Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

[Silvercrystal]

I'm sorry, but you've just disqualified yourself from having an opinion about words.

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I'm sorry, but you've just disqualified yourself from having an opinion about other peoples opinions.

That sort of instantiated refutation can help elevate the sensation of rebuke from a mild sting into a lasting burn

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You sir are a Hypocrite for the very reason you attempt to disqualify my earlier argument
And really "mild sting" to a "lasting burn" you do have an overinflated ego, you must truly be the envy of all your little friends. But heres a news flash for you, most people don't care and don't get offended by shit on the internet as most of the little punks who "burn" people wouldn't dare say that crap in public as they would get their teeth kicked in.
The pen may be far more deadly then a knife... but it is also the reason school bombings and shootings are becoming a norm rather then a rare bloody tragedy.

So yeah I'm done with this topic.

I'd say it should be Taylor because arm loss is usually her theme but that already been done here and it's pretty much a non-issue now, to the point that I don't think anyone would even bother commenting on it if it happened to her.

I'm relatively certain Amelia has a spare chamber hidden away with lots of spare limbs pre-made just in case Taylor feels like reliving the good old days.

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I think you have squash the bug with that one, as for Amelia having a chamber with spare limbs for Taylor wouldn't it just be easier to have a few dozen copies waiting for a upload. "whoops this body is trashed, time for a trade in"

 

[the DragonBard]

Imagine if Eidolon 'is' the Endmaster. His reaction when he finds out everything he's done.

 

[doomlord9]

I think you have squash the bug with that one, as for Amelia having a chamber with spare limbs for Taylor wouldn't it just be easier to have a few dozen copies waiting for a upload. "whoops this body is trashed, time for a trade in"

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HAH! You're too late, I already did that joke way back on SB in my Perception snippet!

And she would, but pre-forming whole bodies stops her from custom designing them every time. Taylor might see them after all and mention that her legs aren't quite that toned and then she'll have to change it back before Taylor is in it and it's all said and done.

Spare limbs for Taylor on the other hand are little more than slightly advanced plug&play equipment for Amelia. Just copy the existing one beforehand, push one of the new ones to the resulting stump when she inevitably loses an appendage or two, connect all the widgets and squishy bits and voila, she's good as new!

 

[evildice]

For some reason, this gives me the impression that one of them is going to lose an arm in the next endbringer fight

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Taylor: "Hey, no elbowing in on my shtick."

Missy: "I lose an arm, and you make puns."

Amelia: "There's always a fly in the ointment."

Missy: "Argh!"

You sir are a Hypocrite for the very reason you attempt to disqualify my earlier argument

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Uh. Actually I tried to imply that you really need to pay more attention to how sloppy your posts are. You had random newlines, missing or misplaced capitalization, and you were using the wrong words for things while trying to criticize other people's word choices.

If you're going to tell other people what they should and shouldn't accept, but you're unwilling to meet the minimum standards for forum communication, that's ... well, it's not a good look.

And really "mild sting" to a "lasting burn" you do have an overinflated ego, you must truly be the envy of all your little friends. But heres a news flash for you, most people don't care and don't get offended by shit on the internet as most of the little punks who "burn" people wouldn't dare say that crap in public as they would get their teeth kicked in.
The pen may be far more deadly then a knife... but it is also the reason school bombings and shootings are becoming a norm rather then a rare bloody tragedy.

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Gosh, you sure took that criticism harder than it was intended.

By the way, bombing your school won't help. Please don't try that.

 

[daimahou]

shower

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Do they still have the kitty-tongue showers?

From smbc-comics:

 

[Daunmi]

Do they still have the kitty-tongue showers?

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I think it'll be quite some time before Riley gets rid of her kitty-tongue showers.

From smbc-comics:

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TanaNari, you should change it to this just to annoy people even more.

 

[Jurily]

I'm relatively certain Amelia has a spare chamber hidden away with lots of spare limbs pre-made just in case Taylor feels like reliving the good old days.

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"Morning sunshine! Did you sleep well?"

"...I died again, didn't I? What happened?"

"You got bored, so you started a war again. With the CUI this time. Can you stop doing that please?"

"Oh. How did it go?"

"...You shunted the royal palace into the zergling pit just before they managed to kill you."

"But without me to hold them back, they would..."


"Yup. Dragon's preparing their first democratic election."

"Aww." BoredomRealizationAnticipation "Hey, wanna go see the Kremlin?"

"Goddammit Taylor!"

 

[powerofvoid]

"Hey, wanna go see the Kremlin?"

"Goddammit Taylor!"

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Didn't Behemoth get Moscow?

 

[Daunmi]

Didn't Behemoth get Moscow?

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That just means it's more of a challenge for them to screw it up even more!

 

[daimahou]

Didn't Behemoth get Moscow?

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There are other Moscows in their reach.

 

[Snake/Eater]

There are other Moscows in their reach.

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if something were to happen to Moscow, Saint Petersburg(or still called Leningrad because of Scion) would become the capital of Russia again.But you have to take in account that many political Factions have a Capital city of their own during the chaos though the years.when Scion Showed up 1984 was a very unstable year for Soviet politics behind the scenes.

 

[Jackercracks]

The pen may be far more deadly then a knife... but it is also the reason school bombings and shootings are becoming a norm rather then a rare bloody tragedy.

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There are 128,000 schools in the USA. Since 2010 there have been 99 school shootings. So, in the last 4 years 0.077% of schools have had a school shooting. Less than a tenth of one percent. Imagine 1300 schools of students walking past in procession, 6,500,000 students with 3 students being hurt or killed. They are not, and have never been a norm. They are vanishingly rare, the only reason people think differently is because they go on and on about it in the news.

 

[Ack]

There are 128,000 schools in the USA. Since 2010 there have been 99 school shootings. So, in the last 4 years 0.077% of schools have had a school shooting. Less than a tenth of one percent. Imagine 1300 schools of students walking past in procession, 6,500,000 students with 3 students being hurt or killed. They are not, and have never been a norm. They are vanishingly rare, the only reason people think differently is because they go on and on about it in the news.

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And they were happening before 2010 as well, but then they were seen as what they are - a very minor aberration to the norm.

(Case in point: the song "I don't like Mondays" was written about one such. Back in the seventies.)

 

[TanaNari]

Amelia, Ch 324- Missy


"Hey, Missy," Theo caressed my shoulder.


"Muh?" Brilliant, Missy, truly the best dialogue ever.


"I think it's time for you to go back to your room," he sounded apologetic. "We're already a half hour past curfew."


"That rule's stupid," I complained, nuzzling my face against his chest. "Besides, Zach and Emma break it all the time."


"Zach and Emma aren't the people you want to consider role models," he countered. "Besides, they get exceptions based on the whole 'don't sleep' thing. As long as they stay in the main public areas or the labs... they're allowed to be out. We do need sleep and we're in private quarters. That's a no go."


"Still a stupid rule," I pouted. "We're responsible enough to fight to save the world from monsters and alien parasite gods, but we're not responsible enough to be in each others' bedrooms past nine?"


"It's a good rule," he responded. "Mistakes get made, you know. I mean, our parents might not mind too much. But that's because mine would see it as some kind of weird parahuman superchild in the making. And yours..."


My mother practically made a career off of child support and alimony, she'd be tickled pink if I did the same with a multimillionaire. "But we're not going to do anything like that," I argued. "Not until we're older and married and everything."


"I know that, and you know that, but they don't know that," he responded. "They could probably ask Dinah and be certain about it. But if they did that, they'd have to do it for pretty much every possible combination of boys and girls living in this building. And then they'd have to do it again every time we added someone new. Using the world's most powerful precog as some sort of ad-hoc chastity belt seems... like an incredible waste of resources."


"Also profoundly creepy," I muttered. The idea of Dinah answering questions would have been disturbing even before finding out about the side effects of her power, how she couldn't help but get visual images from the questions she asked. Making her look for those kinds of images on purpose was not cool.


"So we'll talk in the morning," he insisted.


Dammit! "Okay," I sighed, sitting up. "We'll talk in the morning."


....


It was almost midnight when my door opened automatically and Riley stepped in, looking nervous. "Riley? What's wrong?" I asked, getting up off the chair in my living room area. I wasn't really tired enough to try to go to bed. I wasn't tired when I took that nap with Theo, and there was still so much on my mind. Staying up watching dumb movies was better than laying in bed staring at the ceiling.


"I just wanted to see if you were okay," she spoke softly, walking in and slowly approaching me. I was used to a lot of things from Riley, but her acting shy was a new one. "I know how much it has to hurt to not get to help."


Oh. She's worried about me? Of course she would be. "What about the curfew?" I asked.


"Big Sis gave me permission to break it," she answered. That's Riley, alright, asking for permission to break the rules. "She just told me not to get caught. So I came to see you and make sure you're okay."


"That's okay, I think I'm over it," I responded. "It sucks, but I can cope." I carefully avoided rubbing my hand. My wrist had swollen to the point where I was convinced I'd need to ask Amelia to patch it up in the morning.


"You're hurt," she spoke immediately. Dammit!


"Yeah, I just banged up my wrist a little," I insisted. "I'll be fine."


By now she'd managed to inch her way within arm's reach of me. We were the same height now, despite my year and a half or so age advantage on her. Her hand went out and touched my elbow, guiding my arm up. I didn't resist, there wasn't much point in eve trying. She rested my injured hand in her palm, pressing gently in various spots. I tried to avoid making sounds of discomfort as she poked and prodded.


"This is pretty bad, considering you have an augmented physiology," she spoke eventually. "Several fractured bones and some serious swelling. Even minor nerve damage in the wrist. What did you do?"


"I got a little overzealous in my workout routine, punched a bag too hard," I responded. "Don't worry, I'll talk to Amelia tomorrow and it'll be good as new."


"Okay, if you insist," she looked at me, but didn't let go of my hands. "Why were you pushing yourself so hard? Is it because you couldn't go to the fight with us?"


"N-" I hesitated. I didn't want to lie to her, it wouldn't feel right. To say nothing of her lie detection abilities. "It was. But that's not a problem now."


"You're sure?" Riley asked, sounding conflicted in wanting to believe me, and wanting to make sure I was okay.


"I talked to Theo after he got back," I informed her. "He was really upset about it, about what he saw and had to do when fighting Beelzebub's monsters."


Is that a bad thing to tell her? That I was there to comfort him when she wasn't? This whole thing was really confusing sometimes and I had no way of knowing what I was supposed to do. I didn't know if telling her that might upset her.


"Good," she responded. She was still toying with my wrist, and had pinched my arm near the elbow. I felt the pain immediately start to fade. "I was worried about him, too. Is he okay? He was really upset."


"I'm not sure," I admitted. "He was pretty upset by everything. This one got to him worse than the others. What about you, are you okay?"


She smiled, a little sadly. "I'm fine. You just take care of Theo, okay?"


"Uh, Riley, you're scaring me," I looked at her, wondering what she meant by those words. "You're not planning to do anything... bad... are you?"


"No," she responded, still looking like she was going to cry. "But I can't help him. I don't know how."


"And I do?" I asked. "I don't know how to make him feel better about killing that Endbringer's victims. He already knows they couldn't have been saved, but killing them hurt him. I've never done anything like that."


"I have," she responded, looking away. "I've done it so many times that I can't even remember when I lost count."


"That's what this is about?" I asked quietly. I wrapped my arms around her. It was so easy to forget what she'd done in the past. Who she was. She didn't hug me back. "Were you reminded of what Jack made you do?"


"I saw the way Theo looked," she whispered. "He was disgusted. He hated what he had to do. H-how can I expect him to love me when I've done so much worse."


"You'd never do anything like that now," I insisted.


"But I would," she responded. "I have. When I killed Dream Girl, it was the same way. I made her walk out into the ocean to drown, and she felt every second of it. And just today I used the same tech on Moord Nag, controlling her."


I thought back on that one. Moord Nag normally wasn't someone I'd hear about- as terrifying as she was, there was a list a mile long of monsters just like her, or the Slaughterhouse Nine, or the Blasphemies throughout the world. Incredibly powerful warlords that, if I had my way, we'd hunt down one after another after another until they were all dead. I knew Taylor and Amelia wanted to as well, but bullshit politics kept us from doing that. I only knew who Moord Nag was because I saw her during the last couple Endbringer battles and did some research.


"Moord Nag's a despot and a psychopath," I responded, squeezing Riley. "Whatever you did to her can't possibly be worse than the stuff she's done. She's single handedly killed tens of thousands."


"Hundreds of thousands, now," Riley answered. "Lisa used her to clear the whole city in the end, killing everyone still inside. All the infected in one strike. Turns out her power is even capable of killing the M7s and zerg if they're exposed for more than about twenty seconds."


Holy fuck. "Doesn't her power get stronger the more people she kills?" I asked. "She was crazy powerful with only a few thousand of the artificial food source that Amelia put together for her. If it's a straight upgrade, she might be able to solo Endbringers after hundreds of thousands."


"Also crazy crazy," Riley added. "The power boost messed with her head. There's no way to grant a power increase without causing damage to the brain, one way or another. It's one of those rules Passengers have."


And I ignored that when using that drug, I added. I didn't blame Riley for telling me, I didn't think she was doing it as an accusation or even reminder. She was a Tinker, and Tinkers loved to talk tech. "So she's insane, now?"


"Temporarily," Riley answered. "But it wears off over time. Her power uses up the energy she absorbs, and the more she's containing the faster it'll go. At low power levels, the first thousand or so, it's pretty weak. Only using up one or two a day."


Only using one or two people a day, I amended in my head.


"At her current power stage, she's consuming exponentially more energy," Riley continued explaining. "She'll burn through a hundred thousand lives worth of power by this time tomorrow. Another hundred by next week. Almost all of it will be gone in a month. After two she'll be back to her standard power."


"So upgrading her to Endslayer status would require killing the entire city we're trying to defend to give her the power she needs?" Well, that would have been convenient to have, but it's not worth the costs.


"I'm planning to draft up a system for Amelia tomorrow," Riley informed. "We can assign a patch of land in our Africa to Moord Nag, now that she's under our influence. We can give her access during emergencies, so she can use her upgraded power during Endbringer battles, and against him."


"That... will help a lot," I admitted. "It's a really good idea."


"You don't hate me for messing with her brain?" She asked hesitantly. "Or because I wasn't disgusted by the Endbringer like everyone else?"


"Of course not," I responded, pulling back a little so I could look at her. I rested my forehead on hers and looked into her now dark brown eyes. Wow, those are pretty, I'll need to ask her about her cosmetics choices later, in a less intense situation. "We've talked about this. I love you, we both do." Surprise, surprise, I mean that. And not merely as a close friend, either. Although we were certainly that, as well. I did love her, just like I loved Theo.


The relationship was obviously a little different than with Theo. He was the one who protected me and made me feel strong and safe. With Riley, the role was reversed. I was the one who protected her, she was the one I wanted to make strong and safe.


I noted the way she twisted her arm to keep the pressure of her fingers steady on my hurt wrist. Okay, maybe that works both ways, at least a little.


======================


A/N- Show me a rule that says Bonesaw can't know bullshit acupuncture techniques.

 

[Transreal Clouden]

A/N- Show me a rule that says Bonesaw can't know bullshit acupuncture techniques.

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You mean the rule about how normal acupuncture doesn't work so anything she is doing clearly only looks like acupuncture? Also, the term people use for things with fingers instead of needles tends to be acupressure, not that that has any scientific basis either.

 

[Ack]

If it's remotely medically possible, Bonesaw can do it.

Also, I have a musical pick for this chapter

Wake Up Little Susie

 

[Empiricist]

A/N- Show me a rule that says Bonesaw can't know bullshit acupuncture techniques.

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I'd assume she'd derive it from first principles. Hell her using pressure instead of something that cut the nerve, strikes me as: 1. an excuse to keep touching Missy 2. not breaking Amelia's rules.

. . .And now I'd really like to see the list of Riley's rules for not being an abomination of science! against humanity.

 

[Ack]

I'd assume she'd derive it from first principles. Hell her using pressure instead of something that cut the nerve, strikes me as: 1. an excuse to keep touching Missy 2. not breaking Amelia's rules.

. . .And now I'd really like to see the list of Riley's rules for not being an abomination of science! against humanity.

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"If it starts with 'harvest the organs', we don't do it."

 

[TanaNari]

Also, I have a musical pick for this chapter

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Oh god! It's spreading! We must burn EVERYTHING!!!

. . .And now I'd really like to see the list of Riley's rules for not being an abomination of science! against humanity.

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One of my greatest disappointments in my fan base is that no one's taken the time to gather the list from the chapters.

As a bonus incentive, I'll provide the previously unreleased Rule #3b- "You are not allowed to change their opinions manually."

(I feel it may be needed to extrapolate Rule #3's phrasing, since it was more hinted than stated).

 

[cosoco]

was not cool

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was not cool.

"Also profoundly creepy," I muttered. The idea of Dinah answering questions would have been disturbing even before finding out about the side effects of her power, how she couldn't help but get visual images from the questions she asked.

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The Threesome Prophecy takes on an entirely new context now.

I Taylor and

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I knew Taylor and

damage the brain

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damage to the brain

You mean the rule about how normal acupuncture doesn't work so anything she is doing clearly only looks like acupuncture?

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I feel like acupuncture is only a minor impossibility next to biological anti-gravity systems.

 

[Prince Charon]

You mean the rule about how normal acupuncture doesn't work so anything she is doing clearly only looks like acupuncture? Also, the term people use for things with fingers instead of needles tends to be acupressure, not that that has any scientific basis either.

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The placebo effect is perfectly scientific. Also, given how much we don't know, I'm not willing to declare that acupuncture/acupressure are pure placebos. They probably are, but that's not the same thing.

Further, Worm has more than enough bullshit in it for acupressure to be something real, it just wouldn't be due to mystical energy flowing through the body.

 

[TanaNari]

For some reason, I can't get the chapter to post.

 

[Ampersandwich]

The placebo effect is perfectly scientific.

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But why would Riley resort to the placebo effect when she could use retractable fingertip-mounted jet-injectors instead?

Further, Worm has more than enough bullshit in it for acupressure to be something real, it just wouldn't be due to mystical energy flowing through the body.

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No, it'd be due to extradimensionally-applied space whale energy, and would be a Striker 3-ish power of its own (depending on the exact effect). Or a subset of Panacea's power.

Worm has a lot of bullshit in it, but not that kind of bullshit.

 

[cosoco]

For some reason, I can't get the chapter to post.

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Odd. Related to the server move, you think? Does it still fail if you post a previous chapter?

 

[TanaNari]

Amelia, Ch 325- Crystal


"C'mon, cuz, he's perfect for you," Vicky insisted. "Smart, good looking, and the stick is only about halfway up his ass. So much better than Rory. Plus he's got the whole blaster-shaker thing, so the two of you have that in common. So think about all the fun you can have arguing with each other over which whether your future children got their powers from him or you."


I sighed. "Vicky, I don't-"


"Plus he already knows me," she interrupted. "Which means there's no chance of you getting into a massive blow up fight because he wouldn't stop ogling your younger, funner, and better looking cousin at the Christmas party."


"This is about that time you caught Dean flirting with me, isn't it?" I muttered.


"He wasn't flirting with you," she argued. "He was just being nice. He explained it to me later."


"Yeah, he explained it to you later," I continued. "After you broke up with him, literally threw him out of the house, and then spent the next three months moping about because he was dating that one girl. Whatever happened to her, anyway?"


"I think she transfered to Immaculata. Who cares?" Vicky sulked. "She was a bimbo anyway."


"I dunno, she seemed nice enough to me," I responded. It was nice to have Vicky on the ropes for once. With her boosted mental abilities and various extra senses, it was hard to get the upper hand against her in anything. And right now, I had that upper hand. "Sure, she was a little high strung, perhaps. But I'm pretty sure that was Dean's type. Remember back before you got your powers and he dated Amy for a couple wee-" Her smile vanished instantly, and I knew that I'd said something very, very wrong. "Oh, I'm sorry!"


"Don't worry about it, not your fault," she responded, shrugging dismissively. "Can't do anything to change the past."


And you've moved on to Chevalier, if you can call finding a new guy who's pretty much exactly like your old boyfriend 'moving on'.


"Okay," I agreed. "I retain the right to feel bad."


"You sound like Mom," she rolled her eyes. "Hey, speaking of moms, what's Aunt Sarah been up to? She seemed pretty dead set against staying on Avalon, last time I talked to her. Something about preferring to earn her own way."


"Oh, uh, she's moved to Boston," I informed. "Kinda doing the 'liaison' thing like you and I are. Working as part of their Protectorate, but doing it with a hand me down Radiant. Apparently she's now the de facto second in command for their Protectorate, and the functional head of their Wards." I tactfully neglected to mention that Taylor's father got a job in Boston as well. The longer it took Vicky to find out about that, the less annoying she'd be.


"Makes sense," Vicky responded. "Aunt Sarah's a badass, and she can use your suit even better than you can."


I tried to be mad, but it was true. Mom had the stronger shields, and my armor was built around harnessing its shielding. She was better able to use my armor than I was. "Yeah, you're right. Plus the Wards there love her. Clock sends his regards, by the way."


"That's where they sent him?" Vicky laughed. "Oh, man, he must be driving her up the wall with his pranks. Oh, I just thought of something! Do you remember the 'Photon Mom Sandwich'?"


"Yes, Vicky, I remember," I muttered.


"Roast beef with ketchup," she continued.


"Yes. Vicky," I growled. "I remember."


"It took me six weeks to get the joke!" She finished. "Speaking of which, one of us still has to beat the living piss out of him for that."


"Actually, from what Mom's been saying, he's turned over a new leaf lately," I informed her. "No more dumb pranks, none of the childish antics, and he's doing a very good job on the team. While rocking the whole quiet moody thing. Apparently he's like a less douchy Armsmaster. Half the girls and one of the guys on the team are blatantly flirting with him. Thus far, no one's won the prize."


"Really, your mom said all of that?"


"I may have paraphrased a little," I shrugged. "Okay, I may have paraphrased a lot. But seriously, turns out he shaped up nicely. Who woulda guessed?"


"Dean always said he had it in him," Vicky smiled sadly. "Pretty sure he didn't believe a word of it, but he did say it. Of course he also liked to say that Sophia was just misunderstood, and if everyone was patient with her, she'd open up to the team."


And he thought Amy would get over her 'little crush' on him. "For an empath, that boy just did not understand people," I sighed.


"He meant well," Vicky sighed. "Which is more than I can say for most people. And that brings us back to the guy I'm trying to hook you up with. Trust me, he's perfect for you. I know how much you like the artsy types, and he was a musician before he got powers."


"Vicky, are you trying to hook me up with some guy who's in a band?" I sighed. "Because I got over that years ago."


"Actually, he works on the other side of the screen," she responded. "You know those people that write the music that all those famous singers like to pretend are theirs, but everyone with the IQ of a dead fruit bat already knows better? He's one of those."


Huh. "That doesn't sound so bad, actually," I admitted. "So he has sonic powers? Like Dubs?"


"Not directly," Vicky shrugged. "It's more like destructive telekinesis. Kinda like Clotho's power, but without any fine control, like when she uses that tinker weapon of hers. He can make sound with it, but he can't actually control sound. Also flying, forcefields, and no Manton Limit. So should I call up Eric and let him know to have you shipped over here for a few hours? Or him shipped over there? Either works for me."


"Still not interested," I responded.


"Well, if he's not not your type, there's always Rime," Vicky suggested. "She's Chevalier's second in command, so-"


"Vicky, how many times do I have to explain that I'm not gay?"


"That's not what I heard," Vicky smirked. "Ames told me all about how you tried to steal her girlfriend."


"I'm hanging up now," I sighed.


"She even looks a little like Taylor," Vicky continued, heedless of my words. "With the whole supermodel skinny thing going on."


"Goodbye, Victoria," I turned off the phone. Why is it that the Dallon side of the family is completely fucking insane? I stood up and left my office.


"You okay?" GL asked.


"Not really," I admitted. "Just got done talking to Vicky. She was trying to cheer me up. She just sucks at it."


"Ah, Hurricane Victoria," I could imagine him nodding his head sagely, if only he had one. "She who Sveta worships as a god and may or may not be willing to go gay for. She who has more followers on her blog than most religions have at all. She who dumped actual shark bait on Shark."


I chuckled at that memory. The guy was a pompous windbag of a villain. Reminded me an awful lot of Kaiser. "She has her moments," I admitted.


"Hey, if you need someone to listen, you probably shouldn't go to the woman who never even listens to herself," he responded. The air rumbling with what I learned approximated GL's version of laughter. "I'm always willing to offer a metaphorical shoulder to cry on if you need it. May need to shop around a bit longer if you want something a bit more literal."


"Thanks," I smiled at the random nowhere. "I might take you up on that, some day. I've just been... after Paris."


"That was ugly," he agreed, his voice softening, as it did when he was busy focusing on his thoughts or emotions, instead of concentrating on using his power to speak. "It got to all of us."


"I need to talk with the others, don't I?" I asked. GL had, at some point, become my de facto second in command. "I just... I can't force myself to care anymore. It's like I want to fail, just so I don't have to keep fighting these battles we can't win."


"Minerva said-"


"Minerva's a lying bitch," I interrupted. "Trust me, I know her better than most. She says whatever's convenient for her and her goals. If it also happens to be true, that's barely a concern for her."


"So you don't think we're reaching the equilibrium?" he asked. "She's not wrong about the Endbringers getting weaker, and those of us fighting them getting stronger. New Endslayer combinations, new weapons that work against the monsters."


"It doesn't matter," I responded. "I used to be nothing. I didn't have to fight them because my powers didn't matter. The average housefly is more of a threat to Alexandria than I was to the Endbringers. Now I'm fighting alongside the Triumvirate and pulling my own weight. I just... before, if I messed up, it meant so little. Now one mistake, one moment of hesitation, and people die. Possibly thousands of them. Just because I was less than perfect just one time. I can't... I don't know how to live with that. Some days, I regret ever joining Pantheon."


"Wish I had answers for you," he responded. I felt a shifting as his power influenced my clothes, as best he could make it at least. A half attempt at a hug. "One of those things about responsibility, I guess. But I promise you none of us regret your choices. You've been a good leader and a great friend. None of us would be anywhere near as well off as we are now, without you. Don't worry about us, okay? We'll be here to help you any way you need."


"I just want it to be over," I sighed. "One way or the other."


================

A/N- Sorry, Missy. There *are* other characters in this story.

 

[TanaNari]

HAH! Got it to work.

May be a browser thing. I just logged in with IE and it worked just fine. But my Opera and Firefox browsers just wouldn't do it. I am at a loss for the why.

 

[Ack]

... roast beef with ketchup?

Must be a cultural thing. I don't get that at all.

 

[Ack]

HAH! Got it to work.

May be a browser thing. I just logged in with IE and it worked just fine. But my Opera and Firefox browsers just wouldn't do it. I am at a loss for the why.

Click to shrink...

I use Chrome and it works nicely.

Might be something to do with the move.