Chapter Text
Seven Years Previously
The doorbell rang and Danny stood up, brushing his pants off of imaginary dirt. Emma sat next to the one-year-old Taylor on the couch, reading aloud to her from her favourite book. It seemed that the young redhead had taken to her ‘job’ of being Taylor’s sort-of sister to heart and rarely was seen away from her when she was over with the Heberts.
Which, to be fair, was most weekends. The two families had grown exceedingly close in the last year, with Anne and Emma regular guests, and Danny, Annette and little Taylor frequently staying with the other family. Anne took to mentoring Emma in being a big sister, which had been adorable to see, and in turn Emma was keeping the baby under her wing.
The tall man opened the door and blinked.
“Mr. Lavere?” He asked.
Alexander Lavere was… Well, not so much a family friend as a family acquaintance but he’d always been unfailingly polite to Danny, charming to Annette, and sweet with Taylor and Emma. Danny suspected he had a rough side, given how sharp a businessman he seemed to be, but every time he hired dockworkers it was all above board and legitimate work.
Even if Danny had his suspicions about Alexander’s work, he never involved him and his family in anything criminal, though he did seem to know some of Annette’s past involvement with Lustrum’s group.
“Hello, Danny… I-” The man, always impeccably dressed, seemed flustered. “I’ve come seeking some… advice. May I come in?
“Sure.” Danny stood aside to let him in. “Not sure why you’re talking to us and not someone more important if it’s business.”
Alexander laughed. “Oh, it isn’t business, it’s family matters.” He looked almost embarrassed. Danny raised an eyebrow but sat down at the kitchen table after he made them some coffee. Annette wandered in to say hello, before returning back to the kids. Alexander looked to the door she left through
“How are the children doing?”
“Good, good.”
“Glad to hear, Danny. You guys seem to have it all down to an art.” Alexander took a sip of his coffee. “I… actually came to ask about it. I found out recently I have a daughter. A cute little thing, her name’s Amelia Claire.” He looked embarrassed. “A result of a… dalliance, I should say.”
Danny frowned but didn’t comment, for which the other man seemed thankful. “And you’re what, seeking advice?”
“Partly that, and partly some other things. I wanted to ask about raising a little girl – she’s the same age as little Taylor and her mother is not in the best of health. I’m going to try to be the best father I can, so I’d like some pointers. The other thing…” He ran a finger around his mug’s rim. “…I wanted to have some security for her.”
Danny blinked. Annette returned, with a brief admonishment for the kids to be good, and sat down at the table, a mug of tea in her hands. She smiled at Alexander.
“Alexander, it’s lovely to see you. I couldn’t help but hear just now that you have a little girl?”
He laughed ruefully. “Nothing gets past you. Yes.”
“Does the other thing you wanted to ask have to do with…” She put a hand over the top half of her head. “Because I am rather out of that game. And we might like you, but you are… You know. And again, I’m out that game. I got out of that game when she…”
Alexander laughed again. “I understand. It is, partially, but not to do with you. I wanted some backup, some… security. For Amelia.” He smiled in reminiscence. “I only found out about her recently, a month or two ago, but children have this way of worming into my heart. Still, I live a dangerous life in my… other profession.”
Danny raised an eyebrow. Alexander had never been this forthcoming. He’d always suspected, but… Alexander nodded to him.
“Yes. Well, I was wondering if… the two of you, were anything to happen to me, would take Amelia in? I can have it drawn up as an official document. We know each other well enough and have established contact. And I trust you. You always acted on your integrity, Annette, even when working with Lustrum. And you have been scrupulous with me in my above-board dealings, Danny. I can think of far worse people to look after my Amelia if something were to happen to me.”
Annette looked at Danny. He looked back. They had something of a conversation of eyes and gestures. Alexander held a hand up. “If you’re worried about money for it, I would certainly make sure there is a stipend for her care in the vein of child maintenance. I wouldn’t want her to go hungry.”
“It isn’t that.” Danny said. “More that some parties may know she’d be your daughter.”
Alexander shrugged. “I trust the two of you to take care of her.” He said simply. “That and the gentleman’s agreements amongst the scene should keep her safe.”
Annette cleared her throat and then smiled, reaching over and resting her hand on top of Alexander’s.
“I think we can do it, Alexander. You’ve always been good with Danny and the kids, even if you don’t have to be. We might’ve been on opposite sides of a riot once or twice, but you always dealt with things honorably, even then.”
He laughed. “What is the point of power if you don’t wield it responsibly?” He asked. “Don’t answer that, I know you’d only talk about kicking shins.”
Annette laughed, breaking the tension. “Well, get the paperwork sorted. If anything did happen, I promise she’ll be loved here.”
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Present Day
Armsmaster led the Heberts along the corridors of the PRT HQ until they reached the door to the Wards area of the building. He pressed the entry button after scanning his gauntlet at the door, an alarm sounding.
Annette cut off his explanation of the timer by stating they already knew about it. Amy had looked curious, so they’d then explained it to her, but she had just nodded and kept hold of Annette’s hand.
She’d always been less gregarious than Taylor.
The door opened, Armsmaster leading them in. The entire way he’d dealt with Taylor’s chatterboxing at him (once she’d gotten over her momentary shyness at realising she was now working with Armsmaster and he was so serious and she might’ve embarrassed him with the underwear) by mostly keeping track and making grunting noises of assent.
Annette and Danny were honestly impressed. He managed to feign interest in her talking about moth genealogy, and how strong spider silk was. Then after he’d repeated some of her statements back they realised he wasn’t feigning interest. Especially during the silk discussion.
Naturally, he’d made Taylor’s day when he promised he’d try to source her some Darwin’s Bark spiders after quickly looking up the spiders with the strongest silk, firmly cementing his position as Taylor’s favourite Protectorate hero. Even Amy was joining in as she’d tried to help Taylor with her bugs sometimes.
Taylor stopped her gushing about spider silk when she noticed the wards arranged around. Vista stood there, still in her civilian clothes since she hadn’t had her costume made, just a mask.
Triumph was there as well, arms folded and looking a little stern.
There was a pair of twins standing next to him, purple and blue bodysuits with armour panels and blinking lights. Their helmets were featureless, covered in blinking lights in the other one’s colour.
There was a third figure next to the pair, dressed in a suit that left her forearms and shins bare, the rest covered by an oddly coloured metal. She wore a visor and was tiny, barely topping four feet ten. Blonde hair cascaded in a ponytail behind her and she waved.
Taylor beamed at the group and waved happily. “Hello! I’m Miss Rosy Maple Moth and I’m joining the Wards, this is my Mommy and Daddy and they’re amazing, I love them! And these are my favourite moths, they’re called Rosy Maple Moths and aren’t they just the cutest?” She beamed and motioned to the usual halo of pink-and-yellow moths hovering about her head. “I love them! They’re so cute! Hello!”
The blonde girl stared at her, then looked at the twins and Triumph. Then back at Taylor. Vista beamed and waved back.
“Hi Miss Moth! I’m Vista and you already know me and that’s Triumph!” Vista’s eyes widened behind her mask as she saw Amy and she ran over. “Hi there! You must be Miss Moth’s sister that she said was really nice, it’s so good to meet you! I’m Vista!”
Amy smiled shyly at Vista. “I’m Amy.” She said quietly. Vista took her hands. “Miss Moth said she needed you to be my friend too if we’re to be friends! Come on, let’s go get to know one another, I already know everyone!”
She promptly dragged Amy over to the couch, sitting her on it and peppering the mousy girl with questions.
“Oh god it’s catching.” One of the twins, the one dressed in purple, muttered to the other after watching it. “Now there’s two of them.”
The other twin elbowed them. “Shhh, be nice, Strobe.”
The blonde girl ignored them and moved forward, smiling down at Taylor and holding her hand out. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Rosy Maple Moth.” She frowned. “Does that get shortened?”
“Miss Moth!” Taylor chirped. “Like Miss Militia but with moths!”
“Please tell me that’s not her power.” The purple twin muttered. The other elbowed them.
“Strobe!”
“The blonde shook her head at her teammates’ antics. “Well then, Miss Moth, I’m happy to meet you. I’m Alloy.”
“Uh huh, I know who you are because I looked up all the Wards, you do all kinds of things with metals right? Like you can take metal into your skin and then ecks-trude it again, but stronger!”
Alloy nodded, smiling. “Well, I do a bit more than that. I can mix metals together and then use them to make things. Armsmaster really likes that I can combine them to help his tinkering, but I can make them into shapes, like handcuffs or a baton.”
“Ooooh!” Taylor beamed. “That’s so cool! I love it!” She turned to the twins, who were elbowing one another and giving the impression of glaring behind their helmets at each other. “And you’re Blink and Strobe!” She nodded seriously. “You do telly-porting. And bouncing, a lot of bouncing!”
The twins stared at her until the one dressed in blue moved forwards to shake her hand. “You’ve got that right, Miss Moth. I’m Blink. Welcome to the Brockton Bay Wards Team.” Taylor shook Blink’s hand seriously. “And you’re right. We do teleporting, but it’s very short-ranged. What we mainly do is redirect kinetic energy from our teleports.”
“Oooh, that sounds cool.” Taylor gushed. She paused as a confused look crossed her face. “What’s it mean?”
Blink ruffled her hair. “Well, we can bounce off each other when we teleport and then punch hard, or slow things down. When we teleport we can choose whether we come out the same speed or go slower, so we can keep teleporting to build up speed and then wham! Smack a bad guy in the face.”
Taylor nodded enthusiastically. Strobe came up. “I’m Strobe. My sister and I tend to get teamed up a lot.”
Triumph stepped up and cleared his throat, then smiled at Taylor. “And I’m Triumph. I’ve got a bit of regeneration, a bit of super strength, but mainly I control sound.”
“Is that why your helmet’s all lioney?” Taylor wondered. “Because lions roar and stuff, so you can roar or shout and have you ever tried to roar like a lion because I bet that’s super cool because you could really be a lion then and then the people who were mean about you on PHO before I got banned because I’m too young to be on it can be wrong because it’s mean to laugh at someone about their costume and I don’t see what’s wrong with it because lions are cool, I mean not as cool as bugs but that’s because bugs are super duper cool while lions are only super cool.”
The Wards team sans Vista looked at each other as Taylor rambled on about the relative coolness of bugs and other things until Triumph cleared his throat again.
“…So really, it’s fish’s fault that they’re not as cool as bugs.” Taylor concluded. She smiled at Triumph.
“Yes, well. Thank you.” He said, clearly still nonplussed. “So can you tell us about your power, Miss Moth?”
Taylor was about to reply but found her hair being ruffled by her parents. “Sweetie, while you get to know your new friends, we’ll look at more paperwork, okay?” Annette asked. She looked over at Vista and Amy. “Amy, dear, come on. I’ll see if we can’t get someone to give you a tour or something, because you’re not able to know the Wards properly, yet, OK?”
Amy stood up from the couch and smiled shyly at Vista. “Okay Mommy!” She called over. “It was nice meeting you, Vista.”
Vista beamed, nodding and hugging Amy. “You too Amy! I’ll make sure they get the stupid form things so you can know who I am!”
Amy nodded back and went to her parents.
“Okay Mommy!” Taylor hugged Annette and Danny and then ran over to the couch, her trail of moths following her. The adult Heberts along with Amy left, along with Armsmaster who ignored Triumph’s betrayed look at being left alone with two chatterbox kids.
He schooled his thoughts as they all sat down. Taylor immediately removed the domino mask, replacing her glasses and grinning toothily at the gathered Wards. “My name’s Taylor!” She said happily.
Missy removed hers. “I’m Missy! But you know that!”
That fact didn’t stop her from being tackle-glomped by an excited Taylor, who then sat next to her happily on the couch. Triumph took off his helmet.
“I’m Rory.” He said, smiling. He had a nice smile, Taylor decided, all friendly and hero-ey.
Alloy took her visor off, revealing the short blonde’s face. She was pretty, Taylor decided. “I’m Grace.” She said, nodding. “Pleased to meet you, Taylor and Missy. I missed being introduced to you, the other day, Missy.”
“It’s alright!”
Blink removed her helmet to reveal a black girl who didn’t look younger than Rory, hair braided behind her. “I’m Alicia, Blink is my sibling.”
“Sib-ling?”
“They’re not a boy or a girl, so they’re not a brother or sister.” Alicia said. Taylor’s eyes widened.
“You can do that?!”
Blink removed their helmet and grinned at Taylor. “Yep. I’m Kit.”
“Wow! That’s so cool! I didn’t know!”
Missy nodded in excitement. “What’s it like, not being a boy or a girl?”
Kit laughed at the pair. “Probably not that different from being a boy or a girl.”
Taylor and Missy both nodded. “That makes sense! I’ll ask Mommy about it! Mommy knows everything!” Taylor said.
Kit and Alicia smiled at the younger Wards.
“So Taylor, what is it you do?” Grace asked. She was playing with metal coming out of her wrists.
Taylor threw her hands into the air. “I control bugs!” She declared, the moths fluttering about her head like a halo moving into a complex pattern.
“Oh, that’s very interesting.” Alicia replied, “How many?”
“All of them!” Taylor beamed. “Every bug for two whole blocks!”
“Two…” Alicia started.
“…Blocks?” Kit finished. As one the twins shuddered.
“Yep! Two whole blocks, and apparently it might not just be bugs but other arth-ro-pods!” She nodded. “That mostly means bugs but it’s also crabs and lobsters which is cool because I’ve heard there’s such a thing as spider crabs and they must be the coolest crabs because spiders are cool though crabs are less cool, but I don’t know for sure until we get it all tested but did you know I can’t control snails or slugs because they’re molluscs? I didn’t and then we tried today for power testing and the tester brought George out and he’s this huuuuuuuuge African Land Snail and he was so super slimy I love him!”
Taylor continued to babble on, Missy chiming in at times. The other Wards looked at one another again. Then at the chatterbox sitting in their midst.
As she ran out of steam, she concluded her argument. “So I think I’m gonna get Mommy and Daddy to get me a giant snail because they’re cool and slimy and Amy loved them too – Amy’s my sister but she’s kind of quiet and I think she’s not sposta know who you are so she’s not here which is sad so I’m gonna see if Miss Director Piggot can let her know you because I love my sister because she’s the bestest sister in the whole world.”
Missy nodded. “I wanna meet her again but as me! She’s really nice Taylor, I wish I had a sister!”
Triumph brought the conversation back around, wondering if maybe he should find classes on how to deal with hyperactive chatterboxes because if he now was responsible for two…
Maybe he should’ve bet that five dollars on her terrifying one of the heroes instead, like Brandish or Lady Photon.
“Well, it’s nice to know we’ll have someone who can watch out in the area around us.”
“I can also make us all spider silk! Armsmaster, who is awesome, promised me some Darwin’s Bark spiders, who have the strongest spider silk in the world and he’s gonna help me make costume and stuff because it’s all cut proof and stuff which is really good because then we can all be safer and Mommy says we need to be as safe as possible here!”
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As Taylor and Amy got to know the Wards, their parents return to the Director’s office for another meeting. On the way they’d run into Assault and Battery, who’d heard which meeting they were due for and offered to look after Amy for the time they were out. Amy had brightened on meeting them, giving both heroes one of her shy smiles and nodding.
Annette and Danny had let her go on the tour, though Annette had given a look that promised severe vengeance should anything untoward happen to their daughter.
Emily Piggot looked over her desk at the two and sighed. Armsmaster and Miss Militia were both there, a little tense, and the parents seemed confused a moment before the Director started to speak.
“Now we get to a rather unpleasant topic of conversation – that is, your daughter’s Trigger Event. We don’t ask the child unless the parents don’t know what it was. As well as this, we are going to talk about the unpleasant consequences of such an event. I hope you listen better than the last couple that I had to deliver this speech to. That I’m having to do so on behalf of another eight year old in my city is… Displeasing.”
Annette and Danny nodded.
“You’re aware of Trigger Events?”
Danny looked a little confused, but Annette nodded. Emily nodded to her. “I assume your… previous affiliations taught you some about it?”
Annette nodded, but said nothing more. Danny still looked confused, so Emily looked at him. “A Trigger Event, Mr. Hebert, is the event in which a parahuman gains their powers, and they are all, without exception, moments where the parahuman in question reached an absolute breaking point. How they reached that point is thought to be one of the ways which is responsible for the power sets that they get.”
Danny saw that both Armsmaster and Miss Militia shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, no doubt reminded of their own. He returned his gaze to Emily. “I… Am aware of the incident in which Taylor received her powers, though I wasn’t aware that that was how all parahumans gained them. I was under the impression they manifested for different reasons with different people.”
“A necessary fiction.” Armsmaster said. “If it were more common knowledge, then likely people would push themselves to breaking to get powers, even if they were totally unable to.”
Danny nodded. “I see what you mean.”
Emily folded her hands on the desk. “Mr. and Mrs. Hebert, I will need to speak with you at some length regarding being parents of a parahuman child. As well as that, I’d thoroughly encourage you to take full advantage of the resources that are available to you and to Taylor. And…While I dislike them personally, I also encourage a strong liaison with the Youth Guard as soon as possible. We will have a directed meeting with them and yourselves soon, but I’d certainly advise making connections separately as well. As much as people are on the money when they call them ‘interfering soccer moms’, they still fulfil an important role within parahuman culture.”
Danny and Annette nodded. Emily sighed.
“It’s known in the department of both the PRT and local Protectorate that I am… not fond of Parahumans. It isn’t something I make a secret out of, nor something I will refuse to admit to. That being said, your daughter is eight and I won’t let my prejudice push me to poor decisions against a child that young, even if that child has effectively been given a machine gun with no safety beyond that we can instil with training and discipline.”
Armsmaster shifted.
“In truth, children with guns is how I tend to think of parahumans in general. My job is to be the safety on those guns. With the Wards especially, but you will find an uncomfortable truth in this: parahumans by definition have broken. Trigger Events do not happen in happy situations. Even second-generation parahumans, despite the thought they’d have ‘easier’ triggers, still have to be worn down to do so.”
Annette looked curiously at Armsmaster and Miss Militia as they subtly nodded. “…You agree with her?”
Both heroes looked to her and Miss Militia sighed. “She could put it more diplomatically, but it isn’t wrong, really. Every parahuman has had a Trigger Event. Every parahuman has reached the breaking point. In a way, trigger events help define us from that moment on.”
Armsmaster made a sour expression with his mouth under the helmet. “Correct. Uncomfortable as it is, it is still a truth.”
Emily leaned forward. “How long has Miss Moth had her powers?”
“…About a month.” Danny said. “She was at a camp and…”
Emily waved him off. “I’ll ask more directly about the event later, but if you are half as decent parents as you appear to be, you’ve likely noticed her behavior will have changed.”
Annette nodded. “She’s always been more gregarious than not, but poor at making friends because they can’t handle her chatter. She’s always said she never really needed friends as long as she has her best friend Emma and her sister Amy, but I always wondered how much was her covering for things. Since she had her powers she’s doubled down on her interest in insects – moving it from a love to an obsession, though we’ve tried to curtail that as gently as possible, keep her interested in people, not just bugs.”
Emily nodded. “And that is the key. Good, it seemed you both have decent parental instincts about it. The last time I had this conversation it did not go so well.”
“I was certainly pleased and surprised when she couldn’t stop talking about meeting Vista and making friends with her if Amy liked her.”
Emily sighed. “Two young children like them triggering at similar times is terrible, but they will at least be able to support one another with being the same age. Good, though. I’ll see if I can’t encourage them to be a team together. Likely they have good power synergy and attitude. And, if I’m honest, they’re a PR goldmine.” She clears her throat. “Though I suspect your meeting with Glenn Chambers, head of Image and PR for the Protectorate and PRT as a whole, will touch on that in far more detail.”
Annette nodded. “We’ve got a meeting tomorrow.” She said.
Emily nodded. “Alright. Now, since you’re aware of the trigger event, can you please describe it?”
Annette sighed softly as Danny began his description.
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A few hours later found the Hebert parents walking back in along with Amy and finding a group of concerned teens looking at their younger compatriots, half in fear, half in respect.
“Yep.” Danny commented. “That’s the Taylor Effect.” He nudged Annette, who laughed. The Wards noticed them, having masked back up. Taylor hadn’t and just hopped off the couch to slam into Annette’s legs, hugging her mom.
“Hi Mommy! I hope you weren’t bored! Hi Daddy!”
“Hello Little Owl.” Annette replied, hugging her daughter back. “Did you have fun with the others?”
“Uh huh! This is Vista and Strobe and Blink and Alloy and Triumph and they’re all super nice! Hi Amy!” Taylor immediately glomped onto her sister in a cuddling hug. “Did you have fun?”
Amy nodded to her, smiling. “Assault and Battery showed me around and it was really cool!”
Taylor beamed. “Awesome!”
Annette looked up at the group. “Thank you for being nice to my daughter.” She said, smiling.
Triumph smiled back, though a little shakily. “Anytime. She’s a sweet kid, though I think my eardrums might burst at some point.”
“She can be like that, but I’d rather have her happy and chatty than sad and silent.”
“That’s true.” Blink commented. She looked at Annette and laughed. “Hey, you’re Professor Hebert! Our brother is in your classes.”
Annette laughed softly. “Well, don’t give away who he is yet, I’ve still got to sign the NDAs for your identities if I need them. Pretty sure I will since my daughter here’s a chatterbox.”
Taylor pouted, but then giggled as Annette ruffled her hair.
“Noted.” Alloy said. “Well, I for one think she’s a delight. She’ll keep our illustrious leader on his toes.”
They chatted for a short time longer, beforethe family bid everyone farewell and took their excited offspring out of the HQ and towards home.
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The next day, Taylor and Annette reached the door that had a suspiciously-new-and-or-temporary sign on it saying ‘Glenn Chambers, PR’. They knocked and a voice called out for them to come in. Annette opened the door, walking into the office followed by her daughter, the latter looking around excitedly. The moths about her head were fluttering along with her, some of them occasionally moving around the room to brush up against a wall or a picture.
Behind Glenn, a view of the Bay showed through a large window.
Glenn himself seemed to be a study in contradictions. He was overweight and sweating, dressed in khaki shorts, a Hawaiian shirt and white tee shirt, his hair in a gelled fauxhawk and eyes hidden behind glasses that made his eyes seem smaller. He smelled of cheap cologne, but Annette at least recognised that his half-assed dressing and apparent lack of care for his own appearance was itself extremely careful.
As much as he seemed to be carelessly set up, she could recognise the intelligence in his eyes, and she knew he wasn’t the usual PR stooge they had here. Something about her daughter had them spooked or at least willing to put a lot of effort in.
Taylor on the other hand brightened on seeing him as he shook hands with Annette and then leaned over his desk and held a hand out to Taylor second and she reached up. “I’m Glenn Chambers, Professor Hebert, Miss Hebert. I’m head of PR for the PRT and Protectorate.” He smiled genially at Taylor. It was a little calculating, but to Annette he also seemed genuine. Annette smiled back and Taylor beamed as they all sat down. “I’m here to run through some basics for PR for you, Taylor – I can call you Taylor, right?”
“Yep!”
“Good! Makes things easier. As you can tell I prefer things a little more relaxed. I also want to go over and sketch out some initial costume ideas for when you’re doing your Wards work. If you’re getting bored or tired, Taylor I want you to let me know, OK? This stuff can last you your entire career, and some of the advice I will give will do so.” He nodded seriously and she nodded back, having several of the moths around her head land, salute him and return to their halo about her dark curls.
Glenn regarded the friendly-looking girl dwarfed by the huge leather office chair she sat in with some satisfaction. He took note of the moths fluttering about her head, the pink cardigan over the yellow dress she wore and the glasses that made her eyes look even larger than they actually were. She clearly knew how to dress to a theme, even if it was mostly unintentionally doing so beyond ‘I like these colours’.
Her mother sat in the chair next to her nodded to him and hadn’t spoken much after shaking his hand, recognising that Taylor was the important one in this meeting and she was mainly there to provide support or ultimate veto over any of the costume ideas bandied about.
Glenn sat back and smiled at the two of them. “I assume you’re familiar with spin and PR, Professor Hebert, given your position at BBU.”
Annette nodded. “Annette’s fine, and yes, I’m familiar with it, though I don’t particularly enjoy it.”
Glenn laughed. “Few people do, I’m afraid. I’m one of the very few and even I tire of being woken up at three AM because one of the Protectorate heroes said something they shouldn’t have where they shouldn’t have. There are people who joke that the PRT and Protectorate both mostly deal with the first two letters of their names.”
Taylor pondered a moment and brightened. “Oh! PR! That’s clever!” She giggled.
Glenn nodded. “That’s correct. Of course, we deny it to the hilt, but in private I can tell you that it’s entirely true. Good Hero work rests on good PR. When you think about it, we’re only as good as we’re allowed to be, and we’re only allowed to be as long as the public has faith in us as the Heroes. Do you understand, Taylor?”
She nodded. “People need to see you as nice because otherwise they won’t know you’re there to help so when bad stuff happens and you show up and people don’t like you they’ll be all ‘nooo we don’t want you and we’re not doing what you say!’ and you’re all like ‘aaaargh I should have listened to Mister Chambers when he said not to say mean things out loud to nice people!’ and then when you’re trying to get people out of the way to help them they won’t do it!” She nodded again, looking seriously.
Glenn blinked at the little girl. “Very well-reasoned.” He replied, honestly impressed. “You’re as clever as I was led to believe.”
Taylor pinked, but beamed. “Mommy always taught me to think about things critically! Then she had to spell ‘critically’ for me, because I spelled it wrong and Daddy nearly breathed his coffee at how I spelled it, but he won’t tell me why he found it so funny and Mommy was glaring doggies at him for ages.”
“Daggers, dear, not doggies.” Annette said mildly.
“But why would you glare daggers at people, Mommy? You can’t shoot daggers out of your eyes unless that’s a really strange power to have because how would they fit and then when you look in a mirror you’d constantly smash them so it’d be like that man from that old comic who had to wear special glasses only I don’t think glasses would stop daggers like that and it also doesn’t make sense that you’d shoot doggies from your eyes but at least doggies are nicer.”
Glenn looked at Annette. “My condolences on your family’s collective hearing.” He said, grinning. “She certainly can talk.”
Annette chuckled. “That she can. It won’t be a problem?”
Glenn laughed. “Not at all! It’s endearing. One thing you have to remember – Heroes wear masks. It’s for their protection, yes, but it dehumanises them to people. Even the PRT troopers wear full helmets. All the faces are concealed, so personality quirks have to shine through. Have you ever met Miss Militia?”
“Yeah! She was there when we were all signing up and she’s got eyes over her mask and they go all crinkly so you can see when she’s smiling and stuff and she seems really nice although Mommy did see her on TV once when I was watching and she said something about her liking the taste of leather, which is odd because leather is made from the bits of cow you don’t eat, so maybe she’s got a strange diet!”
Glenn blinked again and then started laughing. When he’d calmed down, he shook his head. “She meant something you’ll understand better when you grow up, Taylor.”
Taylor pouted at that but quieted down.
“Now, I’m glad you at least understand the importance of things – Miss Militia has to exaggerate her eyes since that’s the most people see of her. We can work on different versions of your outfit to help with that but having a pleasant disposition makes it much easier. You’ve met Armsmaster and Assault?”
Taylor nodded emphatically. “Yep! I have Armsmaster’s picture on my underwear which is still weird, I hope he didn’t think it was too weird, I was too excited the first time I met him because I was gonna be a ward but then I met him again and I got all embarrassed because he’s serious and I think I made him upset by pointing out that his face was on my underwear.” She paused. “And I think I met Assault, he was the jokey one wasn’t he? I didn’t get to talk to him much but he seemed real nice and friendly! Armsmaster was all seriousfaced and very nod without saying muchy.”
Glenn nodded. “That’s correct, well observed. Assault is a joker – sometimes he takes it too far, but he is generally someone to whom dealing with the public is something to enjoy. He’s very gregarious and it comes through. Armsmaster on the other hand has some issues dealing with people. I’m sorry if this seems complicated, so if you’re not following make sure to let me know.” Taylor nodded seriously. “Armsmaster is a very nice man, though he can be very grumpy. Some of it is normal things for a Tinker – they prefer to be out of the spotlight for the most part, but he’s the leader of the local Protectorate, so has to make appearances.”
“But… but while he seems all gruffy and frowny he seems like a really friendly man, he was really, really nice to me!” Taylor pouted.
“And that’s from what I’ve managed to teach him. He doesn’t like being in public apart from either doing his work or making sure they know he did the work, but he still does it. I’m afraid sometimes, even if you don’t feel like it, you have to keep up your ‘persona’.”
“Oh! Oh! I know that!” Taylor stood up on her chair. “That’s where you get a big card coming down, and then grab it.” She made a crushing motion with her hand. “Persona!” She made a low voice in imitation of a boy’s one.
Glenn stared. Then he tapped on his computer as Taylor sat down at Annette’s fussing. “Ah ‘The façade used to overcome life’s hardships’. Hm, very apt. Yes, though I’d love to know where you heard that from.”
“Auntie Carol’s daughter, Vicky was playing a game with her big cousin Crystal where people were all like ‘Persona!’ and summoned big things to deal with their enemies! We played it one time Mommy went over and punched Auntie Carol in the face and then they drank a lot of wine and Uncle Mark and Daddy had to come and fetch them!” Taylor bounced in her chair again, happily. “It was so cool, they all had glasses and it was really really yellow which is my favourite colour along with pink and black!” She nodded happily.
“Well, it’s very appropriate. You see, as a Hero you’re expected to behave a certain way and that sometimes differs from how you act at home, as a way to protect your identity, do you understand?” Taylor nodded. “Good. So what we want to do is see what your persona will be when you’re out and about as…”
Taylor beamed. “Miss Rosy Maple Moth!”
“Miss Rosy Maple Moth… Hm. That isn’t bad.” Glenn pondered. “I did receive a report that they were your favourite bugs, and you seem to like their colours with how you dress.” Taylor beamed. “It’s a bit of a mouthful, so while we can certainly have that as a full name, how about we call you ‘Miss Moth’ in more general conversation?”
“Miss Moth is fine!” Taylor nodded excitedly. “I’ve already been telling people to call me it so that’s perfectly fine!”
“Excellent. As for a costume… We should lean into the full name. But I was thinking that we can match costumes for you in a group with Vista. You won’t be dressed identically, but if we have a common theme between the two of you it’ll look very good as I suspect you’ll be matched together often. Does that make sense?” Taylor nodded again. He smiled. “Good. They weren’t kidding about you being a clever little girl, were they?”
Annette smiled at him. “Sometimes the teachers moan she’s a little too clever for her own good. Or too creative at any rate.”
Glenn eyed the girl’s mother. “I see. I can understand that, though I weep to hear of a teacher trying to stifle such creativity.”
“We had words and put a stop to it.” Annette said mildly. Glenn wisely chose not to pursue that area of discussion any further. “Taylor was moved classes to a teacher who actually appreciates such creativity and encourages her charges.”
There was a knock at the door, and Vista walked in, a domino mask on her face and her blonde hair bouncing as she skipped over to Taylor, greeting her enthusiastically. She took the mask off immediately and beamed at Annette. “Hi Taylor! Hello you must be Taylor’s Mom!”
Annette smiled at the little girl, glad she’d signed the NDAs and still cursing the wrist cramp. “I am. I’m Annette.”
“I’m Missy! I really like Taylor, Miss Annette! She’s really nice and she likes bugs and doesn’t think warping space is weird!”
Annette nodded and exchanged more gentle pleasantries with Missy as she sat down. Glenn cleared his throat.
“Hello again Miss Biron.” He said to Missy, who smiled back at him.
“Hello Mister Chambers!” She said happily.
“I’m discussing potentially having yourself and Taylor in similar costumes that make a matched pair, since you’re likely to be working together. Would you like that?”
Missy nodded, kicking her legs. “Uh huh!”
“Good!” He picked up a piece of paper, and drew some preliminary sketches. Then he opened his laptop and pulled up a screen from the desk that had the image projected on.
Annette snorted. She recognised some of the Japanese cartoon stylings on them. He pulled up a second screen that showed some of what he worked from. Costumes from old little girls’ shows, costumes from magical girl programs.
Both Missy and Taylor’s eyes were wide. “Wow!” Taylor said.
Missy nodded. “Yeah! It’s like Cardcaptors!”
Glenn nodded. “I thought you might like that styling. This is just rough work, and the final designs will probably differ. For a Hero costume there’s a few things that are more important than aesthetics. Whether it protects you is important. As Wards, especially ones as young as you two are, you’re not supposed to get into fights. But this is Brockton Bay, and we have to accept that the world isn’t always as nice as we’d like.” Both girls looked seriously at him at that, but nodded. “I’m not trying to scare you from it, but you need to know that things can and will happen. That’s why I want you both protected as best I can.”
He motioned to the most basic version of the outfit. Cute, stylised boots on the feet with ribbons, leggings on the legs and a ruffled, floofy skirt going past the knees to start with. On top was a vaguely school-uniform-esque vest with a bow at the collar, with a pale blouse that had poofy sleeves at the shoulder. Underneath was a suit made clearly of a different material with armoured panelling going down the arms until the wrists, where gloves with bows on the back were.
The mask was a basic domino mask, but both girls looked at it, eyes sparkling. He smiled. “I see you like it.”
“Like Sakura…” Missy mumbled. “But… I like more armour! I’m serious! Shaker Nine, Mister Chambers! And I need something to hit baddies with!”
Glenn chuckled at her. “This is just the basic version. I might have these made for formal events as a kind of ‘dress uniform’ for the two of you, colour coded of course. But I thought you might like seeing where my thoughts go.” He smiled at the pair as they nodded. “Now, let’s start with you Missy… Here’s some ideas I have…”
Annette watched as Glenn interacted with the two kids. Missy seemed a nice girl, occasionally too serious but then Taylor would draw out a giggle or more age-appropriate behaviour from her and it would make the room warm again. Something bothered her about Missy – not the girl herself, she was a perfectly nice kid. But that she was here alone despite speaking about her Mom or Dad a few times. Taylor, of course, was her usual gregarious, motormouthed self.
She was quietly impressed with the large man. He was personable and sharp. He didn’t dumb things down for the kids, and when they said they didn’t understand something or why he’d done something in a design, he’d explain until they did. She’d overheard some people giving their condolences that they had to deal with Glenn, but while she probably would have had issues, he made sure that the girls felt listened to. She’d quietly checked out the costumes he’d designed for older heroines and was surprised and pleased to find him listening to the two.
Beyond the costuming he was also imparting lessons to the two girls, and the best part was that they hadn’t even realised what he was doing. She approved for the most part. Taylor was enough of a critical thinker that she’d discard whatever didn’t suit her, though she wasn’t sure how Missy would do. Still, this seemed to have worked out excellently. Glenn had clearly risen to his position on his talent and skill and earned it doing so, even despite his apparent reputation.
As the meeting wrapped up and Glenn let them all out of the office, Taylor babbling excitedly to Missy and the two comparing notes, their domino masks all back on, Annette smiled at them.
“Whew, that was a long meeting, girls.” She said. “Missy, are your parents coming to pick you up?”
“Mmm, not til later.” Missy said. “I was going to hang around with Alloy and play some games.”
“I see.” Annette frowned. Missy shuffled and she smiled down apologetically. “I suppose they must be busy. Well, I was going to take Taylor to Fugly Bob’s. I don’t suppose you’d like to come along. I can talk to your Mom and Dad if you’d like?”
Missy shook her head. “It’s OK Miss Annette, I really wanna play Mario Kart.”
Annette smiled at her. “Alright then, but next time you’re always welcome to come.”
“Okay!” Missy enthused. She hugged Taylor. “Bye Taylor, bye Miss Annette!” She ran off towards the Wards rooms. Taylor waved after her and beamed up at Annette.
“I like Missy, she’s really nice, Mom.”
Annette stared after the vanished girl and murmured something to herself, then shook her head and ruffled Taylor’s hair. “Good for you, Little Owl.” She said. “You should always try to like your teammates.”