14

Chapter 11: When it All Started

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Taylor stood before a mirror. She knew she had changed quite a bit over the course of the month, but I didn't really hit home until now. Her figure had changed from a tall stick of a girl to one with curves and a decent sized chest. She also had a noticeable musculature tone to her now. It wasn't bulky and actually served to highlight her new looks. Her hair's once rich dark color had been bleached to a pristine white, with only strands of the original color remaining. Her eyes were mostly the same color, but a blue hue was slowly creeping into them.

However, she wasn't here to admire her new looks. She had finished her little device and now wanted to test it. With it in her ear, she taped it. In nearly an instant, a visor appeared in front of her eyes. She smiled when she saw she could see out of it clearly, but her reflection in the mirror showed it was completely opaque. While far from finished and in need of upgrades to add new features, the main function she needed from her visor was working. She turned it off then back on again.

"Yes," She cheered.

She turned it off and took it out of her ear.

"Not a perfect solution, but it should make a decent enough mask to help hide my identity." She noted.

She walked out of the bathroom and headed back down to the basement.

"Welcome back captain. Did the test go well?" Ai-chan asked when Taylor was halfway down the steps.

"Yep, it works perfectly. How's the costume coming along?" Taylor asked as she walked up to the computer.

"Almost done captain, there's only a few finishing touches left." Ai-chan answered.

Taylor smiled at that and looked at the assembler as it moved about. Its movements weren't rapid but its various mechanisms moved at a decent pace. It wasn't long before the last bits were done and the whole outfit was before her. Wanting to try it on to make sure everything fit, she grabbed the whole outfit and took it up to her room. Placing her earpiece down on her bureau, she changed into the outfit. After a bit of struggle, she managed to get the whole outfit on and was happy with the results. It fit her perfectly with everything looking like it'll hold together well. She quickly went to the mirror in the bathroom to get a better look.

The outfit consisted of a light beige buttoned up crop top jacket and grey jean short shorts over a black unitard with gear like wing design around her stomach. Long brown gloves with yellowish brown crossings covered her hands and forearms. A set of golden braids hung from her shoulder badge to a button over her left breast. Brown thigh high boots with black soles were buckled around her legs with belts at the top of them. She wore a belt around her waist. A black cape with orange lining was attached to the collar of her jacket and flowed down past her waist.

'It looks good on you.'

Given I look almost exactly like you now, that's to be expected. While not her preferred wear, Taylor still liked the outfit. Regardless, it'll work perfectly as a costume for when I go out.

'Yep, it's stylish and, unlike when I wore it, the material it's made out of will give you pretty decent protection out there.'

Yeah, speaking of which, I think you said this was your school uniform. Seems kind of weird for a uniform.

'Oh that's just what I wore, Aunt Theresa allowed us to pick our own uniforms.'

Taylor grew silent. How is it a uniform then?

'Don't worry about it. It's not that important.'

I guess… Anyways, one last thing to check. She returned to her room and grabbed the ear piece. She returned to the bathroom and tapped it. The visor appeared before her eyes. Overall she thought it looked good, not perfect, but good. She smiled. With her costume done, all that was left was learning how to fight properly. Then, she could finally go out. Even if it was just for more training.

Wednesday night…

Taylor was training with Kiana in her dreams, as she had done every night since it was first suggested. The training was difficult but effective, with Taylor's experience in the dreams translating to reality. As such, she had improved a great deal in only a few short days.

"Hiyah!" Kiana exclaimed as her fist connected with Taylor's face.

Relatively speaking.

Taylor was sent flying a little ways before tumbling across the ground, eventually coming to a stop. She groaned as she lay on the ground.

"Not bad, I'd say you've got about a week, give or take, before I feel you're good enough to go out." Kiana noted.

"Really…" Taylor grunted as she sat up. "Cause it feels like I'm getting my ass kicked just as hard as before."

"That's cause I'm upping the difficulty as needed." Kiana replied, earning a groan from Taylor.

"Now, now, none of that. This is for your own good." Kiana chided her.

"I know." Taylor moaned. "Still doesn't make it less annoying or painful."

She stood back to her feet, wobbling a bit before she steadied herself. She walked towards Kiana. Taylor took up the basic stance Kiana taught her and the two resumed their spar. Kiana would send forth punches and kicks that Taylor would either have to deflect, dodge, or block while looking for an opportunity to attack. Every now and again Kiana would throw a surprise her way, or do something that'll get Taylor distracted.

"So, when are you gonna call that friend?" Kiana asked. "Your transformation is basically finished."

Taylor sighed, dodging a jab to her head.

"I don't know." She replied. "I know I should."

She deflected a punch.

"But I get nervous every time I'm about to, I keep thinking of what ifs." She added as she leaned back from a high kick and blocked a follow up kick with both arms. "I know it's stupid. I've called her once before, we're friends now, and she'd probably be all for it."

She ducked under a kick.

"I don't know, I guess I'm still nervous that it's all too good to be true." Taylor admitted.

She deflected a punch and went in for a strike. However Kiana knocked it to the side and sent for a counterattack of her own. Taylor narrowly dodged the punch and a follow up kick.

"At least you admit it." Kiana noted while throwing a faint that Taylor didn't fall for.

She easily avoided two jabs and a kick Taylor tried to get her with.

"And I won't make you do it by force. It'd be better if you start doing things without me threatening you." She stated.

"So, no more tuna?!" Taylor exclaimed hopefully.

Said fish slapped her across the face, and knocked her to the ground.

"Don't worry, it'll still show up in training." Kiana assured the girl.

Taylor began to whimper.

"And if I really feel I have to force you I'll be sure to bring it and the frying pan back out." She added.

Taylor's whimpers turned into light sobs.

Friday afternoon…

Taylor stared at the phone before her. She knew what she had to do, now it was just a matter of doing it. She took several deep breaths before dialing her friend's number. The phone rang for a bit before someone picked up.

"Hello?" Her friend answered .

"Hey Rose, it's Taylor." She replied.

"Oh hey Tay, how you've been?" Rose returned. "Haven't talked to you in a bit."

"I've been good, and ah… sorry about that, I've been busy the past week." Taylor explained.

'That's one way of looking at it.'

Shush!

"Yeah, me too, guess we both haven't really had the time to hangout." Rose noted.

"Yeah, a-a-about that ah… you see… … you know how I've been going through a bit of a… growth spurt… kind of…" Taylor brought up.

"Uhm… kind of I guess. Why?" Rose replied.

"Well… I uhm… you see ah… I've kind of… outgrown some of my stuff, like underwear and stuff, and with me going back to school soon I figured it'd be a good time to… change up my style a bit. But I haven't done actual clothing shopping in a while sooooooooo…" Taylor explained.

"So you want my help on a shopping trip?" Rose asked.

"Yes?" Taylor replied.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" Rose squealed.

I feel as though I've made a mistake.

The next day…

Yep… I've made a mistake. Taylor thought to herself as Rose led her into a clothing store on the boardwalk with great enthusiasm. Based on the starry eyed look her friend got when they entered, Taylor felt she was going to be here a while. Thankfully money from the settlement was set to start flowing around the start of next month so she was free to use her dad's credit card to splurge on clothes.

Their first stop was getting Taylor's measurements for her new sets of underwear. For once, Taylor was thankful for her relatively poor financial situation as it served as a believable excuse for why she hadn't gone shopping for them till now, despite clearly needing to. Her friend took the lead and led her to a sales clerk who was currently not busy. As she did, Taylor felt a strange sensation pass her, she stopped and turned to look at the retreating figure of a blond girl. She couldn't quite pinpoint what, but she felt something weird coming from the girl. What was that?

"Taylor?" Her friend called out, breaking her out of her musing.

She turned back to Rose.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Ah… yeah, j-just thought I recognized that girl, I didn't." Taylor assured her friend.

Rose looked at her skeptically.

"If you're sure." She stated.

Rose continued to the store clerk and Taylor followed. As she did, her mind was still on that sensation she felt. What was that, I'm sure I didn't just imagine it. She felt Kiana growing curious in her mind, pondering things as well.

"Excuse me miss." Rose called out.

"Hmm?" The sales clerk sounded.

She looked in their direction.

"Yes, how can I help you?" She answered.

"My friend here needs to get her measurements done. Her sizes have changed and she hasn't been able to go shopping for some new underwear and clothes for a while." Rose explained.

"Oh ho… a little shopping trip I see. If you'll follow me I'll get you taken care of." The sales clerk expressed cheerfully.

"Lead the way." Rose replied while Taylor just nodded.

The sales clerk led them towards an empty changing room.

"My name is Elizabeth by the way. But you can just call me Lizzy." She stated.

"Nice to meet you Lizzy. I'm Rosemary, though just Rose is fine, and my friend here is Taylor." Rose returned.

"Uhm… nice to meet you." Taylor added.

"Taylor and Rose huh. Hmm… let me guess, you're here to get Taylor here a fresh new look." Lizzy noted.

Both Taylor and Rose's eyes went wide.

"H-h-h-h-how did you…" Taylor began.

"How did I know? Well that's simple. A good sales clerk like me must have excellent intuition on what the customer needs." She explained.

Stopping in front of the changing rooms she twirled around to face the two girls. Raising arm into the air with her finger pointed upwards she swung it down dramatically to point at Taylor.

"You strike me as the type to not be super into fashion and what not. At most, you'll do just enough to look nice but nothing beyond that. You also strike me as the shy type and not keen to go out even with friends. The fact that your friend is here and there's no indication she dragged you here means you came of your own volition to improve your clothing style. For what, I can't guess other than probably not a boyfriend, not the vibe you're giving for it." Lizzy declared.

Taylor was silent, looking at Lizzy with a surprised expression while Rose looked at her with a hint of awe.

"You got all that just from that brief interaction with us?" Rose questioned.

"Of course, if you want to be a good sales clerk, you have to know these things." Lizzy declared.

"Then do you mind helping me pick out her outfits? Two heads are better than one as they say." Rose asked.

Alarm bells began ringing in Taylor's head.

"Y-y-y-you don't need to do that." She quickly said.

"Of course I do, I'm not paid to just stand around and look pretty, though I am." She declared.

"B-b-b-b-but…" Taylor tried to say.

"No buts, now let's get those sizes." Lizzy declared as she opened the changing room door.

She dragged Taylor inside while Rose waited outside. Taylor, once she got past her embarrassment and accepted the situation she was in, disrobed while the sales clerk took out a measuring tape. Once Taylor was ready, the sales clerk took her measurements. Through the whole process, Taylor's face was flush with embarrassment. Once that was finished, she put her clothes back on and went back out and informed her friend. While she would deny it when asked, she felt a twinge of pride and satisfaction when she noticed Rose's jealous gaze when it turned out her chest was now bigger than her friend's.

"Sooooooooooooo… now that your friend's measurement problem is sorted out, it's time to get her new style." The sales clerk declared.

Taylor felt a sense of dread replace her previous emotions. She gulped. Rose's mood, conversely, brightened.

"You're right, why don't you handle the underwear. I'll get her first sets of outfits ready. I'm thinking of going for simple but interchangeable ones for the first sets before moving on to more stylish and specific ones." She directed.

"Works for me, let's move." Lizzy declared.

"W-w-w-wait I…" Taylor tried to say, but it was too late.

Rose had already run off to one end of the store while Lizzy went to the other. Why do I get the feeling dad's going to regret giving me, and by proxy Rose, carte blanche for this.

Meanwhile…

Danny was at work, having to come in for the second Saturday in a row. As he went about his business, he felt a shiver go up his spin. Why do I feel like I made a mistake?

"What's the problem Bossman?" A large black man asked.

"I told you to stop calling me that Zephon." Danny expressed with a hint of annoyance.

"And I told you, I ain't gonna do that Bossman. So what's the problem?" Zephon asked again.

Danny rolled his eyes.

"Nothing, just got a feeling I'm gonna regret not putting restraints on my daughter and her friend's shopping trip." He noted.

Zephon wince.

"Yeah… you're gonna be feeling that in your pocket book." He noted.

"Thankfully I already paid the credit card bill and the money from the settlement will be coming in before the next one's due." Danny explained.

"Yeah, how much money did you say you were getting?" Zephon asked.

"A lot more than I was expecting." Danny answered. "Now enough of this, I've still got work to do."

"That's good for you, cause none of us do and we'd like some." Zephon pointed out.

"I'm working out." Danny expressed with a hint of annoyance.

"I know Bossman, I know." Zephon replied.

"Stop calling me that!" Danny shouted.

Back at the store…

Oh well, it's too late now. Taylor thought to herself. Maybe I'll try and raine things in a bit. Some of my baggier stuff fights fine so I don't need to completely restock my wardrobe. Time ticked by and Taylor grew nervous. How long are they gonna be?

"I'm baaaaaaaaaack!♪" Lizzy sang.

Taylor looked towards the older girl and felt her face heat up with a blush. In the girl's hands were sets of bras and panties. The plain and simple ones she had no problem with. However, the sales clerk hadn't just picked out plain ones. In plain view, there were, as far as Taylor was concerned, more provocative ones.

"W-w-w-w-w-why did you get those?!" She demanded.

"Aww come on, you need a sexy set for when you need to nab a boy you like. Or girl, I don't discriminate." Lizzy stated. "Not that you'll have much trouble with your looks."

"I-I-I-I-I…" Taylor tried to speak.

"I'm baaaaaaaaaack!♪" Rose sang.

I'm saved!

"Rose thank god, you need tooooooooooooooooooooooo…" She began but trailed off when she saw the amount of clothes her friend had brought for her.

"Ohhhhhhh the sexy stuff. She'll need that for when she needs to nab a boy she likes." Rose noted.

I'M NOT SAVED!!!! She heard Kiana snicker in her head. NO LAUGHING!!!

"It could be a girl." Lizzy pointed out.

"Fair point." Rose conceded.

"I-I-I-I don't like girls that way." Taylor stated.

"Then it's for a boy." Lizzy cheered.

"I-I-I-I…" Taylor tried to speak up again.

"Welp, times a wastin. Get in there and see how everything fits." Lizzy stated as she shoved the underwear into Taylor's arms.

"Butbutbutbutbut…" Taylor tried to reply as she was ushered into the changing room.

The door was closed in front of her and she left staring at it, the pile of underwear in her hands. She looked down at the pile in hand, then at the door, then back to the pile, and then back to the door. She stood there contemplating the pros and cons of just breaking out and making a run for it. Eventually she sighed.

"I need to do this anyways, might as well get it over with." She muttered.

She started taking her clothes off.

Later…

"Have a nice rest of your day!" Lizzy cheerfully said, waving as Taylor and Rose left the store.

"You too. And thanks for all your help." Rose replied, waving back with her free hand, her other hand was holding bags of clothes.

"Yeah… thanks…" Taylor mumbled in a dry tone.

She was unable to wave due to both hands carrying bags of clothes. They had arrived at the store at around nine in the morning and it was currently just past one in the afternoon. The nearly four hours of shopping had left Taylor feeling drained. Note to self, never go shopping with Rose again, the girl doesn't know the meaning of restraint.

'I'll admit, that was a bit much. Though she definitely knows her stuff.'

Fair point. Taylor reluctantly admitted. She looked down at the outfit she now wore. Most of it is covered by a stylish winter coat she just bought, which she desperately needed since her old one had large sections of the stuffing missing from breaks in the seams. Under the coat was a stylish blue blouse and a pleated knee length black skirt. Under her skirt she wore winter tights. It was more girly than how she normally dressed, but she overall liked the look. As she did this, Rose finally noticed how exhausted her friend was.

"Hehe… guess I went a little too far." She awkwardly noted.

Taylor weakly glared at her, earning a flinch from Rose.

"W-w-why don't I get you lunch, I know a place nearby and it's around that time." She quickly suggested.

Taylor's glare subsided and she nodded. Rose breathed out a sigh of relief. She led her friend into a nearby 50's style dinner called Retro Diner. Thankfully, things were unusually slow for a Saturday and the hostess was able to quickly get them to an empty booth near the window. They put their bags on the seat next to them before sitting down. The hostess handed them their menus and silverware before leaving. The two sat in an awkward silence as they looked through their menus. It was Taylor who broke the silence first.

"Hey…" She began.

Rose looked up.

"Thanks for doing this with me. Even if it took longer than I'd like, it was still nice." She admitted.

Rose smiled.

"You're welcome, and, maybe next time, I'll try and raine myself in." She replied.

"We may want someone else to act as a moderating force." Taylor stated.

Rose pouted, then her phone rang. Thinking nothing of it, she took it out and answered it when she saw it was her mom.

"Hey mom." She stated.

She was silent as her mother responded to her.

"Sorry, I usually get bad signal in that store." She added.

Electing to ignore this, Taylor went back to looking at her menu in the meantime.

"WHAT?! WHY?!" Rose exclaimed.

Taylor jolted,and looked at her friend who now sported a panicked expression.

"We're at Retro Diner now, we should be able to find a spot we won't be seen from." She tried to assure her mother, making Taylor nervous. "We will, bye."

She hung up and declared, "We got to go!", before quickly getting out of the booth.

"What's going on?" Taylor asked as she followed her friend's lead.

"PRT just called my parents, Shadow Stalker's gone rogue and is after us." Rose explained.

"What?! Why?!" Taylor exclaimed as she got out of the booth.

"I don't know but… LOOK OUT!" She shouted.

She pushed Taylor out of the way just as a bolt was about to pierce her. She took it instead. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground as the bolt embedded itself deep in her shoulder. Blood began to flow from the wound.

"ROSE!" Taylor shouted.

She looked towards the source of the bolt. A girl in a dark black hooded cloak over a skin tight black bodysuit and a black modified hockey mask was stalking towards them, crossbow in hand. She was Shadow Stalker, a now ex-Ward. Taylor quickly scrambled to her feet to face her as the few people in the restaurant panicked and tried to get away. Taylor felt sweat begin to roll down her face as she faced her attacker. Shadow Stalker aimed the crossbow squarely at Taylor.

"Don't think that little cosmetic job can let you hide from me, HEBERT!" Shadow Stalker shouted.

At the moment Shadow Stalker said "Hebert", something clicked in Taylor's mind. That voice… It now made sense why Shadow Stalker was after them. Perhaps a month ago, the revelation of the true identity of her attacker would cause her fear to grow her nervousness to turn to panic. Maybe it would have left her numb and unresponsive to everything as the information settled into her mind. However, Taylor had changed much more than one would expect in the month since gaining her powers. Thus her fear was forgotten, and rage took its place.

"Hess." Taylor hissed out with pure venom.

Chapter 12: Revenge

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Sophia Hess was in an irritated mood. She had been called out of school early. Officially it was a situation with her mom. Unofficially it was the PRT calling her in for some impromptu thing. As was the case, they didn't say anything substantive as to why, not that she had expected them to. It wasn't uncommon for the higher ups to get things last minute, let alone someone on her level. While she didn't care for school normally, her favorite pastime of putting those she deemed weak in their place had been interrupted by the call.

When she arrived there was a bit of confusion when they didn't let her get her costume on and instead handed her a domino mask to hide her identity, but she didn't think much of it. After this she was marched up to the director's office.

Thus she now stood before a heavy set stern woman with short bleach blond hair. This woman was Emily Piggot, director of the PRT East-Northeast, and she had a notable scowl. Flanking her on her left and right were the heroes Miss Militia and Armsmaster respectively.

Miss Militia was an olive skinned woman in her early thirties with dark hair. She wore stylized fitted army fatigues and a sash tied around her waist styled after the American flag. Her lower face was covered by a scarf also styled after the American flag. Unlike the director her expression was one of disappointment.

Armsmaster had a stone faced cold expression, betraying nothing of his inner thoughts. He was the leader of the Protectorate East-Northeast. He was a tall man who wore midnight-blue power armor with silver highlights and a helmet with a silver visor. He had a well trimmed beard. On his back was his signature halberd.

"Tell me Shadow Stalker, do you know why you're here?" Emily asked.

"Is this another lecture about 'getting along with my teammates'?" Sophia replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Cause I think that could wait until after school."

"If it was, I'd call you lucky." Emily growled.

Sophia grew a bit nervous, but also annoyed.

"Then why am I here?" She questioned.

Emily didn't immediately respond.

"Tell me Shadow Stalker, why do you think I tolerate you? My negative disposition to you parahumans is no secret to anyone, even I'm aware of how it colors my view of things. So with a troublesome brat like you in my ranks and my normal disposition, why do I tolerate you?" She asked.

Anger swelled up within Sophia to help squash her nerves down.

"Because I actually do a damn good job." Sophia proudly declared.

"In a sense, it is your usefulness that has kept you on. And it is some perceived notion of usefulness that is keeping me from shipping you straight to juvenile detention." Emily returned coldly.

Sophia froze as her blood ran cold. Emily ignored this and looked to Armsmaster and nodded. He nodded in reply and then took out a small device. He input some commands and Sophia felt something clamp around her ankle. She looked down to see a small bracelet now attached to her with a green light on.

"The device you see is designed to both track your location and give you a small electric shock if you attempt to remove it or use your powers." Armsmaster explained.

"Is this some kind of joke? I haven't done anything wrong!" She shouted.

"I'd hardly call hospitalizing a classmate as not doing anything wrong!" Emily shouted.

Sophia froze, her eyes widening behind her mask.

"That's not even counting the evidence your victim provided and was corroborated by one of your now former conspirators." Emily added. "Which, I might add, I was only made aware of after the school board had begun its own investigation!"

Sophia didn't respond as all this began to sink in.

"You should count yourself lucky that the higher ups still think there's some use for you, lord knows what that would be, and that your actions thus far have somehow not been bad enough to make them overlook this perceived usefulness." Emily explained. "However, don't think you're getting off easy. We'll be doing our own internal investigation, these acts in your civilian life make actions here suspect. While you've had disciplinary issues, you've largely played ball so far. That now seems to be more of an act than something genuine. Depending on the results of our own investigation you might just get the punishment you deserve."

Sophia didn't respond seemingly in a daze.

"Your mother has already been informed of this and is disgusted by your behavior. She's given us full permission for you to be kept on site until the investigation is complete. Until that time, you will not be out on patrol or even on console duty. You will not be allowed to leave the base or even contact anyone outside. The results of the investigation will determine what is done next." Emily added. "Your phones, both your personal and Wards phone."

This snapped Sophia out of her daze.

"You can't do that!" She shouted.

"I can and I will, even if I must use force!" Emily declared.

Sophia growled.

"Militia!" Emily shouted.

Miss Militia nodded and stepped forwards.

"GRRrrrrrrr… FINE!" She shouted.

She took out both her phones and slammed them on the table, just hard enough to make a point but not to break them.

"Hmph… Good, Miss Militia. Take her to her room." Emily ordered. "And don't tell the Wards about this yet, Armsmaster and I will discuss how much to tell them."

"Yes director." The heroine replied.

She walked up to Sophia.

"Come along, Shadow Stalker, don't make this harder than it has to be." She ordered.

With a growl Sophia followed the heroine and was marched out of the room, leaving Armsmaster and Emily behind. The director sighed.

"What a mess." She muttered. "We already have enough on our plate, the last thing we needed was this."

"Indeed, and depending on if the Hebert's accept the offer more trouble may come." Armsmaster pointed out.

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but if it does, I may have to talk with them personally and give them a good enough deal for them to keep quiet. The last thing we need is this to go to court. With Carol Dallon on the case, if ties are made between Shadow Stalker's civilian and cape identity, she'll be relentless in her litigation." She stated.

"Quite. Now, what will we be telling the rest of the Wards. Triumph isn't taking things well, given Shadow Stalker was under his watch he's blaming himself for not noticing." He added.

"Foolish, that damn girl tricked us all." Emily noted, before sighing. "Back to the topic at hand, there's no need to tell the rest of the Wards yet. For now we'll just say we're investigating something in regards to her and that she has to stay on site because of that, nothing more. If our investigations turn up something ugly and she's sent to juvy then we'll revisit this topic."

"What about Aegis, he'll be moving up to the position of captain soon." Armsmaster brought up.

"We'll inform him when that happens, assuming Shadow Stalker is still confined here." Emily noted.

She then stood up.

"Now, I need to go for my dialysis. I'll leave you to inform the Wards." She directed.

Armsmaster nodded as the PRT Director lumbered out of her office.

Elsewhere…

Sophia stood in her Wards room, now her cage, with a multitude of emotions swirling within her. The most prominent of these was rage and disbelief. Why… Why is this happening? I've done nothing wrong. I've been doing this for ages and nothing has happened. If I'd been in the wrong, surely something would have happened to me before this. So why now? The image of a glasses wearing, dark haired girl came to her mind.

"Hebert." Sophia hissed out. "It's all that cowardly prey's fault. She just couldn't accept her place in the world and had to stir things up."

She shouted out in rage and punched a nearby wall.

"That weak little bitch just had to ruin things for me!" She shouted.

As she vented a thought came to mind, remembering what the director had mentioned.

"Not just Hebert but an accomplice as well, but who? It couldn't have been Emma, she wouldn't have betrayed me to go back to weak little Hebert. Madison is a possibility, but she showed no signs of betraying us. So that leaves one of the clingers. One of those cowards must have forgotten their place." She growled.

She shouted and punched the wall again.

"Dammit, why do I have to be stuck here?!" She shouted.

She looked down at her ankle bracelet. She bent down to see if she could loosen it. It shocked her the minute she tried to use any measure of force to get it off. She punched the wall again before stomping to sit down on her bed. She took several minutes to calm her rage. While she couldn't get it to go away, she was able to control it enough to think more clearly. I need to calm down. I was careful, my phones shouldn't have anything beyond more proof of what I did to Hebert. I'm already in this cage for that so it shouldn't change anything. The stashes of my old costume and equipment should be sufficiently hidden so I doubt they'll find them. Given I've been careful to play ball they should find me clean of anything here. Once they realize they've got nothing on me I'll be out of here I'm sure of it.

A few days later…

Sophia paced around her room. She hadn't been allowed to leave her room except to go get food in the cafeteria, given her room, thankfully, had a bathroom with a shower. However she was never allowed to leave her room alone, she was escorted by either Triumph, another Protectorate hero or a PRT soldier. She hadn't really interacted with any of the other Wards, not that she cared to do so anyways. It shouldn't be taking this longer. If they'd found something, I'd know about it by now. It must just be bureaucracy being bureaucracy and things going slow. Yeah… that's it. It's just taking a while. It's only a matter of time till they realize they've got nothing and then I'm out of here and back where I belong. Despite her attempts to calm herself, her hand was twitching. Her desire to go out was making her antsy. She looked down at her ankle bracelet and scowled at what it reminded her of.

A few more days later…

This is taking too long. Sophia thought to herself as she paced about the room frantically. They… they aren't planning on just keeping me here… are they? No they couldn't, they… She looked down at the ankle bracelet, a reminder of her situation. What if they are? The bureaucracy can't be taking this long can it? Surely they would have given up by now, Right? They've got nothing. She felt anger well up in her. Unless… unless… they're just keeping me here like some kind of caged fucking animal! Out of sight out of mind! She tried to pry her ankle bracelet off only for it to shock her.

"Grrr!" She growled.

She searched the whole room leaving nothing unturned in the hope of finding something she could use to hopefully break the device. However, as she searched, she found nothing, not even her costume.

"Dammit, they must have cleared out my room ahead of time so I wouldn't have anything to break this damn thing off." She noted. "And even if I did managed they've cleared out any equipment I could use to help me. Grrrr… Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

She punched the wall with each word. She breathed heavily once she was finished with her last punch, her fist resting against the wall. Damn that Hebert and that traitor! Damn those weak cowards! It's their fault I'm stuck in this cage! She continued to breathe heavily.

A few more days later…

Sophia cried out in pain as her latest attempt to get out of the bracelet ended in failure, with the bracelet shocking her for her attempts.

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!!" She shouted as she took the nearest thing and slammed it into the ground. "How the hell I'm I supposed to get out of here if I can't get this damn bracelet off?!"

She breathed heavy, a deranged look in her eyes. Her room was a mess, with things scattered about. She was looking down when she saw it, sliding out from what she slammed onto the ground. It was a slip of paper. She picked up and read it. As she did her eyes widened, a feral grin spread across her face, and she began to giggle like a woman gone mad.

On this slip of paper was written, "If you wish to be free, I can make it happen. In one week's time I can have one of my agents slip you a device to free you from your chains. All I ask in return is for you to seek your vengeance. If you agree to this, tear this message up. Then, tap the side of your neck when the guard who will take you to dinner sees you, he is one of my agents. This is how I'll know if you agree to my help."

Her giggles turned into a full blown laughter of madness as she gleefully tore the message apart. I don't know who you are mystery man and I don't give a fuck. If you can get me out of here, I'll gladly take my revenge. That bitch Hebert and that traitor will regret ever crossing me. I'll make them suffer horribly. And then… I'll kill them. Yes… I'll kill them indeed. She heard the door to her room open and looked up and saw the guard. She smiled and tapped the side of her neck. He nodded.

"Come on now!" He ordered.

She complied, but put on a scowl along with her domino mask. The last thing she needed now was for them to get suspicious of her.

Saturday…

Armsmaster or, given he's out of costume, Colin Wallis was working on a new feature for the helmet of his power armor, a lie detector. Suddenly a call came through on his personal computer.

"Answer." He stated.

The computer complied and a familiar face popped up on the screen.

"Hello Colin." The female voice with a Newfoundlander accent answered.

"Dragon, it's good to hear from you. Anything you need?" He asked as he continued to work.

She shook her head.

"No, most of my projects are at the waiting stage and I figured I could help you with yours or just keep you company." She answered.

"The company is not needed but appreciated. The help too." Colin replied.

Dragon giggled.

"How long were you practicing that one?" She asked.

"Only a few days." Colin answered.

"Hmm… not bad, so what are you working on?" She asked.

"My lie detector. It's currently at about ninety percent accuracy, I'm hoping to raise it to ninety-five percent before I put it to use officially." He answered.

"I see. So… how are things with Shadow Stalker, you mentioned something potentially bad had come up last time we spoke." Dragon brought up.

Colin sighed.

"Other than her poor behaviour at school we've got nothing. She's had disciplinary issues in the past but nothing to the extent that the director can use to throw the book at her. I think she's just been more careful around here, making it hard to find anything damning. However, without proof, we can't pin her on it so we can't use that as justification to fully punish her. What'll probably happen is she's shipped off to another Wards team, passes the buck off and gets her out of our hair." He explained.

"I see, I'd offer to help, but unless asked by the director I can't really step in." Dragon noted.

"Depending on how intent she is on this, she might just." Colin stated.

Another call came through, an emergency one so it was answered immediately.

"Armsmaster! This is Agent Hamil. Shadow Stalker has escaped! I repeat, Shadow Stalker has escaped!" The voice of a man shouted over the call.

Armsmaster stiffened.

"Acknowledged, do we have any idea when she escaped?" He questioned.

"Negative sir, It could be any time between now and breakfast. She could be anywhere in the city by now." The PRT soldier answered.

No, based on the way she'd been acting, I have a pretty good idea where she'll likely be going. Given we haven't heard anything, it's likely she's broken out relatively recently, so we may have time if we're lucky.

"Get in touch with the Heberts and Satos. Inform them there's a high likelihood of Shadow Stalker targeting Taylor Hebert and Rosemary Sato." Armsmaster ordered as he rose to his feet. "Inform every Protectorate Hero, Ward, and PRT agent currently out in the field to be on the lookout for Shadow Stalker and, if possible, find and keep the two girls safe. I'll inform the director."

"Understood sir. Over and out." The other man replied before hanging up.

"Call Director Piggot! Designate as urgent." Armsmaster shouted as he got his armor on.

It didn't take long for the director to answer.

"What's the situation, Armsmaster?" She demanded.

"Shadow Stalker's escaped." He answered.

"WHAT?!" She shouted. "When?"

"We don't know, but I suspect it may be fairly recent. I've already directed our men to inform all currently out agents and heroes to be on the lookout for Shadow Stalker as well as find Taylor Hebert and Rosemary Sato and keep them safe." He stated.

Once his Armor was fully on he switched the call to his helmet before making his way to the garage where his motorcycle was.

"Good, keep me informed as things come in. I want that girl dragged back here before she can cause us too much trouble." She ordered.

"Understood, do you want me to request Dragon's help? I was talking with her before this." He brought up.

"Do it, we need Shadow Stalker back on the base before it's too late. I'll take any help I can get." She answered.

"Understood, Armsmaster out." He replied before hanging up.

He quickly sent out another call and it was answered immediately.

"I take it, you want my help?" The voice of Dragon spoke.

"Yes, do what you can to see if you can find any clue about Shadow Stalkers whereabouts. Also, I'll want your help later. This escape was too convenient for her to be a coincidence and I'll want to look into it more in depth." He directed.

"I'll do what I can. But, what do you mean, 'too convenient'?" She asked.

"Due to people being out responding to incidents, being on patrol, or just not in for personal reasons, the PRT HQ is at the lowest point in terms of staffing for the day." He explained. "And it just so happens that she, with no indication she has knowledge of this fact, is able to slip away at the point where she's most likely to succeed. On top of this, the ankle bracelet she had should have given me a warning it was about to fail, but nothing came."

"You're suggesting it's deliberate then?" She inquired.

"Yes, I believe so." He answered.

Another call came through and he answered.

"Armsmaster here." He stated.

"Console here sir, the Heberts and Satos have been informed. Also Danny Hebert informed us his daughter has dyed her hair recently and it's now all white. I've already relayed the information to those out in the field." The console operator explained.

"Understood, let me know of any new information you gain." He ordered.

"Will do, sir. We'll…" The operator began, but stopped as he seemed to be getting informed of something. "Just in sir, Mrs. Sato has informed us that Rosemary and Taylor are currently at Retro Diner on the boardwalk."

"Do we have anyone near there?" Armsmaster asked.

Console operator didn't immediately respond. Armsmaster could lightly hear people working in the background to gather the information.

"Clockblocker and Vista are the closest sir, shall I have them head over towards the diner?" The console operator inquired.

"Yes, tell them to bring the two to the nearest secure location we have." He ordered.

"Understood, console out." The operator replied.

With the call ended Armsmaster hurried his way to the garage.

"Any sign of Shadow Stalker yet?" He asked Dragon.

"None, yet, I'll let you know when I do." She answered.

He nodded as he continued along his way.

A little earlier…

Sophia was pleased to find that the stash she had left from before being forced into the Wards was still where she had left it. She had checked on them periodically to make sure everything was in working order so she knew everything would work fine. It contained her old costume and equipment, along with a knife. She was alone in an alleyway, hidden from those on the streets. She quickly changed into her old costume. After this, she did a quick check to make sure her equipment was in working order. Once that was finished she took out two photos, one of Rosemary and the other of Taylor with her current appearance. They were "gifts" from the person who freed her to make her revenge all the easier to obtain. Her face contorted into a feral grin.

"Let the hunt begin." She declared.

Before she could head out however, she heard a voice say, "Trust me Taylor you'll love this place."

"If you say so, Rose." A somewhat familiar voice responded.

She peaked around a corner and looked to the source of the voices. Two girls were standing around talking with bags of clothes in their hands. It didn't take her long to recognize them as the girls in the photos she was given. Well well well… today's my lucky day.

She backed away and quickly made her way to the rooftops to follow the two more easily. She was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She followed the girls a little ways and smiled when they entered a diner. Perfect, all I need to do is block off the only exit and I can trap those two. She waited a bit longer before making her move. Since she couldn't see inside, she wanted to wait a bit and make sure that they were seated so they couldn't easily run away. Once she felt the time was right she made her move. She rushed forwards and leapt from the building. As she descended, she shifted into her shadow form and phased through the walls. She materialized just in time to see her targets were already up in a panic. Damn, the PRT must have warned them. Oh well, it's too late. She took aim with her crossbow at Taylor, whose back was turned to her, and fired.

Unfortunately her target was pushed out of the way, fortunately her bolt struck her other target deep in the shoulder. Her initial target snapped her head to look at her and scrambled to her feet. Sophia could practically feel the fear and nervousness coming off of her prey. That's right bitch. It's time for me to put you back in your place.

"Don't think that little cosmetic job can let you hide from me, HEBERT!" She shouted.

She expected her prey's fear to increase even further. She expected dread to fill her and paralyze her. However, something unexpected happened. A look realization then fury replaced any fear and nervousness her prey once had.

"Hess." She hissed out.

Sophia was confused. That's not supposed to happen.

Chapter 13: Seventh to Impact

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Taylor glared at the girl before, a searing hot rage boiling within her. Every insult, every assault, every piece of stolen schoolwork, every time juice or pencil shavings were spilled on her, every destroyed project, every single thing she went through, it all came to the forefront of her mind. It along with the fact that, until fairly recently, the girl and her accomplices had never gotten in any real trouble for any of it. She now knew why.

'Taylor, I know you're angry.'

I'm beyond angry Kiana and don't you dare tell me to calm down! This bitch, parading around as a hero, has made my life a living hell for over a year and a half. I bet you she's been abusing her hero status to avoid any trouble with the school. Assuming the PRT wasn't actively covering for her until recently. And now she's back, here to ruin my life all over again. So don't you dare tell me to calm down, or not be angry! I have every right to be!

'You do, but you can't let your rage blind you. Channel it into taking down the opponent before you. She's already shown she's willing to kill you and likely your friend, so you can't lose to her. The last thing you need is for your rage to blind you and cause you to make a mistake. You can't afford it.'

Taylor's thoughts went to Rosemary. Her friend who had saved her and took the bolt meant for her. Her rage, still as intense as ever, became focused on one thing, victory. You're right, she saved me, so I need to repay the favor.

While Taylor was going through these thoughts, Sophia's mind was also at work. What's going on here? Did Hebert suddenly gain a spine? She shook her head and refocused her aim. Doesn't matter, it'll just make my revenge all the sweeter. She'll have built herself up only for it to come to nothing as I put her in her place and remind her where she belongs.

She fired her bolt. Taylor quickly leaned out of the way and grabbed a nearby plate from a table. She launched it at Sophia who merely went into a Shadow State to let it pass through her. Taylor rushed forwards. Sophia shifted out of her shadow state and took aim again and fired another bolt.

Taylor ducked under it without losing momentum and went in for a punch. Her punch phased through the other girl, causing her to lose her balance. As she stumbled her eyes went wide. The same strange sensation she felt near the blond girl, she felt near Sophia. She didn't have time to ponder this as Sophia was quick to act. Once Taylor had passed through her, she returned to her normal state, drew out a bolt, and swung it around to stab Taylor.

Taylor let herself fall to the ground, causing the swing to go wide. From the ground, she swung her legs around to try and sweep Sophia off her feet. Sophia flipped back over the attack, landed gracefully, reloaded her crossbow, took aim, and fired. Taylor rolled out of the way of the bolt and back to her feet. She grabbed two nearby plates and flung them at Sophia.

Sophia shifted into her shadow state and let them phase through her. This is bullshit! She mentally exclaimed as she shifted out of her shadow state. She's a weakingly, a coward. How is she even putting up a fight? Did the bitch trigger or something? She had to have, there's no way she could have gone from a weak coward to doing this well against ME in such a short time without powers. She gripped the handle of the weapon harder. How could a complete weakling like her trigger? She growled as she loaded another bolt into her crossbow. Thankfully she seems to have a weak power, my attack on her should have forced her to bring something out. If what I see now is all she has then I've got nothing to worry about. She took aim. I just need an opening, then she's dead. She fired the bolt.

Taylor jerked out of the way and rushed towards Sophia, not giving her time to reload. Thinking quickly, Sophia swung her another bolt at Taylor. Said girl moved to deflect the arm to keep the bolt from hitting her and give her an opening. Her eyes went wide as her hand phased through the arm. She quickly ducked to avoid it. As she did she felt the same sensation from before but stronger before getting weaker. She looked up to the source, just in time to see Sophia swing her bolt down at her. She rolled back and into a kneeling position. That shadow state's getting real fucking annoying. She rolled to the side to avoid another crossbow bolt. And what's with that sensation I keep feeling near her. Taylor returned to her feet.

'I have an idea but, we can focus on that later, you need to think of a way to bypass her intangibility, or hold out until someone who can shows up.'

Working on it! Taylor leaned out of the way of another crossbow bolt. Sophia reached for more bolts but felt nothing. She growled and threw away her crossbow before bringing her knife out. She charged forwards and swung her knife at Taylor. She leaned out of the way, before ducking under another swing. She sidestepped another swing, backing into a table.

"Gotta bitch!" Sophia shouted as she brought her knife down to stab at Taylor, who quickly rolled out of the way.

However, in her haste to get out of the way, she didn't keep her footing stable and fell to the ground hard. She grunted, but didn't let that stop her, she scrambled to go under the table and to the otherside, just in time to avoid another stab from Sophia. She got up just in time to see Sophia lunge at her, phasing through the table. She sidestepped the stab, ducked under a stash, narrowly dodged another stab, before sliding under a different table and hopping back to her feet on the other side. Sophia growled.

"STAY FUCKING STILL!" She shouted as she lunged over the table.

Taylor stepped out of the way. Thinking quickly, Sophia went into her shadow state. Her momentum carried her past Taylor and through the wall to the outside. Using her shadow state she leapt up and out of view. Taylor immediately began looking around trying to think where she'd come from. This is bad, with her ability to phase through walls, she can come at me from anywhere.

'I have an idea to track her that might work, you remember that sensation you felt from her earlier?'

Yeah, but that was only when she was close by. By the time I notice it, the knife will be in my back.

'I know, but you should be able to expand the range of it. I'm almost certain that sensation you felt from her was something triggering your space sense the Authority of the Void grants you.'

Space sense?

'It allows you to sense the fabric of spacetime around you. At the stage you're at, it's really weak, which is why you have to be close to notice any sort of distortion.'

Okay, but then how do I expand it.

'Focus on the feeling you felt earlier and then use honkai energy to "power it up". Don't use too much though.'

Yeah, I can't get exhausted pushing it too hard now. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensation from earlier. As she did, she channelled just a bit of energy throughout her. She didn't get it immediately. However, eventually she felt her senses expand. She didn't quite know how to describe the sensation she now felt. Even if the actual feeling was faint, it was as if a whole new world had been opened to her and it was slowly expanding as her senses did. As it did, she felt something strange enter her range just behind her and it was falling fast. She broke her focus and rolled forward, narrowly avoiding being impaled in the back by a knife. With her focus broken, the sense went away and she was no longer using honkai energy. She quickly snapped her head to look at a trembling Sophia. She scrambled back to her feet.

"How… HOW THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THIS?!!!!!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A WEAKLING, A COWARD, FUCKING PREY!!!!" Sophia howled in rage. "I'LL KILL YOU I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!!!"

Taylor had a look of surprise from Sophia's outburst. Before the former hero could continue, she felt something slam into her back and shatter. She whipped around to glare at whoever would dare attack her. To her surprise she saw Rosemary, standing up right with blood pouring from her wound, the bolt still lodged deeply in. She was breathing heavily. Her hand was outstretched, having just thrown the plate.

"Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…" Sophia began.

Earlier…

Rosemary whimpered as she lay upon the ground, eyes squinted shut. Pain was emanating from her shoulder where the bolt struck. Why? Why is this happening? Why is Shadow Stalker attacking us? She opened her eyes only for a bolt to pass right by her. She screamed out in fear and shut her eyes. The pain in her shoulder became more intense. MakeitstopMakeitstopMakeitstopMakeitstopMakeitstopMakeitstop. The sounds of combat filled the air, but she could only focus on the pain. It continued to pulse from her shoulder as blood flowed from the wound.

"I want to go home." She whimpered.

Time seemed to tick by at a snail's pace as she lay there. Her mind was a mess as the nature of her situation and her injury prevented her from thinking rationally. The pain in her shoulder grew more intense. It hurts. IthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurts. She reached for the bolt to try and pull it out. The pain in doing so stopped her, eliciting a hiss.

She let go and began to breathe heavily. A dizziness began to overtake her. Crap… I'm losing a lot of blood. Panic began to rise within her as she began to hyperventilate. Cutting through her panic, her dizziness and pain, was a loud thud and the grunt of a familiar voice. Her eyes opened and her head turned to see Taylor scramble to avoid a stab from Shadow Stalker. Her eyes went wide Taylor? She watched as Taylor deftly avoided Shadow Stalkers attempts to stab or slash her. Right… she's still here. I had pushed her out of the way. But why is she still here? Why hasn't she run away? She can't beat someone who's a cape. As she lay there watching she noticed something. Is she… trying to by time? For us? For me? She's… not abandoning me?

Her hand tightened in a fist. Then… I can't abandon her. I… have to help her somehow. But how… the authorities already know we're here so calling someone won't help. The pain coming from her shoulder made it hard to focus. Even with her trying to will something forwards, nothing came. Blood continued to flow from her wounds making her dizziness worse. Still, she pressed on, determined to not leave her friend behind.

'On the table.' The voice of a girl spoke.

W-what…

'On the table is a plate. Once her back is turned, throw it at her. That should give your friend the opening she needs.'

W-who…

'That's not important right now. If you want to have a chance of saving your friend just do as I said.'

While Rose wasn't certain if the voice she was hearing was a result of delirium caused by blood lose, she did see the merit of the voice's plan, however… Shadow Stalker can let things phase through her. If I throw a plate I might end up hitting Taylor.

'If her back is turned she won't be able to see it and thus, not think to have it phase through her.'

Rosemary looked up at the table she was near. A plate was visible from where she was, just out of reach. Summoning up all her will she struggled to her feet, fighting through the dizziness to stand up. Leaning against a table she grabbed hold of the plate. She turned her attention just in time to see Taylor rolled out of the way of a falling stab from Shadow Stalker. As the former hero let out a howl of rage, swearing to kill her friend, and likely her, she let the plate fly. She stumbled a bit, so her aim wouldn't be great, but it found its mark.

Shadow Stalker whipped around the glare murderously at her and she froze as fear gripped her. The former hero began to speak, when the consequences of her mistake hit her. Taylor's leg slammed into Shadow Stalker's side. A crack rang out from Shadow Stalker's ribs. Shadow Stalker cried out in pain as the force of the kick sent her into a table. She grunted when her body slammed into the table. She didn't have time to recover before she was whipped around to face a scowling Taylor. Before she could think to shift into her shadow state, a punch slammed into her face.

"That was for attacking us." Taylor declared.

She raised her other fist.

"And this…" She began before slamming her fist into Shadow Stalker's face again. "Is for hurting my friend!"

Shadow Stalker rolled out of the way, avoiding another punch. Taylor's fist slammed into the tabletop, cracking it slightly. Her head snapped to look at Shadow Stalker. The former hero didn't get far before a kick from Taylor slammed into her side. Shadow Stalker stumbled to the side. A punch slammed into her side.

"That one's for all my stolen homework!" Taylor shouted.

Another punch slammed Shadow Stalker in the face.

"For spilling juice on me!"

A fist slammed into her stomach.

"For assaulting me in school!"

A fist racked her across the face.

"For destroying my projects!"

A kick crashed into her side.

"For my ruined backpacks!"

A punch slammed into her face.

"For my ruined clothes!"

She sent punch after punch into Shadow Stalker.

"For the year and a half of torment and hell you helped put me through!" Shouted as she continued her relentless assault.

Fist after fist found its mark as Shadow Stalker was given no time to even think of evading or letting them phase through her. Taylor slammed her foot on the ground, and reeled her fist back, ready to put her all into it.

"And this…" She began.

The fist went flying as Taylor's whole body twisted to put her full force behind it. It smashed into Shadow Stalker's face head on.

"IS FOR SHOVING ME IN THAT DAMN LOCKER!!!!" She shouted as she carried her fist forwards and sent Shadow Stalker flying.

The form hero was launched through air a bit before falling and tumbling along the ground. Taylor breathed heavily, keeping her eyes on the downed form of Shadow Stalker. Despite all the former hero had just taken, she was still conscious, a testament to her stubbornness. She began to cough and moved her mask up slightly as she coughed up blood. More blood could be seen pouring down her face.

"You…" She began as she tried to rise to her feet again.

Taylor froze as something seemed to trigger her space sense, even though it appeared to be subtle. Shadow Stalker was frozen when a hand touched her. There were now two figures beside her, a boy and a blond little girl who came from a path to the outside that had been twisted by a spatial distortion. Taylor's eyes widened at the sight of it.

The boy wore a skintight white costume with glossy white armor panels. On some of the panels were inscribed grey clocks while others had digital displays of animated clocks of the same color. On his head was a smooth faceless white helmet. The girl's costume featured a skirt covered in wavy swooping lines which alternate between white and forest green. She had on green panels of armor and a green visor covering her eyes.

"I'd say you didn't deserve that beatdown, but I'd be lying." The boy quipped as space was returned to normal.

Taylor felt the feeling from her space sense disappear.

"I don't know, I think she could have used a few more hits to the face. Knock some sense into her. She needs it after this stunt." The girl next to him added.

Taylor blinked in confusion. She recognized the two new arrivals. The boy in the white costume was Clockblocker while the girl was Vista, heroes of the Wards and Shadow Stalker's former teammates. She didn't expect the two of them to be so indifferent to her beating up their now former teammate. Was she a bitch to her teammates as well? A thud broke her out of her thoughts. She looked to see the downed form of her friend.

"ROSE!" She exclaimed.

She rushed to her friend's side to try and help her.

"Go over and see what you can do to help. I'll stay here and make sure Shadow Stalker stays frozen until Armsy arrives." Clockblocker directed.

"On it." Vista replied as she rushed over to help Taylor.

Taylor propped her friend up into a sitting position. Vista was quickly there to help her.

"Rose… Hey… Rose, hang in there." Taylor pleaded.

She grimaced at her friend's now blood stained outfit. That looks bad.

"This isn't good, she's lost a fair bit of blood." Vista noted.

"Don't you have a first aid kit or something?!" Taylor shouted.

"No, can't carry too much if we're going to be out fighting, I've got first aid training though." Vista stated with a forced calm. "Help me apply pressure around the wound, but keep the bolt in. That'll help prevent her from bleeding out."

Vista began applying pressure.

"R-r-r-right…" Taylor replied, doing the same.

"Clock, call for an ambulance! We've got a girl here, about fifteen, crossbow bolt to shoulder, lost a noticeable amount of blood!" Vista shouted.

"On it!" Clockblocker shouted back.

"Taylor?" Rose breathed out.

"Don't worry Rose, we'll get you patched up in no time." Taylor tried to assure her.

"Why are you blurry? And who's there, who's talking?" Rose questioned.

"Uhm… Vista and Clockblocker are here, they stopped So… Shadow Stalker." Taylor answered.

"Yeah, after you beat her to hell and back. Nice job on that by the way." Vista added.

"Uhm… thanks?" Taylor replied.

"Mei… where are you? How are you talking to me?" Rose questioned.

"Damn she must have lost a lot more blood than I thought, she's delirious." Vista muttered.

Taylor tuned this and everything else out, as something dawned on her. Kiana… you don't think…

'Unless she knows someone else named Mei, then it just might be.'

As far as I know she doesn't. So it might be the case that what happened to me…

'Has happened to her.'

Meanwhile…

In another part of the city, away from the diner, in an underground base, a man sat in his chair. He was a skinny man in a black bodysuit which covered him from head to toe with a stencil of a white snake curling around it. The stenciled snake started with its head at his forehead and extended down his back. It winded down his whole body with its tail ending at his ankle. He was known as the villain Coil.

While he gave no signs of it outwardly, inwardly, he was deeply troubled. This has never happened before. He thought to himself. The power he possessed allowed him to split time into two parallel timelines, run them concurrently, and then pick the one he thought was best for him, or so he thought. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Things had started out as normal when he split the timeline. In one timeline, he slipped Shadow Stalker the means to remove the ankle bracelet that had prevented her from escaping and gave her the information to more easily carry out her revenge. While he knew this would likely alert the PRT to some of his moles in their organization, he felt the risk was worth it as it was only a matter of time until those moles were discovered. He figured might as well get some more use out of them before that. There was the risk of them discovering his more well buried plants, but he felt it would be worth it if Shadow Stalker succeeded. In the other, his safe timeline, he did nothing in case Shadow Stalker failed in seeking her revenge, eliminating the risk the plan had. The main thing he wanted was to ruin the local Protectorate and PRT's reputation. If Shadow Stalker's revenge quest succeeded, he'd call it a success and close down the safe timeline.

In that timeline, everything ran smoothly up until Clockblocker and Vista came upon the scene. At first reports came in of Shadow Stalker brutally torturing the girls, seeming to actively trying to draw out their suffering rather than going in for a quick kill. Then, his powers "glitched", for lack of a better term, and instead reports came in of Taylor Hebert not only being uninjured, but actively beating Shadow Stalker bloody. At that moment, his "safe timeline" was shut down involuntarily. Luckily for him, the desired effect was still likely to be achieved so he didn't need it, but it still troubled him. He always suspected his powers weren't all they appeared to be, but having it confirmed in such a way was unpleasant for him.

If I had to guess, I'd assume that Ms. Hebert's changes weren't voluntary nor merely cosmetic. Her ability to handle Shadow Stalker like she did is proof that she's likely a parahuman. However is it her that's caused my power to react the way it did, or did Ms. Sato trigger and that event messed things up. Perhaps her powers gave her something that interfered with my ability, something to look into. Regardless of who it is, once I find out I'll eliminate them. I can't trust such an ability to be on my side and not mess with my plans even accidentally.

He reached for a phone to make a call, when the cocking of a gun alerted him to someone else in the room. He looked up and outwardly made no moves to indicate what he was feeling. Inwardly, all he felt was an indescribable terror upon seeing the woman in the suit with a pistol pointed straight at his head.

Chapter 14: The Aftermath

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

"Before you even think of 'splitting' the timeline. Know I'll shoot you in one if you do." The woman spoke.

"I see…" Coil responded, squashing his fear. "I wasn't aware I had done anything to earn your visit."

The woman didn't answer immediately.

"Normally this wouldn't have, especially given the nature of our plans for this city. However, those girls you're thinking of targeting are subjects of interest to Cauldron." She answered.

"So they're off limits." He replied.

"Not quite." She returned.

Coil grew confused.

"The first girl, Rosemary Sato, seems ordinary, though it's worth seeing if recent events change that. However, the other girl, Taylor Hebert, is the subject of main interest. She seems to have a similar ability to two we encountered in our experiments. While not truly immune to precog powers, it took time to build a model around them to predict their actions. While not that unusual, the particular effect those two had is unique and noticeable. Seeing that someone else had something similar enough makes it worth looking into. If allowed to grow it's possible that she and possibly her friend could benefit Cauldron's goals as much if not more than the other two girls." She answered. "However, to know this , we need to build the models for our precogs. For that, we need parahumans, preferably thinkers to observe them for a long enough time to do so."

"And am I right to presume you're telling me all this because you need my help in this regard?" He questioned.

"You are," she replied. "And while I want you to focus on Taylor Hebert, don't ignore Rosemary Sato. There's a possibility she has something similar and we just can't see it yet. It's the nature of the effect those two girls and now Miss Hebert have on precogs. Right up until they reveal something we have little ways of knowing they have it until we have more information to go off of, hence my task for you.

"Do this, and not only will you no longer owe us a favor, but we'll refund half the cost of your purchase. On top of this, you'll have a guarantee of us breaking you out of jail should you get caught and you'll be given fifty million dollars to help get you back on your feet wherever you decide to go."

Coil's eyes went wide behind his mask. Just how important is this to them.

"Refuse and…" She continued.

She inched the gun closer to Coil's head.

"I see…" He muttered. "It's a risk. And, even with all those bonuses, I don't feel inclined to take it. But your offer is one I can't really refuse."

"I know." She stated, lowering her gun. "You can expect the initial cash reimbursement to be transferred within the day. Oh, and there's one more thing I should add. Those girls are only off limits in their civilian identities. If they do go out as capes, don't feel like you have to hold back. Encountering difficult situations will facilitate their growth and provide more data on them. It'll also act as a test to see if they can truly be of use to Cauldron. We just need them to have a chance to hit the ground running. Once they get started, they're on their own. If they can not survive this city with this helping hand, they are not worth anything to us."

She turned around.

"Best of luck. Door to Cauldron." She spoke.

A rectangular portal appeared and the woman walked through it. Once the portal winked out of existence, Coil let out the breath he had been holding. Sweat was pouring down his face under his costume. He struggled to get his breathing under control as he tried to relax. Okay, change of plans. If I can't take them out how I want to, I'll have to get creative. He looked towards his phone. But first… He reached for it and dialed a number. It wasn't long before someone picked up.

"Tattletale, I have an assignment for you." He spoke with forced calm.

Elsewhere…

The woman in the suit walked into a meeting room within a compound. Around a table were several individuals. One was a middle-aged woman with dark skin dressed as a doctor. Another was a solidly built Hispanic woman who appeared in her early twenties with a star-shaped scar at the corner of one eye. She was dressed in a largely black costume with elements of grey in it. The costume consisted of a skirt, knee-high boots, elbow-length gloves. In the center of her chest was the image of a tower. She also wore a long cape that flowed to the ground behind her and was draped over her shoulders. She had long straight black hair. On the table in front of her was a Spartan style helmet.

Across from her was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and thinning hair. He wore a green skin tight suit with a heavy hooded cape and sleeves that draped over his hands. The interior of the cape and sleeves glowed bluish-green. On the table in front of him was a glassy mask that also glowed. Lastly, there was also a man in his mid-thirties with short blond hair in a suit.

"Contessa, your back." The dark skinned woman noted.

"Yes, sorry I'm late, everything in regards to Coil is taken care of." Contessa explained as she walked around the table to her seat.

"Coil? I thought we were taking a hands off approach to Brockton Bay?" The middle-aged man questioned.

"We were, but things have changed." The dark skinned woman explained. "One girl had the same effects on precogs as the two girls we picked up from Aleph."

"I see, you suspect she might be similar to them, I take it?" The Hispanic woman asked.

"We do." The other woman answered.

"This girl didn't receive a vial from us, did she? If so it could be a unique effect of them we're only now discovering." The middle-aged man added.

"She did not, I can confirm this." The dark skinned woman answered. "It's part of the reason we are observing her friend even though she's not shown anything of note. The two girls we picked came in pairs. Maybe something similar will happen here."

"Certainly worth looking into. Assuming what we've been told by those two girls is true, any information on the phenomenon will prove useful." The blond man in the suit noted.

"If this new girl is more alike the two girls than just her effects on precogs, it likely is true." The Hispanic woman noted.

"Indeed," the dark skinned woman answered grimly. "However, we need more information before we can make an accurate assessment."

"Hence, going to Coil." The Hispanic woman noted.

"Correct," the other woman replied.

"Speaking of which, what's the status of the two girls?" The middle-aged man questioned.

"Still a flight risk." The blond haired man spoke. "Though they agree with our goals, our methods have them… disturbed. As of now, there's a 45.714% chance of them cutting ties with us even if it means leaving the Protectorate. Keep in mind this percentage has gone up since they've been placed under your care, Alexandria."

"It can't be helped, with the way those two are, there's no way they'd agree with our way of doing things. I'd argue it's a miracle they haven't left already." The Hispanic woman pointed out. "Maybe if they were with Legend it might mitigate this, but that'd mean alerting him to some of the things we've kept hidden from him."

"Indeed, which brings us to the purpose of this discussion. Those two girls alone, just by their presence, have significantly increased our odds against Scion." The dark skinned woman began. "Assuming this new girl has a similar effect, it may be beneficial to allow them to meet. However, until we know for sure, we need to figure out a way of keeping those two girls on side. Our current estimates show that them leaving, regardless of meeting with this other girl, reduces our odds by a noticeable degree. Still better than before we found them, but not ideal."

"So you're worried that them breaking off and meeting with this girl could have an inverse effect where our odds are reduced even further." The middle-aged man noted.

"Correct." The dark skinned woman replied.

"I see…" He hummed. "Hence why you've brought everyone here."

"Correct, we need to move fast in case the girls catch wind of what's happened. If this new girl really is like them, it's possible they'll recognize her new form." The doctor spoke. "Let us begin the discussion."

Meanwhile…

Taylor watched with worry as an unconscious Rosemary was loaded into the ambulance.

"Hey!, let go you son of a… GAAAAAAH!!! WATCH THE RIBS!!" She heard the voice of Sophia shouting.

She turned to see a still conscious Shadow Stalker, bound, struggling, and being carried and practically tossed into a PRT marked van by a clearly incensed Armsmaster. Given the injuries she inflicted on her, it couldn't have been pleasant, not that she cared. After nearly killing herself and Rose, it'd take something really bad happening to the former hero to get her to feel bad. The sound of the ambulance doors closing drew her attention away from this. She watched as the ambulance sped away towards Brockton Bay General Hospital. Please be okay.

"I won't worry too much." The voice of a boy spoke behind her.

She turned to see Clockblocker walking up to her. A small scowl appeared on her face. He stopped, but pressed on with what he was going to say.

"While she lost a fair amount of blood, it's not enough to be too serious. I've seen people lose more and end up being just fine once they recover." He added.

"I know, but saying it is one thing. Seeing it for real is another." She replied curtly.

"Fair enough. So, how you holding up?" He asked.

"I'm fine, no thanks to YOUR 'teammate'." She declared.

Clockblocker flinched at that.

"Can you not tar me or my friends with the same brush as little miss psycho." He replied. "We weren't really aware how bad she was until now."

Taylor looked at him skeptically.

"He's telling the truth." Vista spoke up, walking up next to him. "She wasn't the nicest, and would insult me a fair bit, but she played by the rules. Or well… played by them enough to avoid any real trouble, she'd get disciplinary action taken against her every now and again. We didn't even suspect anything major was up until she was essentially put under house arrest."

"More like dorm arrest." Clockblocker added.

Taylor now looked at them confused.

"We haven't been told the details, but most of us figured she f… messed up bad. Not enough to get her kicked out, though we think Piggy was looking for a reason to." Clockblocker continued.

Taylor contemplated this. As she did, she remembered some of the organizations Kiana had told her about back on her world and what they and the members of them were like. Her animosity diminished. She let out a sigh. Maybe I can be more charitable. If Kiana was able to reach out and work with Schicksal after what happened to her, I can at least give these guys the benefit of the doubt.

"Guess I can't judge you all for what she did to me." She relented. "Though I won't apologize for beating her up. I might not be a vengeful person, but getting back at her for all she did felt damn good."

"Wasn't going to ask you. I won't pry, but something tells me she deserved it." Clockblocker noted.

"Short answer; yes, yes she did." Taylor replied.

"Well I for one hope someone got it on video. I am also not a vengeful person, but seeing her get taken down a peg was very satisfying." Vista chimed in.

"Now, now, now I know we're all having a shit on Shadow Stalker moment, but that hardly seems fair, Vista. Sure she was a horrible teammate, always tried to work alone, never really got along with us, insulted and belittled you, the longest serving ward on our team and arguably most powerful, routinely had disciplinary issues, and also was apparently a horrible person outside of costume, but that hardly seems fair." Clockblocker spoke. "What if she was outed by this, her family could be in trouble while she's sitting in juvie. Now that hardly seems fair to them."

Vista rolled her eyes, then froze when she heard a strangled laugh. She looked bewildered as she spied Taylor struggling to hold back a laugh. A struggle she would fail at. Vista could only look on in shock as Taylor lost herself to laughter for a bit. It wasn't an uproarious laugh but it last for a good bit of time, longer than Vista thought it deserved. Eventually, Taylor calmed down. She also seemed noticeably less tense.

"Thanks, I needed that." Taylor admitted.

"Hey, it's what I'm here for." Clockblocker returned.

"If that were the case, we'd all be doomed." Vista muttered.

Both Taylor and Dennis snorted.

"Not bad Vista, we'll make a jokester out of you yet." Dennis quipped.

Vista groaned, rubbing her fingers against her forehead.

"Miss Hebert." A deep voice called out.

Taylor looked to see Armsmaster walking up to her. Even with her currently soured opinion of the PRT and Protectorate, she couldn't help the feelings of awe and admiration that welled up within her. She had looked up to the hero when she was younger, and that admiration still remained, even if dimed by recent events.

"I see you and the Wards are getting along." He noted.

"Uhm… sort of… I guess." She replied.

"Darn… and here I thought we were actually becoming friends over our mutual dislike of Shadow Stalker." Clockblocker expressed with faux disappointment.

Vista rolled her eyes, Armsmaster didn't react, and Taylor snorted.

"I think my feelings towards her goes well beyond dislike." Taylor noted.

"That much was clear with the damage you did to her. She'll need an official medical evaluation to determine all her injuries, but so far it seems she at least has several broken ribs." Armsmaster stated.

"Not apologizing for that." Taylor declared.

"Not asking you to. I'd also like to assure you that you won't be punished for your actions against Shadow Stalker. In case you were worried about that." Armsmaster added.

"Oh ah… I hadn't thought of that. It wouldn't have it change my feelings on the matter, I'd still not apologize." Taylor expressed.

"Understandable," Armsmaster replied with a nod. "I'd also like to apologize both personally and on behalf of the Protectorate and PRT."

Taylor gave him a confused look.

"It was our duty to watch her and keep her on the straight and narrow. We failed in that duty. And I was the one who made the ankle bracelet that was to keep her from escaping. Whatever was the case that allowed it to fail, it was, at least partially, an oversight on my part." He explained.

"Oh ahhhhh… it's fine… mean… it's not fine but… uhmmmmmm… ah… apology accepted, I guess. A-a-and I don't blame you for the ankle bracelet thingy failing." Taylor replied.

"Thank you, Miss Hebert." Armsmaster replied.

"Wow, I'd never thought you'd be able to act so human Arsmy." Clockblocker quipped.

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not a robot. I merely take my role as a hero seriously. Something you could stand to do more often." He retorted.

"He's got you there, Clock." Vista added.

"Oh not you too Vista." Clockblocker bemoaned.

Taylor giggled lightly.

"Moving on, I'd also like to inform you that your father has been contacted. He's on his way to pick you up." Armsmaster spoke. "We've already assured him you're okay. He should be here…"

"TAYLOR!!!" The voice of Danny exclaimed.

Taylor's head snapped to the source to see her father running up to her, relief etched on his face.

"DAD!!!" She exclaimed.

Armsmaster, Clockblocker, and Vista stepped aside to allow Danny enveloped his daughter in a hug, which she reciprocated.

"Oh thank god you're alright. When I got the call that Shadow Stalker was after you, I nearly had a heart attack." He expressed with relief.

He pulled away slightly.

"You are alright, right? You didn't get injured or anything?" He questioned.

"Dad, I'm fine. Didn't even get a scratch on me." Taylor assured him.

He breathed out a sigh of relief.

"But Rose got hit badly, she's being taken to the hospital now." Taylor added worriedly.

Danny tensed.

"I'm guessing we're making a trip to the hospital anyways then?" He noted.

Taylor nodded.

"Then let's get going then. Assuming you don't need us for anything?" In stated, directing his attention to Armsmaster.

He shook his head no.

"Miss Hebert has already given us her statement, you are free to go." He answered. "Though, I ask that you keep Shadow Stalker's identity a secret, if only for her family's sake."

Taylor nodded.

"That reminds me. I never got a clear answer for why YOUR ward attacked MY daughter." Danny expressed with a hint of anger.

Armsmaster visibly tensed.

"Dad! I'll tell you on the way." Taylor quickly cut in. "Now come and help me grab the clothes I got. Can't exactly leave them here."

Danny's anger faded slightly and he nodded. Armsmaster relaxed as the father daughter duo went back towards the diner to grab her stuff. Clockblocker and Vista meanwhile looked at this with a deep longing concealed only by their respective masks.

"Alright you two, come along. We've got work to do." Armsmaster ordered, breaking them out of their thoughts.

The two nodded and moved to follow their superior.

"Why the hell do you have so many clothes?!!!" They heard Danny exclaim from the restaurant.

Them along with others turn to the source.

"Rose, kind of went overboard." Taylor replied.

"And you didn't think to rein her in?!" Danny shouted.

"I did." Taylor replied.

There was a brief moment of silence

"WHAT?!!!!" Danny exclaimed.

The three heroes turned from the scene to look at each other, before deciding to move on with what they were going to do next.

Elsewhere…

A young woman with long flowing voluptuous strawberry blond hair plopped down on a sofa with a sigh of relief. She was a woman of incredible beauty accented by a fierceness to her that shone even in her relaxed state. She was dressed in a tank top and short shorts. In her hands was a can of beer, she cracked it open with a smile.

"Aren't you too young to drink?" The voice of a woman spoke.

Recognizing the voice, her smile fell and she turned to look at the other woman, her displeasure at her appearance shown clearly on her face.

"Alexandria… Do you make a habit of appearing in people's homes unannounced?" The first woman dryly noted.

"No and you haven't answered my question." Alexandria returned.

"Look, the IDs you gave us say we're twenty one. So, as far as the law is concerned, I can drink this." The blond answered, shaking her can lightly.

She took a swig of it and let out a 'ahhh'.

"Besides, with my new constitution I'd sooner die of drowning than alcohol poisoning." She added.

Alexandria shook her head and sighed in disappointment.

"I also wish she won't drink what she does." A new voice added.

Both turned to the kitchen where another woman stood. She too possessed incredible beauty but, unlike the first woman, she had a sereneness and elegance in the way she carried herself. She had short honey blond hair that was on the darker side which covered her left eye. Under her right eye was a beauty mark. She wore an elegant blouse and skirt.

"Hmph… at least one of you…" Alexandria began.

"Wine is clearly the superior option." The honey blond declared, taking out a bottle of red wine and a wine glass. "An elegant drink for one of higher sophistication."

Alexandria let out a sigh of disappointment, which the honey blond seemed to take pleasure in as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"Hey, you have your drink of choice, I have mine." The strawberry blond replied.

Alexandria shook her head.

"Anyways, let's get on to what I'm here for. There's a chance we may be sending you two to Brockton Bay soon." She explained.

"I take it, given we're hearing about this now and not later on at headquarters, means the 'we' actually sending us is Cauldron?" The honey blond questioned as she put the cork back on the bottle.

She took a sip of wine, and smiled as the taste enriched her taste buds.

"Correct, we have reason to believe a girl there has gained something similar to you two." Alexandria explained.

The two other women's gaze became focused, the dismissive air they had earlier gone.

"We're currently evaluating things both to confirm it's similar to both your situation and to see if a meeting between you all is beneficial to Cauldron's ultimate goal." She continued.

"And what's stopping us from just leaving and going to confirm ourselves." The strawberry blond questioned.

"Nothing really, but don't forget we can turn the whole Protectorate and Guild against you if you do. Strong as you two are, even you would have trouble with this." Alexandria pointed out. "And let's not forget who pays your bills."

The strawberry blond's eyes narrowed on Alexandria.

"That being said, if you do play along and it turns out it's beneficial for us to send you, you'll be off the proverbial leash. You could even leave the Protectorate and join up with this girl." She added.

The two women looked at each other for a bit, then back at Alexandria.

"Seems fair enough, I suppose." The honey blond noted with a shrug before walking out from behind the counter. "Not being on your leash without worry does sound appealing."

She walked up to a still motionless Alexandria before stopping a bit away from the woman.

"However…" she began.

A large scythe was suddenly in her hand, its blade edge curved around the back of Alexandria's neck. If she was bothered by this, she didn't show it, remaining calm and still.

"Know that if you go back on your word, we won't take it well." The honey blond declared, glaring at the woman before her coldly. "My scythe may not cut you, but there are ways around invulnerability."

She dismissed the blade, returning it to wherever she pulled it from. She took a sip of her wine.

"I doubt you'll have to worry about that." Alexandria replied.

She turned and walked away.

"Door, Costa-Brown's office." She spoke.

A portal opened and she stepped through. Once the two were sure she was gone, they relaxed. The strawberry blond turned on the T.V and the honey blond sat in a chair near her to watch as well.

"It seems like our plan is working." The strawberry blond mentally spoke.

"Indeed, it was quite ingenious I must say." The honey blond mentally replied.

"Now it is just a matter of time." The strawberry blond mentally noted. "But we need to continue to be careful. As long as they think they need us we have some sway over them. At the same time they have to think that we need them as well. Otherwise…"

"Our position becomes precarious. It's a delicate balancing act we have to play. Still, so long as they are blind to this ability of ours, we have the upperhand." The honey blond mentally added. "For now, we wait."

The strawberry blond made no outwards motion in response, she merely sent a feeling of agreement down their connection. The honey blond made no outwards motion in response, she merely smiled mentally. Thus the two sat in silence watching the television, only reacting to what was on screen. As they did, they felt a sense of pride wash over them.

"Thank you, Bianka/Rita." They spoke within their minds.