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Lung was defeated, by me, somehow. Well, I had a bit of help, the group in front of me right now, but looking at them, I was sure they were villains, between the creepy motorcycle mask and the fact I didn’t recognize any of them. The girl in the catsuit jumped off the lizard-dog creature she was riding and walked toward me, motioning to the others she was with to stay back. They didn’t seem like they were going to attack, so I stayed and tried to look as confident as possible.
She held out her hand, “Thanks for the assist. That could’ve gotten pretty bad if you weren’t here. Anyway, I’m Tattletale. What’s your name?”
I took her hand and shook it. Her hands felt nice around mine, and I unconsciously wondered if I was actually this sad of a person, to have a villain be some of the only nice contact I’ve had other than Dad. “Taylor,” I said, realization setting in a split second too late. “Shit, pretend you didn’t hear that.”
A blush started forming on my cheeks. Of all the things to happen on my first night out, somehow I managed to tell someone my real name, and it had to be a villain. I was sure Legend or Alexandria definitely haven’t ever doxxed themselves to a villain like I had just done.
“Hear what?” She laughed. It was light, almost playful, and I felt some tension leave my shoulders. “Y’know, we should keep in touch,” she said, writing on a small slip of paper and handing it to me, before leaving with the rest of her gang. I looked down at the paper in my hand. It had a phone number and a name hastily scrawled on it.
Lisa
_____________________________________________
I never thought a bank robbery would be anything I would even consider doing just a few weeks ago, and yet, here I was. Lisa was driving the van, and I was fidgeting with my pepper spray, thinking about my super top secret undercover plan. Armsmaster’s words from last night still bothered me. Were all “heros” like how he was? Was it even worth it to keep doing this to people that actually liked me?
“Nervous?” Lisa asked, ending my musing. I nodded. She leaned over and grabbed the hand not holding the pepper spray, giving it a squeeze. It was awkward, since my hands were pretty sweaty, and became sweatier as she held it. I was almost glad I felt so nervous for this mission because I always felt a little on edge around Lisa and her power.
“Don’t worry at all,” she said. “‘I’m sure that there shouldn’t be anyone coming. Like, all the wards are still in school and there’s no way the PRT can make it there before we get out and even if New Wave shows up and –” she was babbling. Was she also as nervous about this as me? She always seemed so confident, and so I squeezed her hand back because I didn’t know what else to do in this situation.
She stopped talking and looked at me. “Thanks,” she said softly, and looked away.
The rest of the drive was silent, but that was completely fine with me.
Especially with this blonde girl holding my hand.
___________________________________________________
The urge came right after the tongs left my nose. Bakuda was rummaging through some bin of the same metal capsules she shoved up my nose – seriously, did she actually just leave all those bombs in a rubbermaid box – and the tingly feeling would not leave my nose.
Oh god it’d be so embarrassing to die like this Alec’s going to record this somehow and WatchMojo’s next video will be “Top 10 Villain Fails,” with me as the thumbnail.
I looked away from Grue so he wouldn’t be able to see my face as I met my ignoble end and said my prayers.
“Skitter, what the f–”
“ACHOOO”
And that was how Skitter’s story ended.
Just to check though, I opened my eyes. Maybe I would still go to heaven even after robbing the bank? Panacea did try to hit me with a fire extinguisher, and it was technically Lisa’s fault anyway, so maybe god would have mercy and..
Oh.
A small plink sounded through the room. Bakuda looked at me wide eyed. Brian blinked.
“Hey, do you want this back?” I held up the nose bomb. It was covered in mucus and a bit of blood, but it’s pretty important to reduce, reuse, and recycle to save the planet, which I figured held in this case as well. Bakuda looked like a kicked dog.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and an old asian guy with a mop and a garbage bag walked in. “Hey boss, heard a bomb go off in here, need me to clean anything up again?”
“That was a sneeze, you– nevermind, just leave, I’m in the middle of something right now.” Bakuda turned back around to pick up the bomb she dropped.
The guy eyed my pepper spray. Quick as a flash, he grabbed it and pointed it at himself.
“I”M FREE!” he shouted, spraying a black mist directly into his nose.
He immediately started coughing and wheezing. “Fuck,” he said, in between coughs. “Get this shit out of my nose.” Ok, this might be more embarrassing than how I was about to die. He blew his nose on his sleeve, and that’s when it all went wrong. There was a small popping sound, and along with his head getting blown off his body, a pink mist filled the room.
Bakuda’s eyes widened the moment she saw the mist. “Ugh, I created three-seventeen as a joke, you guys can deal with this, I’m out.” She threw a bomb at the wall and jumped out, leaving just Brian and me in the room.
The moment I breathed in the mist, I felt an inexplicable urge to kiss him, to rip his clothes off and make him mine.
What the hell was that? I pushed the feeling into my bugs as much as possible. Somewhere, a group of cockroaches got really busy.
“Taylor,” said Brian in a husky voice. I could just feel he was eye fucking me through his motorcycle helmate.
Lisa burst into the room. “Sorry it took so long, are you guys good?” She was about to step forward, but I stopped her. “Lisa, no. One of Bakuda’s bombs went off and released some stuff that makes you– uh.” I blushed.
“Thanks for the concern honey, but I’ll be fine,” she laughed. “Ace privilege, I guess.”
She kneeled down and undid my restraints. For some reason, it felt like her touch lingered just a bit too long when she was untying my legs, but that was probably my imagination. Her face and neck were also really red. Maybe she had a fever?
She grabbed my hand and pulled me up, but didn’t let go and rubbed the back of my hand with her thumb, tracing circles.
We looked at each other for longer than strictly necessary, but Lisa suddenly turned away.
“You should probably go untie him,” she said, not meeting my eyes.
“He’s still looking at us weird, maybe leave him restrained for a bit longer?”
“My god, Taylor, didn’t know you were into that.”
“Shut up.”
_________________________________________________
Flooded streets. Buildings turned to rubble. Mothers crying for their children. The Endbringers were always a consideration, but only for other places, far away from me. But Leviathan had been here, right in front of my own eyes. One in four will die, Legend had said. What a joke, to get our hopes up like that.
Was this really the only reason why we are here? All these powers, all these people. The unsteady alliance between heroes and villains. It all felt so pointless, looking around at the destruction, the loved ones that died for nothing.
Lisa, I suddenly remembered. Where was she? And the armband – did she still think I was dead? I had to find her. The remaining bugs around me - mostly smaller flying insects and cockroaches started stirring, as I commanded them to search around me. I almost shouted her name, but I realized my bugs could already reach that far, and I didn’t need anyone putting two and two together and figuring out our civilian identities.
I started running around, having my bugs crawl on whatever they could to find people, while looking through their eyes. The migraine was going to be so bad later, but I needed to find her, to make sure she was alive.
Suddenly, I saw her blurry figure through my bugs. She was covered in debris and blood, and limping, but she was alive, and I let some tension leave my shoulders. Her eyes widened as she looked at the bugs, and she said something I couldn’t hear. I started running toward her, as fast as I could.
“Taylor!” she cried, leaning in and hugging me. “Thank god you’re still alive. I thought…” She looked away.
“Thought what?” I asked. It was only then that I noticed that only Alec was with us. I started feeling a sense of unease. “Where’s Brian and Rachel?” I asked, feeling more dread with each second she didn’t answer.
“They’re dead.” Alec said quietly. He didn’t show a lot of emotion, like usual, but I could tell his facade was starting to crack. “Brian got hit after Leviathan unfroze with Armsmaster and all the other capes there. Rachel got caught in a wave with her dogs and she didn’t make it.”
I stood there, processing what he said. Two of my friends, just gone forever. I’d never see Brian’s charming smile again, or sit with Rachel in comfortable silence with her dogs again.
It hurt so much and I exhaled but nothing came out and couldn't breath but I just needed to breath breath breath BREATH
Lisa leaned in close to me and pulled my head into her shoulder. “Shh,” she whispered into my ear, stroking my hair. “You’ve been through so much. More than anyone should. I’ll be with you, I promise.” A tear dripped into my hair. And I knew that nothing would ever hurt me again when she was here, that she would do anything for me, and that I would do anything for her.
Then Alec very subtly coughed, and Lisa and I separated.
“We should leave as soon as we can. There’s nothing left for us here. Coil’s dead, good riddance. His base was Leviathan's target, and he had a precog power, which didn’t work on Leviathan, so he should be gone for good.” Lisa said. She took my hand. “This way,” she said, tugging me along.
“Where are we going?”
“No clue”
“I’ll follow you anywhere you go”
I’m coming as well,” Alec chimed in.
We walked out of the ruins, hand in hand. Alec was there too.
___________________________________
The whole point of moving to the middle of nowhere is to be away from it all, but apparently we were too optimistic.
We’d traveled for weeks before finally settling down in this small little town. There weren’t a lot of people, but it was cozy, and supposed to be safe, away from any cape action. I’d retired from cape business, and Lisa mostly used her power to scam rich businessmen or cyberbullying. Alec didn’t use his real power anymore, and probably couldn’t have done much against Bonesaw anyway, one of the scariest members of the Nine.
Mechanical spiders restrained me and Lisa against the wall, and our tiny den was being rearranged by Bonesaw into a mockery of an operating room. A bag lay by the wall, the milk and vinegar within forgotten. Dead spiders and wasps littered the ground from my feeble attempt to stop her. Alec was slumped against a wall, a dart lodged in his neck. I tried not to think about what that meant for him, especially knowing the kinds of things Bonesaw carried with her.
“Hi y’all,” Bonesaw chirped. “I was just passing by, but I saw you gals and now I’m so curious. Both of you have such interesting powers, and I wanna see what's going on under the hood. Or under the skull, but same difference.”
“What about Regent?” I croaked. It was an obvious ploy to stall for time, but I hoped Lisa could pull something off. It was our only shot.
“I already have his sister. It’s actually really interesting how the Corona between family is virtually identical while still having different power expressions. It’s one part of parahuman research that no one has really been able to figure out yet. It’s probably related to different experiences and triggers that alter how the passenger chooses to give the power. But enough chatting. Who wants to go first? Raise your hand please, no calling out.”
Lisa’s knuckles whitened, but she met Bonesaw’s eyes and moved her hand up slightly, still restricted by the restraints. “You had a hard life at home, right? No, that's not right. Jack Slash, that’s–”
Bonesaw put a saw against Lisa’s neck. “Shut up!” She made a precise cut on the front of her neck, and for a moment my breath hitched and I thought she killed Lisa, but only a thin line of blood came out. “There, that should do it. Gosh, you’re so annoying.”
Lisa tried to respond, but only a raspy, airy sound came out of her mouth. Her eyes widened in terror and she struggled against the spider’s legs so hard it drew blood, staining the metal crimson.
“Oh, stop that,” Bonesaw said. “I’ll fix you right up later. For now though, I’m going to have so much fun with you!”
I looked on in horror, paralyzed, as she took out a scalpel and brought it down on Lisa’s skull in a mockery of a gentle caress. I saw a bit of pinkish gray under the incision she made and almost threw up in my mouth.
“Hmm… I don’t think I need all of you, just your brain. Ooooh, maybe I could take this out and hook it up to a computer, feed you raw data and use your power to run the whole thing. Or use that to get more brothers and sisters! Just a small alteration to make your power only work on people and never turn off, and I could convince so many people to join us! Maybe even your gir–”
Stars. A tiny, insignificant speck in an ocean, but full of life. They spiral through space, parts vanishing and reappearing like a kaleidoscope.
[Destination]
[Agreement]
My eyes opened, and I felt a faint sense of deja vu. I knew I had just witnessed something profound, just out of reach, but Bonesaw interrupted my attempt to remember what it was.
“You couldn’t have waited a little longer? Ugh, I knew I should have brought my equipment. Darn it, why does everyone keep trying to ruin my fun?”
She moved to get a closer look at Lisa’s head, but suddenly froze, a fearful expression replacing her usual cheerful one. I was confused, but realized she was looking at Lisa’s hands that were rapidly making gestures at her. Since when did she know sign language?
“No, stop!” Bonesaw cried. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you mommy. I’ll be good from now on, I promise.” Bonesaw, one of the scariest members of the Nine, curled up on the ground, small sobs filling the silent room. I felt a pang in my heart, almost pity. Even though I knew she’d murdered, mutilated, and tortured hundreds of people, seeing her acting like the child she was reminded me that it was Jack Slash that manipulated people into becoming monsters, and that she was just another victim. At the same time, that still didn’t absolve her for her actions, especially against Lisa.
Lisa looked at me with a complicated expression. Slowly, she raised her hand, three fingers extended.
[Love]
The love between two, sharing secrets and whispering roses in the waning autumn sun, as the grass tickles their feet and sways in the gentle kiss of the warm breeze. The certainty that worlds could collapse and burn and they would be nothing; the sweet nothings whispered, as long as you are mine as I am yours, and your hand never let mine go.
Fire filled my chest, soaring like a dove through the sky, and not even the wet squish as a scalpel pierced the mesh around Bonesaw’s heart pulled me away from the bottle green eyes swimming in tears, alone together in our world.
___________________________________
A pale light shone through the curtains, but sleep would not come. Faces swirled in and out of my vision in the moon-kissed room. Reggie. Brian. Rachel. Bon– no, Riley. Only a cosmic miracle stopped Taylor from being on that list.
This time, Riley stayed. I watched, unable to act, as she raised the scalpel.
Drip.
Drip.
She pointed it at me, in accusation. Your fault. You did this.
I reached out, but before I had even moved an inch, the scalpel tore through her neck in a flash of silver. Blood poured out of the gash like a macabre waterfall, sticking to my clothes, my heart. The puppet with cut strings stared at me, judging me with an inexplicable weight.
I gently shook the girl sleeping next to me to wake her up. I felt a little bad, but she always understood. She slowly rolled over and groaned, but reached for me with her arms, wrapping me in an embrace. She didn’t question, only gave me the support she always did.
“One of these nights, huh,” she murmured. I signed an [Agreement]. After all this time, I still didn’t fully understand my new power, only that people always got what I meant, and a little more.
I let the emotion I’d been holding back flood out, shaking in her steady arms.
“Which one was it this time?”
I signed back to her.
Her half asleep hazel eyes met mine, full of warmth. “You did nothing wrong. You know how triggers are, you weren’t in your right state of mind. We both would have died, if not for you. You’re so brave, selfless, kind, and I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
I was about to reply that it was my [fault] and that I [didn’t deserve] her and that it’d all be better if I was [dead], but she grabbed my hand, silencing me.
“No,” she said, her voice firm. I gave her a look. “I know what you were thinking, and I won’t allow you to be so self destructive. You’re going to stay, and you’re going to like it.” She let my hands go, and gave me a peck on the forehead. “Now go to sleep.”
I didn’t even bother protesting. Sleep quickly took us both, and I dreamed of brilliant green fields garnished with the hypnotising sway of our endless dance, dirty blonde and brown curls swirling round which transcended even the beckoning abyss.