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Rating:
Mature
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category:
Gen
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - Wildbow亜人 - 三浦追儺 & 桜井画門 | Ajin - Miura Tsuina & Sakurai Gamon (Anime & Manga)
Characters:
Taylor Hebert | Skitter | WeaverDanny HebertBrockton Bay WardsLisa Wilbourn | Tattletale
Additional Tags:
Canon-Typical ViolenceCanon-Typical Body Horrorshard-altered psychologytags to be added as we go
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English
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Timballisto's Curated Works
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Published:2019-05-24Updated:2020-03-11Words:99,568Chapters:29/?Comments:226Kudos:730Bookmarks:266Hits:29,369
(Restricted) The Shadow Over Brockton Bay
Temeritous
Chapter 4: Draugr 1.4
Chapter Text
I don't sleep anymore, as I'd told Alice. My body lays down to rest and frees my mind to wander unimpeded through the Dust, but it's different to be a mind without a body. I can't understand speech when I'm asleep. If the noise is audible to my body's ears, I can usually make half-sense of it, although I'm never sure that I've got it right.
When Coryn listened to my dad on the phone on Thursday morning, I knew that he was speaking but not what it was about. I knew that he had stretched our corded phone to the kitchen table and was leaned over it, his free hand pressed over his eyes, but I didn't know what this posture meant.
He stood, hung up the phone, and breathed out harshly. He scrubbed both hands over his face and dragged them down, staring blankly at the wall next to the phone. He said something else to the empty air, looking up.
I decided that this seemed important, and went to go wake up my body. I'd slept for nine hours, mentally exhausted after the long day yesterday.
My body woke when I jostled it, startled out of a deep REM sleep. The two halves of my consciousness blended seamlessly, bringing with it the memory of the last few minutes. I couldn't remember dad's words, but I had vivid images of his body language, and now I could identify it: he was unhappy, worried, tired. Telling him about my powers hadn't helped as much as I thought it would.
I went through my morning routine quickly to catch him before he left for work, then took the stairs two at a time. "Hey dad," I put up a front of more happiness than I was really feeling. "Were you on the phone a little while ago? Something woke me up."
"PRT called," he said dully, his back to me as he waited for the coffeemaker to spit out the last of its coffee into his massive travel mug. "Taylor, did you snap your neck during your power testing?"
"Yeah, I think I pulled something during testing. Reset fixed it." Still nonchalant. Stop making a big deal about it.
Dad turned around. I was surprised to see that he was angry. "Taylor, you can't just - you can't do that! Even if it is a part of your power, you can't treat dying so lightly."
I can and I will . I held the words back, and held back on the indignation - he was trying to control me? Thought he knew my powers better than I did? "Dad, I get that you're worried about me, but it is really, truly, not a big deal. I come back, usually feeling better than I did before it."
"What if it doesn't always work?" he demanded. "What if you rely on it and one day you just run out of extra lives? What if it isn't infinite? Please, stop wasting yourself on stupid little things! I can't lose you too."
I stopped. I could swear it until I was blue in the face, could promise him that he'd never lose me. I had the evidence to back me up, a notebook full of invisible writing detailing all the ways I can't die. The problem was that he was afraid, and that he didn't trust me.
And I don't know how to make him trust me. All I have is time; as much time as he has left.
"Okay. I'll stop forcing resets unless I have to," I lied. "I don't think the PRT really like me doing that anyway."
He sighed. "Thank you. That's... that makes me feel a lot better."
I know. That's why I said it.
I waited for Sophia on the roof after school that day. Coryn had whispered my message in her ear during her last class, and was now stalking her through the halls to the access door. She'd made some paltry excuse to Emma, which implied that she might not have told Emma about me.
She ghosted right through both roof access doors, which was a little annoying as it meant that I had to break Coryn up and move her here through the vents. Still, by the time Sophia materialized on the roof, Coryn was perched atop the door alcove.
"What do you want, Hebert?" Sophia growled, advancing a few steps.
I grinned; I couldn't help it. The idea that I used to be afraid of her, that she could do anything to me, was so amusing now. "To talk, Sophie. I'm sure you and I have a lot to talk about, don't you agree?"
"You wearin' a wire or something?" She squinted at me.
My lip curled up. Insulting. "Why would I need a wire to deal with you? You've got a big idea of yourself. No, I'm here to tell you how this," I gestured between us, and then tapped just under my eye - indicating a mask, I hoped. "Is going to work."
"So, blackmail? Want yourself a little slave , Hebert?" Sophia spat. "Fuck that, tell them whatever you want. You've got no proof."
I took a deep breath, searching for patience. "No, you small-minded idiot. I'm going to tell you how I'd like this to work, and you decide whether or not you can live with that. If you can, good. We'll be teammates, and I'll consider spitting on you if I ever see you on fire. If you can't, I go to Piggot and lay my cards on the table."
"You think you can threaten me?" Sophia closed the distance between us rapidly, shoes crunching on the salted rooftop, and grabbed the front of my shirt in her fist. "You're nothing, Hebert, always were and always will be. People like you, even when they get powers, don't last long. You came crawling to the Wards for protection because you know what a weak-ass little failure you are. I know it, you know it, and Emma knew it, too. I don't know who the fuck gives out powers, but they chose wrong ."
"Take your hands off of me," I said, through my mouth and Coryn's at the same time. Coryn was right behind Sophia, wings spread to either side of us. Sophia jerked and her grip loosened, but didn't let go. "Off, now, or I'll remove it from me and from you."
She sneered, but let go. She still didn't back up out of my face. "You'd never. You're all talk, Hebert."
"All talk," I echoed her. "I came here to reach a peace with you, but I can tell that'll never happen. Nothing I say gets through your arrogance, and I don't want to do whatever I'd need to do to earn your respect. Get out of my sight, Sophia. Expect a call from your wardens soon." I took a step to the side, moving around her towards the door.
I had Coryn nearby; I think I could have stopped her. I just didn't feel like the effort was worth it. And maybe I had something to prove.
She bent her knees and shoved me, with strength born earning in reloading crossbows and months of vigilante and hero work. She was strong; I was light. I stumbled back a few steps, straight into the chainlink fence around the edge of the roof. Rusty, old, and improperly installed, it buckled under my weight. For a moment I thought it might hold, cradling me like a particularly uncomfortable hammock over the drop; I looked down at Sophia, nonplussed, and I saw her eyes wide with horror and shock.
The support poles broke through crumbling concrete, the chainlink swung free, and I dropped.
Guess we'll see if three stories does the trick.
It didn't, but I had Coryn to reset me.
It had surprised me to find, when I was given my official Ward cellphone yesterday, that I had a pre-programmed direct line to Director Piggot. She was the director of the entire PRT East-North-East; it didn't make sense to me that she would be immediately available to every Ward.
Aegis had explained; it was partially because of secret identities, in that she was one of the few people required to know mine, and partially because she had taken over direct command of the Wards from Armsmaster. I had a line to James, the Deputy Director and the one who handled the business side of the Wards program, but also permission to escalate directly to Piggot if I needed to.
Coryn hid my body while I reset, although she couldn't do much about the puddle of blood on the asphalt. Sophia had pushed me over the edge into a lesser-used side road, trafficked only by maintenance and their vehicles, so as far as I could tell there weren't any witnesses to my fall. And this was definitely not the first puddle of blood I'd left somewhere.
I stood up, checked my clothes - okay, they were bad, but I couldn't do anything about that - and phone - intact, thankfully - and then looked up. Sophia's head was poking over the edge, staring down at me. I waved at her with the hand holding my phone, then set off for my house. It was a lovely day for a walk, which was lucky since no bus would let me on looking like a murderer.
I texted Piggot as I went; Aegis had told me that was the best way to get a hold of her.
Director, I'd like to talk to you about an altercation between myself and SS.
That seemed formal enough, right?
I put the phone back in my pocket and kept walking, humming tunelessly as I went. I had sensors spread all around me, not really because I hoped to catch anyone. It just feels good to know about everything that's going on.
Only a few minutes after I sent the text, my phone vibrated with a notification.
Come to my office at 1530
I killed the time between by going home to change and then walking to the PRT building. I was finding that I liked walking, watching the people around me, and that it was doing good things for my fitness. Resetting, thankfully, didn't seem to put the pounds back on my middle.
I followed the map guide on the phone screen toward one of the PRT's secret entrances, which took me underground through some of the Endbringer tunnels and finally into a little room just off the underground parking garage. The room was stocked with a first-aid kit and a collection of domino masks, one of which I had to put on. I was less opposed to them now I'd figured out a way to wear it without my glasses.
I wasn't used to the respect that the mask garnered me, the small nods from the PRT officers and the stares of the public tour group as I passed through the lobby on my way to Piggot's office. I kept my head up and ignored them, but I did try to nod back to the troopers. They were brave to do what they did without any powers.
"Before we get started, I was going to contact you soon to tell you that your meeting with PR has been scheduled for tomorrow at four. Depending on how that goes, we could have you debuting Sunday at the earliest."
I nodded, fixing that in my mind. I didn't have many ideas for a costume, except perhaps something like Aegis' that didn't show blood. There had also been mention of costuming Coryn so that people could see her, which kind of halved her effectiveness if you asked me.
"Now, what's this about Shadow Stalker? I'm aware that you two used to go to the same school, but I was informed that you had chosen to drop out while waiting for a transfer."
I frowned, folding my hands behind my back uncomfortably. There were two chairs in front of her desk, but she hadn't told or asked me to sit; I was standing behind one now, a barrier between us. I didn't think she'd appreciate if I invited myself to a seat.
She wanted this over and done with as fast as possible. Would she ignore me and take the easiest path, like Winslow had?
"Shadow Stalker pushed me off the roof of the school earlier today, a few minutes before I texted you," I told her. "I left behind some blood where I died, I don't know if you want to send some people out for that."
She did, and did so immediately; her voice as she dispatched people to handle it was tight and angry. She hung up and said to me, "In the future, please inform me of your deaths as soon as possible, especially in such a public place."
I shrugged. "No one saw, I checked."
"Why were you at Winslow, and on the roof, and with Shadow Stalker? And, please, theorize as to why she felt the need to shove you off it."
"I was at Winslow to talk with her about our previous relationship and how it would affect our working together," I was trying to keep my words and tone as professional as possible. Anything to keep this from sounding like a juvenile fight, two kids needling at each other. "I asked her to come up to the roof to speak privately. She didn't like what I had to say, and she shoved me." I hesitated, then decided that it would make me look more reasonable and added, "I don't think she intended to kill me, but the fencing was weak."
Piggot sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What, exactly, did you say? And what's your previous relationship with Stalker?"
"I told her that, as long as she left me alone, I'd work alongside her in the Wards without revealing what she did to me at school. She refused, I said I'd come here and tell you, and she shoved me. As for our previous relationship... she's the one who killed me. She's the reason I have powers."
"Shadow Stalker caused your trigger event?" Now Piggot's hands were down, flat on her desk. "Explain. Stop talking around it."
"She and some of her friends had been bullying me since the beginning of high school. Little stuff, spitballs and juice dumped over my desk, stealing my things, vandalizing my locker. Eventually she decided to go farther, dumped a bunch of used tampons in my locker and then shoved me in it. My head hit the coat hook, I died."
I thought about it for a moment, while Piggot sat there in silence and stared at me. I added, "I don't believe she intended to kill me, either time. I do think it's important to point out that, if it were anyone else, Shadow Stalker would have two actual deaths on her hands. Accidental or not, she's too violent for this to go unreported."
"Aside from the... evidence at the school, do you have any other proof of your accusations?"
It was the same thing Blackwell and the teachers always asked me. Do you have proof? Do you have evidence? Why should I believe you, when it's so much easier not to?
I'm done trying to prove things to people who don't want to believe them. I'm done waiting for someone else to do what I need done.
"I only have what I've told you. My word against whatever she comes up with to defend herself." My jaw clenched, grinding my teeth together. I had begged and pleaded, debased myself again and again, waiting for the proper authority to do something. Not anymore.
"If she remains in the Wards, I'll be leaving. I won't work with someone who won't work with me, and certainly not with a murderer."
"She's not a murderer," Piggot said, sounding almost like she was working on autopilot. "You aren't dead, in your own words, you can't die."
"She's a murderer in every other way you count it. You do what you have to, and so will I. I joined the Wards for the paycheck, and because my dad wanted me to. I can live without the money, and he can certainly learn to live with the disappointment."
I pivoted on my heel, and I had my hand on the doorknob when she said, "Lazarus."
I paused, waiting, turning my head back to tell her I was listening.
"Shadow Stalker is already on probation as part of her induction into the Wards. We will be looking into this. If nothing else, it confirms some of my own feelings about Stalker. If any of what you've told me is true... she's heading straight for juvenile detention."
I expected happiness, vindication, satisfaction. I expected to feel something , but it wasn't there. I felt more watching Sophia's reaction at the school; that had made me feel powerful. This was nothing.
"Thank you," I said, and left with my stomach churning unhappily.
I had what I thought I'd wanted: the people in charge were finally listening to me. It wasn't what I'd imagined.
I didn't particularly want to be anywhere under the gaze of the PRT at that moment, but I also didn't want to go home. Dad would ask what I'd done all day, and I would have to lie to him. I'd be lying to him a lot from now on, until he figured out how to accept the truth. It burned that he forced me to do it.
Despite wanting to get away, I found myself in the Wards' headquarters. I was surprised to see that Vista and Kid Win were there too, despite how early after school it was.
Vista was slouched on one of the couches, a soda can cupped loosely in one hand resting on the cushion next to her, watching something on the TV. She was wearing a hastily-donned domino mask, her costume and visor nowhere to be seen.
"Heya Lazarus," she greeted me, raising her can in greeting. She reached up with her free hand and pulled the mask off. "Also, my name's Missy."
I smiled. "I'm Taylor, then," and took my own off. I dispersed the Dust mask and put my glasses back on. "What are you doing here so early? I thought we weren't supposed to show up until five."
"Avoiding my parents," Missy admitted. "How 'bout you?"
"Had to talk to Director Piggot, decided to come check this place out again. I didn't really get the full tour yesterday."
"I can show you around," she offered, levering herself off the couch and waving a hand gesture at the TV. It turned off and drifted up into the ceiling. I got the idea that the people who built this place had wanted it to seem as futuristic as possible.
"That'd be nice, thanks."
"I'll show you Kid's tinker lab first, he's here too. He comes by early sometimes to work on stuff. Take your mask with, if you want."
"I don't mind unmasking to you guys. I didn't yesterday because I didn't want to pressure anyone into doing the same."
"Kid probably won't care either, but we still have to knock before we go in. Not good to disturb a tinker."
We reached a featureless alcove, which looked more like a recessed portion of the silver wall than anything else. An alcove someone had forgotten to install the door in; there was no handle or knob.
Vista knocked anyway, and a heard a faint shout. Then she waved her phone over the wall to the right of the door, and the whole panel in front of us slid back into the wall with a satisfying woosh . It was every science-fiction nerd's dream, and I should know; mom and dad were Star Trek fans.
"Hi," Kid Win said distractedly, not looking up from whatever he was doing to the skateboard on the table. He wasn't wearing his mask or costume either. "Sorry, busy."
"Tinkers're all like that," Missy shrugged at me. "Even Armsmaster, if you wanted to get his attention back when he was in charge of us you had to drop something on his head. Miss Militia took care of a lot for him."
"I met them both, they seemed nice. Armsmaster helped me pick out my name."
Missy looked surprised. "What, really? How'd you get him to pay attention long enough?"
I grinned. "Well, actually it's more like Miss Militia ambushed him at lunch and he spared a few words that helped me decide on it. Same thing though, right? Saying Armsmaster picked it sounds better."
"Sure," she agreed easily. "Hey, Chris, this is Taylor. Say hello."
"Hi Taylor," Chris repeated dutifully, doing something with a pair of tweezers and a circuit board. "Nice to meet you."
Missy rolled her eyes and backed us out of the room. "He's not coming out of it anytime soon," she explained. "Down here's the showers and the gym. Aegis uses it the most but we're all required to pass some fitness tests."
I knew that; I'd just barely scraped by mine yesterday.
As she showed me the girls' showers, I remembered my appointment for tomorrow.
Missy seemed like she was enjoying showing me around, so I asked, "Hey, Missy, I'm supposed to have a teleconference with someone from PR tomorrow. You guys helped me a little yesterday, but do you have any more advice?"
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