Chapter 29: She's not sleeping well
Gowonzu
A-mature Writer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2023
- Messages
- 126
- Likes received
- 4,886
A/N: A new chapter, and so soon. What is this?
Shout out to scapegrace and riftstudier on the Discord: The Gaylor Convention forletting me steal giving me words to use in Lisa's power scene.
???– Late Night
"What about Ms Dallon?"
The voice called out. It was desperate, pathetic.
"Surely a hero like Glory Girl wouldn't approve of killing me like this."
Even at the end of his rope, Coil still looked to be scheming. The lying snake would've said anything if he thought it'd keep him alive a little longer. But that didn't stop his words from ringing true.
"What would she think of you if you went through with this?"
She wanted to scream. Tell the man to shut up. Surely by now, he realised how pointless his words would be. She had to do this, she had to save her.
"Are you really willing to do this? Consequences and all?"
Vicky would understand. She knew the stakes, she knew how this game worked. A man like Coil can't be trusted in the system. He's too well connected, he could still cause harm.
She felt the gun weigh heavily in her hand, but it didn't matter. The decision was already made.
"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect the people I love."
Then she woke up.
-----------------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – Early Morning
There was an uncertain air to room as the team slowly woke from their slumber. No one really spoke to each other as they made their way into the kitchen area. Besides the occasional head nod and mumble.
It was rare for the entire team to stay the night. Brian and Aisha would sleep at their apartment more often than not, Lisa had her own place too and would often alternate between them depending on various factors of work. Taylor was the rarest sight of them all, perhaps being the first time since joining up with the Undersiders did she actually stayed the night with the team.
The late hour that they all got back from left them with little options for sleeping. Taylor and Lisa didn't waste any time shuffling off to bed. With the addition of Aisha who would on occasion borrow Taylor's unused bed, Taylor shared with Lisa for the night.
While such blatant sharing of a bedroom would've been cause for teasing and jokes, none of the members of the team batted an eye as the two girls exited their room. Everyone knew nothing untoward happened the prior night, that both girls simply didn't want to sleep alone after what had happened. They just wanted a few hours to process the whole experience and recover from the previous day's stress.
"How'd everyone sleep?" Brian asked around the room.
"Fine." Mumbled Rachel.
"Ehh." Added Aisha.
"Terrible." Sighed Lisa.
Taylor simply grunted in agreement.
"I'm going back to bed," Alec complained. He took a small bottle of water out of a fridge and did exactly as he said, marching right back into his room.
"Coffee?" Brian offered, walking to the coffee machine.
Rachel pushed her mug over, it had a picture of a brown and grey bulldog across it. Aisha also propped her mug into the pile, a simple white coffee mug that she'd drawn her mask onto with a marker.
"Lise, Taylor?" Brian asked. "Coffee?"
Lisa shook her head and downed some painkillers with some water. She always kept a handful for her Thinker headaches, although it was rare for her to wake up with them. Taylor also declined, looking at the time on her phone.
"I have to leave," Taylor said, moving to collect her things. "If I hurry, I can convince my Dad that I had a late jog."
"Sure you don't want to have breakfast?" Brian asked with a little more concern in his voice. "Pretty sure we have the ingredients for pancakes still."
"Nah, we're out of eggs," Aisha said, watching her mug filled with coffee.
"Didn't we have half a dozen left?" Brian asked her.
Aisha gave an impish smile. "Yeah… Alec and I kinda used them to egg this car in Empire territory the other day."
"What?"
Aisha shrank down and gave an apologetic grin that was in no way apologetic.
"We needed more eggs, so I grabbed some from here on the way." She shrugged like it was no big thing.
Before Brian could even argue back, he suddenly forgot what he was getting upset about and turned back to the two girls.
"Thanks for the offer," Taylor said, standing by the door. "But I have school, can't be late."
"I'll drive you home," Lisa followed quickly, waving her keys. "Don't worry about breakfast, I'll get something on the way back."
Both girls waved goodbye to the team before making their exit. Brian sighed sadly as they left. He could tell they were both running away from their feelings. He made a mental note to speak to Lisa when she got back.
He turned back to his mugs of coffee, handing one back over to Rachel before staring confusedly at the other two.
"Thanks, Bro," Aisha said as she reappeared behind him, snatching her mug from the table. "We got any milk for this?"
"Yeah," Brian said, shaking off the effect of Aisha's power. "It's right next to the eggs-" He looked up again but the girl was gone. "Dammit Aisha." He muttered into his drink.
------------------------------------------------------
Arcadia High – Midmorning
The cafeteria erupted in a cheer. Hands clapping and people whistling. An impromptu celebration dedicated to Arcadia's most famous student.
"What the hell is going on?" Taylor asked Amy as she watched it all unfold. Both girls were already sitting down at their lunch table when it began.
"You didn't see the news?" Carlos chuckled, taking a seat beside Amy. "Glory Girl saved the Mayor's niece last night."
Taylor looked back at the boy, more than a little confused. She didn't realise that the news story had already run but that wasn't what was confusing her at the moment.
"So?" Taylor said back bluntly. "Glory Girl Stops Crime, more news at six. Why the cause for celebration?"
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Dennis chuckled.
Taylor realised her question came off far more bitter than she intended.
"Sorry," She mumbled. "Victoria's amazing and all. I just don't understand why the students care about that today?"
Carlos chuckled. "It's okay. We understood." He looked to Dennis, kicking the boy under the table. "And yeah, it would be weird. But the Mayor personally said that every citizen of Brockton Bay should celebrate Glory Girl when they saw her and I guess it became something of a running joke among the school. Since y'know. She goes here."
Victoria looked just as surprised and confused as Taylor did. Thankfully, Victoria relished the attention of her peers and found the humour in being celebrated.
"This is going to go to her head, isn't it?" Dennis chuckled, watching as the crowd surrounded Victoria.
"I'm sure it already has," Amy muttered into her food. She gave a small smile Victoria's way.
Victoria hovered over to the table, laughing away at whatever conversation she was excusing herself from and sat down next to Taylor. Someone in the crowd had given her a small bundle of flowers, which she sat down on the table with her food. Once the crowd died down, the cafeteria returned to business as usual.
"So," Carlos said first. "Someone had an interesting night, last night."
"Yeah," Victoria chuckled. "You could say that."
"Congratulations," Taylor added.
"Thanks, Tay." Victoria beamed, resting an arm over her shoulder.
While the rest of the table were aware of their relationship, as well as the extended throuple. Victoria still avoided most public displays of affection in school, mainly for Taylor's sake. That didn't stop her from sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek as she hugged her.
"Adorable," Dennis chuckled. "So. Care to explain how it all went down. The news said you were in a high-speed car chase. And Skitter made an appearance at the end to drop off Coil? What the hell was that about?"
Victoria huffed. "I don't chase cars, I stop them." Both boys chuckled at that. "But honestly, nothing too crazy. Came across a fight, caught a fleeing car, and saved the girl. Now the Mayor is taking us out to lunch after school."
"Us?" Amy asked, leaning up from her food.
"Yes, us." Victoria chuckled. "You were there too. You helped flush all those drugs from her system."
"Not all of them," Amy grumbled. "Just brought her down to a safer level. The girl wanted to go cold turkey. Told me she had a specifically high chance of becoming an addict if I just healed her up completely and sent her home. She was remarkably chill about the whole thing."
"Yeah, that was weird." Victoria agreed. "But still, you helped. Plus Mom expects the whole family to be there, so." She made a gesture which Amy sighed to. "And yeah, Skitter was there. Handed in Coil to the PRT."
"Covered in bugs," Amy added. "It was so creepy. She like, puppeted the man with them somehow. Think they're going to up her Master ranking up to Eight." She paused briefly as everyone looked at her. "...If you care about those things. Online and all."
Taylor could see why everyone at the table avoided talking about cape things. It was so easy to slip into talking like a hero or a Ward. Amy must have forgotten that Taylor was a civilian and would probably have no idea how the PRT ranking system worked. Taylor for her part, acted oblivious to the tidbit of PRT information she'd just gleamed.
"Yes, well," Victoria said. "Regardless of her past actions. I think we can all agree that handing over Coil was the right thing to do. Personally, if she were here, I'd tell her. Thanks."
She squeezed slightly on Taylor, hugging her a little harder to hammer home her point. The other people at the table gave Victoria a strange look but dismissed it as quickly as it came. No one could deny that what Skitter did last night was pretty heroic.
No one except Taylor, who chose to focus on her food and ignore that blatant lie that Victoria had fallen for. It stabbed Taylor right in the gut, but she knew that she couldn't reveal the truth, especially here of all places.
She also refused to double down on the lie. It was one thing making Victoria think that they had arrested Coil, a simple misdirection, hiding the truth. But Taylor would not add to the deception. She didn't speak on the matter, she didn't ask any questions about the man who was arrested and she didn't join in on the discussion when all her school friends started saying a handful of positive things about Skitter.
Perhaps it was a hollow excuse, but all Taylor had promised Victoria was that she and Lisa had taken care of Coil. If Victoria ever asked for specifics…
"I'm going to the bathroom," Taylor stated as she pushed herself up from the table.
She excused herself quietly before anyone picked up on her mood.
-------------------------------------------------------
??? – Late Night
"What did you do?"
The voice called out. It was panicked, concerned.
"You… oh god… I'm so sorry."
The hand that gripped the gun felt numb. She did what she had to, she had to believe that. He had to die, she was safe now. So why did she feel so-
"Look at me. Don't look at the body, just focus on me."
Everything was numb. Everything except for her heart, which kept going a mile per minute. There was so much blood, she didn't expect that. The floor, the wall, and even a few spots on the ceiling. There were bits of blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.
"It's okay. We'll get you cleaned up."
She put the gun away, back into her holster. She wanted to save her, but she didn't think it'd feel like this. Coil was dead, he needed to die. She didn't regret her decision, she didn't see any alternative to this. So why did she still feel numb?
"Listen to me. You're okay. It's over now."
Then she woke up.
-----------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – The Following Morning
Coffee.
Lisa needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled out of her bedroom in a tired daze. Barely awake, Lisa marched like a zombie towards the kitchen, her nose already picking up the delectable scent of lightly caramelised and almost nutty Ambrosia.
Brian was already waiting for her with a mug of his own. A boring white mug that Aisha had drawn a skull onto. Brian had tried to rub it off but the marker was permanent. He handed Lisa her own mug, purple with a cartoon fox on it. The girl pulled the mug close with two hands and held it to her face.
Then Lisa took out two tablets from her medicine cabinet and swallowed them. Using some coffee to wash the pills down.
"Are those safe to mix?" Brian asked.
"They're just painkillers." Lisa shrugged, moving to add more sugar to her coffee. "Actually caffeine should enhance the effect." She took a swig of her mug and sighed. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff."
Brian watched her suspiciously.
"You look tired." He finally said. Taking a sip of his own drink.
"Wow, fuck you too," Lisa grumbled.
"You know what I mean," Brian sighed. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Yes," Lisa said back a little too quick. Brian held his suspicious stare. "I've been busy."
Brian huffed. "Are you o-"
"I'm fine," Lisa snapped back. She turned away from Brian and took a relaxing breath. "I just have a lot on my plate right now."
"And you know I can help," Brian said, not backing down.
"Honestly," Lisa sighed. "There's not much you can do. It's just a lot of grunt work. I've gotta scrub through Coil's old accounts, take a stockpile of what I can use and what I can sell. Make sure that the people running his operation are still getting paid, find out what booby-traps he has waiting for us. Decide what to do with the mercenaries who helped us, decide what to do with those that didn't. Weed out anyone who would try to stab us in the back and also make sure Rachel's dog shelter keeps getting its financial aid for years to come. And a million other little things, like whatever the fuck Alec got out of working from Coil."
"And?" Brian asked. "Surely you don't have to do that all by yourself. I may not be a Thinker, but give me some credit Lise."
Lisa rubbed her forehead. "Fine. I got a few locations I had to check out. Buildings that were owned under various shell companies. I'll give you a list, take Rachel and Alec and let me know what you find."
Brian nodded. "Sure. Can do." He reached out a hand to place on Lisa's shoulder. "And you know if you ever need to talk… about anything. I'm here for you."
Lisa finished her mug and sat it down.
"Yeah, thanks." She grabbed her laptop and got herself comfortable on one of the couch chairs. "Maybe another time."
-------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon
Victoria was having a very strange two days. All of Brockton Bay seemed friendlier thanks to the mayor's public gratitude for saving Dinah Alcott's life. Everyone she passed gave her a nod of appreciation, a high-five, called out thanks or outright cheered to her.
How much of it was genuine and how much was a wholesome joke from the Bay's citizens was up for debate, but Victoria would never turn down an extra few smiles pointed her way.
Dinner with the Mayor was fine, a little awkward, but something Victoria was accustomed to doing every now and then. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the thanks, she'd just prefer to spend her free time with Taylor and Lisa instead.
It wasn't a complete waste of her day, she still got on well with the Mayor's son, Rory, the two used to work together back when he was in the Wards. Dinah and the Alcotts didn't come, but they sent their gratitude forward. Victoria was glad to hear that they were sending Dinah off to a specialised rehab to help her recover.
But now she had her afternoon free. She'd gotten to spend her days at school with Taylor, so she only thought it was fair to see if Lisa was free to hang out.
She landed down in the park that Lisa had agreed to meet her in. Nearly bowling the poor Thinker over as she enveloped her in a hug.
"Woah," Lisa said in surprise as Victoria spun her around in the air for a few seconds. "What's this for?"
Victoria gave her a kiss and then chuckled with a shrug. "Do I need a reason? Today's just been a good day."
Lisa smiled back. "I guess you don't. I'm glad." Victoria placed her back down on the ground. "So how's life now that you're the Bay's favourite superhero?"
"What are you talking about?" Victoria responded smugly. "I was always their favourite." She flicked her hair back in an exaggerated manner which caused Lisa to crack up laughing.
"True, true," Lisa said, admitting defeat in being out-smugged. "So was there any reason for meeting in this park? Or am I just here to enjoy the view." She wiggled her eyebrows at Victoria, making it clear that she was 'the view' in question.
Victoria laughed and nodded her head. "Well, you are here for the view. But I was thinking a higher view than this."
Lisa's chuckle died down. "Oh? You mean… flying?"
"Yeah," Victoria said, breaking into a hover. "If you want to."
-----------------------------------------------------
Lisa didn't know how to respond to that. On one hand, she knew the offer was coming. Victoria loved to fly, she took Taylor and Amy flying all the time. It was only natural that she'd extend the offer to the other special lady in her life.
On the other hand.
Victoria Dallon's average flight height varies between 500 and 800 feet. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a new flyer, will stick to middle limit, 660 feet in the air. Without any external force, the average velocity if Victoria would let go of Lisa would be 206ft/s. Estimated time to impact, six seconds. Lisa Wilbourn would die on impact.
"I'd like that… but," Lisa said as calmly as possible.
Her power ruined a great many things for her. Even learning how to drive meant learning how to shut down all the warnings on how easily the speed of a vehicle could kill her. But the idea of being flown through the sky with nothing but a girl's arms to carry her sent her powers threat assessment into overdrive. Brute or not, Lisa's powers did not trust Victoria to support her in the air.
Victoria subconsciously thinks about dropping the people she flies, Always imagines dropping people she flies with. Considers it personal inside joke
"Okay, what the fuck power." Lisa thought to herself. "Seriously not helping me with that. How the fuck can you even prove that?"
"But?" Victoria asked. Lisa didn't need powers to pick up the disappointment in her voice. "Sorry, I should've asked you ahead of time. I don't want to force you if you don't want to."
Lisa mentally slapped herself. She trusted Victoria, right? She just wasn't in the right headspace for this. That was her problem, she needed to readjust her views. She pushed hard on her power, forcing it to pull out the positives of flying. Avoiding the terrifying logic, focusing on why Victoria enjoyed flying.
Victoria Dallon has nightmares about not being fast enough to catch a person she dropped. Victoria Dallon maximum acceleration much faster than acceleration under local gravity. If you fall, Victoria will catch you. If you fall, Victoria will save you. Victoria will not let you fall. Victoria would save you anyway. Victoria cares about you. Victoria loves you. Victoria wants to share her love of flying with you. She will catch you if you fall. You will not fall. You will fly.
Her power had swung around and attacked her from another angle. One she wasn't ready for. The amount of trust Victoria had for her was overwhelming, and undeserved. Lisa was carrying a brand new secret from Vicky, just days after they promised not to keep things from each other.
Couldn't she see who Lisa really was?
A habitual liar. A thief. A villain who hid the truth from the woman she cared about. The worst type of monster.
Why was that damn girl so trusting? Why did she constantly try to see the good in people, even if it wasn't there? Why did she want to take Lisa flying so damn badly?
"Lisa," Victoria asked, looking worriedly at her girlfriend. "Is everything oka-mmph!"
Lisa cut her off with a kiss. An apology without saying the words, one that she desperately wished she could convey. Her hands moved across Victoria's back, pulling her closer as she deepened the kiss. They pulled apart breathlessly, Victoria smiling against her lips.
"Take me flying," Lisa whispered as the two of them began to hover. "Please. I trust you."
-------------------------------------------
??? – Late Night
"What happened here?"
The voice called out. It was surprised, shocked.
"That's Coil? He's… dead?"
She looked down at the body, and then at the man who spoke to her. She didn't have time to dwell on events.
"Skitter, T. Talk to me? What happened?"
She looked at her partner. Neither girl spoke. They already had a plan on how to deal with this mess.
"We're fine."
The other voice lied for her. Giving her space to breathe. Time for her heart to slow down.
"Go collect the body double from the panic room. We'll clean up here."
It was already starting to smell. The raw putrid meat that decorated the hallway. It was disgusting, if she could feel anything right now, she'd feel sick. Instead, she felt numb, empty.
She looked towards the first voice and tried to speak but found her throat tightened in anxiety. How could she ask that, especially so soon after they had promised? It felt like a betrayal. A stab in the back to the woman she loved.
"Oh and Grue?"
The second voice called out, already knowing what she wanted to say. What she couldn't say through her shame and her guilt. She didn't want her to know, she didn't want to explain to anyone what she had done.
"Don't tell Vicky."
Then she woke up.
-------------------------------------------------
She woke up in a cold sweat.
The same nightmare had haunted her three nights in a row. Sleep was all but a lost memory. Every night she woke up gasping in fear and terror.
She felt numb, she felt sick.
She felt nothing and everything at the same time.
Coil had to die, she knew that. There wasn't a single part of her that regretted his death. But she could still feel the weight of the gun in her hand. Smell the blood that covered those halls.
She tried to imagine what Victoria would think of her? Would she hate her for this? Would she be disgusted or appalled?
She loved her, she loved both of them. The idea of either of them treating her that way was too much. She couldn't go back to the way things were before Victoria was in her life, she wouldn't. So she lied, and she forced everyone else to accept the lie.
"Don't tell Vicky. Don't let her know what I've done. Let her think we arrested the man and delivered him to the authorities with a clean bow wrapped around him. Let Victoria think that I'm actually a good person. Don't let her know the type of villain I actually am."
She felt numb, she felt sick.
Climbing out from her bed, she made a quiet dash to the toilet. Expelling the contents of her stomach as her anxiety reached its peak.
It was still dark out. She hadn't looked at any clocks, but she knew it was still far too early in the morning. Regardless, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She looked back into the mirror at herself. At the eyes of a killer.
There were three quiet knocks at the bathroom door.
"Are you okay in there?"
A voice called out. It was gentle, compassionate.
"I'm fine," She said back behind the door. Willing the lie to be true. "Just had a bad dream. Don't worry about me."
"It's two AM, of course I'm worried about you."
She looked at the door but didn't open it. She didn't want them to see her, she didn't want anyone to look at her this way.
"Sorry for waking you," She croaked out behind the door. "But I'm fine now. Go back to sleep."
"Are you sure? I know you have your photoshoot tomorrow. We can reschedule it if you're not feeling well. I'm sure the Dallons will understand."
She hated this feeling. The love and compassion. The tender care that she didn't deserve right now. Didn't this man know, didn't they see what kind of monster they were talking to.
"No, I'm fine," She lied again. "We don't have to reschedule. I'll go to bed soon."
There was a long pause, she wanted to tell him to leave but that would only spur him to do the opposite. Eventually, the voice let out a sigh.
"Alright. I'll go back to bed. Try to get some sleep."
"Good night." She said through a shaky voice. She was going to wait until the voice walked away. Not daring to open the door until she was certain that no one would see her. It was bad enough that she had lied to Vicky about everything. There were other people in her life she also cared about. People who would look at her differently if they ever knew what she did.
She felt numb, she felt sick.
She held her breath as the voice finally gave in. Two small steps away from the bathroom door, a small shuffle before turning to say one final thing.
"Goodnight, Taylor."
Shout out to scapegrace and riftstudier on the Discord: The Gaylor Convention for
???– Late Night
"What about Ms Dallon?"
The voice called out. It was desperate, pathetic.
"Surely a hero like Glory Girl wouldn't approve of killing me like this."
Even at the end of his rope, Coil still looked to be scheming. The lying snake would've said anything if he thought it'd keep him alive a little longer. But that didn't stop his words from ringing true.
"What would she think of you if you went through with this?"
She wanted to scream. Tell the man to shut up. Surely by now, he realised how pointless his words would be. She had to do this, she had to save her.
"Are you really willing to do this? Consequences and all?"
Vicky would understand. She knew the stakes, she knew how this game worked. A man like Coil can't be trusted in the system. He's too well connected, he could still cause harm.
She felt the gun weigh heavily in her hand, but it didn't matter. The decision was already made.
"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect the people I love."
Then she woke up.
-----------------------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – Early Morning
There was an uncertain air to room as the team slowly woke from their slumber. No one really spoke to each other as they made their way into the kitchen area. Besides the occasional head nod and mumble.
It was rare for the entire team to stay the night. Brian and Aisha would sleep at their apartment more often than not, Lisa had her own place too and would often alternate between them depending on various factors of work. Taylor was the rarest sight of them all, perhaps being the first time since joining up with the Undersiders did she actually stayed the night with the team.
The late hour that they all got back from left them with little options for sleeping. Taylor and Lisa didn't waste any time shuffling off to bed. With the addition of Aisha who would on occasion borrow Taylor's unused bed, Taylor shared with Lisa for the night.
While such blatant sharing of a bedroom would've been cause for teasing and jokes, none of the members of the team batted an eye as the two girls exited their room. Everyone knew nothing untoward happened the prior night, that both girls simply didn't want to sleep alone after what had happened. They just wanted a few hours to process the whole experience and recover from the previous day's stress.
"How'd everyone sleep?" Brian asked around the room.
"Fine." Mumbled Rachel.
"Ehh." Added Aisha.
"Terrible." Sighed Lisa.
Taylor simply grunted in agreement.
"I'm going back to bed," Alec complained. He took a small bottle of water out of a fridge and did exactly as he said, marching right back into his room.
"Coffee?" Brian offered, walking to the coffee machine.
Rachel pushed her mug over, it had a picture of a brown and grey bulldog across it. Aisha also propped her mug into the pile, a simple white coffee mug that she'd drawn her mask onto with a marker.
"Lise, Taylor?" Brian asked. "Coffee?"
Lisa shook her head and downed some painkillers with some water. She always kept a handful for her Thinker headaches, although it was rare for her to wake up with them. Taylor also declined, looking at the time on her phone.
"I have to leave," Taylor said, moving to collect her things. "If I hurry, I can convince my Dad that I had a late jog."
"Sure you don't want to have breakfast?" Brian asked with a little more concern in his voice. "Pretty sure we have the ingredients for pancakes still."
"Nah, we're out of eggs," Aisha said, watching her mug filled with coffee.
"Didn't we have half a dozen left?" Brian asked her.
Aisha gave an impish smile. "Yeah… Alec and I kinda used them to egg this car in Empire territory the other day."
"What?"
Aisha shrank down and gave an apologetic grin that was in no way apologetic.
"We needed more eggs, so I grabbed some from here on the way." She shrugged like it was no big thing.
Before Brian could even argue back, he suddenly forgot what he was getting upset about and turned back to the two girls.
"Thanks for the offer," Taylor said, standing by the door. "But I have school, can't be late."
"I'll drive you home," Lisa followed quickly, waving her keys. "Don't worry about breakfast, I'll get something on the way back."
Both girls waved goodbye to the team before making their exit. Brian sighed sadly as they left. He could tell they were both running away from their feelings. He made a mental note to speak to Lisa when she got back.
He turned back to his mugs of coffee, handing one back over to Rachel before staring confusedly at the other two.
"Thanks, Bro," Aisha said as she reappeared behind him, snatching her mug from the table. "We got any milk for this?"
"Yeah," Brian said, shaking off the effect of Aisha's power. "It's right next to the eggs-" He looked up again but the girl was gone. "Dammit Aisha." He muttered into his drink.
------------------------------------------------------
Arcadia High – Midmorning
The cafeteria erupted in a cheer. Hands clapping and people whistling. An impromptu celebration dedicated to Arcadia's most famous student.
"What the hell is going on?" Taylor asked Amy as she watched it all unfold. Both girls were already sitting down at their lunch table when it began.
"You didn't see the news?" Carlos chuckled, taking a seat beside Amy. "Glory Girl saved the Mayor's niece last night."
Taylor looked back at the boy, more than a little confused. She didn't realise that the news story had already run but that wasn't what was confusing her at the moment.
"So?" Taylor said back bluntly. "Glory Girl Stops Crime, more news at six. Why the cause for celebration?"
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Dennis chuckled.
Taylor realised her question came off far more bitter than she intended.
"Sorry," She mumbled. "Victoria's amazing and all. I just don't understand why the students care about that today?"
Carlos chuckled. "It's okay. We understood." He looked to Dennis, kicking the boy under the table. "And yeah, it would be weird. But the Mayor personally said that every citizen of Brockton Bay should celebrate Glory Girl when they saw her and I guess it became something of a running joke among the school. Since y'know. She goes here."
Victoria looked just as surprised and confused as Taylor did. Thankfully, Victoria relished the attention of her peers and found the humour in being celebrated.
"This is going to go to her head, isn't it?" Dennis chuckled, watching as the crowd surrounded Victoria.
"I'm sure it already has," Amy muttered into her food. She gave a small smile Victoria's way.
Victoria hovered over to the table, laughing away at whatever conversation she was excusing herself from and sat down next to Taylor. Someone in the crowd had given her a small bundle of flowers, which she sat down on the table with her food. Once the crowd died down, the cafeteria returned to business as usual.
"So," Carlos said first. "Someone had an interesting night, last night."
"Yeah," Victoria chuckled. "You could say that."
"Congratulations," Taylor added.
"Thanks, Tay." Victoria beamed, resting an arm over her shoulder.
While the rest of the table were aware of their relationship, as well as the extended throuple. Victoria still avoided most public displays of affection in school, mainly for Taylor's sake. That didn't stop her from sneaking in a quick peck on the cheek as she hugged her.
"Adorable," Dennis chuckled. "So. Care to explain how it all went down. The news said you were in a high-speed car chase. And Skitter made an appearance at the end to drop off Coil? What the hell was that about?"
Victoria huffed. "I don't chase cars, I stop them." Both boys chuckled at that. "But honestly, nothing too crazy. Came across a fight, caught a fleeing car, and saved the girl. Now the Mayor is taking us out to lunch after school."
"Us?" Amy asked, leaning up from her food.
"Yes, us." Victoria chuckled. "You were there too. You helped flush all those drugs from her system."
"Not all of them," Amy grumbled. "Just brought her down to a safer level. The girl wanted to go cold turkey. Told me she had a specifically high chance of becoming an addict if I just healed her up completely and sent her home. She was remarkably chill about the whole thing."
"Yeah, that was weird." Victoria agreed. "But still, you helped. Plus Mom expects the whole family to be there, so." She made a gesture which Amy sighed to. "And yeah, Skitter was there. Handed in Coil to the PRT."
"Covered in bugs," Amy added. "It was so creepy. She like, puppeted the man with them somehow. Think they're going to up her Master ranking up to Eight." She paused briefly as everyone looked at her. "...If you care about those things. Online and all."
Taylor could see why everyone at the table avoided talking about cape things. It was so easy to slip into talking like a hero or a Ward. Amy must have forgotten that Taylor was a civilian and would probably have no idea how the PRT ranking system worked. Taylor for her part, acted oblivious to the tidbit of PRT information she'd just gleamed.
"Yes, well," Victoria said. "Regardless of her past actions. I think we can all agree that handing over Coil was the right thing to do. Personally, if she were here, I'd tell her. Thanks."
She squeezed slightly on Taylor, hugging her a little harder to hammer home her point. The other people at the table gave Victoria a strange look but dismissed it as quickly as it came. No one could deny that what Skitter did last night was pretty heroic.
No one except Taylor, who chose to focus on her food and ignore that blatant lie that Victoria had fallen for. It stabbed Taylor right in the gut, but she knew that she couldn't reveal the truth, especially here of all places.
She also refused to double down on the lie. It was one thing making Victoria think that they had arrested Coil, a simple misdirection, hiding the truth. But Taylor would not add to the deception. She didn't speak on the matter, she didn't ask any questions about the man who was arrested and she didn't join in on the discussion when all her school friends started saying a handful of positive things about Skitter.
Perhaps it was a hollow excuse, but all Taylor had promised Victoria was that she and Lisa had taken care of Coil. If Victoria ever asked for specifics…
"I'm going to the bathroom," Taylor stated as she pushed herself up from the table.
She excused herself quietly before anyone picked up on her mood.
-------------------------------------------------------
??? – Late Night
"What did you do?"
The voice called out. It was panicked, concerned.
"You… oh god… I'm so sorry."
The hand that gripped the gun felt numb. She did what she had to, she had to believe that. He had to die, she was safe now. So why did she feel so-
"Look at me. Don't look at the body, just focus on me."
Everything was numb. Everything except for her heart, which kept going a mile per minute. There was so much blood, she didn't expect that. The floor, the wall, and even a few spots on the ceiling. There were bits of blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.
"It's okay. We'll get you cleaned up."
She put the gun away, back into her holster. She wanted to save her, but she didn't think it'd feel like this. Coil was dead, he needed to die. She didn't regret her decision, she didn't see any alternative to this. So why did she still feel numb?
"Listen to me. You're okay. It's over now."
Then she woke up.
-----------------------------------------
Undersider's Base – The Following Morning
Coffee.
Lisa needed coffee. The poor girl stumbled out of her bedroom in a tired daze. Barely awake, Lisa marched like a zombie towards the kitchen, her nose already picking up the delectable scent of lightly caramelised and almost nutty Ambrosia.
Brian was already waiting for her with a mug of his own. A boring white mug that Aisha had drawn a skull onto. Brian had tried to rub it off but the marker was permanent. He handed Lisa her own mug, purple with a cartoon fox on it. The girl pulled the mug close with two hands and held it to her face.
Then Lisa took out two tablets from her medicine cabinet and swallowed them. Using some coffee to wash the pills down.
"Are those safe to mix?" Brian asked.
"They're just painkillers." Lisa shrugged, moving to add more sugar to her coffee. "Actually caffeine should enhance the effect." She took a swig of her mug and sighed. "Oh yeah, that's the good stuff."
Brian watched her suspiciously.
"You look tired." He finally said. Taking a sip of his own drink.
"Wow, fuck you too," Lisa grumbled.
"You know what I mean," Brian sighed. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Yes," Lisa said back a little too quick. Brian held his suspicious stare. "I've been busy."
Brian huffed. "Are you o-"
"I'm fine," Lisa snapped back. She turned away from Brian and took a relaxing breath. "I just have a lot on my plate right now."
"And you know I can help," Brian said, not backing down.
"Honestly," Lisa sighed. "There's not much you can do. It's just a lot of grunt work. I've gotta scrub through Coil's old accounts, take a stockpile of what I can use and what I can sell. Make sure that the people running his operation are still getting paid, find out what booby-traps he has waiting for us. Decide what to do with the mercenaries who helped us, decide what to do with those that didn't. Weed out anyone who would try to stab us in the back and also make sure Rachel's dog shelter keeps getting its financial aid for years to come. And a million other little things, like whatever the fuck Alec got out of working from Coil."
"And?" Brian asked. "Surely you don't have to do that all by yourself. I may not be a Thinker, but give me some credit Lise."
Lisa rubbed her forehead. "Fine. I got a few locations I had to check out. Buildings that were owned under various shell companies. I'll give you a list, take Rachel and Alec and let me know what you find."
Brian nodded. "Sure. Can do." He reached out a hand to place on Lisa's shoulder. "And you know if you ever need to talk… about anything. I'm here for you."
Lisa finished her mug and sat it down.
"Yeah, thanks." She grabbed her laptop and got herself comfortable on one of the couch chairs. "Maybe another time."
-------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – Afternoon
Victoria was having a very strange two days. All of Brockton Bay seemed friendlier thanks to the mayor's public gratitude for saving Dinah Alcott's life. Everyone she passed gave her a nod of appreciation, a high-five, called out thanks or outright cheered to her.
How much of it was genuine and how much was a wholesome joke from the Bay's citizens was up for debate, but Victoria would never turn down an extra few smiles pointed her way.
Dinner with the Mayor was fine, a little awkward, but something Victoria was accustomed to doing every now and then. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the thanks, she'd just prefer to spend her free time with Taylor and Lisa instead.
It wasn't a complete waste of her day, she still got on well with the Mayor's son, Rory, the two used to work together back when he was in the Wards. Dinah and the Alcotts didn't come, but they sent their gratitude forward. Victoria was glad to hear that they were sending Dinah off to a specialised rehab to help her recover.
But now she had her afternoon free. She'd gotten to spend her days at school with Taylor, so she only thought it was fair to see if Lisa was free to hang out.
She landed down in the park that Lisa had agreed to meet her in. Nearly bowling the poor Thinker over as she enveloped her in a hug.
"Woah," Lisa said in surprise as Victoria spun her around in the air for a few seconds. "What's this for?"
Victoria gave her a kiss and then chuckled with a shrug. "Do I need a reason? Today's just been a good day."
Lisa smiled back. "I guess you don't. I'm glad." Victoria placed her back down on the ground. "So how's life now that you're the Bay's favourite superhero?"
"What are you talking about?" Victoria responded smugly. "I was always their favourite." She flicked her hair back in an exaggerated manner which caused Lisa to crack up laughing.
"True, true," Lisa said, admitting defeat in being out-smugged. "So was there any reason for meeting in this park? Or am I just here to enjoy the view." She wiggled her eyebrows at Victoria, making it clear that she was 'the view' in question.
Victoria laughed and nodded her head. "Well, you are here for the view. But I was thinking a higher view than this."
Lisa's chuckle died down. "Oh? You mean… flying?"
"Yeah," Victoria said, breaking into a hover. "If you want to."
-----------------------------------------------------
Lisa didn't know how to respond to that. On one hand, she knew the offer was coming. Victoria loved to fly, she took Taylor and Amy flying all the time. It was only natural that she'd extend the offer to the other special lady in her life.
On the other hand.
Victoria Dallon's average flight height varies between 500 and 800 feet. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a new flyer, will stick to middle limit, 660 feet in the air. Without any external force, the average velocity if Victoria would let go of Lisa would be 206ft/s. Estimated time to impact, six seconds. Lisa Wilbourn would die on impact.
"I'd like that… but," Lisa said as calmly as possible.
Her power ruined a great many things for her. Even learning how to drive meant learning how to shut down all the warnings on how easily the speed of a vehicle could kill her. But the idea of being flown through the sky with nothing but a girl's arms to carry her sent her powers threat assessment into overdrive. Brute or not, Lisa's powers did not trust Victoria to support her in the air.
Victoria subconsciously thinks about dropping the people she flies, Always imagines dropping people she flies with. Considers it personal inside joke
"Okay, what the fuck power." Lisa thought to herself. "Seriously not helping me with that. How the fuck can you even prove that?"
"But?" Victoria asked. Lisa didn't need powers to pick up the disappointment in her voice. "Sorry, I should've asked you ahead of time. I don't want to force you if you don't want to."
Lisa mentally slapped herself. She trusted Victoria, right? She just wasn't in the right headspace for this. That was her problem, she needed to readjust her views. She pushed hard on her power, forcing it to pull out the positives of flying. Avoiding the terrifying logic, focusing on why Victoria enjoyed flying.
Victoria Dallon has nightmares about not being fast enough to catch a person she dropped. Victoria Dallon maximum acceleration much faster than acceleration under local gravity. If you fall, Victoria will catch you. If you fall, Victoria will save you. Victoria will not let you fall. Victoria would save you anyway. Victoria cares about you. Victoria loves you. Victoria wants to share her love of flying with you. She will catch you if you fall. You will not fall. You will fly.
Her power had swung around and attacked her from another angle. One she wasn't ready for. The amount of trust Victoria had for her was overwhelming, and undeserved. Lisa was carrying a brand new secret from Vicky, just days after they promised not to keep things from each other.
Couldn't she see who Lisa really was?
A habitual liar. A thief. A villain who hid the truth from the woman she cared about. The worst type of monster.
Why was that damn girl so trusting? Why did she constantly try to see the good in people, even if it wasn't there? Why did she want to take Lisa flying so damn badly?
"Lisa," Victoria asked, looking worriedly at her girlfriend. "Is everything oka-mmph!"
Lisa cut her off with a kiss. An apology without saying the words, one that she desperately wished she could convey. Her hands moved across Victoria's back, pulling her closer as she deepened the kiss. They pulled apart breathlessly, Victoria smiling against her lips.
"Take me flying," Lisa whispered as the two of them began to hover. "Please. I trust you."
-------------------------------------------
??? – Late Night
"What happened here?"
The voice called out. It was surprised, shocked.
"That's Coil? He's… dead?"
She looked down at the body, and then at the man who spoke to her. She didn't have time to dwell on events.
"Skitter, T. Talk to me? What happened?"
She looked at her partner. Neither girl spoke. They already had a plan on how to deal with this mess.
"We're fine."
The other voice lied for her. Giving her space to breathe. Time for her heart to slow down.
"Go collect the body double from the panic room. We'll clean up here."
It was already starting to smell. The raw putrid meat that decorated the hallway. It was disgusting, if she could feel anything right now, she'd feel sick. Instead, she felt numb, empty.
She looked towards the first voice and tried to speak but found her throat tightened in anxiety. How could she ask that, especially so soon after they had promised? It felt like a betrayal. A stab in the back to the woman she loved.
"Oh and Grue?"
The second voice called out, already knowing what she wanted to say. What she couldn't say through her shame and her guilt. She didn't want her to know, she didn't want to explain to anyone what she had done.
"Don't tell Vicky."
Then she woke up.
-------------------------------------------------
She woke up in a cold sweat.
The same nightmare had haunted her three nights in a row. Sleep was all but a lost memory. Every night she woke up gasping in fear and terror.
She felt numb, she felt sick.
She felt nothing and everything at the same time.
Coil had to die, she knew that. There wasn't a single part of her that regretted his death. But she could still feel the weight of the gun in her hand. Smell the blood that covered those halls.
She tried to imagine what Victoria would think of her? Would she hate her for this? Would she be disgusted or appalled?
She loved her, she loved both of them. The idea of either of them treating her that way was too much. She couldn't go back to the way things were before Victoria was in her life, she wouldn't. So she lied, and she forced everyone else to accept the lie.
"Don't tell Vicky. Don't let her know what I've done. Let her think we arrested the man and delivered him to the authorities with a clean bow wrapped around him. Let Victoria think that I'm actually a good person. Don't let her know the type of villain I actually am."
She felt numb, she felt sick.
Climbing out from her bed, she made a quiet dash to the toilet. Expelling the contents of her stomach as her anxiety reached its peak.
It was still dark out. She hadn't looked at any clocks, but she knew it was still far too early in the morning. Regardless, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She looked back into the mirror at herself. At the eyes of a killer.
There were three quiet knocks at the bathroom door.
"Are you okay in there?"
A voice called out. It was gentle, compassionate.
"I'm fine," She said back behind the door. Willing the lie to be true. "Just had a bad dream. Don't worry about me."
"It's two AM, of course I'm worried about you."
She looked at the door but didn't open it. She didn't want them to see her, she didn't want anyone to look at her this way.
"Sorry for waking you," She croaked out behind the door. "But I'm fine now. Go back to sleep."
"Are you sure? I know you have your photoshoot tomorrow. We can reschedule it if you're not feeling well. I'm sure the Dallons will understand."
She hated this feeling. The love and compassion. The tender care that she didn't deserve right now. Didn't this man know, didn't they see what kind of monster they were talking to.
"No, I'm fine," She lied again. "We don't have to reschedule. I'll go to bed soon."
There was a long pause, she wanted to tell him to leave but that would only spur him to do the opposite. Eventually, the voice let out a sigh.
"Alright. I'll go back to bed. Try to get some sleep."
"Good night." She said through a shaky voice. She was going to wait until the voice walked away. Not daring to open the door until she was certain that no one would see her. It was bad enough that she had lied to Vicky about everything. There were other people in her life she also cared about. People who would look at her differently if they ever knew what she did.
She felt numb, she felt sick.
She held her breath as the voice finally gave in. Two small steps away from the bathroom door, a small shuffle before turning to say one final thing.
"Goodnight, Taylor."
