Not like one of those ridiculous avant-garde restaurants that demanded two hundred dollars a plate.

    "I understand you went out with Crystal the other day," Neil said casually. "You guys have a good time?"

    Sarah stiffened slightly, but the Captain didn't seem to notice.

    They'd been…slightly concerned when the seemingly adult Captain had gone out for a meal with their daughter and then not paid for anything. But the Captain had repaid their daughter some days later in cash, and if their speculations about the other woman's true age were correct…

    "Yeah," The Captain agreed guilelessly, apparently not noticing anything. "It was really fun. Crystal is great."

    That seemed like another mark in the category for the Captain being much younger than she seemed. Sarah in her twenties would never have considered hanging out with a teenager at least a decade her junior to be 'fun'.

    The gulf caused by the age gap wasn't insurmountable, but it generally took a strong personal connection that needed time to build up. Crystal and the Captain had known each other for all of one week.

    Neil seemed to have come to the same conclusion and didn't press the point.

    "I'm glad," He said with a smile. "But I've been meaning to ask, have you given some further thought to your cape name? The Captain is fine as a placeholder, but you'll need something less…generic in the long term."

    "I'm not sure," The brunette admitted sheepishly. "I was thinking maybe something like Captain Thunder? But I think that's taken."

    "I'm pretty sure it is," Sarah said thoughtfully. "I can't remember exactly where, but the name's taken. But attaching something to Captain works well. Do you have any other ideas?"

    "Captain Wonder?" Neil suggested, before sighing. "No, that doesn't sound right."

    "Captain Brockton?" The youngest cape at the table threw out half-jokingly.

    Sarah snorted. "No," She said with a light chuckle. "That doesn't sound right. Captain Wonder doesn't either, but it's on the right track, I think. A word like wonder…"

    There was silence around the table for several moments before the Captain spoke up again. "Captain Marvel?"

    "Captain Marvel," Sarah repeated, testing it out on her tongue. "I like it, it sounds good."

    "I think the name has been used before, but I don't think any active capes are using it," Neil mused. "Even if there are…well, overlap happens. It's nothing to be ashamed of. There might be some issues if it's one of those corporate capes who copyrighted their name, but that's not common. Shouldn't be too hard to find out, in any case."

    "I'll stick with it, then," The newly dubbed Captain Marvel. "Thank you so much, Mr. Pelham, Mrs. Pelham."

    "I told you to call me Sarah," Lady Photon reminded Captain Marvel. Being called Mrs. Pelham by someone who looked almost thirty, even if they might be younger, made her feel ridiculously old.

    "And Neil is fine for me," Her husband said, smiling at the other woman, who blushed slightly.

    "Sarah and Neil, then," She said, soft and uncertain.

    "There you go," Sarah said indulgently. "Now, I'm afraid the lessons for the day are over. It's too hot for me to continue, and I have other things to do for the day. But I think we can make this a weekly thing until you have your powers firmly under control?"

    "Of course," Captain Marvel said eagerly. "I'll see you next Saturday?"

    "Absolutely," Sarah confirmed, and the girl beamed.

    Sometime later, after Captain Marvel had excused herself, Neil sighed.

    "She does seem a lot younger when you get to know her," He said. "It makes me worry, though. A girl like that shouldn't be on her own."

    Sarah nodded somberly. There had been cases of children with powers that let them pretend they were adults before, and rarely did it end well.

    "Not much we can do, though. We don't have any proof, and I don't think trying to force her to go to the PRT or Wards would be a good idea," Sarah said with a sigh. "At least she's willing to work with others, which is a good sign. Maybe she'll trust us enough to tell us the truth eventually. But for now…"

    "Yeah," Neil agreed. "I like her, though. She's a good kid."

    "I do too," Sarah said. The girl's awkward sincerity and bursts of cheerfulness were endearing. "Let's just help her out as much as we can without overstepping."

    And hopefully, nothing would go catastrophically wrong in the meantime.



    It was another lonely evening at home for Taylor, with her father working overtime, again.

    At least Tawny was here, curled up next to her on the couch.

    But today had been a good day, despite that. She had learned a lot from Lady Photon.

    Now, with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, and a TV remote in the other, Taylor was ready for a night of grisly action movies her father would never let her watch if he was here.

    Switching on the TV, she flipped through a bunch of channels.

    "-Oh, Jason, I can't bear to live without you-"

    "-the winner of this year's-"

    "-breaking news, the E88 has assaulted the firefighter station on 8th street-"

    Taylor's breath caught in her throat as she stopped at the news channel.

    "The firefighters are doing what they can, but the Protectorate isn't here yet. Civilians are advised to stay away from this area-"

    Taylor lept to her feet, sprinting for the door, Tawny scarcely a step behind her.

    Moments later, there was a crack of thunder that echoed across the neighborhood.



    Author's Note: For those interested, there is one advance chapter on Patreon.
     
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