One More Trigger Pt 10 (Patreon)

We need earpiece radios, thought Taylor. It would make this so much easier.

But they didn’t have them, and that was that.

Fortunately, they had other methods of communication. Forcing limitations on them, via the ‘three wise monkeys’ and other training techniques, had made the girls adept at thinking outside the box, working out new ways to get around their problems.

Ladybug reached out, located a strand of Sparx’s hair. She tugged on it twice, then twice more. Group conference.

Tendrils snaked out to Aerodyne and Ladybug, split into the individual hairs, moved to form a tightly-spaced grid pattern in front of each of them. Ladybug sensed hers with her bugs; Aerodyne, with her fingertips and her air sense.

Bugs landed on each grid pattern, approximating locations of hostages, their own locations, and the villains walking through the lobby.

Almost simultaneously, Sparx and Aerodyne formed the hand-gesture for interrogative; who? Or sometimes, what?

Bugs tapped out Morse code – simple, easy to learn. The girls had been drilled in it. U-S-I-D. They got it. The Undersiders.

Using hand gestures refined by months of practice, hampered only a little by the encompassing darkness, they worked out the plan.

Step 1: Get the hostages clear.

Step 2: Disable and subdue. Divide and conquer.

There weren’t so many words involved, but by the time the Undersiders had assembled at the front of the bank, the plan was complete. They each knew what they had to do.

So long as there were no nasty surprises. Someone had always brought in a nasty surprise. It kept them from becoming complacent.

They were ready. The bugs were ready.

***

Grue reached the front of the lobby and turned to face the cloud of blackness that covered the people who had been in the bank when they entered. The people they had gathered during their entry phase were with this crowd; cowed, huddling with the rest.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he called out, loudly enough to be heard over the muffling effect of his darkness. "This is just a bank robbery! We are not here to hurt you! If you do nothing stupid, you won't get hurt! We're just here to take the money and go!"

His voice was booming, echoing. Mysterious and frightening, Lisa had told him. Intimidating. Just the sort of thing to frighten people into cooperating.

Chariot stood near the main doors, revving his engine. Reminding people he was there. Bitch stood near him, her dogs by her. She was making them larger, more able to carry weight. She didn't like Chariot, had not approved of Lisa's bringing him into the team. But he was able to provide his own transport, and at a pinch for one other member of the team. Plus, they sorely needed a Tinker.

Regent stood near Grue, flipping his sceptre up and catching it again. Showing off for an audience who could not see him.

Lisa was heading for the vault. He knew her capabilities; she could get that door open. And then, load the proceeds on to her dogs, and they'd be home free.

She paused, frowning, just as he was distracted by a buzzing inside his helmet. And another. Bugs were getting into his helmet, crawling into his eyes and nose and mouth and ears. He blinked frantically, shook his head. They refused to be dislodged.

"Something's wrong," said Tattletale, and looked at Grue as he shook his head again. Under her mask, her face paled. "Oh Christ," she said. "We've got a cape in the bank. Maybe more than one."

"Shit!". He wrenched his helmet off, covering his face with darkness, and furiously rubbed his eyes and nose free of bugs. And then he saw them.

***

As soon as she received the double-tap on her wrist from Ladybug's bug - Grue's distracted - Aerodyne stepped out from behind concealment, along with the other two. Stepping over and around the prone and sitting hostages, her air-sense painting her a basic picture of where they were, she put her hand out before her and concentrated.

This was the first conscious use of her powers that she had managed, and she had practised assiduously with it. A semi-circular barrier sprang up between the hostages and the Undersiders; if the villains had guns, or unrecorded ranged attacks, or if Bitch's dogs chose to attack, this wall would afford them some level of protection.

However, she would be hard put to do anything else with her powers right now; this was going to take all of her concentration.

At the same time, Sparx sent tendrils out to every person on their side of the barrier; bewildered people felt themselves being urged to their feet, guided back toward the open doorway leading into the rear offices. An unseen grasp gently lifted, steadied, directed them. It seemed to know what it was doing; they went with it.

And then the darkness on their side of the barrier began to fade; it seemed that Grue needed a direct connection to promulgate his miasma, and Aerodyne's wall had cut off that direct connection. Given back their sight, people moved faster, more surely.

***

A freckled brunette with frizzy hair was among them. She had initially been worried for her well-being, but she recognised the gesture for what it was. Getting the civilians out of the way before the fight starts. I have to admire that.

***

Grue rubbed his eyes and mouth free of bugs, looked toward the hostages, at where they were moving toward the rear exit. And then he saw the three capes. Standing at the forefront of the crowd, wearing civilian clothes but masked up, one holding her hand out, palm forward, fingers spread. As if warding something off.

The second one he recognised at once, from dramatic photos taken at the Weymouth Mall. Long coat, body-hugging costume, red hair spreading in all directions like the tentacles of a nightmarish octopus. That has to be Sparx. And the third one, arms crossed, crawling with bugs, except her helmet, shaped and coloured to resemble a ladybug.

He and Tattletale spoke at the same time; "It's Team Samaritan!"

***

At that moment, the spiders fell on Tattletale. She went to flail, then stopped herself from moving with an effort. Her power told her exactly what sort of spiders they were - black widows - and her chances of survival if they all bit her at once - not good.

Just as she froze, Chariot's engine cut out.

***

Behind her visor, Ladybug grinned. She'd been about to cover Grue's faceplate with bugs, but then her questing insects had located the vents around the edges of his visor. And bugs inside a helmet are far more problematic than those same bugs outside a helmet.

Her reading on the Undersiders had given her the understanding that Tattletale was a Thinker; perhaps a clairvoyant, perhaps a prescient. Maybe a mind-reader, though no-one wanted to say 'telepath', given the association with the Simurgh. She decided to try the black widows, give her a verbal warning if she didn't figure it out. But she figured it out, and froze. Good.

And Chariot ... Chariot was easy. A swarm of bugs into the air intake of his revving engine - why would anyone use an air-breathing engine anyway? - choked it out, stalling it.

***

Grue let the darkness drop; it didn't seem to be hampering the members of Team Samaritan anyway. He was surprised and dismayed when the darkness ran out altogether at a delineated boundary between himself and the three heroes.

No wonder they were acting like they could see - they can.

"Undersiders," snapped Sparx, "I'd advise you to surrender."

Regent made a negligent gesture, and Aerodyne fell to her knees. Her hand dropped, and a moment later, so did the shield.

Chariot swore as he tried to restart his engine.

Bitch lifted her hand to her mouth, preparing to give her dogs a whistled command, but fell to her knees, coughing and choking, as a bug flew down her throat.

***

Still hacking and coughing, Bitch made a hand motion, and her dogs bounded forward, growling and slavering. Aerodyne, still on her knees, lifted her hands again and met them with screaming blasts of air. They were smashed backward, the miniature tornadoes driving them off their feet. Aerodyne’s lips were compressed, her expression determined.

Regent went to use his power on Aerodyne again, but a tendril of red hair wrapped around his wrist. In the next instant, he found out what it was like to be jabbed with his own sceptre; the charge coursed through him and he dropped to the ground, twitching feebly.

Grue and Bitch found themselves surrounded by swirling swarms of bugs, making vision difficult and speech impossible. Aerodyne hit the dogs with blast after blast of air, penning them up in the corner, as she climbed to her feet.

“You okay?’ asked Ladybug, giving her a hand.

“I’m fine,” Aerodyne replied, sending another tornado blast downrange. “Caught me by surprise, is all.”

“One more time!” shouted Sparx over the thunderous sounds of the barking dogs, and the howl of Aerodyne’s tornado blasts. “Surrender, now, before anyone gets hurt!”

“I’ll do you a deal!” shouted Tattletale back. “They walk, I give myself up!”

Sparx moved toward Tattletale and snaked tendrils around her; Ladybug moved the spiders off her body as the tendrils took hold. Leaning close to Tattletale, Sparx said, “I don’t think you’re in a very good bargaining position, but I’ll give you props for trying.”

At that moment, Chariot’s engine burst into life again, spewing black smoke and charred insect bodies.

Tattletale looked Sparx in the eye. “I want to give myself up,” she said quietly. “As it is, I know one thing that will screw your powers, and severely hamper the other two.” She glanced meaningfully at the ceiling sprinklers. “That’ll give us a really good chance for a fighting withdrawal. Or, I give myself up, you let the rest of them walk – no-one got hurt, nothing was stolen – and you keep me as your prisoner. You don’t hand me over to the authorities. Deal?”

Sparx frowned. “Why do you want to give yourself up?” she asked. “What’s the catch?”

Tattletale sighed. “Too long to explain now. Deal, yes or no?”

Sparx had to make the decision now. Tattletale apparently knew of her weakness to water, and a heavy spray of water would certainly screw with the bugs, and would cause problems with Aerodyne’s air powers, but possibly not as much as Tattletale thought.

What the hell, she thought. See what she’s got in mind.

“Okay, done,” she said out loud. “Everyone, stand down. Undersiders, you’re free to go. Tattletale, you stay here with us.”

Aerodyne and Ladybug immediately backed off to stand near Sparx. Ladybug pulled all the bugs off of Bitch and Grue.

“Wait just a second!” shouted Grue. “Tattletale -!”

“It’s the only way,” Tattletale told him. “Go. Go now. There’ll be more capes along in a moment.”

Bitch looked as though she was going to order her dogs to attack, but Tattletale put up a hand. “No,” she said clearly. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”

Bitch hesitated.

“Go!” shouted Tattletale, as forcefully as she could.

The Undersiders left, Grue pausing in the doorway and looking back one more time before vanishing from sight. Chariot’s engine noise dopplered into the distance, then cut out as the bank doors slid shut.

“Okay,” said Sparx, “suppose you start making sense. Why should we not hand you over to the cops, or to the Protectorate?”

“Well,” said Tattletale, “for one thing, it would be hard for me to join the team if you did that.”

All three of the Samaritans turned to stare at her.

“One more time,” said Ladybug.

Tattletale sighed. “Okay, medium long version. I was coerced into joining the Undersiders. Not by them – they’re my friends and I like them. By a man called Coil. He’s had me under threat of death if I ever tried to leave. But this is my ticket out. I get captured by heroes, it’s obviously not my doing. Also ...”

“Also ...?” prompted Aerodyne.

“Also, the Wards have arrived,” said Tattletale. “You might want to ask them in.”

***

The first cape into the bank was wearing Clockblocker’s costume, but he identified himself as Aegis. He was followed by Gallant, and the rest of the Brockton Bay Wards. Also among their number was a tall, beautiful blonde in a white costume.

“Amy!” she called. “Amy!”

The hostages were venturing forth from the rear offices of the bank now, and the freckled brunette flung herself into the blonde’s arms.

“Amy, thank god you’re all right,” said the blonde, who Sparx belatedly recognised as the New Wave hero Glory Girl.

Has she joined the Wards? wondered Sparx.

“I’m fine,” said the girl called Amy.

“Wait a minute,” muttered Ladybug. “Isn’t that Glory Girl’s sister Panacea?”

Aerodyne stared and then nodded. “Ah, of course, duh.”

Aegis approached the three girls of Team Samaritan. “Well done,” he said. “I see you captured Tattletale. Any casualties?”

“Their pride, I guess,” said Ladybug. “Nothing stolen, in any case.”

Aegis nodded. “Very well done, then.” He looked them over. “Ah, I’m guessing you were in the bank at the time.”

Sparx grinned. “No, you think?” She nodded to her own costume. “Skin-tight, for the win.”

“So I see,” said Aegis. “Well, you have my congratulations. We’ll take Tattletale off your hands now.” He stepped forward, reaching for the bound villain.

There was a frozen moment. Tattletale looked at Sparx, and Sparx looked back at her.

“Ah, no, you won’t,” said Sparx. “Sorry.” The mass of hair tendrils holding Tattletale moved her out of Aegis’ reach.

Aegis stopped, and looked at her. “I ... beg your pardon?” he asked.

“She gave herself up to us,” explained Sparx firmly. “Not you. Not the police. Us. Team Samaritan.” She looked at Tattletale. “Isn’t that how you put it?”

Tattletale nodded. “That’s exactly how I put it.” She looked Aegis in the eye. “I’ve given myself up specifically to Team Samaritan’s custody. I’m sure they can prevent me from committing any more crimes.”

Aegis looked confused. “But you can’t do that!”

“Do what?” asked Gallant, strolling up with Glory Girl on his arm, and Amy/Panacea on her other arm. Also approaching was Vista.

“They took Tattletale prisoner, and now they say they’re keeping her. And she’s agreeing to this!” Aegis expostulated.

“No, actually, it was her idea to give herself up to us, and we’re agreeing to it,” Sparx corrected.

Gallant frowned. “I’m sure that’s against the law somehow,” he said thoughtfully.

“Name the law,” challenged Sparx. Ladybug grinned to herself. Alan Barnes had been studying cape law ever since his daughter had become a cape herself. Emma had a fair grounding in it herself.

“Unlawful custody?” guessed Aegis.

“Only works if she’s unwilling. And she chose to enter our custody,” Sparx pointed out. “Try again.”

“Harbouring a fugitive?” hazarded Gallant.

Sparx shook her head. “You know we’ve got her. We’re not going to be letting her go. And technically, she didn’t commit a crime today.”

“That can’t be right,” Aegis declared. “She came here with the Undersiders to commit a bank robbery.”

“Which was never actually committed,” pointed out Tattletale cheerfully. “The only thing you can get me on today is associating with known criminals.”

“Wait, wait,” said Vista, pushing forward. “I have a solution to all this.”

Aegis and Gallant looked at her somewhat askance. Sparx raised an eyebrow. “Vista, right? What’s your solution?”

“Well, Director Piggot has authorised me to offer my services as your liaison with the Wards,” said Vista cheerfully. “If you accept me in that capacity, I can officially keep an eye on Tattletale for the Wards, until all this is worked out.”

There was silence for a long moment, then Sparx said thoughtfully, “Liaison? How does this work? And why do we even have a liaison?”

Vista grinned. “I join your team, work alongside you, and we learn from each other. And when the Samaritans and the Wards work together, I’ll be the go-between.” She paused. “And as for the why, well, you guys took down Lung, even before you were a team. Since then, you’ve gone from strength to strength. My guess? Director Piggot wants to know what you’re doing right, and how to apply it to Wards training.”

“New Wave never got a liaison,” observed Glory Girl.

***

Amy watched, and her thoughts raced. She tried to think back to the last time she'd ever felt so ... together ... with New Wave, as Team Samaritan seemed to be with each other. No backbiting, no subtle jockeying for dominance. She couldn't think of one.

Nor could she think of a time when she wasn't attempting to gain approval from someone who she knew, deep down, was never going to give it.

Carol Dallon will never be my mother. Will never accept me as her daughter.

I want to belong. Somewhere.

***

“That’s because New Wave already has adults in it,” Vista pointed out with a grin. “Team Samaritan is all teenagers. Having me as a liaison gives you a line to legal representation or even transport, if you need it.”

Aerodyne and Ladybug looked at each other, then at Sparx. “Well, when you put it that way ...” said Sparx.

She smiled sweetly at Aegis. “Well, that sounds reasonable to me. How about to you?”

Aegis shook his head. “There’s a con going on here somewhere. And you do realise we could just take her from you.”

“What,” said Tattletale, “you’d attack the team that took down Lung, saved the Weymouth Mall, and impressed the Director so much that she assigned an official PRT liaison to them?”

Gallant looked at Aegis. “I think this is above our pay grade,” he said.

“Well,” said Sparx, “we still need to discuss some matters with Tattletale. So while you two kick this upstairs, we can go and chat with her about ... stuff.”

“Stuff?” asked Aegis.

“Stuff,” repeated Ladybug firmly.

Aegis sighed, shook his head, then finally nodded. “Just ... don’t go anywhere,” he said finally. “Don’t go letting her go, either.”

“Hell, no,” said Aerodyne, unexpectedly. “She’s our first supervillain. We want to collect the set.”

***

Sparx and Ladybug were still giggling when they got Tattletale to a set of chairs on the far side of the bank. Vista stood off a little way, watching, but out of earshot.

“I can’t believe you said that,” Ladybug chuckled. “’Collect the set’, indeed.”

“Sorry,” grinned Aerodyne, “it just slipped out.”

Sparx cleared her throat and forced a smile off her face. “Okay,” she said to Tattletale. “Our first problem is security. You’re a supervillain. How are we supposed to protect our secret identities if you join the team?”

Tattletale grinned a very vulpine grin. “It’s a non-issue. Your name is Emma Barnes. Ladybug here would be ... Taylor Hebert. And I don’t know Aerodyne’s name, but give me ten minutes online, and I think I could put a name to that face.”

She looked around the circle of staring faces. “What?” she said. “I put together information. It’s what I do.” They continued staring. “It’s my power,” she explained. “If I get even the slightest hint toward something, I can generally unravel the whole thing.”

“Ah,” said Emma. “Right. That actually kind of makes sense.”

“Well, as Tattletale says, security is a non-issue,” said Taylor with a shrug. “So. Why do you even want to join our team? What’s in it for you?”

Tattletale looked at them seriously. “Well, for starters, just to prove how serious I am, my name’s Lisa Wilbourn.” She turned away from the other people in the bank, reached up, and removed her mask for just a moment, giving them a good look at her face.

“Oh,” said Emma. “Oh. Wow. Did you just ... unmask to us?”

Lisa nodded. “I did. I want you to be able to trust me.”

“You were saying about why you want to join our team,” Taylor said quietly. “You still haven’t made that bit clear.”

“Well, you know that guy I told you about?” asked Lisa. “The supervillain Coil?”

They nodded.

“Well, he told me to find out as much information about you three as I could,” she explained. “I’m getting the very strong vibe that he’s worried about you.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Is ... that why you’re joining the team?” asked Madison faintly. “To get information on us? Because really, telling us about it sort of defeats the purpose.”

“Or is it just to get protection from him?” asked Taylor. “Because if you want that, you’d probably be better off letting the Wards arrest you.”

Lisa shook her head. “No,” she said. “While he’s alive and free, he’s a danger to my life.” She looked at each of them in turn. “I want to take him down. And you can help me do it.” 

Part 11