Realignment [Worm]

[Shadelight]

---

As a series of coincidences brings together a power-combining Taylor Hebert, the healer Amy Dallon, and the always-intuitive Lisa Wilbourn, the three of them decide to unite to bring about change in their city and, eventually, one another's hearts. But they are in Brockton Bay, a city notoriously unwelcoming to most independent cape groups; what alignment will they embrace in the end, and will all they'll accomplish be worth it?

Extras contain supplementary art.

Thanks to my betas: manicMagician & Kraka

Crossposted from Ao3.
​

---

​

Refraction 1.1
△
Taylor
​

It was half past seven in the morning when I found myself lost in thought, in the back of a bus on the way to my personal hell, Winslow High. Another week of school had just started; another week of inevitable torture creeping ever closer. My mind was still locked onto the latest 'prank' the Trio had decided to grace me with.

​

Normally, I'd barely react to my tormentors' actions. I'd endure as much as I could, trying not to give them the satisfaction of seeing me weak. But last Friday wasn't normal.

​

Last Friday, someone stole my mother's flute from me. From my locker, no less! Which was locked! This was just absurd.

​

Ugh, it was so monumentally stupid of me to bring it along. What was I thinking?

​

I impassively stared out the window, watching the lights as they passed by. Not even halfway there yet… I closed my eyes and sighed.

​

And it wasn't like this was the first thing they'd stolen from me, either — random things in my locker kept going missing, and have been for quite some time. I really should've changed the lock…

​

I shuddered involuntarily, remembering the horror of early January: being shoved in my locker filled with trash, rusty razor blades and other pointy, sharp, dirty objects; the overwhelming pain from the countless wounds tearing at me as I thrashed within; the dying hope of ever getting out alive; the realization that nobody would even consider helping me… It was a miracle that someone pointed out to an adult that my locker was literally bleeding.

​

…And then there was my consolation prize. A joke of a power and a reminder of what I'd gone through.

​

Damn did it feel useless. As if it was goading me to just stab my problems — the bullies, that is — to death. But I wouldn't… I wouldn't go Carrie on them, I was better than that. I refused to become a monster that was even worse than the bitches I had to share a school with. Not to mention the consequences that doing so would bring… Regardless, one way or another, I'd make the damn thing useful. Somehow.

​

I opened my eyes, and noticed that I was nearly there.

​

Time to find out who the thief was.

△
​

I made it to Winslow and beelined towards my locker, keeping my head low and hoping that no one would bother me at least before classes started. Some people had, countless times in the past, but today seemed relatively calm so far.

​

I focused on the crux of my plan - the object sitting inside a decoy pencil pouch within my bag's bowels: an immaculately polished, perfectly angular, low-polygonal piece of obsidian-like material — or, as I called it, a thorn. Unlike actual obsidian, its durability could rival steel, provided I paid enough attention to it anyway. Eight inches long and one and a half inches wide, the thing barely managed to fit in the pouch properly. Shape-wise, it looked like someone glued two different triangular pyramids together, with one of them being much taller than the other, and with their shared base being an equilateral triangle. Simple, yet fancy, and pretty sharp as well.

​

I reached the locker and, while nobody was looking, put the pencil pouch onto the top shelf. The idea was that if someone touched the pouch, I'd be able to feel it shifting via my thorn. I'd then dismiss said thorn, like I practiced at home, and try to get to the locker to see the culprit in action.

​

Sure, it wasn't the best plan in the world, but it wasn't overly convoluted; not much could go wrong that way. All I had to do was bide my time, and bide my time I did.

△
​

A minute or so after the ring of the school bells had heralded PE class, I felt something strange. I was on my way towards the changing room when I felt the thorn in my locker — on which I kept a bit of my attention all this time — being poked. The thing that startled me was the fact that once it was poked, it felt fuller somehow, and yet even more hollow than usual. This odd sensation made my control over the thorn flinch as well, leading me to feel it… flying away from the touch… through the pouch, the locker shelf and the wall behind said locker…

​

…What the fuck?

​

Hoping that I didn't give myself away, I dismissed the thorn and started speed walking towards the hallway where my locker resided. At that point almost everyone was in their respective classes, with the halls nearly empty, so all I had to endure were a few stares from those who were late, quickly rushing by. Still, the closer I got to the locker's location the softer I made my footsteps, just in case. I wouldn't want to scare off the thief right away, after all.

​

Getting to the corner that connected to the hallway, I peeked out from it and stiffened in shock.

​

There was a person standing there made entirely of a see-through shadow, barely visible and with a hand withdrawing back through my locker's door. They were slowly dragging out a prolonged, equally dark and transparent object with it. Once it was pulled out, everything shadowy became normal, revealing…

​

…A seemingly-puzzled Sophia looking at the empty pencil pouch in her hand.

​

WHAT. THE. FUCK?!

​

I sharply inhaled and hid behind the corner again, wobbling on my feet thanks to all the adrenaline screaming through my veins.

​

Sophia was… Sophia was Shadow Stalker. A Ward. A hero. How many more 'heroes' were like this when nobody was looking?..

​

I suddenly felt nauseous, gagging involuntarily, and sprinted to the nearest bathroom to void my stomach.

​

After cleaning up and washing my face, I steeled myself for the rest of the day — if I behaved too differently, Sophia or the others would most likely notice. Considering Shadow Stalker wasn't known for being charitable either… I didn't want to imagine what would happen if she found out that I knew who she was. I just needed to survive the rest of the day, and only then would it be safe to properly freak out.

​

I slowly exhaled, left the bathroom and suppressed the urge to think about what I had witnessed.

△
​

"Taylor, are you feeling okay?" I heard my dad say.

​

I was still dazed from earlier, drifting about, my mind thick with cloying, oppressing fog. After school, I returned home, my strings pulled by the puppetmaster that was routine. Dad returned from work in the middle of me making lunch, and… Ugh, I was spacing out again.

​

"Huh?" I asked absentmindedly, looking up from my plate of meatloaf.

​

"You look like you're sick," my dad pointed out.

​

Huh.

​

"I, uh… don't know? Maybe?" Wow, great answer, Taylor. That was almost coherent.

​

He stared at me for a moment, then asked: "...Do you need to go to the hospital?"

​

"What? No, no hospital, I-I'm just dizzy," I lied as I continued eating my lunch in the hopes that this conversation would end soon.

​

My dad finished a bite of his own and said, "I still think that you should stay home for a couple of days. Just to be sure. Okay, kiddo?"

​

Should I, really? I sure as hell didn't want to go back, especially since today's discovery. Also, having a day or two to decompress did sound nice. Yeah, I should probably stay.

​

I swallowed and nodded: "Yeah, alright. Thanks, dad." Not having to go to school tomorrow made me feel a tiny bit relieved, even if I was still due a breakdown or three.

​

He answered with a weak smile: "You're welcome, kiddo."

​

We finished our lunch in silence. I did the dishes, gave my dad a hug, retreated to my room and collapsed on my bed. Ugh.

​

In the safety of my room, away from all the evil of the world, the floodgates opened and my mind started racing.

​

How in the actual fuck was Sophia a fucking Ward?! Did the PRT really just… hire psychopaths? Why? Did they not do psych evaluations? Or were they just so desperate for all the capes they could get, no matter the cost? Were the other Wards just as bad? Or were they being bullied by her as well, somehow? How have they not helped me by now? Or did they simply not care? Were they covering for her, just because she was a Ward?

​

I felt a stinging in my eyes and curled up in the fetal position, sobbing ever-so-slightly.

​

Summoning a thorn in my hands, I just laid there. It was something to focus on, something to use as a distraction. I noted the usual feeling of emptiness it had, especially in comparison to that odd sensation of fullness when it had been touched by Sophia. Yet, back then, it was also even more empty. Or, more accurately, false.

​

I mulled over that thought while remembering the way the thorn simply passed through all those objects. Just like Sophia…

​

Wait. Did I..?

​

I stared at the thorn in my hands, replaying the scene in my head yet again. That would explain the feeling of falseness it suddenly had… A smile began crawling across my face as I realized the ramifications of what I'd just figured out. My thorns could copy powers…

​

And here I thought my power was useless.

​

With a goofy grin I got off my bed, walked over to my desk and took out a piece of paper. So far, my brainstorming attempts on a fitting cape name weren't successful, but…

​

With renewed vigor and a goal in sight, I started thinking.

△
​

After a while, I let out a frustrated huff. Everything I thought of just didn't feel good enough. This was harder than I thought.

​

I glared at the paper in front of me, as if willing it to come alive and start throwing ideas at my face.

​

Thorn? "Thorn and her thorns" sounds stupid, no.
Spike? Edgy, stupid and villainous.
Shard? Can work, backup choice.
Obelisk? Feels off.
Obsidian? Taken, British vigilante.
Trinity? Meh.
Triforce? No.

∆≜▵

_________________________

Combination? Too on the nose.
Amalgam? Taken, Australian cape.
Synthesis? Taken, villain Tinker from VA.
Fusion? Sounds too destructive.
Unity? Too cheesy.
Prism? Taken, NY Protectorate cape.
Conduit? Sounds awkward.​

I sighed, leaning back and closing my eyes for a moment. I stretched and stifled a yawn. Today was certainly exhausting.

Taking the thorn I put on my desk into my hands, my eyes bored into it for answers it probably didn't contain. What would mom think?..

I closed my eyes again and thought of flowers, my mind on autopilot. At first, the thought was simply abstract, but the first actual flower I thought of made me pause. A rose. One of mom's favorites, and her middle name besides. And me calling my constructs 'thorns' would fit in flawlessly with said moniker...

​

I looked back to the object in my palm, then at my trainwreck of a name list, and added 'Black Rose' at the bottom. Perfect.

​

With my cape name finally chosen, I smiled, then folded and hid the paper. Couldn't have anyone find it and spoil everything, after all.

​

I held my thorn close to my chest and felt a tear roll down my cheek.

​

"I'll make you proud, mom."

---

 

[Atlasofremembrance]

Ah yes, the infamous Black Rose Witch.

Jokes aside, this is real fun, and I look forward to Taylor going around poking cute girls people with her Thorns. Will she Rune to get them flying in the air and get some range? In the fun way, too?

 

[FirstSelector]

I can't wait for more!

 

[Shadelight]

Ah yes, the infamous Black Rose Witch.

Jokes aside, this is real fun, and I look forward to Taylor going around poking cute girls people with her Thorns. Will she Rune to get them flying in the air and get some range? In the fun way, too?

Click to shrink...

Ah, but that's the fun part - she already has levitation control over them while they're in her range!

 

[Shadelight]

I can't wait for more!

Click to shrink...

On it!

 

[Radek]

Goodbye plans to be a hero. You will not be missed.

 

[Shadelight]

Goodbye plans to be a hero. You will not be missed.

Click to shrink...

Oh, Taylor still wants to be a hero, it's just that she won't work for the same people that hire psychopaths like Sophia.

EDIT: Or stay a hero for as long as she would like, either. Yeah, villainy is just more fun.

 

[QroGrotor]

Looking forward to seeing more!

 

[Shadelight]

Looking forward to seeing more!

Click to shrink...

Halfway through writing 1.2, actually. Coming soon™!

 

[Irritant]

Color me intrigued! I'm eagerly awaiting more.

 

[Shadelight]

Color me intrigued! I'm eagerly awaiting more.

Click to shrink...

Next chapter should probably be out tomorrow.

 

[Thorfaxdragonkin]

Well now this looks to be interesting. For now I will reserve my judgment till I have seen more, but I must saw I have enjoyed this so far

 

[Shadelight]

Well now this looks to be interesting. For now I will reserve my judgment till I have seen more, but I must saw I have enjoyed this so far

Click to shrink...

Thanks!

 

[R.A.G.]

Why are they eating lunch at dinner time?

Could have also done Briar Rose instead of Black Rose, but perhaps didn't want the sleeping beauty connection.

 

[Shadelight]

Why are they eating lunch at dinner time?

Could have also done Briar Rose instead of Black Rose, but perhaps didn't want the sleeping beauty connection.

Click to shrink...

T'was late lunch for a reason.

As for the name, Black Rose was partially chosen to mourn her mom. (also, the thorns are black, duh)

 

[Shadelight]

Refraction 1.2
△
Taylor​

I was laying on my bed staring at the ceiling, resting yet restless in anticipation of my outing. The only real thing that prevented me from going out was my lack of a cape name, but that had finally been resolved earlier, filling me with nervousness and excitement in equal measures. I also felt another emotion slithering within me however, one I hadn't noticed until I had nothing else to do but think. Spite. It was the main reason I was so set on going out today instead of waiting for, say, better parts for my attempt at a costume.

I wanted to do something, anything helpful. Better than Sophia ever had, and I wanted to do it as soon as possible.

I craned my neck to check the time again. Seeing that it was 9 minutes before midnight, I judged that the time to leave was nigh and slowly rolled off my bed. After making sure that dad was already asleep, I quietly began donning my 'cape costume': a pair of black jeans I got from a thrift store a while ago, an equally-black hoodie with pockets that had zippers (as well as a spare twenty-dollar bill, just in case) and a pair of combat boots which were, obviously, also black. Additionally, I had a relatively cheap utility belt with the can of pepper spray dad gave me when I first started running. The aforementioned belt had a short, dark gray veil-like cloth glued to the inner side of it in a way that made it look like one of those punk half skirts. Of course, I had also donned a black domino mask which I reinforced from the back so I could attach lenses from an old pair of glasses I wore. That way, it would look like I'm not wearing glasses at all, separating my civilian identity from the cape one a bit further.

Far from ideal, but, for now, I'd deal.

I double-checked if everything I prepared was where I needed it to be, and, with careful movements, snuck out of the house. Thanks to my power, I didn't really need a knife, so I decided against stealing one from the kitchen on my way out. I picked a random direction — which turned out to be north — and started walking.

The closer I got to the Docks, the worse everything looked: both the buildings — many abandoned and decrepit, covered in gang tags and various stains — and the few people that were still outside at such a late hour. I avoided getting close to the latter, giving them a wide berth as most people here were either gang members, homeless or under the influence. Then again, that can be said about most of Brockton Bay, partially excluding the Boardwalk due to its proximity to the local Protectorate base of operations — the PHQ.

My musings were interrupted by the sound of an impact several blocks away. I spun in the direction it was coming from and saw smoke billowing into the sky, accompanied by another sound, this time… an explosion? I inhaled, exhaled, then began sprinting through the empty alleyways towards the unrest.

When I got near the building adjacent to the source of the sounds, it was clear that there was a fight going on. And not a normal fight, no, but a cape fight. Honestly, I was… becoming a bit apprehensive of fighting another cape on my first day. The most I expected myself to do today was stop a mugging or something; something that didn't have people with powers pointed straight at me…

But now wasn't the time to get cold feet — there were likely people nearby that needed help, and helping was why I was out here in the first place.

I summoned two thorns which I kept hovering by my sides. Then I clenched my fists, walked to the corner and took a peek.

△​

When I peeked over the corner, my blood froze despite the scorching waves of heat and fire permeating this place: facing away from me stood Lung, the current leader of the ABB. What was even worse was that he was currently about fifteen feet tall and surrounded by blue-yellow flames, the fires around him making his silvery scales glisten, rampaging about with no signs of stopping.

Currently fighting him were two monstrous dog-like beasts the size of horses, trying to find purchase in his natural armor. One of their swipes managed to connect, tearing a good chunk of scaly meat from Lung's calf, but by the time he turned to face his attacker the wound was already almost gone. Before the beast managed to leap away, Lung exploded once more, sending me reeling from the scalding air beating against my face, and stomped closer to the unlucky dog-thing that was laying on it's side attempting to get up. He then raised his foot and, with a disgustingly meaty crunch, brought it down upon the creature, killing it instantly.

I just stood in shock, feeling sick to my stomach, horrified by such a casual display of power. I was completely useless against him at this stage — were I to attack now, one lucky hit from him would render me as good as dead! The fuck was I even doing here?!

I tried gulping, but my throat was dry from all the surrounding heat. It was then that I noticed someone in a lavender bodysuit with noticeable damage and long blonde hair slowly walking backwards in my direction while watching Lung, with one arm holding the other. Thankfully, it seemed like none of Lung's fire attacks managed to hit this person too badly. She did have visible lacerations though, some of which were still bleeding…

I took a moment to refresh my attention on the two thorns following me, then sent one of them to the blonde girl. When it reached her I turned it a bit and gently nudged her back with it's side. With a start, she spun around and stared at the thorn in front of her, looking exhausted, scared and mildly confused. Maybe even dazed? Feeling slightly annoyed, I turned the thorn around so the longer part of it pointed directly at me — hopefully, she'll get my message and ship her curvy ass out of murder dragon range before the latter notices the former.

The girl frowned and looked ahead, eyes instantly locking with mine. I did a quick 'come here' gesture with my left hand, which prompted her to relax slightly and nod. She grabbed my thorn for, I assumed, support — I was making it levitate, after all — and sprinted towards me, wincing.

We hid behind the corner, our backs to the wall, away from all the carnage that was still ongoing. The blonde to my right was panting, shuddering every so often and looking down at the road with a thousand-yard stare.

"Are… are you okay?" I ask hesitantly, praying for a positive answer.

She slowly shook her head, letting out a sad chuckle before answering.

"No. Fuck no. Everything went to shit so fast…"

We heard another roar from Lung, slightly further away this time, but then felt the impact of what must've been a fireball rather close to the corner we were hiding at. With caution, we scooted a few feet away from the edge, just in case.

"Hey, uh, why is this thing different now?"

I turned my gaze to the girl, who was currently leaning against the wall and watching the thorn in her hand. Which did indeed look different…

The thorn in question was now slightly tinted purple, and had small yellow-to-purple sparkles appearing and disappearing inside. It was surprisingly pretty.

And it also felt full, like with Sophia…

"I think I can, uh, use other people's powers through my thorns… Yours seems to improve my control over this one?" I answered, feeling more and more uncertain.

The blonde stared at me for a split second with a surprised expression which seemed to melt away as she looked back at the thorn. When she finally returned her gaze to me she had a pained smile on her face.

"My power just confirmed that, and I think I know how we can escape."

◭​

I watched with intrigue and trepidation as the tired girl let go of my thorn and stepped away from the wall she was leaning on. It seemed like she was trying to look out from the corner without getting into Lung's line of sight. Smart. (Why didn't I think of that?)

"There-," she is suddenly cut off by the sound of an explosion and a wave of heat. My hoodie was already drenched with sweat by this point and it was pissing me off.

A moment later, the blonde jerked back to the wall as we watched the other dog beast fly through the air, slamming through the wall of one of the nearby buildings, a mangled limb sticking out of the hole. Judging by the fact that it wasn't making any noises or movements, I wasn't exactly confident that it was still alive. The blonde gasped, looked at it for a second, then turned to me, expression unreadable.

"I saw some wisps of darkness, power of a teammate of mine. They're disappearing fast, so he's either knocked out or worse... Fuck!" she scowled, "Our best ticket out of here alive is you stealing that darkness for yourself. Can you do that?" She was holding her other arm again, eyes boring into mine with resignation.

I didn't even know what to think at that moment. Shouldn't we try to save that person? Considering the state of the dog monsters, he was probably dead or dying right now! ...Then again, how would we even do anything useful to help? I didn't know this girl's power, and my own was probably not gonna reach the fight anyway. And I was not getting any closer, I'm not that suicidal.

…Huh, where did that come from?

I watched her wince at something — probably her injuries — and nodded, frowning. It was too dangerous to try anything else, running was the right call here. It hurt to agree, but it was the smart thing to do.

I did the same peeking trick that she did, albeit a bit closer to the wall this time, and saw a cloud rapidly-shrinking smoke-like darkness. Remembering that I had a second thorn currently summoned, hovering beside me, I sent it towards the cloud, keeping it close to the ground and wall so it wouldn't be seen.

Meanwhile, Lung threw two fireballs — one after another — at a far-away corner, which is where, I assumed, the other person (or maybe people?) had fled to. I… honestly couldn't tell if the blood and gore and bones and other disgusting stuff littering the street were just from the monster dogs or not. I shuddered at the thought.

Lung unfurled his wings — he had wings now! — and lunged forwards, thankfully away from me. Come to think of it, were he to turn around now I'd be dead meat. Charred dead meat. Yeah, being Brockton Fried Taylor didn't sound very appealing to me at the moment.

Suddenly, I felt the tell-tale feeling of fullness that came with borrowing a power coming from the thorn I sent out. And, surely enough, said thorn was currently bathing in the darkness, right at the ever-retreating edge of it.

"Got it." I said, hiding behind the corner yet again.

Two seconds later, the thorn reached our spot. I took it in my right hand, examining it swiftly. Unlike the girl's, this one looked like it had black smoke roiling inside it. Quite fitting, all things considered.

The blonde exhaled as if she was holding a breath, looked at the thorn and then me, and nodded.

"Alright, use it."

◭​

Guided by instinct, I willed the smoke within to flow out. It was a bit like… like flexing a muscle I didn't know I had. I felt something escape the thorn but, oddly enough, I didn't actually see it — no smoke, no darkness. The sensation of an expanding area was growing though, and I could feel everything within it: the wall, the debris, the girl beside me.

Speaking of whom, she was looking increasingly disoriented, jerking her head around before grabbing my thorn-holding hand.

"Wait, what?" she said while looking at it. She then released and re-grabbed it, palm resting on the thorn. "Huh."

"What... are you doing?" I asked.

The blonde began pulling me away from the burning, bloody mess of a fight scene and, as we started walking, she replied.

"Apparently anyone who touches your crystal thing-"

"Thorn," I corrected her.

"-right, thorn. Anyone who touches it while it has Grue's powers gets to see and feel right through the darkness it generates. Didn't think it felt like this. Weird."

Interesting.

I hummed in acknowledgement and looked at our hands around the thorn.

"Good to know, I guess…" I replied, "...Wait, do you hear that?"

It sounded like sirens, faintly screaming in the distance. PRT, perhaps?.. If so, they were late as h-

Before I could finish that thought the girl practically dragged me into an intersecting street, her body tense, and crouched behind a dumpster. I crouched beside her, but something didn't add up here.

"Why are we hiding?" I whispered, "Isn't that the PRT?"

As much as I didn't trust them, it was probably a smart idea to ask them for medical assistance. Probably.

The girl, panting, answered. "Yes, but we shouldn't be seen." Her voice was oddly serious, her lips tightened into a thin line.

Just in case, I grabbed the other, sparkly thorn with my free left hand, holding it like a knife — or a thick, cosmic icicle — and looked in the vague direction of where the rapidly-approaching sirens are blaring from.

"But why?" I asked. Something about this was definitely suspicious.

"Just trust me on this one, please. I'll explain later. Promise." She was looking at me, tired yet pleading, still panting slightly.

I eyed her for a moment, sighed, looked away and muttered, "Alright."

◭​

Soon enough, two PRT vehicles and two motorcycles passed us and, judging by the sounds, turned around the corner we were hiding behind earlier. From what I've seen on TV, the people on those motorcycles were most likely Armsmaster and Miss Militia. Ugh, I've always wanted to meet them… Then again, that was before I realized they supported monsters like Sophia. Yeah, meeting them now would just make me even more annoyed.

The blonde held up her free hand, "Wait…" then, after a few seconds, lowered it, "...aaand we're clear. C'mon."

She staggered while we stood up, wincing, and leaned on me. My mask seemed to have not concealed my concern, because she looked at me with a neutral expression and said, "I'm fine." She did not look fine.

"You're obviously in pain," I pointed out. Her wounds, shallow as they were, clearly still stung.

To my surprise the girl grinned and, with oddly graceful movements, pulled us forward, away from the carnage.

"Good, that means I'm still alive."

 

[walket11]

Well that is a wonderful canon derail

 

[Shadelight]

Well that is a wonderful canon derail

Click to shrink...

Butterfly effects are fun!

 

[Prognostic Hannya]

He then raised his foot and, with a disgustingly meaty crunch, brought it down upon the creature, killing it instantly.

Click to shrink...

NOOOOO BRUTUS
RIP best boy

Also, I like the concept, but where are you getting the term "thorns" from?

 

[Shadelight]

NOOOOO BRUTUS
RIP best boy

Also, I like the concept, but where are you getting the term "thorns" from?

Click to shrink...

Actually, Brutus was the only one of the dogs who survived, as we'll know later. So, uh, yay?

As for thorns, it just works. (insert Todd Howard meme here)
Initially, she thought that 'spikes' sounded too villainous, and went with 'thorns' instead. Plus, 'spikes' is reserved for combined thorns.

 

[PostwarGryphon]

So... When she gets into contact with a power that can heal, does that mean she will be able to use Daggers Of Healing?

 

[QroGrotor]

So... When she gets into contact with a power that can heal, does that mean she will be able to use Daggers Of Healing?

Click to shrink...

This will lead to no misunderstandings whatsoever.

 

[R.A.G.]

Since Amy is tagged, is Taylor going to use Panacea's power to make little balls of flesh or something of other parahumans? So as to use their powers at distance I mean.

 

[Shadelight]

So... When she gets into contact with a power that can heal, does that mean she will be able to use Daggers Of Healing?

Click to shrink...

Essentially, yeah.

This will lead to no misunderstandings whatsoever.

Click to shrink...

Stabby stab stab!

Since Amy is tagged, is Taylor going to use Panacea's power to make little balls of flesh or something of other parahumans? So as to use their powers at distance I mean.

Click to shrink...

Hmm... Maybe? A Panacea-powered thorn is still touch-based, but since it's not Taylor that needs to touch matter but the thorn, she's got a neat range advantage. Then again, the downside is that it requires a lot of direct attention, and she also lacks practice and general medical knowledge PanPan has.

 

[Anor]

Interesting start! This story looks promising.

 

[Shadelight]

Interesting start! This story looks promising.

Click to shrink...

Thanks!

 

[Ragura]

Interesting power and great canon derail! I wonder if Lisa manages to fake her death?
Even if she just disappears, Coil will have a hard time finding her again

 

[Shadelight]

Interesting power and great canon derail! I wonder if Lisa manages to fake her death?
Even if she just disappears, Coil will have a hard time finding her again

Click to shrink...

...Fingers crossed?

 

[Shadelight]

Refraction 1.3
◭
Lisa​

Shuffling forward like zombies, eyes unfocused and breath ragged, we walked. My face felt numb, my mask clinging to it, helped by the drying streaks of tears which were not just from the painful heat. How did this go so fucking wrong…

Lacking backup during an ambush increases letha-​

I know, power. I know. Please, just… shut up for a moment.

I looked at my savior, wondering what she was thinking about right now. She was still relatively tense, judging by her grip around her thorn. Her obviously-cared-for hair was clinging to her face with sweat, and at some point she lowered her hood. Considering the sub-par attire, she was definitely new to the cape scene. Heck, maybe this was even her first night out, how unlucky would that be?

Huh, I don't think I even got her name, what with all the craziness going on. Good time to fix that, I suppose.

"Did you ever say your name?" I asked, "Sorry if you did, I'm, uh, not exactly in prime condition at the moment."

"T- uh, Black Rose. You?" Yeah, definitely her first time. Poor thing.

"Tattletale," I answered dryly, my usual smugness turned to ash in my mouth. I looked behind me, facing back in the direction we came from. Was I really still Tattletale? My team was either broken or dead, after all…

"Wounds sustained by teammates will lead to death without swift medical intervention."​

I shuddered at the recent memory of what was probably my power's scariest declaration so far, my eyes starting to blur yet again. I pushed back the nascent tears as much as I could. Where would I go now? Back to the loft? Back under that prick's thumb?

No. Absolutely fucking not.

Going back to my apartment was also a stupid idea; he definitely had it bugged and under surveillance at this point. Ugh, I was so screwed…

I glanced at Black Rose again, who was still clearly lost in her own thoughts.

Not employed by Coil. Is a potential ally. Is willing to help. Is concerned.​

…Or not. Fingers crossed?

I sighed. Time to find out if I can escape his grasp for good.

"Well… it was," I clarified a bit quieter than normal while forcing a weak smile onto my face.

Rose turned her head towards me, tilting it quizzically and — I assume — raising an eyebrow.

I took a deep breath and elaborated.

"Do you know of a villain called Coil?"

"I think I've heard of him. He's the mercenary guy, right?" Black Rose answered after a slight pause.

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod. "Long story short, one day he got some of his mercs to accost me and said something along the lines of 'work for me or die.' Well, not in those words, exactly, but considering one of the mercenaries was holding me at gunpoint… Either way, I've been a villain ever since. …Until now, I guess?"

At that point, Rose was walking with a slower pace, her eyes and attention fully on me.

"Holy shit. And I thought I had problems."

I snorted at the comment.

"Don't get me wrong," I continued with a smirk, "It was fun while it lasted. It's just I'd have much preferred it if I were doing it of my own volition. Y'know, without having a sword of Damocles hanging over me all the time."

"Couldn't you have run away, then?" She asked.

My smirk disappeared and I shook my head.

"No, I'd be dead before lunchtime. Fucker's power is bullshit, pretty sure he's some sort of high-end Thinker. He knows things he shouldn't, he is paranoid as fuck, and he doesn't fail. Usually."

Rose smiled slightly, still facing me. "Seems like he failed this time."

I grinned at her statement, hoping with all of my heart that she was right. I was this close to freedom…

…Which was exactly when the universe decided to whisper "Fuck you in particular~" in my ear and make my grin short-lived. A little over a block away people were walking in pairs, as if patrolling something. Normally, that wouldn't be too important — we were elbow-deep in gang territory, after all. No, the thing that sent a chill through my spine was the fact that they were wearing military gear, sporting the tell-tale glowing tinkertech rifles that only one supervillain in this city liked to use. The latter was the only reason I had even noticed them in the first place.

Attempting to intercept any escapees from the fight scene. Local police force bribed to avoid the scene to give them time.​

Not letting go of her thorn or the hand holding said thorn, I dragged Black Rose to the nearest wall.

"Damnit, Rose, why'd you have to jinx us like that?" I hissed.

She looked in the direction I was looking and saw the mercenaries too, then tensed up and crouched beside me.

"They're his, I'm assuming?" She asked, her voice anxious.

"Yes," I confirmed, my heart beating faster. "Seems like he wanted to prevent any of us from running off. Which I still fully intend to do, by the way."

Rose looked at her left hand — the one holding my power's thorn as if it were a knife — and then at the mercs.

Is an ally. Will protect you. Contemplating best way to attack.​

At that moment, I felt hope and gratitude, surprised at the speed of her commitment. But what surprised me even more was the final line of my power. She was planning to attack them… Fuck, bad idea. I gently tightened my grip around her right hand, prompting her to glance at me.

"Don't," I said while looking into her eyes. "I'm flattered, but if his mercenaries were to encounter resistance or go missing, he'll know something is up."

Rose paused, uncertain on how to proceed, then spoke.

"We sneak through, then."

I nodded and looked up.

The dark clouds were barely visible in the night sky today. This was compounded by plumes of smoke that were still billowing from all the flames lit by Lung. At least one of the buildings near the scene was completely on fire at this point; visible even from here, a block or two away, and further confirmed by fire truck sirens.

"Be glad the weather's cloudy today," I commented. "Moonlight would've highlighted us easily."

Rose looked at me again, owlishly tilting her head. "What?"

"What, you think they wouldn't notice a blob of darkness that is suspiciously human-sized?" I retorted.

She looked around for a moment before answering.

"Oh. Yeah, you have a point. I kinda forgot they can see it."

With a light chuckle I slowly stood up into a half-crouch, Rose mirroring me soon after. I took a single step forward while watching the mercs and started explaining the plan.

"Now, then. We need to time this correctly. Thankfully, we can just run past as fast as we can, since Grue's darkness suppresses things such as sound and signals. We can hide behind that car over there before we move on. Ready?"

"Ready," she nodded.

I counted us down, and then we ran.

◭​

After carefully passing three rings of patrolling mercenaries, as well as fifteen or more minutes of tired walking in one direction, I finally decided that we were safe. The first ring didn't cause any problems, but the second and third were a bit more annoying to deal with. The second, for example, had more mercs than the others, with some guarding an unmarked van — we had to improvise and go through an abandoned warehouse nearby instead.

Us managing to get through the third ring unseen, however, was only due to sheer luck — the traitorous moon decided to show its face between the clouds after all. How dare it call my bluff! We had to hide squeezed together behind a payphone for several agonizing minutes before the moonlight receded once more. The thing that made it incredibly stressful was that the mercenary ring was shrinking, just like the others; slowly but surely closing in on the location we were fleeing from. There were like twenty seconds left tops before we would've been discovered had the natural darkness not returned.

From my sitting position, I lazily looked around: we were currently holed up in a condemned office building relatively close to the border between the Boardwalk and ABB territory. How ironic was it that, after escaping my captor, the first place I returned to was the territory from where I was taken in the first place?

Apparently, Black Rose — who was still sitting next to me, our hands still clasped around the Grue thorn — noticed my fidgeting, because she turned her head towards me. Actually, scratch that, of course she would notice — we were still in her darkness after all. Guess she's not the only forgetful one here, huh? I blame Lung.

"Uhm… What's the time?" She whispered, breaking the sweet, sweet silence. Ugh, ow, the migraines were coming back with a vengeance…

I took out one of the two burner phones I had on me and turned it on.

"Almost 2 AM," I stated. Not gonna lie, this shit hurricane of a night felt longer from where I was standing. Or sitting. Whatever. I was expecting it to be four by now, at least.

Rose let out a small breath of relief, looking a bit more relaxed than before. Meanwhile, I was still staring at the phone in my right hand with the annoying sensation of having forgotten something important…

In the event of escape, you have planned contingencies to prevent Coil from obtaining collected information.​

Oh! Yeah, that's it! Thanks, power.

"This reminds me…" I started while looking at my companion, who tilted her head curiously. "Since I've 'retired,' I need to make sure nothing on my servers gets in Coil's hands. Good thing I set 'em up in a way that I can wipe them remotely." I motioned with the burner, a smirk on my face, and winked. "But yeah," I continued, "as I've mentioned earlier, no signal in the darkness. I'll just step out for a moment, alright?"

A second later I felt the invisible darkness' shape shift, changing in a way that left both me and the phone outside its boundaries, sans my left hand still holding the Grue thorn with hers.

"That works too," I shrugged.

With a single message to the right number, I just made it so if Coil manages to decrypt my stuff, the only things that he'd find would be a metric ton of cat pics, as well as a large collection of viruses and other annoyances. Enjoy the tinker edition of BonziBuddy, motherfucker.

Receiving an automated reply that confirmed the service's success, I placed the burner on the ground, removed its battery and bashed it with a nearby brick. Kicking away the pieces, I relaxed against the wall, closing my eyes and feeling the darkness envelop me once more.

◭​

Relatively soon after, Black Rose decided to shatter the silence again, fiddling with the hem of her skirt thing.

"I didn't expect my first day out to be this intense," she said, her voice sounding almost haunted. I chuckled bitterly at that.

"No kidding. At least you didn't try to fight the rage dragon," I answered.

My smile withered and died as I remembered my power's blasted proclamation once more.

"Yeah," Rose stated hollowly and, after a pause, asked, "What do we do now?"

Good fucking question.

I opened my eyes, staring at nothing in particular, and sighed.

"I don't know."

I really didn't. For the first time in forever, I had no idea on what to do. I spent so long thinking about different avenues of escape that I forgot to plan the actions that were to follow said escape…

An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach as I truly understood the nebulousness of my future. I was free. I was now without a master. No more heavy shackles, no more veiled threats. I was laid bare to the world, sitting at rock bottom, and the only one who could help me was myself.

And, just maybe, the thorn girl beside me.

This knowledge was both exciting and terrifying.

"You… don't have anywhere to go now, do you?" I heard Rose say, almost a whisper.

I blinked and turned my head towards her, but said nothing. She wasn't looking at me, one-handedly hugging her knees, her expression unreadable. Was she really..?

After a moment, she continued just as quietly.

"...You can stay with me. Better to hide in a home than out on the streets, right?"

That… Was I really that obvious?

Is lonely. Wants to help. Will protect you. Wants a friend. Has no friends.​

My eyes widened at the information. Sure, I barely knew her so far, but Rose seemed nice! How the hell did she not have friends?

I would definitely look into this later.

The prolonged silence (oops) prompted her to finally face me, looking… rather shy? Oh, hells, I should probably answer.

"And your folks won't mind?" I asked, smiling weakly.

She looked away for a moment, then back at me, sadder than before, her mask masterfully failing to hide it. In place of continuing to hug her knees she used her left arm to hug herself instead, the thorn holding my power absent.

"You can… hide in my room? Dad's... busy with work, and he probably won't barge in as he keeps to himself."

Huh, and what about her-

Father is an introvert. Mother is absent. Mother is dead. Father is depressed due to grief. Black Rose's cape name was chosen partially due to mourning her mother's death.​

Oh.

I nodded slightly, trying to not look like I was spacing out.

"Okay," I said. The only thing I had to lose at this point was my freedom, and I doubted that Black Rose would be interested in taking that away. Considering everything so far… I trusted her. And not just out of desperation.

I gave her a sad smile while trying not to cry for the umpteenth time this night, almost failing when I saw Rose return it…

Fuck it.

I removed my domino mask and looked straight at her.

"I'm Lisa."

A moment later, she did the same, now sporting a no-longer-sad smile.

"I'm Taylor."

 

[Thorfaxdragonkin]

Ah now we just need Amy to join and then we will have the most terrifying women on earth bet willing to help each other...... Oh I hope Lisa makes them watch star ship troopers and/or alien the amount of terror they could unleash on coil and e88 because fuck Nazis with a baseball bat covered in razor wire in ghost pepper extract