Chapter 6: First steps

TehStorm - Normally, you would be right. But this is Taylor. Hiding important things from her will end up disastrous WHEN she finds out, even if it's for a good reason. The best way to deal with Taylor is to make sure she knows what's going on, and has time to come to terms with everything.

Any other way leads to Taylor losing her trust in my SI, and all progress dies.

Seeing alot of hate on the link, I know I'm not going to get rid of it, though if it's brought up enough I'll see about changing it.

It was about a month since I've started to tell Taylor everything. I didn't do it all at once, there was too much shit to share, and Taylor wasn't exactly a stable person to begin with, even with our Bond, it evolved with friendship so it was now called a Bond, which was also an entirely other thing, and I had to ease her into it. So we made it a thing. Every Friday we would sit down and I'd tell her about just how fucked up her world was. After 4 sessions she was more or less starting to get desensitized to what I was telling her.

Though, that didn't mean she wasn't pissed at a bunch of things. I was pretty sure if we ever went to a world where the author of Worm lived, she'd have her bugs eat the guy/or woman since I didn't know, alive... Which was totally fair when you really think about it. (Living extinction events, a power system that requires you to go through the worst day of your life, Nazis, Cauldron and the Slaughterhouse 9... Add the ending where she gets double tapped after killing Not Jesus... Yeah, Taylor killing the author of Worm seems legit.)

Aside from that, living with Taylor was nice. She wasn't loud, didn't bother me intentionally, let me relax after I finished projects, and would even remind me to eat when I lost track of time with Grey Matter. When we did interact though we meshed well, either because of our Bond or how similar we were, we didn't know, but there was never any point where we REALLY butted heads outside of one small clash of her morals versus my logic.

Awkward moments existed though, we were constantly in each others head so stray thoughts were expected, but we got used to it... Well, I got used to it. Taylor would still be surprised when I thought/spoke a compliment to her, but after a month of them, she was starting to default to surprised and pleased instead of surprised and denial... Well, it was a 1/8 thing really, but progress!

Though some mornings were awkward considering I lost what little filter I had and reverted to horny monke man. Usually it would be because Taylor showered in the morning, which was blasphemous to me as a Night Showerer, and seeing her long hair being wet as she made breakfast made my monke neurons go brrr. The first time it happened I think I muttered or thought 'Wife material', she went so red I was half expecting for steam to start rising from her head. It was hilarious to me, and may have earned me a spider and a bunch of hornets staring me awake the next morning, but it was worth it... Even if I screamed like a bitch at the spawns of Satan.

Other moments could be summed up as 'Teenager being Teenagers.' For me that was my dick reminding me that I was a teen again at the most random times, and hormones making my thoughts more sexual then they normally were, while Taylor would think something about my eyes, ass, or notice whenever Junior decided to rise to the occasion. The first time THAT happened she went catatonic, and I wheezed hard enough to fall off the couch.

Anyway, I was amused at the whole thing, I COULD feel shame but I never felt like it so I didn't, but Taylor would be mortified afterwards and be adorably embarrassed. The Queen of Escalation was weak to affection in all forms, and I practically abused her weakness like all good Pokemon Trainers do. She was just so much fun to fuck with and I loved it!

Even when we weren't doing anything and just watching TV or eating breakfast, we could be quiet and just appreciate each other's presence... While also still talking to each other through our Bond. Thoughts would be thought, and if either of us struck up a conversation because of errant ones, then oh well.

She also gave nice scratches when I was Wildmutt, so that was another plus to our sudden cohabitation.

No, I didn't mind being treated like a dog in the Not Dog alien. Dogs and cats were simple creatures with simple lives and I wanted said simple life. Side note, being the Vulpimancer, Brainstorm had Photogenic Memory, to the surprise of no one, so remembering a few species names was easy, was an interesting experience. The urge to go out and run in the wild was there in the back of my mind, easy to ignore, but I gave into it a few times. XLR8 may clear my mind, but running in the woods as Wildmutt makes said mind turn off and just removes the weights of being dropped into a death world from my soul.

Anyway, we did more then just live together. After Taylor decided that she was still going to be a Hero, and do her best to clean up the Bay, I decided that we were going to train. We were Bound to each other, and like hell was I going to just let her go to that shit hole alone and untrained. Canon no longer existed thanks to me, so I wasn't going to just count on Plot Armor keeping her alive in this fucked up world.

Thanks to Grey Matter, and surprisingly Four Arms, apparently Tetramands instinctively knew how to prioritize muscle growth, which made sense given their whole 'Tetramand'-ness, we had work out and diet plans... Granted, I had to go buy a bunch of workout equipment and ingredients, and Taylor had to learn to make the food Grey Matter picked for our diets, but it was whatever.

Speaking of Taylor, she didn't like me stealing from everywhere, so I had to buy them first. The joke was on her though since I just stole money from random criminals on my runs as XLR8 and used THEIR money to buy everything. Sure, I hacked an account into existence with Grey Matter and Upgrade, interacting directly with code was so goddamn weird, that didn't mean I was going to use MY money to buy stuff I didn't want. The way her eye twitched when I proclaimed my pro gamer move was great, and I laughed when she begrudgingly agreed that my method worked good enough.

We also ran outside of the mountain, so that was nice. I had the advantage since my new body was well built already, but Taylor was slowly but steadily catching up.

There was also the fact Taylor and I fought against each other. It helped me get used to using my aliens, and she got to use her powers so Queen Administrator could get all the data, I was slightly confused how my life got to the point where I was subtly bribing an alien entity to NOT sell me out or make Taylor try to fight random Rage Dragons when my back was turned.

I was also kind of curious about the Shard. Some fics gave Queen Administrator some kind of personality, not much but making her more then just an alien super computer and intelligence. I had no idea if that applied to the canon QA, but I'd hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Though, I was already feeling good about the situation given the fact the Shard hadn't done anything to me after being under the 'Influence' of Taylor's Power, so that was nice...

Anyway, me and Taylor were sparring today.

The current spar had been going on for a few minutes, and it was easy to see how Taylor had improved. She'd cordoned off a section of the basement, a massive wall of bugs hiding her from my sight, which was hard to deal with because she could control the bugs to move with her, giving her mobile cover that she could not only use to attack, but could also see passed because of the bugs she had hidden on the ceiling and walls. It was an ingenious move, and one I didn't expect since I'd never read of another Taylor doing something like that.

Back to the now, I had a badass with bugs and a gun to deal with.

Unraveling, I avoided the swarm of hornets Taylor sent at me and flowed towards her. Sure Snare-Oh was one of my weaker forms, but he was also one of the more difficult opponents she could go up against because of how my 'Body' was made. With only my 'Head' as a weak point, she had to get creative and find ways to hit me when I could just turn into strands of cloth and disperse.

A trio of laser rounds shot out from the wall of bugs Taylor had in front of her and blasted my shoulders and midsection off, but I used the cloth of my left leg to grab and toss my head away as the rest of my body dispersed. "Clooose but no cigarrr." I felt her irritation at that, and decided that I was going to keep speaking this way whenever I was the mummy. That thought earned me another few shots from the blaster, but I weaved around them and fully reformed a few feet in front of the bug wall Taylor made. "Nooow, come give me a huuug!"

My arms and toes shot out towards the wall of bugs, searching for Tay...- Gotcha. My eyes widened as four pairs of arms formed from the wall of bugs, grasping towards my head. Thinking fast, I collapsed my shoulders, my head sinking into my midsection as I avoided the arms. Tch. I retracted my toes, the cloth coming back like a tape measure...- Why does that comparison work?

Ignoring that, I jumped back, but kept using my cloth to try to fi...- The arms from the Swarm Wall grabbed my hands and pulled me towards them. Bugs were surprisingly strong, and apparently didn't care about the laws of physics as I was pulled faster then I could react. (This is gonna suck.) I was pushed through the remaining wall of bugs, and felt my non existent skin crawl.

Then a fleshy hand force its way into my gut, and gripped my right 'Cheek' before my head was ripped from my chest... And came face first against the barrel of the laser pistol I'd made Taylor. "Checkmate." Looking up, I saw the slightly panting form of Taylor, her hair in a ponytail and a grin that looked like she won the lottery.

She was also radiating Smugness, and I mentally rolled my eyes at her. "Yeees yeees, congratulations hoooneeeeeey." Purposefully dragging out that last word amused me.

Her lips twitched, I felt the burst of pride, satisfaction and happiness hit her, as well as the small twinge of embarrassment at what I called her. Feeling that, I mentally smiled, making her own grin widen. Bringing the pistol back, she holstered it and tossed my head back towards my body. The two became one again, and I tapped the dial, turning back into myself. "So, whatcha want?" Like good human beings we had wagers on the line.

Taylor grinned, a surge of vindictive eagerness surging through her, making me slightly worried about wh...- "You're helping me finish up my revenge."

I blinked. "Wut?"

She snorted. |You're lucky you're cute.| I rolled my eyes. This bitch knew I was ad...- "Yes yes, you're adorable you goof."

"And don't you forget it." We shared a small laugh at that, and both started walking towards the escalator, which I'd managed to get set up thanks to Grey Matter, Brainstorm and Juryrigg. Those three were becoming some of my most used forms solely because they helped me come up with everything that worked in our base, as well as our gear. "Anyway, explain."

And so she did. "So, you know that I've been waiting to see if anything happened with The Bitches, right?" I nodded, because yes, I did. "Well, nothing's been happening, big surprise there," Ah sarcasm, how I loved it. I felt some amusement from my partner/friend, and she went on. "Anyway, nothing's been going on with them per se... But for Winslow?" And there came the vindictive eagerness again. "Apparently the people that shared lockers next to mine were checked into Brockton Bay General for Hepatitis B, C, and Syphilis!" I turned and owl blinked at her, my jaw falling at the turn of events. Taylor grinned, and I could tell she was building up to something else too. "But wait, there's more!" I was highly tempted to pat myself on the back... That earned me a blink and a short stare, but she shrugged a bit later, and we resumed walking. "They brought in Panacea, because obviously they'd do that, and she found Asbestos in their lungs!"

I damn near tripped at that. "You're fucking with me. You've GOT to be fucking with me!" To my surprise, Taylor cackled... I was slowly becoming scaroused at this side of her. Though I had to give her back a good thwack as she started choking on her mad laughter. "You were saying?"

Taylor huffed at me, but I saw the blush on her cheeks. Again, he's lucky he's cute. She noticed my grin, and even though her blush deepened, she tried to pretend she wasn't embarrassed. How adorable. "ANYWAY! Because of the Asbestos being there, Winslow is being put under a microscope... But what do you think would happen if... Oh, I don't know, the authorities learned about some Bio Terrorism that the administration swept under their Asbestos infested rug?"

My jaw unhinged again at that, and I just couldn't help it. "Holy fuck am I tempted to kiss you right now." Taylor choked on nothing, and started to sputter. She was still weak to compli...- I ducked under a wild swing at the back of my head and grinned at her. Though I had a thought, and blinked at it. "How come Panacea didn't find it when she healed you?"

After fixing herself, and getting onto the escalator, she answered that little puzzle. "Oh she did, but considering I was kind of dying from the whole thing, it ended up buried underneath everything else." That made sense. I'd read the damn report and didn't even remember seeing the Asbestos. "Buuut!" Hoh? "Because it WAS found in me, and the other two, that linked it to Winslow. Now all we need to do is throw them under the bus and watch everything the Administration and The Three Bitches built crash and burn."

Seeing her this excited about something like this was nice, but still... "Where do I come in though?"

"I want some help with my plan. I have alot of, if not enough, evidence to make them burn, but I want some help from Grey Matter and Brainstorm to make sure I have everything." Ah, that made sense. Didn't mean I wasn't going to capitalize on a chance when I saw it.

Grasping my chest, I gasped at her. "I trusted you, but I see how it is! You just want me for my smarts!" Taylor deadpanned at me, the embodiment of Resting Bi...- I couldn't avoid the jab to my ribs, and doubled over in a cough. "A-Abuse!"

That got me an eye roll, and some fond exasperation as we reached the top of the escalator. "You're an idiot."

Getting up and rubbing my poor rib, I walked after her. "Birds of a feather ya know."

She replied without missing a beat. "Some spiders tend to find birds delicious."

Well damn, what did I have to that? "... Touche." That sounded about right.

Taylor laughed as I smiled. Moments like this made me appreciate that even though I was put in a death world, and compelled to meet and bond with the Queen of Escalation, this might've been the best thing that happened to me... I grinned as I saw Taylor slow down, Affection and Appreciation rolling off of her. Plus, I ended up with a hot and badass potential girlf...- I started running for my life as the sound of buzzing grew to a crescendo. I ran as fast as I could, cackling all the way. "YOU KNOW I MEAN IIIT!"

I was still close enough to catch her errant thought. I know.

After the bugs were put back into the wild, I was sort of worried about letting Taylor set up colonies of her bugs around the mountain because they were bugs, but she taunted me and told me not to be a bitch, and I took that personally. I privately decided that if it came to it I'd just start walking around as Heatblast... Anyway, after they were sent away, we worked on her plan for Winslow and The Three Bitches.

Brainstorm found the plan 'Marvelously well done and a true example that females of above average intellect were not to be scorned.' When I changed back to Grey Matter I had to take a second to wonder if my giga brain crab was warning me not to piss off Taylor... Though considering this was me, I was going to ignore that advice and provoke her wrath at some point because why not?

Said 'Female of above average intellect' had blushed at the indirect/kind of backhanded compliment, but took it in stride... While also preening a bit on the inside, but I got a kick to my shin when I turned back into myself for noticing that.

That aside, her plan was already good, but with some help from the big brains, we managed to make it full proof. Which was easy since Winslow's Principal was incompetent and kept a few emails that were pretty fucking damning.

So there we were sitting in her room, which was like a mini library in a crystal palace, the both of us gathered by her Computer Adept, because it wasn't on the level of my Computer God, and looking over the documents that were the push of a button away from being sent to the FBI and CDC. Taylor was chewing on her lip, Worry and Excitement warring in her. I got it though, and decided to comfort her the best way I knew how. "If the feds fuck up I'm all for making The Three Bitches disappear."

My partner's lips twitched, and she gave me a look between Amused and Exasperated. "We're not making them disappear, Phoenix. They're going behind bars where they belong."

I hummed. "Then let's get this show on the road and give the feds the stuff."

Taylor turned back to her computer, and after putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, she took a breath, and hit send.

Now all we had to do was wait...

"Wanna play some Mario Kart?" I wasn't a patient person. Sue me.

My partner grinned at me, and my competitive ass returned it. "Have fun eating my dust."

My eye twitched. "Thems be fightin words girlie!" Taylor stuck her tongue out at me, the nerve!

We spent the next two hours playing Mario Kart. We were both competitive as hell, so there really was no other way this could go.

It was while we were in the middle of a race that we got alerts from my VI. Interested in what was going on, we checked the alert... And I was blursed with the scene of Taylor growing a slasher smile, and cackling like Light. Again, I was scaroused, and decided that maybe Brainstorm was onto something.

It said something that Taylor hadn't even reacted to those thoughts, the amount of Vindictive Joy rolling off of her was probably making her ignore my errant thoughts. Though, I could understand it. The alert was about Search/Arrest Warrants for Winslow and The Three Bitches being sent off to a judge. The FBI was going to confirm what they were sent, a request to get Panacea to come with them just in case was even thrown in there too. (And so it begins.) I was interested to figure out a way to watch the fireworks, when I had a brain blast.

Going still, I thought about what I knew of Sophia Hess, and it didn't take long for me to realize that yes, I was probably right. I felt a small burst of Curiosity from my partner, and noticed she was looking at me. I didn't need to hear her thoughts or sense her feelings to know that she wanted me to explain. So, grinning, I did just that. "Ya knooow, there are some good odds that she'll make a run for it if she figures out she'll be arrested. It'd be such a shame if some new up and coming Heroes apprehended the wanted fugitive."

Seeing the Cheshire grin on her face, and feeling just how Eager she was, I knew she was on board. "Damn right I am! Our suits are ready, right?!" I nodded.

Having a Material Fabricator that I could upload blueprints and schematics too, as well as shove scrap into to get shit like Titanium, was a godsend. I could spend less time making things the old fashioned way, and more time training my forms and getting used to the gear I made for us. (Note to self, make some more stuff from Subnautica.) There were a few other things I could steal from the game, and I was going to make them whether I needed them or not.

"... Uhuh..." Blinking, I realized Taylor was deadpanning at me. I just shrugged, I'd show her the light eventually. She rolled her eyes at me for that. "Anyway, how are we going to play it?" Humming, I reached for the dial. I wasn't much of a planner, like, at all, but I had geniuses in my arsenal so I didn't have to be.

Finding Brainstorm, while Grey Matter was just as smart as the Cerebrocrustacean, the former was better at long term planning while the latter was better when it came to projects that required an engineer or scientist. Hopping off the couch, I pressed the dial.

One flash of green and feeling like a god later, my more primitive form was replaced by the evolutionary marvel that was the Cerebrocrustacean. "Brainstorm!" Feeling and ignoring the Exasperation from my Bonded and potential mate, I engaged my mind in the current situation at hand. (The refined plan leaves the cretin with very little choice in the way of avoiding her fate. Should she try to escape, she will be hunted down by the authorities. Should/When it comes to that, we can intercept their communications and map out where her most likely position would be, and we can the move to apprehend her post haste.) My thoughts continued to race as I plotted around other known variables such as those foolish Nazis or the drug addled apes.

The Wyrm and his Oni would be a non issue unless Hess decided to be a fool and willingly enter their terr... Pausing, my mind spun into a possible scenario that I did not like. (She could possibly attempt to lure her pursuers into gang territory, using the chaos that would follow to slip away.) That possibility displeased me, and given the sounds of irritated insects, as well as the wave of Annoyance emanating from my Bonded potential mate, I understood it displeased her as well. "There is no need to worry my dear. With my intellect and your ability to survey entire sections of the city, we will ensure our quarry does not escape!"

Taylor took a few moments to gather herself, as well as prevent her minions from causing havoc in the nearby ecosystem, then nodded. "I get it... Though should we have a per-established reputation first? As incompetent as the local PRT is, they could probably connect the dots if we suddenly show up to deal with their wayward Ward."

Thinking about it, I had to concede that she had a point. My Aerophibian, Amperi and Necrofriggian forms had been documented, so should another one of my forms be observed, and the Ultimatrix dial was spotted, my involvement would be known... That could then lead to Taylor being identified given a note in her file alluded to my involvement in her 'Disappearance.' Shit, I didn't think of that. I nodded along, Taylor may have been a smart Human, but the mind of a Cerebrocrustacean was beyond her primitive brain... I did not like the look she was giving me. "Phoenix... Just plan."

Knowing better then to provoke the ire of my Bonded potential mate, I did just that.

And if said mate pulsed with Affection then I did not mention it.

After a half hour of us planning what to do, we came to an agreement. Taylor would be fitted with the first iteration of her gear and make her debut in the Bay, while I would stay at our base. I was technically a known entity, but Taylor wasn't. They might've suspected what her Powers could be, but they wouldn't connect it to her right away if the only feature they saw was different colored hair.

Sure, she may not have liked the idea of hiding her hair, but I convinced her in the only way I knew how. I went out to get a slice of cake and bribed her with it.

Women could never resist sweets.

[Taylor's POV]

Looking at the necklace, I took a second to recognize that while it was pretty, it was a golden scarab with emerald wings and eyes, I didn't understand how it was supposed to work. Hearing Phoenix sipping on his drink, I turned to him and raised a brow. "Not that I don't appreciate the jewelry... But where's the suit?" He grinned that annoyingly smug grin of his, and I huffed at him. Bemusement. Rolling my eyes, I tapped my foot against the ground.

Getting the idea, he sent me some images over our Bond. "I'm basically ripping off Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Spider-Man and Crysis." He showed me a literal transformation sequence, and I narrowed my eyes at him. Understanding why I did that, he went on. "No, as much as I would like to give you one, you don't have a transformation sequence." Thank fuck! His lips twitched, and I felt his Amusement. "Put on the necklace." Phoenix hadn't led me astray yet, Yet? So I grabbed the scarab necklace, and gently put it on... While ignoring the part of me that would've wanted him to do i...- "If you want me to do it I'll do it, just expect a kiss or something to come with it." I choked at that, the wave of Interest that came with that caught me so off guard that I didn't know how to react.

The jerk had the courtesy to rub my back though, so vengeance could come later.

When I was back in shape, and pretending that my heart wasn't beating a little faster, I got back on topic. "Okay, so when I want to put on my suit, do I use vocal commands or..?" He sent over 2 different methods. Well, there were 3, but I had to use the suit first for that last one to be used. One of them was for me to clutch and squeeze the wings of the scarab, and the other one was to say an activation phrase. "Khepri." I watched, fascinated as my scarab lit up, and then expanded faster then my eyes could track. In the blink of an eye, I was suddenly looking through a visor. I wondered what I looked like, so I used a spider I'd brought with me to see... "Whoa..."

The suit was skin tight, which I would've normally been against... But I looked... [Sexy. The word you're looking for is sexy.] I blushed and tried to focus more on my suit.

It was skin tight, my eyes were emerald green and had hexagonal plating that looked like a mantis. The color scheme was predominantly black with gold highlights, My chest had a scarab beetle with its wings extended, colored the same as my pendent. My leg had holsters for my pistol, and probably a knife or something like that, while my sides were where exotic cartridges were supposed to go, as well as where my grenades and cuffs. I knew there were two magnetic holsters on my back for bigger weapons, and considering I saw a sniper on the table nearby, I knew what one of them was going to be. I even had my hair out behind me, though suddenly it was all gold. (She's basically wearing Miles Morales' suit, but the red is changed to gold, though it's like Spider Gwen's with no web designs, her eyes are bug eyes, and she has Crysis holsters on her legs, sides, and back.)

All in all, I was pretty sure I was in love.

Phoenix snorted, and I looked at him, a brow raised behind my helmet. I could feel his Amusement and something else, but I was going to pretend it wasn't there for now because I didn't want to address it yet. "Anyway, the suit has features I copied from a game series called 'Crysis', back home. I managed to figure out most of the thing's abilities, but it doesn't have all of them because I either couldn't figure it out, or I didn't think they were needed. So far you've got Passive/Active Shielding, Passive/Active Physical Enhancements, an Active Cloaking Feature, and an Active Speed Mode. You can make one of those Active by mentally focusing on it or saying 'Armor/Strength/Speed/Cloak On.' The Shielding can help you tank a Tank round," My eye twitched. "The Strength Mode can make you punch through the Tank that shot you," Another twitch. "Speed makes you fast as fuck, but not faster then me, while the Cloak will make you invisible unless you start spraying or running at full speed."

Hearing the rundown of the suit's abilities, my eyes felt like they'd pop out of my skull! "How the hell?" I barely even noticed that slipped out.

My partner just snorted, and waved an arm to the Fabricator by the side of his desk. That answered half of the question... He blinked. "Ah. Fun Fact, Snare-Oh's fibers can be refined into something close enough to Nano-Fibers that they're basically the same thing. Sure, I had to figure out how to work with that, but considering I could just make more whenever I fucked up, I had enough to keep going until I found out how to use it." That worked. "Speaking of working," I huffed, but enjoyed the smile on his face. "You have a HUD that'll give you a Mini-Map, representation of your current load outs, help you process stuff with your bugs, a damage report, and a power meter. Your power source is something complicated that I can't explain without being Grey Matter so I'm not even going to try. All you need to know is that it'll go down when you use your active modes, and you should keep an eye on it whenever you use em... Ah, the teleportation feature is there so you can use some charge to port to saved locations, and you'll be able to recharge by just moving around, so when you're out of a fight, you can just power down and do whatever you want, you'll end up back in full charge eventually."

I stared at him... Then hugged him. I felt his Surprise, but then he hugged me back, Affection radiating off the both of us.

It hit me as he was listing off what my suit could do. I was going to be a Hero. I had someone fully supporting my dream to be a Hero, and he was someone that fully supported ME.

The Bond didn't matter at this point, just being with someone that supported me this much was all I cared about right now.

After... That, Phoenix flew over to Brockton Bay so he could set up a marker for me to teleport over. While he was gone, I took the time to go over my feelings, which was easier to do now that we weren't in the same area. I knew what Phoenix felt about me, and I was smart enough to recognize what I felt about him. Our Bond made it easy to recognize each others feelings, and considering we were constantly in each others heads, I'd need to be dumber then a bag of bricks to not consider how a relationship between the both of us could be.

If this was before he 'Kidnapped' me, I wouldn't even think about it. Wouldn't even consider that somebody would want regular, too tall, too thin, Taylor Hebert as a girlfriend... But hearing someone compliment me and KNOWING they meant it, KNOWING someone found ME attractive... It felt like all of the taunts from The Three Bitches and their goons meant nothing anymore.

It was crazy really. A month with someone that actually cared about rebuilding my self esteem, and wanted ME for who I was, did wonders for my mental health. I still had my moments of self doubt, but with Phoenix consistently stopping me from spiraling, and my diet/training plans helping me gain a little muscle/weight, those moments were becoming less and less. (It helps that he'll happily compliment me if I asked.) I smiled at that. Positive reinforcement at my beck and call was amazing.

Shaking that off, I thought about whether or not I was ready for a relationship... And despite how much I wanted the answer to be something else, despite how well Phoenix and I clicked, I knew the answer was no.

It was still too soon.

Maybe when I was better.

Maybe a few more months down the line.

Maybe next week...

I didn't know when I'd be ready to be in a relationship, but I knew it would be an eventually, instead of a later. [First coordinates set, you're good to come over!]

Shaking the thoughts of an eventual relationship aside, I mentally called for my suit and got ready. I could think about this later, today was going to be my first night out as a Hero, and I'd need to keep my head in the game.

Patrolling around Brockton Bay was weird. I was here, jumping across rooftops with a grace that no one would attribute to Taylor Hebert. Here I was, in a suit that would classify me as a mid level Brute/Mover/Stranger, made for me by the guy I would eventually go out with... Armed with laser guns that would need a Tinker to pick apart and copy...

And that wasn't even talking about my Power. Thanks to the training with Phoenix, and the Mini-Map on my HUD, I could figure out where I needed to go without my map getting cluttered up in enemies.

Speaking of enemies, I was poking around the Boat Graveyard, known Merchant Territory, looking for goons. I was armed to the teeth, but considering how last minute this was, I didn't have any training with my suit or its abilities. So while I was looking for Merchants, I was testing out what I could do. So far the Stealth Mode was my favorite, and the idea of making Swarm Clones while I was invisible somewhere else was awesome.

Hearing gunshots ahead of me, I made my way over.

I would've liked to take out the bigger gangs first, but starting at the bottom and working my way up would be effective in the long run. For both my reputation, and to help me master my suit and weapons... Plus, they were just druggies.

How bad could they be?