Confrontation Pt 4 (Patreon)

Monday, April 11

I picked up the phone and dialled. It rang exactly once before it was answered. “Hello?”

“Hi, Dad,” I responded. “It's me. Taylor. I just want you to know that I'm okay.”

“Oh thank god, Taylor,” he exclaimed. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, Dad,” I assured him. “It's really me. I'm all right. I'm not hurt.” Not any more, anyway, I told myself. Panacea, sitting beside me, put her arm across my shoulders and squeezed encouragingly.

“Where are you?” he demanded. “I've been going out of my mind with worry. When you went out last night and didn't come back … “

I took a deep breath. “I'm at the PRT building, Dad,” I told him. “I … there's something you need to know.”

“What?” He seemed totally taken aback by my revelation. “Why? What's going on? Why are you there?”

Time for the half-truth, just in case someone was listening in. “I've kind of gotten a job with them. But we need you to come in and fill out some paperwork.”

“Wait a second,” he protested. “You're only fifteen. What did they hire you for? And why out of the blue like that?”

He was asking way too many questions. “It's uh, a kind of internship,” I temporised. “But we really need you to come on in. Look, gotta go, see you when you get here, bye.”

I put the phone down, then clasped my hands in front of me, trying to make the shaking go away.

Panacea looked sympathetically at me. “You okay?” she asked.

I nodded, then shook my head. “I hate lying to my dad.”

She grimaced. “That must suck. My dad already knows about me being a cape, of course, but you know, teenage daughters are gonna find something to get in trouble for.”

Her tone was so dry at the end that I giggled involuntarily. “Look, thanks for sitting with me,” I told her. “I really appreciate it.”

She smiled in reply. “You definitely made the morning interesting. Is your hair the right length?”

Thus distracted, I ran my hands through my hair. It felt really full and bouncy, like I'd spent a month's allowance on hair care product, and just gone wild on it.

“Yeah,” I allowed. “If it's not, then I can't see anyone noticing. Thanks for growing it back for me.”

“Well, between that and saving Lung's life from a cocktail of amazingly versatile venoms, yeah, I haven't had a boring moment all morning,” she responded mischievously.

I closed my eyes and gently bumped the back of my head against the wall. “I am never going to live that down, am I?” I asked the air. “I didn't mean to nearly kill him. I thought the venoms would just put him down.”

“And they almost did,” she assured me. “The beating he got after that had him down and unconscious.” She lowered her voice. “It was the tranquilliser that changed everything.”

My eyes widened. “So it wasn't me.”

“No.” She looked warningly at me. “But if you say anything, Armsmaster gets in all sorts of trouble, and he did save your life by getting you to the hospital on time.”

“Oh god,” I groaned, bumping my head against the wall again. “Damned if I do, damned if I don't.”

“Careful,” she advised me, only half-seriously. “I can't affect brains. If you give yourself a concussion, you have to live with it.”

I sighed. “Okay.” Turning my head, I looked questioningly at her. “Can't affect brains? Like, at all?”

“Nope,” she replied flatly. “The rest of the body, I'm good. Comes to the brain, my power just switches off. Won't do a thing.”

“Huh, that's a weird limitation,” I mused. “I suppose that's so you don't accidentally lobotomise someone you don't like while you're healing them.”

She snickered, but there was a hollow sound to it. “I guess.”

I put my arm around her shoulders; she looked a little startled. “Anyway, thanks for being here. For helping. I … well, I really appreciate it. A lot. And if you ever need anything, just ask. I mean it.”

She ducked her head, but I saw the pink flush start in her cheeks before her hood covered her face. “That's okay,” she mumbled.

Just at that moment, a voice exclaimed, “Ames! There you are! I've been wondering where you got to!”

We both looked around as Glory Girl burst in through the door. I knew her, of course; she was one of the better-known teen heroes in Brockton Bay. She barely spared me a glance, darting to her sister's side. “Seriously, Ames. This thing with you getting up in the middle of the night and walking to the hospital has got to stop.”

Panacea shook her head. “People need healing, Vicky. It's what I do.” From the resigned tone of her voice, I got the impression that this was not the first time that they'd had this argument.

Glory Girl rolled her eyes. ”Yeah, right. Anyway, I go to the hospital, and I find that you've come to the PRT building. What's with that?” She appeared to notice me for the first time. “Hi, who are you?”

I was suddenly seized by shyness. “I, uh -”

“She needed healing,” Amy put in. “And the PRT want to talk to her, so she's here now. And I got a lift with them.”

I was very grateful that she had; she had seemed know that I needed someone to talk to, just so I didn't curl up in a ball and hide under the table. Everything was happening too fast; it wasn't until I had gotten to the PRT building that I had finally decided to make the plunge and call Dad.

It wasn't that I absolutely had to; Armsmaster had informed me of that little tidbit. But the PRT was usually much happier if the parents of their Wards were informed of what was going on. And so, I had decided that telling Dad and weathering the storm now was probably better than having him find out at some inconvenient moment later on, and having it happen then.

“I … thanks for being here,” I told Panacea. “It helped, a lot.”

“So why do the PRT want to talk to you?” asked Glory Girl. “You're not a criminal, or they'd be processing you. Not a witness, or they'd already be talking to you.” She blinked, connecting the dots. “What, you're a cape?”

Panacea raised her head, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, why don't you say that a bit louder, Vicky? I'm not sure if they heard it in Boston. Seriously, she's only new, so cut her some slack.”

“Hey, hey, ease off, Ames,” Glory Girl told her sister placatingly, holding her hands up in surrender. “Victoria Dallon. Pleased to meet you. What do you call yourself?”

I gingerly shook her proffered hand; Glory Girl was widely known as an Alexandria package who could reportedly bench-press trucks. One took care when shaking hands with a Brute. “Uh … I don't really have a cape name yet.”

Glory Girl frowned. “Huh? Wow, you are new. What are your powers?”

I shrank back; in the face of Glory Girl's relentless questioning, my resolve was starting to erode. However, Panacea came to my rescue.

“Leave her alone, Vicky. She went up against Lung last night. It didn't go well for her. So back off, okay?”

Glory Girl blinked, then stared at me. “You went against Lung, and survived? Shit, you must be tougher than you look.”

“I nearly died,” I admitted, in a very small voice.

“As opposed to actually dying, that's a pretty big contrast, especially when it comes to Lung,” Vicky told me admiringly. “I could maybe take him, but I don't think I'd really want to try. Going up against Lung, unless you're in the Triumvirate, that takes balls of solid titanium.”

Both Panacea and I winced at the same time; I did it because I recalled just where I'd been having my bugs bite and sting Lung. She must have been recalling the mess I'd made of them. Glory Girl didn't even notice. “Anyway, Ames, Mom wanted me to remind you not to be late to school. So I thought I'd fly you in.”

Panacea rolled her eyes. “School. Yay.” She turned to me and gave me a hug, which I returned after a moment. “Keep in touch, okay?”

“Uh, if it's all right?” I asked, unsure.

She grinned and knuckled my forehead gently. “Sure it's all right. I want to see how you're doing.”

“Okay then.” I smiled back at her. “I'll do that.”

I watched them leave, and the waiting room got a lot quieter after that. Someone came in and asked me if I wanted something to eat or drink; I asked for tea, and got it in a paper cup. Cookies came with it; I nibbled some while I sipped my tea.

While I waited, I spread my senses out. There weren't all that many bugs in the PRT building; at least, there weren't as many as in the surrounding air and buildings, and certainly not as many as on the ground. But there were enough for me to get a good feel for the layout, and where I was in it. Interestingly, I noted levels below ground level; how far down this building extended, I wasn't sure.

I didn't do anything with the bugs, of course; I was a guest here. And as it was, I could barely use their senses to get anything understandable to my human brain.

Dad's arrival came as almost a surprise; I only recognised him via the bugs after he'd entered the building. He was escorted up in the elevator to my floor, and along the corridor to the room I was waiting in. I was already standing by the time the door opened.

“Dad!” I flung myself into his arms.

He held me tight, lifted me off the ground. “Taylor. Oh thank Christ you're alive. What happened? Why are you here? And why are you wearing those clothes? And where did you go last night?”

Once he released me from the hug, I looked sheepishly down at the clothes I had been given. They weren't really my fit; jeans that were just long enough in the leg, but required belting way in to fit my waist, and a t-shirt that basically hung off of me. Fortunately, my underwear had survived Lung.

I took a deep breath. “Dad … sit down. I need to talk to you about … stuff.”

Slowly, he sat down. “Taylor, I'm going to need some answers. I don't understand any of this.”

“Yeah, and I'm really sorry, Dad. Okay, I lied a little bit when I said I had an internship job here. The truth is, I have powers.”

I stopped talking; he blinked at me.

“You have powers.” His voice was flat.

I nodded. “I have powers,” I repeated. “And I have a costume. And last night I went out for the first time, and I did something stupid, andInearlydiedbutI'mgoodnow, and they want me to join the Wards,” I finished in a rush.

“Wait just a minute,” he told me. “Back up just a little. The bit after you did something stupid.”

I couldn't look him in the face. Staring at the carpet, I mumbled, “I kinda nearly died.”

His arms went around me again. “Taylor! What were you thinking?”

My voice rose in response. “I was thinking I want to be a superhero, Dad! I have powers! I have a costume! I can help people!”

“Or you can run into someone who nearly kills you, apparently,” he retorted.

The door opened, and Armsmaster stood there. “Which is why we would like her to join the Wards, Mr Hebert,” he observed.

I wondered if perfect timing was a power that he had, or if he was just listening in. On second thought, I went with 'listening in'.”

Dad looked from me to Armsmaster and back. “And why should she do that? It's obviously too dangerous for her.”

“No, it's not -” I began, at the same time that Armsmaster started talking again. I shut up and let him go on.

“Perhaps, Mr Hebert, you'd like to know exactly who she went up against.”

Danny tilted his head. “Do tell.”

Armsmaster smiled slightly. “Lung. And he's now in custody, thanks in great part to Taylor's efforts.”

Dad stared at him, then at me. “You went up against Lung?”

I shrugged. “Said I did something stupid.”

“But you helped capture him?”

Another shrug. “Maybe not 'helped'. Made it easier, maybe.”

“Mr Hebert,” Armsmaster interjected. “Your daughter has powers. It's very hard for someone with powers to not use them. We can help her train with them, provide a safe working environment, and a team to fall back on if she gets in trouble. All she has to do is join the Wards.”

Dad frowned. “Well, when you put it that way … “

I stayed silent. Please say yes, please say yes.

“There's a stipend, and a trust fund that money is paid into while she's in the Wards. She gets access to it when she turns eighteen,” Armsmaster noted. “What school does she go to?”

“Winslow,” Dad replied absently; he was still, I knew, thinking about it.

“Hm,” Armsmaster responded. “It would make it easier if she was at Arcadia, but we can definitely work with Winslow.” At the time, the comment seemed a little odd to me, but I let it go by. Later, of course, I would realise the significance.

“Dad … ?” I ventured, unable to stay quiet any more.

He sighed and turned to me. “If I said no, you'd sneak out anyway, wouldn't you, kiddo?” His tone was a mixture of exasperation and fondness.

“Maybe,” I admitted, dropping my eyes.

He turned to Armsmaster. “And you'd make sure her grades didn't suffer?”

“It's part of our mandate,” the armoured hero assured him firmly. “She would attend class just as often as she was able.”

Dad nodded. “Right. Well … as it seems that I'm already outvoted in this matter … I guess I'm going to have to say yes.”

I flung my arms around him again.

<><>

That Afternoon

Shortly after Taylor's interview with Richardson

A knock sounded on Gerard's office door; he looked up. “Yes?” he called.

The door opened, revealing Aegis standing outside. “You called for me, sir?” His tone was polite and respectful.

“Yes, I did. Please, come in.”

As Aegis did so, Gerard squared the files on his desk, then pushed his glasses up his nose a little. “You've been made aware that we have a new recruit joining the Wards?”

“Yes, sir; Armsmaster briefed me in, earlier.”

Gerard allowed himself a slight smile. “Good. That makes my life a little easier. She's doing the paperwork right now. Once she's finished, I'd like you to introduce her to the rest of the Wards.”

A frown creased Aegis' face. “Uh, yes, sir. I was going to be doing that anyway ...” He trailed off as Gerard raised a finger. “Uh, sir?”

“I also need you to do something else for me,” the head of the Brockton Bay PR department stated. “I need you to ensure that Shadow Stalker is out on patrol before you do that.”

If anything, the frown on Aegis' face deepened. “I'm … not sure that I understand, sir.”

Gerard sighed. “Taylor is … fragile. She was badly shaken by her near-death experience, and is suffering a lack of self-esteem, of confidence, as a result. Also,” he went on, raising his voice slightly as Aegis went to open his mouth, “I'm getting the distinct impression that she's undergone some sort of harassment or bullying, and not so long ago. Anything that comes across as a denigration of her self, her heroic identity, before she has a chance to get comfortable in it, could drive her away from us for good. I'm not sure that we could trust Shadow Stalker in this matter, even if you told her to leave the girl alone. Thus, patrol.”

Aegis nodded slowly. “I can do that.” He paused for a moment, apparently thinking. “I'd written up the roster so that Vista was due to go out on patrol with Browbeat. I'll switch it around so that Shadow Stalker goes with him instead.”

It was Gerard's turn to frown slightly. “Browbeat's only been with us for a few days. Shadow Stalker tends to be fairly abrasive. Is it wise to pair them together so early?”

Aegis tilted his head in acknowledgement of the point. “Browbeat isn't exactly a people person either, sir. I doubt that he'll be interested in talking too much.”

“Your point is valid. Very well, let's see how this goes.”

“I'll go change the roster now, sir.” Aegis turned and left the office, closing the door carefully behind him.

Gerard sighed and leaned back in his chair. Removing his glasses, he closed his eyes and rubbed them with finger and thumb.

Some days, he mused, this job is like tap-dancing in a minefield.

<><>

I had thought the interview room was quiet before, while I was filling out the forms. But since the clerk and come and taken them away, even the sound of pen scratching over paper was gone. I looked around, at the large mirror covering most of one wall.

“Wow,” I murmured to Dad. “It's like every police drama ever. I mean, I know for a fact that's one-way glass, with a room behind it.”

The anechoic tiles on the floor and walls and ceiling simply took the sound of my voice and swallowed it; I found myself working my jaw, to pop my ears. It didn't help.

He looked quizzically at me. “What, your bugs tell you that?”

I shrugged. “I just know it is; why else would they put such a large mirror in the room? Also, yeah, there's bugs in there. I think there's also recording equipment, but it's all turned off.”

He was staring at me. I blinked. “What?”

“Your powers. I'm still getting used to them. And the fact that you even have them.”

“I really wish you hadn't had to find out this way,” I apologised sincerely. “But there never really was a good time to tell you.”

He sighed and nodded. “I guess. I've been pretty well caught up in my own problems. I guess I needed a wake-up call.”

I put my arms around him, held him close. “I think this is a good thing for both of us. Now I can actually do something with my life, instead of the same old, same old at school.”

He returned the embrace. “As well as,” he corrected me. “But you're still going to school, remember? And I doubt that being in the Wards will be totally free of problems.”

“Yeah.” I rested my head on his chest. “But at least the problems I have in the Wards won't be the problems I have at school.”

<><>

“I don't fucking believe this!” snapped Shadow Stalker. “I had plans! And now you've changed the fucking roster around!” She jabbed a forefinger at the offending piece of paper. “Has that little snitch Vista been complaining to you about me?”

Aegis stood firm, though he took note of the slip. I might need to speak to Vista. “No,” he stated flatly. “She has not. I changed the roster for my own reasons. One of which is that Browbeat is new to the Wards, and you know the city better than most. If anyone can show him where the trouble spots are, you can.”

“He's a Brute! He'll slow me down!”

“I suggest that you adapt, then. You can't always choose the teammate you go out with.” His tone hardened. “And if you ditch him to go off on your own, I will be noting it on your file.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “Fine. Have it your way.” She fitted her mask on her face and headed over to where Browbeat was sitting at the monitor console with Kid Win.

<><>

“- so you switch between these screens using this monitor, and you can set it to four, nine, sixteen or twenty-five subscreens – oh, hey, Shadow Stalker.”

Browbeat looked up as Kid Win greeted the dark-cloaked Ward. “Hi,” he ventured. “Kid Win's been showing me the monitor console. It's pretty cool.” He checked the time on the screen. “Oh shit; I think I'm supposed to be going out on patrol soon. Have you seen Vista?”

Shadow Stalker shook her head. “Roster's changed. You're coming out with me. Ready to roll?”

Browbeat blinked. “Oh, uh, sure. Just let me mask up and get a drink of water.”

Shadow Stalker tapped her foot. “Hurry it up. There's muggers out there who haven't been beaten senseless yet.” A pause, as both Kid Win and Browbeat stared at her. “A joke,” she told them. “It was a joke. Come on, move it. I haven't got all night.”

<><>

I looked up as the costumed teenager entered the room. "Hi," he greeted us. "Aegis. Pleased to meet you."

Part of me wanted to look around to make sure that it was me - me! - who Aegis was addressing, was offering his hand to. Awkwardly, I rose, and shook hands with him.

"I, uh, hi," I managed, then flushed with embarrassment. "Taylor – um, sorry, Buzz."

His smile was easy, unforced; his teeth were very white against his tanned skin. "That's okay, Taylor," he replied. "We all have trouble getting used to our cape names at first. You're a Master, right? Bug control?"

I realised that I was staring at the very impressive muscle definition of his torso, as outlined by his costume, and jerked my eyes back up to his face. Way to go, Taylor. Officially a Ward for less than an hour, and already ogling my team leader.

Dad saved me; he rose from his seat and shook Aegis' hand. “I'm Danny Hebert. I want to thank you for giving Taylor this opportunity.”

“Trust me, sir, it's our pleasure.” Aegis nodded toward me. “Taylor promises to bring a very versatile powerset to the Wards, and we'll do our best to keep her safe while she learns to use it to its fullest potential.”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah, bug control, that's me.”

His smile turned into a comradely grin. “Well, at least they got that right. I'm here to officially welcome you to the Wards, and to take you to meet them, and show you our base, if you want.”

“I, uh, sure,” I stammered. “I got my costume, here,” I added lamely. “I can wear it … “

He nodded. “Sure. It'll probably be a good idea, just to give us an idea what you'll be wearing when you're out and about.”

They'd shown me where the restroom was; I grabbed the carry-bag that had my costume in it, and scuttled out of the interview room, to get changed.

When I returned, Dad and Aegis were chatting familiarly about management, of all things. Of course, it kind of made sense; Dad was chairman of the Dock Workers Association, and Aegis was in charge of the Wards. On the one hand, Dad had more people to worry about; on the other, the Wards had powers, and regularly went out to fight crime. I did not envy either one of them.

Aegis turned as I entered, and I saw his eyebrows raise, under the mask. “Okay ...” he murmured. “I've seen pictures, but that costume's much more impressive in real life. I see you fixed the lens?”

I nodded. “I had spare swim goggles, and I made it so I could change them out if necessary.”

“Good thinking,” he praised me. “And those are armour panels?”

“Bug chitin bound together with black widow spider silk,” I confirmed. “I don't know exactly what they'll stop, but they're the best protection I could create.”

Dad was staring at the costume. “Taylor,” he choked, “when exactly did you make this? I had no idea … “

I shrugged. “Weekends and after school, usually down in the basement.”

He shook his head slowly. “Damn. I don't know whether to be impressed with your ingenuity, or upset with myself for not noticing something this big going on in your life.”

I stepped forward and hugged him; hesitantly, he hugged me back. “You're part of it now, Dad,” I assured him. “No more secrets.”

Aegis slapped me on the shoulder. “Well, are you ready to meet your teammates?” He grinned. “This is going to be kind of a surprise to them. You get to make a big entrance.”

All of a sudden, I didn't want to go. I glanced at Dad. “Can you come with … ?”

Regretfully, he shook his head. “Sorry, kiddo,” he told me. “This is your world, now. I don't belong in this part of it.” He forced a grin. “Besides, do you really want your old Dad turning up with you at your first day in your new job?”

I rolled my eyes, unseen, inside the mask. “When you put it that way, Dad, yeah, you have a point.” I hugged him again. “Thanks for being so supportive.”

His arms were tight around me. “It's what a dad's for, kiddo. Sometimes I might have forgotten that, but I'm going to try to be better from now on.”

I felt a warmth in my heart, and I may just have sniffled slightly. “Thanks, Dad. I'll see you at home, and tell you all about it.”

He gave me an extra squeeze, then let me go. “I look forward to it. Now go on, knock 'em dead.”

I headed for the door; Aegis lingered a moment to shake Dad's hand again. “Thank you for being so understanding for Taylor, sir. Many parents would not.”

“It's her choice,” Dad reminded him. “Now please, take care of my little girl.”

“I'll do my best,” Aegis promised him, then joined me at the door.

“Bye, Dad,” I called over my shoulder.

“Bye, kiddo,” he replied.

<><>

“Your dad seems like a good guy,” Aegis observed as we headed for the lifts.

“He's the best,” I agreed. “He's always tried to look out for me.”

He hit the button for the lift; the doors interleaved open almost immediately. We stepped in, and he swiped his ID card and hit the button for the lowest floor.

“So what made you pick Buzz for a name?” he asked casually.

I shrugged. “It makes sense, and I do pick up a certain amount of information from the bugs; you know, the buzz, as in the news?” I frowned, thinking about it. “Actually, I think Mr Richardson suggested it, earlier, and it stuck in my head. Anyway, it's on the forms now.”

“Well, we can always change it if need be, later,” he assured me. The doors opened, and we stepped out into the stainless-steel corridor. “Down this way,” he told me.

“I know,” I replied. “There's bugs in the room. I can tell the other Wards are there.”

He glanced at me, looking somewhat impressed. “Nicely done. We're definitely going to have to work with that. I think you've got a lot of potential for information gathering.”

I smiled a little, under the mask, glad he couldn't see the slight flush on my cheeks. Getting praised by a well-known hero like Aegis was something I still wasn't used to.

We reached a retinal scanner, and Aegis paused. “I'll set it up so it can read you,” he decided. Swiping the card, he typed something in, and pointed at the scanner. “See if it can read you through the lens.”

I leaned forward, the laser probed my eyeball, and the machine beeped to show it had a good read.

“Excellent,” he declared, typing something else in. “Right, you're now a known user. Give it another look at you.”

When I repeated the procedure, the light turned green. However, when I pressed the button to open the massive steel doors, nothing happened.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked apprehensively.

He shook his head. “Sorry. Should have warned you. There's a time delay. When the door is activated, a buzzer goes off inside, to make sure that anyone who's unmasked can mask up.”

“Oh, uh, that makes sense, yeah,” I agreed. At that moment, the doors beeped and then slid open.

Aegis stepped through, into the Wards base; I followed. 

Part 5