2.4

Chapter 2.2

I woke up with a good stretch to work out the kink in my back that sleeping slumped against the wall had caused.

The first thing that registered was that both my arms were present.

The second thing was that they seemed awfully thin, even for my standards. I had never been more than an awkward stick figure with hair but now they looked positively emaciated. I looked wasted, even keeping the bonier look in mind I sported ever since Beefy's birth and his take on how muscles and skin were supposed to work. Looking at myself with the newborn's eyes confirmed that the rest of my body looked the same; painfully thin to the point I doubted I had more than just bones and skin.

The third thing distracted me enough to stop exploring the seeming anorexia, however. Even with sleep still in my eyes, I could clearly see my fingers being unfurled, exposing a weird bump in the middle. I tried to undulate the… fleshy flaps and they followed without a delay. Concentrating on the bump – gland inside I could feel how some sort of fluid started to build.

My babies informed me that it was that secretion that allowed me to regrow my arms, and much of my back, in a single night.

I felt tired, weak, and hungry but seeing the newest addition to the family curled up under the cot, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings from behind her leaf-like limb made those worries disappear. Well, mostly. I was still hungry.

Holy shit, I looked thin.

Concern and guilt colored my connection to her while I saw Beefy keeping watch through her eyes while Missy slept contently.

"Good morning," I whispered as I folded my fingers back into their proper form – they looked not that different from before. Just thinner with the seam barely visible on each.

The newcomer gave a small squeak that contrasted starkly with Beefy's more confident, happy chirp.

I gave the former a warm smile as I crouched down to take a better look at her. I didn't look threatening, I knew that for a fact thanks to seeing through her eyes but still she shrank back in worry.

"It's all right beauty," I spoke slowly reaching out to the guilt-ridden baby. "See? I have both my arms back already. It wasn't your fault. You can't hurt Mommy."

Beefy sent a pulse of reassurance over our connection while Missy simply coiled to her other side. She was awake but preferred to pretend to be aloof.

"You even gave us something wonderful," I continued, exposing the glands now hidden inside my fingers. "I would have had to rest for much longer if you weren't around."

I felt my baby relax slightly and even move forward when Beefy gave an undulating wave with his unfurled claw and a joyous chirp. Missy still pretended to be asleep but did cover her quasi-eyes with her own expanded claw.

I really had to be stricter with her if she continued like that.

Missy began to softly purr and any disciplinary measures were pushed back. It would have to wait.

"So, what do you think?" I asked the child hiding under my cot. "Wanna come out so I can take a better look at you?"

She gingerly uncoiled with an uncertain chirp and reached for my hand with her leafy appendage. I took it and gently picked her up when she was clear of the rarely used cot.

An alarmed squeak escaped just before any other arguments were drowned out by me tightly hugging my baby and her purring.

"That wasn't that hard, now was it?" She purred louder in agreement while I scratched the ridge that ran over her head.

I could feel Missy rolling her mental eyes over the newcomer's initial reluctance. It was probably a well-practiced reflex inherited from the times she still had real ones. I could tell that she thought we could have saved a lot of time which could have been spent on getting a better spot in the food queue.

"It's not like you were eager to join," I chided softly which she answered with a low grumble and laying her head back on the floor.

She did have a point. I was hungry and I started to really crave more than the gruel that had kept me alive until in the Cage.

It was something Beefy couldn't quite understand, even after I tried to explain. To him, everything was fine, as long as it filled you up. The poor thing had never experienced anything better.

I could feel a similar confusing sensation coming from the child who had wrapped themselves around my neck like some oversized scarf.

It would be another thing on my to-do list; find a way to let them taste better food.

While hungry, I still had one important thing to do before getting back out there. "So, you have any preferences on your name?" My scarf answered with an indifferent squeak. "So, Leafy is okay?"

I took her renewed purring as a yes.

And thus, I stepped outside into the courtyard once more, Beefy forming the rearguard while Missy slithered in front of me, giving anyone an evil eye who looked at us funny.

Most of the others simply smiled at her posturing. They didn't know that she had received the power of a lower tier Brute on top of her own powers. I preferred to keep it that way.

My heart melted a little when I felt the heightened aggression she exuded, especially when someone's gaze lingered for too long on her little sister.

I even let her hiss a couple of times.

At first, I wanted to leave Leafy in the cell until she felt a bit more secure about everything but she had simply refused to budge from my neck. I had simply given up after a half-hearted struggle.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, it felt nice to have an extra pair of eyes surveilling my surroundings.

It was probably one of the weirdest things I had noticed ever since judge whatsherface had condemned me to a slow death in the cage - or a quick death she had to feel less guilty about. Whatever.

I felt safer ever since my children were around. Safer than when I was still tormented in Winslow.

Nobody could easily sneak up on me anymore. Not unless they were invisible, had the same temperature as everything else, and somehow had a body that didn't rely on electrical signaling.

Even the knowledge that I would still be outclassed by most people locked up in here with me did little to diminish that feeling. At the very least I would be able to try and fight back. There would be no more surprise pushing down the stairs and if someone wanted to hit me, I could hit back. I could cheat with my children.

It was another one of the reasons why I refrained from controlling my babies too much. The more uncertainty there was over my abilities, the better it would be for them.

Having lost the element of surprise was the only thing that had saved me from whatever the Trio had tried to pull with that locker.

The other, more important reason was that I enjoyed their company and felt it would be diminished if I didn't let them act as they wanted.

It was what let me ignore me the snide remarks from the few latecomers that still hadn't gotten their share of food standing in front of me.

It didn't matter that they thought I was trying to kill myself through starvation or simply going completely mad. I had heard those rumors enough times already that they had lost their meaning and it was a small price for Leafy.

The fact that they gambled using cigarettes was still unusual, though.

Consensus was that I'd be gone in less than a week. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction.

The dinner-ladies gave an aggravated sigh when I asked for one more portion with a small nod towards Leafy. They still gave it. I was probably the only one who ate it and our cell block was still about ten people shy of its maximum capacity. There was more than enough of the stuff to go around.

Walking back, I was struck with how… plain the courtyard looked after you could see past the metallish walls and the three broken television sets hanging uselessly in their mountings. A couple of people were leaning against the cell walls chatting with each other. A bigger group surrounded one of the working televisions and loudly watched some sort of sappy show while occasionally flicking morsels at the screen. Bitch had the best spot in that group. The other, bigger, crowd was a lot quieter while the watched a documentary under the watchful eye of the ice-related supervillain of the Block.

The same woman was once again deadlifting an absurd amount of weight while the Faerie Queen overlooked everything while casually flicking through a book.

As usual, the vast majority were ignoring me, too absorbed with their own attempts to stave off boredom. Also, as usual, Glaistig Uaine noticed my gaze and gave me a small smile and an equally subtle nod.

I redoubled my steps back to my cell, reminding myself that she wasn't my friend. No one here was, except my little family.

I didn't need books when I had them.

Back "home", we quietly ate our bland meal after which I had my children play with each other. It didn't take that much concentration to test out the toughness of the flaps of meat the talons could now unfold into. Neither did figuring out that Leafy was stronger than both Beefy and Missy despite her smaller size.

She copied the movements the three of us had worked out almost immediately and thus I could work on formations which involved all three of my babies. I went over the movements in my head as well. It was my turn to keep watch and I wouldn't be seen doing things I couldn't when I just arrived here.

It would be hard enough subduing a Cell Block Leader who wasn't Labrat with all the advantages I could get.

The biggest weak point I noticed that afternoon was that while surprisingly strong, they were still missing in speed. It might even be a good form of defense.

After all, nothing could hurt you when they couldn't catch you.

The one thing holding me back trying to make a new baby, however, was pain. It hurt so fucking much and I couldn't bring myself to try it so soon after Leafy.

After lunch, it was much of the same. My babies played with each other, trying to combine techniques and abilities while I went over my wall scribbles for what felt like the hundredth time since I scratched them in. I still couldn't decide who I could even consider as prey.

All of that ended when I noticed an unknown figure approaching my cell.

I noticed him passing the guards at the hole in the wall and saw the brains of my block-mates light up in disgust, mistrust, and fear. At least I assumed it was that. It was the same activities I saw when I forced them to deal with me. Or when they were talking to me.

It was distinct enough from when they chased the few idle activities that were available but it had some similarities to when they had to interact with either Bitch or Yuki. I deduced that that particular bit was probably fear.

The person boldly made a beeline to my cell on the other side of the wall, probably unaware that we were watching his every move.

I had Leafy hide under the cot while Beefy wedged himself over the door and Missy, as the biggest of my babies, stood guard beside me.

"Good evening, Sliver," he greeted, unfazed by the fact that I was waiting for him. "On behalf of Teacher, I can't express how nice it is to finally meet you in the flesh. The mess you've caused outside was truly a sight to behold."

I didn't greet him in return. I didn't answer.

He was too much at ease around me even though he stopped just outside of my range. His brain flickered with the same unease Bitch' underlings felt when I started to ask questions.

His eyes wandered across my cell before locking on to Missy. Almost unnoticeably, he took another half-step back to stay outside of her range as well.

I realized the mystery villain was aware of my abilities. Somehow. I knew I could count on my Block mates to keep my abilities a secret out of purely selfish reasons.

How did he know?

Worse, he seemed to be a disciple of Teacher. One of the few Capes Agi talked about in disdain and the very same who managed to build up a super-powered cult before being thrown into the Birdcage.

He was one of the more popular examples used in Parahuman History as an example of why Masters were feared as they were. The theme of Faustian bargains he had going had poisoned the well for plenty of Masters who wanted to become part of the Protectorate.

And he had sent someone to greet me. A student. A disciple.

"Excuse me, where are my manners? Completely forgot to introduce myself. Apologies. You may call me Bullet." He gave a flourish that managed to maintain the perfect distance to both me and Missy.

Teacher knew I could turn Capes.

"What does he want?" I asked, not even trying to keep the hostility out my voice.

The timing was too convenient. I was recovering from Leafy, and suddenly "Bullet" showed up making veiled threats on behalf of one of the worst Masters. I didn't buy it. Not with his Block of mainly Tinkers and Thinkers.

"Ah," he replied airily as if my behavior was to be expected. "Bitch has been spreading rumors again, I see. But, never mind, I assure you that whatever you may have heard, they are gross exaggerations and attempts at slander." He gave me a small pause to digest his opinion of Teacher before continuing. "I'm merely a messenger to give you a formal invitation to open talks." He dropped his voice to a scheming tone. "We know that you're not happy in here. We would allow you to flourish without dealing with the degenerate inbreeds the Faery Queen likes to nurture for her own sick gain."

Still, he smiled confidently outside of my reach. Well, my reach if I were a normal teen.

"What would happen if I told you I needed to think about it?" I questioned the patiently waiting man.

"Nothing," he easily answered, shrugging off any implied mistrust as if it were indeed nothing. "We already guessed you needed your time to think about it. After all, everything is likely still new and scary. I'll just return in a few days to hear your answer, no matter what it might be."

He gave the same deceitful laugh while I saw his neuron activity increase. I guessed he was at least annoyed.

"I'd like that," I replied, my head racing.

He gave another small curtsey. "As was expected. Have a nice evening and see you in a couple of days."

With that, he sauntered off while I had Missy close the door behind him.

Shit.

My time plan had been obliterated in a single conversation. I didn't have the time to carefully grow my family and stay under the radar until I felt confident to take on a Cell Block Leader.

Teacher had made sure of that.

How did he know to stay out of my range and that Missy retained her power?

At least, I tried to calm myself, he didn't seem aware that I could share the power with my other children; that I could access them as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped looking after spotting Missy.

But still, I needed more. I needed it quickly. I wasn't strong enough. We weren't tough enough. My children were sitting ducks if they encountered any movers. They…

My mind raced on, going over a checklist of things I was still missing when I felt the familiar itch of something – someone wanting to be born.

I pulled before I could realize how much it would hurt. I could handle. I had to. After all, I had a way to quickly regenerate now.

I heard a concerned chirp of Leafy while both Beefy and Missy made sure to guard the door.

I had a mere moment to realize that I wouldn't likely have enough mass to regenerate a full limb before my right leg exploded just above my knee and I fell over.

I banged my head against the floor. Hard.

At least blackness spared me most of the pain.Chapter 2.3

The bump that should have been on my head was nowhere to be found. It really helped, having one of your babies being a healer.

A look at myself from 4 different angles and as many spectra revealed that I was just fine from a physical standpoint. I had both my legs and somehow even seemed to have regained some of my muscles. Not that there was much to regain in that regard.

Still, PRT, eat your heart out.

The short burst of Schadenfreude at the thought that they would be gnashing their teeth for throwing away a, as far as I could tell, capable healer was undermined almost instantaneously by the realization that it would've also saved Dad.

I took refuge from that familiar stab of guilt and sorrow by instead concentrating on the newcomer I had brought into this world without even taking the time to sit down. It allowed me to identify what seemed… off with my vision. The lightless cell seemed lighter than before and the colors had somehow shifted a bit. I couldn't tell how it had beyond them being… off.

I groaned softly in frustration even as the feelings of confusion and support flooded in over my connection with my babies. The bang of my head might have been a bit worse than expected or some things weren't meant to be described by the English language. Whatever the case, it was annoying me more than it should that the best I mentally managed was that there was some sort of filter that shifted everything a bit. Looking at my arms I noticed that the color of my skin seemed to really pop now.

Moments later, I realized that it wasn't a case of the cell being lighter but more that I was able to better differentiate between the various shades of gray that were visible beside the heat and electricity vision I had grown used to.

After those changes to my vision – never mind the multiple perspectives I was effortlessly operating with – I didn't expect such a small addition would stand out as much. Not even if I suddenly seemed to be better able to see flesh and skin. It wasn't as if the previous additions were the typical ways you saw them visualized in movies. There was no differently colored overlay as much as I managed to just see heat and currents. I wasn't even going to try and describe the new colors. I still got a slight headache whenever I tried.

So, it shouldn't have been such a surprise that the insides of Leafy's mouth weren't a simple bright pink anymore. There was more to it, but any attempt at wrapping my head around it with the English language ended up with the latter simply giving up.

I sighed in slight frustration at those forming the language not leaving enough flexibility for such eventualities before focusing on the obsidian colored, bumpy newcomer. "Did you do – "

Just as I started to open my mouth I felt an exasperated sense of agreement that shifted to mischievous amusement flash through him and moments later he gave a happy chirp right in front of my face. Never mind that he was on the other end of the cell just before.

A heartbeat later, I banged my back against the wall with a muffled, startled cry.

Another heartbeat later I was cuddling the newcomer.

Even though I did see him coming, the sudden burst of speed was enough to make me jump. He just simply moved. I simply moved without needing to accelerate initially.

It was exhilarating and pretty much what I thought I needed. I hugged the newest baby tighter even as I felt Missy pouting.

"So, I guess I should call you Spee – " A pulse of disapproval went through the newest addition to our happy family.

I was left standing with my mouth agape. I wasn't the only one either.

Taking a deep breath, my mind raced. I could deal with the little daredevil even if the obvious second name would be too long.

… That said with only little tweaking it would probably work.

"How about Gonzo?" I tried and the prideful little baby let loose a little joyous squeak.

I chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

With the general introductions out of the way, I was finally able to focus on the bigger if the less pressing issue.

The question of how I was standing with both legs even after creating Gonzo – who was just content enough in my embrace with his chin resting on my shoulder.

After what had happened with Leafy, I had fully expected to be walking around missing a leg. Well, not walking as much as having to work around missing a leg. Ideally without any of my "lovely" neighbors finding out about it and deciding that it was the right time to show their dominance.

I hadn't finished the thought and my connection with my children fell into an uncomfortable silence with two exceptions. Leafy radiated an uncertain guilt while Gonzo gave a proud purr.

I picked him up and held him in front of me to get a better look at him from almost all angles. He only gave a slightly bemused chirp in curiosity for the reason why he was suddenly removed from his source of warmth.

Trying to figure out the little mystery took long enough that Gonzo had coiled his forked tail around both hands and started to playfully swipe at me with his talon. The breakthrough arrived when Beefy slithered to my side and I noticed that he had to look up more than normal.

He had been growing the last week or so and now he was suddenly smaller than he started out as.

"Everyone," I chided. "Come to Mommy."

They strongly reminded me of kids being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Or so I assumed. Of course, that had never happened to me.

Well, Gonzo was still unrepentant. He was even a bit proud.

Seeing myself from so up close gave me a very good idea how I was standing in the first place. I knew I hadn't grown – I only had to quickly check the hieroglyphs that covered most of my walls. After working on it as long as I had, they made a very clear point of reference.

I gave Gonzo's obsidian, bumpy form one last stare to confirm my suspicion.

I distinctly remembered my thigh exploding. While I didn't see him before passing out (again) I knew he should have been bigger than the small housecat size he was right now.

He gave another playful swipe to reinforce that particular mental image.

I took a deep breath and felt three out of four children flinch. "What did you lot do after I passed out?" I send out a pulse to indicate that I wasn't angry, just concerned.

With some relief, they flooded my consciousness with emotions, not-thoughts, and distorted images. It would have been confusing if I hadn't had a good idea what had happened already.

They had each donated some of their body mass to allow me to regrow my limb, however, instead of becoming thinner, they had just shrunk. It was why I didn't notice the difference until I had a clear frame of reference. They still looked basically the same. I didn't feel much in the way of strength-loss either.

On the contrary, both Beefy and Missy appeared to be closer to Leafy's size.

"And who thought that was a good idea?" The arrogant chirp coming from between my hands answered that question immediately.

"Please, don't do that again," I requested only to be met by confusion from Beefy, Leafy, and Gonzo.

I felt a sliver of relief go through Missy. Curios.

"Well," I clarified. "Not without me being in danger. You can save me but Mommy was just silly this time."

Still, there was that same understanding I felt in the three children I made myself. They knew that I wasn't happy with it. They knew that I wouldn't be when I woke but they simply didn't understand why. I got the sense that their sacrifice was a given. That the survival of the group – of me – was far more important than their own.

"I don't want to lose you," I finally whispered, trying to explain it. "Every single one of you is important to me. I can't lose anyone. Not after… Not anymore."

Missy had moved closer without me noticing as well and was coiled around my leg in comfort. It felt nice.

I fell to my knee as Gonzo slithered around my arm to take his rightful place with his head resting on my shoulder.

My outstretched arms were all that was needed to invite both babies I wasn't actively hugging into the pile. A moment later I was dogpiled by both Leafy and Beefy.

I realized that those burst of speed would become a problem if I didn't keep close tabs on my children. Gonzo felt as if he could motivate the others to some mischief if I let him.

Sadly, my time laying on the ground while being covered by purring snakes was cut short.

"Holy shit, Junior" Bitch said in disbelief after strolling into my cell like she owned it. "I've seen some Masters do some freaky shit, but this takes the cake."

I took care to stand up without using the newly added power and forced everyone including Gonzo to move normally as well. The way my heart beat made it so much more difficult.

"Not that it isn't working out for you," she continued while giving me a once over before shifting her gaze to Missy. "You too Harsh – I guess you go as Missy now, don't you? Love what you've done with your hair."

Missy hissed and Basic just laughed at her. "You still have that delusion of yours that you're hot shit. Some things never change. Especially not idiocy."

Missy's anger was spreading through the connection and I had to concentrate to not just fly at the bitch' throat.

I couldn't.

I wouldn't let her hurt my babies. I still needed to prepare.

Her time would come soon enough. I would grow stronger.

"See, look and learn from your mistress. At least she has the brain to not be openly hostile to her superiors."

"What do you want?" I asked, somehow managing to keep most of the sneer out of my voice.

Bitch took another step forward and my children took up positions from which they could easily strike.

She pretended not to notice, instead choosing to observe my encrypted notes that covered the walls. "Just wanting to check whether that Teacher goon hadn't done anything to my beloved underling."

"I'm no – " I felt my hair rise slightly in irritation. I had the feeling that it wasn't something normal humans did.

"But you will," she replied easily as she took a step closer to one of the walls of my dimmed cell. "I mean, otherwise I'd be visiting to see whether I'll have to exterminate a nest of pests in the nearby future. One more, huh? You do breed them fast." She tapped the scratched markings. "Also, you might want to hide these fantastic lunatic scribbles by literally staying in the dark, but I've seen them now and I get the feeling that you don't want me to have Gauge take a look at it, do you? It isn't the old betty's specialty but neither is encryption yours."

I relaxed my stance slightly. I wouldn't win and I wanted her out. Giving her what she wanted would accelerate that process. She would have too much fun toying with me and I had things to do.

"Good. You're a fast learner. Don't worry, I won't pressure you. I don't have to. You're stuck in here with me until you die either way." She gave a joyless smile and I saw the activity of the lump in her brain increase in preparation. "So, what I actually wanted to know is what Teacher's little pet wanted from you. He paid handsomely enough to get in here."

No sense in lying. "He invited me to a talk on Teacher's behalf."

She burst out in another fit of mocking laughter. "That's just great. The obese coward trying to recruit the weak stick. I guess Masters who rely on others really like to stick together." She chuckled. "In that case, you'll cease to be a problem sooner than expected."

My confusion must have shown as she elaborated, "You see, the fat fuck doesn't take 'no' for an answer unless very convincing arguments can be made. Arguments like me. So, to put it in terms even Missy might understand, either you'll join me and I might try and convince the creep or you'll become the literal prison bitch of Cell Block T."

I was silent. I had to think and I wanted to do it without her around. Luckily the chime indicating the arrival of… lunch fulfilled that particular wish.

"Would you look at that, I have to go. Don't want to miss today's salmon. Really, it's much better than anything I've had in restaurants. You'd almost think our Tinker Overlord felt guilty or something."

With that, she sauntered back out of my cell only to stop for a moment at the door.

"I just wonder why he'd choose such a skinny cunt who's deranged enough to talk with her puppets. There has to be a reason beyond it being his fetish." She shrugged and dropped her stage whisper that was obviously meant to rile me up. "Anyway, I'll be hearing from you soon, Junior. Ciao."

With a wink and a wave, she left, leaving me and my babies behind in the dim cell.

I felt relieved in more ways than the obvious one. I knew how I wanted to adapt to Teacher's interference.

One part of the information I had been able to barter for was the general layout of the Birdcage including which of the ruled Cell Blocks was ruled by whom. Scanning the scratched in notes, I felt a cold determination crystallize deep inside of me.

To get to Cell Block T, I would need to go through multiple Blocks of the men's wing. It was something that would normally cost a fortune in cigarettes but I had the feeling that Mr. "Bullet" would cover that bill.

I still wanted to very much make Basic Bitch pay for daring to hurt Beefy.

One of my first realizations was that I nothing I could do would give me the toughness to survive the caustic fluids she could make.

That was unless I would find a way to neutralize it.

I had enough of people thinking to could push me around. I had my babies. If I played it right, nobody would dare to anymore.

They thought they were oh so smart to increase the pressure on me while I had gained a way to flee if worse came to worse.

I had long since realized that I needed to go big with the next Cape I added to my family or risk being exterminated like a cockroach. Bitch would love to.

While the trio had tried their best to sabotage my learning, I still remembered the occasional science fact.

Things like acid being able to neutralize bases.

The path to Teacher would lead me through the Cell Block of one cape I would feel no remorse for Turning. One likely nobody would miss.

I was going to get Acidbath.

I knew I still needed the power to make it work even with an ambush but for that, there was one thing I needed to do first.

My stomach rumbled and Gonzo was at the door in a blink of an eye. I was going to ask the dinner ladies for bigger portions.

I had to make sure my next baby would make the difference.

With a straight back and lifted chin I strode out of my cell with Leafy around my neck and the rest following behind.

It was time to get lunch.Chapter 2.4

That day, I moved forward a couple of spots in the lunch queue. Even with twenty odd people, there were bound to be some who, perhaps only temporarily, had fallen out of grace with the two sub-bitches who ran the place as Glaistig Uaine's self-appointed lieutenants. Not that the latter really cared, if it kept people from unnecessarily killing each other. It wasn't as if she needed protection of any kind.

When I left my cell, I had only meant to get a bigger share of my tasteless gruel and be done with it. I had some stealth testing to do of the extent of Gonzo's Power and needed to get fitter again. I needed to be stronger.

Three of those stragglers and temporary pariahs were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. I remembered the remarks they made while I was laying low; I didn't like their eyes, filled with disgust and loathing while observing my new and restored physique.

I had already been working out which ones of those would be safe to knock down a peg or two. I knew from my time in Winslow that those occupying the lowest rungs of the biggest group's social ladder had to fight to remain in good graces and after a week of watching this group I had decided that it wouldn't be any different here. There would be acceptable targets even in a group that small with the kind of people who were sent here.

Monsters and criminals.

I knew that no matter how badly it hurt, I was never the sole target of the Trio. Some of their less vicious followers had endured enough at their hands as well to bring them back into line. To isolate me better and rob me of any support I would have had otherwise.

Or just for their own, sick amusement.

And that knowledge would serve me and my children just fine.

I punched the smirk off the first one's face, knocking her out cold just moments after realization had replaced it. Her two fellow outcasts gave up their spots after I made my snakey quartet posture a bit. One was a Thinker specialized in financial crimes and a disgusting hobby that landed her here and the other two were low-level Tinkers who paired up to commit crimes with little regards to civilians and not enough brainpower between the two of them to prevent being caught repeatedly.

They simply didn't have the power to fight back anyone with even normal martial arts training, never mind a minor Brute Master. At least not without their toys and goons. They were practically useless in here, and they knew that. Apparently, both Tinkers had the wrong specialization to even repair the broken television sets. Or they simply weren't powerful enough or the reason why they were broken.

At least they were smart enough to not actively anger any one of the big shots. Too bad for them that I couldn't afford to wait around anymore. I knew that only days to prepare remained and that whatever happened, I couldn't go back to the normal routine after that. I needed my ace if I didn't want to become another mindless minion of one variety or the other or simply be killed.

I didn't trust Teacher farther than I could kick him, which was not that far even now if the rumors I had heard about him were to be believed. The guy was here for a good reason and his minion's timing was simply too good to be mere coincidence. The bastard showed up and ruined my carefully laid plans just as Leafy appeared. It made my paranoia senses tingle.

Bitch did the same thing.

Why would she wait half a day to confront me about my meeting with teacher's representative?

The conclusion I liked least was that, somehow, she knew how my babies were born and wanted to make a statement that she wasn't afraid. Considering how thinly veiled her threats were and how she wasn't that surprised about my changes, I ranked that possibility depressingly high.

From the guilt and slight shame coming from my babies, I could infer that at the very least she had checked up on my cell

Thus, it ultimately came down to punching people that were bound to bring me the least amount of trouble. And let out some long pent up frustrations.

This time I didn't have to fear the misguided wrath of Blackwell even after being the aggressor.

Overall, there simply was barely a reaction. Bitch and her cronies snickered, Yuki looked disapprovingly at the decked Tinker, some sticks changed hands, and the Faerie Queen gave her damned approving nod.

I just ignored them all as I collected the leftover scraps the unlucky trio of villains would have gotten on top of my usual gruel. They had more than enough to feed them even after I was done and I had four growing babies to take care off. They could suffer through the boring stuff until I was done with Teacher's business and whatever methods I had to use to actually get Acidbath.

One way or the other, I had the feeling I wouldn't be returning to the capricious status quo that had dominated my initial stay. Either I had the means to offer Bitch some resistance or I'd probably be dead.

It was shocking how little that last thought freaked me out. I felt like that realization should have had more effect on sane people.

Not that many sane people landed in the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center. Or that I had much more to lose now that I was in here.

Hell, while concerned about me, I felt something like excited, eager anticipation going through my little family as I bounced ideas during our lovely lunch of mashed potatoes, broiled meat, and overcooked vegetables with only minimal amounts of gruel. They wanted to grow stronger, to expand.

They would gladly lay down their lives for the survival of the family.

The rest of my time between lunch and dinner was spent idly playing with my children while I was mulling over the upcoming problems. I wanted to train, to actually use the powers I knew I had but stopped myself. I had to assume that, somehow, Teacher had a way to spy on me. I didn't want to risk losing any more surprises than I already had. I counted myself lucky enough that I hadn't used much of the powers myself so I thought that at least I still had that going for me.

I hoped.

Instead, I had my snakey children play-fight to ingrain their movements in my mind. On the fly, I had surprisingly little trouble moving around; it was just that during the planning of theoretical maneuvers that my gray matter tended to get into all kinds of weird twists. Imagining those were challenging with a completely different body type as a reference.

While getting dinner, I only needed to look at the resentful Three Stooges (and some minor posturing of my babies) to return to my newly won spot.

Falling asleep was so much more pleasant after a meal that actually had a definable taste.

The next day, "Mr." Bullet visited again, to try and convince me to come along right away with his aggravating nonchalance as if any and all danger didn't matter to him. It wasn't like people were glaring daggers at his back.

Seeing him falter for the first time after I asked for a week time to prepare was almost as good as I had imagined punching him in the face would be.

Not that I had harbored that mental image for a long time. The second conversation was more than enough to conjure it up.

I managed to convince him at the end through feigning specific cramps, those that weirdly (and, quite frankly luckily) hadn't had bothered me ever since I Triggered, and wanting to be sure I'd be able to at least pay tributes on my own when necessary.

He spluttered a bit in objection but mentioning that those factors would make me a rather poor guest and that I would be grateful for this delay helped to win him over in the end.

The fact that ladies of Cell Block C were steadily closing in on my cell and thus him as well probably helped the motivation along.

It was rather amusing to see him make his retreat look like anything other than that. Too bad, the sentiment was shared by the others. It felt weird seeing the worst of humanity show the same mirth as I felt.

That gave way to all kinds of thoughts I didn't want to feel. They would open the doors to emotions that I needed to stay buried until I could at least establish myself as someone who couldn't be messed with.

The shared laughter luckily died down soon enough and was replaced by the same mistrust I had gotten so used to. It was a weird feeling, being relieved that everyone ostracized me.

It almost allowed me to believe I wasn't a fellow monster.

The next three days were spend building up reserves in preparation for what would hopefully be my trump in the coming conflict. Just eating, sleeping, and playing with children.

Desperately not thinking about the pain that was about to come.

I was glad that I had almost managed not to since, when I had worked up the courage by going through the many reasons why it had to happen now, I realized that I would have been underestimating the agony. Even after the others.

As soon as I pulled, I collapsed to the ground in a convulsing heap. Pain and burning assaulted me as I felt my back twitch and tear.

It kept me awake as my legs suddenly went completely numb followed by the sense of touch of my entire lower body.

I couldn't escape the mounting panic as I simply couldn't breathe anymore while ribs snapped one by one.

That didn't really hurt that much even as I wanted to cover my ears to ignore the terrible sounds that were produced.

I couldn't since my arms were the next to go.

It didn't hurt. The banal pain of flesh being ripped apart and breaking bones simply paled in comparison to the hot liquid flames that coursed through every exposed nerve while leaving me completely defenseless. I couldn't even use my own eyes and ears anymore. They were overwhelmed. The only thing other than pain was the coppery sensation that was pumped into my mouth.

Finally, with one last stab right into my brain, my deformed spine detached itself and my heart began to splutter. After my mind connected with my latest baby, I was finally allowed to pass out.

A gentle pushing woke me up the day after and my six-fold vision revealed the perpetrator in all his intellectual glory.

He was curiously observing me from within a lazy coil made of his slender and ribbed yellow body on which he had laid his pointed beak with the same color. Fine hair-like spikes ran along his spike and his muscular claw looked wickedly sharp. In those regards, he didn't look that different from my other children. A bit finer maybe, but the same general idea nonetheless.

His head was… More distinct to say the least. His brain basically was his head and I noticed that, even though he could see thanks to his connection with me and the rest, it wasn't his primary way of "seeing" things.

With him around, I had become distinctly aware of the objects in a ninety-yard radius around me – both in regards to their innate geometry as well as where they were in relation to me.

I already suspected that the walls of this prison were thin but it was quite the shock to know exactly how thin they were. Stupid Tinkers and their bullshit powers. Having to create a material that can withstand absolute vacuum and general roughness of people living in its enclosed space while also only making the walls half an inch thick should be forbidden.

Brain, the name my baby graciously accepted, didn't just give me spatial awareness bar none. He could also push stuff. He – We needed to have to sense what we wanted to push to use it fully and it needed space for a wind-up to deliver pushes that could probably knock people off their feet. However, it took the full concentration of my child that prepared to shove and they needed to "catch their breath" afterward.

I couldn't really test out the maximum strength since I was operating on the assumption that at least Teacher had ways to somehow watch me. I didn't think the maximum strength was that high, though.

Not that it mattered to me. It was, with a bit of applied creativity, just what I needed. Probably. Hopefully.

At the very least, my children had some fun theatrically leaping onto their siblings in an attempt to masquerade my hidden practices. I had too.

The remaining three days after were spent "playing", eating, sleeping and honestly lazing around once more recuperating.

I had decided that I wouldn't achieve anything worthwhile trying to plan much more in the last few days until my confrontation other than making myself nervous and second guessing myself. I was beyond the point of no return already. I willed it to be so. Something had to change. I was starting to feel claustrophobic in my cell and I definitely didn't trust Teacher.

I was getting sick at others looking at me with mistrust and hatred, smirking at my children that had become smaller once more after reconstructing my spine. Every one of them had shrunken down to about Gonzo's house cat size, making me wonder were especially Missy's mass had gone. It wasn't like my spine had been that big.

Not that their handy travel-size bothered me that much. Somehow the others had copied and combined Leafy and Gonzo's muscle design, making them… denser, heavier, more powerful. None of them had lost any strength or overall mass.

When my "courteous" guide finally arrived on the seventh day, I was watching latest reports on gruesome murders of some small-time gang at the hands of Brockton Bay's very own Dragon.

I gestured to him to wait both see the report and to annoy the slime ball that obviously wanted something from me and couldn't be actually bothered to reveal what it was. Even if he had been more straightforward, he would have had to wait, though.

It didn't happen every day that a gang of teenaged Capes I, as Cape-geek who had spent far too much time on PHO, had never heard of before managed to ignite a full-out gang war between ABB and the Empire 88. Even in the infested shithole that was Brockton Bay.

Unsurprisingly, nothing other than that, the general advice to stay indoors and some speculation that they might had done something to piss off Lung was reported on TV.

I stood up with a mirthless snicker.

"I see that you're ready," Bullet stated the obvious as I joined him near the guarded entrance of our block. I replied with a simple nod. No use in dragging my feet after I had accomplished both my goals.

He might have pretended that he wasn't bothered by my behavior, his elevated pulse and brain activity told another story entirely. He was pissed and frustrated.

I could get used to being in a position where I was needed too much to easily offend.

"In that case." He wanted to let me go through first before apparently deciding that it would be more courteous the other way around. "If you'd follow me, please. I'll make sure we're not going to face any unpleasant surprises."

With that, he was off with me close behind. I couldn't help but notice that a certain amount of… pity had shown besides the usual disgust in the eyes of the guards. Neither was it all too subtle that they started whispering to each other when they assumed I couldn't see them anymore with my back turned to them.

I swallowed. It seemed that Teacher was an even bigger deal in here than I thought if he could trigger some amount of compassion for the monster they were trying to ignore into joining one of their sub-factions.

"So," my guide began as we walked the wide, dimly lit hallway that connected the cell blocks of our floor. "If you pardon my potential rudeness, may I enquire why you seemed happy about what's happening in your hometown? When you requested to finish watching that article, I thought that you might have feared for people you know, but I seemed to be mistaken."

"Not really." I shrugged as we passed one of the neighboring leaderless blocks. "There are still some… not that they would still care about me." I snickered again. Stupid oblivious media. "It's just that Lung prefers to let others do the day to day business. He doesn't have to do much more than be around to scare off even the local protectorate."

Maybe Sophia would even annoy the wrong pumped up nazi.

I could see his face light up in understanding. Not that he knew. For all who would have watched, I was observing the courtyard of Block B and their remodeled bench press that was visible from the door.

"So, those teens did something that was grave enough to wake the dragon."

"Yep. And the media think they might do something to inconvenience him. How stupid do they think we are? If the Undersiders had enough brains to do something that motivated the rage dragon out of his Lay-z-Boy, they should have had more than enough to know just how monumentally stupid it was."

"I see, that does seem both rather understated and foolish respectively." He lapsed into silence after saying his piece.

We went past Cell Block A and closed in to the hole in the wall in silence. I had the feeling that he didn't want to interrupt me or himself when he had to deal with the guardswomen.

It allowed me enough time for myself to start feeling the talons with which Brain and Gonzo had anchored themselves to my back. It wasn't that having my spine ripped out made it hurt less, even if said pain was easier to deal with. Especially since my curly hair, that had grown to a frankly ridiculous length after last two time I was healed using my children's biomass, did manage to hide the both of them. At least our fluid prevented me from bleeding so that was nice as well.

All of that was just to hopefully give me an advantage in case things went south with Teacher and to try and smuggle a baby into Acidbath's Cell Block.

Not that I had high hopes in surprising Teacher with the number of my children if that boot dropped. I had seen Bullet counting and recounting the babies that were following or openly being carried by me. He seemed thrown off by the number even if he hadn't said anything.

Still, people would quickly notice if one of them suddenly disappeared. They were quite apt at catching people's attention.

"Are those snakes yours?" Case and point, the prisoner who looked more a soccer mom than anything else and was apparently in charge of the women guarding the Hole.

Bullet stepped through the hole and turned to wait for me.

"Yes," I scoffed, annoyed at her tone.

"No manners. Typical," she tutted in disappointment while the rest of the women mirrored her disproval. "But that's to be expected from today's youth. No one disciplines their children anymore. Anyway, as long as they don't cause us any troubles you're free to go. The gentleman has already paid for your passage."

I moved to follow bullet along. It wasn't as if there was much I could say without it either escalating the situation or prove them right.

The heavyset woman wasn't entirely done with me though, she held my shoulder with surprising strength and leaned in closer to whisper, "even though I don't like your attitude one bit, it no reason to throw you to the wolves. I don't know what Teacher's offering but you need to politely decline. It's not worth it. Thrust me."

With that, she let go and my children relaxed.

I muttered thanks and we set foot in the men's wing of the Birdcage.

There were no guards whatsoever on the other side of the hole.

I couldn't tell whether it was because they thought they wouldn't need it, wanted to make it easier for the other sex to come over or to even tempt them to their side. Either way, I thought it was rather stupid considering the caliber of Capes on our side.

The trend continued at two of the four Blocks we had to pass to get to the makeshift "ladder" that led to the lower floor and Teacher's cell block. Luckily, one of them was Cell Block P – Acidbath's.

It made kinda sense that nobody would want to mess with him. He probably enjoyed dealing with those idiots.

It was my turn to see how stupid I was

While Bullet was busy praising Teacher as he hurried me along as politely as possible, I let Gonzo slither down my back and move straight to the entrance of Acidbath's block a heartbeat later.

I nodded to move the small talk along as I had Gonzo pulse to the blind spot of the people lounging in the courtyard.

While I couldn't camouflage myself, I didn't really need it either. Especially since Brain joined the family, I had an acute awareness of my surroundings. I knew where people looked and saw when they noticed something.

I would have had troubles sneaking around our Cell Block – there was too much of competitive paranoia going around thanks to our Faery Overlord – but in Block P?

They kept to their selves, keeping an eye out on the person who had claimed the workout bench that was placed in front of the only working television.

I smiled. I had found my target and people were too busy keeping an eye out on the psychopathic monster to truly watch anything else.

Once again, I moved Gonzo to avoid the few wandering gazes and closed in on the cell closest to the tube and showers. It was the only one with intact decorations and the one place from where you could get a good view of almost the entire block.

If I was a betting girl, I would have put my cancer sticks on that being Acidbath's cell.

I was climbing down the cot that got beaten into the ladder when Bullet decided he wanted more than just mere nods. "I do have to ask, Sliver, is it me or are your children smaller than before? I could have sworn that especially Missy used to be a lot bigger."

"Yes, they are but don't worry; they are just as capable as before." I smiled as Gonzo made it into the cell unnoticed and under the honest to goodness true bed.

I wasn't going to insult his intelligence so close to his home and this deep in enemy territory. No need to give him the details beyond that, though.

"Ah, that's good to hear." I almost believed his concern for my wellbeing as he did. "I'm sure Teacher will be copacetic."

I let Gonzo give Acidbath an ever so slight telekinetic push and was delighted to see him almost fall off the bench that served as his throne.

While Brain's power wasn't that strong and Gonzo needed a break afterward, there was one thing that made it immensely useful for me.

It wasn't Manton limited.

With the different ways I could see the world, I didn't have much trouble aiming for things that weren't visible to most.

Things like the human brain or inner ear.

I couldn't put much force behind it if I didn't want to dent in the head in the process but, as the other tinker of the Three Stooges had to experience during the first afternoon, it was enough to make someone nauseous or even knock them out for a couple of seconds.

I had Gonzo push the fluids in Acidbath's inner ears again.

Again, he wobbled but this time he didn't just stay seated after recovering his balance. Instead, he stood up and began an orderly retreat to his cell, while loudly inventing new ways to curse Dragon's cooking and making sure that people knew it was only temporary.

There was one thing that both Dragon and Glaistig Uaine had made clear to me.

You didn't show weakness in the Cage.

I counted on it being an even bigger issue for the leaders - especially if their power was the only reason they had the job in the first place.

Bullet would have dragged me along to greet the men guarding Cell Block T if he wasn't that cautious on not touching dangerous old me.

Acidbath stumbled in his cell and let himself fall on his bed.

I followed Bullet past the guards with a polite nod and a friendly smile and into the silent courtyard. People were working on scraps of metal, oblivious to our entrance while others were drawing up blueprints and scribbling down formulas.

Leafy sagged against my collarbone and almost fell off her perch as my living scarf and Acidbath collapsed into unconsciousness thanks to the brain rattler my darling had delivered.

I nearly missed the timing of the next part when I realized that two of the drones in that mindless concentration were actually women. I definitely did notice, however, that Bullet had started to walk behind me in a way that allowed him to block my path to the exit.

Still, I had something to do and thus I struck through the bed, neatly severing Acidbath spinal cord, and continuing to skewer his airway at the same time while ignoring the implications of my guide's actions.

I unfurled my talon to cut off his airflow completely

Brain had brought one final gift when he was born. While completely paralyzed, I realized how easy it was for me to do the same if I got close enough.

I realized it would be enough to immobilize anyone long enough for the changes to set in. That I could keep them from crying for help and from thrashing about.

I already knew that they wouldn't be able to use their Powers when the transformation truly started. Missy had shown me that.

Reaching out through Gonzo, I found the part of Acidbath that rejected being such a vile creature and wanted to be something more. That wanted to grow.

I grabbed hold of that part and pulled even as I entered Teacher's cell.

His personal guards insisted that I leave both Missy and Beefy outside. And no matter how I personally felt about it, I knew that I had to comply if I wanted to get away without causing a scene. Especially since I was able to convince them that I could bring Leafy with me due to her even smaller size.

It helped that I had the feeling that the door would matter fairly little if I nobody bothered Gonzo and the panicking Acidbath upstairs. The chances of that happening were fairly unlikely. Nobody approached his cell.

Still, the door to Teacher's closed with a scary finality.

Teacher himself wasn't what I expected. The first things that came to mind when thinking of a feared supervillain wasn't that of a red-faced, balding, rotund, man. Even knowing most of it in advance, it was still another thing entirely to see it with my "own" eyes and all the colors it could perceive.

"Ah, there you are!" Teacher exclaimed as I was made to stop more than a leap away from him. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh, Taylor."

I blinked owlishly. "I thought you might prefer that name to the one the judgmental tyrants above have given you. Truly, a tragedy what happened. You have my sincere condolences."

Acidbath's arm started to retract as I regained control of my mouth. "Th. Thanks. I guess?" I gave him a sharp look. "As nice as it is to have that acknowledged by someone who doesn't then immediately lock me up, you've lost me. I can't imagine that's the reason why I'm here. You don't seem to merely do emotional support."

Teacher gave me a knowing smile while Bullet and the other crony shifted closer to me. People who were previously deep in thought stood up and started to make their way to Teacher's cell.

"Of course not, while certainly a nice gesture it would be so terribly unproductive." I shot him an inquisitive glare. "I've summoned you here to propose a mutually beneficial partnership."

Acidbath's legs were slowly shattering. I needed more time. They were coming for me. He wanted to imprison me. I had to get out or else I'd have the entire Block after me. It was too early. I had to lay low. People were going to hunt me down.

"Why would you choose me?" I managed to ask without revealing too much of my inner turmoil and my racing heart. "I'm no Tinker or Thinker and, while cute, my children aren't fighters." Beefy twitched slightly as I unloaded some of my nervousness in our combined connections.

The gathering crowd twitched in response while Acidbath's skull began to lengthen upstairs.

Teacher massaged the bridge of his nose muttering, "And here I thought that showing my frank intentions would have helped to counter the stigma the braindead idiots have against me." He looked up, raising his voice. "I would prefer if you stopped lying, Taylor. I know that you're more capable than that. Why else do you think I allowed you to postpone this meeting for a week?"

Acidbath began to shrink and compact while his legs fused into the forked tail all my children had.

"Let's try this another way, shall we. I know you don't trust me. It's probably the only sensible thing you've done today. Walking in here instead of immediately joining Basic Bitch or Yuki Onna? Not so much. I know what makes you tick and know you think you're so clever hiding stuff." Teacher pointed to the side where Brain was still hanging on. "Like that snake of yours hiding in your hair. Do you really think I don't have means to find stuff like that out?"

"What do you want?" I snarled as Brain slithered up to perch on my shoulder. I didn't like the way it was going at all.

"See?" Teacher addressed Bullet. "Sometimes you just have to be blunt."

Acidbath entire body had become more snake-like and I began to feel the mental tugs building up while Teacher once more turned to me. "The thing is, Sliver, that your Power simply has too much potential to leave in the hands of simpletons like Bitch. Sharing a capes powers to all your creatures? That's too much to simply ignore."

"How do you – " I was sure that nobody had seen anyone other than Missy use her powers. I hadn't even used them outside of my cell!

Teacher simply laughed mirthlessly. "I have my ways, dear Sliver. What have you done to the black one, by the way? I haven't seen it near you." Even the pretense of humor melted away. "With that out of the way, this is what's going to happen. Either you join me willingly, I give you a nice power like better control over your monsters or something, and we work together on breaking out using said monsters."

A connection with Acidbath snapped into place. "Or I'll just have you restrained while it's still possible and load you up with so many that there won't be much left up in that brain of yours to resist me. I would rather not have to do that since I already have enough drooling idiots around but I'd manage."

"What if I want neither?" I asked knowing full well what would be the answer.

He gave another mocking laugh. "Even if you could somehow escape, I'd do everything in my power to undo you. I'll convince people that you and your runts are too dangerous to live."

I didn't smile as much as I showed my teeth. That was all I needed to hear.

The next heartbeat I had crushed Teacher's throat and was pinning the fat creep against the wall of his cell. At the same time, Leafy had impaled the nameless crony and Brain was fighting with Bullet who both managed to dodge all of his attacks while even retaliating with a small knife at the same time.

Missy gave him a brain rattler for his troubles while Beefy surged into the gathered crowd as an acid tidal wave, simply dissolving the legs of those trying to surround us.

I would not stand idly by while someone threatened my children. I would not be pushed around anymore. I had enough.

I would have just gone my own merry way but, no, someone thought he had to try and bully me into submission again.

Never again.

The shock in Teacher's eyes was delicious. It was the one of recognizing a grave error. I grinned as the fruits of my self-control paid off.

Both Gonzo and Acidb – Steve were already on their way to the entrance to intercept the lucky few who managed to dodge Beefy's leg-eating attack.

It looked like dear old Teacher thought I was just a mere Master and hadn't expected that I was very much part of my children as they were of me. That I could control all of me if I chose to do so.

Soon, he would have the pleasure of the same.

He would be joining us.

I twisted at the same time as Leafy and Brain.

Eight seconds later and the lovely child who once was Teacher and everyone else of my family started to give each other powers. felt my reflexes increase, skills flooding in, and ideas manifest in my head.

Pinky wouldn't have to be afraid that he'd be the only one.

Five minutes later it was once more silent in Cell Block T.

----------X---------

A day later and halfway across the globe, a hacker looked at the monitor filled with rapid-moving gibberish in despair and terror.

With one last gulp of whiskey, he pushed the button.