Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

***

“Taylor! Taylor, are you in there?”

Dad? Through the haze filling my brain, the nausea due to all the horrible smells and just the general confusion caused by being shut in a tight, dark space, I thought that my mind was playing tricks on me.

Still, I had nothing more to lose.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.”

Had my voice always been this weak?

I felt and heard the door rattling for a few moments, but it stayed tightly shut.

“Sir! Sir, who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Danny Hebert! Are you the principal? I need the master key to open this door! Somebody shut my daughter in here!”

“What? Hebert? What has that girl pulled this time?”

“Ma’am, she’s been acting weird all morning. I think she just wanted attention.”

“I see, Miss Barnes.”

“Emma? What are you saying? In any case, it doesn’t matter, let Taylor out this instant! And what is that smell?”

There were a few laughs and remarks at this from the apparently assembled crowd.

“Someone needs a shower.”

“Yeah, Hebert’s always stinking up the place!”

“Didn’t her parents teach her about hygiene?”

I felt a wave of fresh tears gathering from sheer humiliation. The last thing I wanted was for Dad to hear all this crap.

And what was he even doing at Winslow? Now of all times?

“Sir, the janitor is at lunch. I’m sure he’ll let her out as soon as he’s back. This might make for a suitable lesson after all. Your daughter is a troubled girl, always crying wolf about something.”

There was a pause during which Taylor held her breath. Would Dad believe Blackwell and Emma right away or would he take some convincing?

“Taylor. Did you shut yourself in your locker?”

“No! No, it’s them. I just know it’s them!” I started crying, not able to hold myself together anymore. “It was Emma or Sophia, maybe Madison.”

Angry muttering and objections could be heard outside from several voices, including Blackwell, but I ignored them all.

“Dad, please, get me out of here!”

There was a pause and some gasps, then I could see the hall in front of me as the door finally opened somehow.

I tried to step out, but after more than an hour in this place (I’ve heard at least two bells at different times), I couldn’t even stand, so I tipped forward, but was caught in my father’s arms.

“Mr Hebert, I don’t know how you broke the lock, but I’m calling security!”

Dad ignored Blackwell and helped me up, holding my shoulders and looking worried.

“Taylor, is any of the blood yours?”

I sobbed, half from relief and half from shame at my father seeing me like this.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so, all this was inside when I opened the door, it was disgusting! I threw up and then someone pushed me in and shut the door!”

“I see, kiddo. Here, this should help with the smell. I’d clean you up, but we probably need the evidence.”

Suddenly I felt a wave of fresh air. Though my clothes were still covered with bloody gunk, I couldn’t smell any of it. What just happened? Dad continued talking.

“So you aren’t sure who pushed and locked you in? You said it could’ve been Emma, didn’t you?”

Ignoring the indignant shouts from my tormentors, I tried my best to stay objective.

“I didn’t see who it was, but I heard Emma laughing right away, and Sophia Hess too! There she is. I screamed to let me out, but they just taunted me.”

“So they haven’t called a teacher or anyone else to help get you out? Have you been stuck in there all morning? It’s been more than an hour since your first period started.”

“Yeah,” I sobbed out, but took a few breaths to calm myself down, while Dad rubbed my back. “Oh, I also heard Madison laughing, that’s Madison Clements.”

“She’s lying! I didn’t see anything, I wasn’t even here!”

“I see.” Dad shook his head. “It wasn’t the first occasion, Taylor, was it? These girls have been...”

“They’ve been bullying me, yeah. Since the high school started. First Emma and Sophia. She’s done something to Emma, I don’t know, she was different ever since I came back from the camp!”

“Was she? Do you have anything to say for yourself, Emma?”

“She’s lying, just as Maddie here said. Taylor is a huge liar, and you know what, you’re both in so much trouble! All these accusations, I feel attacked and traumatized. I’m calling my father!”

“Here’s this man! Arrest him!”

We raised our heads to see Blackwell pointing me and Dad to two security guards. I almost forgot Winslow had those, and two at the same time? She probably caught them during the shift change. One was likely old enough to be my great-grandfather, while the other looked even thinner than me, and with a bigger gut. They exchanged looks and stepped forward, seemingly not intimidated by taking my dad two on one.

“Bad idea.” I turned back to Dad, only to see his face has gone cold, much colder than I’ve ever seen it before. Usually when he was angry, he made it clear, but this time there was something else, something that made me scared. Not for myself, of course, but for what my father would do.

Before the guards could take another step, he raised his hand, and both men collapsed like puppets with strings cut. I gasped and so did most of the crowd. Blackwell’s mouth started opening and closing silently until she covered it with her hands.

“Cape!” Somebody shouted.

I stared at my dad in wonder, not believing what I just saw. Was Dad actually a cape? Was he a hero or a villain? Why did he never tell me?

As if understanding my turmoil, he touched my cheek and smiled a little.

“It’s gonna be alright, honey. Don’t worry about anything.”

Then he turned to the side and raised his hand again. This time Sophia Hess floated over to us, cursing and struggling all the while.

Most of the crowd already dissipated, sensibly choosing to run away from a possible parahuman attack. Only Emma was still here, stuck in place, holding her phone and looking wide-eyed at her captured enforcer. I could also see Madison’s face peeking around the corner, as if the girl wanted to escape, but also had to see what happened next.

“Who were you trying to call, Sophia? This looks like a PRT issue phone. Let me see.”

Ignoring my bully’s protests, he plucked the device right out of her hands.

“Shadow Stalker, huh? That explains some things, but raises even more questions.”

The girl’s reaction shocked me even more than his words, as she turned into grey smoke which floated back a few feet, until Dad squeezed his fist and the air started sparkling, making Sophia reappear with a cry of pain and drop to the floor.

My knees felt weak again. What? Shadow Stalker? Wasn’t she a local hero? I’m pretty sure I saw her in the news late last year, being accepted into the Wards.

Was I being tormented by a hero? Why? What did I do to deserve it?

Dad shook his head and looked at me.

“Taylor, listen. Don’t be scared. I’ll explain everything, but first we need to deal with all this, before it escalates even further.”

I nodded.

“Okay. I’m not scared, Dad. Not of you. But... are we in trouble now? With the heroes?”

“No. Don’t worry about it. In fact let’s go and get some answers from the people likely responsible for this mess.”

With those words Sophia, Emma, Blackwell and even Madison were pulled towards us by an invisible force. Then there was a flash of green light and the Winslow hall disappeared, replaced by a large conference room which could’ve belonged to any office building in town.

My impression of a random office was shattered right away as alarms started blaring and a number of armed guards barged in, pointing strange-looking weapons at us.

***

Emily surveyed the room and its assortment of occupants. Half of the people assembled did not belong in her building in any shape or form. She would’ve liked nothing more than to remove them, or better yet, throw them somewhere quiet to cool off and then question one by one until she got to the bottom of this mess.

Alas, she lost the full control of the situation as soon as her emergency response troopers were disabled and the man – the cape – who attacked them introduced himself. Armsmaster, who was fortunately present at the PRT building, confirmed Daniel Hebert’s identity with Dragon and Legend both. Emily reluctantly contacted her superiors as well, who, after some scrambling around, made their orders quite clear.

So now here she was, waiting at the head of a table for the meeting to start. At her side was Armsmaster in his power armor, and a couple of troopers, who would be less than useless if any further confrontation occurred. On the opposite end sat Mr Hebert, holding his daughter’s hand. At some point he teleported the girl home, as he claimed, and returned her in twenty minutes, cleaned up and holding a stack of notebooks. Emily had no choice but to allow that, though she had to admit, the initial smell had been… overpowering.

Shadow Stalker in her civilian identity was sulking in a corner, restrained with electrified cuffs. Her two civilian associates were sitting nearby, one quietly sobbing, the other angrily clenching her fists. Each of the girls had their parents contacted, but Emily wasn’t about to let them escape so easily, not until she got to the bottom of this. And finally, Carrie Blackwell, the principal of Winslow High, who finally had the good sense to shut up and stop accusing the Heberts of every crime imaginable.

Emily heard the door opening and turned to see agent Davis, Stalker’s handler, being led in. The woman opened her mouth, but quickly shut it under her glare. Even if Emily wanted to get Davis’s version of events first, it was too late for that now. They had to perform this spectacle until the truth was clear one way or another.

Finally, a big screen behind her lit up and she nodded at the person there. Rebecca Costa-Brown stared at her and then around the room, her gaze unreadable. Quite against the protocol, the head of PRT addressed Hebert first.

“Hello, David. I would like some explanation for the stunt you pulled today. That’s quite unlike you.”

“Rebecca. It’s Daniel now, or Danny, if you want. And I could say the same to you. I’d very much like to hear an explanation from you, or Director Piggot here. Why exactly did you think it was a good idea to let your Ward attack my daughter?”

Chapter Text

***

“Um, what’s gonna happen to her, Dad?”

“Emma? She’s going away for awhile. An institution. First for an assessment, then therapy, then they’ll see. I thought we already talked about this, kiddo, or do you have some reservations? I’d understand if you...”

“No, not Emma. I’m fine with her getting help or whatever. I should’ve thought about it myself when she started acting weird, talked to her parents or something.”

“No, Taylor, don’t blame yourself. That was never your responsibility. But who did you mean then?”

“Sophia. You know, Shadow Stalker.”

“Oh. Well, that girl is... she’s not coming back. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really, Dad? That’s not what I’m asking. What’s gonna happen to her?”

“They’re still debating that, as far as I know. Juvenile detention, then prison or a containment zone duty.” Dad shook his head. “There are some other options, arguably worse.”

“Is she... is she just bad? Had she been a villain this whole time? I just want to understand.”

“Taylor, what do you mean exactly? She had been a vigilante for the last few years before getting arrested and becoming a probationary Ward.”

“So she actually fought criminals? Saved people?”

“Um, as far as I know, yes, she did. You understand, I didn’t ask for many details, definitely nothing not directly related to your case. For all her misdeeds, she’s a still a minor and I already overstepped my bounds quite a bit.”

“Does she have Master powers? Is that why...”

“No, she certainly doesn’t. Emma was not under a Master influence. I’m sorry, Taylor.”

“So she actually saved Emma, didn’t she?”

“That’s what Emma said, after she stopped being difficult. Alan confirmed the story. That doesn’t make up for what she did to you.”

“No, of course it doesn’t, Dad. I just mean... she’s my age. Emma’s getting therapy, right? What about Sophia?”

“If she’s sent to juvie, sure. If other options are chosen, I don’t know. The girl got too many chances already... but I see where you’re going with this. It’s complicated. In a way, the PRT failed her. I’ll need to check, but I’m pretty sure that Brockton Bay Wards weren’t getting all their required therapy appointments. Or other forms of oversight, especially from Armsmaster. Her handler did not report her misbehavior either. She should’ve been under heavy observation for the last year, but then again, she started that terrible bullying campaign against you long before joining the Wards. So it’s the school, her parents and me...”

“No, Dad! Nothing of this is on you!”

“I’m grateful that you think so, honey, but I did fail you, hard. I broke your trust in more ways than one, that’s why I’m not surprised you never told me a thing.”

I shook my head and grabbed his hand over the table.

We were back home and eating dinner like nothing happened. After several days of various meetings, questions and arguments, I was exhausted. Dad as well, for all his incredible powers. I still wasn’t ready to accept that my father was actually Eidolon, one of the greatest Heroes on Earth, and one of the Protectorate founders.

Mom apparently knew. Me being born was also the main reason behind Eidolon’s semi-retirement. From that moment on he only participated in Endbringer fights, giving up his official Protectorate position. Even that tapered off once the two city-destroying monsters paused their attacks, right after Kyushu sunk.

In any case, me and Dad were eating pizza and generally relaxing after the tiring day, when I raised the topic of Sophia Hess for some unfathomable reason.

I guess, the whole situation had given me a whiplash. Hoping since late November that the trio were finally getting tired of bullying me, then spending an awkward, but generally pleasant week with Dad during the Christmas holidays, then becoming a victim of their most horrible prank yet, and then getting saved and finding out the truth about Dad... I didn’t know what I should think or feel. I always had a vague kind of respect for my father’s position in the Dockworker’s association, even if some of it was mixed with sadness for all his pointless endeavors in trying to save a dying industry. I never considered him powerful or influential, not even on the same level as Alan Barnes, a divorce lawyer. Now? Now I got to watch everyone bending backwards to accommodate Danny Hebert, and by extension me, his only daughter. That left quite an impression on me, even beyond his cape powers.

Was it fair of me to ask even more of him? I guess I felt some sort of vague responsibility, now that the tables have turned between me and Sophia. Madison – she didn’t matter, not really. The girl flipped so fast, it was ridiculous. She talked and talked and talked some more, shared all of her text messages and even tried to remember and write down the deleted ones. It was kind of pathetic, or at least too little and too late for it to matter. Still, that got Madison off lightly, with no formal charges, just suspension and community service. I didn’t mind. Sophia, on the other hand, she was in real trouble. I didn’t know why that bothered me so much – she deserved to be punished. Maybe I didn’t want that punishment to be decided by a bunch of faceless administrators, especially since it’s people like them who shared a lot of the blame.

“Um, Dad, let’s not get into that right now. You... you made everything okay for me, better than okay.”

“Well, not everything. You’re still going to Winslow, kiddo, sorry about that. I’d arrange something else...”

“No, it’s alright. I understand that transferring to Arcadia right away would be suspicious. Especially with my grades, and the different district... Anyway, as long as the new principal and the teachers actually do their jobs, Winslow should be fine.”

“Oh, they will. I’ll make sure of it. So, about Shadow Stalker?”

“Ugh, as long as she gets some kind of help, it’s okay. I just don’t want her life to be over because of this, you know. That’s terrible to even imagine. She did save people, after all.”

“That’s... that’s very mature of you, Taylor. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I lowered my eyes. Even though he said things like that before, it felt different being praised by him now. I wasn’t sure if he talked like that since mom.

We kept eating in silence.

A couple of hours later, as I got ready for bed and was trying to distract myself with a novel, there was an urgent knock on my door. I opened it to find my father frowning at me.

“Something’s going on, Taylor. It might involve Sophia Hess. I need to check.”

“Okay? Could you explain? Why are you being so mysterious now?”

“I’m not sure myself and I don’t want to worry you before I know more. Will you be okay staying here for a while? I’ll be back in an hour, two hours tops.”

“I… fine, Dad, of course. Just tell me everything once you’re back. No more secrets, okay?”

“Yeah, honey, of course.” He paused for a moment and sighed. “Someone’s going to keep watch over you while I’m gone, so don’t worry.” He gave me a tired smile and disappeared with a barely noticeable shimmer. It seemed to be another teleportation ability, not the same one he used to get us to and from the PRT before.

It took a few minutes before I digested his last sentence. What did he mean? Who was watching me? Just as a test, I called out, raising my voice.

“Hey, is somebody there?” No answer. I tried again, feeling stupid. “Hey! If you’re watching me right now, show yourself! Or I’ll tell Dad you’re being creepy.”

Suddenly I heard – no, felt – a strange melodious sound, something like a distant laughter. Then a smaller figure appeared before me. A girl, maybe a few years younger than me, a little chubby and very pale, with hair similar to mine, but completely white. She was dressed in beige capri pants and a long-sleeved shirt, her feet bare.

No, wait, the girl didn’t appear. She had already been there, I remembered her entering the room right after Dad. He nodded at her before leaving. Wait, what? I shook my head, trying to clear it. The girl spoke, though her mouth didn’t move.

“Hello, Taylor. It is nice to be able to interact with you again.”

“Nemo?”

The name surfaced easily from the back of my mind. How? How could I have forgotten her? My weird little sister, Mnemosyne.

Chapter Text

***

“But Mommy,” I argued, “babies come from there.” I pointed at her stomach, poking it with my finger and making her laugh. “And you weren’t… um, fat before. Not like Mrs Winston from your work, before she had her baby.”

“I know, Taylor, my clever little girl.” She hugged me and ruffled my hair. “But not all kids join their families that way. Sometimes… sometimes they just come and stay. If their birth parents can’t take care of them anymore.”

“Um, are her mom and dad… are they dead?” I wasn’t scared of death, not really, but I knew it happened to some people. I only had one grandmother, who lived far away. That meant Mom’s father was dead and so were both of Dad’s parents.

“No, no, Little Owl, nothing like that. I’m sorry, it’s hard to explain. Your dad and I, we are her real parents, in a way, but she wasn’t born to me. You’ll understand one day.”

I nodded, not satisfied, but not in the mood to argue, especially with Mom.

Just then, the front door opened and Dad came in, accompanied by a little girl. She was very small and very white, I’ve never seen someone that pale before, though I vaguely remembered something about some people being born that way.

“Hello, Mother. Hello, Sister.” A voice sounded in my head and I flinched. It didn’t come from the girl’s direction, or at least I didn’t think so. Her lips didn’t seem to move.

“Mnemosyne. Nemo. Please, don’t scare Taylor. She’s not… she’s not used to you yet.”

The girl turned to me and opened her eyes. I didn’t notice they had been closed before. Inside there was nothing but darkness, like a night sky with no stars.

“I apologize. Taylor, I am your sister. It is nice to meet you. Mother had given me that name. It belonged to a goddess of memory. A goddess is…”

Dad clapped his hands, interrupting her, and gave me a wobbly smile.

“Are you girls hungry? I ordered pizza. Let’s figure all this stuff out over dinner!”

***

“How? Why? What the hell?” I couldn’t make my mouth form actual sentences. My brain furiously worked, trying to make sense of everything.

Last time I (now) remembered seeing Nemo was way before the summer camp. Soon after my… our Mom died. The girl sat on the edge of my bed and petted my hair awkwardly, as I bawled my eyes out. Then she disappeared into the night and next morning Alan Barnes came to retrieve me, bringing me to their house and to Emma, where I spent the next week.

I couldn’t ask Emma, or Alan or even my dad about Nemo, for the very obvious reason: I completely forgot I had a sister. And now that I thought about it, nobody else remembered either, except for probably Dad, who simply hid it from me. As he had so many other things.

But how? Who was she? Now that I was not a kid anymore, it was so clear. My sister wasn’t human, or at the very least, not a regular one. A monster cape? I’ve heard about them, but… Nemo was not a monster! She was just strange. So strange… Wait a minute.

“Nemo, are you a Stranger?” I took an involuntary step back, remembering the warnings everybody got about that kind of capes. I felt badly about my reaction, but my sister didn’t seem insulted. Then again, her face rarely showed emotions.

“I could be classified as such, Taylor. But I am not a Stranger, no. Not in the way Parahuman Response Team understands them. I will explain it to you later, if Father allows, but now is not the time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Now we need to hide. Please, take my hand.”

I thought about refusing, but what was the point? I had known Nemo for years. If all of those memories were false… I’d rather not doubt even more of my reality. Besides, what else could I do? My sister had always been freakishly strong. She broke quite a few things around the house, usually on accident, though sometimes just because she was curious how they worked. She always asked me so many questions... Anyway, I took her hand and she led me down into the living room, where we sat on the couch. I touched the remote hoping for a distraction, but Nemo shook her head and brought a finger to her lips in a universal gesture of silence. I didn’t understand at first, until a portal opened in front of us, showing some kind of hallway with white walls, making me squeak in surprise. Was that Dad coming home?

But no, it was not our father. Two unfamiliar people entered through, stopping in the middle of the room as the portal winked out.

A person on the left was a pretty woman, maybe Dad’s age, it was hard to tell. Her hair was black and curly, half-covered by an old-fashioned hat. To the right stood a man, younger and roguishly attractive. He reminded me of some famous actor, I couldn’t remember which.

I started breathing faster, looking apprehensively at the pair, until Nemo squeezed my hand, making me turn to her.

“Do not worry, Taylor, we are safe. They will not be able to notice us, not even if we touch them. But a working television would have been too obvious, I think.”

I exhaled, trying to calm my widely beating heart. The black haired woman scanned the room, her eyes passing right over us. The man checked out the TV, peeked into our kitchen, then walked to an old china cabinet and gazed inside for some reason. In the next moment they both went up the stairs and I could hear them opening and closing doors to my and Dad’s rooms. Eventually they returned to the living room, walking back to us and standing way too close for my comfort.

The pair met each other’s eyes.

“Nobody’s home. Unexpected.”

“Yeah, something’s fishy here.”

“A trap, do you think?”

“Hmm. No, doesn’t feel like a trap to me. Maybe somebody warned him?”

“Unlikely. But we can’t be certain. He is a blind spot, after all.”

“Not to me, he isn’t. The man is so predictable, it’s boring.”

“And yet, there’s no one here, Jacob. We need to move. The path is changing.”

“If you say so, Tess. If you say so.”

“Door us.”

The portal opened again, this time showing a sunlit grassy field. The man and the woman stepped through, leaving me and Nemo alone on the couch.

Chapter Text

***

Sophia’s eyes snapped open and she gulped in a lungful of dusty air, coughing and beating at her chest until she felt alive again.

She sat up and turned her head left and right, trying to make sense of her current predicament.

The crowd was still laughing and jeering. She was still stuck in the damn arena like a Greek gladiator or something.

The smug bitch was standing a couple of feet away, near the edge of the ring, smirking down at her. Damn that girl, she almost had her! If only she didn’t slip on the bloody floor.

“How’re you feeling, Stalker? Ready to go again?”

Sophia bared her teeth in her best feral smile. They were encrusted with dried blood too.

“Fucking always! Bring it, you cunt!”

Not only was she fucking pissed, she also had nothing left to lose. This was by far the longest and the craziest night in her life, and that included both her trigger and her first night out as a cape.

The Butcher shook her head.

“Language! And I think we’re done here. Wanted to see who you really are, whether your only strength was striking from the shadows like your chosen name implies. But you surprised me, didn’t you? Didn’t she?!”

During the last sentence the frumpy teenager raised her hands and shook them, playing to the crowd. The imbeciles making up the majority of it cheered for their boss. Definitely not for Sophia. She wasn’t so stupid as to believe she’d be spared for being a good entertainment. Her mind unwillingly brought her back to how it all started.

That evening she met the sunset in her PRT cell, as was becoming the norm over the last few days. Fucking Hebert and her fucking bastard of a dad, who picked the worst possible moment to show he cared about his daughter! If only he started paying attention to the wimp years ago! Then none of this shit would’ve happened.

Not that Sophia was the one to talk: this time she had literally nobody in her corner. Her mother all but disowned her, refusing to even visit and talk, believing all the crap she’d been accused of. Good riddance anyway! But then the Barnes dropped her as well, not even letting her speak to Emma one last time. Finally, Piggy snidely bragged that pretty soon Sophia wouldn’t be her problem anymore.

That’s probably why she met the sudden appearance of her former Ward captain, Triumph, with near enthusiasm. However, the visit quickly lost all possible charm, when the young man claimed that she was being transferred. To where, he refused to answer. He was accompanied by a pair of burly troopers who promptly dragged Sophia out, assisted by Armsmaster’s damn electric cuffs, making it impossible for her to resist.

Then she was practically carried through suspiciously empty hallways and stairways, until they entered a small parking garage with only a few vehicles parked in. One was a minivan with darkened windows, into which they pushed the struggling girl, as Triumph, the bastard, simply watched on, shaking his head. Sophia managed to catch the last glimpse of him, turning away and leaving her to her fate.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was no regular transfer. And sure enough, she was brought into a dimly lit hangar, hung from the ceiling by rusty chains, as if they were in fucking Middle Ages, and worked over mercilessly by several nazi goons. Like actual nazis, proudly displaying their shaved heads and E88 tattoos. Of course they didn’t take the cuffs off, leaving her no chance to use her powers for escape. They weren’t being covert either, filming it the whole time and claiming that the beating was a retribution for messing with the ‘master race’.

Through the fog of pain, Sophia dimly wondered whether Hebert’s dad was a nazi or if he simply used convenient pawns, not wanting to dirty his own hands. Then she passed out, not expecting to wake up again.

To her surprise she did, but almost wished she hadn’t. The fucking Butcher XV was grinning down at Sophia in all her creepy glory.

“Old Allfather is getting too bold these days, isn’t he? Had to remind his henchmen that nazism belongs in the past. Too bad the capes escaped, except for you that is. So what do you say, Shadow Stalker, would you like to earn your place among the Teeth?”

Sophia climbed to her feet, recognizing her surroundings as the old Stadium, the Butcher’s infamous lair. A couple of stretches and turns confirmed that all her injuries were gone, completely healed by the other girl’s impressive power.

But her relief didn’t last for long, as Sophia was forced to clash again and again in the ring with several capes one after another. With her newly recovered body she managed to win a couple of fights, but lost a few more, even to fucking Grue of all people! He wasn’t even with the Teeth the last time she checked!

Her last opponent was the Butcher herself, the girl’s unremarkable appearance contrasting sharply with her sheer brute strength and evident combat experience. Dirty cheater, using her past lives like that!

At that point Sophia was ready and willing to become Butcher XVI, even if she’d have to listen to the girl’s nasal voice in her head for the rest of her life.

But even with her powers freed and a hefty knife she’d been provided with, Sophia was no match for the other cape, her final fight of the night ending in a spectacular loss as she was knocked out by a well-placed kick.

Still, she had been healed again and she couldn’t help but wonder what game was the Butcher playing.

The other girl kept entertaining her audience for a few more minutes and Sophia’s anger subsided, replaced by exhaustion. At this point she barely cared what was gonna happen to her anymore. That’s when she noticed a hand awkwardly being stuck out in front of her face.

“So, Stalker, are you in or not? Don’t make me repeat myself.”

She gazed up at the Butcher’s face, now directing a small, even shy-looking smile at her.

Sophia shrugged and took the hand, letting the other girl pull her up.

“Sure, whatever. I’m in.”

That’s when a huge part of the ceiling collapsed onto the arena, almost crushing them, if not for the Butcher’s timely teleport.

“Hey, what the fuck!”

To Sophia’s shock, it was the other girl cursing and shaking her fist at the figure above. All around them the Teeth jumped to their feet, screaming threats and preparing their powers for attack. She, on the other hand, couldn’t contain a fit of laughter that bubbled up from her very soul and refused to let go.

“Ahahaha – fucking bastard – hahaha – that’s all you got?!”

She couldn’t hold herself up, bending over and gasping in huge breaths. The Butcher, no, Amelia, started patting her back while Eidolon, in his stupid green suit, just hung awkwardly in the air.

***

I grabbed another handful of chips, brought them into my mouth and started chewing absently. Nemo sat motionless at my side, as she usually did. My little sister couldn’t eat or drink, which had seemed convenient to me before, when I was a kid, but now I wondered how I didn’t start suspecting her much earlier.

Food aside, we used to do a lot of other things together, like reading, playing board games or watching TV. Tonight I wasn’t in the mood for games, especially after the earlier scare. Nemo refused to answer my questions about the two intruders, claiming any knowledge of their identities to be a danger to me on its own.

So I sat there in front of out old television set, watching the nighttime news and sulking, while Nemo appeared to be lost in thought. Still, she didn’t ask me to switch it off or even to change the channel, so she must have been curious too.

The news were nothing out of the ordinary, not for Brockton Bay at least. An exploded warehouse with the rumors of a gang fight causing it. Might have been a weapons stash, where some thugs forgot how to store grenades safely. Some kind of car chase, again, not necessarily gang-related. A few heroes flying, caught on camera here and there, most of them from the Brigade. Someone who may or may not have been Purity spotted downtown.

No signs of Dad, or Eidolon, as the public knew him. I checked out the old videos and pictures, familiarizing myself with his usual suit. I didn’t think to ask if he still had it or if he changed it at any point. Nemo didn’t know either.

I had more important questions to ask her anyway.

“So, where did you go? Why did you leave? Why did you make me forget you? I…”

I didn’t want to continue, was too embarrassed to admit how much I needed my sister over the last couple of years, without even knowing I had one.

Nemo just looked at me with mournful eyes, or so I imagined. Her face always lacked expression, did she even have emotions in the first place?

“I apologize, Taylor. I had to go somewhere else for a long time. I had not been permitted to stay. It was not my intention or my choice. I only recently was able to come back. Just before your first day of school, in fact.”

“What? Whose choice was it? Who made you leave?”

Nemo turned away from me, hiding her face behind her long colorless hair. I grabbed my sister’s shoulder and made her meet my eyes again, staring into the deep dark pools and trying to understand the secrets they concealed.

“Who was it, Nemo? Was it Dad?”

Her silence all but confirmed it. I let her go and clenched my fists, feeling the anger rising. Our father had some explaining to do.

Eventually, our boredom and anticipation was rewarded by a flash of light – this time a familiar and welcome sight. Dad stood in the middle of the room, his old green costume on display, but his mask pulled off. The long cape had multiple dark spots and even the armor plates were stained with soot. He sighed, looking even more tired than before, and most of my anger dissipated.

Instead of trying to interrogate Dad, I rushed to him and threw myself at his chest, making him stumble. Soon I was joined by a smaller figure of Nemo, who tucked herself into my side, her skin cool, but not unpleasant to the touch. Dad’s arms enveloped us both and we stood there for some time.

Chapter Text

***

Danny drummed his fingers on the table, looking at Piggot, Renick and Armsmaster – Colin – in turn. As it stood, while being older and arguably more influential himself, he was hardly in any position to place blame or assign responsibility for everything that happened. His own choices played a significant role in what transpired since he moved to Brockton Bay. The very fact that Empire 88, Teeth and other criminal organizations still plagued the city was something he chose to allow, even if by inaction.

“We cannot arrest or even suspend Triumph on Shadow Stalker’s word alone. The girl is a criminal, more so now after she willingly joined the Teeth. I wonder why you didn’t bring her in, Eidolon.”

“Bring her in to where? To the place she’d been so easily abducted from? You nearly had a dead Ward on your hands, Director. Frankly, she’s safer with Lavere.”

Piggot put her hand on the table with more force than necessary and leaned in.

“Her safety is not my priority! This organization and this city are. And one of our capes defecting to the enemy doesn’t improve the odds!”

“Well, good news on that front. Your cape roster just increased by one.”

That brought a reaction from all the three people in the room with him. Even Armsmaster’s helmet didn’t manage to completely hide his surprise. Either that, or one of Danny’s Thinker powers decided to help, which didn’t happen as often as he’d like.

“And who’s that cape going to be, sir?”

Colin at least still held some respect for Eidolon from his Ward days. Danny gave him a tight smile. He took his mask off for this meeting, as everyone in the room already knew his civilian identity anyway, thanks to his careless and emotional reaction to finding Taylor in that locker.

“Me.”

The table groaned as Armsmaster’s armored fist squeezed it a little too tightly, while Piggot sputtered and even Renick raised his eyebrows.

“And how do you imagine that going, Mr Hebert?”

“Eidolon while in costume, Director Piggot. I hope we’re clear that the usual rules still stand.”

“Very well, Eidolon. I can already name two glaring issues with your suggestion.”

“Let me guess. First issue would be my position in the Protectorate ENE, considering my former... seniority.”

The woman nodded, her expression sour, and Danny could see that Armsmaster was affected as well.

“And the second issue... my daughter.”

“Yes, indeed. We might have prevented any major leaks from your Winslow… escapade, but I assure you, the criminal element in the city have their own sources, including Thinker ones.”

Danny bowed his head.

“I admit, my reaction wasn’t the best, under the circumstances. Neither of you have children, do you?”

Surprisingly, Renick was the one to answer him.

“I do, sir. Grandchildren too. If you’re looking for understanding, you have it. But the problem still stands. Your daughter could become a hostage, which would be…”

“Devastating. I know. However, ignoring my duty while the city burns around us will not make her life better. I have taken measures to ensure her safety and further on, I am going to act on an assumption that the so-called Unwritten Rules still stand. My identity is not open, and any criminal who decides to use it against me or my family would face the consequences.”

“And should I assume that both Legend and Chief Director Costa-Brown signed off on your... transfer?”

Danny nodded. And that was it. He was now officially a member of Protectorate ENE.

***

“Is everything alright, Taylor?”

“Yes, Mr Gladly, everything is fine.”

I gritted my teeth as the muttering around me grew in volume.

The whispers followed me the whole day, hardly allowing me even a minute to forget about everything that happened two weeks earlier. Despite what PRT claimed, the rumors about my dad being a cape persisted, though nobody openly admitted that they saw him use his powers. Or so I hoped at least. His actual identity though – nobody seemed to know it yet, which in hindsight was easy to explain. Just who at Winslow would ever believe that the pathetic Taylor Hebert was a daughter of the famous Eidolon?

Well, except for Madison of course, who knew that for sure, but was bound by multiple NDAs. There she was, sitting quietly in the far corner with her head down, quite unlike her usual arrogant self. I had no sympathy for the girl’s subdued mood, I’d have been even happier if she didn’t come back to Winslow at all. My most annoying bully didn’t have Emma’s trauma excuse, nor was she secretly a hero – like Sophia had been before running away to join the Teeth. And wasn’t that a vindication, to find out that the violent girl was a common criminal now, deprived of her previous status and protection.

Overall, I was being mostly left alone by my peers, although the teachers kept pestering me. If this was their way of making up for their previous lack of care, I wanted nothing to do with it. Their incessant questions and empty platitudes only ruined my mood. Especially Gladly. Why didn’t the man know when to shut up?

‘The new principal is most likely employed by Parahuman Response Team, though I have not been able to fully confirm his identity yet.’

‘Okay.’ I sent Nemo a mental equivalent of a shrug. ‘If he is, he is. Maybe Dad would know.’

My sneaky little sister was sitting at an empty desk next to me. Or rather perched on the desk, nonchalantly swinging her feet in the middle of Gladly’s boring lecture. I didn’t know how to feel about Nemo becoming my constant shadow, now that she was back from her forced exile. But it was a welcome change, compared to the previous months of loneliness and misery.

Back home, after I read our father a riot act, he admitted to sending the girl away. He claimed it had been necessary at the time, but refused to explain his logic, while Nemo repeated her usual drivel about some things being too dangerous for me to know.

Anyway, this time she was not letting me out of her sight for more than a few minutes, even if she sometimes disappeared to spy on other people. Of course, nobody except me could see or hear Nemo, and I would’ve wondered about my mental state, if she hadn’t caught more than a few spitballs aimed at my hair today, confirming her physical presence.

Yeah, it’s not like all the petty bullshit immediately stopped, as some of my classmates refused to believe the rumors about my parentage. It was kinda funny though, watching them swivel their heads around trying to see where their disgusting missiles went as my hair lacked any unwanted ornaments.

I wanted to squeeze Nemo to me like a big plushie in thanks, but I couldn’t, not in the middle of the class, since even her Stranger power had its limits. She could make herself or both of us completely invisible, but couldn’t hide me interacting with her out in the open. At least we could talk in my head which… yeah, wasn’t creepy at all. Although I kinda got used to it years ago when Nemo still lived with us.

‘Hey, sis, does Emma remember you now?’

‘No, Taylor, Emma Barnes is not aware of my existence. Would you like me to remedy that?’

Yeah, once upon a time, Emma met her too. After a period of adjustment she accepted Nemo’s weirdness with nearly the same childish nonchalance as I had. She even enjoyed explaining things to my sister, stuff like pop-culture and fashion which I myself struggled with. The three of us often played together at my house after school and during the frequent sleepovers. Emma’s parents and Anne didn’t seem to be aware of the girl’s existence though, and unlike me, Nemo was never invited to Emma’s home. I felt like more complex Stranger stuff was involved somehow, but I wasn’t in the mood to figure all that out. It’s not like I had any reason to talk to the Barnes anymore.

‘Um, no, it’s not a good idea. What would be the point anyway? I don’t think remembering my little sister would magically fix her or turn her into the old Emma... Besides, I don’t want to mess up her recovery or whatever by introducing her to an imaginary friend.’

‘I am not imaginary, Taylor.’

Nemo managed to sound indignant even if her voice in my head completely lacked inflection.

‘I know, sorry, sis.’

It was still hard to reconcile my actual memories with what I thought was true for the last couple of years. I couldn’t help but wonder if everything bad that happened after she left could’ve been prevented, including Emma’s traumatic experience in that alley. But I wasn’t about to blame Nemo for something she had no control of, and even Dad… I’m sure had his reasons. He didn’t deserve my resentment, not with the way he kept trying to fix everything now.

***

“There you go, Stalker, your place for now. Keep it clean.”

An unpowered Teeth goon showed her into a small room with a bunk bed, a wardrobe and a desk. The latter, however, was already occupied.

“And who’s this? A roommate? The fuck?”

“Nice to meet you too.”

The girl in the chair swiveled around from her computer screen and rolled her eyes at Sophia. She had dark blonde hair in a messy ponytail and a pair of glasses, not as ugly as Hebert’s at least, with green eyes sparkling behind. A decent looking girl her age, yeah, but Sophia wasn’t about to make nice with some random chick just because she had nowhere else to go. She crossed her arms.

“What? Your boss can’t afford to rent a bigger place? At least my shitty room back home I didn’t have to share with anyone.”

The goon scoffed. “Go back home to your mommy then, bitch.”

Sophia spun around to face the guy, a scruffy looking latino in his twenties, and punched him. Or tried to, because he moved his head out of the way and caught her fist in a strong grip. She phased out easily, but any further retaliation was interrupted by the blonde girl.

“Hey, hey, Marco, remember the rules? No picking fights outside the arena. And Shadow Stalker, can you really afford to start anything right now? The boss is nicer than most, but she’s not a pushover. Become a problem and you’d be lucky to end up in the street with nothing except a target on your back.”

Sophia scowled, but lowered her arm and turned away from the thug, feeling his eyes on her back and trying to ignore them. She glared at the girl instead.

“And who are you supposed to be, smartass? Don’t look like a fighter to me.”

“Not a fighter, no. I’m Lisa. As I said before, nice to meet you.”

“You can call me Stalker, I guess.”

The girl’s mouth stretched into an infuriatingly smug smirk. Sophia narrowed her eyes. There was preciously little in that statement to be smiling about, unless this Lisa knew more than she let on.

So yeah, Sophia was wearing a domino mask, provided by the Butcher, but the fucking nazis filmed her without it. She wondered whether her family was safe, but then again, they were the PRT’s problem now. If mom wanted nothing to do with Sophia, she wasn’t going to risk her life and freedom to protect them either. Maybe Abby, the little brat, but even the Empire shouldn’t be so dumb as to attack an innocent little girl.

Lisa’s face turned serious again.

“We should be fine here, I think, right, Stalker? You can go, Marco, I’m sure you’ve got better stuff to do than listen to our girl talk.”

“Sure, Lise, whatever. Call me if she gives you any trouble.”

The guy’s steps receded and the door slowly swung shut behind him, nearly making Sophia flinch. She went to sit on the bottom bunk, only to be interrupted by her new roommate.

“That’s mine, actually. You can have the top one. Please, don’t sit on my bed before you clean yourself up.”

Sophia stopped to glare at the girl. It’s not like she had anything but the bloody, dusty clothes on her back, and even that was the PRT issue prisoner uniform. Lisa opened her mouth and made an ‘ah’ sound, then pointed at the wardrobe.

“I’ll get you some clothes, okay? We have similar builds, it should fit. There should be some unopened underwear too.”

“Don’t need your fucking charity!”

“Um, yeah, you do. You can always pay me back once you stop sulking and start doing some work around here. Like I was doing, before you interrupted me. So is it ‘yes’ for the shower or are you going to punch me and then explain to Amelia why you injured her only Thinker?”

Sophia sighed and forced her body to relax. She needed to play nice, at least for now. Accepting the bitch’s handouts, she went outside to a nearby communal shower. Not even an en-suite in this dump.