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Rating:
Mature
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - WildbowFate/stay night & Related FandomsFate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Characters:
Cú Chulainn | LancerTaylor Hebert | Skitter | Weaver
Additional Tags:
Self-InsertCYOA
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:2023-11-19Updated:2026-08-15Words:75,645Chapters:23/?Comments:402Kudos:1,427Bookmarks:572Hits:51,337
Hebert's Hound
TheCandyManCant
Chapter 23: 23
Chapter Text
Taylor felt a faint sense of deja vu as she leapt across rooftops. The explosions rocking the city had finally halted thanks to Cu's curse, but as a result of that curse, he was once more separated from her. This time, she was fully willing to pull him back with a Command Seal if she needed to, but she was holding that in reserve because of his warning. The last thing she needed was to accidentally kill herself – and by extension Cu – by failing to break the curse he'd imposed on himself and suffer the backlash of the Command Seal's power exploding into her. If she was put into another situation like what happened with Hookwolf though, she was burning a Command Seal, risk or no.
Cu was far away. Here she was, once more charging into battle without him. It was strange to realize that Hookwolf had almost killed her last night. It felt so long ago now. The chaos in the city was the only thing she could focus on. Even now, fire engines and ambulances screamed by beneath her. Police and PRT troopers pulled people from burning buildings and directed them underground to Endbringer shelters.
Taylor was charging into battle alone just as she had when she nearly died last night. Strangely, she didn't feel any fear or foreboding. If anything, all she felt was anger. She was angry she'd let Hookwolf get the better of her. She would not let anyone put her in the same position again.
Oni Lee was going down.
Pushing the button on the earpiece Armsmaster gave her to allow her to speak, she said, "MP, I'm a few streets over from your last position. Is Oni Lee still there?" The problem with fighting a teleporter limited only by their line of sight was that they could be on the other side of the city in a moment. MP was a good match up for him because she could just keep teleporting with him. Taylor was coming to assist her mostly so she could deal with the ash clones Oni Lee left behind when teleporting before they could cause more damage. The only explosions still going off were ones caused by Oni Lee's clones running around the city.
"Head back towards the Boardwalk. Park and 9th. Where's Lancer?" Mouse Protector responded quickly, grunting between words. She was likely fighting while simultaneously relaying her location.
"Lancer's dealing with Bakuda. She hit them both with a teleport bomb that took them out of the city. He's out of commission until she's dealt with." Taylor said, altering course to head towards the Boardwalk. She wasn't exactly sure where Park and 9th was, but Oni Lee would probably set off another explosion soon. She could use the sound to zero in on his location.
"All channels," Armsmaster's robotic voice spoke over the earpiece. "Lung is moving through downtown. Both the Medhall building and Brockton General are potential targets in his path. Stopping him is our main priority. All heroes on search and rescue move to 7th and Creek. We are setting up a defensive position."
"Cletiné, go with Armsmaster," MP said. "Velocity will meet you there."
"I'm banned from fighting giant monsters without Lancer present." Taylor said back. "And I am not letting you fight Oni Lee alone." Velocity was the only other hero MP had supporting her against Oni Lee. If he was heading for Armsmaster, MP would be on her own.
"Cletiné, these bombs are no joke," MP practically snarled, huffing and puffing. "I'm okay because I can dodge. You need to– Shit!"
An explosion rocked the air. Two streets over, Taylor saw the front of a building explode outward in a rush of blue energy.
Taylor pivoted, leaping towards the explosion and tracing a spear to pull her along through the air. She landed atop a roof overlooking the wreckage and sucked in a surprised breath. She expected to see Mouse Protector and Oni Lee fighting on the ground. She hadn't expected this.
Mouse Protector rapidly teleported all over the fractured street, dodging debris from buildings and sword slashes both. All over the road, ashen copies of a man in a red mask wearing dark tactical gear with bandoliers of bombs strung over either shoulder sprinted towards Mouse Protector, katanas drawn.
Mouse Protector would teleport to one ash clone and strike with her sword, scattering it to nothing. She would teleport away and immediately block a slash from another clone with her shield. When the clone activated a bomb on its bandolier, Mouse Protector teleported away as the ash clone exploded, taking several others with it.
For every ash clone Mouse Protector destroyed, another took its place. They came from everywhere, running out of the front doors of shops and out from alleys. Taylor caught a brief glimpse of the real Oni Lee as he teleported directly into the air above Mouse Protector, dropping an ash clone down on her from above as he teleported away again.
A traced spear skewered the falling ash clone before it could activate its bombs. Scattered ash rained down on Mouse Protector as Taylor landed on the street with her, sweeping with Cletiné to carve through another clone.
"Cletiné!" MP shouted, panicked. "Get out of here! They'll just–" MP's eyes widened. She teleported in front of Taylor with her shield up as an ash clone activated two bombs and charged towards them.
Taylor stopped her foot down. Twisting roots rose from the ground to rapidly close around the clone like a twisting coffin. A magical shield of runes appeared in front of Mouse Protector as Taylor spun runes around her.
An echoing explosion rocked the air, blasting the prison of roots asunder. The excess energy was absorbed by Taylor's shield to minimal effect.
"Don't worry about me!" Taylor said, tracing more spears behind her to fire into more ash clones before they could get too close. Taylor brushed a hand over MP's back, leaving a rune in place that glowed bright. Now, Taylor would be able to see her wherever she went. Taylor was still working on Cu's trick where he could zero in on a person without touching them, but Taylor was good enough that she could leave a marker that would let her find her target.
"Deal with the real one. I'll stop the clones!" Taylor said. Mouse Protector was a better choice to catch Oni Lee. Taylor would have to run after him whereas MP could just appear right next to him every time he teleported. She'd been trying to limit the damage caused by the clones, but now Taylor could do that for her.
MP looked at Taylor over her shoulder, struggling with the decision. "Call on the radio if you need me." MP vanished.
Taylor waved her hand through the air the moment MP was gone. Runes flashed before her. Fire roared over a trio of ash clones charging towards her with their swords. Taylor spun around, bringing Cletiné up to smack away a sword and counter to puncture another clone's chest. The clone pressed a button on the bomb it held in its other hand as it crumbled away.
A traced spear pulled Taylor back as she hastily erected a rune shield in front of her. There was a loud bang and a flash of white on the other side of Taylor's shield. Her shield flickered but held as it absorbed the explosion. When the blinding flash faded, the street in front of Taylor had a sheen like glass.
Did that bomb just turn the road to glass? According to Cu, Bakuda was a Tinker specializing in bombs. She could make teleportation bombs, so a glass bomb wasn't out of the question. Tinkers were absolute bullshit. Just look at how String Theory managed to break the barrier between realities. Taylor needed to avoid getting hit by any of these at all costs.
Taylor spun around as more ash clones rushed towards her, trailing her hand in a wide circle to trace spears. The spears fired forward into the ash clones, scattering them. Only a few were able to dodge. Those fell after a brief duel with Cletiné. Whenever one of the clones reached for a bomb strung on their bandolier, Taylor blasted them with runes or traced spears to stop them. She didn't want to find out what any of the other bombs they were carrying could do.
Taylor was somewhat surprised at how easily the ash clones were dealt with. Oni Lee was considered one of the most dangerous parahumans in the city. His kill count wasn't as high as Lung's, but it was up there. Yet as she duelled the ash clones with Cletiné, it was as if the ash clones moved a heartbeat slower than she did. Their sword strikes were well-placed and strong, but Taylor was too fast for that to matter. Maybe when Oni Lee made ash clones, the clones were weaker than he was?
An explosion sounded about two streets away from where Taylor stood amidst a road covered in ash. Taylor pursed her lips. All of the ash clones on this street had been dealt with, but there would be more. Oni Lee made one every time he teleported. With MP chasing him, he was likely teleporting all over. Taylor needed to follow them and deal with the ash clones Oni Lee left behind.
Taylor grabbed a traced spear, letting it pull her into the air. Taylor rode her traced spears higher and higher. As she rose, she got a better vantage on the streets below. Ash clones dotted the city, some lobbing grenades into buildings, others charging lines of PRT troopers and police officers with bombs held in either hand.
Taylor stayed airborne, raining traced spears and fire down onto the ash clones before they could cause any more damage. She only landed briefly to stabilize crumbling buildings with roots like she saw Lancer do earlier.
As she dealt with the clones, Taylor was able to chart out a rough map of Oni Lee and MP's fight from where the clones were left behind. The mark she left on Mouse Protector zipped around constantly. The two teleporters weren't moving in a straight line. They teleported around sporadically, sometimes jumping multiple streets and sometimes only moving five feet. One street in particular was packed with ash clones lobbing bombs. Taylor held onto Cletiné to hover in the air and rained traced spears down on the entire street like she was carpet bombing it. When the clones were dealt with, she moved on.
Another clone fell to a spear. Another clone was burned away by runefire. Another clone was entombed in roots. Taylor frowned as she flew.
This was going nowhere. She was being far too reactive. Until MP dealt with Oni Lee, there wasn't a way to put a stop to Oni Lee's clones. They would just keep appearing. Taylor was fast, but she couldn't move fast enough to keep pace with how much MP and Oni Lee were teleporting. She needed a way to stop Oni Lee himself, but she just didn't have anything that could help MP without Oni Lee teleporting away.
A faint feeling brushed against Taylor's mind, a slumbering instinct waking up. She'd felt something like this before. Why couldn't she place the feeling?
"Cletiné, move!" Mouse Protector's voice screamed into Taylor's earpiece.
Taylor didn't hesitate, trusting Mouse Protector. She let go of Cletiné and fell through the air, spinning to look up as Cletiné zipped back down towards her hand. A gleaming silver blade sang as it cut through the air, narrowly missing Taylor's chest as she fell through the air.
It was Oni Lee. The real Oni Lee. He must have teleported above her while she was hovering to try to deal with her. Was he mad that she kept killing his clones? Good.
Oni Lee vanished, an ashy copy appearing in his place to follow Taylor as she fell towards the ground. The clone pulled a bomb from its bandolier with either hand. The bombs beeped ominously as the clone's thumbs pressed down on buttons.
A traced spear shot into the ash clone, knocking it away. Cletiné shot down and pulled Taylor away from the bombs as a rune shield appeared in front of her.
The air shook under the force of a sickly explosion. Green energy crackled through the air, leaving a static mist in its wake that crackled as it slowly spread into the air like a cloud.
Taylor held tight to Cletiné as it pulled her back up, keeping her from splatting painfully into the ground. As Taylor's feet came to rest on the asphalt, she heard another pair of feet land next to her.
Taylor spun around, blocking Oni Lee's blade with Cletiné and spinning to counter with Cletiné. Oni Lee teleported away, leaving an ash clone to be skewered on Taylor's spear in his place. Oni Lee appeared right behind her, already swinging towards her with his sword.
An ugly clanging sound echoed in Taylor's ear as Mouse Protector appeared in the small gap between her and Oni Lee, taking Oni Lee's sword strike on her shield.
Taylor tossed Cletiné around Mouse Protector. The spear zipped back around, stabbing towards Oni Lee. Once more, the teleporter left an ash clone to die in his place.
Mouse Protector vanished, presumably teleporting after him.
Taylor grunted in frustration as Cletiné flew back into her waiting hand. How was she supposed to put a stop to Oni Lee if he teleported away the moment she had an opportunity to actually stop him? No wonder villains struggled to fight Mouse Protector. This guy was a pain in the ass.
A sound like a thunderclap echoed from two streets over, followed by several more explosions.
"He's teleporting all over the same street to make an army of clones that keep lobbing bombs." Mouse Protector's voice said in her ear. "He won't stay still long enough for me to get a clean hit on him."
More explosions pounded the street and buildings.
Taylor grit her teeth and moved to fly over to assist.
She stopped.
That feeling was back. A faint urging that hummed through her body. She'd only felt something like this one time before. It was the day her life changed for the better. This feeling was what led to her summoning Lancer, to Taylor meeting her best friend.
"Cletiné, I could use some backup here." Mouse Protector said, sounding strained.
Taylor wanted to move to help Mouse Protector, the only hero who had been there for her when she almost died, but she couldn't move. Something, an insistent instinct, kept her fixed in place.
Taylor closed her eyes, following the foreign instinct's prompting. Taylor's hands closed tight around Cletiné. The spear seemed to respond to her touch, an almost euphoric thrum wherever her fingertips brushed against the weapon.
The air exploded around Taylor as mana burst into the air, flowing from Taylor's mana core into Cletiné like from a ruptured dam.
Taylor bent into a ready stance, slowly opening her eyes and tracking up.
It was time.
Taylor leapt into the air. The street cratered beneath her under the force of her leap. Were she not consumed by this strange instinct, she would have rejoiced at accomplishing a feat she now associated with Cu, moving so strong and fast that the world crumbles around you.
A traced spear shot on instinct, as if it was second nature, pulled Taylor even higher into the air.
There. On the road two streets over from where she'd been, Mouse Protector teleported twice every second, cutting down an unending tide of ash clones. Oni Lee teleported around the outskirts of the melee, sending more and more clones into the fray.
Taylor landed on the corner of a building overlooking the battle.
The air ruptured as Taylor's mana core erupted, expelling a titanic amount of mana. In her hand, Cletiné drank up the mana expelled by Taylor's mana core. The golden spear shone brighter. As if lit by a spark, a golden corona of energy roared to life along the length of the spear.
Oni Lee looked up, attention drawn by the explosion of energy Taylor was unleashing into the air.
Their eyes met across the field. Taylor felt something lock into place.
Unbidden, words slipped past Taylor's lips.
"Dance, little spear… I grant you pursuit without end."
Taylor held Cletiné up over her shoulder like she was winding up to throw a javelin.
"Cletiné!" Taylor roared so loud it felt as if her voice carried over the entire city.
A thunderous boom shook the air as Taylor hurled Cletiné forward. The windows of nearby buildings shattered under the force of Taylor's throw. A streak of gold flew through the air towards Oni Lee like a beam of light shot from the sun itself. Cletiné glowed like a falling star, igniting the air in its wake to leave a trail of fire.
Cletiné was moments from piercing Oni Lee's chest when he teleported away.
Cletiné turned on a dime. The spear moved so fast that not even Taylor could track it. She only knew where it went because of the trail of golden fire left in its wake.
Oni Lee teleported again, mere millimeters from being skewered by Cletiné. Once more, the spear spun and was off, climbing up into the sky. Oni Lee teleported again, this time his body flickered, delaying his teleport a fraction of a second and nearly letting the spear strike him. Cletiné shot overhead, fast as a shooting star, disappearing from Taylor's sight somewhere over the bay.
A body appeared behind Taylor on the roof. Silver flashed towards her from the corner of her eye.
Taylor didn't move. She just grinned.
A golden ray of light cut through the air, crossing the city in the blink of an eye to rocket towards Oni Lee. Again, Oni Lee's body flickered as his teleportation was delayed, almost as if something was stopping his power from functioning properly. This time, instead of teleporting across the city, Oni Lee only teleported two feet into the air.
"Wha– Gah!" Oni Lee's shocked cry was cut off as a golden spear gleaming bright as the sun struck him in the chest.
Oni Lee was carried backwards by the force of Cletiné striking him, his sword spinning uselessly off the edge of the building. Cletiné abruptly halted in midair. Oni Lee's body tore free of the spear, falling into the alley on the side of the building in a mess of limbs.
Mouse Protector appeared on the roof as Cletiné floated back into Taylor's hand.
"The ash clones just fell apart. Is Oni Lee…?" Mouse Protector said carefully.
"Dead," Taylor said feeling the full weight of what just happened settle over her.
She just killed someone. She giddily followed an alien instinct and it wound up with a man dead. Taylor looked out over the city. Buildings were still smoking. People were still running in fear of more explosions.
Taylor looked down at Oni Lee, twisted and broken lying next to an over-filled dumpster. She didn't regret it. In fact…
"I don't feel anything," Taylor said aloud. "I should feel something, right?"
Mouse Protector took a deep breath and sheathed her sword, laying a hand on Taylor's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong, Cletiné." Mouse Protector said quietly.
"He was killing people, destroying the city. I know he had to be stopped, but I don't feel anything."
Mouse Protector squeezed her shoulder. "It might hit later when the adrenaline has worn off. It might not. Make sure you stick near Lancer once this is over."
Taylor nodded. Her first kill, the weird instinct she'd followed, Cletiné's latent ability she just activated – Taylor could sort it all out later. For now, there was still work to do.
"All channels," Armsmaster's voice crackled over Taylor's radio. "Lung and the ABB forces are retreating. Let them go."
…or not. Was that it then?
"Status of Oni Lee?" Armsmaster asked.
Taylor froze, still staring down at the body of the teleporting bomber. Blood seeped from a large hole in his chest to spread around his prone form.
"Deceased," Mouse Protector replied, reaching under her helmet to touch her earpiece. "There was no choice."
"We will debrief and assess later, Mouse Protector." Armsmaster said after a moment. The radio went quiet.
Taylor took a deep breath, letting some of the tension bleed out of her body. "You didn't tell him it was me." Karen had left it deliberately vague who killed Oni Lee.
"You and Lancer are already getting heat for the Hookwolf mess. I doubt anyone will make an issue of Oni Lee what with him blowing up half the city, but just in case, I'll take the heat. If they backdate a kill order with a bounty, I'll tell them it was you."
Taylor swallowed a lump in her throat. "You don't have to do that."
"But I did. It's done. Now come on. I'm gonna take you back to you and Lancer's hideout. Once I've got you there safe, I'll pop over to him to see if he needs help."
Taylor shook her head. "He should be fine. It'll just take him a while to get back because he needs to track down Bakuda before he can come back. There was a weird power interaction."
"Where did you say he was again?"
"Oklahoma."
Mouse Protector paused, turning robotically to look at Taylor. "Oklahoma?"
Taylor shrugged. "He's fast. He might be out of the state by now. I think he said Bakuda was in New Mexico or something."
Mouse Protector tilted her head like she was trying to puzzle out what was happening. "I'd assume that's why I can't teleport to him. Is he faster when he's using his stranger power?"
"Yes and no. I'll let him explain it if he wants."
"Fair enough. Let's get back to the warehouse."
Taylor traced a spear and launched herself into the air. Mouse Protector kept pace below her by teleporting to the tops of buildings.
Taylor looked down on the city as she flew. People were still panicking. Buildings were still crumbling. The fight was over, but the damage persisted.
A white flash streaked through the corner of Taylor's vision. She was barely able to get Cletiné up in time to defend herself. It didn't matter. Her strength was easily overpowered as Glory Girl caught her out of the air.
"Gah…" Taylor gasped as Vicky's arms closed around her in a crushing hug. Taylor's legs dangled awkwardly as Vicky held her in the sky.
"You're alive," Vicky said quietly, a tremor in her voice. "You're okay."
"Vicky… Ribs…" Taylor wheezed.
Vicky loosened her hold, letting Taylor slump in relief, but swept an arm under Taylor's legs to keep her from falling.
"I'm sorry," Vicky said. "I called you to help. I was going to meet up with you but then the PRT said they needed help with Purity and then I didn't know where you were and then I heard you fought Hookwolf and–"
"Breathe, Vicky," Taylor said, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. Taylor did not know how she was supposed to respond to this encounter. There were a lot of feelings she was dealing with right now. 'Sudden Vicky' wasn't really helping.
Vicky looked torn. "Listen, I'll call you later, okay? I need to stick with my sister. She's going around healing people caught in the bombs. I'll call you later. I…" Taylor was once more crushed in the super-powered arms of a flying brick. "I'm really happy you're okay," Vicky whispered.
"Air…" Taylor wheezed. She gasped as Vicky released her.
"I'll call you," Vicky repeated for the third time. "Are you good to fly from here or do you need me to set you down?"
"I'm okay," Taylor said, rubbing her bruised ribs. "I'll talk to you later." She rolled out of Vicky's arms and let a traced spear pull her away.
Taylor landed on a nearby rooftop and groaned, stretching her arms wide in an attempt to recover from Vicky's crushing grip.
"That was sweet."
Taylor looked over to see Mouse Protector sitting on the edge of the building, kicking her legs.
"Glorious Girl seems like a good egg," Mouse Protector said.
Taylor sighed tiredly. "She's…a lot. But she's okay."
Mouse Protector tilted her head back to catch Taylor's eye. "That princess carry was very picturesque. Your spear was floating behind her and made it look like the two of you were surrounded in a golden halo. That's the kind of image painters in ages past would ascribe to a very romanticized legend. Is there anything going on between you two?"
Taylor's eye twitched. "She has a boyfriend. She's nice, but she is not my type." Vicky was way too…energetic for Taylor to want to spend a lot of time around her.
There was a mischievous sparkle in MP's eye. "She isn't your type. But a potential 'she' is?"
"Can we stop talking about this? The city just exploded, MP."
Mouse Protector shrugged. "I just figured we might as well chat since we've stopped moving back towards the warehouse. And topics that don't involve fixating on the aforementioned exploding city are probably good for you right about now. I'm on chaperone duty until Lancer gets back. I've gotta look after your physical and emotional well-being, Cletiné. I'd hate to see a pretty cheerleader break your heart."
"MP, dating is the last thing on my mind right now. Why are we even talking about this?"
"You're the one that stopped on the roof, not me. When you're ready to head back, just fly away."
Taylor shook her head, tracing a spear to pull her up into the sky.
"You didn't deny it though!" Mouse Protector's voice followed her into the sky.
Taylor grunted irritably. She liked MP. But the woman really enjoyed needling people.
Taylor needed something else to focus on. She watched the ground as she flew. The awkward conversation on the roof instantly faded into the background as the destruction of the city passed beneath her.
Buildings were overturned. Cars were piled into each other on the side of the road. There were still people fleeing the devastation. At least, those who could flee were running. Some weren't so lucky.
There was a young boy on the street below. He was laid flat on his back. HIs chest was struggling to rise and fall. A police officer held a screaming woman back as a paramedic tried desperately to stem the flow of blood from the boy's stomach.
Taylor changed course.
The paramedic startled as Taylor landed a short distance away.
"I can help," Taylor said, not waiting for permission as she knelt next to the boy, runes already dancing along her fingers.
While there were runes Taylor was still working on mastering, Lancer thought it was prudent that Taylor learn runes that would let her heal and care for herself early on. This would be the first time she used them on someone else, but the theory should still work the same.
Taylor carefully traced runes over the boy's chest, making sure she didn't make any careless mistakes.
The hole in the boy's chest slowly mended. The bleeding stopped. The boy sucked in a deep breath.
The woman, presumably the boy's mother, sobbed in relief, shaking free of the police officer to pull her son into a crushing hug.
Taylor stepped back to give them space.
"Can you do that again?" the paramedic, a stout woman with blonde hair, asked, a calculating look in her eyes.
Taylor nodded. "I can keep going." Taylor felt much more tired than normal, her mana less abundant than the overflowing sea she typically had access to. Whatever she'd just done with Cletiné to kill Oni Lee had taken a lot out of her, but runes weren't very mana intensive. She could keep going if it meant saving people's lives.
"Come with me, please." the paramedic said. She walked briskly to the back of an ambulance and pulled the door open, shouting at the driver to keep the vehicle from speeding away.
Taylor sucked in a breath when she saw the body laying on a gurney in the back of the ambulance.
Mousy brown hair fell in chaos over a bruised, bleeding face. The girl's green top and jeans were burned through to melted skin in places. Even battered as she was, Taylor recognized the girl.
It was Madison. One of the three girls that had made her life hell throughout high school.
"She won't make it to the hospital." the paramedic said clinically, shocking Taylor. She'd forgotten the paramedic was there. She was so focused on Madison she couldn't see anything else.
"I'll… I'll help," Taylor stuttered, slowly pulling herself into the back of the ambulance.
Taylor looked down at her bully, feeling far away as she looked the other girl over.
Madison was barely breathing, her chest struggling to rise and fall. The left side of her face sported a devastating burn that twisted her flesh. This, one of the faces of Taylor's torment, seemed so meek and helpless now. Taylor didn't see her bully. She saw a victim on the cusp of death.
Slowly, Taylor reached down, tracing her fingers over Madison's body. Runes glowed where Taylor touched. Flesh slowly knit itself together. Madison's hacking breaths evened out.
Taylor hesitated a moment as she reached towards Madison's marred face. No one knew what she could do, nor the limits of her healing. She could make up an excuse as to why she had to leave Madison's face deformed and twisted. It would serve the bully right. Who she was on the outside would finally mirror who she was within.
Taylor's lips thinned into a hard line.
No. I'm better than that.
A rune gently drawn on Madison's cheek had her flesh restoring itself. Soon, Taylor was looking at the same pretty face she'd grown to loathe.
Madison's eyes snapped open in a panic. She jolted on the bed, frantically looking around.
Taylor's hands went to Madison's shoulders, keeping her from rolling out of the gurney. "It's okay," Taylor said assuringly. "You're okay."
Madison's eyes locked onto her. She sucked in a breath and froze. "You… Cletiné?" Madison breathed, disbelieving. Taylor was surprised that Madison said her name correctly without a hint of issue, almost as if she'd practiced it.
Seeing Madison was calm, Taylor retracted her hands. "At your service," she said awkwardly.
"You…" Madison swallowed. "Am I dead?"
Taylor shook her head. "No, you're okay. A… You were caught in an explosion. I was able to heal you, but once this is all over you should still get checked out by a doctor."
"I… You… You're alive?" Madison said, still looking very confused. The bomb must have rattled her brain a bit.
"Clet-in-yuh," the same paramedic slowly tried to enunciate her name. She got closer than most on their first attempt to say it.
Taylor looked over her shoulder.
"There's more," the paramedic said simply.
Taylor nodded, heading towards the back of the ambulance. Taylor froze as Madison's hand latched around her wrist. Flashes of painful memories shot through Taylor's mind. Stolen homework assignments. Being shoved into walls. Being pulled around by her bullies. Green lines on Taylor's limbs glowed bright, her reinforcement strengthening in response to her distress.
"…Thank you," Madison said weakly, tears in her eyes.
Taylor felt the tension bleed from her body. "You're welcome." Taylor pulled her wrist free and hopped out of the ambulance. She came face to face with Mouse Protector, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Taylor.
"This doesn't look like your hideout, young lady."
"There's still work to do, MP. I can help, so I'm going to." Taylor said, motioning towards the paramedic watching her expectantly. Vicky said Panacea was going around healing people. So why couldn't Taylor?
"Um, boss," another paramedic said to the short woman. "The PRT doesn't like untested powers–"
"They can shove it," the woman said. "People are dying."
Taylor looked pointedly at Mouse Protector.
Taylor could have sworn she saw an approving shine in Mouse Protector's eye through her helmet.
"Very well then, young steward of justice." Mouse Protector drew her sword and aimed it into the sky. "The city doth require our aid! You cheddar brielieve we shalt answer!"
Taylor looked at the ridiculously posing woman through half-lidded eyes. Her expression softened when she heard the boy she healed before Madison laughing from the sidewalk a short distance away.
Mouse Protector lowered her sword. "I'll zip around and find people. You heal them. Gouda?"
Taylor sighed. "Gouda."
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