… Taylor Hebert
Taylor followed Elias through the halls of Winslow High with steps that tried to look confident, but weren't really pulling it off.
Elias didn't say anything else… so she didn't either.
That was basically the pattern between them for as long as they'd known each other. His words came when they felt like it, sometimes sharp as razors, other times so indifferent they hurt more than an insult.
But even with that constant shift in how he acted, Taylor kept following him. They passed the locker hallway, and just the distant metallic clang of a door shutting made her stomach twist involuntarily as memories surfaced without permission.
Only this time, there were no laughs when she walked by or any whispers calling her "the locker girl". People looked at them, but wherever they went, mouths shut up.
Taylor could still feel the stares, all of them trying to figure out what the hell Taylor Hebert was doing walking next to Elias Mercer.
The truth was… she wanted to know that too.
Elias led her out through the side of the school… the exact place where the staff conveniently pretended not to look. The part where the walls were layered with protests painted over by insults, and insults painted over by new protests, and where the cracked pavement felt like a perfect reflection of the place itself.
Taylor spotted a dark motorcycle parked there, with a matte finish and a seat that had clearly seen better days. Elias walked up to it, grabbed one of the helmets strapped to the side, and held it out to her without a word.
She froze for a second as she took it from his hand. The visor reflected her face, one she barely recognized anymore. Her first instinct was to step back, but the second came right after… and it was stronger. Taylor put the helmet on, adjusting it with slightly trembling fingers, feeling like the uncertainty of the moment was less scary than the idea of letting it slip away.
Deep under all the distrust she'd built up over the years… Taylor still found something positive in Elias.
Not because they shared smiles or long conversations between classes… none of that existed between them. It was more like a kind of positivity born from the absence of fear.
Put simply… Elias Mercer saw her, even when she walked hunched through the halls or when she was the target of Sophia's cruelty. Even when it was just Emma throwing insults for no reason. And more than just watching like everyone else who stayed out of it… he stepped in, even if it came wrapped in acid and sarcasm. Sometimes it even sounded like contempt… but he never pretended not to see.
Just like today… and just like so many other times.
Taylor had thought, more than once, that if Elias had been there the day of the locker… if he hadn't disappeared from school that specific week… if things had gone differently, maybe she wouldn't have been left trapped in that locker, trying to convince herself she was still human… and not some thing locked in the dark waiting for the end.
But that was the problem with Elias… he was perfectly inconsistent.
He'd show up to classes for days straight, only to disappear for weeks right after, just vanishing without any explanation… and then come back like he'd never left. Sometimes he seemed fierce and relentless… but other times he was pure distance, like existence itself was too depressing of a show for him to bother caring about…
Taylor had noticed that this behavior had only gotten worse after she came back to school following the locker incident; and also around the time she found out that Elias's mother had died after being sick for a long time…
But it was exactly because of that kind of behavior that Elias sat in a weird spot in Winslow High's ecosystem. He existed somewhere between the self-declared Empire and ABB thugs and the Trio, drifting between them depending on how he acted that day.
Mostly because of the rumors. Rumors that basically everyone at Winslow had heard at least a dozen times. That Elias was a parahuman… that he was an active Cape… that he worked with villains… that he was undercover…
There were enough versions to build a whole collection, but most of them didn't hold up. Everyone knew the Wards didn't go to Winslow, and villains didn't usually look like they were trying to disappear instead of showing off. And besides, Elias… he had never seriously hurt anyone, even when he clearly could have.
But some of the rumors weren't so easy to dismiss… like the one about him being sent to juvie before transferring to Winslow. Taylor didn't remember who started that one, but she remembered the person swearing it was true because a friend's cousin had supposedly been there with Elias at the time…
Taylor could only think that the whole thing sounded kind of… redundant.
Still, the fact that he kept helping her even during her worst periods made Taylor think, for a short time, that Elias might actually be interested in her. It was just a small spark of curiosity, nothing that should've been a big deal… but Emma noticed.
No… her former best friend didn't just notice, she made sure to crush that spark before it had any chance to grow.
Taylor heard some cruel shit that week… from people saying Elias only helped her out of pity… that not even the "weird guys" would want to associate with something as… disgusting as her.
Taylor swallowed it the same way she swallowed everything else Emma had ever said to her. Not just because she'd built up a kind of immunity to most of Emma's insults, but also because once she actually stopped and paid attention… the answer felt obvious.
Elias despised everything around him. The world, Winslow, the Trio, the bullying… so to him, Taylor was probably just another miserable victim.
But now, with the helmet on her head and the motorcycle right in front of her, Taylor felt like she was standing in the middle of something she didn't understand at all. Unlike every other time, Elias didn't seem like he was just offering some temporary protection…
Maybe it was a trap… maybe it was just another way to get disappointed… but she'd already been broken hundreds of times before… so trusting him, even just for a moment, felt like an acceptable risk.
Even so, part of her stayed on edge. She had part of her swarm hidden under her hair and clothes, already prepared for anything… even if that meant exposing herself as a Cape.
Because Taylor had learned that no one was one hundred percent trustworthy.
…Not even Elias.
She hated that part of herself that thought like that… but maybe that was exactly what made them similar.
Taylor climbed onto the motorcycle behind him, feeling her body tense up before slowly adjusting to the seat. Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air for a moment before finally settling on his shoulders.
A part of her was still scared… but she chose to take the leap anyway.
… Elias Mercer
The bike came to a stop with a muffled growl when we arrived. The building in front of us didn't give a shit about aesthetics or dignity, basically a portrait of Brockton Bay turned into architecture.
"This is it," I said, waiting for her to get off. Taylor didn't answer, but the pressure of her fingers said everything her mouth wasn't willing to admit.
I could understand why, since going up to the apartment of a guy you barely talk to wasn't exactly something any personal safety guide would recommend. Still, to push things along, I got off the bike and took off my helmet, waiting for her.
Taylor took a little longer, but she eventually got off too. She didn't say anything, just resigned herself to following me through the halls and up to my apartment. Four floors later, I pushed the door open with my shoulder.
Taylor hesitated at the entrance, scanning the inside of the apartment with nervous eyes.
"You can come in," I said, stepping aside. "Don't mind the mess."
It was in a better state since Maki became a constant… but I still had a serious problem with organization.
Taylor stepped in behind me, a little slower. My apartment was small, nowhere near impressive. The walls had patches of old peeling paint, a worn-out leather couch sat in the far corner, and there was a small shelf with some of my mom's old books stacked on it.
This was my emotional bunker, filled with silence and things I still didn't have the guts to throw away… exactly the way I needed it to be.
I wondered if I should act like a proper host, but I missed my chance when Maki showed up from the hallway with wet hair dripping over her shoulders, probably fresh out of a shower. She was wearing black pants made of thick fabric and a tight top that showed off her unfair abs and made absolutely no effort to suggest the word "subtle".
She looked at me first, then at Taylor, flashing that crooked smile she always used when she wanted to mess with me.
"Tch. Already bringing a girl home to fuck, Elias?" she complained, clicking her tongue. "Planning to make the room smell like hormones and secondhand embarrassment? I'm not cleaning that shit afterward."
Taylor froze in place, and her eyes immediately dropped to Maki's arms… more specifically, the burn scars that snaked across her arms and spread across part of her stomach, neck, and face.
She probably didn't even hear the rude shit Maki just said…
Maki's scars weren't the kind of thing you just overlooked, and they definitely weren't common enough to ignore, so I figured it wasn't hard for Taylor to notice.
That was a problem I already knew about, but it wasn't like Maki made any effort to hide them… and I wasn't about to tell her she should. In her world, Capes didn't exist, and even if the jujutsu world was hidden from normal people, there was no reason for Maki to protect her identity.
…Asking her to start doing that wasn't something I was willing to do, even knowing it put my own identity at risk.
The tension in the air spiked fast, and I could hear the buzzing of insects growing louder. Maki noticed it too, faster than I did. Her smile slowly faded, replaced by a serious expression.
"So you decided to tell the girl?" she asked, turning toward me.
I didn't need to say anything, because Taylor spoke first. "Since when…?"
I looked at Taylor, noticing she was holding herself back from overreacting. It seemed like every time something went wrong, her body defaulted straight into fight-or-flight mode.
"You're a pitiful person, Taylor," I said, completely ignoring both of their questions.
Taylor turned her head, her eyes narrowing as she tried to decide whether that had been a random insult or something else entirely.
Before any of us could continue, Maki raised an eyebrow and stepped in with a mocking tone. "Don't mind it. That's just how he says he cares about you."
"It's not," I shot back immediately, throwing her a look.
"It is, you sensitive idiot," she replied without even looking at me, stating it like an objective truth that didn't need debating.
Taylor blinked a few times, clearly lost between two completely opposite interpretations of the same situation. Her eyes moved from me to Maki… and stayed there. "You're… Scar?"
Maki nodded, crossing her arms and leaving the scars fully visible without making any effort to soften the visual impact. "And you're Chrysalis."
Taylor took a moment before looking away, but I could see the questions piling up in her eyes. She'd probably already realized that trying to deny her Cape identity was pointless now… even if she'd basically confirmed it herself.
"You gonna explain why you changed the plan and brought her here?" Maki asked me again, leaning casually against the wall.
I closed the door and tossed the key onto the counter, then looked at Taylor, who was still standing in the middle of the room like she was on trial.
"It's like I said before…" I said, dropping onto the couch while stretching my arms. "Taylor is a pitiful person."
It was because I felt that way that I ignored my own boundaries again and made another impulsive decision.
…More and more, it feels like I just can't be trusted with this kind of thing.
Taylor reacted with a barely noticeable flinch, the kind of reflex you only get after hearing shit like that way too many times.
Maki raised a skeptical eyebrow, but didn't interrupt me.
"You know… I figured you were just another one of those people who can't react, Taylor. The kind that hears bullshit all day and just keeps pretending it's not a problem. This city is full of people like that… all empty on the inside," I said, searching for the right words. "But then I saw you as a Cape who had the guts to face Lung and the Empire capes… and something about that didn't add up."
Taylor slowly lifted her gaze toward me, something conflicted flickering in her eyes.
"So I ran through a few possibilities and came to my own arbitrary conclusion… you're scared." I said, looking straight into her hollow eyes. "But scared of what? Are you afraid of those girls at school? Or are you afraid of yourself? Afraid of what you might be capable of if you actually fought back?"
Because she wanted to fight back, that much I could see. I'd seen Taylor in trouble too many times by now, so I could tell the difference. Instead of that old numb detachment… now it looked like she was constantly stuck in an internal argument about whether to react or not.
"I… I can't use my powers for something like that," she muttered, her voice caught between insecurity and conviction. "I can't attack people with my powers. Heroes shouldn't—"
"And that's your own conviction," I cut in, realizing Taylor had a whole complex about heroes.
"But you don't need powers to deal with a pack of vultures," I explained, looking at her. "This place is full of people who will try to crush you under them. Now… you can keep lowering your eyes and pretend it hurts less if you don't look… or you can learn how to knock the teeth out of every single one of those motherfuckers."
Maki shot me a sharp look, and I nodded back at her, basically confirming what she had already figured out.
In simple terms… this whole impulsive decision of mine boiled down to the fact that I wanted to see Taylor kick Sophia's ass… and I couldn't think of anyone better than Maki to teach her how to do that.
That's what led me to bring Taylor here to Maki… even knowing that it basically meant revealing our Cape identities way earlier than I ever planned to.
Maki cracked her fingers and pushed herself off the wall.
"I can teach you how to do that," she said to Taylor, then glanced back at me. "How to be less pitiful, like this idiot keeps saying."
Taylor frowned, looking like she'd completely lost track of the conversation. "Teach… what? Fighting? Me?"
"Yeah, you. I can teach you everything… how to defend yourself, how to hit, how to fall without breaking your neck. Basic stuff every human being should know," Maki replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And before you start thinking this is some kind of punishment, relax. I'm not a bad teacher… but don't expect compliments, I suck at those."
"Suck?" I shot back without thinking. "Maki, you're probably allergic to compliments. You'd have a breakdown if you tried to praise someone more than three times a week."
Maki ignored me with the ease of someone who'd done that a hundred times already.
Taylor looked torn between accepting or rejecting the offer. From where I was sitting, it looked like everything was moving way too fast for her to keep up.
"I could teach you too," I added casually, giving her more time to process. "I picked up some martial arts stuff when I was younger. Distance control, reaction timing, that whole 'maai' concept… I can handle myself pretty well."
After all… like I said before, this was Brockton Bay. Learning how to defend yourself was the bare minimum if you wanted even a shred of dignity in this hell.
I pointed my thumb at Maki, making Taylor follow the gesture.
"But my strength lies in improvisation and creating a mess," I said, "when it comes to actual technique… Maki's way better. Like, way better."
Maki gave a small nod, not even bothering to argue.
"Without powers… Maki would kick my ass ten out of ten times," I added. "With powers… maybe I win once or twice, on a good day."
You didn't have to be a genius to figure that out. You just had to see the difference in how we moved.
I'd seen enough during the fight against the Empire capes to know I didn't stand a chance against Maki. She was fast enough to reach me before I could consistently use Boogie Woogie… and she probably had enough strength to break my Force Field with a single hit.
All that told me was that even if I looked strong already, I was still far from it… at least for now.
While I was running through all that in my head, I finally saw a small spark flicker behind Taylor's hesitation.
Confidence wasn't something that came easily, but sometimes… all it needed was a push in the right direction.
"So?" I asked, shifting on the couch to get more comfortable. "You wanna keep being an easy target for the Trio, or do you want to learn how to break that cycle once and for all?"
I was offering her the tools she needed to climb out of her personal hell. All she had to do was decide if she actually wanted out.
She took a few deep breaths and looked straight at Maki. "Please… teach me everything you can."
"Leave it to me," Maki replied, and I couldn't help the smile that showed up along with hers.
'Yeah… today's shaping up to be a pretty damn good day in Brockton Bay…'
… Max Anders (Kaiser)
The meeting room on the top floor of the Medhall building was a space designed specifically to impress anyone who stepped into it. Every detail, from the flawless wood finish to the massive windows overlooking the city, existed to project power, stability, and superiority. Max liked to think it was a perfect reflection of what the Empire stood for in Brockton Bay.
Something people were supposed to look at and feel impressed by… and want to be part of.
He sat at the head of the table, completely at ease in his own domain. To his left, James —Krieg— stood with his arms crossed and a calculating look, masking his frustration behind a cold, almost clinical demeanor. To his right, Brad —Hookwolf— was wearing formal clothes that didn't suit him at all, but his impatient expression hadn't changed.
"We lost three of ours," Max said bluntly, already knowing there was zero chance of anyone overhearing anything said in that room. "Stormtiger, Cricket, and Rune. All captured in a single night."
Three Empire capes, beaten and dragged off by PRT agents like trophies.
It wasn't the first time an Empire cape had been arrested, but it was the first time that many had been taken down in one night.
James kept his eyes on Max as he added, "The capture has already been made public by the PRT. Formal charges include assault with powers, conspiracy to commit an attack, and violent resistance. Classification C for Rune and Cricket, B for Stormtiger."
Brad let out a scoff full of contempt. "Fuck their classifications. Stormtiger was doing exactly what we told him to do."
"A mission that should have been simple," James corrected, without changing his tone. "A strategic push into ABB territory, taking advantage of the power vacuum left by Lung's fall. Instead…"
"…They got taken down," Max finished, letting the weight of the words settle. "By the Protectorate… and three independents."
Silence fell over the room. The worst part of the situation wasn't just the Empire taking a hit… it was that it came from three independent newcomers no one even knew existed a week ago.
That was a stain on everything the Empire stood for.
"We already have preliminary profiles on all of them," James said. "One of them had already been operating against the Empire before the recent incident."
Max slowly spun a pen between his fingers. "Hoarder."
Brad leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "The kid with the hood?"
"Not just a 'kid' anymore," James explained. "Recent updates indicate he's now operating with some kind of advanced armor. We still haven't confirmed the origin of the tinkertech."
"I can find the bastard," Brad said, practically ready to move right then and there. "I'll tear that stupid suit off him along with his ribs and hang whatever's left at the main intersection on Ferry and 23rd!"
Max raised a hand and cut him off. "That's a valid idea… but we need to do more than just react. We need a… demonstration."
James tilted his head slightly. "What exactly are we demonstrating?"
"That challenging the Empire comes with a price too high for any of them to pay," Max replied.
A brutal beating with a bit of torture would probably make the boy rethink his life choices… but that wasn't all Max wanted. People already expected that kind of response from the Empire… and yet idiots kept showing up to challenge them anyway.
He stepped closer to the screen on the table, pausing the video at the moment Hoarder appeared alongside Chrysalis and the third figure, Scar. Max really wanted to crush those little brats… but he also had to remember what others conveniently ignored.
The Empire was in the middle of a push to expand into the Docks, and that was already draining resources… and now they were short-handed.
They hadn't just lost Rune, who was already a cape of one of the Clans, but now Max had James and the other Clans watching him like hawks. At this point, the Empire was holding itself together with limited internal strength.
Max couldn't afford to spread his forces any thinner right now.
…And more and more, he found himself thinking about bringing Purity back into the fold, since she'd be the incentive needed to push the other capes to returning into and actually following his orders.
"We recover our people first. All of them. They're not going to rot in glass cells."
"We're really gonna play rescue mission and let those bastards walk free?" Brad shot back, leaning forward, irritation spilling over.
"We're going to do both," Max said firmly. "But first… we take ours back. We can't let anyone think the Empire can be dismantled."
Max's top priority was maintaining the Empire's image. That was the foundation of everything he controlled.
These three independents… they were just minor problems Kaiser would deal with eventually. He'd get his people back… and then use them to teach those kids a harsh lesson.
"We'll remind everyone who runs this city," Max continued, his gaze sweeping across the room. "And those independents… they're going to learn that every bit of freedom comes with a cost."
Deep inside, Max felt the metallic heat of his power brushing beneath his skin, begging to be used.
Brad let out a low growl, but nodded. James gave a small nod as well.
Max leaned back in his chair and spoke again. "Keep the push toward the Docks going, but get everyone ready for the retrieval. I'm bringing back some of ours who've been… inactive."
What came next… would be Kaiser's retaliation.