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Mature
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Graphic Depictions Of Violence
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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
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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:29,374
(Restricted) The Shadow Over Brockton Bay
Temeritous
Chapter 24: Wraith 3.7
Chapter Text
The robbery was planned for Thursday. According to Circus, that was when the new inventory came in for the weekend.
Keller's was the one of the few higher-end jewelry store in Brockton Bay, and they stayed in business in a city full of gangs by employing heavy security and, rumor had it, protection money to the Empire. Lord Street was theoretically outside the established territory of any of the gangs, except perhaps the transient Archer's Bridge Merchants, but it bordered on what used to be Empire territory. If the Undersiders or Circus had hit it a few weeks ago, there would have been reprisal from both the neo-Nazis and the heroes.
This Thursday evening, the Empire was gone and the heroes were tied up trying to keep them in their cells, and it looked like the security guards knew it. They were on alert, every head on a swivel and every hand near the gun strapped to their hip.
From spying on the Undersiders' planning session, I knew the layout of the jewelry store, the usual number of guards and their placement, camera angles, and how my villainous friends planned on evading these obstacles on their way to riches. It was a decent plan, I thought.
I was watching from a block away, in an empty apartment on the second floor of a four-storey building.
Grue approached up the alley, a hoodie layered under his leather jacket and the hood pulled up to disguise the fact that he was wearing a mask. Head tilted down, white wires from a pair of earphones dangling from his ears to one pocket completed the look. They couldn't see his face, and he couldn't 'hear' them.
The guards were taking no chances. After their first calls to direct him away from the back of their building, one of them reached for her radio. Grue's darkness spilled out, cutting off the signal at the source, and I felt them panic and fight back. They flailed in the dark, hitting each other more than they ever came close to Grue. A tap to the head each, and they were dazed enough that he could tie them up and gag them, removing the radios to toss them in a nearby dumpster.
Tattletale, Regent, and Bitch ducked into the alley, Tattletale and Regent coming from one direction in similar hooded disguises, Bitch coming from the other dressed as herself - a girl out walking her dogs.
I watched from over her shoulder as Tattletale guessed the keycode for the back door, landing it after only only false try. She, Grue, and Regent were dead silent as they slipped inside, Regent easing the heavy door shut behind them with only a soft click. Bitch waited outside with the dogs, concentrating on them as they began to slowly grow.
Inside the door was a typical break room; coffee pot, vending machine, TV playing a news station with the volume turned low. They passed through into a short hallway with three doors, one on either side and one at the other end.
Grue held up one hand and directed Regent and Tattletale to their positions: Regent at the closed door that led to the security room, Tattletale to the loot. Grue took his place in front of the door at the end of the hall, beyond which was the public area of the store.
The room Tattletale entered was set up with two long tables, strewn with various valuables, and set in the floor between them a large safe. A woman sat at one of the tables, a magnifying glass over one eye as she inspected and cleaned a ring. She looked up as Tattletale came in, startled and turned white, and one hand twitched down under the table and then jerked right back up.
"Uh-uh," Regent said in a whisper, peeking in over Tattletale's head, wagging a finger at the woman chidingly. "No alarms."
Tattletale shoved at him, hissing, "Get back to your post, I had this handled. The alarm is disabled."
"You think," Regent tossed out as he went back to listening through his door. The security officer was watching a looped feed, but at some point he might notice that today's cameras were looking a lot like last week's.
"Don't worry, we aren't going to hurt you," Tattletale said to the woman as she slinged the duffle bag down from her back. "Just gonna pile up with as much as we can carry, and then you'll never see us again. Step back from the table."
"A-Alright," the woman said, holding up her hands in the classic surrender pose. "Hey, look, I'm not going to fight you over this stuff. They don't pay me for that."
"Smart lady," Tattletale said, winking at her. She stepped up to the table and with a sweep of her arm gathered almost half of it in one go, diamonds and gold and delicate instruments alike. Another moment and the other half was clear too, leaving just the one nearest the woman - and the locked safe in the floor.
"I don't suppose you know the combination for that thing?" Tattletale asked her, pointing. "No, didn't think so. Do you know who set it? Yes. Manager? Owner? Owner." She paused, thoughtful. "Okay, you're going to go out in the hall where my friends can watch you. Go on. Now."
Slowly, the woman edged around the wall toward the door. Her gaze darted between Tattletale and something on the table twice.
Tattletale noticed it too, following her eyes to a bracelet. It was just plain gold links with four little charms hanging off of it, easily one of the cheapest things in the room even to my amateur estimation.
"That yours?" Tattletale guessed. At the woman's dreadful nod, she shrugged. "Sucks. I'll take good care of it, promise."
The woman's lips trembled and her jaw clenched. I saw her consider attacking Tattletale right there. Then she took a shuddering breath and went out into the hall.
"If you don't leave that bracelet behind, I will take it from you." I said to Tattletale, in a whisper right by her ear.
"I thought you'd be watching," she said, grinning. "Don't worry, she'll get it back. It looks bad if we leave one lady's personal item behind, makes her look complicit to her bosses. I'll stick it in her mailbox tomorrow and tell her to keep it hidden for a while."
As Tattletale continued her pilfering, I checked on the others through my Dust eyes. Grue holding down the handle on his door, ensuring that he'd feel it if someone was trying to come through, Regent leaning against the security door and making his best intimidating face at the woman, who now stood across from him and slightly to one side against the wall, hands still up, her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out if she should be taking him seriously or not.
"Regent," Grue hissed. When he had Regent's attention, his head jerked towards Tattletale's room.
Regent peeked in; Tattletale looked up from the safe she was cracking, raised two fingers, and went back to work. Regent ducked out and flashed Grue a peace sign. Grue flipped him off.
The security door jostled as the guard tried to exit and found that the door was stuck. I piled more Dust into the edges and the hinges, blocking him in. I had seen him squinting at one of the monitors suspiciously.
Grue and Regent looked away from the door, to each other again.
"Did you do something to the door?" Grue asked, in a normal volume.
Regent was just as surprised as he was. "Not me. Tats?"
I'd combed the security office for a silent alarm button, and covered both of the ones I found with Dust so that they couldn't be pushed. Stupidly, I'd missed the one the guard kept on him, a little black fob on his keyring.
In the hall and both rooms, a red light near the fire alarm began to flash.
"That's our cue to bail," Grue said. "Tattletale! Move it or lose it!" He pulled a smooth river rock out of his messenger bag and pitched it hard at the back door, landing with a loud bang; Bitch's signal.
Tattletale finished dumping the tray of diamonds into a little cloth bag, leaving the tray of empty gold and silver settings. She pulled the drawstring tight, tossed it into the duffel, and zipped up in a smooth motion. "Moving it!"
"Ready to smash and grab?" Grue said, and then shoved open the door he'd been guarding.
"Bitch better be in position," Regent said.
The three of them burst through, splitting off to three different display cases. As Grue said, they smashed the safety glass and snatched up whole displays, scooping up whatever else they could reach at the same time. Regent and Grue stuffed theirs into messenger bags hanging from their shoulders, Tattletale tipped hers into a side pocket.
The front doors, swinging double doors made of bulletproof glass, crumpled under the charging shoulder of one of Bitch's dogs. It staggered back, shaking its head, and Regent, Tattletale, and Grue came running out. Darkness had already filled the store behind them and spilled out now into the street, moving as fast as a tidal wave.
The darkness reached and washed over the first hero responders: Clockblocker and Aegis, on patrol for all of Lord Street. My breath caught, and my human eyes opened to stare at a black-speckled drop-ceiling.
The two Wards stopped when the darkness surrounded them; I knew where they were by the Dust surrounding their bodies, the same way I was keeping track of the Undersiders as Grue rounded them up and got them onto the dogs. Then Clockblocker reached out with one hand, slow and careful until he hit Aegis' arm, and they clung to each other. Then they started to move toward the Undersiders.
I thought it was a stupid risk at first, walking around in darkness so complete you can't see your hand in front of your face, but then they detoured smoothly around a trash can and bench on the sidewalk. Somehow, they could see.
The planned escape route passed right by the Wards, but both Aegis and Clockblocker were still looking forward as though they couldn't see the Undersiders, at the same time they could clearly see past the smoke. What was going on?
Clockblocker had one hand wrapped around Aegis' wrist, dangerously close to holding hands . That was strange, and there was no reason for it unless Clockblocker's Striker aspect was in use. I realized with a shock of admiration that he wasn't seeing through Grue's darkness; he'd rewound time for himself and Aegis, taking them back to a moment that the darkness didn't exist. Which meant he couldn't see the Undersiders in the present as they mounted the dogs, but he could get himself and Aegis close to their last known position.
Grue had noticed them, being the only one able to see through his power. He'd just finished boosting Tattletale up onto one of the dogs, and he tapped her on the calf, a prearranged signal that everyone was loaded up. By that point his darkness covered the whole street, and was seeping out into the streets on either side.
Grue stepped in front of the Ward duo, waving one hand in front of their faces to no reaction, and then stepped to the side to avoid them. He went back to the dogs, heaved himself up onto the leader Brutus, and nudged the pack into motion.
But there was more to the Wards than just Clockblocker's power; Aegis turned to the side as they passed, his head tilted up. The dogs could smell through the dark, I remembered, and when Aegis lost some senses he developed new ones to compensate.
Still, the last thing I expected was for him to grab onto Clockblocker and throw him at the Undersiders.
Clockblocker took his sudden flight in stride, jerking his arms up over his head to protect it. I supposed that, as long as he survived impact, he could rewind whatever injuries he got.
Clockblocker went barrelling toward Tattletale, knocking her off the dog and jostling the bag she'd hooked through some of the horns. They went tumbling onto the road, narrowly missing a car that had parked when the darkness came down, and I kept both of them unharmed by the reckless fall. Clockblocker reached out sightlessly, hand flexed open in a way I recognized as precursor to his usual freeze-touch.
"Sorry, Clock, not this one." I said, raising my voice to be heard. A shield of Dust came between them and froze when Clockblocker touched it, dropping out of my awareness.
"Lazarus?!" Clockblocker exclaimed, nearly a whisper with the dampening effect of the darkness.
Grue came sweeping through on Brutus, using one hand on the dog's horns to guide it and the other reaching down to grab onto Lisa. She grabbed back, and I gave her a little boost to mount up.
Aegis, meanwhile, had followed up on his throw. The forward movement of the dogs carried Bitch and Regent into the same path that he'd thrown Clockblocker on, so he went flying right into the side of their dog's jaw. Judas reacted about the same way I assume any dog would, turning his head into the blow and snapping. He only clipped Aegis on the shoulder.
"Clockblocker," I said. I'd agonized for an hour over what I should say online, how I could tell him that none of this was his fault.
In person, though, I suddenly knew exactly what needed to be said.
Aegis had found one of his targets and seemed determined not to let it go, trying to get past the dog's head to the people on its back. Judas was having none of it, tracking Aegis by scent alone and wheeling in place to keep him in front. Eventually Aegis made a mistake and was caught around one thigh, Judas' teeth sinking in deep. I winced.
"I'm sorry for not answering you earlier," I said. For the first time I wished my Dust voice could convey emotion, sincerity. "I don't blame you, so stop blaming yourself… idiot."
He wasn't shouting so I couldn't hear him, but I felt his jaw drop open and the corners of his mouth turn up.
Judas immediately started whipping Aegis from side to side like a floppy toy; Bitch felt the motion and shouted, "Throw!" Judas finished one more shake and let Aegis go flying at the end of it. He caught himself in the air, breathing heavily and seeping a bit of blood, but apparently too turned around to find the dog again.
"Tattletale was helping me track down the Empire, so I owed her a favor." Not really a true portrayal of my relationship with her and the rest of the Undersiders, but that was a little much to get into right there. "If only Aegis threw you at any of the others…."
He laughed again and said, "You liked that? Renick told us we couldn't do it, but in this shit, who would know?" He waved, indicating the darkness.
The Undersiders had regrouped down a quieter sidestreet still under cover of Grue's power, changing out of their costumes and stashing the loot in the drop spot: a garbage can that their boss would have emptied by some other employee.
"This darkness is all going to be gone in a minute, and I'll have to leave. I'll… I'll message you back, though. Sorry it took me this long."
He shrugged. "It's fine, you had a lot going on right? Hey, are you… actually here?" One hand was waving around in front of him, as though trying to find my body.
Which was a block away, lying down and smiling at an empty room. "I'm here, there, and everywhere in range of my power. If you mean my physical body… no. That's someplace safer."
"Oh." His hand dropped. Disappointed? It was hard to tell without seeing . "Talk to you later then, I guess?"
The darkness was dissipating. The Undersiders had split up, Alec and Lisa clutching at each other pretending to be a terrified couple, Bitch leading her three dogs away through alleys and small side streets, Brian pressed against a storefront like a man searching for something to hold on to in the complete darkness. If I didn't know better, even I would buy their act.
"Later," I promised Clockblocker.
The Undersiders reconvened at their loft, trailing in one after another as they became certain they weren't being tracked. Bitch had called Lisa to let her know she was okay, but that she was taking the dogs out for a run and wouldn't be back for a while.
"So… that went well," Alec surmised, laying back on the couch with a soda can balanced on his stomach, one hand holding it loosely.
"Yeah," Brian agreed. "Too well. Taylor, you have anything you wanna tell us?"
I sipped on the tea Lisa had brought me, sitting at the island in the kitchen, and considered lying. Why bother, though? "No, not really. Why, did you have something you wanted to ask me?"
"Cut it out, you're as bad as Alec. Jesus, I already have one childish ass to look out for." My eyes narrowed, offended. "Did you follow us out there?"
"Yep. Held the door closed, kept Clockblocker from tagging Tattletale. Just a couple nudges here and there."
"C'mon, Brian," Lisa said, her tone soothing. "She only helped. That could have gone a lot worse if she wasn't there."
"I thought she didn't want to help?" Brian demanded. Then he took a deep breath, shoved Alec's legs off the couch - "Fuck you," Alec growled, kicking him - and sat down heavily. "I'm not trying to be a jerk about it. It's just that you said you didn't want to help, and we planned for us four. You being involved could have messed something up. If you'd changed your mind, you could have said something. I would have been willing to split the cut."
Would have been . Ah, so part of this was about money. "Don't want a cut," I said, "And I didn't change my mind. I don't want to be a villain… or I guess I should say I don't want people to know I'm a villain. I don't actually have a problem with breaking laws or whatever." I frowned, thinking of how else to explain it. Both Brian and Alec were looking perplexed.
"Yeah, that's what secret identities are for," Alec said.
"Which I don't have," I reminded him. "I mean… I decided to help you guys out this time because I could, and nothing can really be traced back to me. So no one else knows."
"No one like the Protectorate or the Wards," Lisa added, saying what I couldn't. "As in, the people she got to be pretty friendly with?"
I wouldn't care if they were disappointed, I thought. But I wasn't sure, and why take the risk if I didn't have to?
Brian stared stonily at the blank TV screen. Alec tried to put his feet back up in Brian's lap and was shoved away. Lisa gave me a thumbs up and a series of expressions probably meant to communicate something, but I didn't really get it. Alec flipped on the TV and put on the news, which was reporting on their heist.
Finally, Brian stood up, making his way over to the island. "Taylor…" Uh oh . "Thank you for your help today. But, in the future, I'd appreciate it if you just… stayed away from our jobs."
"Brian!" Lisa's voice was sharp, warning.
Dust stirred around our feet. I was only trying to help.
Brian raised his hands in surrender to Lisa. "Hear me out! Look, if you wanted to be a part of the team, I'd still take you in a heartbeat. But staying half on the sidelines, giving it half your effort… that doesn't sit right with me. You want to play both sides, that means you're not committed. We do a few jobs with your 'help', we get used to just having 'good luck' on every job, we get to depending on you… then what happens if you leave? Or when you decide you've had enough of playing villain? What if that happens right in the middle of a job? We'd be crippled, and have nothing to show for it."
"That's a lot from you. You don't even stay here at the hideout with the rest of us," Lisa said.
"That's different, and you know it. My commitment isn't in question." Brian looked at me. "Those are my reasons. I think it should be all… or nothing."
I tried not to look at Lisa, then realized it would probably be weird if I didn't look at her at all for some input. She had an expression of ' I'm sorry he's like this, ' on her face, playing her part almost perfectly. If this feeling of being on the inside of a plot was something you felt every time, I was starting to realize why people liked plotting so much. I bit my lip, trying for thoughtful, and focused on my Dust to dissipate the nervous laughter threatening to bubble up.
"Alright," I said. "You're right, I guess. It's not fair to you guys to take on all the heat that comes with having me around, and none of the benefits."
Brian looked relieved, sighing.
"But there is still a lot of heat on me, right now," I said, "So… I'll join up. Call me an Undersider, but maybe don't take out ad space. The longer I stay hidden, the better off the rest of you guys are."
"So long as you come through where it counts, I don't need to advertise," Brian nodded.
Alec called out from the couch, "Hey, does this mean she gets put on the chore chart?"
"You could give her a second! " Lisa shouted back. Then she grinned at me. "Glad to have you on the team, Taylor. You can move in here with us, or I guess since some people are already doing it, you can keep staying at the apartment."
"She never shuts up about it," Brian muttered, rolling his eyes and turning away to the fridge.
"I'll move in," I decided. The apartment was empty and too quiet even on a good day, and Lisa and the others were here most of the time. If I wanted to stay close to her, moving in was the easiest way. "Let me go pick up a few things."
"Want company?" Lisa offered.
"I'm not fuckin' helping anybody move," Alec announced. "Done enough of that shit already."
"No, it's just a few things. Box of tea, the laptop, clothes. Can I borrow a bag? Mine's filled with cash." From when I'd captured Stormtiger.
"Sure, I've got a bunch stored in the apartment. Check the coat closet."
"Alright. See you in a bit, then. Alec, when I come back I'll kick your ass in Mortal Kombat."
"You wish, nerd," Alec said. He was already switching over to the console, probably to start practicing.
"You guys are killing me with these video game things," Lisa complained.
I jumped down from the loft rather than take the stairs, startling Bitch at the bottom when I landed, where she'd been eavesdropping. Her lip curled when she realized it was me, and then she squinted at me and her jaw clenched.
"You joining up?" she asked. I thought back and realized these were the first words she'd actually said to me.
"Yeah. You worried about me taking your cut?"
"I'm not worried," Bitch snapped. Then, somehow even more aggressively, "You shouldn't be on the team."
"Thanks." I moved sideways, trying to get around her and her dogs to the door.
"You should be leading it."
I stopped, eyes wide, and looked at her. She turned her head to the side to avoid looking back.
"You're stronger than me, stronger than Grue. Should be you. That's why he was trying to drive you away."
That was… a unique perspective, I thought. Not an idea I would have had; Brian was right about my refusal to commit to his team. But I knew it said something about how Bitch thought.
"If he was trying to get me out, it really backfired on him." I said.
"You'll fight him eventually," she said, then stepped to the side to let me pass.
As I pushed open the door into the dark evening, I pulled my phone out and thumbed over to the number I'd programmed in.
Lisa's plan wasn't a bad one, but it would take a long time, and I wasn't confident about my own ability to be 'undercover'. I thought I might be able to speed things up.
After all, even if Coil had agents in the PRT, there was no way he had Alexandria's number in his pocket.
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