Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The insults were easy.

"It's not like anyone actually likes her."

"I don't know why she even bothers coming in, just look at her!"

"She might as well be mute, at least then she'd have an excuse for being so pathetic."

Usually Taylor didn't say anything and that just made it easier. Taylor had learnt it wouldn't help, that no one was going to listen to her, that no one would believe her over Sophia the track star, Emma Barnes the socialite and cute and harmless little Madison.

It wasn't as easy to ignore the guilt and the disgust afterwards. After she'd crushed Taylor a little more, after each little bit of vindication as if she was gaining some measure of vengeance at Taylor's existence. As if putting Taylor down again and again made her stand a little bit higher, made her a little bit safer. After the satisfied smiles of Emma, Sophia and the others flitted to her, that she'd done her part, that she'd dug the knife a little deeper and made the pain a little worse to bear.

It wasn't as easy to ignore when everyone else was gone, when there was no Taylor to focus on, no Emma to drive her towards another barb, no Sophia to remind her of her place as part of the pack and how easily she could find herself outside of it.

She wasn't popular then, she wasn't a bully, or any of the other things she'd layered over herself bit by bit to hide what was still underneath. That she was just Madison, exactly the same as Taylor only she'd learnt to hide amongst the predators, the bullies, pretending desperately to be one of them so they wouldn't discover another Taylor in their midst.

"We're just doing a public service, you know, like how you service all those skinheads after school."

When she was with the others it was so easy to believe it, that she was one of them even as she was terrified that any moment they'd realise she wasn't and never had been. That one day Emma would just change her mind, that Sophia would say something and then they'd turn on her just as quickly as the two of them had got the school, the teachers to turn on Taylor.

That one day they'd go too far and they'd do something they couldn't take back, that Taylor would leave, or just stop coming in and they'd realise they had Madison right there to take her place.

"Oh Taylor you know you shouldn't bring your trash with you to school."

"Yeah, we'll just have to get rid of it for you!"

She hadn't known what was going on at first. It was like that sometimes, Emma and Sophia would just decide on something new to do to Taylor and she'd find out after the fact, or worse what her role was supposed to be. At first she'd just gone along with it out of the fear of what would happen if she'd said no. Now she hated that she sometimes looked forward to whatever they had in store, how much she felt she anticipated it because it meant she knew it wasn't going to be her. That Taylor was going to suffer and she wouldn't, that she deserved it instead of her. It used to make her sick when she stopped and realised it, but she'd stopped throwing up weeks ago. She wasn't sure that was better.

Emma had just told her to meet at Taylor's locker after class got out, that she 'couldn't wait to see the look on the stupid bitch's face' and Sophia's own enthusiastic agreement in characteristically far fewer words.

Madison knew something different had happened when she got there. Taylor tried not to react anymore, she just accepted her punishment like she deserved it, like she knew there was nothing she could do and just endured it until it was over. Sometimes she'd skip out the rest of the day, sometimes she'd not come back to school for a day or two, but always returning eventually.

Taylor was crying.

"Please give it back Emma."

Any vindictive pleasure she'd started to feel at whatever the two of them had managed to pull off died as she heard Taylor's voice and Madison felt her stomach drop. All she could hear was the sheer exhausted despair in the words, Taylor knowing she couldn't appeal to Emma's heart since she and Sophia had long since ripped it out, but trying desperately anyway.

Angling around Sophia and Emma with a nauseating mixture of curiosity, dread and the echoes of satisfied glee she saw Taylor's face first.

Stricken.

Betrayed.

Crying.

The same way she'd looked when it had all started, when Madison had just watched and was glad it wasn't her, ignoring the other girl, not getting involved and assuming it would be over soon enough. Hearing through the gossip afterwards that the two of them had used to be friends, wondering to herself what could have happened for Emma to turn on Taylor like that. Watching in the following days as Taylor tried desperately to figure out the same thing and attempted to save a friendship that only she couldn't see had already been killed and buried by Emma and her new best friend.

"Please Emma, it's my mom's flute."

Taylor wasn't even looking at Sophia, not even when it was obvious to anyone that she would have been behind it. Emma was words and cruel pettiness, Sophia was all that and the physical attacks as well. She'd seen the not so subtle shoves she never commented on, watched the other girl trying to trip Taylor in the hallways, stealing things from her bag before Taylor had learnt not to ever leave it unattended.

"You knew my mom, she liked you, whenever we had sleepovers-"

Madison knew that had been the wrong thing for Taylor to say as she saw both Emma and Sophia's expressions harden, from smug mockery to anger and disgust and Emma snapped back before even Sophia could.

"Shut up Taylor! Stop trying to drag me down with your bullshit all the time! If you bring your crap to school it's going to get what it deserves, no one gives a shit if it was your mom's!"

Madison watched Emma's loathing sharpen into something uglier, a grin forming on the other girl's face that always made Madison wonder how she looked when she was doing her part to help.

She had tried not to think about it.

It didn't help.

"I was just going to confiscate it you know? Just teach you a lesson but I guess you're too dumb to even figure that out."

It was when she saw Emma smirk and triumphantly hand the flute over to Sophia that Madison saw the moment Taylor broke. That final certainty that she wouldn't ever be able to appeal to whatever shared past the two of them had, that she wouldn't even be able to steal it back as Sophia shoved it into her bag with all the care of a piece of crumpled homework being thrown in to be forgotten about until the weekend.

Madison was glad no one was looking at her as she saw Taylor crack. As Taylor was forced to watch as Emma and Sophia just gloated at what they'd accomplished, at her powerlessness to do anything about it. Daring her to try, playing it up to the small crowd that had gathered like flies to rotting meat.

And Madison saw herself in Taylor's place.

When she'd taken to school the small glass bird her grandfather had bought for her to show it to her best friend. And then the next day she'd brought it in again, happy and proud to have it and be able to show it off, one of the last things her grandfather had given her in the hospital before he'd passed away. When Emily had cornered her with her friends and taken it off her, empty words promising to be careful even as she asked for it back. Pleading with the other girl to be careful even as her own friends looked away or laughed when Emily laughed down at her. Laughing still when Emily had taken it between both hands and snapped it clean in two.

Madison was glad no one noticed her leave, that they were all so satisfied that they didn't try and pull her in to try anything else for the rest of the day. That all she had to do was agree it was hilarious and Taylor deserved it and that she'd help plan something else, something worse because otherwise it'd be her again.

And she couldn't be that girl again.

Sophia: Totally had it coming, totally pathetic too

Emma: Did you see her face? Thought she'd just die right there lol. Gonna have to think of something special for it, just breaking it's too easy.

Madison: Yeah it's just a stupid flute, bet she cries herself to sleep tonight.

The insults were still easy even if each text made her feel sick and every time she agreed with the others it made her feel disgusted with herself a little more. It wasn't the first time and she knew it wouldn't be the last time either. She even knew she'd get over it, push it back down where she wouldn't feel the guilt, just satisfied she was accepted, that she was better.

She wasn't sure she wanted to get used to it, that she deserved to.

She just wanted it to be over.

Madison was grateful her parents didn't bother her when she got in, she knew she wasn't hiding it well and seeing the concern on her mom's face just made everything even worse. That she was worried about her, what she'd think if she ever found out how low she'd sunk, that she'd become just as bad as Emily and all the others.

She was drained by the time she got into bed, she didn't have the energy to think about writing anything and she couldn't even focus on trying to read. Browsing PHO was easy, but she was too tired, too distracted to do it for long and just hoped when she woke up she wouldn't feel like complete shit. Wondering if she'd be able to convince her mom she was sick again, wondering if her mom would let her.

She was too exhausted to do anything but still found herself too wired to sleep as she laid there, not daring to look at her phone to see how late it really was. Her mind was still going over the day and all the days before that, feeling the minutes stretch into what felt like hours, too tired and scared to check how long it had actually been and dreading that her morning alarm would go off at any moment.

She couldn't hide from her thoughts, couldn't keep her eyes open long enough to stare at the ceiling in the gloom, each dark thought and memory clawing for attention and nothing and no one to distract from each and every one in turn.

She hated herself, hated Taylor for making her feel that way, guilt crashed against the thought and anger followed. Angry that Taylor couldn't just do what she had done, that Taylor had to make her feel like she did every day. Had to remind her of her bullies, had to keep reminding her that just one slip and she'd be in the other girl's place again.

Disgust colored her thoughts, at her own relief that Taylor suffered instead of her, that Taylor hadn't done something to stop it. She pitied herself, she pitied Taylor more. She watched Taylor's broken mask crack again and again as Emma stole Taylor's mother's flute and saw herself and heard the snap of broken glass as Emma and then Sophia cracked the small glass swan in two. Taylor in her place and she in hers, cradling a broken flute in both hands while people, teachers walked by the halls of Winslow without a word.

She remembered her own tears when her grandfather's last present was broken in front of her to the mocking laughter and apathy of her friends. Hated that Taylor didn't cry half as much as she had, as she would have. That Taylor was stronger than her, that she made her feel that way at all. That she wasn't as strong as Taylor was, that she couldn't save Taylor, that she couldn't hurt her more and drown the guilt in anything else and hated herself all the more for it.

Madison didn't know she finally fell asleep, slowly coming to as her alarm bleated, as much grateful as she absolutely wasn't that she had remembered to set the thing at all.

Blearily she blinked opened her eyes to the merciless glow of the morning, one hand coming up rub the sleep and sting of sweat out of them as another tiredly searched about for her phone when she froze. What could have charitably been called her thoughts in that moment stuttering to a stop as she stared dumbly at the large flat blue oblong hovering in the air in front of her face.

"What" she croaked, suddenly a lot more awake as she blinked rapidly and shuffled back, her head bumping against the headboard as she sat up, any thought of sleep or school forgotten as her mind went into overdrive.

Some part of her, the part that latched onto all those little details she liked to incorporate into her fanfictions noted how the relative position of the blue pane-thing didn't actually change as she moved, while the rest of her seemed to be stuck between abject curiosity and absolutely freaking out.

Her alarm blared out again and she almost head butted the wall in surprise as she lurched backwards instinctively away from it, having to tear her gaze away from whatever it was as she fumbled to find where her phone had fallen off the bedside table. Part of her desperately scared that when she looked back the impossible amorphous shape would be gone and another part really hoping it would be.

It wasn't.

And it had text.

[Initializing...]

It blinked, the text gone as quickly as she had spotted it, though what replaced it wasn't exactly better.

[Tutorial Quest: Powers and You]

Congratulations, you've had such a terrible day that you now have super human abilities. This is what is known as a trigger event, more commonly referred to as 'the worst day of your life.' However in your case the suffering you experienced was less than that you've inflicted on another.

To dismiss a notification, select [OK] or say 'Ok' or 'Dismiss'. Enter Settings to make changes to interfaces and actions.

[OK]

Her eyes widened the more she read and by the end she was huddled in on herself, eyes darting around the rest of her room in panic. She'd seen Uber and Leet's streams, everyone had and it was exactly the kind of thing they would do. Her anxiety ramped up as the seconds ticked by and she jumped out of her skin with a startled yell when her phone went off again, her back-up alarm blaring and it took everything she had not to throw it at the wall, turning her phone off entirely as she tried to get her breathing back under control.

She froze when she was done, when she realised she'd dropped her guard, her eyes darting to the ceiling, to the corners but there was no golden snitch recording her, there was no sound of panic from outside. Just the soft muffled sounds of her parents getting ready to go to work and the occasional cars passing by outside.

Slowly the tension left her even as she felt like she was going to be jumped at any moment, eyes darting to the door and window as part of her, most of her if she was being honest with herself waited for someone to burst in.

But nothing happened, she heard the shower turn on from down the hall and that last bit of tension left her all at once, slumping back against the headboard as her gaze inevitably drifted back to the elephant in the room that was still just sitting there about a foot in front of her face.

She swallowed nervously, reading it over again not that it helped, she was a parahuman? Her? Was that normal? Like how people normally discovered it? She frowned minutely and felt like she would have remembered literally anyone mentioning their life turning into an Aleph videogame on PHO. Hell Uber and Leet's whole thing was making the world into a videogame and then she apparently had one stuck in her brain? But then some powers were even weirder, like some of the Case Fifty Threes so what even was normal?

She slowly reached out with her hand, watching with bewilderment as it passed through the blue window like it didn't exist. It wasn't entirely opaque she realised, everything behind it just a blue tinted partial blur except for the white text itself. There wasn't any distortion either, even as she waved her hand with a little more confidence up and down through the whole thing.

"Okay, okay, you know all about capes and now you are one." She laughed nervously, definitely not hysterically.

"So my power is..." she read the notification another time, calm enough to actually take in everything beyond 'you have powers' and frowned. "Information boxes that insult me?" she murmured to herself but the blue box didn't change and she wasn't sure if she was grateful for that or not.

"Okay, there's got to be more to it than that." It said 'Tutorial Quest' and it wasn't like she didn't play videogames, even if it wasn't much anymore ever since she'd started Winslow. Maybe she'd get a more useful text box if she dismissed the current one?

"Okay." She tried and nothing happened. 'Great start Madison, really owning your power here' she thought to herself ruefully as the text box continued to do nothing at all.

Well maybe she could... she reached out and pressed the [OK] and jolted a little as the notification just vanished soundlessly, laughing to herself in a nervous thrill.

"So pressing it works but saying it doesn't? Weird." Though it was even weirder after she realised her hand had gone through the [OK] button without anything happening when she'd been waving her hand like an idiot only a few seconds before.

Though before she could focus on that rabbit hole she almost fell off the bed in shock when a sudden knock on her bedroom door rang out.

"Maddie are you up? You weren't looking too well yesterday sweetheart, do you need me to call the school?"

She blinked at the sound her mom's voice, words failing her for a moment and extremely glad the notification window was no longer there.

And then as if to spite her a new notification window immediately appeared.

[Quest: The Truth of the Matter]

Madison Clements is in no fit state to go to school, something she would have perhaps realised sooner had she not been so thoroughly distracted.

Yet time does not stop, the morning continues and for Madison Clements her day stretches out ahead of her and only she can decide just how it will be spent.

[Convince mom that you're unwell]
Rewards: A day off school, immediately unlock Quest: Road to Redemption, ????, ?????

[Head to school]
Rewards: Another day in a hell of your own making

[OK]

Her mouth opened and no sound came out as she tried to process, just what.

"Maddie?"

Her eyes snapped from the notification to the door and back, trying to say something though she wasn't sure what. Not that it mattered as whatever words were going to come tumbling out of her mouth trailed off as the contents of notification beyond the rewards (again, just what) registered and she looked down at herself.

Her bed was soaked and it was only then when it was pointed out to her; when she wasn't blinking away sleep, confused or outright panicking that she and her whole family were about to become just another increment in the civilian cape casualty statistics that she realised what state she actually was in. She was covered in sweat, her hair was plastered against her skin and her bed looked like a liquid Case Fifty Three had laid down and melted into the mattress. She realised she was shivering, suddenly feeling the air on her skin, felt herself shaking and she knew, she knew it was probably just all the adrenaline leaving her from just everything, but it didn't stop her eyes from starting to water as she sniffed and hugged the damp duvet against her.

"Maddie I'm coming in okay?"

She wasn't sure how she looked to her mom, sitting there like that, crying into a duvet that looked like someone had spilled a bucket of water down it, but at least she didn't have to worry about convincing her mom that she wasn't well enough to go to school.

Chapter Text

Mom ended up staying home with her which just made her feel worse, especially when she'd sat her down after she'd showered and did her hair for her, Madison knowing her mom had work she needed to be doing and was instead spending time looking after her. She didn't even notice until later, after her mom had stripped her bed down to the mattress protector that the notification window was gone and she couldn't even remember when it had happened.

She didn't know if that meant her mom hadn't seen it or couldn't see it, but she was too drained to care and after her bed was remade sans mattress protector - (She was probably going to need a new one of those, though allergies were the last thing on her mind right then) - She'd pretty much fallen asleep the moment her mom had closed the door.

Madison had felt better when she'd woken up, way better than she would have thought after she finally found her phone and realised it had only been a couple of hours. Though that feeling lasted as long as it took for the bright blue notification window to appear in front of her again and whatever feeling she had that her day would be better than the previous vanished with it as she read the text presented in bold white to her.

[Quest: Road to Redemption]

Madison Clements is a terrible person. She knows this as much as she knows that she wasn't always this way and never had to continue if she'd had the strength to make a better choice.

Madison Clements has suffered and in her pain and cowardice has caused suffering and pain in turn. Remorse has been drowned in fear and petty superiority, aware of the precipice she treads as she seeks to push another in her place so that she does not herself fall again.

Madison Clements is a terrible person who has made terrible choices. Does she deserve a second chance?

[YES]
[NO]

Anything good she might have been feeling, physically or even just her state of mind died as every self-recrimination she had ever felt came rushing to the forefront of her thoughts. With it came each part of her that told her she hadn't been wrong, that she was only a survivor, that she was just doing whatever it took so it wasn't her again. But she knew that her power wasn't lying to her. It was just saying everything she'd thought to herself and tried to bury, put more eloquently than she ever would or could have herself.

"No" she sniffed, feeling her eyes water, staring down at the bed so she wouldn't have to keep looking at the accusation looming over her.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the notification window flicker and couldn't help but look back up to see the notification was gone and had already been replaced by another.

[Quest: Road to Redemption]

The actions of Madison Clements have defined her both for good and ill. Pettiness and cruelness is not in her nature and yet she tries to revel in it all the same.

The path branches and the choices clear, to continue as she is, to become that which she both hates and darkly wishes to be? A life of inviting simplicity, of safety, pleasure and pain determined by both her own will and the whims of fate. Indulgence and victory at only the small cost of her heart so easily paid.

Or to strive once more towards betterment? To be the hand that reaches out to pull others up than help keep them down. A life without guarantees but one, that she will be able to look in the mirror each day and have pride that even should she stumble or even fall, that she is trying to be more than what she had allowed herself to become.

All but the monsters of the world deserve a chance of redemption and Madison Clements is not yet the monster she believes herself to be.

Madison Clements has been offered a second chance, a choice to embark upon the road to redemption or continue the course of her life.

[Accept a second chance]
Rewards: Pain, hardship, duty. Pride, love, friendship. Immediately unlock Quest: Path of the Hero, ????, ?????

[Decline a second chance]
Rewards: Safety, superiority, popularity. Guilt, fear, shame. Immediately unlock Quest: To Remove all Limits, ????, ?????

She couldn't help but let out a watery chuckle as she finished reading. "So it was just a trick question? Asshole."

There wasn't any heat to her words and she was grateful her power didn't seem to take offense. She'd already had enough emotional whiplash over the past twenty four hours to last her for two lifetimes and then some.

Madison didn't bother reading it a second time, not trusting herself to speak again, at least to say what was asked of her. Instead she just breathed in, steadying her breath, lifting a hand and with all the force and intent she had pressed the word 'Accept' and watched as the notification immediately disappeared like all the others before it.

For a brief terrified second when nothing happened she wondered if she'd done something wrong, that she'd somehow slipped and accidentally selected no.

But then the notification window reappeared and the palpable relief she suddenly felt had her sagging back against the headboard, her head lolling back to bump against the wall behind her as she let out a shaky exhale.

"This is way too much stress for one morning."

She looked back to the notification window after a moment though, another sense of relief washing over her at reading the quest title she'd expected, hoped to see.

[Quest: Path of the Hero]

The road of redemption is long, arduous and sometimes unending, but Madison Clements has taken the most important and perhaps hardest step of all. The first.

With the first step taken she now faces the second, perhaps more daunting still.

Madison Clements believes she has confronted herself, her demons and understands the precipice she once teetered upon the edge of. Little did she know how wrong she was.

[Objective: Open Inventory and use Key Item 'Memories']
Rewards: None, ????, ?????

[OK]

"Oh cool, that's not ominous at all or anything" the exhausted sarcasm all but dripping from the words as she finished reading the quest, her expression scrunching into a confused frown.

"Inventory? And those weird question marks again even when it says there are no rewards..." And she wasn't even going to try and think about whatever 'rewards' meant, her brain was already feeling overloaded as it was.

With an absent gesture she batted the [OK] button as she chewed on the several thoughts that were vying for her attention, mentally making a note to try and find the settings at... Some point since it'd be a bit awkward having to swipe or randomly say 'ok' in public all the time and blinked in surprise as a new quest appeared a moment later.

[Tutorial Quest: Your Inventory and You]

An Inventory is an extra dimensional storage space for your items, including all equipment, clothing and weapons.

To open your Inventory command 'Inventory' or place your hand in an enclosed space upon the clothing of your person while initiating an Inventory command to create a temporary Inventory access point.

NOTE: Items stored in the Inventory will remain indefinitely, however you cannot add new items to the Inventory if you have no remaining Inventory spaces.
NOTE: Your Inventory cannot be accessed while in a phased state.
NOTE: All items stored in your Inventory upon death will be inaccessible to party members.
NOTE: That while the Inventory can be used to store living organisms, this is inadvised. Living organisms may lose life functions and may become damaged during time spent in the Inventory.

ADDITIONAL: Advanced Inventory options will become available after a sufficient level of competency has been demonstrated. Enter Settings to make changes to interfaces and actions.

[OK]

Madison almost squeaked in glee when she read the opening paragraph, then decided she should definitely be writing everything down and then decided that maybe it could wait until she'd read the whole thing.

...Which it turned out raised more questions than it answered even if one part in particular stood out to her. 'Living organisms may lose life functions and may become damaged.' It was the 'and' that was bothering her, that her power had explicitly made a point of separating the two. She didn't have a clue what it meant, but circled it twice after she finished copying it down on the pad she'd quickly appropriated from her school bag.

But beyond that... "I have an Inventory!" She squealed in glee as she happily skimmed the tutorial quest for the fifth time.  There weren't even words to express how cool that was!

"Inventory!" She declared excitedly and gasped in delight as the air shimmered in front of her, looking almost superimposed over the notification window that she hadn't wanted to dismiss yet in case she'd missed something. Especially when she wasn't sure she'd be able to access any of the notification windows again after they were gone.

Her Inventory was almost exactly as she imagined it would be, a grid of what looked like a hologram of frosted glass that was separated by gridlines of weaving silver and white. It was completely barebones, nothing flashy or impressive about it and it was easily the coolest thing she had ever seen in her life.

For a moment she just sat there, taking it in, that even if just that was her power it would already have been everything she could have wanted. When she'd played the older Phantasy Rail games she'd always imagined how cool it would be to have her own little invisible place to put things that was only accessible to her. And of course to pull said things out of nowhere to impress her friends and family and defeat the bad guys starring in said daydreams and suddenly she actually had one!

Madison drank in the sight, eyebrow raised as she took in all of the details. For one thing she quickly counted out the spaces, four rows of six seemingly giving her twenty four slots in total. Twenty three if she counted the fact the first one was filled with what she could only assume was her key quest item her quest had mentioned. Though she had no idea if there was a scroll or separate pages and wasn't going to bank on either until she either got into the settings or had another tutorial for those 'advanced Inventory options' she had no idea what to expect of.

With nothing being labelled it took her a few minutes to realise the top border of the Inventory was actually four separate tabs and when she noticed and thought about wanting to see what was in the next one the Inventory switched to it, an impish grin stealing over her face as with another thought she flicked back to the first tab.

"Awesome" she whispered, another mental command taking her back to the second of what she was going to call her Inventory tabs unless her power told her they had actual names she should be using instead.

The second Inventory tab was odd though, literally just a row of four empty spaces, no information, no nothing. Just four slots and a whole lot of nothing else, the remaining space just a slight warping effect akin to a slightly blurred window pane.

Was that where key quest items would be kept? But no she dismissed the thought immediately, she'd already seen her quest item in the first tab and was just trying not to dwell on the swirling blue thing her own power had literally described as 'daunting'. Nope she was going to have fun exploring her kick-ass Inventory and then get punched in the gut emotionally again. Besides, her power hadn't complained and had even given her a tutorial, so she was taking that to mean it approved of her getting to know what her Inventory actually meant first.

After a moment of staring at the second tab and learning absolutely nothing Madison shrugged and gave up on it for the time being. Until she knew more it was probably just as likely that each space was six times as important as the spaces in her main Inventory as it was the possible equivalent of a quick access Inventory for stuff she marked as important.

The third tab just raised even more questions as it was again a grid of twenty four slots, except it was six rows of four and she refused to believe her Inventory had a separate tab just for a different page orientation.

The fourth tab was empty.

She tried prodding it, both mentally and with her hand, but whatever secrets it had it wasn't telling and she soon gave up and returned to the first tab, worrying her lower lip as her eyes kept getting pulled back to the single item occupying the spaces in front of her.

'Memories'

That was what her quest had called it and she had no reason to think it was lying.

And... And after the previous night, of everything she'd remembered and everything she'd dreamed she wasn't sure if she could do it. If she was actually strong enough to go through all that again, to go through what might even be worse.

The obvious video game theme of her power had let her mind drift to some of the games she'd played and the heroes in them. Her family were decently well off she knew, but she'd only ever gotten the chance to play a couple of Aleph imports of older games with how expensive they tended to be.

Ever since Scion had appeared the whole entertainment industry had changed, both with the sheer cultural shift that literal superheroes and supervillains introduced and the disasters that could haunt and end productions outright. Endbringer attacks strangling logistics, villain attacks killing, abducting stars or just disrupting things in general.

The Hero's journey in Bet media, or at least the mainstream stuff all ended up mostly being about the Hero getting control of their power to beat the villain. And with all the PRT funding being thrown around to finance productions you couldn't find anything big budget that even referenced trigger events, let alone have the Hero try and confront what made them into who they were except in some glamorised over-dramatic way.

Video games were even worse, Protectorate heroes and Wards were all licensed and everyone just wanted to play games featuring their favourites. There wasn't much space left in the market for anything else outside of the indie scene, especially when the Hopekiller had appeared and pushed the whole genre of optimistic sci-fi to the curb.

Madison felt she had a much better understanding of why it was so hard to find pretty much anything about trigger events online and especially on PHO. Only a handful of Heroes had ever gone public about it and even then it was obvious some stuff never made it to air.

Was it like that for everyone? She wondered as she stared at the quest item sitting innocuously in the air in front of her before dismissing her Inventory from sight. To have to confront your worst moment again and again in order to try and move past it? Was that why so many people ended up becoming villains? Because they couldn't?

In a way that helped decide it for her. Her power had given her a second chance, figuratively and literally. It had put her on a quest called 'Path of the Hero' for Scion's sake! She was going to be a Hero and she was going to be better and she was going to use the 'Memories' like her power told her too!

With another mental command her eyes found her Inventory again, focusing on her key quest item with new determination and-! And...!

Madison paused.

How was she supposed to use it exactly?

Chapter Text

In the end Madison hadn't figured out how to use her quest item before her mom had got back and checked on her.

Jumping out of her skin as her mom had let herself into her room probably wasn't what her mom had expected when she'd opened the door and Madison knew there was no way she hadn't looked suspicious as she'd quickly shoved her notepad under the pillow behind her.

It was a dubious mercy that her mom knew some of the fanfictions she'd written thanks to leaving her notepads lying about once upon a time, but at least it meant she wouldn't comment on her furiously trying to hide something she'd been writing on.

She wasn't sure if that made it more mortifying really.

On the other hand, nearly getting a heart attack from her mom's unexpected entrance had at least answered the question of whether anyone else could see her power. Her mom not reacting at all to the lingering notification window or her Inventory and then even moving through them when she'd leaned over the bed had answered that question pretty definitively.

Though if that meant the notification windows were actually projections or just how her power expressed itself visually was a rabbit hole she quickly decided not to go down, (though she did make a mental note to make a physical note for later).

Her stomach growling as she'd finished the thought at least gave her the excuse to stretch her legs and Madison doubted her power was going to disapprove since she knew she'd need the energy either way.

Throwing on a jumper as Madison eyed her notepad speculatively she mulled over the obvious problem of having all her notes just written down like that, pausing as she pulled her arms through the sleeves as the solution all but smacked to her in the face and she blanched as the realisation.

"Why am I thinking about how to re-write all my notes in code like a super-spy when my Inventory is literally right there?!"

Snatching up the small notepad she eyed it and then the next open Inventory slot before just going for it as she went to try and push the notepad into the extra dimensional space - Or at least the visualisation of one sitting in the air in front of her.

She had barely raised her arm to try when the notepad simply disappeared from her hand and her gaze snapped down to her hand in surprise as her fingers suddenly closed around nothing in what felt like the slight brush of air against her fingers.

Looking back up she saw it sitting exactly where she'd hoped, impossible to miss as it filled the second inventory slot, Madison belatedly realising she'd left her pen clipped to it.

"Huh."

That was easier than she'd expected and she wondered if taking things out would be just as easy.

She tried reaching her hand out again with the thought to take her notepad from wherever it was actually being stored and a moment later it was sitting in her hand as though it had never left.

There wasn't a sound or a flash of light, just one moment it was gone and when she wanted it back it was. Looking back up from the notepad her gaze found the 'Memories' item again and she frowned at it.

"Then why don't you work?"

She put the notepad down on the bed behind her and tried reaching out again for the 'Memories' item but nothing happened just like it hadn't the first dozen times she'd tried.

She scowled at it.

"Maddie it's ready if you want to come down!"

But victory could wait until after lunch.

"Okay there has got to be a trick to this." Madison muttered to herself as she once more found herself sitting in bed, inventory open in front of her and notepad sitting by her side.

She'd checked to make sure her previous success wasn't a fluke and also because it was fun and so incredibly satisfying to basically do magic with a thought. Especially when it turned out after a little more experimentation that she didn't need her Inventory actually open to do so, which only made it feel (and look) even cooler.

But she'd taken the notepad out again when she was done and had left it beside her just in case it was interfering with retrieving the 'Memories' item somehow. She didn't want to assume her power had the equivalent of a bug, but powers could be weird and she figured it was best not to take chances until she figured out more.

Another surprise though had been the notification window. When she'd left her bedroom after dismissing her Inventory she hadn't even thought about the remaining notification until it suddenly appeared in front of her again after she'd gotten herself seated downstairs.

It didn't move again, but when she'd gone to the bathroom after it had appeared and then again when she'd sat on her bed it had re-appeared like it had never left at all.

Only when she was actively focusing on it did it seem to move with her, otherwise it would just float there and when she got a certain distance away seemed to reset to what she assumed was its default distance. Though it only seemed to happen when she stopped moving, which at least meant she probably wouldn't get distracted in the middle of walking down the street and accidentally walk into people or walls.

Not that testing it further was a priority compared to literally everything else and priority number one was completing the damn quest.

Any actual trepidation she'd felt about doing it had gradually been buried under her mounting frustration as the damn. 'Memories'. Item. Wouldn't. Move!

And she'd tried everything!

She'd tried her trick with the notepad (and a few other miscellaneous things besides), she'd tried what the tutorial said and accessed her Inventory through the pockets of a coat she'd put on. She'd tried giving verbal commands, she'd tried making a whole variety of grabby motions both with her hands and her mind, but it was like the thing didn't even exist at all!

If it was a game she'd have just assumed it was probably bugged  or that she was being a complete idiot and then searched some forums to find out which.

But it wasn't like there was anyone she could ask! And even the posters on PHO that seemed weirdly knowledgeable at times like Bagrat and AllSeeingEye could be anyone and everyone knew the boards were monitored by the PRT anyway and there was no way she was going into the Wards.

She grimaced at the thought of power testing and how she'd probably be delegated to some kind of office assistant as the scenario played out in her mind.

"Now Ms Clements, you say your power is to be able to put things into and out of extra-dimensional space like a set of storage lockers? Yes I'm sure Armsmaster would be thrilled to have you as an assistant, he's always complaining he lacks the necessary space in his lab and I'm sure it would do wonders for his social skills."

Nope! She was going to figure out her power and become an awesome Independent Hero like Astrolojog and Mouse Protector!

Unless her power disagreed.

And it was a thought she found surprisingly easy to admit to herself. Because realistically Madison knew she would fold instantly if her power gave her a quest to join the Wards. Her power had given the chance to be better, to stop being Madison Clements the bully and instead become Madison Clements the Hero. Someone who could save others like her, like Taylor and so if her power thought she'd do the most good in the Wards? Then she'd try and be the best Ward possible (and avoid Clockblocker, Shadow Stalker and Gallant as much as physically possible.)

With a sigh of "Inventory" she flopped onto her back, watching it pop up in front of her even as she was laying down.

One thing she'd quickly noticed that was different about her Inventory was that it would dismiss itself when it wasn't in her line of sight. She hadn't quite settled on if she considered that a bug or a feature, but right then it was useful at least as her eyes tracked to her key item again and her brow scrunched in thought.

She knew she was going about it wrong somehow and idly noted that 'glaring at it till it cooperates' was another thing to add to her growing mental list of failures.

With a small sigh she closed her eyes, part of her wondering if that would be enough to dismiss the Inventory window as the rest of her thoughts chewed on the problem at hand.

What was different about her notepad and the other random crap she'd tried in exasperation that all could be stored and retrieved perfectly fine?

She thought back to some of the games she'd played and could picture the small stack of them that were still under her bed, not that she felt any pressing need to start digging them out unless she really got stuck.

Game inventories were just for storing anything your character could collect in the world; weapons, animal bits, dyes, ingredients etc. Some games let you pick up basically anything, though even then you usually couldn't just pick up things like water or fire, not without some kind of container to put them in first. She frowned, the thought niggling at her. In Age of Heroes: Forgotten Shores she'd ended up filling her entire inventory with red grassvine seedlings in the starting area since she hadn't realised they wouldn't stack... Would her Inventory let her stack things? She wondered as she followed the trailing thought. Did it consider the pen clipped to her notepad as a stack or a new singular item? Maybe she should tear out some pages from her notepad and test it... No! Madison shook her head with a frown, she had to focus. She knew she was on to something.

When she'd played A Hero's Roots she was essentially a walking armoury slash alchemist's shop. 'Walking' probably being the most accurate way to describe her character when she'd spent half the game over encumbered because she wouldn't drop the identical greaves she'd found because she'd be damned if she let the game stop her from flogging her vendor trash for more gold coins! She paused again, wondering if there was any way she could over encumber herself with her current real life Inventory and a moment later decided with a certain finality she didn't want to actually find out.

What else had she played like that she pondered as she thought back over some of the more memorable games she'd played. There was Necromancer: Absolution's End she supposed, though she'd kind of bounced off the whole dark fantasy setting when she'd started getting bullied. Picking up skeleton warrior bones, essences of life and soul remnants stopped being the kind of escapism she'd wanted to nestle herself snugly into at that point. The graphics were pretty good for the time she remembered and it was admittedly cool watching all the little particle effects when pulling the soul remnants from the bodies to upgrade her character later, even if the upgrades were all done by a pretty lame menu by comparison.

When she thought about it that was probably when she'd started playing games less in general Madison mused, with the bullying and everything jumping in price for a few months after that Villain tinker-blaster duo screwed up parts of the freight network. She definitely had plenty of games she'd never gotten around to finishing and being a necromantic mage running around collecting souls felt like a lot less of a big deal than it had at the time for her.

Why did that feel important? She paused with another frown as she scrutinised the thought. It wasn't that good of a game, the reviews were pretty middle of the road at the time and even if it did sell enough to get a sequel it wasn't making anyone's top ten nostalgia lists.

The more she thought about it the more she remembered how annoyed she was at having to deal with the menu interface for all the esoteric ingredients whenever she wanted to craft something. Having to scroll down the whole thing and manually select them one by one because the whole interface had been blatantly designed for console first, yeah maybe she wasn't in such a hurry to go back and play it. The only reason the studio had put so much effort into the loot particle effects was because half of the stuff you picked up wasn't something your character could actually physically pick up and without all the pretty flashing lights the character animations just looked kind of lame by themselves.

She stopped.

No way.

No way it was that simple.

She bolted upright as her eyes opened and almost yelped in surprise when her head passed straight through her Inventory screen that it turned out hadn't been dismissed when she shut her eyes.

"Inventory!" She snapped, opening it again in front of her and staring at her key item hard enough to burn a hole in the wall behind. It wasn't a pen or a notepad or a stupid jacket! She'd kept trying to pull something out of her Inventory that didn't exist!

Something clicked in her mind as she tried to just select the item and then a faint border appeared around it and she wooped in triumph. She focused more, not on the idea of trying to retrieve it, but to access it and felt her face split into a wide grin as suddenly a contextual menu popped up next to it like the most obvious thing in the world.

|'Memories' (Item)|

|Use

|Info

|Retrieve

|Displace

|?????

"Yes!" She cheered, grinning at her victory as she quickly skimmed over the options, though immediately noticing the last three were completely greyed out.

"I'll take it! Info!"

She wasn't sure if it was saying the word or the thought that caused the next window to pop up and completely forgot the question as her eyes registered just what she was seeing.

['Memories' (Item) (Quest Item)]

M̶̭̯͛e̷̷̶̵̶̵̴̢̢̡̹̫̲̺̼͓̩̝͙͙̘̦͌̒ͦ̽̅ͬ̀̀ͮ̈́̒ͭ̂́̍ͧ͆͆ͪ̃̾̚m̴͚̀͗͘_̵̶̵̴̶̛̰̮̗͎̬͍̯̂́ͭ̓̈́ͬ̊͑ͮͩ̍̚͜͝ȯ̷̴̸̫̳͓͆ͦ̀̌̐ͥ̽ͅŕ̸̴̵̹̠͖̱̠ͯ̏ͪ͒i̷̴̵͇͖̣̙̞ͨ̎ͩ̆͝e̶̷̴̸̲̺̦͓̗͖̍̓ͨ̍̐́ͯ̀̎̕͢͠ͅͅ_̸̴̛̠̙̳͇̥̉ͮ̔͗͝ș̷̸̸̘̻͔̗͒ͭ̿͒ͦ͑ͅͅ ̷̱̖͎̉n̴͎̮̬͝o̵͖͑͆͝w̵̸̵̶̸̴̧̺͕͓̲̬̥̳͍͕͉̥ͫ̐ͧ̓ͨ̏̈́ͬ̈́̉ͮ̐͘͘͠ ̷̖̝́̄̇l̶̷̴̶̵̴̴̨̧̧̢͔̙̩̻͖̩̺̣͖̼̱͖̗͐̄ͬ͐̂ͪ͊̾ͭ͆ͩ̅̏ͧ̋̀ͥ͌̈́̕͘͘̚͜͝ȩ̴̶̥̦̳̼̹͌̀͆ͧ̂̀́t̵̵̪͉̝̄̊ͬ̂̏̚'̶̝̝͇̆͝s̸̴̢̥͇̬͕̭̔ͩ͆̇̅ ̶̺̰͑ͅņ̸̵̵̵̼͇̠͈̔ͫ̅ͥ̈ͮ͒͜ơ̷̴̶̸̸̶̢̡̼̯̤̙̞̪̬̩̹̣̗̹͆̅̇ͨ͑ͫ͗̾̒ͣ̌ͮͦ͋̈́̈́͝͝ͅt̵̷̵̶̴̢̡̮̘̘͕͇̻̏̾̈́ͬ̐̐ͥ̾͒ͥ͘͢͜͠ ̶͎͍̊͝p̷̸̧̼̘͙͈͌ͧ̊͠ͅ_̴̷̴̩̳̦͎̙̬̯̱͛̐̓ͦ́̉͗ͪ̆̚ǘ̷̶̗̩̻̈́̿ͧ̈́ͅt̵̸̷̵̵̵̵̨̰̙̱̭͇̞̘̺̫̦̝̱̓̉̓ͩ̾̎̒ͤ͊͒ͤ͑̽ͤ̓́ͭ͐͑̓ͯ̌͊͜͝͝ͅ ̷̹̎̈s̸̸̵̶̶̴̸̨̡͖̠̺̗̬̱̗̘͕͂̓͒ͤ̓̈́͗̈́̓ͦ̌ͫ̏̎ͬ̊͘͢͜͢͜͝p̵̴̴̸̛̪͕̗̠̖̬̋́ͫ̎ͧͤ̄̄͝͝ͅȏ̵̴̴̡̹̖ͯ̌̀ͫ̀̊ḭ̸̸̵̶̢̫̼̟̼̳̜̇ͦ̒̈́̋ͬ̓ͨ͝l̷̸̶̡̨͖̮̭̮̈́̈́̂ͥ̿̔̈́̄͢ȅ̶̸̵̢̛̜̙̲̟̣̋ͥ͐͌ͥṙ̸̴͙͕ͨ͊s̴̴̵͙̥̱̱̮̈ͮ͌ͥ̋͌̓ ̴̻̾̈́h̶̷̸̞͇͙̫̘͈̬̅͐̈́ͯ̔ͪ̏̽̐e̶̸̸͖̰̠̥̙̤̓̈́ͤ͆̀ͣ̅͐r̷̴̶̴̵̷̸̢̩͎̭̹͚̤̖̝͉̾̂̓ͣ̋̎ͪ̏̈ͮͧ́̔ͥ̀ͬ͒̕͘͘͠e̶̸̷̴̸̶̷̢̻̻͚̲͍̣̬̥͖̣̝̹̿̈́ͤ̈́ͪ͑̊ͮ̇̋ͧ̅̑̏ͦ̚͢͝͠͝_̴̸̵͖̮̬̫̭̇̈́ͫ͂̊ͫ̽͂ ̷̢͈̹͘͝j̴̸̶̝̦͎̙͙̻̇̇̋ͤ͂ͣ̉_̷̡̠̱̄̈́ú̷̶̡̫͇̤͉̽͒ͯ̈́s̶̶̷̴̵̶̨͍̥̲̲̤̟̱̠̠͙̭͐ͬ̑̔ͩ̀̌ͫ̏͗ͪ͋̈́̕͢͝t̸̸̶̶̶̷̵̢̢̧͉̰̖͓̥̣͉͖̥̮̻̄̎ͨ̄ͩ͊͑ͩ̿ͤ̀ͬ̀͌͊ͧ͆̂̌͘͠͝ͅ ̶̳͎̎̆̓͜i̷̴̵̡̗͓̯͓̜̽̂̔ͭ̇ͬ̉̚n̸̵̵̴̷̴̷̡̢̧̜̫̻̘̺̫̝̲͈̓̽ͪ̋ͨ̄̓̋ͩ̅ͥ̿̀ͧ͌̃͆ͮ̍̋͘ͅͅ ̷̩̂́c̶̷̸̴̤̻̭̫͍̬̾ͬ̉̓ͧ̈́ͮ́a̷̸̧͙̼̤͊̈̑ͬ͒̋̀_̵̷̵̖̘̼̗̠̺͛͗̂ͮ̃͐͋ͤ͝ş̸̴̵̷̴̡̨͍̘̣̥̿̓ͬͪͣ̍ͬ̎̊̏̕͘͝e̶̶̵̢̙̮̔̀ͥ́ͦ̃͝ͅ ̸̛͖̞͠͝ş̸̷̵̵̵̷̷̷̸̼̰̙̮̳̬͚̳̥͈̙̬͈̲̤͉͒̓̆ͤ̈́̓ͦ͊͆ͭ́ͪ̽̆ͬ̆̐ͮ̈́̀ͨ̀ͯ̉͂͜͝͝ơ̵̸̸̵̶̸̶̴̧̡̧̘͕̯̲̦͚̬͖̦̹̖͔̔ͯ̎̔̄ͦ̃͂ͨ͋ͬ̋̉ͦ̀ͨ̀̋̀͊͢m̴̙̱̻̃͐̚e̴̵̴̡͇͚͈͈͙̞̔̿̉ͬ́ͫ̅̕͠ͅ ̷̰̜̫̏ę̷̄n̴̷̷͈̖͎̝͐ͭ̀̐̌́̚͢͠t̵̟̐e̴͎̝̔̈̑ŕ̸̷̥̤ͦ̄͛́_̸̸̶̸̸̡͈̺͔̗̦̪͇͕͍͑ͫ̿̀̈́ͩ̎̿ͫ͑ͮ͝p̶̶̵̸͕̫̺̯̪̺͐̅ͬ̌̌ͥ͐̎ͪ̈́͘̚͝ͅͅr̴̴̡͍̭̬̉ͤ͠͠į̶̵̷̴̵̴̴̯͚̖̩̯̰̝͚̠̪̣̜̾ͥ̿ͪ͛̒ͧ̏̈ͩ͊̀̀ͥ̅̌͊̄̚͜͢͜͝ş̷̸̲̼́̄́ͯ̊͂ͅ_̷̷̸̷̸̵̸̡̡̩̤̦͉͖̲̟͍̭̫͛ͯ̊̇ͧ̀ͨ̌ͯ̔͐ͭ̋̈́ͩ̅̇͠͝i̴̴̶͖̯̟͕̻̓ͦ̃̅̋ͧ̈́͠ň̸̶̵̷̺̙̰͖̳̯̘͓̽̇̉ͪ͊ͬ͑̑͢_̶̵̵̸̷̶̸̷̸̢̡̘̼͙̖͙͔̳̥͇̣̞̭͍̠͎͈͓̥̿ͮ͛̓ͭ͗̍̀ͧͫ̾ͯ̀ͦ́̓́ͮ̊͒̾̚͢͝͝ͅġ̴̸̶̴̗̮̱̲̜̼̟̯ͤ͑ͦ̓͛ͮ̏͒͐͘ ̴̢͕͓͊̍̀i̵̴̴̴̶̷̬̫̣̤̱̙̮͔̬̥̯͙̿ͧ̓ͩ́͑͒̔̆ͥ͂̚̕͢͢͝ṋ̷̸̶̗̯̬͚͎̀ͣ̋͋ͧ̈́d̴̶̴̴̸̶̸̡̞͕̯͉̝̖̱̬̦͚͎̈́͐ͭ͊͐̓͑ͧ͗ͦ͋͒ͭ̾̓ͪ̐͢͝͝͠i̴̴̷̵̴̵̶̸̵̧̨͙̳͈̝̣̹̻̤̤̙̣̦̜͖̗̐ͨ̈́̈ͩ̂͌͌ͧ̅̍ͮ̈́ͧ̾ͧ͊͆ͦͭ̓̋̕̕͠͝v̸̶̶̴̧̖̖̳̺̭͕̟̄̈́ͪ̍̈́ͫ̃ͥ̏̚͠í̴̶̷̸̡̛̭̦̰̤̙̒̂ͯ͒ͯ͢͝͠ͅd̴̴̵̵̵̶̨̻̙̠͚͎̖͉̱̤̮͔̠̠̔̋ͮ͋ͥ̾̈́ͭ̏̓͑ͦ̑̕͢u̶̸̶̶̷̴̷̷̴̢̢̢͙̬̲̯͇͙͔̙̤̝̺͈͚̪̘̬̙̣̿͋ͦ̿̽̽ͣ̅̌͂ͬ̐̊ͪ̈́̇ͥ̿ͪ̃ͬ̀̏̕͢ą̷̸̷̢̜͔͍̟̙͈͙̀ͧ̎̒ͪ͒͝͝ļ̵̴̴̴̷̷̶̸̨̞̣̱̲͈̦̲̫̤̹̮̯̥̺̪͓͕̰͓̐͛̎ͬͤ́̎ͥ̉̀ͭ̉̔ͦ̂̔ͤ̄ͮ͌͘͝ ̷̬͓͈̆̚d̴̴̸̡̞̲̳̣̏͒ͤ̒͂ͤ̈́͘e̷̷̶̵̴̷̶̴̡̝̖͚͉̠̞̻̟̜͕̹͕̰̭̾̏̄͒ͤ̽̎ͥͨ̾̐̔ͭ͗ͤ̆̍ͪ̾̏̚͢͝͝͠c̸̵̵̴̷̷̷͙̩̠͓̝̗̹̭̰͚̬̺̤̽ͭ̎̑̅ͧ̅̎ͣ̓̆ͫ̓͗̑ͦ͋̌ͭ̈́͜ͅi̵̷̵̢̨͙͉̤̯̓̐̀ͣ̀̆̔ͦ͐̽ͅ_̸̵̧͉̗͔̞̈́ͮ̐͝d̷̸̸̖̮͚̦̗̼͖̂ͦ̔ͥ͐e̴̸̷̵̵̢̧̲̳̭͍̳̟̞͚ͩ͆͊̐ͪ̀ͣ̉̔ͦ͑̚͝͠ş̶̷̛̰̽̓ͪ̆_̵̸͓̮̺̎ͭ͌͆͜ ̵̼͐͒͜͝ǔ̸̶̸͎̮͍̺̫ͩ̌͋ͬ͑̎_̶̴̶̡̡̙̺̗̱̭̘͌ͣ̐͑ͥ̊͆͋_̶̸̷̠̫̭̝̖̓̀̌ͮ̈́̾ͤ̑̚ń̵̸̶̛̮͎̳̜̎ͬ͐̈ͮ̎͜͝ͅġ̸̴͎͇̝͔͊ͥ̇͆̿͜l̷͉̼̠̑̉_̴̵̧̝̳̣͓̫̅ͮ̌i̴̸̴̦͉͙̯͉̪̯̅ͮ͗ͨ̈t̵̴̶̷̵͖̪͇̣̲̺̠͉͇͈̑̓ͫ̔ͧ̇̉ͩ́͢c̷̷̶̷̴̴̴̡̢͈͇͈̳̥͖̠̣̭̜͔͚̤̎ͧ͑ͭ̈́̈́ͦ́͗ͪ̽͌̔ͬ͆̓͆͘͘͢͝_̴̻̿͂͝ͅh̵̹̐ ̷̟͈͝t̸̶̘̭̖̭̏̾ͭ͊͜͝_̸̵̷̸̴̨̧̖̟̹̙͙̠̻̈̔ͤ̆ͧ͌ͭ͊̓ͭ̊̃͜h̷̳̦̪̄̓̒e̸̵̷̳̞͕͊̀̂ͯ͒̽ͮ͛͜͝ ̷̫͔͝g̴̨͝ĺ̶̴̴̶̶̡̢̢̨̛̹̗̬̳͈̖̱ͨ̐ͭ̅ͨ͋ͤ͌͗̕i̵̲̳͊ṯ̵̣̊͝_̴̵̵̵̴̵̨̡̢̛̭̬̙̝̟̭̯͊͗̈́ͧ͒ͨ̈́̾ͫ̂̈́ͤ̋ͧ͋͆̚͝ͅc̷̸̵̵̷͓̙̝̤͈̪̩̘̽̓̓ͦ̌ͫͮ̓̉ͤ͊͝_̷̙̤͕͐̑͝h̴̶̼͓̼͖̿̍ͤ̀_̵̶̸̶̛͓̜͖̬̮̥̪̮̓ͤ̽͆ͥ͗ͬ̔͠͝ ̸̘̎́͠t̷̸̴͇̲̠̜̰͂̂̒ͮ̐̐̅ͯ̈́̈́͝e̶̶̵̸̶̫̹͖̜̗̜͎̅͛ͪ͊ͯ̉̂ͧ͒̓̃ͪ̈́̓͝_̶̵̷̷̦̜̗̟͇̜̹̣̝̔ͩ̒̓ͫ̃̍ͥ͗͐̅̚x̷̴̷̵̵̷̷̢̛͈̟͎͔̲͉̻̹͚̖̝̭͓̪̭͗̀ͦ̊ͮ̓͂ͧ́ͮ͌ͨ̃ͭ̍͘͜͝ͅt̷̳͝ ̷̞͑ą̷̷̨͖̮̥̃̃ͯ͂͒n̶̶͎̤͎̏̈́ͭ͋͗ḑ̸̫̠̅͒͠_̴̸̷̦͚̤̘̆̈́̃ͭ̊̓̅̚͢ͅ ̷̝͋̍d̵̷̸̷̛͙̺̲̖̦͖̺͕̟̆̅͂ͭ̀ͬ͆ͫ̿̓̍į̷̴̴̴͎̞͍̲̪͍̫̤́̒̈ͫ̒ͤ͆ͭ̀̈̀_̵̸̵̨̝̝͙͍̘̓͊ͤ͂ͫ̀̀͜͝s̸̸̴̡̱̖̜̆ͯ̎̐̃ͮ̑̈́͜c̸̸̸̵̸̢̛̛̙̞͙̙͖̳̜͉̩̈́̍̈́ͭ̄̿ͩ̉̈ͪͧ̇̽͝ͅỏ̵̶͓̼̭̗͗̓ͫ̋̈́͒v̶̶̵̸̺̙͎̦̗͉̰̫̉̾ͥ̉ͥ̋̒ͧ͌̅̀ȩ̴̵̵̸̴̳̥̹̳͖̬͍̦̏͑ͯ̈́̔ͣ̃̄ͬ̇͐͘͢ŕ̷̵̶̷͙̮̯̱̩͍̝̙͚̎͋̊͋̽ͪ̎ͭ̉̐͢͝s̷̶̶̵̼̩̺̟͕̥̯̹͈͆ͨͣ̂ͮ̇̈́̃͘͝ ̴̛̛̩͉̅t̴̵̸̶̨̖͎̗̤͚̮͙̝̺̒̓ͭ͊̈́ͭ̀ͬ̑̕͝h̴̸̸̸̶̛͙̹̰͚̥̼͙̣͎̪͐̃̌̔ͤ̽͐̇ͩ͐̾̕͢͢͠i̵̷̵̷̶̶̡̙̺̠͇̮̱̗̮͇̫̟͔͕̇ͯ̓ͥ̊ͤ͆̿̆ͬ͊ͤ͆͘̚͝͝ͅn̵̵̻͔̒ͩ̐̉g̷̵̴̶̛͍̣̙͓̹̱͇̙̀ͥ̈͛ͦ͗̈́̔͘̕͜͢s̴̶̴̲̙̳̭̑̑̃ͮ̓ͮ̿͘_̴̶̵̨̪̠̙̙̘̀ͬ̀ͥ͂ͅ ̵̦̣̄̃t̷̸̼͕͎̮̀̊̀͒͢͝_̷̵͍̳̍ͪ̒h̵̷̡̩̯̲̘͂͗̑ͯ͝á̸̵̵̴̵̠̹̟̮̬̱̺͇̩̪͔̿ͫ̂ͯ̊̈́̂ͣ̾ͮ̈́̏͂͜ţ̶̷̷̩̺̬̰̪̹̊́̓ͭ͌ͯ͐̚͝ ̴̡̤̀͜͠ḩ̷̵̷̶̭̝͖͎̱̫͇̀͊ͧ̄͆ͬ̐̀̅ͩ͂̔̾͘á̵̷̡̛̝̤̩̃̅͢v̵̩̞̼̏e̶̴̛̲͈͍̲̅ͬ̍ ̸͚͈̅̅͘ä̵̵̵̷̵͔̰͖̗͉̙̹̦̋ͮ̓̅̓ͤ͊͗ͥ̾͋ͦ̽́̆͘l̸̯̦̾r̵̳̼̒ẹ̶̸̶̡̼̼͉̙̒̂̈ͤ̑̅ͤ̋̈̑a̸̵͍̱̽ͤ̃̌̈d̷̵̸̷̵̷̸̡̢̛̬̯̤̖͓̣̹̬͈̲̮̱̻͑ͣ͆ͩ̿̃ͣ̔ͮ͐͗̎ͤ̅ͪ͘̕̚ỳ̵̸̷̵̡͖̺͎̘̪͔̃ͥͭͮ̋͘̕͜͠ ̶̲̏b̵̲̙̯͐̎ė̸̵̶̶̸̶̛̝̰̹̱̯͚̹̠̝ͦ͑ͣ̑̈ͨ̉ͦ̀ͩ̚̕ͅë̸̻͉̩͑n̷̶̷̷̸̶̛͚̯͔̼͔̜̝̻̫̻͛͗͒ͣ̂ͦ̓͒ͯ̈ͯ͋ͦ̃̅̽͠ ̴̫͙̰̽͑̄h̵̵̖͈͔̪͉͐̊͋ͩ͋͆͠i̶̡͖̿̿n̷̶̸̷̻̫͙̞̙̔̆ͬ̏ͥ̒̓ͨ̓̔̓͠t̵̵̶̰͓̠̺͎̗̲̲̭͒̿ͮ̽ͤ̀͛̕̚͘è̵͇͔_̵̵̸̵̵̴̢̜̬̹̘̪̜̻̮̝̖͛̎͊ͬ̄̀ͨ̂ͯ́ͬͦ̉͘͝d̸̷̶̵̴̴̝̺͚̩͙͎̩͉͚̯͎̠̟̀͗ͩ̑̀͐͑̇͐ͯ́͌̇ͬ́͘͜͢͢͝͝ͅ ̸̬͍͓̍̾͝a̷̵̪̟̜͈̮̲͂̿ͭ͑͛̾t̸̶̷̶̷͎̬̫͚̩̙͇̯̪̐ͥ́͒̎ͧ̔̉ͯ̊̊ͬ̈́͑̓͝,̶̵̦̝̼̜̈́ͩ͆͜ ̶̡̺͆͑b̷̵̷̵̦̭͉̲̠̃ͦ͛̍ͫ̿ͧ͐͂͝͝͝ͅu̸̲̠͒͋̾t̸̵̸̸̢̡̢͎͖̪̱͂ͣͭ̋͆͒ͩ͂̚͘͠͠͝ ̷̨̂w̴̷̴̶̷̧͕̹̱̰̝̯͚̎̈́ͥ̀ͤ̀͗͋ͧ̏ͤ͋͊͂͝i̷̶̸͚̥͔͕̘̜̽̃ͬ̑̎̌ͣ̀̕l̴̙͍͋̆̋ĺ̶̨͚̂͗ ̸̯͕́b̵̴͔͈̩̒ͬ̆_̷̵̛̺̜̥̲̣͂̀̆ͪ͘ȇ̵̶͈͖̞̮̩̒ͣ́ ̸͙̜̰̏̕r̵̵̡͕̱ͯ̆͌͝e̶̷̶̷̞̮̼̟̥̙̽́ͯ͐ͯ̿̅ͨ̈́̓̕ͅv̸̴̷͕̖̣̳̫̉ͯ͋̋ͦ̀̕_̸͌̓ͅe̵̩̭̜͋a̴̴̷̴̡̮̩̘̮̰̗͓̎ͫ͒ͧ̈́͆ͤ́̐͘l̵̴̵̶̶̨̨̛̟̼̟̥̺͇͈̳̏͑̔ͪ̆ͣ͒͆ͤ͒̄̇ͦ̎̓̽͜_̵͚͍̗͂̾̿ę̸̸̴̶̶̸̶̷̩̯͔̜̜̱̻̖̘̝͎͚̰̹̪͂ͯ̉̉ͬ͛ͪ͋̈́̈́ͨ̉̔ͮ̔ͫ̐̄ͦ̽͜d̶̴̶̸̶͕̖̖̰͉̤̜͎̮͎̫̲̓̎͑͒ͧ̎͆ͦ̓̎̉ͣ̋̀͑͢͝ ̷̪̻͗̀ḯ̴̲̆n̷̷̵̢̛̖̳̤̟̱̣̏ͩ̄ͨ̓̒ ̴͎͓͐̚d̷̶̶̲̯̻͊̒͐ͭ̑̃ͥ͆͛ù̷̸̠̟̲̟̃̽ͯ̇͜ë̶̴̷̶̸̡̨̡̥̻͍̝̫̞̮͚̙ͫ͆ͩ͂͐ͮ̌̄ͯ̈́̑̂͜ͅ ̶̖̿͗͋ć̶̸̸̯̜̲̦̦͓͔ͣ̆͛ͫ̔̍o̴̸̴̴̴̢̧̩̜̼͙̘̣͎̣͋̒ͤ̊́ͯ̆ͪ̉ͩ͑̑ừ̴̷̼̪͎̞̐ͣ̔͊r̵̦̂͐̈́s̵̴̵̴̶̵̡̝̣̪̮̤̺̬͙̱͒̒ͯ̊ͭ͋ͨ͂ͮ̄ͦ̏̕e̵͚̻͍͑̀͑_̵̷̵̶̸̴̵̨̡̛̗̪͉͙̟̻̟͍̟̱̞̲̳̏͒ͣ̂̀ͤ̉ͭ̀ͫ̋́̀ͦ̎ͣ̀̊̕͝͠ ̸̮̱̲̈́̌͌i̵̶̶̷̷̧͚̤͎̣̭̩̯͍̮̪͐̄ͫ́͂ͨ̑̈́̎ͫ̔ͯ͋̅f̷̧̮́ ̴̤̑ť̴̶̶̸̸̸̴̪̫̞̳̥̲̰͇͙̠̰̤͖͙̻̈̈ͫ̒ͨ̓̇̒ͫ̊ͯ̈́ͮ̄͂ͦ̏͐͝h̷̸̵̶̴̡̳͙͓͕̦̫̳͇̆́ͩ̾̎ͭ̀̈́͒ͮ͊ͨ̆͝ͅe̷̵̺̍̋͂ͣ̄́͜ỷ̴̴̵͔̹͉̫ͤ̾̇̂ͯ͆'̷̷̨̛͉̩̙̯͑̒͛ͩ̍͝ŕ̶̶̯̲͕́ͣ͆͑̚ȩ̴̸̵̸̷̶̴̴̢̬̹̗͇̺̙̦̟̣̱̰̝̫̙̐̄̈̓ͬ͑ͮ̈́̊̊ͭ̈́̔̏ͮ͗ͨ͆ͪ̑͘͢ͅ ̸̘́ṕ̴̸̷̶͓͔̟̟̠͎̟͒ͩ͛ͩ̔̄ͧ͊͝ā̴̠̥t̸̪̤̃̾i̷̛̪̔̇e̶̱͋͂͠n̵̷̸̶̸̸̸̷̡̲͕̳̲̺̹̦̫̥̙͍̼̩͉̗͍̄̈́̒ͫͧ̈́͋ͬͫ̍̑́ͫ̿̋̾ͯ̀ͭ̔̾̕͘̕͝͝t̴̸̯͎͍͆͐ͮ̐̚.̷̵̸̧̜͎͇̻͔̪͂̀͂ͮ̎ͯ́

[OK]

She frowned and squinted, but the text was completely garbled. She could stare at it for hours and she doubted she'd be able to make out a single letter. That was...disconcerting. But this was her quest item? The memories of just what her quest update had said rang through her mind again and she shivered, the weight of what she had, what she had to do settling on her shoulders like lead and she bit her lower lip in consternation.

Dismissing the info box she just looked at the item for a moment. It was just a blue blob, the same shade of blue as all of her notification windows, flecks of white giving it a sort of shimmering, swirling motion. It wasn't ominous when she just looked at it like that, just another gem or soul stone or memory fragment she'd seen in videogames a hundred times before. Nothing special, if it was a videogame and not currently her life.

"Well I didn't go through all that effort for nothing" she chuckled nervously to herself, bringing up the contextual menu again and selecting 'Use' before she could second guess herself  a second time.

[Warning: Quest Item 'Memories' may result in loss of consciousness. Ensure you are lying down or otherwise safe and comfortable and will not be disturbed for duration.]

[Use] / [Back]

Oh cool that wasn't terrifying at all. She gulped and hit 'Back', shuffling out of bed to the bedroom door and cracking it open enough that she could stick her head out and shout down the hall to the study where her mom was working.

"Mom I'm going to sleep, please tell dad not to knock on my door if I'm not up later."

"Okay Maddie, I hope you feel better after!"

"Thanks mom."

The guilt twisted as much as any knife as she shut the door and ambled back to comfort of her bed. She hated lying to her parents, hated pretending to be everything they believed her to be. That she was a good person, a nice girl, someone they could be proud to call their daughter.

That's why she couldn't back out, why as soon as she was snug under the covers, head pressed back into her pillow she whispered her Inventory open and selected 'Use' with only the briefest pause before she did it once more.

The blue orb dissolved before her eyes and she blinked as she was overcome by a sudden feeling of vertigo, blinking again as she tried to shake her head to ward off the disorientation but barely shifting more than a sluggish squirming against her pillow.

Sounds seemed to rush like running water, her overhead light she'd forgotten to turn off expanding into a flat fluorescent glow that crawled across the ceiling until there was nothing else. Her eyelids fluttered, flickering stabs of light in her vision as she tried to keep them open before they closed once more and stayed shut. The sound of the tide crashed against her mind, rising up to drown her thoughts in a muddled blur of light and noise and then abruptly and inexorably she knew no more.

Until she did.

And she found herself watching, a spectre of her own memory, confusion giving way to epiphany and the echoes of longing and regret.

"Taylor Hebert?"

"Here miss."

Madison remembered not thinking much of Taylor Hebert, she didn't look mean, didn't look much of anything and so she'd quickly tuned her out as she'd boredly looked over everyone else she'd be sharing a class with. It might have been a new start for her, especially when none of her bullies had followed her to Winslow thanks to their move, but she still couldn't help her anxiety. Her wandering gaze slipped back to each person as their names were called for the register, trying to figure out from a glance if they were safe, which were the ones she'd want to avoid and shoving everyone else into a box called 'wait and see.'

  -

"Just stop following me Taylor, we're done, I'm done with you! Just get it through your thick skull already!"

She wasn't trying to watch, but Emma had a way of drawing a crowd. The redhead had quickly climbed near the top of her 'avoid' list after she'd seen the other girl yelling at Taylor the first time. But Madison was getting worried that as Emma's influence grew that wouldn't be an option forever and she knew  all too well it was safer to be part of the pack than outside of it.

  -

"Maybe look where you're going loser."

Madison didn't like Emma, didn't like how easily she'd started  turning people on Taylor, especially what it meant if Emma ever noticed her. But it was Sophia who scared her. Madison thought she at least understood Emma, a queen bee that stayed so by finding someone to step on to the entertainment of the crowd. There was that vindictive satisfaction every time she put Taylor down, but there was also the sense there was a limit, a point where she would finally stop and she just hadn't found it yet.

But Sophia just kept bringing out the worst in Emma, kept pushing that line a little further out each time. Madison didn't know if anyone else had started to feel like she did, had started to laugh along a little with everyone else. Laughing just so she wouldn't be seen not laughing. She still hoped they'd stop soon. That one of the teachers would finally notice, that someone else would care.

  -

"Hey Madison? You're in world affairs with Hebert right?"

It wasn't like she could say no. Not with Julia and the others there, the ones who would be in the class with her. Madison thought she'd been doing a good job of blending in, just laughing when Emma and Sophia did something, sometimes throwing in her own vague insult when they others did so it could be lost amongst the noise. But they'd noticed her, they thought she was actually like them and she didn't want them to realise their mistake. Didn't want to think about if she actually was for everything she'd already done. Would do to be accepted. To be safe.

-

"I heard from Julia what you did, man I wish I could have seen her face!"

It had been...easy. All she had to do was pretend to trip, let all the pencil shavings fall on Taylor and that was it. She was so nervous but it didn't even matter in the end. Taylor had just looked at her in shock and then this resignation that it was only the next thing on a list that never seemed to end. Mr Gladly believed her and half the class seemed to think it was just a hilarious accident.

And Emma and Sophia had praised her, Emma had given her a smile that proved she was safe, Sophia had encouraged her, told her what a great job she'd done and for a moment she had felt good about crushing the spirits of another girl just like her.

She hadn't gone to school the next day.

  -

"Give her hell Mads!"

She was more popular. Her. Short, uninteresting Madison Clements.

She didn't even notice it at first, she was just trying to survive, trying not to find herself in Taylor's place. She'd exchanged numbers with Emma and Sophia after the first prank, been invited to one of their group chats. They'd talked about Taylor, insulted her, thought about what else they could do to make her miserable. She'd contributed.

She should have realised it just meant they expected more from her. Should have realised how poisonous success was. Every victory made her feel a little better about herself, a little taller, gave her back a little more self worth.

Emma and Sophia wanted to hang out with her even more and so had other people, even outside of school. People she'd put on the avoid list were suddenly safe because she was safe, because she was more popular than them. She'd managed what Taylor hadn't and a growing part of herself was getting better at pushing the guilt down. Pushing down the disgust when she looked in the mirror and telling herself that she was better than Taylor, that she deserved it.

  -

"Please give it back Emma."

And Emma didn't.

Emma passed off the flute to Sophia, Taylor broke and she had just watched the whole thing. She had felt sick, seeing herself in Taylor's place but going through the motions anyway. She'd crushed the guilt in the shared satisfaction from Emma, Sophia and the others, reminded herself again that Taylor had brought it upon herself.

  -

"I got rid of it obviously, why would I keep trash in my house? You know you really should be thanking me for doing a public service like that."

Emma had told her what she'd done to Taylor's flute and she'd laughed along, that part of herself that actually cared slowly being strangled a little more and she readily contributed her own ideas as to what the three of them could do next.

And then she did them.

Willingly, happily, sometimes just spur of the moment cruelties, some she didn't even bother telling the others about as the weeks went on, just satisfied she had pushed Taylor down a little more.

Again and again and again.

  -

"Maybe you should do us all a favour and not come back!"

Sometimes it was as simple as a passing comment or even just a smirk that promised something worse later. But gradually they escalated and gradually she no longer cared. Throwing away Hebert's possessions, destroying her homework, stealing her work in class and submitting it as her own.

They'd poured drinks over her, tripped her in the halls, told her to kill herself and ensured not even the most kind hearted soul, not even a teacher would look twice as they dragged her through the mud day in, day out.

-

"Are you really calling me a liar Hebert? Just another sad pathetic lie from the girl everyone hates. I'd tell you to go and cry home to your dad, but I bet he doesn't want to see you either!"

She wasn't sure who's idea it was in the end, what should have been just a stupid joke in their group chat, but they'd kept talking about it until it had somehow become an actual thing they were planning.

Even after all the crap they'd put Hebert through it was easy to get someone to pretend to be remorseful, to pretend to be her friend for a while. Make her let her guard down, make her feel like the worst had passed and things were actually going to get better while the three of them had prepared.

They'd filled her locker with the most disgusting crap they could think of, one-upping each other to the point Madison knew she might finally be going too far. That she'd help start something she couldn't control as she helped fill Hebert's locker with all the worst waste from the girl's bathrooms and then letting it just sit there over the mid-winter break.

Then they'd shoved her in it. It was Sophia who had done it, she was the track star, the athlete, the one who was strong enough to manage it properly. The one who wanted it the most.

But she and Emma might as well have pushed her in too as Hebert had screamed and they'd laughed.

They'd joked to each other as Hebert had begged to be let out, laughing when they'd locked the door and walked away, knowing that for everything they'd done not a single other student would interfere.

And they'd been right.

Chapter Text

She was crying.

The memories... If they were memories? It wasn't just like watching someone else because she remembered how she'd felt, how she'd thought. The echoes of each experience twisting uncomfortably against her thoughts as she saw herself make mistake after mistake, missing every opportunity that hindsight and distance pointed out one after another as she found herself lamenting what could have been instead.

It was excruciating seeing herself from the outside, everything feeling so real and present but not being able to interfere. Having to watch herself fail and break every moral code she'd thought she had because she was too weak to do anything else.

She'd had to watch as Taylor went through everything. Saw the way the thing with the flute had almost gone, and, and...

She thought it was going to stop then, crying and confused within her own mind as she waited to wake up. But it hadn't, she thought that would have been it, a glimpse of 'what if' as her own memory jarred against what she was seeing like an imperfect copy. She thought she'd understood then what her power was showing her, how close she'd come to the point of no return and how much she had to do better by Taylor just to start.

But then to her horror and confusion the memories had kept going.

She'd seen...the future? She didn't doubt her power was a thinker type, but she hadn't really thought she was a precognitive. If that's what it really was.

The memories still felt real though. Everything the other her had done, what she'd said, it was everything she could imagine of herself if her power hadn't already stepped in and stopped her cold.

But the things that the other Madison had done... When her power had talked about monsters she'd thought she'd understood, but she hadn't, not really, not until then.

She didn't remember getting out of bed and staggering to the bathroom, it felt like she'd been under for hours but it wasn't as dark as she thought it'd be as she'd hugged the toilet bowel, dry retching until at some point she'd stopped. Slowly pulling herself together, becoming more aware of the world outside her head again.

It wasn't a difficult choice to have a shower after that, she wasn't soiled with sweat thankfully, but the memories of what she... No what other Madison had done was enough to make her turn up the heat until steam was filling the bathroom and scrubbed herself until she didn't feel as dirty anymore.

Was it the future? Was that what she would have become if she'd just...continued? Was that what was still going to happen even without her involvement?

"Well screw that" she croaked as she marched back into her room, grabbing the glass from her desk that was probably about eight hours old at that point and relishing the freezing cold liquid cutting down her throat.

That Madison didn't happen, wouldn't happen if she had anything to say about it and she'd be damned if she let any of that shit happen to Taylor after what she's seen.

"Okay power, that was probably the worst thing that I've ever experienced and if you wanted to make a point, consider it made." She declared to her empty room, slumping back to sit on the bed as she nursed the glass in both hands.

Her power seemed to be in agreement though as the notification window popped up again in front of her.

[Quest: Path of the Hero]

Madison Clements has confronted the darkness within h̸͙̒͛̀e̶̵ͫr̷̈́š̷̟̤̣̂ẻ̵͎̈l̶̙͛ͧ͘f̷͙ and emerged scarred, but victorious.

Aware of the potential for cruelty in all people she has vowed to do better so that what she saw could në̙̺͚̃ͤ̓v̹̈̈́̑e̳̫͗r̢͖ͭͤͣ come to pass.

So armed with a newfound resolve Madison Clements must right the wrongs of her past if she is ever to be a Hero in the present.

[Objective: Do the right thing] [Ongoing]
Rewards: ?????, ????

[OK]

Well at least her power agreed with her Madison mused as she wondered why a couple of the words seemed sort of glitchy. It wasn't as bad as when she'd tried to look at the info for the 'Memories' item when it had been in her Inventory, but it was still pretty disconcerting to see that it wasn't a one off.

With a sigh she pushed the thought away, it wasn't like she knew what it meant, if it meant anything anyway and wasn't just her power being weird. It wasn't like she could do anything about it either and besides that her new objective was already giving her a headache to think about.

"Could you be any more vague power?"

Sure she had like a dozen ideas right off the bat, first and foremost getting on her hands and knees in front of Taylor and begging for forgiveness, but was it too much to ask for a little direction!

Well probably she mused, she was the one who had to do the right thing, it wasn't exactly her power's job. That was apparently to kick her in the emotions until she knew where she'd gone wrong. Actually fixing things was going to be up to her.

Frowning, she tried to think how best to actually start. Madison knew she'd been a terrible person, that couldn't have been made more obvious to her than if her parents had summoned her downstairs for a chat about how disappointed they were with everything she'd done.

No she had to make it up to Taylor, she was going to apologise obviously but in her shoes that wouldn't... Okay if she was in Taylor's shoes she'd be pretty desperate for a friend and would take what she could get. But this was about doing more! Taylor was already stronger than her even without a power, so she needed to do something to show she was sorry beyond the obvious crap like sticking up for Taylor which she was trying not to think about right then.

Sure she was a cape, but that didn't mean high school had just stopped being scary, especially when Emma and Sophia were going to notice her one-eighty first thing tomorrow-

"Oh shit my phone!"

Madison panickedly looked about before remembering she'd turned it off hours ago, so at least the other two would know she wasn't just ignoring them as she finally found it having fallen down the side of her bedside table. She might have felt accepted by Emma and Sophia, but she wasn't going to leave them on read if she could help it. She valued her life thanks.

Out of a sense of morbid curiosity more than anything else she turned her phone back on, grimacing as messages started to filter in and she turned off the sound so at least she wouldn't be too tempted to turn it right back off again.

She replied to Julia and the other girls who had texted her first. She could still pretend to be friends with them in a way since they were pretty much just like her, petty bitches who followed the crowd and there were only a couple of friendships she'd actually feel bad about losing when Emma inevitably turned them on her, or they turned on her themselves.

Madison shuddered, having powers definitely hadn't made her feel invincible, that was for sure.

Reluctantly, after putting it off for another few minutes of texting the others and then spending another ten minutes blow drying her hair she dredged up the will to open the group chat to see what she'd missed.

Emma: OMG Taylor's face!

Sophia: Yeah, that was great, Hebert didn't even try and get it back

Emma: Of course not, she's weak! Thx for helping tho

Sophia: Obviously, gotta teach her a lesson. Decided what you're gonna do with it yet?

Emma: Was just gonna break it, but seems weak.

Sophia: Yeah you'll think of something better. I'd just throw it in the bay or something. You got an idea Mads?

Emma: Don't think she's online? Did look abit out of it earlier.

Emma: a bit*

Sophia: Oi Mads don't be sick again, you're with Hebert tomorrow.

Emma: You know she isn't online

Sophia: Yeah but she'll see it when she looks later.

Great, demon one and demon two wanted her ideas on how destroy Taylor's flute as if what they'd done hadn't already been enough! She should just steal it back and- Wait that was a great idea!

[Quest: Retrieve Taylor Hebert's Flute]

Retrieve Taylor Hebert's flute from the Villain and their co-conspirator.

[Objective: Obtain a weapon/tool to break into school lockers]
[Objective: Arrive at school before 06:15]
[Objective: Search Emma's locker]
[Objective: Search Sophia's locker]
[Objective: Retrieve flute]
Rewards: Flute

[OK]

"Exactly!" She cheered, it was perfect! She hadn't stopped them from taking it, but she could get it back and give it to Taylor before they did something to it!

Also her power was calling Emma a villain? That was actually kind of hilarious, especially since she knew Sophia would be pissed to only be called the 'co-conspirator' in their theft.

Okay, she had a plan! Well she had the start of a plan and her power had given her the rest, so technically still her plan? Madison shook her head, the time for a deep dive on PHO and the wiki to figure out her power a bit more was for later, the time for finding something to break into a locker with was now!

Unsurprisingly in hindsight, it turned out that parents tended to ask their daughter questions when she goes from bedridden for most of the day to 'probably very suspiciously poking around the garage while they're having dinner'.

On the bright side it also turned out having an Inventory made it very easy to liberate a crowbar without her father figuring out just what she had been conspicuously looking about the garage for.

Victory!

[Quest: Retrieve Taylor Hebert's Flute]

Retrieve Taylor Hebert's flute from the Villain and their co-conspirator.

[Objective: Obtain a weapon/tool to break into school lockers]
[Objective: Arrive at school before 06:15]
[Objective: Search Emma's locker]
[Objective: Search Sophia's locker]
[Objective: Retrieve flute]
Rewards: Flute

[OK]

Her quest had even updated itself when she was done and she'd happily dismissed the notification window when it had popped back into her vision after she'd eventually managed to extricate herself from her parents' subsequent interrogation.

It wasn't her fault she hadn't thought they'd notice and had to sit through a barrage of slightly exasperated questioning! Though answering why she had thought it had been a good idea to start poking around the garage in nothing but her pyjama top and bottoms in the middle of winter with the answer: 'I didn't actually notice I wasn't wearing that much' was apparently not the right one and she'd been sent straight back to bed with a promise not to do it again.

Not that she needed to with her quest confirming she'd obtained the perfect tool for the job. Her dad probably wouldn't notice anyway, at least until the weekend at the earliest and she was pretty sure she'd be the last person he'd think of. Okay, she admitted to herself that she'd be the last person he'd think of if he hadn't caught her roaming around the garage in her pyjamas after being off sick from school. But as long as she left the crowbar in her Inventory when she wasn't committing crimes in the name of justice she'd be fine!

Dismissing her Inventory again as she sat down Madison was surprised to have the Inventory tutorial window pop back up, belatedly realising she'd never actually dismissed it since she'd spent what felt like several hours earlier just trying to intuit how the various parts of it worked. Leaving it open had seemed like a good idea at the time, she still had no idea if she could access some kind of archive for all the quest and tutorial windows she'd gotten, so leaving it up for reference just in case had been the obvious call.

She gave it a quick skim one last time just in case anything jumped out at her and then dismissed it too, turning away-

[Tutorial Quest: Your Inventory and You] [Part 2]

Items stored in your Inventory will be represented by an image of the item and can be rotated by selecting the item and stating 'Rotate' or issuing the equivalent mental command.

Physical items can be retrieved by stating 'Retrieve', issuing the equivalent mental command or through your command menu.

Non-Physical items may not be able to be retrieved through any  'Retrieve' commands. In these cases you should utilise the command menu and select 'Use' or issue the equivalent mental command.

To add an item to your Inventory, make physical contact with the item and state 'Store', issue the equivalent mental command or pass the item through an enclosed space Inventory opening.

NOTE: When adding an item to the Inventory through an enclosed space Inventory opening, the item must not exceed the diameters of the enclosed space Inventory opening.

[OK]

She gaped.

"Motherfucker!"

Madison wasn't annoyed, that would be petty. Just like she wasn't thinking about how she'd wasted all that time trying to access her quest item when everything she'd needed was on page two of the Scion damned tutorial!

Letting her head meet desk with a thump she let out a small groan. Apparently today was just going to be her learning very obvious life lessons over and over again until they stuck.

On the up side, until she got some kind of archive tutorial her notepads were filling out nicely. She'd ended up getting a second one when it became obvious she was going to be doing a lot of writing by hand in the near future, because there was no way in hell she was going to digitise anything.

Notepad one was for writing down all the mechanics of her power, including copying all of her tutorial quests verbatim and then notepad two, which she'd copied over from the first one was for all her thoughts and questions about her power. Needless to say the latter was far more filled out.

With a small frown of concentration she double checked she'd copied everything correctly and dismissed the second tutorial window, sitting back in her chair and waiting for-

"And there it is" she groaned theatrically when part three popped silently into existence a few seconds later.

[Tutorial Quest: Your Inventory and You] [Part 3]

Your Inventory is split into four distinct sections: Inventory, [LOCKED], [LOCKED] and [LOCKED].

Your Inventory will display all current stored items that are not part of [LOCKED] or otherwise [LOCKED].

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

The command menu is a contextual menu which provides the following context dependent actions for a stored item: Use, Info, Retrieve, Displace, ?????

Use - For physical items, this action functions identically to the 'Retrieve' function. For non-physical items this will action the item.

Info - Provides known information about the item.

Retrieve - Equips the selected item by default. If an equivalent is already equipped, the items will be swapped.

Displace - Item remains in a phased stated, but is removed from the Inventory. ACTION CANNOT BE UNDONE.

????? - ????? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ??????

NOTE: Any items displaced and not immediately recovered should be considered lost and/or destroyed.

[OK]

Any of her remaining annoyance that she'd been sitting on a goldmine of information without realising it quickly disappeared and she felt her curiosity heighten as she read through the text.

"Huh" was all she managed when she reached the end, a dozen different thoughts competing for her attention as tried to decide what to focus on first.

What was the difference between 'locked' and a bunch of question marks? Why were parts of her power locked off in the first place? Just what did 'phased state' actually mean? That was the second time she remembered seeing it and it was like her power had just expected her to know.

And boy did 'displace' feel uncomfortably close to the word 'disintegrate', especially with the two separate warnings for it.

She opened her Inventory again, selecting the crowbar and then 'Info'.

[Crowbar (Item)]

A single black 'Ox Trade' brand crowbar.

[OK]

Well she wasn't sure what she had expected really. She dismissed the info window and brought up the contextual menu again and then dismissed it as she had another idea and pushed herself off the bed, letting the Inventory window close by itself as she walked past it back to her desk, pulling open the top draw and grabbing a couple of pens that rolled to the front.

"Okay so" she muttered as she tried adding them both to her Inventory like she had everything else and smiled when the pens in the palm of her hand disappeared. Sitting back down on the edge of her bed she opened her Inventory again with a mental command and quickly confirmed what she'd expected to see as she saw five slots of her Inventory occupied.

She hadn't thought the pens would stack, but she was glad she had gotten a quick confirmation, even if it did make it a bit more of a puzzle that if she clipped a pen to her notepad it counted as one item as far as her Inventory was concerned.

She shrugged, it wasn't what she had grabbed them for to test anyway as she retrieved one of the pens back into her hand, fingers curling loosely around it as she looked back up to her Inventory and selected her crowbar.

"Retrieve" she murmured and even expecting it she still jumped slightly as her hand went from holding a small piece of plastic to a cold heavy block of metal, not that it stopped the grin from stealing across her face.

"So cool" she muttered to herself, happy that it had worked and then trying it again with the other items in her Inventory.

The different shapes and sizes threw her off as she went through them back and forth for several minutes. She dropped the pen when she switched to it and the notepad was immediately awkward in her grip, especially when she then switched back to the crowbar and almost dropped it on her foot. But even as she was annoyed at herself, she figured it was good to know that in the safety of her room, rather than when a goon or a pissed off Sophia Hess was coming at her with a rusty pipe in a dark alley.

Any further thoughts of practice or experimentation were abandoned when a knock at her door announced that her mom had brought up some dinner to her. Though she made the mental note to make some actual notes about her progress, since it was the sort of thing she knew she should be writing down alongside everything else.

As much as she had wanted to continue after she'd eaten, especially with trying to perfect the trick of switching between completely different items without dropping them,  Madison found her exhaustion catching up to her not long after and had reluctantly started getting ready for bed.

She'd debated trying to get her mom to agree she should stay off school tomorrow as well, her power had only said she needed to arrive at the school a couple of hours early, not that she had to actually attend. But Madison knew her mom would suspect something was up if she tried that again. It made things a little trickier, but it wasn't like it would be the first time they'd missed each other in the morning so it would probably be fine.

Her alarm going off four fifteen in the morning was definitely not fine.

Madison groaned, hand snaking out of the nice warm covers to find it and finally grabbing it.

"Too briiight" she moaned, tiredly turning it off and letting it flop back down beside her pillow somewhere.

Just five more minutes, maybe ten...

BZZZT BZZZT

That was the only warning she got as her alarm started again a moment later and she grappled with it sleepily, projecting as much hatred as she could when entirely half asleep at the infernal device, blearily blinking to see what the time actually was.

04:28

"Ugh"

She had to get uuuupp... Existence was pain. Superpowers weren't worth it. Life wasn't worth it... Maybe she'd feel more human after a nice warm shower...

She was halfway out of bed when she realised the issue, no one would hear her alarms since she'd turned down the volume when she set them, but her parents would definitely notice the shower going at four in the morning.

Madison shivered, her duvet looking even more appealing to snuggle back under at that very moment. It wasn't actually that cold, at least compared to how she normally felt when she was dragging herself out of bed in the morning. But a little bit less freezing didn't compare to a nice thick winter duvet... She shook her head forcibly, bringing her free hand up to rub the grit out of her eyes. It was almost four thirty and she had to leave by five if she wanted to catch the bus she reminded herself.

With a decidedly unfeminine grunt she swung herself out of bed, bringing up her phone to check exactly how much time she had before she needed to leave.

04:47

"Kill me."

Chapter Text

She managed to catch the bus.

Barely.

It helped that it was running a few minutes late, though that could have been normal for all she knew. She usually took the number ten and that had her at school in twenty minutes. That bus unfortunately didn't start its route till six so she'd had to grab the number fifty four which just went in one big circle to the bus station Downtown and basically doubled her journey time. Being a Hero was hard.

Madison had thought the bus would be emptier than it was, but it seemed there were plenty of people going to work or just somewhere else she couldn't be bothered to guess. Though she quickly found she didn't have the energy to people watch or browse PHO on her phone for more than a few minutes either as her gaze drifted to the scenery beyond the window and she let the journey pass in an empty blur.

Getting off the bus at least helped wake her up as she was buffeted by a cold gust of wind, blanching at the frigid air against her face and regretting the decision not to wear the scarf she got for Christmas.

In the end she'd decided to just throw on something she'd normally wear to school, a bit cutesy and unthreatening if it weren't for the plain grey hoodie she'd quickly dumped over the top of it when she'd remembered people weren't actually supposed to recognise her. It was still dark enough that it wouldn't have been obvious anyway, but it wasn't exactly worth the risk if she ended up getting caught just because someone had recognised her top.

To that end her usual butterfly clips had been banished to her Inventory and she'd also haphazardly thrown in most of a casual outfit as well in a spur of the moment decision before she'd quietly rushed out of the house to catch the bus.

It was a little terrifying how quickly she'd managed to fill her Inventory already when she'd looked afterwards, a little too reminiscent of grabbing everything that wasn't nailed down when she was playing an RPG. But as she walked the rest of way to Winslow she consoled herself that she did have those other locked Inventory tabs, so she shouldn't hopefully be limited to just her current twenty four slots. Hopefully.

She scoffed mentally at the thought when it registered, 'just twenty four slots', as though having any at all wasn't already amazing. No wonder capes got cocky if she was already getting used to the idea of storing things outside of reality, that she could be concerned she didn't have enough space for all her stuff.

In the end she got to the school a little after six, Madison had no idea when the janitors turned up in the morning, but she figured she had at least a bit of time since the school didn't officially open till seven thirty anyway.

Though having arrived she then realised she hadn't quite considered how she was going to get in.

"I feel like the crowbar might be overkill" she murmured to herself as she paused before actually entering the school grounds, slipping her phone out of her pocket so she could at least look like she wasn't loitering incredibly suspiciously.

Not that there were that many people about anyway and anyone who was were keeping to themselves as much as she was. "Power, a little help?"

[Quest: Breaking and Entering]

Madison Clements has reached Winslow High School and must find a means of entry that will not prematurely reveal her presence to the authorities in order to complete her mission.

Thankfully Madison Clements has overheard many comments in passing and knows just how to access the school with the subtlety and stealth required of her.

[Objective: Follow the waypoint marker to reach the unlocked door]

[OK]

"I have?" She exclaimed in bewilderment, catching herself before she was too loud and racking her brains for a moment to make sure she wasn't going crazy.

While she definitely remembered hearing a few things like that, they were mostly about sneaking in after school and she definitely didn't remember the specifics. Was part of her power super memory?

"I dub myself thinker nine" she chirped in amusement and dismissed the quest window, momentarily surprised by the pale blue arrow that replaced it and stretched off out of sight around the wall she was leaning on.

"That's new" she murmured before shrugging away the thought. If she got caught up on every new thing her power did she'd be too busy being constantly surprised to do anything.

The line lead her around the front entrance of the building proper and she tried to look like she was moving with purpose as she walked, even as she couldn't help but crane her neck just slightly to try and see where her power was leading her.

She knew the security at Winslow was crap, the school had given up on any CCTV outside of the offices long before she'd started and the one attempt at introducing metal detectors at the entrance had lasted about two days before the school had removed what was left of them and Madison doubted anything less than an actual murder would change anything. Maybe not even then depending on who got shot.

Feeling a little relieved when she was finally out of sight from the street Madison let her pace slow a little as she looked about slightly. It was weird being at the school when it was so dead and even the couple of times she had had to go in early didn't compare to how eerily quiet and empty it was at six in the morning.

The blue line continued on a little further, hugging close to the wall before rounding another corner and finishing in a pointed arrow at one of the side doors she definitely didn't remember ever using and looked just like any of the other presumably locked doors she'd already passed on the way there. Just why her power had thought it would be an easy way in though was immediately obvious when she had experimentally tried the handle and the door just...opened.

Even if she was on a time limit she couldn't help but pause, bending down to try and peer into the lock before giving up and pulling out her phone to angle the light from the screen against it.

"Ah."

She'd had trouble seeing what was in the lock because it was completely filled with gum. Gross. Madison supposed most people wouldn't have even noticed and she bet that's what the janitors were counting on too. All the labs had locks on the doors anyway, so it wasn't like there was anything that valuable someone could get to if they did find it she mused as she stood back up and closed the door gently behind her.

Once she was in it wasn't much of a walk to reach her destination, Winslow was basically just three hallways stacked on top of each other with a few more buildings awkwardly bolted onto the side. She'd hung around the other girls often enough to know everyone's locker by heart and it only took her a moment to orient herself and find the ones she wanted.

'Zero-four-thirty-seven' for Emma and 'zero-four-sixty-five' for Sophia, though she wasn't sure which to start with and while she hadn't seen anyone so far, she wasn't so sure her luck would hold the moment she actually started trying to break in to one of them.

The lockers themselves were huge even if she hadn't been one of the shorter girls and looking at them again in the gloom Madison grimaced as she saw all too easily how Sophia had managed to shove someone even as tall as Taylor into one of them.

She shook her head to dispel the thought, that wasn't happening anymore, the fact she was there proved it. She just had to decide which locker probably had the flute and get started.

"Any ideas power?" She whispered, conscious of being too loud even as her ears strained to hear the slightest sound that would indicate anyone else was about.

Her power didn't respond which wasn't ideal and she forced herself to stop, thinking back over things. Her quest was to search both lockers which meant her power didn't know which one it was? She hummed under her breath, she'd only gotten the quest to the unlocked door because she'd apparently already known it was there and didn't remember, so it looked like however her power was doing things it couldn't just magic the answers out of thin air.

She thought back to the previous day, but she'd left pretty much straight after Emma had given the flute to Sophia so that wasn't helpful, though that did remind her... Madison pulled out her phone again, quickly swiping through to the group chat and skimming up through the messages.

Sophia: Obviously, gotta teach her a lesson. Decided what you're gonna do with it yet?

Emma: Was just gonna break it, but seems weak.

Sophia: Yeah you'll think of something better. I'd just throw it in the bay or something. You got an idea Mads?

She grinned, "perfect" she whispered as she stepped over to Emma's locker and retrieved the crowbar from her inventory, feeling it settle into her hand with a weight that was as reassuring as it was slightly terrifying for what it meant she was about to do.

"Go time" she said quietly to herself after a moment, more to psyche herself up than anything. Already feeling her palms getting sweaty beneath her thin gloves as her nerves made themselves known.

With a little more awkwardness than she would have preferred she levered one of the teeth on the heel of the crowbar into the shackle of the small padlock Emma had put on the door, shifting until she felt it catch properly.

Then with a wrench she pushed down with all her weight and stumbled as the shackle snapped off with a metal pop, quickly steadying herself before the crowbar could bang nosily against the door. Though the effort felt like it was all for nothing as the rest of the padlock hit the ground a moment later with what felt like a small gunshot.

"Crap that was loud!" She hissed, staring wildly down both ends of the corridor and really wishing her power came with some sort of invisibility too right then. Nothing happened but she still didn't move, she wasn't sure if she was even breathing before she started to relax slightly when nothing continued to happen, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest from how fast it was hammering. How did anyone become a Villain?! Being a criminal was terrifying!

When she finally had herself back under control and had managed to convince herself the police, Wards and Protectorate weren't about to come charging around the corner and- Oh Scion she just realised she was technically committing a crime with a parahuman ability! She was a Villain!

'Wow, it's weirdly easy to become a Villain.'

She couldn't help but giggle at the random thought as she bent down and grabbed the padlock from the floor and shoved it in her pocket, a bit of the tension leaving her as she realised just how stupid the whole thing was.

"Madison Clements," she whispered to herself and an imaginary audience as the sarcasm dripped off her words with every syllable. "Truly a Villainess for the modern era, with her ability to vaguely remember things and break into school lockers." Pausing only to eye her handiwork so far as she unconsciously shifted the crowbar in her grip.

The shackle that was left on the door joined the rest of the padlock in her pocket a moment later and then she was contemplating how to get into the locker itself. She didn't actually know Emma's combination and her power seemed to agree considering it wasn't chiming in with a helpful new quest.

Well she'd come this far.

Wincing at the noise, Madison slowly tried to work the teeth of the flat end of the crowbar into the gap where the door met the outer wall of the locker, quietly cursing under her breath as the locker refused to cooperate and her gloved hands slipped slightly on the crowbar with each of her efforts.

"Just! Get! In there! Dammit!" She muttered, pressing it into the slightly widening gap millimetre by millimetre as the metal squeaked and protested her efforts.

"Come oooon, just a little bit-" There was a loud snap and the muffled echo of one piece of metal hitting another as whatever mechanism was holding the door in place gave all at once. She tumbled back onto the floor with an undignified squeak, looking up just in time to watch as the door swung open to crash loudly against the one next to it.

"Oh crap!" she cursed, scrambling to her feet, eyes darting down the corridor before snapping back to the locker and trying to find- There! Emma hadn't even bothered hiding it properly, it was just sitting at the back of the lower shelf behind her gym bag and Madison wasted no time in snatching it and all but throwing it into the safety of her Inventory as she heard a door open and the sound of footsteps getting closer, barely having the presence of mind to snatch up her crowbar from where she'd dropped it on the floor before bolting back the way she'd come.

"They're this way!"

She chanced a glance backwards but there was no one in sight yet, her own footsteps ringing loudly in her ears as she sprinted down the hallway. 'Oh crap, oh crap, she wasn't going to make it and they'd spot her and they'd know who she was!' Madison pushed herself to go faster, hearing a second set of footsteps join the first, tears threatening to burn at her eyes, wishing she was closer to the end of the hallway where they wouldn't see her and-

-She was at the end of the hallway. Madison blinked, but she was still running, skidding in place to round the corner without crashing into it and saw the door further down the way, salvation. And then she was in front of it! She only had time to let out a startled noise as she all but smashed into the exit at a run, the door flying open to crash loudly against the wall as she burst through and didn't stop running until she was a block away, down an alley and crouched out of sight beside a dumpster. No thoughts left beyond the terror of almost getting caught, the exhilaration of not actually getting caught and that she was going to die if she didn't get her breath back as she gulped in lungfuls of air.

"What. The. Fuck" She panted, hands on her knees, belatedly realising she was still holding her crowbar and groaning to herself as she imagined what she must have looked like before sending it back into her Inventory.

Though just because she'd lost the crowbar didn't mean she wasn't still conspicuous as hell her mind helpfully provided and she awkwardly pulled her hoodie off and banished it to her Inventory. It only took her a moment more to retrieve the coat she'd thrown in on a whim before she'd left the house, shivering all the while in the early morning chill as she hurriedly shrugged it on.

'It'll do' she figured as she looked down at herself, they hadn't seen her and the more trendy light brown winter coat she'd replaced her hoodie with looked different enough no one should put two and two together. 'Hopefully at least,' groaning again a moment later when she realised she could have just swapped her clothes at any point without having to freeze to death while she changed.

With a sigh that covered everything she was feeling just then Madison let herself sag against the brickwork at her back, feeling her heart rate steady even as she had one eye and ear on the end of the alleyway just waiting for any sign of pursuit.

"Way too close." She muttered after a moment longer, "Way, way too close." Just wanting to fill the silence with something other than her racing thoughts and shaky breaths. Her mind kept coming back to how close it had been, she was almost caught! Or at least almost seen which for all she knew might have been enough to figure out who she was. Hell she probably would have been if not for whatever the hell had happened!

"Power am I a speedster?" Because she'd never ran that fast in her life and she didn't even know what else to call it when she was just there twice in a row! Not unless she had some kind of teleportation power, but those were even rarer than speedsters and what the hell did teleportation ('or speedsters' her mind traitorously added) have to do with what her power had shown so far?! She was a thinker-shaker combination! ...Probably!

"You know what don't answer" she pre-empted before another notification window could pop up and definitely distract her further. "I am not going to have an existential crisis in some random alleyway."

Before all of...That she'd thought maybe if it went well she'd head home, have a shower and then go to school as though nothing had happened. That was definitely not the plan anymore.

Not that she had much of a plan anymore, well not beyond wanting to stay as far away from Winslow as possible and ideally never come back. But unless she wanted to take the bus straight to the PRT building and sign up to the Wards, a sudden transfer to Arcadia wasn't exactly on the cards.

Her grades had never been that great to begin with, not what she would have needed to get anyone to seriously look at her transfer application at least. There was the transfer lottery and she'd put her name down for it each semester without telling anyone, but since the lottery was mostly just a way to hide the identities of any new Wards when they inevitably transferred to Arcadia from Winslow, Clarendon or wherever, Madison doubted she'd get lucky unless Vista had a slightly taller twin sister no one knew about.

Sure if she did sign up to the Wards she'd have a transfer within the month, but she'd barely had her powers for a day and Madison knew she definitely wasn't in any state to start making giant life changing decisions, well outside of starting her Hero career through villainy apparently.

But plan or no plan she wasn't going to stay in some dark alleyway for the rest of the morning and cautiously made her way back to the end of the alleyway from where she'd entered, stealing cautious looks as if she was going to be able to spot a Protectorate ambush and wasn't just making herself look even more conspicuous if anyone noticed her there.

She could see the amount of people out and about had began to pick up and as much as part of her just wanted to stay hidden she forcibly pushed the impulse down, taking a breath and walking out as if she hadn't been awkwardly standing there for the last several minutes. Nothing happened, not that she was really expecting it to, though when there were no cries of 'there she is!' and there were no Heroes suddenly dropping out of the sky she found herself letting out a small relieved sigh anyway as she let her mind wander to what exactly she was going to do next.

School was a bust, heading back home was risky if her parents caught her coming back in and wandering Downtown was just asking to get spotted by her mom. It wasn't like she could go window shopping either when the mall and most of the Boardwalk wouldn't open till nine anyway.

Honestly it was almost tempting to go to school anyway Madison pondered as she walked, not really heading in any particular direction but vaguely aware she was heading towards the next bus stop. As much as she didn't actually want to go to class, she could admit there was a certain morbid curiosity in seeing things play out while she was there. Was that what dramas meant when they talked about the bad guys not being able to help themselves from returning to the scene of the crime?! She shook her head hurriedly, nope she was not getting caught like some two-bit Villain because she couldn't lay low for a single day!

Still, she was curious if Emma would text her or just wait till she was back tomorrow before unloading on her about the injustice of the whole thing. Madison shrugged, she'd find out soon enough she supposed, her thoughts shifting back to ruminate on what she was supposed to do with the rest of her day as she rounded the street corner, spotting the bus stop a little further down and a couple of people milling about nearby.

Well she had sort of skipped breakfast.

Chapter Text

By the time she arrived at the Boardwalk it was already well past seven and she was relieved to find she didn't stand out nearly as much as she was scared she might have as she wandered down the line of shops, only a couple of the storefronts starting to pull up their shutters and get ready for the day. She was more surprised than she probably should have been that she was hardly the only person her age about and was glad the jacket she'd grabbed at least made her look a little bit older.

The enforcers were out in force as she walked and passed by a couple of patrols, active more because of the early hour than despite it. But they only gave her a brief glance before dismissing her the same they did for anyone who wasn't homeless, a merchant or just undesirable in general. Though who the enforcers sometimes judged as an undesirable depended on who was looking as much as who would witness anything they chose to do about it.

The Boardwalk might have been the safe and clean tourism central for the Bay where the enforcers kept the peace, but her parents had made sure she knew they weren't the police and could only be trusted so far, especially if she found herself alone.

Still, even if almost all of the shops weren't open yet, most of the cafes were and there were plenty of people drifting in and out of the various cafes and bakeries that followed the wide street. While most people would have grabbed coffee Downtown on their way to work, there was enough foot traffic on the Boardwalk even without the tourists that a good chunk of the cafes opened early and she carried on walking, curious if one in particular was.

Madison wasn't surprised when after a few minutes more she found the Broadstone Cafe & Bakery open and already had a few of its tables and booths occupied as other people filtered out the door with their orders to go.

The Boardwalk was generally expensive by default, but she'd lived in the Bay long enough to have tried most places at least once and Broadstone was definitely on her favourites list if she had the chance to choose. Not that she would have felt too hung up about it if the place had ended up being closed though and she'd needed to walk another five minutes or so to Pretty Co Coffee or Brewster's Wish instead.

Peeling off her thin gloves and shoving them in her coat pocket she glanced about curiously as she entered the cafe. There weren't that many people sitting on the ground floor, a group of older teens, a few suits and one girl with a laptop, though she knew it would be a different story upstairs considering the view it gave of the Bay.

Not that the view from the ground floor was bad, the sky might have been pretty grey even without much in the way of clouds, but it was still something to look out at the Atlantic and see the converted oil rig that was the Protectorate HQ under the shimmering dome of its force field a mile or so out.

Ordering herself a caramel hot chocolate, a bagel and a piece of millionaires shortbread because 'dammit she deserved it after the morning she'd had,' Madison secured a booth with a good view and plopped her tray down. She quickly discovered her appetite had only been in hiding rather than having abandoned her entirely as she dug in, leaving the hot chocolate to cool a bit before she added burning her tongue to her list of mishaps for the day.

She couldn't help herself from opening her Inventory as she ate, a nagging part of her wanting to just double check, just to be sure the flute with still safe and sound even though she knew it couldn't possibly be anywhere else.

"Inventory" she mumbled quietly between mouthfuls, her eyes immediately finding the flute near where she thought it would be and breathing a mental sigh of relief at the sight. Her eyebrow quirked in confusion as she saw a black blob sitting in the slot on the left of it and she racked her brain to try and remember what it was, coming up blank as she spotted where her hoodie had replaced the coat she was wearing and everything else she remembered adding in was otherwise accounted for.

Curious, she brought up the menu and hit 'Info' as she took another absent mouthful of bagel.

['Emma's Gym Bag' (Item)]

Emma's gym bag, stolen from Winslow High School by Madison Clements when retrieving Taylor Hebert's flute.

Presumed to contain Emma Barnes's gym clothes, however may contain other items.

[OK]

"Phwat?!"

She rapidly chewed and swallowed, re-reading the Info window to see if it would actually make sense the second go around.

"When did I do that?!" Madison hissed to herself, dismissing the window and staring accusingly at the item in question as she replayed events in her mind.

Okay she'd spotted the flute sitting on a couple of books behind Emma's gym bag, so she'd grabbed the bag and just moved it out of the way hadn't she? ...But she didn't remember seeing it on the floor when she picked up the crowbar...

Though she wasn't exactly thinking straight at the time, so she could have easily missed it right? ...But she couldn't remember seeing it at all after she'd moved it out of the way. ...Did she really just accidentally steal Emma's gym clothes?!

Madison glanced at her phone on the table next to her tray. Emma was going to be insufferable for days, wait no that wasn't the point! Well... She pondered, trying to see an upside. Well at least it wasn't obviously about the flute?

Actually that was kind of a good point she mused, the food and drink in front of her forgotten for a moment. She'd planned to just break into the locker and grab the flute, but that was kind of stupid when she thought about it since wouldn't Emma just blame Taylor? Okay granted she would regardless, but it wasn't like Emma could actually tell anyone what she thought Taylor would be after. 'Yes Principal Blackwell, I think Taylor broke into my locker to retrieve the flute of her dead mother I stole from her yesterday.' Madison scoffed, yeah she might have been a darling of the teachers with daddy lawyer on speed dial but she wasn't an idiot.

Madison felt her resurgent anxiety twist unpleasantly at the realisation that doing what she had might have just painted an even bigger target on Taylor's back, but what could she do? What could she have done differently? ...Probably broken into more than one locker and stolen or vandalised more stuff when she thought about it, but she didn't want to steal or damage innocent people's stuff in the first place! "Ugh" she groaned, being a Hero was supposed to be straightforward.

Briefly she entertained the idea of retrieving the gym bag from her Inventory just to see if it was literally just Emma's gym clothes inside before filing the idea under stupid and dismissing it entirely, trying to distract away her lingering discomfort with a sip of hot chocolate.

She really needed to go and see Taylor.

Madison had been thinking on and off when was best to do so, maybe waiting until the weekend since it was already Thursday and she wasn't sure if Taylor would even go back to school tomorrow, but the idea of waiting that long didn't sit right with her anymore. She'd basically painted another target on the other girl's back, as if she didn't have enough already! And it was her responsibility to tell Taylor outside of sticking up for like she should have from the beginning.

The problem was she actually had no idea where Taylor lived, Emma obviously knew but she didn't really have a good reason to ask and it wasn't like she could break into the school's records to find out, well not anymore at least she frowned to herself.

[Quest: Public Libraries Exist Too]

Often ignored or unaccounted for, public libraries continue to hold a treasure trove of untapped information including phone books.

[Objective: Travel to the library Downtown and locate Taylor Hebert's address]

Rewards: Taylor Hebert's address

[OK]

Madison realised she was gaping. "Are you seriously sassing me?!"

What was her power?!

Even with a new quest helpfully pointing out how much she had missed the obvious, she still had half a cake and most of a hot chocolate left to enjoy. Not to mention she wasn't actually sure when the library opened and wasn't feeling particularly rushed to find out.

As the cafe began to fill up and the outside grey turned into something resembling a shade other than 'far too early in the morning' Madison decided to finally get going. She'd looked up the Central library's opening hours while she'd ate and with it not opening until nine she had plenty of time to spare.

Well she'd thought so at least, the bus timetable she'd checked not accounting for the bus deciding to arrive early and sail right on past the stop when there was no one waiting for it, all the while she was still walking to the pedestrian crossing on the other side of the street.

Another twenty minutes later and she'd found one of the few vacant seats on the next bus that had turned up, slipping out her phone as the journey quickly slowed to a crawl in the morning rush hour traffic.

That at least gave her plenty of time to waste as she idly checked her texts before switching over to PHO. A few people had messaged her to see where she was, but she didn't bother to reply, better to let people think she was sick and sleeping it off for a few hours at least she figured.

PHO was the usual everything and nothing, by the sounds of it Coil's mercenaries had chased off some E88 gangers tagging shops Downtown, but most of the commentators thought it was just the E88 showing the flag since they hadn't been able to take any serious territory there in weeks.

She usually stayed to the local boards unless she was really bored or there was an Endbringer fight. Parahumans Online was basically the only place to get footage and even that was usually crap assuming the mods allowed it to stay up for more than thirty minutes.

Everyone knew what an Endbringer fight looked like in a general sense, enough footage had made it out of New York when Behemoth hit in ninety-four and when Leviathan had hit Busan in ninety-seven if you knew where to look beyond the parts sanitised for public release. But outside of that and a few other leaks every so often it was cracked down on pretty hard no matter where you lived. And while it was annoying that most of the time the videos were removed before she could even watch them, especially when time zones go involved, she could understand why governments wouldn't want people seeing them.

Outside of the whole public morale thing, it was going to be one thing as a cape to know you had maybe a one in four chance of coming back and another to see it repeatedly when the call came up for volunteers to fight in the next one.

There were no videos of The Simurgh though, just a few pictures when she first appeared in two thousand and two before anyone realised what she was and what she did to people. Madison was curious, but she wasn't that curious even if she had a few ideas of where she might find footage if she really wanted to.

Downtown was busy as always when she eventually got there, getting off on the closest stop to Lord Street she could remember and making the rest of the way to the library on foot. Brockton Bay Central Library wasn't the only library in the city, not even the only library in Downtown, but Madison assumed her quest had meant it in particular since it was the closest to the Boardwalk and was the biggest outside of that, only a street down from the large Central Bank and some of the other bigger businesses there.

A quick question to the older woman manning the front desk had her directed to the 'Local Historical Resources' section which she was surprised to learn kept a copy of every publication related to the city, with phone directories being just one of them. She was politely told she couldn't check anything out of the section, though she imagined the woman had to say that to everyone since it wasn't like she even had a backpack to lug one of the giant paper bricks around with her in any case.

"Hebert, Hebert..." She muttered softly, sat at one of the two large empty tables in the section with the most recent phone book she'd found open in front of her, trawling through the white pages to try and find her needle in the haystack.

"Hebert Alfred, Hebert Carol, Hebert Daniel, Hebert Frances, what was her dad called again? It was D-something right?" She asked herself, scouring her memories as she frowned down at the short list of names she'd found. Taylor hadn't exactly mentioned her dad much, but back when things had first started between her and Emma, Taylor had brought his name up a couple of times to try and get through to the other girl. Not that the attempts had worked more than any other unfortunately.

"Dan? Danny? So Daniel Hebert is probably it right?" She considered with a small frown, finger stopping at the name in question, eyes tracing across to the address next to it and slipping to the phone number adjacent. Madison decided to copy down the lot, taking a quick picture with her phone and a plan to write it down in her notepad for safekeeping too when she was back in the safety of her room later.

Plugging the address into the maps app on her phone she resisted the urge to groan out loud as she saw it was going to be at least another hour's bus journey to get there even if she left right then.

"This is why Villains have getaway drivers" she muttered to herself in annoyance as she put everything away, the sooner she had time to sit down and figure out what was up with her maybe-mover-power the better!

Taking advantage of being Downtown Madison decided to swing by a supermarket on the way to the bus station, grabbing a bottle of water, sandwiches and a couple of chocolate bars as she went. A sneaky Inventory in her inner coat pocket let her transfer the chocolate bars straight into her Inventory after she'd paid for them and left, the rest left to swing in the cheap carrier bag she'd been given.

The fact that her power essentially made her the perfect shoplifter hadn't escaped her after she'd stored away the chocolate bars, but she'd had enough of petty theft for a lifetime already even if she had been so villainously inclined.

With the way her day had gone up to that point Madison figured grabbing lunch for the road was just the smart thing to do and if worst came to worst it wasn't like she couldn't just dump the rest of it in her Inventory and forget about it. Besides, she wasn't exactly expecting Taylor to offer her an early lunch when she did eventually arrive.

The bus ride wasn't that bad in the end even if it did seem to wait at literally every stop on the route before she finally made it, replying to the texts that had been piling up on the way and just letting people know she was off sick and didn't know if she'd be in the next day. There was nothing in the group chat with Emma and Sophia, though she supposed they were probably too distracted with what had happened to think about her and it wasn't like she was going to reach out to them first.

Following the directions on her phone she turned off Lord Street, one eye on her phone as she took in the neighbourhood with a muted curiosity. She'd never really had a reason to visit the area, no one she knew lived close by and her parents wouldn't have wanted her too close to the Docks anyway even if Taylor's house was technically a little further out.

Some of Emma's insults made a bit more sense though Madison considered as she walked, it wasn't an obviously poor area, but she could see why some people considered the neighbourhood part of Docks proper. There were plenty of signs of neglect, most of the houses were nice enough even if they were old, but there was that sense of things being generally rundown like the whole neighbourhood had been left behind to slowly decay. Cracks in the sidewalk were big enough that she had to step over the worst of them and there were plenty of faded markings on the road for pothole repairs that would probably never actually take place.

She reached Taylor's house soon enough, or at least where her maps app insisted was the right address. It wasn't really different from any of the other houses on the street which didn't do wonders for her confidence when she still wasn't certain she was actually at the right place. Madison wasn't expecting a name plate... But it would have been nice!

Dithering in the street wasn't going to help either though she reluctantly admitted to herself. Unlike on the Boardwalk or Downtown she felt pretty out of place and she was pretty sure someone would probably call the cops on the loitering teen sooner or later.

"Well here's hoping she didn't actually go to school in the end." Madison declared with entirely false cheer as she walked up to the small wooden steps that led to the front door and almost tripped on the broken one at the bottom before finally making it to the door itself and raised her hand to knock.

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

It was stupid. She was stupid. Why had she ever thought it would be a good idea to take in her mom's flute?

It was just... She'd needed something. Emma and Sophia had kept up their bullying campaign against her every day, getting the other girls to join in more and more. Madison and Julia felt like they were jockeying for position to be bitch number three and some of the other girls were getting worse too. Every day she was expecting, dreading things would keep getting worse, for the others to start getting physical with her too.

When winter break had arrived she'd finally been able to relax, even spend some time with her dad like they weren't still just tiptoeing around each other. It had actually been nice and she didn't need to think about Winslow, about Emma or Sophia or anything.

And then it was suddenly time to go back. Back to the bullying, all the people who hated her or ignored her and she knew she couldn't just not go, as much as part of her had tried to convince herself otherwise. To pretend she was sick or talk to her dad again about the bullying or anything just so she could avoid going back there for a little bit longer.

But she couldn't do any of it. She didn't want to tell her dad again, see him realise that when he'd talked to the school the first time nothing had changed. That none of the administration cared and even the couple of teachers who did wouldn't actually do anything to help her.

After mom died he'd just retreated into himself and his work and he never really came back. She couldn't put that on him too, especially when it wouldn't help and probably make things worse for her when the other girls found out.

Taylor knew her mom wanted her to finish school, that was what had kept her going through all of the last semester. She didn't want to let her mom down by giving up, she didn't want to let them win no matter how much they pushed her.

But she'd needed something to face going back, to help get her through the first day at least. Having her mom's flute there in her bag on the way to school, in her locker through the day... It had been reassuring. Just being able to open her locker and see it there, it had made things easier when the bullying had started up again.

So she'd taken it back again on Tuesday and then the whole week had passed and while nothing had gotten better, it had become that tiny bit more manageable. She'd made it to the weekend despite everything they'd thrown at her as though they'd been trying to make up for lost time over the break.

She almost hadn't taken it back in with her on Monday, but again nothing had happened and it had helped.

Ever since Emma and Sophia had started stealing things from her bag she'd been keeping anything she didn't need to have on her in her locker. She couldn't prove it was the two of them responsible for the thefts, but it wasn't exactly hard to figure it out when they taunted her over losing her homework or when her textbook had gone missing and turned up covered in juice.

Taylor didn't know why she hadn't expected them to take things further. To break into her locker and she still didn't even know how they'd done it, no matter how much she'd gone over it in her mind.

The lock was still there so there hadn't even been any reason for her to think anything was wrong. Not until she'd opened the door and saw the flute was missing, still vaguely hoping it had simply slipped behind something until Emma and Sophia had appeared behind her, their obvious satisfaction making her pale in dread and disbelief that Emma would really go so far.

Emma had known her mom, they'd had sleepovers at her place, Emma had comforted her for weeks after her mom had died and so a large part of her still hadn't believed what her mind had already figured out. Not until Emma had displayed the flute in front of her like some trophy and shattered every last hope that there was still some part of her best friend that Emma hadn't thrown away along with everything else, a part that Sophia hadn't somehow corrupted while she'd been away at camp over the summer.

And then her mom's flute was gone. She couldn't get it back from Sophia, the school wouldn't believe her and even if they did agree to search their lockers she knew they wouldn't find anything.

Taylor had just gone home, not even hearing the rest of the taunts they'd thrown at her as she'd wiped at her eyes with her sleeve and left. It wasn't like she had anything else to lose at that point.

She didn't remember saying anything to her dad when he'd got in later that night, she wasn't even sure he noticed how red her eyes must have been.

The next morning she couldn't find it in herself to get out of bed, not that she'd slept much and the current morning wasn't much better. What would have been the point? To have Emma mock her over her reaction to losing the flute that the other girl had probably already thrown away? To have Sophia constantly shove her in the hallways, try and trip her and pretend like Taylor had bumped into her?

The school wouldn't care, not unless she never came back, maybe not even then. It was hard to even rationalise going back at all, the thoughts of what her mom wanted for her breaking easily against her hatred. Hatred towards both the duo of Emma and Sophia and herself for how she'd already betrayed her mom's memory by losing her flute in such a stupid way.

She'd gotten up eventually though, long after her dad had left for work, listening with half an ear as his beat up truck had pulled out of the driveway while she'd lain there in bed. She was long out of tears by that point, but still mired in her own misery until she'd finally dragged herself out of bed and started to feel a little more human after a shower and something to eat.

After tidying up a bit for the simple want of something to do, she'd eventually relocated to the kitchen and was still nursing what was left of the tea in her mug with both hands as she'd continued to mull over the thought of attending school the next day.

She'd already given up on the idea of just not going back at all, despite how much she hated Winslow and almost everyone in it she did want to finish school and go to college like her mom had wanted for her. She still wanted to prove that she could and that she wasn't the weak, pathetic loser they kept calling her day in, day out.

Though part of her decision was the resentful practicality of it. Taylor knew that her bullies needed to gloat and try and get a reaction out of her, especially after what had happened the previous day. If she didn't go back in on Friday they'd have the whole weekend to stew on it and she didn't want to know if that would encourage them to try and top their efforts on Monday instead.

A sharp rap on the door broke her out of her musings and Taylor jumped, looking across the house to the door with a mixture of startlement and curiosity as she wondered who it could be. The surprise of it delayed her for a moment before she absently placed her mug down on the table and pulled herself up to head over to the front door. When she reached it she found herself pausing with a grimace, quickly glancing down at herself as she unhooked the latch, making sure she looked at least reasonably presentable to the world before she pulled open the door, looking up only to freeze in surprise and shock.

For a moment she hadn't recognised the other girl, but confusion had quickly given way to shock and then just as quickly to anger threaded with an undercurrent of fear. A hundred different thoughts cascaded through her mind as she saw Madison Clements standing at her doorstep and her warring emotions wrestled for dominance at seeing one of her bullies right there in front of her. She was frozen in place, her thoughts chasing each other as question after question ran through her mind. 'Why would Madison be here?' 'How did she know where to find her?' 'Was this another of Emma's pranks?' 'Were there others waiting just out of sight? Why would she-'

"I'm sorry!"

The blunt, almost desperate declaration was like a splash of cold water to Taylor's thoughts, incomprehension pushing everything else out of her mind and whatever words she might have been about to say died on her lips as the shorter girl was suddenly speaking again, the words rushing from her lips as though she wouldn't get another chance.

"I'm really, really sorry Taylor! I know I've been horrible, that I'm a shitty person and you didn't deserve any of the things I said to you and I'm sorry for all of it!"

"That's it?" She heard herself say in the moment Madison paused for breath, suddenly feeling like she was viewing things from the third person. Sheer confusion brushing against the rising anger that Madison had the gall to come to her house and apologise and just think that was enough?!

"That what?" She began, feeling her voice rising with each word as her hand gripped the door handle tightly enough to hurt and only fed her rising anger. "You of all people suddenly started feeling bad and that you could just say sorry and everything's fixed just like that? That I'll forgive you and then tomorrow everything will just go straight back to normal even if you aren't lying and this isn't some fucked up prank you all came up with together?!" 

"That even if by some miracle you are being genuine, even if you stopped saying everything you'd still just let everyone else keep going, just keep watching and laughing like everyone else but it's fine, because you apologised?!"

Taylor knew she had started shouting at some point but she didn't care, all the tension and stress and anger and grieving and powerlessness finally finding an outlet as she unloaded everything on the shorter girl who cringed away at every word like it was a physical blow.

A part of Taylor relished the look on the other girl's face, to finally be giving back for once instead of always taking it, always being on the receiving end for every vile thing her bullies spat at her when she was just trying to be left alone.

There was a dark satisfaction to seeing Madison recoil, even if another part of her grew more and more frustrated that the other girl was still there at all. That Madison wasn't defending herself, wasn't saying anything even if Taylor knew she wasn't letting her speak and refused to give her the chance at all, all the while another part of her belatedly put to rest the question of whether or not she'd inherited some of her father's temper.

"Because you're not the one treating me like shit anymore? Is that it?" She shouted, words and accusations tumbling out one after the other even if they weren't aimed at Madison specifically anymore. "Just Madison Clements putting a band aid on her guilt so you can feel better about yourself when you don't do anything to help?! Giving me some fake apologies so you don't have to do anything and all your empty words just give you the right to-"

"I broke into the school!"

"What?" Taylor could only reply, her previous fire leaving her even more abruptly than it had come as she tried to parse the statement and failed.

She could only watch, confused as Madison took a shaky intake of breath, eyes fluttering closed for a moment before they opened again and met Taylor's own, the other girl's voice coming out in a tremor of unshed tears as she started to speak.

"You're right, you're completely right Taylor but I wanted to apologise. I needed to. I know it's selfish and I know it doesn't mean anything by itself and that they're just words. But I had to say them and show you I meant it!"

It was Taylor's turn to be caught on the receiving end as she braced against Madison's own very different outpouring of emotion, all of her previous anger and loathing being smothered by the shorter girl's seemingly unending ramblings.

Taylor hated how off balance she was, the almost pity she felt for Madison at the unrestrained emotion, the sheer earnestness in her voice even as Taylor tried to make sense of the words themselves. She stood there, trying desperately to understand if what she was hearing was real, wanting to believe it as much as she didn't. Trying to find refuge in her hatred rather than risk getting hurt again as Madison just continued to speak before Taylor could find any footing on her emotions at all.

"I'm trying to be better Taylor and I know it's not going to be enough and that it's just the start and that I need to keep being better. Like a friend but probably not actually a friend because you wouldn't want me as a friend and I don't deserve that. But someone who actually cares! And will stick up for you and not let them keep doing things and say something when they do! I wanted to show you that I'm sorry, how sorry I am for everything and show you that I mean it but I didn't know what to do!"

"But then it was the first thing I thought of and I knew it was the right thing to do even if you still hate me and I don't want you to think I want anything return! I just want you to have it because what they did was completely fucked up and I couldn't, I couldn't just let them get away with it and, and-"

"Madison stop! What are you talking about?" She broke in when the other girl finally seemed to run out of breath, tears glimmering at the corners of her eyes. Taylor's own satisfaction at unloading on Madison only seconds earlier twisted in revulsion at both herself and the other girl in a confusing mess of emotions she tried to push down as best she could. The rest of her trying to understand what the hell Madison had started talking about.

Madison seemed to realise she'd missed something important too as her eyes went wide and she reached inside her coat for something, wiping her eyes on her other sleeve as she sniffled. She seemed to pause briefly, though long enough for it to be noticeable before she pulled her arm back out and Taylor found her own eyes going wide as she sucked in a sharp gasp at seeing her mother's flute, pristine and undamaged in Madison's hand.

The other girl offered it tentatively and Taylor took it without conscious thought, eyes already examining it for any damage as she carefully turned it over in her hands. Looking for any cracks, any marks, any blemishes at all and finding none.

She looked back up to Madison slowly, her composure almost completely shot as her mind was trying to tell her to feel five different emotions at once and settling on none of them.

"How?" she asked before her mind caught up with her. She'd seen Sophia take it, how had Madison of all people managed to get it back?!

Madison's small fragile smile made the curious turn to abashed as she looked away slightly and refused to make eye contact. "This morning... I kind of basically broke into the school and then ripped open Emma's locker with a crowbar... So, um yeah..."

Taylor found herself gaping and also found she didn't care, trying to imagine Madison, the girl everyone thought was cutesy, inoffensive, harmless prying open Emma's locker with a crowbar like some ABB delinquent and failing entirely.

Her thoughts made a circle and came back to just why Madison had purportedly done what she had. "You wanted to show you were serious about being sorry and your first thought was to break the law?"

"I didn't know what else to do!"

Taylor laughed. She couldn't help it, the whole thing was absurd, Madison being there, the stupid story she'd told which even more stupidly had to be true, the sheer confusion and relief she felt over everything...

She looked back to Madison to see her sporting a small embarrassed smile, cheeks flushed pink. Though as Taylor finally recovered her wits and started to feel the cold morning wind nipping at her exposed skin she realised that Madison's blush could have just been from the cold as much as any embarrassment she might have been feeling.

Taylor sighed, shaking her head as the last of the sudden laughter left her, eyes finding the flute again in her hand, feeling the cold metal against her fingers curled protectively around it. Part of her wanted to thank Madison, part of her didn't. Taylor knew Madison hadn't been directly involved, but she was one of them and it was really the bare minimum. But still...

She couldn't help the next sigh that escaped her, giving up on her conflicting thoughts as she felt herself actually starting to shiver. It was one thing to briefly greet the postman or delivery person or whoever, but having what had probably been a ten minute sort of argument definitely wasn't what she was dressed for.

She knew she should just shut the door, tell Madison to go. Wait and see if she actually lived up to her word tomorrow or Monday, or if it was all just nothing in the end like it always had been whenever someone had apologised in the first few weeks it had all started.

But.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

"Come in then."

Madison froze, her eyes going wide. She had half expected Taylor to tell her to fuck off the moment she'd handed her the flute and she knew she would have deserved it too.

"Really?" She couldn't help but ask, staring back at the taller girl uncomprehendingly for a moment.

"Get in before I shut the door in your face like I want to" Taylor huffed, already turning away and Madison jumped to follow before Taylor actually made good on her threat.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" She squeaked as she quickly stepped into the house behind Taylor, rubbing her numb hands together as Taylor shut the door behind her and slid back the latch.

"Shoes off, coat rack's there" Taylor threw at her with an accompanying gesture and the tone of voice of someone who was still questioning how their life had come to this but was trying to act normal and see if it stuck.

Madison couldn't really blame her, she had felt like that since her power had appeared.

"Drink?" Taylor asked after Madison had extricated herself from her shoes and coat respectively, padding along behind Taylor and unable to resist a curious glance around the living room as she followed Taylor through to the small kitchen behind.

"Um."

Taylor gave her a flat look. "I'm making myself some tea, I won't be going out of my way to have enough for you too."

"Thank you..." She cautiously returned, feeling somehow even more chastised than when Taylor had been shouting at her a few minutes previous and awkwardly took a seat at the table as Taylor busied herself opening shelves and drawers for what she needed.

"Thank you" she tried again, not really sure how to explain as Taylor threw her a look over her shoulder.

"For inviting me in I mean, I didn't expect-"

"Nor did I" Taylor interrupted without preamble, "I was planning to sulk all morning and you've kind of ruined that."

"Sorry?" She tried, not quite sure if Taylor was being serious but knowing she was on ice so thin she might as well have been swimming.

Taylor just shook her head and Madison was left to awkwardly stew as Taylor busied herself with preparing the drinks. She found herself looking around the small kitchen that seemed to continue what she'd seen of the rest of the house, a place that might have been a home at one point, but currently seemed as neglected on the inside as it was on the outside. The small somewhat cramped kitchen was obviously well used and clearly in need of a few repairs and refurbishments that probably wouldn't come.

Taylor hadn't really spoken about her dad much, but Madison wasn't sure what to think of him when Taylor could obviously skive off school so easily and the house as a whole was in the state it was.

"Thanks" she murmured quietly in the stillness of the room as Taylor brought their drinks over a few moments later, cupping the small mug in both hands and luxuriating in the warmth between her fingers as the steam wafted slowly towards the ceiling.

Taylor took her seat opposite, the flute placed carefully on the table in front of her and Madison could see how Taylor's eyes lingered on it before drifting to her own drink as she took a tentative sip.

She had no idea what to say.

She'd basically said all of the words when she'd tried to get everything out in front of Taylor's door. She hadn't been sure if Taylor would even hear her out and she'd needed Taylor to hear her apology as much for hers as Taylor's sake.

That Taylor had let her had been a relief and while she'd expected Taylor to be rightfully pissed at her, apocalyptically furious Taylor was definitely not something she'd been expecting for how meek the taller girl tended to act in Winslow. She wasn't going to forget that diatribe anytime soon.

"You really broke into Emma's locker for this?" Taylor asked, breaking Madison out of her thoughts as she looked up to find Taylor giving her a look she couldn't immediately decipher.

Madison nodded before she found the words to reply. "Emma and Sophia, I'm well, I'm in a few group chats and they were talking about what they were going to do with it and I wanted to get it back before anything happened to it so-" She cut herself off before she risked annoying Taylor any further.

"I thought Sophia had taken it home."

Oh. No wonder Taylor had been so surprised to see it, even outside of it being her to be the one to give it to her. "I think they planned to," she replied, "but since you left right after Emma probably just thought she could leave it in her locker and then take it back with her when she went home for the weekend."

Taylor laughed, but it wasn't a happy thing as her gaze slipped somewhere else. "Yeah, I guess so" she remarked plainly after a moment, before she looked back to her, gaze sharpening slightly. "Do you know how they got it in the first place?"

Madison shook her head, probably a little more vehemently than she needed to. "Nope, I just got a text from them telling me to come to your locker after class, that was the first time I saw it" she admitted. Her expression curling into distaste at the memory and mirroring Taylor's own grimace at her answer.

"So much for that," Taylor muttered.

"They didn't steal your key?" That's what she'd assumed, it didn't take a genius to realise Taylor had started storing her stuff in the safety of her locker after things from her bag had started to go missing, something Madison was infinitely glad she'd never been part of.

"No" Taylor growled, looking elsewhere as her hands visibly tightened around her cup. "I don't know how that bitch got in or if she got one of the staff to help her."

"Would they really-" She cut herself off again as she remembered everything her quest item had shown her. Even if it hadn't happened and wouldn't happen now... It didn't exactly paint the best picture. "Nevermind" she finished lamely, looking back to Taylor to see the other girl giving her an odd look.

"You believe me?"

"Well yeah?"

Taylor paused before shaking her head in apparent bemusement. "Nothing" Taylor muttered, hiding whatever else she might have said as she brought her mug to her lips.

Madison wasn't sure if the next few minutes of silence would have been considered awkward or not, but Taylor hadn't thrown her out or started shouting at her again so she was counting it as a win. The fact her power hadn't chimed in also made her hopeful that she wasn't screwing things up too badly and if nothing else she was happy to see that almost going to jail was worth it for the way Taylor's hand had seemingly found the flute again without any conscious thought, her thumb tracing over the grooves in the metal as her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Madison's phone buzzed in her pocket and she cursed internally as Taylor's gaze snapped to her, the other girl looking as though she'd forgotten Madison was present and whatever quietude had settled was broken over one knee.

"Sorry" she mumbled, pulling out her phone and determining to put it on silent assuming Taylor didn't throw her out right then.

Taylor just gave her a brief nod, seeming to become aware of what her hand was doing with the flute as she stopped and frowned down at herself.

Unlocking her phone Madison quickly swiped the settings bar down, intent on putting it on silent and then shoving it back into her pocket permanently, but paused as she saw what the notification had been for.

Emma: They said I have to replace it myself, can you believe it?!

She couldn't help but break into a grin as it clicked just what Emma had to be referring to.

"What?" Taylor asked warily, breaking her out of the thought. Taylor's cautious, suspicious tone confusing her for a moment until she realised Taylor had probably become accustomed to seeing her peers smiling in a very different light.

"Um right, you know how I sort of broke into Emma's locker?"

"I do remember that part yes" Taylor replied with a such flat deadpan Madison squirmed in embarrassment.

"Well I may have accidentally stolen Emma's gym bag too. And now she's really mad that the school are making her pay for a new one..."

Taylor's flat look managed to morph into a curious sort of disbelief. "...How do you accidentally steal someone else's gym bag?"

Madison felt her cheeks heating up, "I was in a rush! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to steal things?!"

A small part of her that wasn't insanely embarrassed was pleased when Taylor cracked a small tentative smile of her own.

"Do you want it?" She asked before her brain could catch up with her mouth.

'Why did I say that.'

"Why did I say that" she muttered, mortified. Hiding her face behind her mug as Taylor let out a choked laugh.

"Seriously?"

"Okay I don't know why I said that, but well I do sort of have it and..." She peeked around her mug to see Taylor's expression fade into a frown as she gave her an odd look.

"Why?" She asked simply, though the question felt anything but.

"Well she stole something of yours so I wasn't sure if, I don't know you were shouting a lot earlier so...yeah" She trailed off lamely, knowing she hadn't gotten her thoughts across half as well as they'd sounded in her head.

Taylor just stared at her for a moment before shaking her head with an obvious finality and a tone to match when she spoke up again a moment later. "No, I don't care that you have it, but I'm not going to sink to their level of stealing other people's things."

"Ouch."

"Not what I meant." Taylor threw back with a roll of her eyes before her look became contemplative as her gaze turned back to her again. "I'm not going to apologise for before."

It was obviously meant as a challenge but Madison could only shrug as she returned a weak smile. "I don't think I want you to really. I did deserve all of it."

Taylor didn't respond and Madison didn't expect her to, but she felt compelled to break the small silence that followed regardless. "If you don't want me to talk to you anymore I won't" she offered and she knew she'd do it willingly. As such as she wanted to make it up to Taylor, maybe even be the friend she so obviously needed and deserved - If all Taylor wanted was for Madison to just disappear from her life enough that she basically didn't exist then she'd do it in a heartbeat, it was the least she could do at the end of the day for everything she'd already done.

Taylor only scowled at her. "Just do what you said you'd do," she snapped, bitterness leaking into her tone. "Pretending I don't exist is what most people do already if they aren't joining in, or was all that for show?"

"No!" She yelped, "I meant it, I really did! I just wasn't sure you'd want me speaking to you after everything that's all."

Taylor huffed, tapping the rim of her mug with her thumb. "I still don't like you and you haven't proved anything really, but fuck if I didn't offer Emma how many chances?" She scoffed, looking elsewhere briefly before her gaze snapped back to Madison. "And then you go ahead and do something like this out of the blue?" She gestured, holding up the flute in one hand. "I'd be an even bigger hypocrite than her wouldn't I? If I never gave you a chance to actually prove it."

"Thank you Taylor" she smiled softly, finally taking a sip of her tea and blanching at the horrible taste as Taylor looked on in briefly undisguised amusement.

She didn't linger long at Taylor's after she'd suffered through finishing her tea, it didn't matter how many sweeteners Taylor had, black tea was not a drink for civilised people! But considering Madison felt like she'd been outstaying her welcome the moment she'd walked through the front door she wasn't about to complain either and reluctantly gulped down the lot before making her excuses to leave.

While Taylor hadn't actually kicked her out in the end, she didn't blame the other girl for not being sorry to see her go. Though the fact their parting was downright amicable compared to when Taylor had first opened the door had easily made the whole thing worth it.

She hadn't asked Taylor if she'd be at school the next day and wasn't sure if Taylor even knew herself. She had rather belatedly realised on the bus afterwards that she'd completely forgotten to tell Taylor her worries that the duo and probably everyone else they'd told would blame Taylor for the theft though, which had left her in a bit of a bind as she mulled over her nonexistent options.

Taylor wasn't an idiot and would probably put two and two together without her having to state the obvious again. That's what she was telling herself at least and it wasn't like she'd ever seen Taylor with a cell phone and it definitely wasn't like she was in any position to get her number otherwise. So she was basically screwed unless she could somehow intercept Taylor before she got to Winslow, assuming she even went in at all.

[Quest: The Power of Communication]

After a heartfelt apology and presenting her token of genuine contrition, Madison Clements must now inform her nominal ally of the potential threats that approach.

[Objective: Use the phone number acquired from the library to contact Taylor Hebert]
Rewards: None

[OK]

Oh right, she had that too didn't she! "Thanks p-" She cut herself off, saying 'power' seemed like a really bad idea even if there were only like five people on the bus with her. "Thanks Quest" she whispered instead, slipping out her phone and suffering through the awkward clumsiness of switching back and forth between her gallery and her contacts page until she was sure she'd typed in the whole phone number correctly.

She paused before hitting dial, wondering if she was doing the right thing and hoping Taylor wouldn't react the same way as when she'd first seen her outside her house...

With far more trepidation than she'd felt using a phone before she tapped the dial button, holding the phone up to her ear and waiting for it to connect.

"Hello?"

"Hi Taylor, it's Madison" She chirped with a quiet nervousness she didn't even try to hide.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, sorry it's just I remembered that I forgot to mention something while I was there earlier."

"Okay?"

"Well" she paused, not quite sure how to phrase things, especially in public like she was. "After I got back that thing for you, I realised that everyone is probably just going to assume you did it, so I just wanted to warn you if you are going back tomorrow."

There was a noticeable pause and Madison chewed her bottom lip nervously as she waited for Taylor to say something.

"Figures," came the tired response after a moment longer. "They've probably searched my locker if they managed to convince one of the teachers, hopefully my stuff is still there and isn't ruined again."

Madison winced at the blunt delivery, knowing how likely that could be depending on how things had played out. "You can share mine if you want?" She offered in the spur of the moment, quickly committing to the idea after thinking it through in the pause before Taylor's subsequent reply.

If they did break into her locker too, especially using the same method they had for Taylor's then they'd have a pretty good case to go to the administration with something they shouldn't be able to ignore. Especially if it was her and Taylor instead of just Taylor as much as Madison hated to admit it.

"Thanks but I'll manage" came the terse reply and Madison couldn't help but wince sympathetically again, yeah in hindsight it was probably a bit much to use your high school bully's locker she thought to herself.

"Okay, let me know if you need to borrow anything?" She threw out cautiously instead, knowing Taylor would probably never take her up on the offer but feeling the need to put it out there anyway.

"Thanks Madison, anything else?"

Madison wracked her brain for a moment, knowing there was probably something, though didn't want to waste even more of Taylor's time, the latter of the two quickly winning out when she drew an immediate blank.

"Nope, sorry for interrupting your afternoon and well, everything." She added awkwardly, dying a little inside for how bad it sounded to her own ears.

"See you tomorrow Madison."

The phone clicked and Madison stared at the end call screen in surprise, wondering if Taylor had meant to say that.

It didn't take her too long to get home in the end, munching on the store bought sandwich between buses and eventually getting back by mid-afternoon.

She was usually home before her parents anyway, so she wasn't surprised, even if she was entirely relieved to see neither of her parent's cars in the drive when she arrived at the house. Quickly letting herself in and fixing a snack to carry back up to her room she threw her coat on the bed as she entered. Turning on her PC was next on her list and as it booted up she raided her closet for her usual hoodie to lounge about in before belatedly remembering it was in the wash. With a shrug Madison opened her Inventory and retrieved the one she'd worn that morning, feeling oddly thrilled to be wearing something she'd committed crimes in earlier that day, even though it wasn't like the rest of her outfit had really changed at any point.

The odd sensation didn't help her growing feelings of restlessness despite how early her day had started. And even PHO couldn't keep her attention when she sat down at her PC and started browsing through the local boards while munching on the plate of cookies she'd secured.

She'd tried playing a few web browser games, reading and just general browsing, but even as exhaustion was slowly starting to settle in after she'd finally stopped, she still felt too wired to actually relax properly. She'd even almost started on her outstanding homework and so when she'd heard her mom's car pulling into the driveway she'd quickly stuffed it back in her desk drawer and wandered downstairs to say hello.

"Hi mom," she smiled as she came down the stairs, her mom still manoeuvring her work bag and several grocery bags in both hands through the doorway. Somehow she seemed to manage it and shut the door behind her before Madison could think to offer a hand, turning to her with a smile and greeting of her own.

"Hi sweetie, help me with my bags?"

"Sure" she nodded, skipping the last couple of steps on the staircase and quickly untangling the taut straps from her mom's fingers before leading them both through to the kitchen. She was curious, but not quite curious enough to go rooting through the bags to see what her mom had picked up, dumping the bags unceremoniously on the floor in front of the counter after a brief moment of indecision as to where she was actually supposed to put them.

"Thanks Maddie," her mom offered as she moved past her and shrugged off her work bag, leaving it on the counter as she went to flick on the kettle. "Have a good day?"

Madison found herself pausing at the question where normally she'd have a quick truth or lie to throw back, usually saying 'fine' or 'good' whether it was or not. Had her day been good?

Even as she briefly remembered the sheer panic she'd had at running away from whoever had been chasing her in Winslow, every moment she'd felt like she didn't know what she was doing or bitten off more than she could chew... Well she remembered finding the flute, Taylor's expression when she'd pulled it out and how Taylor had all but snatched it out of her hands following, barely able to leave it alone at any point in their encounter afterwards.

She remembered the sheer satisfaction of finally accomplishing something she could be proud of and hell, that was probably the first genuine conversation she'd had in the better part of a year, even if half of it had been her being shouted at.

"Yeah," she replied after a moment as her drifting gaze returned to her mom and she quirked her head curiously as she noticed her mom was preparing two cups for some reason, was she expecting a friend from work again?

"I'm glad to hear it," her mom replied as she came over with both cups in hand, gesturing at her to sit. Madison found herself doing so automatically, her obvious look of puzzlement going completely ignored as her mother simply handed her one of the steaming cups before taking a seat opposite.

Neither said anything for a moment, her mom seemingly savouring the chance to sit down after getting in and cupping the small beverage in both hands, while Madison herself was too off balance to do anything more than sit in her slowly simmering confusion.

"So Madison," her mom said as she looked over the table to her, taking a small sip of her tea, a polite enquiring smile adorning her face. "Would you like to tell me why you weren't at school today?"

"Um" she replied intelligently.

Chapter Text

Madison really wanted to take a sip of her tea just to give herself a few more seconds to think and the worst part was she knew her mom knew that too.

Unfortunately the tea was still way too hot and she hadn't inherited her mom's obvious cape power of drinking scalding hot liquids like it was nothing. Nope, she was stuck with a stupid thinker power that pointed out the obvious and maybe also a mover power that even if it was mover twelve wouldn't save her.

Despite the fact she knew she was all but squirming in place her mom didn't say anything, a single raised eyebrow the only indication that she was waiting for her only daughter's answer and depending on the answer maybe she wouldn't even be that.

"Why do you think I didn't go to school..?" Madison asked in a much smaller voice than she'd intended, not quite shying away, but probably doing a very good impression of it.

Her mom's smile only broadened into something far more amused as she replied. "After how unwell you were yesterday, did you really think I wouldn't check up on you before I left today?"

She winced. "So this morning..."

"Imagine my surprise when instead of my daughter still sleeping in because she's too unwell to go to school, or perhaps pretending to be she's instead nowhere to be found."

"I could have gone to school" Madison very reasonably pointed out in her opinion, irrelevant of the fact it was technically what had happened regardless.

"I'm sure you could have." Her mother agreed easily, which was the first warning sign. "Without breakfast or any of your school things, though I'm not quite sure why you would?"

Madison's mind helpfully decided to remind her that her school bag was still right where she'd left it... When she'd got in from school on Tuesday and she struggled not to visibly cringe at her very ever so slight oversight.

She gave up with a sigh a moment later, not that there had ever been a chance to win a verbal sparring match with her mother to begin with. She was just doing what she had always done she mused, try and find a way out that didn't end with her getting into trouble, or at least as much trouble.

Madison paused as she caught the throwaway thought and held onto it, almost laughing at how obvious it was. She was doing the exact same thing again! The whole thing with the flute was her trying to be better, to actually be a Hero and not make excuses and she was just doing it again to her mom without even thinking about it!

She shook her head, dispelling the darker thoughts that threatened to dwell if she let them. "Okay, I didn't go to school today" she admitted sheepishly.

"Yes I rather gathered" her mother replied without missing a beat, "I would like you to tell me why though Madison."

She took a breath, the warm scent of the tea filling her senses. "I-" and she suddenly found herself pausing, not even sure where to start. How did she tell her mom what she'd done? That she was a h-horrible person and didn't deserve to have her smile at her like that? She felt herself tearing up before she really realised it was happening, sniffling abruptly as she cradled the cup closer to herself.

"I'm sorry" she whimpered as her head drooped, fat tears falling to splash wetly on the table below. It was as though all of her anxieties about her parents ever finding out about her bullying came rushing out all at once, along with all the stress and exhaustion accumulated throughout her day at Winslow and Taylor's house and everything in between. She'd never really stopped, even when she'd gotten home she was still trying to distract herself, find something to keep going before she could really dwell on things. At how close she'd come to everything crashing down around her at so many different points.

She felt herself shaking as the tears kept coming, eyes scrunched shut as she used the sleeve of her hoodie to keep wiping them away. She didn't even know what she was feeling. How much of it was her self-hatred of what she'd allowed herself to become, the fear of what her parents would think of her as much as it was the sheer exhausted relief that she would no longer be that person her power had shown her and that everything had ultimately turned out as well as it had.

"Oh Madison" she heard her mother say softly, hearing her get up, the brief sound of footsteps before another chair was pulled out beside her, an arm circling her shoulder and gently pulling her to rest against the warmth of her mom's side.

It was a few minutes before she had enough control to speak again, sniffling as she took a shaky drink of her tea and rubbed her cheek with her other hand as she regained at least some of her composure.

"Are you ready to talk now sweetie?" Her mother coaxed, one hand giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

She nodded, not quite trusting herself to answer as she tried to figure out what to say, the first words just tumbling out of her mouth. "I'm sorry." She began again, quickly continuing before her mother or her own insecurities could stop her. "I was just scared. I'm, I haven't been a good person and I'm just trying to be better now."

She had to stop then, scrunching her eyes shut again as her hand came up to rub at her eyes and stained her sleeve further.

Her mom didn't say anything and Madison wasn't sure if that was better as she tried to find the words to continue. "In school, I've... I've been bullying a girl in my year."

"Really Madison? After what you went through at your last school?" The chastisement was light, but may as well have been a shout for how keenly she felt it, squirming uncomfortably in shame and guilt and unable to bring herself to look up at her mom's face.

"I was just scared, I know it's not an excuse but these other girls were bullying her and I tried to ignore it and then I was scared if I didn't join in they'd bully me again and I just kept doing it and it just got easier and easier."

She took a breath. "But the other day they did something really horrible. The girl who's being bullied, her mom died about a year ago and the other girls stole something from her locker."

"I'm guessing from how you're reacting it was something very important to this other girl?"

Madison nodded. "Her mom's flute."

She heard her mother sigh and she wasn't sure if it was directed at her or the scene she'd painted so far, but it made her feel even more terrible all the same. "Is that why you looked so awful yesterday? I did think it was strange how out of the blue it came on, even for this time of year."

Madison nodded again, a hand coming up unconsciously to rub her cheek. "I felt awful" she answered honestly, though it was an understatement she wasn't going to clarify.

Part of her wanted to give in right then, to tell her mom everything, about her power, about the weird maybe future memories thing that she still didn't understand, just all of it. But maybe it was fear again or maybe it was her pride, but she didn't want to tell them, not then, not yet at least. Not until she was sure of who she was and what that actually meant.

A more insistent part of her affirmed that she wasn't done, that she'd barely begun righting her wrongs and working on the path of the Hero thing her power had outlined for her. And so telling her parents... She loved them, but it was something she'd never be able to take back once she'd said it.

She wouldn't be Madison anymore to them, she'd be their daughter who had powers and she was afraid of what that might mean and how it could change things. Even if her parents didn't try and push her into the Wards as part of her was scared they might, no matter how reasonable or unreasonable that fear actually was... Things would be different. And after how much her life felt like it had been upended over the last couple of days and undoubtedly would be in future, she wanted to cling to at least one bit of safety and stability as long as she could.

She knew it wasn't fair on her parents and they deserved to know, that it would only be worse the longer she left it until she finally did tell them. Or worse still if they found out on their own and knew she'd been hiding it from them the entire time, but she couldn't help it, she couldn't tell them. Not yet.

"I know it must have been hard for you to tell me that Madison" her mother said in the lingering silence that had followed her pitying admission, each word measured and calm even though Madison knew her mother might have felt anything but. Her mother sighed slightly, a small amount of wistfulness entering her tone as she continued. "It's obviously been affecting you and it's clear you know just how poorly you've been acting without me having to say anything further. However I'm afraid it still doesn't entirely explain where you were today?"

Madison blinked at the question, remembering only then that she hadn't actually explained any of her actions. "Um well I wanted to apologise, but just saying sorry didn't feel like it would be enough to make up for anything, not really."

She could see the gears turning in her mother's mind as her contemplative look focused into a more scrutinising one. "The flute, you tried to get it back for this other girl didn't you?"

Madison found herself nodding again, "I went to the school early so no one would see me."

"I know you must have left early enough that the school wouldn't have been open when you arrived, are you telling me you broke into the school Madison?"

"Does it um, count as breaking in if the door was unlocked?"

Her mother's frown deepened, though Madison wasn't sure if that was because her question was terrible or because she had just admitted to breaking into her school.

"I'm going to assume the flute was not simply in this other girl's desk?"

"It was in her locker..." Madison replied in a way that was absolutely not awkward at all and she definitely maintained eye contact with her mother the entire time.

She didn't miss the way her mother's eyes narrowed though. "Her locker." She stated, tone flat. "A locker which I assume much like yours has a padlock keeping your items safe at school while you're not there?"

It was at that moment Madison remembered just what she was wearing and exactly what she had thoughtlessly dumped in her pocket earlier that morning.

Without saying anything she reached into the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out both the body of the padlock and the twisted broken remains of the shackle, placing them down on the table where they settled with an audible thunk.

Her mother sighed.

"Madison why do you have the remains of a padlock in your pocket? A padlock that I am rather certain is not yours?"

"The flute was in Emma's locker?" She replied tentatively, not sure why her answer had come out as more of a question to her own ears.

"No Madison, believe it or not I gathered that much. What I'm asking is why you thought it was a good idea to bring home the one thing connecting you to your criminal act?" Her mother's gaze somehow narrowed further. "This is the only thing isn't it?"

"Um, well, outside of the flute I did accidentally take her gym bag as well?"

Her mother just put a hand to her face, taking a deep breath which was then released in an equally deep sigh as Madison sat there, not quite sure if she was being scolded and feeling very confused and uncomfortable regardless.

"Go and get it and bring it down and anything else you took. Tell me you were at least wearing gloves?"

Madison rapidly nodded in lieu of incriminating herself further. She didn't think her mother would appreciate her mentioning that she had only been wearing gloves because it was cold out and leaving fingerprints had been the last thing on her mind. Idly she wondered if her power had just assumed she was competent enough to wear gloves without it needing to be pointed out - Or if it knew she would be wearing them for entirely the wrong reasons and didn't feel the need to add it to her quest objectives because of that.

Madison decided not to follow that train of thought any further.

"Good now shoo, go and get the bag and bring it down here."

Madison didn't need to be told twice, bolting back to her room and opening her Inventory the moment the bedroom door was shut behind her, retrieving Emma's gym bag to land awkwardly in her open palm where it almost rolled off onto the floor before she caught it in a fumbling grab.

When she got back downstairs she was surprised to see the padlock, or what was left of it at least had disappeared, her mother standing by the counter, a mess of groceries in front of her that she was slowly starting to put away. Without a word she paused in what she was doing, gesturing Madison over with her hand held out expectantly and Madison guiltily passed over the gym bag to her.

She hadn't been sure what her mother had wanted it for, a little too frazzled to make anything resembling an educated guess. Though Madison could confidently state she hadn't been expecting her mother to simply open the bin, drop Emma's bag into it and then return to putting away groceries as if nothing unusual had happened at all.

"Um," Madison began in a tone she felt she was using far too frequently that afternoon.

"Obviously I'm not happy you broke into the school Madison, but I'm not having you get in trouble for choosing to do the right thing. I'll empty the bin after we've eaten later so you don't worry about that."

She hadn't been worrying about that! Though she was a little worried about how the conversation felt like it had taken a left turn at some point and she'd missed just when the switch had occurred.

"You're not mad..?"

Her mother returned a look that told her just how stupid that question was. "Maddie I'm furious for a number of reasons right now, not least of which is that you didn't tell me what was going on at your school."

She nodded dumbly as her mother seemed to reconsider continuing to put things away, walking back around the counter to where she stood.

"I'm angry because I feel like I can understand that when you clearly got it in your head to do something about the problem, rather than talking to me or your father, your first thought was to sneak out of the house and break into another girl's locker in an effort to put things right."

"I... Don't understand?"

Her mother offered her a sympathetic look as her hands reached out gently, taking Madison's hands and cupping them warmly between her own.

"Madison, what happened with Emily after we spoke to the school about the bullying?"

She froze at the unexpected question, pulling at memories she'd long since tried to forget. "She, they apologised?"

Her mother rolled her eyes and for a moment Madison thought she'd said something wrong. "That little witch and her mother didn't even look you in the eye. She said sorry, the school said sorry and we both know none of them mean a word of it. Frankly if it hadn't been so close to the end of the year and we hadn't already been set with the move afterwards I would have pulled you out of the school there and then."

"Oh." After her parents had talked to the school things hadn't really been better as much as she was suddenly alone for lack of a better word. A pariah in all but name that couldn't be attacked right then, but could be very much ignored and isolated from everyone else as the school year wound to a close.

"That's why as much as I hate it, I understand why you would have thought to take things into your own hands like that. I assume the flute is upstairs too and you have a plan for how you're going to give it back to this girl, especially so the other girls you've mentioned can't simply take it off her again?"

"Ah, I already gave it to her" she quickly replied to her mom's obvious surprise. "I went to her house afterwards and apologised and gave it back then."

"Really?" Her mom smiled for what felt like the first time in their conversation so far. "I'm proud of you Madison, how did she take your apology?"

"She listened, which is more than I was hoping for honestly."

Her mom's smile deepened and she pulled her forward into a warm hug. "She sounds like a very mature young woman," her mom continued. "Was she as calm and collected as you're making her sound?"

Madison couldn't help but let out a giggle to her mom's bemusement. "Oh no she shouted at me a whole lot, she's actually kind of terrifying when she gets mad, but it was totally worth it and it's not like I didn't deserve it either."

"Ah," her mom said simply as she released her again, looking down at her with a faintly amused look. "Should I be expecting a call from an angry father tonight then?"

"I... Don't think so?" Madison hedged, "if she told her dad about the bullying before it didn't do anything and I think she's used to having no one she can rely on. That's why I had to get the flute back and I'm going to stick up for in school from tomorrow too."

"Well I'm certainly glad to hear you're not planning to go off and commit any more crimes instead of pretending to go to school tomorrow."

"Ehehe..." Madison chuckled lamely, both of them very much aware how light her current scolding would seem if she dared for a repeat performance.

Her mom looked away for a moment, obviously collecting her thoughts and Madison was happy to let her. It felt like a massive burden had been pushed off her shoulders and even if she was dreading the inevitable talk with her dad too, it was enough to know her mom still wanted her despite all the things she'd done and she'd take whatever punishments they felt were appropriate after everything that had happened.

Following what had felt like a couple of minutes, but was probably only a few seconds her mom looked back to her, taking her hands again and giving them a gentle squeeze as she spoke. "I can't say I'm happy that things got this far without you telling us and I will be talking to your father about this." She started, her tone hard, but not nearly as hard as Madison knew it could have been. "But at the end of the day, while it took you far, far too long you chose to do the right thing for the right reasons, even if the way you decided to go about it is probably going to give your father nightmares for the foreseeable future. You took the time and the effort to apologise to this girl in person and you returned something that was obviously very important to her."

"I'm going to trust you Madison, the same way I hope you're going to trust me and your father going forwards. That you know exactly what you did wrong and that you know this girl well enough to make things right. If her father does call me I won't lie to him and we'll see what his daughter thinks is an appropriate punishment if it does come to that. But I can see there's no real point in taking any other action ourselves currently, whether that's speaking to the school or the parents of the other girls when it's clear that will likely only serve to undo everything you're trying to accomplish."

Her mother's gaze was a complicated one, a frown hiding whatever she might have been thinking from Madison's own searching look as she continued to speak with every measured word.

"But you're still going to be punished and I'm sure I don't need to explain why. You are going to be grounded for a month, no games or TV. I'd like to confiscate your phone too, but I'd prefer you have some way of communicating with us if you need to, especially at the moment. Now, what are you going to do about these girls, the ringleaders?"

"Do?" She parroted back uncomprehendingly, taking the punishments without a second thought even as her eyes threatened to water again at the trust her mom was putting in her despite everything she'd said.

"If they keep bullying this girl, if they start bullying you now Madison."

"I already told Taylor I'm going to stand up for her!" She protested, feeling like she was being accused of something even if she didn't know what.

Her mother nodded sharply, "and I'd expect nothing less. And if they target you now as well?"

Madison paused, a little confused by the question. "...Tell you? Like last time? If it gets too bad?" She hedged, not quite sure what her mother was aiming for.

"Good," her mother nodded, "Winslow didn't always used to be this way, it was actually one of the better schools in the area once upon a time. But if the current administration is going to allow this level of bullying, not to mention allow you of all people to break into the school and get away with it-"

"Hey!"

"-then I'm not sure how much good speaking to the Principal will actually do at this point. But if it does escalate then we are here for you and don't you forget that. I know your grades aren't good enough for a transfer to Arcadia yet unless by some miracle there's another new Ward short enough to slip you through in the transfer lottery, but there are always other options okay?"

Madison nodded, annoyed that she could feel tears threatening at the corners of her eyes again and decided to just bury herself in another hug which her mom warmly returned. Arms slipped around her, hugging her close and she squeezed back, just existing in the moment where she knew unequivocally that despite everything she was still loved. That her parents would look out for her and support her as she tried to be a daughter they could finally be proud of. "Thanks mom, love you."

She heard her mom sigh again, but this time it was a fond exasperated thing and she welcomed it as she squeezed her mom back a little tighter. "I love you too Maddie."

Chapter Text

It was another couple of hours before her dad got home and despite knowing exactly what she was in for she still came away teary eyed by the end of it. Her dad might have been the softer of her two parents even if he didn't look the part, but he had a 'disappointed' look down to an art form and she'd felt far smaller than she had with her mom by the time it was over.

The only bright spot that evening had been when over dinner her dad had thought to ask just how she'd gotten into the locker and the looks on their faces when she'd come back downstairs with her dad's crowbar had definitely been worth the subsequent scolding she'd been given for: 'Walking around town with a crowbar all day', which she definitely hadn't factored into her joke even if thankfully her coat was believably big enough to conceal it.

Lessons on why it was best not to gloat unless you'd actually thought things through aside, dinner had been nice even if everyone was off their game slightly. Madison at least felt better that everything was out in the open and that no matter how school went tomorrow or at any point she could talk to her parents if she needed, even about Taylor if it came to it and that was a relief she hadn't realised she'd needed until she had it.

Back in her room later, after she'd thrown together a few things for school the next day, checked to see if any interesting new threads had appeared on PHO in the few hours since she'd last looked and generally just decompressed, she had sat herself down in bed, pillow propped up behind her and just... Waited to see if her power had anything for her.

Nothing happened. Her phone buzzed for attention and after a quick check to make sure it wasn't somehow Taylor trying to contact her she ignored it. "Okay Quest, it'd be super great if you could tell me about that mover power any time now."

[Quest: Dimensional Shifting and You]

Proving her determination, valor and earnestness, Madison Clements has begun to grow beyond the trappings of her past.

Without knowing of the power within she accepted the responsibility to right a grievous wrong and only in the moment of her need did she call upon the power she knew not.

Now, with her t̳rȗͥe̗ power at her beck and call, she must grow into the abilities which will define her as a Hero.

[Objective: Non-lethally experiment with dimensional shifting]
Rewards: Competence, ????, ?????, Unlocks [LOCKED] Quest

[OK]

"Seriously?" She muttered, only slightly less surprised at her power apparently deciding to sass her. It beat tearing her down emotionally, but it felt like having an older sister and annoying mentor figure rolled into one.

"Wait hold on, what do you mean I had this power all along?!" She realised a moment later, why had she needed to mess around with breaking into the school when she could have just teleported inside?!

"And what do you mean non-lethally!" She hissed at the notification window, that was something she was pretty damn sure hadn't come up before!

Her power helpfully decided to do what it had always done and ignored her, which shouldn't have been as annoying as it was. By that point she really couldn't tell if her power was doing it on purpose or not and it didn't seem like there was any way to find out. Not unless she had the blind luck of running into an unaffiliated super-thinker who wouldn't immediately betray her to the highest bidder.

Madison shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she scowled back at the notification window still floating in front of her. "Right, let's break this down."

The first thing was that apparently her mover power had been there all along, which in hindsight made a sort of sense she supposed, that it would only appear when she desperately needed it since she didn't know it was there in the first place.

There was another glitchy word which wasn't exactly encouraging, but at least it was only one word and she could read it, so she'd take what she could get.

The 'non-lethal' part raised as many questions as it did alarm bells, though the way it was worded implied - To her at least that her power was discouraging her from going out and splattering random criminals rather than herself which was... Something.

With a frown she retrieved her notepads from her Inventory, first writing down the quest in its entirety and making a note about the glitchy word before jotting down her own observations in the other of the two workbooks.

The weirdest thing was, she realised after she'd double checked she'd copied down the quest correctly was that it wasn't a tutorial quest. Her Inventory had had a three part tutorial and she still didn't fully understand it. But this time her power had just told her to 'work it out' and snarkily added her reward to be 'competence' and some inscrutable new quest that was probably going to be the actual tutorial when she did.

What that meant she had absolutely no idea, though she wasn't going to be surprised if history repeated itself and her power only granted her the tutorial quests after she'd figured out the basics on her own. It felt like that kind of person.

She chewed on the end of her pen at the thought. Was it weird that she was anthropomorphizing her power so much? Then she glanced back at the floating notification window and very consciously decided that no, her power, Quest was a snarky smart-ass and everyone else would agree if they saw the kinds of things it said to her on a daily basis.

Her phone buzzed again and she grabbed it without a thought, replying to a couple of texts and letting the duo know she'd be in tomorrow as the question popped up in the group chat. That was a conversation... Confrontation? She wasn't exactly looking forward to, though as she caught sight of the time she felt her frown deepen as she realised that she effectively had the choice between experimenting with her potentially awesome mover power and actually having the energy to avert... Mitigate the inevitable disaster that tomorrow was going to be.

...Maybe just twenty minutes of experimentation?

It was almost terrifying how easily she picked up her mover power when she was actually trying to use it. She was a teleporter and it was the coolest thing in the universe! She was still grinning giddily as she reappeared again in front of her bed a few minutes later, turning and plopping herself down even as she had the energy to stand for days!

It just clicked, there was walking and then there was her power, to just move and be where she intended. She'd only experimented in her room, but already she'd figured out it wasn't line of sight dependent as she could teleport just in front of the bedroom wall and then teleport back to where she'd just been without looking.

She hadn't figured out if she could change her orientation while teleporting, or if it was even something she could do at all. But she was pretty sure she kept her momentum, even if it wasn't the easiest thing to test in her bedroom without tripping over something and smacking her head into a wall if she screwed up.

"So awesome..." She sighed happily, staring across her room, her power seeming to draw her attention to the empty spots of floor ahead of her. She wasn't sure what would happen if, say she teleported into the space her desk chair already occupied, though considering her quest had made a point about keeping things non-lethal she was a little scared to try. Maybe tomorrow. Assuming she survived.

With a much less happy sigh she looked about, spotting her phone on the duvet and quickly checked the time, almost letting out a curse when she saw it was somehow almost midnight which meant she'd been at it for almost an hour, which... Okay maybe she'd gotten a tiny bit carried away, but teleportation! Her! Awesomeness!

Though even if she felt like she had the energy to keep going until morning, which her brain traitorously pointed out was no longer that far away, Madison reluctantly acknowledged she still - As far as she knew at least needed sleep and Thursday night before school probably wasn't the best time to try and figure out if she was also the type of cape who didn't need any, or at least as much sleep. Especially when she'd probably just as easily confuse it with insomnia in her current state.

It wasn't until she was tucked away in bed, lights out and desperately trying to not think about anything so she could finally go to sleep that the question popped into her mind.

'Wait, the quest I got hasn't completed yet right? So how much more about my mover power does Quest expect me to discover?'

Annoyingly it took her far too long to get to sleep after that.

Madison was extremely grateful her mover power wasn't finicky like knew some powers could be. When she'd gotten to Winslow that morning part of her had been mildly terrified she'd accidently teleport to homeroom or something equally idiotic that would instantly out her. But by the time homeroom had ended she was feeling reasonably confident she wasn't going to accidentally teleport anywhere she didn't actually intend to go. Whether or not that would still apply if one of the E88 wannabes decided to try hitting on her when Emma inevitably disowned her was something she was trying not to think too hard about.

Fridays at least were pretty good as far as her schedule was concerned, sure Math first thing sucked, but it got it out of the way and then after World Issues she only had to deal with Art and Computer Studies in the afternoon. Way better than Tuesdays when she had World Issues and then Math to end the day with.

Homeroom itself had been pretty quiet, she'd caught up with Julia who had always been more of a polite acquaintance in a friend of a friend sort of way when Emma wasn't there to be the bridge between them. And Madison had been surprised to find the other girl hadn't immediately brought up Emma's locker incident, or at any other point during their on and off conversation throughout homeroom. The topic had been something she'd been silently bracing for the entire time in order to look appropriately aghast, but for some reason it had never come up.

It made her wonder if the school had managed to cover it up before anyone other than Emma herself was aware, but at least it meant she didn't have to put any energy into pretending to be surprised which was a plus in her book.

Math class was slow, Mr Quinlan was a hard-ass and she didn't have even a moment to try and start daydreaming about her powers as her second least favourite teacher had her attempting to do double the work to catch up on what she'd missed the previous days.

And then after what was both far too long and somehow before she knew it the bell rang for the end of the period and she'd still come out of it with a pile of homework besides. Packing away her stuff Madison almost froze when she headed for the door and saw Emma and Sophia loitering there and she immediately wondered if they were waiting for her.

Well partially she supposed, they'd both come from World Issues and Sophia had Math next, but there was no way they weren't going to say hi. For the first time a very different sort of trepidation rose within her, a nervousness mixed with determination. Though even then part of her was trying to point out how silly it was when she was a cape and they weren't, but feelings definitely didn't have to make sense.

"Hey Mads, better then?" Sophia was the first one to greet her as she stepped out, Sophia looking her over as if to check she wasn't about to drop dead and apparently satisfied with what she saw.

"Yeah, thanks" she offered weakly, the accompanying smile just as trying as her gaze slipped to Emma who just looked, frustrated?

"Oh my God Madison, you won't believe what happened yesterday!"

'Ah.' The little voice in her head went, that'd be why.

"I was only off like a day" she joked back, finding it coming a little easier when she hadn't immediately and inexplicably been found out and set upon like a wounded gazelle in a lion enclosure. And the thing was, she was sort of friends with them? She had spent time with both of them, probably the most time out of any of the other girls in her year. They weren't close but they hung out at school, hell they'd made each other laugh at one point or another. It was almost nice to be able to slot back in so easily, even if maybe it would have been easier if she could have just called them monsters and left it at that. But that future hadn't happened yet, so maybe, maybe there was still a chance for them too? Part of her hoped even as she remembered what she'd seen, what they'd done and she wondered again if that moment hadn't already passed a long time ago.

"I know!" Emma exclaimed, "but I came in yesterday and my locker had been busted open! They'd taken all my stuff to the principal's office, but my gym bag was still missing, can you believe it?!"

"Seriously?" She couldn't help but ask, a very weird feeling she couldn't identify settling over her as she listened to Emma unknowingly rant about the whole situation to the one person who was directly responsible for it.

"Right? And I know who did it too-"

"Emma."

Madison turned in surprise to see Sophia giving Emma an annoyed look.

"No Sophia, I know Taylor did it! The only thing missing otherwise was that stupid flute, she's the only one who could have done it! Anyway she's back today, I saw her earlier so I'm finally going to get the teachers to search her locker and her bag too to prove it!"

"For fuck's sake Emma we've been over this," Sophia sighed with a pained expression that told Madison just how many times they'd already had this particular argument. "Hebert doesn't have the balls to break into your locker. Fuck she thought I still had it when she ran home crying to her dad, one of the doped up retards probably saw you put it away and figured they could fence it for another hit."

"No, it has to be Hebert! I bet she was going to try your locker next until she found it too!"

"Back me up here Mads" Sophia all but pleaded, which was a weird thing to see on the other girl's face.

"Um yeah, sorry Emma but I think Sophia's probably right, I mean Taylor didn't even know it was in your locker right?"

"Exactly!"

"She was obviously desperate enough to check!"

Sophia just groaned, "fuck this, I'm going to class, I'm not gonna stop you siccing the teachers on Hebert, but even that loser wouldn't be dumb enough to bring the flute back to school with her alright?"

Emma just shrugged, seemingly content she had sort of 'won' their argument. Though considering she was definitely going to be late for class having hung around for so long, Madison wasn't sure if it would still be worth it if Mrs Knott gave her detention.

"I've got World Issues so I'm just gonna get going" Madison hedged while Sophia disappeared into the classroom and Emma was luxuriating in her victory, which lasted as long as it took for Madison to finish her sentence as Emma's gaze snapped to hers.

"You're with Hebert now aren't you? Can you check her bag for me?"

"What? No!"

"Come on Madison, I know she broke into my locker!"

Okay, now she was going to be late if she didn't figure out how to get out of the conversation next, sometimes she forgot that Sophia was way smarter than she made herself out to be.

"I really don't think she did" Madison stressed. Slowly backing away in the universal manner of someone trying to literally leave a conversation behind.

"Ugh you too? Really Madison? Fine! Just, I don't know fuck with Taylor or something, can't let her have a big head just because she got away with taking my stuff."

'Seriously?!' Madison almost exclaimed as she tried not to let the expression show on her face. Had Emma always been so fixated or had the theft knocked something else lose in the other girl's head Madison wondered as she rapidly tried to think how best to respond.

"Um yeah no, I'm not doing that sort of thing anymore, sorry Emma." Madison outright winced after she realised what she'd said, that she'd apologised for not bullying Taylor anymore and was so, so deeply grateful that Taylor hadn't been around to hear it.

She fled and if Emma had thrown back a reply or a comment she didn't hear it as she jogged down the hallway, both out of the desire to get away from the conversation as much as to not be late for how long Emma had managed to delay her already.

Somehow she made it on time, slipping into the classroom as she quickly caught her breath and was relieved to see she wasn't the last one to arrive. A few heads turned to see who it was and she froze mid-step as she caught Taylor's absent glance, both of them seeming to stop for a moment before Taylor gave her the smallest and briefest of nods and Madison felt herself almost sag in relief as she returned the gesture in kind and hurried to her seat.

World Issues would probably have been her favourite class if it weren't for a few things. The first was Taylor, the fact that she shared a class with the taller girl meant she couldn't ignore her even if she wanted to, not with so many of the other girls in the class. Or at least that had been the case before her about turn. Then there was Mr Gladly himself and where Mr Quinlan was a hard-ass without a sense of humour, Mr Gladly was the opposite and seemed to go out of his way to make their class work a joke.

It was to the surprise of absolutely no one when he had the class split into groups within the first fifteen minutes and the usual cliques formed around several pushed together desks. The assignment was simple enough for anyone who had actually done their homework, since it was little more than making a bullet point presentation about the rise of parahuman Warlords in Africa after the appearance of Scion. Something that was almost word for word the same assignment as the homework they'd been given on Tuesday that Mr Gladly would go round and collect at the end of class.

That unfortunately meant she was usually the one stuck doing all the work in her group since the other three girls; Julia, Daphne and Roz generally didn't bother doing their homework since they knew they could get away with doing it in class instead.

"Seriously you guys?" She couldn't help it, it was just frustrating to see all three of them take out their assignment sheets and only Daphne had even made a start on hers.

Julia just shrugged, "What? Mr G doesn't care."

"Yeah but now I have to do this stupid thing while you're all doing that."

"Yeah but can't you just copy your stuff over?" Roz cut in, making grabby hands for Madison's own homework which she clutched protectively to her chest.

"Hey I'm not doing all this just so you can copy my stuff again."

"Fair," Roz shrugged before grinning back at her. "I'll just wait till you're done with the presentation sheet and copy that instead."

"Ugh," Madison groaned, almost giving in and handing over her homework sheet to at least shut her up. "You're the worst."

"I am the best you mean."

"Did you remember a pen this time?"

There was a pause. "...Oh kind and generous Madison-"

"Just take it!" She cried quietly in defeat, throwing her spare pen to the other girl who took it with a triumphant grin.

It was going to be a long class.

Chapter Text

"This is taking forever" Julia groaned as Madison looked up. The assignment wasn't hard, just tedious as she turned her homework essay into an easy to read checklist that one of the other girls would read out when it was time to actually give the presentation, but at least she was almost done. After that she would just read her text book unless one of the other three nagged her into helping them or otherwise just outright distracted her with conversation.

"It's not that bad Jules?" Daphne offered, motioning to her own almost completed assignment, though after Madison herself Daphne was only one of them who actually seemed to be care about her grades.

"It's a stupid fucking assignment, who even goes to Africa unless you're a mercenary or one of those idiots who think they can kill the Ash Beast?"

Madison shrugged, there wasn't any arguing with Julia when she got like that and she knew from experience the other girl wouldn't respond well to Madison's own legitimate interest in the subject.

"Yeah I know, but it's not that bad, just look at mine if you want?" Daphne offered, Madison watching with one eye as Julia waved her off in annoyance and glanced back around the room.

Unlike other classes there was always the sound of chatting in Mr Gladly's classroom, even people getting up and wandering between other groups and it was impossible to tell if their classmates had actually finished their work or hadn't even bothered to start. Not until it was time to present, when there were always one or two people who decided they could confidently wing it because they knew Mr Gladly would never call them out on it. He wanted to be the 'cool' teacher, though at some point he'd seemed to equate being respected to letting everyone do whatever the hell they wanted.

Madison followed Julia's gaze when it settled and wanted to smash her head into the desk, 'of fucking course.'

"Hey Greg, how's it going, pretty lame assignment right?"

Of course Julia would zero in on Greg, because Greg was clueless enough to think women were actually interested in him and it wasn't like Julia was going to get a good response from the other two members of his group. Sparky was either perpetually stoned or just did a really good impression of it and Taylor was never going to give her the time of day.

"Huh, oh hey Julia."

Madison saw the way Taylor tensed as Greg turned around to face their group, but she wasn't sure how she could stop things either. It wasn't like Julia had actually done anything yet and Greg was just going to be happy for the attention.

"Yeah, so like, you've done the assignment right?"

Greg nodded, scraping his chair around to face their group properly. "We're just finishing the presentation bit now, well Taylor's doing it, we're just contributing you know?" He laughed at his own joke as he glanced back at Taylor who was clearly trying to pretend the rest of the world didn't exist and it would probably have been less awkward to listen to if Julia hadn't so vapidly laughed along with him.

"Oh that's great! Maybe I could borrow your group's sheet to get a few ideas? It would really help me out."

Madison sighed as Greg perked up at the idea of helping one of the prettier girls in the class and Taylor didn't have a chance to react, probably trying to ignore Julia's voice when Greg easily snatched up their group's assignment and passed it over.

"Thanks Greg!"

"Oh, it's cool, you're welcome I mean."

Julia beamed at him and then proceeded to ignore him entirely, turning her chair inward for good measure as Greg floundered for a moment before thinking nothing of it and trying to engage the other two at his table in conversation again.

"Ha, easy" Julia smirked, laying down the sheet which Madison was reluctantly impressed to admit looked higher quality than the work she'd put together for their own group's presentation so far.

"Huh, looks better than yours Mads" Roz commented idly as she looked up from her homework and glanced over to Julia's newest acqusition.

"Lemme see?" Madison tried, taking the opening for what it was and Roz plucked it out from where Julia had laid it down in front of her and had already started reading through it, sliding the assignment sheet across the table over Julia's indignant squawk.

Madison was curious enough to give it a quick once over and wasn't surprised when she saw it was as good as she figured it would be, wondering briefly if it would be okay to add a couple of the points to her own work she realised she'd missed and Taylor clearly hadn't.

"Yep you're right, better than mine" she nodded, glancing back up to the other three girls at the table who wore a mix of expressions from curious to dubious.

"So let's just keep it then, no one's going to care and we can use it for the presentation, I'll read it if you want."

"Yeah, no Jules." Madison cut in before Julia could potentially convince the other two with the promise of them not having to actually do anything for the rest of the lesson.

Pushing her chair back Madison stood up, ignoring Julia's surprised protest and the startled looks from the other two.

"Hey Taylor," she greeted as she made the short distance to the other girl's group, not having missed the way Taylor had tensed even more at Julia's wonderful little idea of sabotage.

Taylor looked up at her as she approached, anger replaced by a wary sort of confusion.

"Here" Madison offered simply, handing the group assignment back to her. "Sorry about that, I'll try and keep them from doing it again."

Taylor took the assignment sheet with the same caution she'd greeted her, waiting for the trap to be sprung, the other shoe to drop. Her eyes briefly snapped from Madison to the sheet itself and for all Madison knew she was checking to see if it hadn't been torn in half or replaced by someone else's in the few minutes it had been out of her sight.

"...Thanks" Taylor said after a moment longer than was polite, not that either of them would have commented on it.

"Just keeping my promise Taylor." It was all she could think to say even if she did wish to voice so much more and apologise a lot more profusely besides. But even her simple act had gotten a few inquisitive looks, not least of those she could feel burning into the back of her head from the three girls she'd just left.

She nodded to Taylor once and returned to her desk, slipping back into her seat with what she was hoping was an easy nonchalance even if she felt tense and ready for a fight.

No one said anything for a moment, Daphne and Roz obviously not sure what to say and Julia seemingly not sure how to phrase what she very clearly had on her mind.

"So that was new." Roz tried in an obvious attempt to break the tension and Madison couldn't help but offer her an amused smile at the comment.

"Yeah, what the fuck was that?" Julia burst in, wiping said smile cleanly off her face as she turned to look at the irate girl in front of her.

"I think Mr G draws the line at outright plagiarism." Madison tried, despite knowing full well that probably wasn't true at all and from the look on Julia's face she knew that perfectly well too.

"It's just Taylor, when did you care? Or should I be worried about you crushing on Greg or something?"

Madison actually blanched at that, Greg? No, no, no thank you. "Firstly. Ew, gross. Secondly-" she paused, trying to find the right way to put it. "It's, like why keep going Julia? What's Taylor ever done to anyone?"

Whatever she'd apparently been expecting Madison to say, that clearly hadn't been it as Julia took a full second to respond. "You're defending her?! This better be some prank Emma put you up to Mads."

"Nope" Madison shrugged, "new me, less shitty me I guess, work in progress." She shrugged again, feeling an unfamiliar thrill of amusement and satisfaction at how much her attempt at basic human decency towards Taylor was getting to the other girl.

"Huh" Roz commented, though it didn't seem like she had more to say than that while Daphne remained silent with an expression Madison couldn't decipher. Though maybe that was more because Daphne was the one stuck sitting next to Julia who didn't seem to be appreciating Madison's new outlook on life.

"Don't huh her! It's fucking Taylor!"

"I mean I don't care either way honestly." Roz replied with an easy tone that left little doubt she meant exactly that.

"Seriously?! You really think Emma is going to like this? Especially after her locker got broken into by Taylor yesterday?"

"What, why would she do that?" Roz asked with genuine confusion to Julia's exasperated anger.

"To get that stupid flute back obviously!"

"Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense" Roz nodded and Madison died a little inside before she could respond.

"Julia, Emma is the only one who thinks Taylor somehow broke into her locker, even Sophia thinks it was some Merchant wannabes!" She tried, desperately attempting to salvage things even as she knew the conversation was already way too far gone to recover.

"Please, Sophia just doesn't want to think Taylor is capable of it, Emma's obviously right and she's gonna be pissed you're taking Taylor's side in this!"

"I'm not-" Madison cut herself off, she had almost said she wasn't taking Taylor's side on reflex, which would have been terrible for a number of reasons. But at the end of the day she was taking Taylor's side and if she couldn't commit to it in front of Julia of all people she might as well give up her powers right there and then. Madison sighed, "sure I'm taking Taylor's side. Happy?"

The outraged face she looked back to told her Julia was anything but.

After the very abrupt end to their conversation Julia had basically refused to speak to her at all and Madison wondered if the only reason Julia hadn't said or tried anything else was the fact she'd done all the work for their group assignment and was still holding onto it just in case.

Julia or Roz were usually the go-tos to present whenever they had an inane assignment like their current one. Madison herself generally didn't enjoy the spotlight and Daphne was just shy, so it was a pretty easy arrangement where usually her and Daphne would end up doing most of the work and the other two would present it whenever their turn came up.

In the end, with Julia seeming to end up trying to pretend Madison didn't exist at all, Roz was the one who presented for their group and even though Taylor's was obviously better written, Roz was still the better speaker at the end of the day. So Madison had felt disappointed if not actually surprised that their group had won and they'd been 'awarded' a few snacks from the vending machines before class had been let out.

Julia had stomped off as soon as Mr Gladly had let the class go a few minutes before lunch started, Roz following along without a care in the world and Daphne only giving her a brief confused look back before following the other two out of the room.

It was weird being left behind like that Madison considered as she'd watched Daphne hurry out of the classroom to catch up with the others. Every other time she'd either be with them or going on ahead to meet up with Emma and Sophia at the cafeteria unless they had something else planned. Though 'weird' wasn't 'bad' and if Madison was being honest with herself the only thing she was dreading was what she'd find when she actually got to the cafeteria, especially with Julia having had plenty of time to fill Emma's head with who knew what before she got there.

It was also... Liberating being discarded as she had been, she didn't have to worry about what they thought of her anymore, she was just 'Madison' again. Who she was supposed to have been from the beginning and the fact she didn't have to pretend to care about whatever gossip Julia wanted to talk about was just a bonus really.

Taylor didn't say anything to her as she packed up and left and Madison likewise didn't say anything to her either. They weren't friends and as much as Madison may have wished that might change at some point in the future, she wasn't going to make Taylor feel pressured or any more penned in than she probably already did.

She knew roughly where Taylor would probably go, it wasn't exactly a secret the other girl tried to find somewhere secluded to eat so she wouldn't be bothered and there were only so many places in the school that she could reasonably go unless she was desperate. But unless one of the girls decided today was one of those days they'd try and find and harass her, Madison was going to leave Taylor to have her lunch in peace.

The fact that a quest hadn't popped up the moment class let out had also helped to reassure her that Taylor would be perfectly fine without her patrolling the school like an overprotective girlfriend too.

In hindsight Madison considered she probably should have packed her own lunch, but between the whole of yesterday, experimenting with her mover power that night and the rush of trying to catch the bus in the morning... The thought hadn't even entered her mind at how awkward of an affair lunch was probably going to end up being.

Still, she grabbed her food as usual when she got to the cafeteria and it was only a moment's hesitation to take a seat at the open spot a couple of places down from Sophia at the table her usual group had settled on, purposely not looking at anyone's face as she sat down with them.

Part of her was hoping that maybe she'd be able to go the whole of lunch without being interrogated, though that thought ended up lasting about as long as it took for her to take her seat.

"Madison what the hell?" She looked up only to frown at seeing where Julia had seated herself on Emma's side, the other girl giving her a dirty look as Emma cut straight to the point and effectively silenced every other conversation at their table. Oh the other girls around them were still talking mostly, but that was only to make it less obvious they were so blatantly listening in too.

"What's up Emma?" Madison asked, tense but despite everything still curious as to what Julia had actually said to her about what happened in class.

"Julia said you were sticking up for Taylor earlier?! What the fuck Madison you know she trashed my locker!"

There was no help from Sophia as Madison stole a glance at her, Sophia just staring across at her with an impassive expression and probably wondering just how much of what she'd overheard Julia telling Emma was plain bullshit.

"Yup," Madison replied simply, surprised to find herself relishing how much more frustrated Emma seemed to get at her feigned nonchalance. "Julia took Taylor's work and I gave it back, why what did she say?"

"See Emma, I told you! Madison is on Taylor's side now!" Crowed Julia from Emma's right and Madison almost laughed out loud when she realised what the other girl was doing. Madison had never consciously realised she was getting popular and it had been a startling realisation when she'd noticed that she'd somehow fallen into being what was effectively the third highest on the social pecking order of their little group. Julia wanted that spot and Madison found herself amused that she'd only realised it when the other girl was literally sitting in the same place she herself would have sat if it were any other day.

Trying to keep the amusement off her face, Madison found her gaze slipping back to Emma who was scowling back at her from across the table. "What so when Julia said you've had some random change of heart that was true? Seriously Madison? You're going to take that loser's side in everything now, is that it?"

Madison thought for a moment to see if there was a diplomatic way to answer that, one which wouldn't have Emma blowing up at her and just as quickly gave it up as a lost cause. "...Pretty much I guess?" She replied and tried to ignore Roz's bark of laughter and the way Sophia's eyes narrowed at her from the corner of her vision. "I already told you I'm not going to bully her anymore, I mean I like you guys." 'Well some of you' she mentally corrected. "But it's hard to just ignore it if everyone keeps picking on a girl who's done nothing to deserve it you know?"

"So what, you think you're better than us now?"

And oh joy Sophia had gone from angry scowling face to angry words too and Madison turned to face the other girl who was looking back at her like she was a mix between an upstart threat and something she needed to scrape off her boot.

"Never said that Sophia" she replied evenly. Though she'd never admit to anyone at the table she was definitely thinking it considering the bar was so low to begin with. Her moral high ground might have only come up to her ankles, but that still made it higher than everyone else around her right then.

"Yeah of course you didn't" the other girl scoffed dismissively. "So what? Hebert gave you some sob story and now you're her best friend?"

"No" she frowned, trying to keep her tone polite even as the tension seemed to ratchet up with the undercurrent of anger in Sophia's warning tone. "I realised I was being a bitch and I apologised to her, I'm not expecting you to as well." Because as much as she wanted it, the current conversation was making it clear that it would be a cold day in hell before either Emma or Sophia found that a palatable option. "But I'm not just going to pretend I'm not seeing anything either."

What she could do about the bullying was still something she hadn't figured out and there was no doubt in her mind that Sophia was thinking along the same lines as the other girl leaned forward with a closed fist resting on the table.

"Please," Sophia drawled, "you've been saying the same nasty shit we have, just accept it. It's fucking Hebert anyway, lanky bitch deserves it and you know it."

"Deserves it for what Sophia?" She threw back before she could help herself, getting increasingly annoyed as she saw Emma and Julia nodding along to Sophia's words and the others for not saying anything and reminding her far too much of herself. "For taking the same shit day in day out from everyone?"

"Fuck you," Sophia spat back at her, gaze turning furious. "You were fine going along with shit and now you think you're better than the rest of us just because Hebert fed you some bullshit sob story? You're really gonna start shit with me for that fucking loser?"

Madison laughed, she couldn't help herself, she'd seen where everything could lead and fuck Sophia for thinking she could imply she had the high road. "Oh yeah, it's real high and mighty to pick on a girl that just wants to be left alone every day." She taunted, raising her voice to match Sophia's own. "Really showing how tough you are there aren't you?"

Sophia actually stood up then and Madison instinctively jumped to her feet as well, dimly aware that they were getting more than few looks from other people around the cafeteria for the scene they were making.

"You better lay off Madison, I don't know where the fuck this attitude came from but you're really starting to piss me off now."

"What for calling you out on your bullshit because everyone else is too scared to?"

Sophia tensed, fists clenched to her sides and Madison felt the rush of adrenaline, her body tense and ready for fight or flight even as she knew Sophia wouldn't do anything.

If there was one upside of going to a school where about a quarter of the students were either wannabe Nazis or actual Nazis, it was that the questionably popular black girl already on a lot of people's shitlists couldn't just punch out the small popular white girl in the middle of the cafeteria and think she was going to get away with it. No matter how tough her reputation was.

"Fuck you Madison, only reason you're acting so tough is because of everyone else. You're still a spineless bitch underneath ready to suck off the first guy that plays nice with you."

Madison found herself smiling back at Sophia, only vaguely aware of the sharp edge it carried. "Insults already Sophia? And I thought we were such good friends. And all this from what? Because I apologised to Taylor? Wow," She exclaimed, a little theatricality leaking into her voice as she gestured vaguely to the room at large. "Real model example you're setting to the rest of us miss track star."

"Get the fuck out."

Sophia was growling, her voice coming out through clenched teeth and as the rush of speaking back to Sophia broke for a moment, Madison was keenly aware that there was a limit to what Sophia would tolerate before she hit her regardless, multiple witnesses or no.

So she shrugged, turning back to get her tray, dismissing Sophia because she knew it would piss the other girl off and she wanted to. The vindictiveness of it briefly intoxicating as she could almost feel the spike in anger coming from Sophia as she did so.

For the first time she saw what some of the others had thought of their argument and it left her with mixed feelings. Emma had all but shut down, her anger as intense as Sophia's but with nowhere to put it, instinctively letting the other girl fight her own battles rather than jumping in to help. Julia looked a mixture of horrified and vindicated and Madison knew Julia would enjoy her new position when she fully internalised that she'd successfully usurped it from her. Daphne was aghast, though whether that was at what Madison had said or Sophia's response was impossible to tell and Roz was frowning. Even her usual carefree enjoyment of any arguments that spilled across the table gone from what she'd been witness to.

Madison wasn't sure what compelled her to speak, but the words came surprisingly easily as she scooped up her tray in both hands. "I meant what I said before, you're my friends but... Well it's up to you what you want to do. Honestly I think you should all apologise to Taylor too, but I know I'm just repeating myself at this point. I don't think I'm better than any of you, I just want to be a better person myself."

She paused, but she was never the best at public speaking and there was nothing else she could find to add, no small capstone to finish it off and make them reconsider their life choices, just the words that had come to her in the moment and so she left without another word. Tray held steady in both hands as she ignored the looks and the small pockets of conversation that had broken out the moment their spat had spilled beyond the confines of their table.

She still had twenty minutes left of lunch, if Taylor could manage it every day then she had to be able to find somewhere to sit in peace for a bit.

[Quest: A Peaceful Lunch]

"Thanks Quest." Madison whispered softly to herself as the notification window popped up, a small smile playing on her lips as she walked away.

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

Dragging herself out of bed that morning hadn't been fun. She was wrecked and she'd barely managed to get to sleep the previous night with everything on her mind thanks to Madison.

Even before the other girl's visit she hadn't been planning to go in to school, it would have only been Friday she'd missed and it wasn't like it would have been the first time either. She had just wanted another day to decompress after all the shit that had happened and that she'd get to avoid everyone was only half of the temptation.

Really she'd wanted to put things off until Monday, to not have to see the faces of all the people who thought they'd finally broken her and flaunted it at her wherever she went. She definitely didn't want to deal with whatever the fuck Emma and Sophia would be like if they'd thought she was actually somehow responsible for the flute disappearing either.

Most of all though she didn't want to see Madison again, because the other girl had given her a promise, given her word and part of Taylor wanted to cling to the fantasy that Madison would actually keep it. Even though she knew that she probably wouldn't, just like everyone else.

But then the other girl had to call her, give her a warning only an idiot would have needed and she'd stupidly said she'd 'see her tomorrow' without thinking and she'd be damned if she was going to chicken out at that point.

The first part of her day had been easy enough at least, none of the other girls were in her homeroom so it was easy to relax a bit and with Computer Studies first period, she still didn't have to worry about sharing a class with any of her bullies until World Issues for second period.

That had been weird.

She hadn't trusted Madison to keep her word, but she'd promised to give her a chance and so they'd shared a brief nod and she was content to ignore the other girl for the rest of class.

But then Julia had to go and steal the assignment she'd spent the last forty minutes working on. She'd been pissed, upset, betrayed that Madison hadn't stopped it, hadn't done a damn thing.

And then Madison had just walked over and handed it back to her.

There weren't any juice stains, no one had scribbled over it, she'd just handed it over like it was normal and told her she was trying to keep her promise.

Taylor hadn't known what to feel and had left as soon as Julia and her hanger-ons had stormed out after class had finished. She knew they'd go straight to the cafeteria, so if the others wanted to try something she'd at least have some time to eat her lunch before they might have found her.

She did try to change up where she ate lunch each day, but there were only so many places she could go indoors without looking like she was trying to either join one of the gangs, spy for one of the gangs or get a hit from the druggies and it was too cold to head outside for that long in any case.

No one had bothered her in the end, which had been nice and while part of her couldn't help but wonder if Madison had had something to do with it. - She had forcibly  reminded herself that it wasn't the first time she'd managed to get through a whole lunch period without being harassed and had pushed the thought from her mind.

At least with Madison's warning she understood why Emma had looked so unbelievably pissed with her in Math as she had tried to tune out the whispers of conversation and the subtle glances towards her. She was used to the stares, the mocking, people saying things behind her back even as she hated it. But even with Emma there glaring daggers at her, no one was stupid enough to try anything with Mr Quinlan ready to dish out punishments on a moment's notice.

But then she'd had Art as last period and even with how strange World Issues with Madison and Julia had been, Art class had taken her completely off guard.

Art wasn't ever going to be her favourite class, but it wasn't the worst either and the only reason she tended to dread it as much as she did was the fact she shared it with Sophia Hess.

Even when she was trying to be cautious, Sophia had still managed to shoulder check her hard as she'd walked into the classroom and she hadn't been able to stop herself from stumbling to the side and smacking loudly into the door.

People had laughed like they always did and she'd tried to ignore it like she always had, but it felt different in a way she had trouble pinning down. Sophia had just seemed even more pissed off than usual for some reason and it had made her wonder with a certain ingrained paranoia if smacking her shoulder on the door hadn't been the goal of the other girl's plan.

She had ended up taking her seat with the nagging worry she was missing something, that maybe something had happened or was going to happen and she wasn't ready or prepared for whatever Sophia had planned for her.

She'd been tense, coiled like a tightly wound spring from the moment the class had started, but Art was always a bit more of a relaxed lesson unless someone managed to annoy Mrs Morsey enough, or she was in a bad mood to begin with. So when nothing had happened after the first ten minutes Taylor had let herself lower her guard slightly, still feeling cautious and wary, but not enough that she couldn't try and concentrate more on the lesson itself as Mrs Morsey lectured from the front of the room.

Though since it was Friday and last period Mrs Morsey did her usual thing of speeding through the material as quickly as possible, then letting them have study room for the rest of the class while she popped out of the classroom to do whatever it was she did when she left.

Taylor was always fine with that, people generally just chatted or got on with their homework and as long as she kept an eye on Sophia to make sure she didn't try anything, or get anyone else to try anything it was usually a good way to finish out the day. - As long as the other girl hadn't managed to sabotage her beforehand at least.

Even so she'd almost jumped out of her seat when moments after Mrs Morsey had left, one of the boys she barely remembered the name of had turned around to face her with a lazy grin.

She'd been on edge, her gaze darting to Sophia and back, expecting an insult or some request to borrow a pencil she'd never get back or something but instead-

"Dude what did you say to Madison man? That shit was hilarious earlier."

"What?" She managed to say as her brain tried to keep up.

"At lunch, weren't you there? Little Mads laid into her man, fucking spitfire she is, funniest shit I've seen in my life."

And she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

Desperately her mind was trying to find the angle of attack, how his nonsense was supposed to be hurting her and all she could do was return a blank and probably very confused look to the boy who annoyingly only seemed to think that made the whole situation funnier.

"Oh man you didn't hear?" He grinned with a stage whisper, making an exaggerated gesture towards Sophia a few desks over to their right. "Tall and brooding over there started shit with Mads, but she was ready to throw down! Man I thought she was just a groupie but she don't take shit and Sophia be pissed off now, better thank your homie for that later you know?"

She didn't know! She'd only seen Madison that morning! What the hell had Madison done?!

But before she could ask that or any of the other dozen questions that were begging to be answered, the door opened again and Mrs Morsey stepped back in. Conversations quickly cutting off and the boy in front of her gave her a quick lazy nod as he slipped back around to face his own desk.

Taylor had chanced a glance at Sophia to find the other girl was now glaring openly at her and for once in her life Taylor was pretty sure it wasn't only because of her own continued existence.

She really needed to speak to Madison.

Madison Clements

Thanks to Quest giving her another waypoint marker to follow, she'd managed to enjoy a peaceful if rushed lunch before she'd needed to head to Art for third period.

Since she wasn't looking to push her luck after her little stunt in the cafeteria, especially after the adrenaline had worn off and she'd had to sit down for a minute from the whole 'holy shit I just talked back to Sophia in front of everyone and survived.' Madison had decided not to head back to drop off her tray, instead just throwing her rubbish in the trash and storing away the plastic tray into her Inventory to put off trying to figure out how she'd get it back where it belonged later.

Art had been easy at least, Mrs Morsey was a decent teacher if a lazy one and since the lesson had just been theory she'd managed to tune out most of the conversations around her that had not so subtly been about her. Between the people who were there and everyone else who wasn't and were not so quietly lamenting that they'd missed the show.

On the one hand pissing off Sophia had probably just shortened her lifespan by a few years, but on the other hand doing it in public like she had might have balanced the scales. - Since hopefully the other girl would realise any immediate physical retribution would just make her look worse by proving Madison's point. Sophia was smart, but Madison knew uncomfortably well how easily emotions could override logic at times and wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing how that played out for Sophia herself.

Computer Studies was her last period which she shared with Emma, but the other girl hadn't so much as looked at her when she'd got there, grouping up with a couple of other girls Madison had rarely spoken to. Though since the most they could do was look meaningfully at her and snicker from the other side of the classroom, she hadn't felt like she was missing much in any case.

After that she was free and as much as part of her very much wanted to teleport straight back to her room, with how much attention she'd already managed to get she figured it probably wasn't the smartest move and took the bus back home as normal.

Browsing her phone on the journey she wasn't surprised to find she'd been kicked from a couple of the group chats she was in. She had a few texts, a nasty one from Julia she didn't bother responding to but saved just in case, one from Daphne asking if she was okay and one from Roz saying she didn't care about what had happened even if it was in her words; 'the most entertaining time in the cafeteria since forever.' But also that she wasn't going to pick Madison over the others, which she appreciated the blunt honesty of if nothing else.

Madison knew she had a few hours to herself once she'd got in, her mom would be back later after seeing a friend and her dad had messaged her saying he'd be late, but would be picking up some takeout on the way back, which had given her plenty of time to experiment!

The first thing she'd done once she'd locked the front door behind her was teleport to her room, ticking the mental box that had her wanting to be sure she didn't just have lateral teleportation. It would have still been a cool power, but she would have definitely been extremely disappointed if it had been the case.

She'd finally been able to confirm that she did retain her momentum, or at least most of it as she ran across her bedroom and then was running down the hall. Something which was definitely cool, even if it meant she was still screwed if she got thrown into the stratosphere or something and had to teleport from terminal velocity.

Since she was still limiting herself to the house she had no idea what her range was, or what if any limitations there were as to where she could actually go, but with the weekend right around the corner she was hoping she'd have plenty of time to find out.

After that and filling in her notepad with various ideas and speculations she'd simply tried to see if she had a limit on how much she could teleport, but had quickly discovered that either she didn't have a limit or whatever she was doing in the house wasn't enough for her to reach it.

Her mom had arrived home not long after, though much earlier than she'd been expecting. But she'd had plenty of time not to completely incriminate herself as she'd reflexively teleported back to her bedroom from the kitchen the moment she'd heard the front door go.

For the first time in what felt like a while she'd actually told her mom how her day had gone, all of it and while her mom had cautioned her from letting success go to her head, the hug that followed had just reassured her she was doing the right thing.

Dinner was much more relaxed than the previous day as she recounted some of what she'd told her mom to her dad over Chinese takeout, something they did rarely enough that they tended to sit together when they had it. She didn't think she'd quite managed to convey to either of them just how close she'd come to being punched in the face from her confrontation with Sophia, but in hindsight she'd decided that was probably a good thing and opted not to clarify the point.

When she got back to her room a while later Madison had been surprised to find that she'd had a missed call. Usually her phone was in her pocket, but she'd left it on charge since she'd got home after spending lunch and most of her bus ride back watching videos to pass the time.

"Taylor?" She remarked curiously as she unlocked the screen and brought up her missed calls, checking the timestamp and seeing it was only from about forty minutes ago and she wondered if it was too late to call the other girl back. Taylor had called from her house phone and Madison had the brief thought that she really needed to get the other girl's cell phone number if this was going to become a regular thing for them, which was a weird enough thought in itself.

After a deliberating about it for a few minutes she decided to call Taylor back, sitting herself down on the edge of her bed and then immediately standing up to pace as soon as it actually started ringing.

"Hebert household?"

"Um hello!" She squeaked, very much not expecting the tired older man's voice that greeted her, her brain catching up a moment later as she realised it was probably Taylor's father who had picked up the phone.

"Hello" came the voice again, a small warmth of amusement coloring the tone. "Are you one of Taylor's friends? I don't think I know your name."

Madison froze, not sure which answer to give. Would Taylor hate her if she said yes? But wouldn't her father be very, very confused if she said no?! "I'm Madison sir, I know Taylor from school." Perfect!

Taylor's dad chuckled down the line. "It's just Danny, if you keep calling me sir I'm going to feel even older than I am. It's nice to meet you though Madison, Taylor... She doesn't really talk to her old man about her friends much anymore, but maybe Taylor can invite you over for dinner one night? I'd love to meet you and it's been a while since we've had anyone over."

What did she even say to that?! "...Thank you si-Danny, I guess I'll talk to Taylor about it some time?" 'Deflect, deflect, deflect!' "Is she free? She called me earlier but I missed it."

"No that's fine, I'll go and find Taylor and hand you over to her, just a moment Madison."

There was a muffled sound, presumably the sound of Taylor's dad walking through the house before she heard what sounded like knocking and the echoes of conversation she couldn't quite make out before the line cleared and another much more familiar voice replaced it a moment later.

"Hello?"

"Hey Taylor" Madison sighed in relief, her dad had been nice but that was way too stressful. "You called earlier? Sorry I left my phone on charge when I had dinner so I missed it."

"Oh, yeah. Um thanks for calling back?"

Oh Scion they were as bad as each other at this.

"No problem Taylor, so what's up? Did Emma end up doing something in the end?" She wouldn't have put it past the other girl, but after what had happened at lunch Madison had assumed Emma would have been way too distracted to go after Taylor again until Monday at least.

"Huh? Oh no Emma just glared at me in Math, she can't really do anything with Mr Quinlan there anyway."

"Yeah I know what you mean, oh did he make you try and do all of yesterday's stuff as well? I've got so much homework..." She lamented with another sigh, homework she really needed to get started on... At some point since she had Math first period on Monday, which already sucked enough without giving said teacher an actual reason to hate her if she didn't do it.

"Yeah" Taylor groaned and then seemed to catch herself and Madison had to stifle a giggle as she imagined the other girl's expression. "But I was actually calling because I heard some weird stuff in the afternoon that you, I don't know? Had a fight with Sophia in the cafeteria or something? I only got bits and pieces."

"Oh that" she replied automatically as she wondered how best to put it, even as the events replayed in her mind for what was probably the fiftieth time by that point.

"You actually fought Sophia at lunch?!" Came Taylor's shocked voice, snapping her out of her train of thoughts. "Is that why she was so pissed off in Art afterwards?"

"Sort of?" She replied with a questioning lilt as she actually thought about whether it counted as a 'fight'. "And yeah that's probably why her resting bitch face was worse than usual" she laughed and then laughed even harder when Taylor almost choked on a surprised laugh of her own.

"But yeah," Madison continued into the silence on the other end of the line that followed. "At lunch Julia told Emma all about what happened in World Issues, her and Sophia called me out on it and I basically just told them what I told you."

She heard Taylor take a sharp breath as she finished speaking. "Wow Madison, is it bad I kind of wish I'd seen the look on their faces?"

Madison giggled, "oh no, it was glorious and that wasn't even the best part."

"Really?"

Madison nodded even though Taylor obviously couldn't see it. "Uh huh, Sophia started her whole 'oh you think you're better than us' bullshit and then I sort of called her out on it in front of everyone."

There was a pause. "Holy shit Madison, how are you still alive?"

She laughed, more in the same relief she'd felt after the 'fight' than anything. "She wasn't going to do anything in front of all those skinheads and everyone else who wants a piece of her, though I'm going to be careful next week." And wasn't that an understatement.

"Yeah no shit..." Taylor trailed off and Madison let the quiet that followed linger, leaving Taylor to collect her own thoughts wherever they lead.

"You were really serious?"

"Sorry?"

"About... The whole apology thing, being better, all of that? You... That was actually real?"

She smiled, "of course Taylor, I know I'll probably never get to be your friend now or anything like that, but I still want to do right by you. Make up for all the shit I did."

"...You keep making it weirdly difficult to keep hating you."

"I'm sorry?"

Taylor sighed, "forget it, you know I'm beginning to feel like I'm actually going to feel bad when Sophia murders you next week."

Madison let out a weak chuckle, "yeah I'm not looking forward to that either, I think she took it personally when I suggested she apologise to you."

"...for fuck's sake Madison do you have a death wish? You know what, don't even answer that, I feel like if I keep speaking to you you're going to infect me with your personal brand of insanity. Just, goodnight Madison and... Thanks for all that stuff okay?"

"Any time Taylor," she smiled. "Night."

Chapter Text

Saturday! The day of no school, the day of possibility! Of adventure! Of going to the Boardwalk! The cinema! The mall!

If she wasn't grounded for a month.

"Mhmm okay how about this" Madison muttered to herself, grabbing a novel from her bookshelf before trying to move the book and only the book to the empty space above her bed.

Like the first five times she'd tried with other things, nothing happened and after another several minutes of no results she'd given it up as another failure. Madison wasn't sure if she was grasping at straws, but she'd figured it was worth seeing if she could extend her teleportation to things she was holding. After all her clothes came with her when she teleported, so she was pretty sure it wasn't a completely stupid idea.

Still, she was about ready to give up on it, or at least shelve the idea for another time. She'd first tried with her notepad, then with a couple of different sized pennies, a pencil, an eraser, a single piece of paper and then a whole book. Her power hadn't responded, but there hadn't been anything to go off either. She didn't feel like she was pushing at her power in a way it didn't like or was just on the edge of figuring something out. The only thing she had noticed was that if she concentrated long enough she had the vague impression that she could store whichever of the items she was holding in her Inventory, but that was just telling her something she already knew.

Quest hadn't appeared since the cafeteria so she'd discounted the possibility of getting any help from her power and that left her stuck with trying random things to see if anything actually worked. The quest reward of 'competence' had started to look a little less snarky the less progress she felt like she'd made.

Without TV or games, the only thing left beyond the homework she was studiously ignoring was her PC and phone. Of the latter she was only getting texts from a few people since the events of Friday and it had been jarring at first to go from having her phone blowing up at all hours of the day, to maybe a couple of messages over the course of a few hours.

Daphne still seemed to want to be friends with her, even if she'd confided that she wouldn't be able to talk to her in public and Roz was just her usual self. Julia had apparently decided to turn hate mail into a hobby and Madison was more than happy to let her keep digging her own grave, not bothering to read anything with the other girl's name attached.

Emma meanwhile had ended up sending her a single long rant that morning which she'd given up on reading halfway through, let alone replying to. Madison had half expected something from Sophia too and she wasn't sure if the lack of anything at all was a good or a bad thing as the day dragged on.

She'd tried to do a little bit of writing, but it was suddenly a lot harder to focus on writing fan fiction about capes when she just ended up thinking about her own powers. Then she ended up wondering what she'd say to Armsmaster or Glory Girl when she met them and then she ended up daydreaming about taking down Lung or Kaiser in some epic team-up when she eventually debuted.

That thought had taken her down a whole other rabbit trail as she then wondered if writing any fanfics that included herself would count as self insert fan fiction, or if it would actually be weirder to obviously exclude herself. After that she couldn't stop thinking about some of the other fanfics she'd read and wondered if some of the stories she'd found about certain capes might have been written by the capes themselves. It had been a weird train of thought.

PHO at least always had something going on and she'd easily wasted a couple of hours browsing through a few of the boards. A multi-page, winding thread about Hookwolf being spotted in the Docks had turned into a list of banned and infracted posts longer than her arm and she hadn't been able to help herself reading a lot of the: 'I used to be an independent and then I joined the Wards' posts, which were always floating about in conspicuously easy to find places.

They didn't do anything to actually change her mind, but it did make her feel better that if she was ever press ganged into it, it wasn't going to be the absolute end of her life as she knew it that the Wards sometimes looked like from the outside. Especially given her sudden new perspective on the organisation.

Saturday became Sunday and then before she knew it Monday had reared its head again and all of her trepidation came with it. Despite her best efforts she still hadn't finished her infuriatingly vague quest and she knew she was missing something and even worse was knowing that it probably meant she'd need to get out of the house to experiment further. That was a whole can of worms she'd decided to kick down the road to tackle next weekend unless she got a lucky break in the mean time.

There was nothing really different about Homeroom when she arrived at Winslow beyond Julia going out of her way to give her the cold shoulder, which suited Madison just fine. She wasn't the one Madison was actively on the lookout for, even if she wasn't going to let her guard down around the other girl either.

Math was similarly uneventful, namely because she'd actually forced herself to get her homework done and had a normal class the same as everyone else.

When they were told to split into groups in World Issues, it quickly became apparent what had changed since lunchtime on the Friday previous.

"Get lost Madison, we don't want you in our group, maybe if you get on your hands and knees and begged first?" Julia laughed and Madison had looked to the other two at their usual table. Daphne had just looked guilty and hadn't been able to meet her eyes while Roz had just shrugged, every appearance of nonchalance even though she had so blatantly picked a side. Weirdly Madison found herself pissed off at Roz most of all, sure she'd been upfront about it when she'd messaged, but at least Julia despite being a massive bitch committed to the bit in public too.

But she didn't say anything, not that there would have been any point, turning back to Julia with a shrug. "Alright, see ya" she waved, walking over to Taylor's group and pausing when the three of them looked up.

"Hey" she offered weakly, meeting Taylor's eyes as they flitted from her to the girls behind her and back again, feeling more than a little nervous all of a sudden. "I kind of got kicked out."

Taylor gave her a flat look that seemed to drag on for far too long before she rolled her eyes and motioned for Madison to sit. "Come on, tell me you've at least read the chapter Gladly assigned on Friday?"

"Yeah" she replied a little hurriedly in relief as she took the open seat next to Taylor and put her things down on the table. "And thanks Taylor" she added as the taller girl couldn't seem to decide between her ingrained desire to ignore Madison, or consider her the lesser of two evils as Greg tried to draw them both into a conversation.

'Maybe things won't be so bad after all.' Madison thought to herself as Taylor made a decision and turned back to her.

Sophia Hess

Something had changed and she didn't like it.

Things had been going fine, or at least as fine as they could be in a shithole like Winslow. Emma was getting stronger and even Madison had been starting to look like she might actually amount to something if they kept getting her involved in things.

The plan with the flute had seemed like a great idea at the time. Emma had gotten lucky and seen Hebert putting it away when she thought no one was looking and when Emma had explained just how much it meant to the weakling it had been worth using her breaker state to get into the locker and grab it.

Emma kept thinking that maybe with another push Hebert would actually grow a pair, but Sophia knew better. There were only two types of people anywhere. When she was a vigilante it was her and anyone who got in her way and even now when she was stuck in the Wards, she was still the top dog even if she had to play nice with the children.

Winslow might have been a shithole, but it wasn't any different; Empire fucks, ABB, Merchants and probably a dozen other minor gangs trying to act tough and size each other up, all of them thinking they were the biggest thing around. Then there were the unaffiliated, the ones who were strong enough to stand up for themselves, herself and Emma thanks to her.

Everyone else? They were the sheep, just the prey for all the other bigger fish swinging their dicks around like they owned the place. Some of them got recruited by the gangs and then just because they were wearing colors or beat up a minority they thought they weren't the same limp dick fucks they always had been. Some of them got killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, because they were stupid or because they didn't have what it took to actually fight back.

That was Hebert and thank fuck she'd shown Emma how much of a waste of time Hebert was for her. She hadn't fucking rescued Emma just so that pathetic bitch could drag her down again. No, Hebert had her place and just needed to be reminded of it sometimes and if it helped Emma get even stronger? Win-win in her book.

The flute thing had just been proof of that at first. Hebert had cried like a bitch just like Emma said she would and it was fucking pathetic. Hebert didn't even try and fight her for it. If someone took something of her mom's she'd kick their fucking teeth in. But no, Hebert begged Emma for it like the waste of space she was.

It had been good, better than she'd been expecting and she'd thought maybe Hebert would finally get the message that no one wanted her around and Emma at least had finally seemed to realise Hebert wasn't ever going to be on their level.

Of course Hebert hadn't come to school the next day, she didn't know why Emma had acted so surprised about it. Hebert had probably still been crying in her room like all the other times she hadn't come back to school after they'd got one over on her, so that was nothing new. But then Emma had called her because some-fucking-body had broken into her locker at some point and stolen the stupid thing and her gym bag too!

Emma thought it was Hebert obviously and Sophia couldn't really blame her for it. Emma hadn't worked a crime scene, tracked down gangers and fucked them up like they deserved. It was obvious what had happened, Emma had been flaunting the flute for everyone to see, so it wouldn't have taken much for one of the stoned idiots to think they could fence it for another easy high after school. It wasn't like any of the cameras in Winslow actually worked or she wouldn't have even tried taking Hebert's flute in the first place.

But Emma just wouldn't stop going on about it. Usually Mads was there at least, but she'd called in sick too so she was the one who had to put up with Emma's bitching all day. She'd even checked Hebert's locker, but obviously it wasn't there and it still hadn't shut Emma up so she wasn't sure why she'd bothered. She'd ended up hoping Mads would be back on Friday just so she could put the smaller girl in front of Emma and let her deal with Emma's ranting instead.

Well she'd got her fucking wish hadn't she? Mads had seemed alright when Sophia had seen her in the morning, bit nervous as always, but Emma was like that once too and she'd turned out fine after a bit of encouragement. She'd heard from Emma later that Hebert was back too, but Sophia hadn't expected Hebert to crawl back in so soon and so she'd been left wondering if there would even be anything worth doing to her, when Hebert would just have the weekend to get back on her feet and waste her efforts.

She'd met up with Emma after class and they'd grabbed seats in the Cafeteria as always, Emma had bitched at her that Mads refused to do anything to Hebert in second period which was stupid, but if Mads was still unwell then that was fair enough she supposed. It wasn't like they'd gotten Mads to do all that much to Hebert yet anyway, which was another thing Sophia knew she'd have to focus on once she got Emma to stop tunnel-visioning about the stupid flute.

Then Julia had turned up with that even more annoying bitch Roz and the other one that never said anything. Sophia didn't like Julia but she respected her at least. Julia was always trying to claw her way up the pecking order, had to respect that at the end of the day even if she hated listening to half the bullshit that came out of her mouth she didn't give a fuck about. Why would she care who was fucking who?

Then her whole day had gone to shit when Mads had actually decided to show up and she was still trying to wrap her head around what the fuck had happened.

Emma had tried to call out Julia on her bullshit when Mads had sat down, give her an opening to show some spine, keep building her up a bit. But then Mads just went and admitted to all of it?! Started sticking up for Hebert! Saying she was suddenly better than all of them, that they, she should apologise?!

So she had called Madison out on it just to get her to shut up, have a word with her later and sort out whatever the fuck had happened, but Mads just didn't fucking back down.

Sophia was about ready to take another few inches off the little bitch's height and Mads had called her fucking bluff right there in front of everyone. That wasn't the Mads Emma had introduced her too, the timid little mouse that had finally started growing a pair. Yeah that what she wanted Mads to be like eventually, but not to her.

She didn't know what the fuck had happened. She'd been thinking about it all through Computer Studies, but nothing about any of it made sense. Mads had been off sick for a couple of days and then it was like by lunch she'd just become a totally different person.

She'd still being stewing in it when she'd seen Hebert going to Art ahead of her, idiot had thought she was already in the room, didn't even see her coming and it made her feel right when the lanky loser had tripped into the door and everyone had a good laugh.

But then she'd realised some of those fuckers weren't just laughing at Hebert, they'd seen or heard what had happened at lunch. They weren't just laughing at Hebert face planting into a door, they thought she was weak for showing Hebert her place, they were laughing at her.

The more time she'd had to think about it the more confused and angry she'd got, especially after having even more time with nothing better to do after Piggy had dumped her on console duty on Sunday, right after the little green princess had bitched her out for going off the kiddie routes on patrol. Just her luck with how her week had gone.

Nothing was making sense when Monday finally rolled around, Emma was still pissed about the whole thing which was fair enough, but Mads hadn't even approached them. She hadn't replied to the message Emma said she'd sent, hadn't apologised to any of them at all.

The worst part wasn't that Mads didn't seem to care, it was that other people saw that she didn't. Sophia saw the lack of respect she was getting, just because the midget had decided to backtalk her and she hadn't slapped her right back down. Yeah she was a Ward and one of the meanest bitches around but she wasn't a fucking idiot, she was a black girl in Winslow and the skinheads were just waiting for any excuse to try and jump her with weight of numbers on their side. Hell the only reason they hadn't started shit already was because they didn't care who was 'bullying' a dyke and she wasn't stupid enough to let them get her alone.

Sophia had thought maybe things would settle down as the week went on and it did sort of. Everyone forgot about the whole Friday lunch thing, or at least stopped caring, but now Mads was just her own group, acting like she could walk around by herself and not give a shit. She was acting nice with Hebert, hell she'd even seen them have a whole fucking conversation and that was the worst part. Hebert was starting to think she was something again, Emma didn't seem to notice it but she sure as hell did.

Hebert was getting a bit more confident, wasn't reacting as much to the shit they said to her, she'd even seen the lanky bitch smiling. It was disgusting and she hated that at the way things were heading she was going to have to point it out to Emma and Julia too.

When Mads hadn't even made eye contact by the middle of the week she'd had enough. She'd been patient, she'd waited for Mads to actually apologise, but she kept walking around like only Hebert existed! She'd seen her greeting Hebert in the mornings and Hebert had even started replying! It was infuriating just watching her work come undone even if no one else, not even fucking Hebert herself could see it yet.

Julia's incessant bitching about putting Mads in her place had been grating. Like most of what the other girl spewed really, but Julia hadn't been wrong, even if she hadn't wanted to give other girl the satisfaction of agreeing with her.

So she figured she'd knock away some of that confidence, remind Mads just how small she was. Maybe she'd even realise what she was missing out on, even if Sophia was doubtful Mads could really be salvaged by that point. She didn't share any classes with the other girl which was a pain, but they'd been friends long enough that it was easy to remember the routes she took.

She'd started small, just a shove, tripping her, to remind Mads she wasn't safe just because she could say shit and walk away, but it hadn't fucking worked.

Sophia didn't understand it. She'd put her foot out and the other girl would just step over it, she'd shoulder check her and it was like the small girl just glided out of the way. She didn't even seem to fucking realise she was doing it! She'd had one of the other girls do it so she could watch and Mads didn't even seem to notice someone was trying to trip her up!

She knew she wasn't, hadn't ever been close with Mads, but she sure as fuck would have remembered if the girl had mentioned she'd been doing parkour or something to give her reflexes like that!

And as much as part of her just wanted to lay the girl out, teach her why she'd earned the respect she got in the halls - Well she knew there were limits to what even she could get away with. Hebert's reputation was lower than trash, but Mads was still on their level in the teacher's eyes at least. Give her a black eye or some cause to go cry to Blackwell and they'd actually believe the little upstart and try and rake her over the coals for it. Her handler probably wouldn't fold, the woman was spineless, but she knew she'd be in deep shit if anything got back to the PRT. The school could still make her life hell though, might even get back to the PRT anyway if they thought they needed to get her mom involved.

Worst was she couldn't just take it out on Hebert since she was spending more time with Mads and Mads would always get in the way if someone looked like they were going to start something. Worse that none of the sheep wanted to try anything while the two of them were together either.

She'd underestimated Mads twice. It was irritating and humiliating, even if she was the only one who actually knew all of the details. But she was Shadow Stalker.

She'd nailed more skinheads to walls than all of the other Wards put together. She was the only goddamn vigilante on the East Coast that had kept her costume and her name when she went legit.

So she'd figure out just what the fuck was going on and deal with it the same she did any other problem that got in her way.

Because Sophia Hess didn't lose, she made everyone else lose.

Chapter Text

[Quest: Path of the Hero]

Madison perked up as what she was mentally thinking of as her 'main' quest popped into the view. The week of school had passed by in a strange blur that paradoxically had her more relaxed and yet somehow also more horribly tensed than she had probably ever felt in her entire life.

To say she had been on the outs with the popular crowd would have been an understatement and she was pretty sure even the teachers at Winslow had noticed, not that they would have said or done anything regardless though. Madison had swiftly found out what it was like to basically be a pariah all over again, as she was avoided and sniped at by almost everyone she previously spoke to.

It was strange being so much more aware of it, especially when the new semester had only really begun, so it wasn't like she had any reprieve to look forward to for another month or so before mid-winter break started.

If her power hadn't already given her a wakeup call then her sudden change in fortune would have probably done it. Even with everything Quest had already shown and told her, Madison still felt like she had gotten an even better appreciation for what Taylor had suffered through on a daily basis since she'd essentially first met the girl.

Even then Madison knew her treatment was a far cry from Taylor's own. Taylor had previously had no one, no friends, no allies, not even any teachers in her corner and Madison for all that it might have felt like it could hardly say the same. While most of her fair weather friends had turned on her in a heartbeat, it still looked at times like Roz or Daphne had wanted to speak to her and they were still the only two of her previous social circle who hadn't yet participated in the uptick of barbs and looks that had started to be thrown her way.

And that was still more than Taylor had.

The weirder part was the odd sort of... Respect? It felt like she had suddenly gained out of nowhere. It wasn't exactly a great feeling to have a couple of the skinheads nod to her (and boy hadn't that been a confusing moment until she'd figured out why). But apparently standing up to Sophia - And probably more importantly getting away with it had seemingly elevated her a little in the eyes of everyone else, especially when as the week drew on Sophia didn't do anything about it.

Sure she joined in on the name calling and all of the other petty bullshit Madison could mostly ignore, but that was about it. There were a few times later in the week where Sophia had seemed to be trying to intimidate her with her presence alone and while she had definitely been nervous, she'd been more nervous about accidentally teleporting away. It had gotten to the point where she'd been so focused on that, she'd essentially ended up ignoring the other girl or any of the other more unpleasant girls every time they drew near.

It had been hell on her nerves, wondering if Sophia in particular would finally try something every time she got close enough to do any of the things she'd seen the other girl do to Taylor on a daily basis in the previous few months. The fact she hadn't had only made her feel more paranoid and she'd definitely gained a far better appreciation for the almost 'hunted' look she'd seen more than once on Taylor's face in the past.

Still, as awful as it had been, constantly feeling like she was walking a tightrope while waiting for the other shoe to drop, Madison was hoping it had at least been good for training of a sort and by the time the weekend finally rolled around again she did actually end up feeling more confident about her chances come the Monday following. That if Sophia did start trying to trip her up or shoulder check her, then she'd be able to try and just get out of the way without revealing to half the school that she was a surprise cape.

And then there was Taylor. At some point it seemed she'd decided that Madison wasn't lying or setting up a prank, though it had probably helped how publicly and viciously most of the other girls had immediately turned on her the moment the weekend passed. But whatever the reason, Taylor had stopped completely ignoring her and when she'd said hello to Taylor when she saw her on Tuesday morning Taylor had actually said hello back!

Taylor had even adopted her into her group for World Issues, albeit reluctantly and they'd even had a whole conversation outside of class! Madison hadn't even bothered trying to hide her smile.

If it wasn't for the fact she'd gotten literally nowhere with her personal brand of power testing she'd have considered her whole week an unmitigated success. But as it was it seemed like she'd hit the limit of what she could figure out in her room, or at least she'd run out of good ideas and still being grounded hadn't helped things either.

Beyond accompanying her mom to get groceries earlier in the morning as she'd tried to figure out what to do with her Saturday, the excursion hadn't exactly given her a wealth of other options to try. After that she'd just been laying on her bed browsing, her phone held up lazily above her face as she'd read a cute Case Fifty Three slash fic she'd been recommended until the quest had suddenly popped up and she'd almost dropped the phone on her face in surprise. That would have been an embarrassing way to get her first cape injury.

[Quest: Path of the Hero]

Madison Clements has committed to her path and with newfound resolve she has cemented her ideals in action, spurned her enemies while offering the hand of friendship to those who would be allies. No matter the obstacles she's faced, Madison Clements has continued to move forward as she attempts to forge new alliances and friendships upon the foundations of those values she holds and the virtues she strives to embody.

It is upon such foundations a Hero is forged, yet she knows full well that a Hero is many things, but they must be seen above all else. Not only through their deeds, but as the crystallisation of these things, of character, of valour and the promise of the brighter tomorrow they wish to create.

Madison Clements now requires a Hero costume if she is to take up the mantle of Hero to the public at large, for without this she knows how easily her actions, her character, her very Heroic essence will be so easily defined by those around her instead.

For Madison Clements knows that a costume is more than mere clothing, more than its function and more than its form.

It is a symbol and promise both. It is that which will inspire hope in those who are afraid, stoke the fires of courage in the hearts of her allies and the chill of fear in those enemies she faces in the pursuit of her ideals.

[Objective: Acquire a professionally made Hero costume]
[Objective: Acquire back-ups of a professionally made Hero costume]
[Optional Objective: Acquire a professionally made Hero costume variant]
Rewards: Costume, Replacement Costumes, ????, Unlocks ?????

[OK]

Madison didn't even realise she'd sat up, phone forgotten until she was done reading the notification window, feeling both inspired and slightly terrified at the sheer weight of responsibility it felt like her power had just offloaded on her again. Idly she wondered if that was going to become a running theme when it came to her main quest.

Somehow she hadn't really thought about a costume, not in any concrete way at least. It had only been around two weeks since she'd got her powers and it felt like she'd barely stopped. From breaking into the school, to the confrontation with Sophia, to just stressfully waiting for some kind of physical retaliation that would inadvertently out her as a parahuman, when she inevitably panicked and tried to get away...

Her new quest, still waiting silently in the air in front of her had made everything feel real in a way other things simply hadn't. A Hero wasn't just someone who had powers, they were someone who used them to do good, to fight and maybe even die trying to do the right thing.

When it came to her own powers she couldn't truly call herself a Hero, not yet at least. She hadn't forgotten that ironically if anything she was technically a Villain, since all she'd used her powers for outside of experimentation and to skip her journey home at the end of the week was to break in to Winslow, which was still an absurd memory that made her want to shake her head at times.

If she ignored that though she was at most a Rogue, someone who had powers and didn't use them in pursuit of anything particularly heroic of villainous.

Though in a world of Heroes and Villains, Rogues were definitely the perpetually endangered species. They existed of course, there were even a couple in Brockton Bay as far as she knew, but they usually didn't last long. There were a lot of laws that meant a Rogue couldn't normally compete with regular businesses and using their powers otherwise sometimes only served to paint a massive target on their back.

Either the gangs forcibly recruited them, they ended up falling into the villainous lifestyle for one reason or another or they joined up with the good guys, if only for the protection that came with having a nationwide governmental agency backing them up.

Though thinking of Rogues had her thinking of the two she knew of in Brockton Bay. There was Tin Man who occasionally popped up with his little sculptures made out of scrap, though no one had seen him in a couple of months and it was hard to stay optimistic when it came to the Bay. There was usually a thread on PHO with photos whenever he did appear to sell things at the market, but considering how long it had been, there were even odds he'd been snatched up by one group or another.

The other Rogue was Parian who actually had her own boutique on the Boardwalk, Madison had never visited since she'd always just assumed things would be way out of her price range. Especially when Parian apparently made everything herself with her power too.

"Would Parian make me a costume?" She couldn't help but wonder aloud to herself as she found her phone again and it wasn't much to bring up the wiki and do a little preliminary research. She couldn't help herself from quickly checking Tin Man's page first, but the sightings section hadn't been updated in a while so Madison doubted it would be. She did hope he was okay, he'd never bothered anyone as far as she knew and 'Tin Man' wasn't even his cape name. It was just the alias the PRT had given him since he never spoke except to say greetings and thank yous to anyone who wandered by his wares.

Parian's page was next and she got lost for twenty minutes just reading about the enigmatic Rogue. The details were pretty sparse overall, more theory crafting than anything concrete beyond the obvious when it came to Parian's textile telekinesis. At least as far as PHO was aware Parian only used it to make clothing for her store, animate puppets for the children's shows she sometimes put on, or the times where she did something similar to help promote other businesses along the Boardwalk or Downtown.

There wasn't anything Madison could find about Parian accepting commissions for Hero costumes one way or another. There were plenty of threads about it, though even several pages deep into a seemingly promising one had just turned out to be more argumentative speculation, especially when Parian herself seemed to refuse to comment whenever she was asked.

Brockton Bay had a few Independent Heroes operating at any one time and none of them had commented either that Madison could find, which did make her wonder where exactly everyone was getting their costumes from. Granted a lot of them looked homemade, but anyone who made it long enough tended to manage to upgrade their wardrobe and equipment at some point, so clearly she was missing something.

Though even then she had to admit that was probably survivorship bias talking since Independent Heroes were a lot like Rogues except that they tended to have a significantly shorter life expectancy. At the end of the day a Rogue was just treated as a neutral player that could be turned, they weren't a threat or a problem, an opportunity if anything really. Whereas on the other hand an Independent Hero - Unless they had an Alexandria package and could obviously look after themselves were seen as an annoyance at best and an easy target at worst.

And Brockton Bay had gone through a lot of Independent Heroes over the years. Though the more organised Independent scene outside of New Wave had since largely petered out with all of the various factions well entrenched enough to quickly snap up or put down any new Independents when they appeared.

With the way things currently were, whenever a new Independent Hero popped up they either got themselves killed, got recruited or got out within a few months from what she'd kept up with on PHO. That or they made a mistake and then either went Villain or joined the Wards and got a probation deal with a shiny rebranding on top.

Realising an hour later that she was browsing more for the sake of browsing than anything Madison dropped her phone back next to her, wondering what a potential costume would even look like for her. Almost immediately her thoughts turned instead to all the other Heroes she knew of as her mind wandered. As much as she was a cape geek, she wasn't the sort of person to actually buy the merch, even if she had received a few figurines as gifts over the years that were stuffed in a box in the attic somewhere.

The big three of the Triumvirate immediately came to mind, though she only really dwelled on Alexandria herself as the only woman of the three. Her costume was an abundance of blacks and grays, the giant tower symbol on her chest and cape on her back, which despite the subdued palette managed to pull off being authoritative and attention grabbing without being garish or tacky.

The easy comparison to make was to Brockton Bay's own Glory Girl, Victoria Dallon who had gone in the complete opposite direction for her outfit. The image of Glory Girl in her full costume was easy to picture in Madison's mind with how photogenic she was and well, thighs.

Glory Girl in contrast to Alexandria, maybe purposely now that Madison thought about it had a white dress accented with gold, which the Hero definitely had the confidence to pull off. Madison sure as hell couldn't imagine herself in a skirt and tiara teleporting around the city, that was for sure.

She lingered for a moment on the thought as she considered Glory Girl's costume, before grabbing her phone again and pulling up a recent image to refresh her memory of the actual details of it. It should have been tacky, but outside of the tiara which was a choice, Madison had to admit the look worked for her,  especially with the way her blonde hair complimented everything else. Honestly it was kind of unfair really. With an idle thought she saved the tab for reference, opening a new page to search through the other Heroes that had started to come to mind.

Really there weren't that many female Heroes in Brockton Bay to begin with, especially if you ignored the rest of Glory Girl's other family members in New Wave and they all stuck to the same brand of plastic white skintight outfits with lots of bright colors for the accents anyway.

Glory Girl and her sister were more the outliers of their family than anything, with Glory Girl's dress and completely bare thighs like she was trying to show as much skin as possible. Meanwhile Panacea was basically the opposite, with her giant white robe and hood that made her look more like a medieval monk than anything. Not that Madison herself wouldn't have picked Panacea's outfit, given the choice between that or Glory Girl's if she was being honest with herself.

The Wards did have Shadow Stalker and Vista. But Shadow Stalker was an edgelord who somehow managed to keep their costume from when they were a vigilante and that was about as boring and brooding as all the personality she'd shown since then. All matte blacks and a full metal face mask, which was probably supposed to look stern? But in Madison's opinion looked more like a permanent resting bitch face.

At least Vista actually had some color in her outfit that didn't look as corporately bland as most of the New Wave outfits did. Sure she had a skirt for some reason, which in Madison's mind was just another point against joining the Wards. At least not without first having her own costume she could get grandfathered in like Shadow Stalker had managed, but Vista's at least looked nice! The blend of forest greens gave it a pop of vibrancy that seemed to match the bubbly attitude she sometimes showed off in interviews and even then the color was actually broken up a bit with some tasteful black and white fades to de-emphasise the fact she was still a twelve year old girl wearing armor plating, because that was the kind of place Brockton Bay was.

"I feel like I'm sorta getting nowhere" Madison muttered out loud to herself as she ended up scrolling through some of the female Villains of her home city. Faultline just looked like a mercenary, Rune was a teenage Nazi so that was right out along with a mental note not to use black and red and gave her yet another reason not to go for a robe. After that she'd tried looking up a few of the more well known female Heroes like Narwhal and Dragon, but the former was basically naked all the time thanks to her power and no one even knew what Dragon looked like beyond a lot of very complimentary speculative fan art.

What did she want her costume to look like?

The first thing that actually came to mind was 'pockets'. Being able to hide that she was putting things into and pulling them out of her Inventory would be an obvious advantage, though an actual cape wouldn't really work for that. A coat maybe? Trousers with pockets too she pondered as she absently chewed on her lower lip in thought.

Her mind kept drifting back to colors and as much as she liked Vista's outfit for the most part, she wasn't sure she could pull off a good green and she didn't want to look like she was trying to rip off the other girl's costume anyway. The more she thought about it, the more she kept coming back to white. She kind of understood why New Wave had picked it, it was 'clean' and fit their whole image of trying to be the new iteration of Heroes who didn't have a secret identity, even if that was never going to happen after one of their members got killed because of it.

Madison found white appealing to her for a similar reason. It was like a fresh start, like being able to visually say 'this is the new me,' even if no one but her and her power knew who she was. It definitely wouldn't be the whole outfit though. No way she was getting mistaken for a New Wave groupie or something, but maybe just the top? The coat or whatever she went with?

"Wait" she paused out loud as another thought struck her and she frowned at it with a tilt of her head. "How the hell am I going to pay for this? How much are costumes anyway?"

It wasn't like anyone ever talked about that sort of thing, or at least not on the boards she visited on PHO. The Wards and Protectorate all got theirs from the government if they didn't make it themselves and she assumed there was some group of villainous tailors out there somewhere for all the bad guys too. But what did everyone else do she wondered, her phone finding its way back into her hand as she proceeded to try and find out.

Another thirty minutes later and she was no closer to figuring out the answer. There were plenty of people offering services, but it was hard to tell which were scams or not and she wasn't sure how she'd manage getting a fitting without her parents noticing something weird was going on regardless.

She did find some professional services, there was even a company in Boston which was basically next door for her, but when she'd tried to see their prices it was obviously a case of 'if you need to ask, you probably can't afford us darling' and she'd given up on that avenue pretty quickly.

Madison frowned, feeling like she'd just spent an hour not really achieving anything at all, even worse because her power clearly expected her to get it done. If she sat down and thought about it she could probably put together a full costume in her mind compared to the vagueish ideas she had right then, but that still left the question of how on earth was she going to pay for it all?

Sure she had gotten a bit of money from her relatives at Christmas, but her birthday wasn't until June and even then she was pretty sure something that was supposed to survive Brockton Bay was going to be more than the couple hundred dollars she could maybe scrape together and that was a big maybe.

It wasn't like she could approach her parents and ask for the money either and the only other person who might actually be able to loan her what she needed was Emma and she'd burned that bridge down to the foundations and into the earth itself.

She was stumped.

She hadn't really had a concrete plan when it came to the whole hero-ing thing to begin with, but she'd been pretty sure she would have been able to put together a rough outfit until... Okay she hadn't figured out the next part between her current very improvised getup and having a proper costume and her power just reminding her of that wasn't exactly helping her self confidence right then either.

"Okay think Madison, what's your first step?" She asked herself, pausing for a moment before it struck her. Well she supposed the first step would be figuring out how much she actually needed right? It shouldn't have felt the entire epiphany it was, but she'd take the win!

"Right and Quest said I'll need multiple back-ups and" her eyes darted back to the ever present quest window. "variants maybe, so maybe several hundred dollars per costume?"

She frowned, wondering if that would be enough or maybe even too much before shrugging to herself. It was better than nothing and it at least meant her next step was obvious, she'd have to ask Parian herself!

Chapter Text

Even after deciding on her course of action, actually convincing her mom to let her go to the Boardwalk was another matter entirely, one that was perhaps even more daunting than her costume quest itself.

So naturally she waited until her mom had popped out and asked her dad instead. Technically she did need a new hoodie, since the non-descript grey hoodie she'd used for her flute quest she had since mentally earmarked as her 'cape hoodie' afterwards. Which meant that once she'd washed it, the hoodie along with the rest of the outfit she'd worn for her Winslow break in had been relegated to the depths of her Inventory. Stored safetly away and more importantly out of sight, just in case her power decided she needed to do anything else she wanted to remain inconspicuous for.

Her dad wasn't an idiot, but the puppy dog eyes actually worked on him (sometimes) and the only reasons she didn't feel worse about it was because she was literally trying to become a Hero for the betterment of the people she cared about. That and more importantly the fact that once she was there she'd be able to pick up some of the retro sherbet candies he liked.

Unfortunately since it was early afternoon on a Saturday when the Boardwalk would be jammed full of residents and tourists alike she couldn't try simply teleporting there as much as she really, really wanted to. Getting the bus was a way of life, but after gaining teleportation powers she wanted to use them!

But through her sheer force of will...and also not wanting to announce herself quite so publically she resisted, catching the next bus and wasting time on her phone until she eventually arrived. On the way she had at least confirmed Parian's shop was actually open before she got there, something that would have been an embarrassing thing to discover when she arrived if not.

The Boardwalk was as busy as she'd expected when she finally arrived, but it hadn't taken her long to make her way down to where she knew the Rogue was based. Parian's boutique was along a line of nestled shops that faced out into the Bay, sitting in front of one of the larger open spaces that straddled the shore between the shops and the wooden walkways that extended over the water.

Depending on where you walked you could go down to some of the nicer beaches, or even a decent way out on the large pier that jutted out into the Bay proper. But wherever you were there would be some vendor or another selling 'authentic' food or drinks and plenty of space for people to walk or sit.

The open space and constant foot traffic made it a popular patrol route for the Wards and occasionally the Protectorate too, so it wasn't uncommon to see impromptu crowds form in a clamouring for autographs or pictures at random points during the day.

It had looked like there might have been a couple of Heroes present further down Madison noted as she walked towards Parian's shop, namely because people were heading towards whatever the commotion was rather than screaming in fear and running in the opposite direction, like was typical whenever Uber and Leet showed up. Though whatever was happening she had no real inclination to get closer and find out, even if she wasn't on a mission of her own right then.

The Wards were cool, but she'd never really wanted to meet them the same way she'd never wanted to meet any musicians or actors she liked. Whenever she'd thought about it she'd always struggled to think of what they would even talk about that wouldn't just be a: 'I like you and thanks for doing your job' from her and a polite 'nice to meet you too random citizen' from them.

After getting powers of her own that feeling had only really doubled since it would feel like she was lying to them in any interaction, even though they obviously had secret civilian lives of their own where they must have spoken to people who had no idea about their Hero life either. It was confusing and Madison hoped that when she did finally meet one of the Wards, she'd have some kind of accomplishment under her belt so she wouldn't feel like a complete imposter.

Stepping to the side as two women exited Parian's boutique, Madison made her own way inside, eyes drinking in the details as she saw it all for the first time.

For how relatively large it looked on the outside it was a surprisingly cozy shop, the clothing racks and stalls taking up enough of the limited space to give the whole thing a much more intimate feel, especially with other people browsing or queuing to make their own purchases.

Even as she lightly browsed she couldn't see Parian herself, just an older girl at the counter ringing things up, though there was another room towards the back that she hadn't explored yet.

As her fingers found one of the price tags of a jumper she glanced down and winced at the price, eyes flicking to the other tags and realising that her previous assumptions were very much correct when she'd figured she wouldn't have been able to afford anything.

Briefly she spotted Parian herself as the Rogue said something to the shop girl before disappearing again into the back and Madison hesitated before starting to make her way to follow. Part of her was wondering if she was actually making the right decision after all and the rest of her still just very nervous about the whole thing to begin with.

Eventually slipping past a woman who was too engrossed in trying on hats to notice her attempting to get by, Madison managed to reach the back of the shop a few minutes later and found herself both relieved and annoyed that Parian was nowhere to be seen.

There was a door almost hidden between two displays on the right hand side near the back and Madison could see a small non-descript area through the small vertical window halfway up the door. The space beyond seemed to turn abruptly to the left, which was presumably where the stairs were and where Parian had probably disappeared to. Not wanting to look like she was stalking the Rogue, Madison stayed far away from it, not planning to approach it except maybe as a last resort and contented herself with checking out the rest of Parian's wares as she slowly made her way around the small room.

While everything was still way out of her price range, the rack of discounted clothing she did find left her a little more hopeful she could maybe ask for a couple of birthday presents from her parents and not immediately get shot down. And if her power wanted to help with making that particular pitch she certainly wasn't going to say no.

After another five minutes where she'd managed to look over everything at least once Madison knew she hovering, feeling entirely too conspicuous as her eyes couldn't help but dart back to the door every so often or when she heard a sound that might have been Parian and wasn't.

Any moment she expected the shop girl or Parian, or even one of her puppets to calmly ask her to leave as she waited for the Rogue to reappear. There was a constant trickle of customers, some obviously residents of the Bay as much as some were obviously tourists, though it wasn't always obvious which were there to buy and which were there for the novelty of visiting a shop run by a parahuman.

She heard the slight creak of a door handle and her head turned before she'd even registered it, thoughts caught in a stop as Parian casually reappeared carrying two pleated cardigans that were probably destined for the front of the store.

As Parian's masked face tracked across the room Madison stepped forwards without thinking, the Rogue pausing as she seemed to regard her with a sort of wary curiosity.

"Ah, hello Ms Parian."

"Hello" the Rogue replied demurely with the trace of an accent Madison couldn't place, the porcelain mask she wore to conceal her identity giving nothing away. "May I help you?"

[Quest: Costume Inquiries Without Revealing Your Identity to the World]

Madison Clements has met the illustrious clothing Rogue known as Parian in pursuit of obtaining a Hero costume, however she must now much divine a way to enquire of Parian's services without outing herself as a parahuman to Parian or anyone else.

[Objective: Do not reveal your cape identity while in a civilian guise]
Rewards: Continued Secrecy, Common Sense

[OK]

Madison almost choked as the quest appeared, her eyes slipping to it and reading the text by sheer ingrained reflex, the poorly thought up excuse she'd concocted to try and get Parian alone dying on her lips.

"Um" she stalled as her brain did much the same thing and then Madison did what she always did when she panicked and talked. "I just wanted to say I'm a big fan and you're really cool and stylish and thank you for making such nice clothing all the time and I'm so sorry for bothering you!"

Her cheeks were on fire as she finished in a mad rush, though in that moment she wasn't sure if she was more mortified at the fact her power had basically cuffed her on the back of the head, or that she'd permanently humiliated herself in front of Parian who she'd wanted to establish a professional working relationship with.

The light chuckle of amusement a moment later didn't do anything for her embarrassment, even if she was incredibly relieved Parian wasn't grossed out or worse. "Thank you, it's always nice to meet a fan, is this your first time here?"

Madison nodded, not immediately trusting herself to speak lest she somehow dig herself an even deeper hole.

"Well feel free to browse as long as you'd like and if you wish to see one of my shows, the next performance will be at three just outside."

"Thank you" she replied so quickly it was almost a squeak. "Sorry for getting in the way."

"Not at all" Parian replied with a slight bob of her head. "I need to take these things through, but I hope I'll see you later."

Madison almost thought the Rogue was referring to the costume discussion they hadn't actually set up, before realising she meant the show she'd be putting on later and nodded rapidly. "Of course, thank you!"

Parian headed back to the front and as much as Madison desperately wanted to escape, that would have meant following her and that level of awkwardness would have killed her right then. Which left her instead to float around the room not really looking at anything as she replayed the conversation in her mind and died a little more inside with each repetition.

Judging enough time had passed a few minutes later she cautiously made her way back to the entrance, absolutely not looking at Parian as the Rogue seemed to have been cornered by a couple of older ladies that seemed to be talking to her at length about several tops they'd picked out for themselves.

'Why am I she such an idiot?' Madison wondered as she made her escape. Quest was right, getting powers didn't make a person smarter at all, just more obviously idiotic, no wonder Quest hadn't suggested speaking to Parian!

But then again Quest hadn't stopped her either until she'd literally been about to out herself to the other cape... So maybe she had been on the right track after all and it was just  her execution that completely sucked...?

She was lost in thought as she wandered further down the Boardwalk, no real destination in mind, only wanting to get as far away from Parian's as possible before she spotted a coffee shop she liked and bought a drink to sit down with.

As much as Madison wanted to go home, jump onto her bed and scream into her pillow for a few hours, she'd basically promised Parian she'd be there for her show, so she still had a good hour to burn before she could even think about heading back in any case.

Mentally reviewing her shopping list of what really only amounted to a single thing, Madison wondered if there was anything else worth picking up while she had the opportunity.

Well Quest wanted her to get a costume which meant either her power thought she was finally ready to start hitting the streets or had some quest in mind which had a costume pre-requisite, not that there was much difference in the end really.

If she needed a Hero costume then she'd obviously be doing Hero things. She paused as another embarrassing realisation struck her and she suppressed the urge to groan out loud. How exactly had she even been planning to stay in contact with Parian, give the Rogue her number? Wow she was lucky she had Quest, no wonder so many new parahumans got caught early.

"Okay so a burner phone definitely" she murmured, "maybe two" she corrected after a moment's thought. She'd already broken her phone once just doing normal Madison things, she didn't want to guess how easy it would be to break some disposable burner, even if it was probably going to live in her Inventory most of the time anyway.

Handcuffs? No what if she needed to tie up more than one person? What was it the Heroes used on the dramas? "Zip ties!" She smiled as it finally came to her, eyes then darting around to check no one was staring at the girl who had just gasped 'zip ties' to herself like that was a totally normal thing to happen. Then again it was the Bay.

Thankfully she was in the clear and racked her brains for what else she'd probably need. She wasn't too sure how she was supposed to actually beat any bad guys she came across, but she could teleport and she was pretty sure she was just generally a bit faster... And she still had access to her dad's crowbar as long as she put it back afterwards before anyone noticed it was missing... Madison nodded, teleport behind bad guys and smack them with a crowbar seemed like a pretty decent plan compared to 'punch them and hope my tiny hands don't break first'.

All that left was her costume and that was out until she figured out how to talk to Parian without actually talking to her. Madison tilted her head with a frown at the thought, but no ideas nor helpful hints from her enigmatic companion were forthcoming. Still, she had her current Independent Hero outfit, which was technically a Vigilante outfit, which was technically a Villain outfit in her Inventory and she mentally pictured what she'd look like with it on.

Basically not like Madison Clements which was entirely the point, until she remembered that beyond having the hood up her face was completely exposed. "And domino masks" she quickly added. The things were as ubiquitous as packs of gum thanks to the PRT and the amount of cape themed birthday parties meant no one was going to think twice if she picked up a couple from a hobby shop shelf.

They probably might think twice if she picked up a domino mask and zip ties from the same store though.

In the end she managed to pick up everything she'd needed, she hadn't even realised zip ties came in more than one kind and she'd grabbed a twenty pack of both normal looking zip ties and some handcuff ones. After buying a couple of cheap pre-paid phones and grabbing a four pack of basic black domino masks from a hobby store, Madison had realised she wouldn't actually have enough cash left to do any of the clothes shopping she'd told her dad she'd been going out for in the first place, though she didn't feel like making the walk to the nearest ATM to get more either.

She did have enough to pick up the sweets for her dad though and added them to her small bag of what had previously contained an assortment of questionable goodies, before heading back to Parian's where a small crowd had already started to gather before the show started. Madison had remembered very keenly the lesson Quest had all but smacked her around the head with and had made sure all her suspect purchases were stored away in her Inventory well before she joined the periphery of the crowd.

It was only a few minutes later that Parian appeared from her boutique accompanied by two giant person sized plushies, one a rabbit and one a fox which were carrying fabric bundles of their own.

Instead of wheeling out a wooden stand or something similarly permanent, Parian quickly erected her own stall, fabric sheets lifting as if of their own volition and flowing forward with a flourish to create the stage. The larger plushies accompanying her were then revealed to have been holding smaller puppets of their own and gently placed them down before their smaller charges scampered under the sheets to the amusement of the children watching.

Madison couldn't see Parian's face, hidden as it was, but if it wasn't one of intense concentration she could only imagine the Rogue was smiling as she performed her show. The small puppets moved with a grace and fluidity that gave Madison an even greater appreciation for Parian's talent. The Rogue had a natural sense of showmanship as the puppets interacted with each other, the two other person sized plushies 'guarding' the show and even the audience themselves. Watching the little drama unfold, it was easy for Madison to appreciate why Parian had survived for so long in an environment that was cutthroat to both businesses and Rogues alike.

With a bow from Parian herself and her 'assistants' the show came to an end some time later with a healthy applause from the audience that had gathered. The crowd began to disperse, though a decent number of people converged on Parian and Madison could suddenly see the logic of the woman being accompanied by two giant plushies, that looked from another perspective like they might have been able to manhandle Hookwolf if it came down to it.

Madison felt a temptation to go and say hello again, if only to show that she wasn't a rambling idiot and could actually hold a conversation like a normal person, but she was pretty sure that ship had sailed. That and she'd need to start heading home before her mom decided she needed to track down Madison herself.

Thankfully getting home would be a lot simpler then getting in as she strolled contently down the street to the small, well it wasn't a mall, more like a tunnel with a skylight over the top and shops on either side that cut through to another part of the Boardwalk. It also had public toilets, the fancy kind where the doors didn't cut off at waist height, which was perfect for what she needed. Since it was slightly out of the way it usually wasn't that busy and a satisfied smile adorned her face as she entered and was proven correct. Ignoring the lone woman washing her hands Madison strolled to an unoccupied stall, the door shut but not locked gently behind her and paused only for a moment before she was gone.

Sitting at her desk, purchases arrayed in front of her after pushing back her keyboard, Madison had spent a little time setting up her two new phones and making sure they were as simple to use as they looked. She'd been tempted to add her parent's numbers to their contacts lists just in case, but in the end she'd felt it was too risky and left them empty for better or worse.

She'd messed around with the zip ties a little too and even after seeing them in basically every show and movie ever was surprised at how tough the things felt. Though she had gone for the ones that said 'heavy duty,' so she was glad she'd gotten her money's worth, even if she'd almost had to cut one off her wrist before she'd found a useful video tutorial to get it off without wasting it.

Wearing a domino mask was decidedly weird. It was entirely awesome which she hadn't expected, feeling like she truly was a Hero even if she wasn't wearing a full costume, but it was weird how different she had felt. A little bit of her face covered and she suddenly felt more confident like she could actually take on the world. Cool, but very weird. That and she wasn't sure she liked that they were black, even if they were the only option in her price range that didn't have crazy designs which would given the extremely wrong impression to anyone who met her.

Which had brought her back to thinking over her costume again, or more accurately how she was actually going to contact Parian to begin with.

Her phone rang and she distractedly scooped it up, partially grateful for the reprieve which lasted until she saw the caller ID, surprise and confusion stealing across her face when she saw it was her mom calling her from downstairs for some reason.

"Hello?"

"Hi Maddie, I just wanted to check when you'd be back as I'm going to put dinner on soon."

She had told her parents she'd got back hadn't she...?

"I'm in my room, I er got back a while ago."

She heard the sound of her mom's voice both through the phone and the floor as she lightly berated her dad as to why he hadn't told her she'd got back and his own denial he'd ever heard her return.

"Your father didn't hear you get in either, do I need to worry about my daughter practicing getting sneakier because I caught you?"

"No?"

"Mmmmm, well good job Maddie, please don't make a habit of it. Now be down in thirty minutes, no later."

"Yes mom."

Her mom hung up and Madison looked at her phone with a faint sense of incredulity. Right then she wasn't sure whether or not to consider her day a success or a failure.

[Quest: Funding Heroism by Means of Technical Villainy (It's Not Stealing if They're the Bad Guys and No One Catches You)]

Madison Clements requires capital to truly begin her heroic career, however lacks the means to outright purchase the centrepiece of her heroic identity that is her costume.

Through her own research she is aware that as an Independent Hero, certain spoils can be taken during the pursuit of heroic activities. Further she is perfectly aware that no criminal actions can be legally attributed to her if there is no direct evidence of it.

Madison Clements can thusly complete several goals at once as she embarks upon the first steps of her Hero career. To stop crime and in doing so save innocent lives, acquire funds towards her own heroic ends, establish her heroic persona and deny funds to those who would use them to perpetuate the cycle of violence that has a stranglehold on the city she calls home.

[Objective: Undertake first patrol, secure any funds found.]
Rewards: Money, Influence, Experience, Unlocks: ??? Quest, ????

[OK]

"No, no no, you want me to go out and steal from criminals? I'm supposed to be a Hero!"

Naturally Quest didn't respond and Madison was left arguing with a proverbial brick wall. Sure they were criminals and sure there were provisions in the law to let Independents not starve to death while trying to do their job, but that was for petty cash and stuff! Not, not raiding drug houses and emptying out their safes for her own bank account!

It was wrong! ...wasn't it? She wanted to say 'then I won't be any better than them,' but she wasn't a completely naive idiot. Anything she stole would be put directly back into her heroics and if she was raiding something like a Merchant drop off then all they'd be using it for would be drugs, guns, paying off cops and more drugs.

And if she just let the police take it, well even as a middle class white girl in one of the better parts of the city she wasn't blind to the fact the BBPD wasn't exactly squeaky clean if they weren't outright Nazis themselves.

Realising she was rationalising stealing just so she could afford a Hero costume she paused, trying to find a good argument as to why she really, really shouldn't go that route.

Well the obvious one was getting caught... And the obvious solution was just putting all the money in her Inventory... The Heroes wouldn't even be able to hold her if they searched her, something she wasn't quite sure if they had the authority to do, but either way it wasn't like they would actually be able to find anything if they did regardless.

Though they'd probably suspect her really, really hard... Which admittedly didn't actually mean anything like Quest had said, since they'd have nothing on her. That and everyone knew the PRT would basically let Vigilantes get away with anything if it meant they'd give up quietly and join the Wards when it came down to it. What was a little drug money compared to that?

"No wait, hold on I'm grounded, I can't just go out and fight criminals and steal their money!" She exclaimed with a quiet hiss, the excuse feeling more than a bit desperate and hollow as it left her lips, but at least it was something concrete!

[Quest: To Break the Letter of the Law but not the Spirit]

Madison Clements has been grounded by her parents for absconding from her educational responsibilities and other past failures, unable to leave the house without explicit permission unless for official actions.

However Madison Clements follows the path of the Hero, to operate within rules that are only superseded by one's own moral imperative.

Madison Clements has already broken the law several times and feels no remorse for her actions because these were in pursuit of a justice only she could provide.

More than ever Madison Clements has become aware that the law is not always black and white and that sometimes it is indeed better to ask of forgiveness than permission, though it is perhaps better still to remain undiscovered most of all.

[Objective: Leave on patrol without being discovered]
Rewards: None

[OK]

Madison glared, unimpressed at the notification window.

"I'm beginning to think you're a bad influence on me Quest."

Chapter Text

Madison still wasn't convinced Quest was correct about either of the topics they'd, well calling it an 'argument' might have been a bit too generous. But that hadn't stopped her waiting until she was sure both of her parents had gone to bed before donning her 'technically vigilante,' but what she was mentally referring to as her Independent Hero costume. Sure Independent Heroes had to actually register to count, but there was no way she was strolling into the ENE building in  some random hoodie thank you very much.

In the end she wasn't sure if she'd just allowed herself to buy into Quest's arguments because a large part of her simply wanted to get out, wanted to start doing her part and start being the person she was trying to be. Not that the end result was any different either way.

She'd triple checked everything before she'd left, her other three domino masks in her Inventory along with a few other things just in case. At first she hadn't been quite sure where to go. As far as she knew she could only teleport long distances to places she'd been or could actually see properly. Which meant she couldn't just pop into the Docks itself or the shadier places of Downtown that she'd had every reason previously to stay away from.

That had still left her deciding where she wanted to go and in the end she'd decided to make her way towards the Docks proper. It had been a surprise to her younger self when she learned that the 'Docks' everyone had spoken about wasn't literally referring to the actual docks of the city. Instead it was essentially just an even worse version of the bad parts of Downtown for the most part, things generally getting worse the further in you got.

There were still houses, apartment blocks, businesses and so on like anywhere else, it was simply an area of the city the average person generally didn't want to be in at night and in some areas, parts of the day too. Unlike other places in the city however, a whole swathe of the Docks was effectively an abandoned industrial estate that was complete with rotting factories, empty warehouses and other crumbling infrastructure.

If you asked five random people who actually controlled the Docks you'd probably get six different answers for your trouble. The 'Docks' were a nebulous area to begin with and she'd heard enough insults towards Taylor for supposedly living there, despite the fact her house was technically outside of it.

The ABB had their protection rackets on the areas they controlled and then did most of the rest of their crimes in the areas they didn't. The Empire had their dog fighting rings and other underground fighting rings outside of all of their other crimes and the Merchants just stole from everyone while selling drugs to anything that had a pulse. That wasn't even counting all the other minor gangs and petty criminals that called the place home. It wasn't as though the rest of the city was crime free, but The Docks had its reputation for a reason.

Teleporting as close as she could, which left her in the street closer to Taylor's house than the Docks themselves, Madison started to walk to her destination. As late as it was there weren't many people about and those that were gave her a wide berth when they saw her.

When it came to unknown capes it didn't matter what they looked like, even if they were a nine year old girl wearing a sundress it was better to exercise extreme caution. You never knew if they were the kind of person that might be able to rip you in half with their bare hands or worse after all and there were enough horror stories floating about that most people wouldn't take the risk, well the sensible ones at least.

Knowing she didn't exactly look particularly heroic either was also plenty of a reason for people to stay clear. A non-descript hoodie and a domino mask wasn't going to inspire anyone to take a closer look and ask her who she was, especially in the dead of night. It was something she found herself grateful for as she slowly got used to walking around in the open in her cobbled together costume, enduring the cautious, wary looks and the number of people who immediately gave her a wide berth.

She'd ended up walking for about ten minutes when she paused and with a thought teleported herself further down the street, turning to check how far she'd gone and nodding in satisfaction. She still needed to know where she was going, but Madison figured alternating between walking and teleporting would cut her travel time in half and help her build up her mental map of the city, or at least that's what she hoped. That it would also help her practice with her powers was a happy side effect as she blinked down the streets at seemingly random intervals, making sure she took a moment to figure out where she'd appeared before teleporting to the next spot ahead.

There wasn't any obvious cut off point for where civilisation apparently ended and the Docks began, but after a while there was a noticeable difference. The sidewalk was more obviously cracked and broken, with the occasional uneven slab jutting up or missing outright. Potholes appeared more frequently in the road in ones and twos and clusters that it was obvious any vehicles would have to drive around entirely and there was a general sense of walking through a part of the city that was starting to decay.

The few looks she'd gotten from those that had noticed her had gone from alarmed to a mixture of cautious or even outright disdain, which had been a surprise. She'd stopped teleporting as much early in when she'd reached the Docks proper, wanting to save her power even though she hadn't been feeling any strain. But better to spend another half an hour walking than find she'd run out of superpowers if someone decided she was an easy mark was her reasoning at least.

Madison wasn't sure what she'd expected to find, that maybe she'd stumble upon a mugging and heroically save the day, but all she'd seen for the past hour or so that she'd been walking were people hurrying from one point to another, keeping to themselves as much as possible and the only thing that made her standout from everyone else was that she was wearing a mask.

The first warehouse she'd come across she couldn't help resist a peek inside as she heard the sound of voices from within, but it was only a group of homeless drinking around a fire and she'd quickly moved on, trying to squash the odd disappointment she'd felt at the sight.

The further in she got, the fewer people there were and she had wondered if her obvious capeyness was scaring people away before she'd even seen them, or if she'd accidentally picked the one direction with no crime as she continued to walk further in.

"This isn't working" she muttered to herself as she paused under one of the few still working streetlights and spared a glance back the way she'd come. "Just walking about isn't going to cut it, is it?" Even if it did mean that when she went out in future she could simply teleport straight to any point in the Docks she'd passed up to that point.

"What do the other heroes do?" She pondered for a moment while her gaze tracked steadily back down the empty street around her, but the only ones that jumped to mind were Shadow Stalker and Glory Girl. The former wore black at night so she had stealth covered and Glory Girl could literally fly, which probably made finding random crimes a whole lot easier. Madison hadn't tried teleporting directly up into the air yet and definitely wasn't planning on it any time soon either. Still, getting some height wouldn't be a bad idea she considered and her gaze moved to scrutinise the various rooftops around her.

She couldn't really see any of them properly she quickly discovered. It was night after all, the street she was on was fairly narrow to begin with and the buildings around her were a lot taller than she was. Still, the idea of getting a bird's eye view was appealing and she wandered towards what looked like a long abandoned warehouse, wondering if there was some kind of ladder or fire escape she could use to get to the roof without trying to chance a blind teleport.

There wasn't, but the one adjacent to it did and climbing up the rusty ladder of peeling paint made her very appreciative of the gloves she was wearing by the time she'd gotten to the top.

Carefully walking near the edge of the flat rooftop as the wind nipped at her, Madison looked over the expanse of the Docks she could see. It was mostly a mixture of blocky brick buildings of different sizes, interspersed with stretches of what looked like commercial or residential areas if there was anything there at all, the general sense of disrepair the only thing everything seemed to have in common. There wasn't really any true organisation to the layout that she could make sense of, just a part of the city that had grown as it needed to and had been left as a sprawling mess of dilapidated buildings and the various people moving about between them.

With her new perch Madison found she'd gone from seeing the occasional person on the street trying to make themselves scarce to dozens as her gaze flitted between those she could see. It was impossible to try and keep track of everything, even as she couldn't help but try to regardless. Her gaze searching for anything untoward or more suspicious than simply hurrying down a poorly lit street late at night.

Teleporting to another rooftop and then another, the process repeated itself as she acclimated to her new perspective and just what seemed to pass for 'normal' in the Docks at an hour she was pretty sure had rolled over into early morning at some point.

It was some time later before she thought she'd spotted something, her continued practice with her power letting her slip almost seamlessly from one unoccupied rooftop to the next. In the relative darkness - And by that point she was pretty certain she had at least some level of low light vision, since she didn't think she should have been seeing things in the dark nearly as well as she had been - It was difficult to always land with her feet on the ground. Even as she'd gotten a better feel for where to 'aim' there had been plenty of moments where she'd appeared an inch or more off from the rooftop itself and had experienced the brief momentary panic of weightlessness before her feet had landed on something solid a moment later.

At first she'd thought the man she'd been following might have been a mugger or worse as he'd seemed to be eying people speculatively and she'd been psyching herself up to drop into the alleyway he and a woman had disappeared into before she'd realised he was 'just' a drug dealer with a customer.

She'd still had the thought of dropping down after the woman left, since crime was crime at the end of the day, but she'd decided to wait and instead settled in to follow him, curious to see if he might lead her somewhere more useful than random back alleys. One thing she'd noticed over the past couple of hours was that people rarely looked up and considering she wasn't wearing white and gold or anything else that drew the eye, she'd been almost invisible against the backdrop of the night's sky when they did happen to do so.

The man she was following had the appearance of anyone else she'd seen, which Madison supposed was the point. She imagined the cliché drug dealers she'd seen on TV shows weren't the ones who lasted particularly long without drawing attention to themselves after all.

Every so often he'd pause in a seemingly random area, waiting around for a while. Sometimes people would show up, sometimes they wouldn't. Some people he passed he called out to, though Madison was too far away to make out what was being said. Either way he was getting customers and she wondered just how much he carried on him, both in drugs and money as she watched contraband and cash exchange hands a dozen or so times.

Madison had been beginning to wonder if it wasn't worth simply busting him and moving on when he'd started walking and didn't stop, some obvious destination in mind as he barely spoke to the people he passed. She'd continued to follow silently, accidentally startling a guy she hadn't seen taking a smoke break behind a large stripped out ventilation unit on one rooftop, but she was already gone before he'd managed more than a curse of surprise.

If she hadn't been sure the man she was following had absolutely no idea she was there, the paranoid part of her might have thought she was being lead into a trap. She'd thought the parts of the Docks she'd already been in were bad, but apparently it was still perfectly able to get worse and she'd had to quickly backtrack more than once when several buildings on a street had simply collapsed leaving her no way forwards.

It was too dark to really make a guess at what could have caused the damage, but part of her wondered if Lung himself might have been responsible at one point or another considering the scale of the devastation she'd seen and what she wondered might have been scorch marks on some of the walls that still remained standing.

It was another twenty minutes before they reached what she was secretly hoping was a minor gang's base. A row of tightly clumped together buildings that Madison might have assumed abandoned, if it weren't for the light coming through the windows of some of them. She watched from her perch as he turned off the sidewalk and walked up to the door of fourth building down and heard him curse as he fumbled in his pockets for something before he pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

'Well now or never I guess' Madison thought to herself, her nerves all over the place as excitement warred with trepidation, not letting herself focus on either as she teleported behind him, retrieving her crowbar into her hand and hiding it behind her back. The door opened and as soon as she saw the inside of the room beyond it she teleported there, spinning back around to face the door as the man entered and she tallied the other two occupants of the room, only one of which had reacted to her appearance.

"Nobody move! I'm a Hero!"

Unfortunately it didn't have quite the reaction she'd been hoping for in her head.

"Cape!"

"Oh fuck it's Oni Lee!"

"Fuck you Oni!"

The thought of just why they all thought she was Oni Lee came second to the man in front of her jamming his hand back into his coat to pull out a revolver. Madison teleported forwards without conscious thought, swinging the crowbar down as the gun came out. There was a scream as her strike connected with the man's hand, an unpleasant crunch that was lost to the crack of the gun discharging into the floor before it fell from his hand to clatter on the ground between them.

Madison stumbled back, startled more by the noise than the fact the man had pulled a gun on her, a shadow falling over her and she moved, suddenly finding herself back outside the building as she teleported herself out of harm's way on instinct. She looked back up to see the man she'd hit in the open doorway as he lurched around, eyes widening as he spotted her.

"There they are, get 'em quick!"

And she teleported back inside.

The other two occupants, a man and woman were on either side of her as she appeared and Madison darted back with a quick step, crowbar coming round in a mean swing that drove the air out of the woman's lungs as metal met flesh. The woman cried out as she stumbled back against the blow and almost bowled into the other man, the knife she was holding tumbling forwards out of her grip to be lost in the clutter of the floor.

The other man was a lot bigger than her, a lot slower too as he tried to spin round in place and looked almost dizzy from doing so, though he made up for it by having a much bigger knife in his own hand.

"Oni Lee you fuck, I ain't dying like them others you prick!"

And then she was behind him as he swung for where she was. Madison kicked out and as overextended as he was the man fell forwards as he tried to steady himself unsuccessfully, colliding with the ratty couch that took up the center of the room and went tumbling over it with a cry of surprise more than any actual pain.

The man in the doorway was going for his gun again and Madison got there first, snatching it off the ground to have it disappear into her Inventory and she was almost too slow to react when the man decided to simply tackle her instead. She teleported back but still stumbled in place, almost tripping over the small TV on its table in front of the couch.

"Just surrender already!" She yelled as she caught herself, eyes darting between the two she could see and the back of the couch where she couldn't. "I'm not Oni Lee, I'm a Hero!"

"She's lying!" the woman yelled as she wobbly stood to her feet clutching her side. "She's wearing that demon mask!"

"It's a fucking domino mask!"

"You can't trick me!"

Madison wanted to scream, but she didn't think that would help. "Look just surrender and I won't have to keep hitting you!"

"You broke my fucking hand!"

"You tried to shoot me!"

There was a groan and Madison spun around to see a large hand gripping the back of the couch as the larger man it belonged to pulled himself up and eyed the three of them like he wasn't sure what to make of the scene, sniffing loudly as a large hand came up to rub his nose. "You haven't been ordered by Lung to kill us? I've heard the stories you know."

This was what she got for robbing, no apprehending! Damn it! Apprehending drug dealers! "I'm not Oni Lee" she tried again, though by that point she felt like she was wasting her breath, since at least two of them were obviously high on their own supply and so added: "I'm not going to kill you either. I'm going to tie you up and call the cops, that's it." 'Or I can keep hitting you' she didn't add, but after almost being shot and gutted twice in short order she wasn't feeling massively charitable.

She watched as the three of them exchange glances.

"Fuck, I surrender you fucking crazy bint" the doorway man said with a glare, still glancing at the other two and Madison caught how his gaze found one of the knives that had fallen just out of easy reach as he clutched his possibly broken hand with the other.

"Screw both you shitheads, I ain't getting shanked by the Oni!" The woman yelled, gaining a sudden burst of speed that caught Madison and probably everyone else by surprise too as the woman barrelled over the man by the doorway and burst out the front door at a run.

Madison teleported out behind her, the claw of the crowbar catching the woman's ankle as Madison swung low and she winced as the woman proceeded to faceplant into the asphalt.

The sigh of relief Madison breathed when she realised the woman herself was still breathing quickly turned into incredulity as the woman shook her head and started to stand up again and try to get away from her. Madison could only stand there and watch for a moment in disbelief as the woman still tried to continue her escape, even as her 'run' came out as more of a teetering wobble than the sprint she'd showcased just a second before.

"Please just stop."

"Nsho, gonsha shanksha mshe."

Madison really didn't want to try dragging the woman all the way back inside the apartment and with the same thought an idea struck her and she teleported forwards, grabbing onto the woman's shoulder and tried to teleport again.

She felt something, like a push on her power and then she was back inside the building where she'd last been, the woman still in front of her and it didn't take much for Madison to push her down onto her knees, where she flopped back into a sitting position in a daze.

Looking up she was surprised to find the other two were still where she'd left them and as if interpreting her look as a question, the big guy who had taken a seat on the couch only shrugged.

"Can't run from the Oni, everyone knows."

Well if it meant she didn't have to chase anyone else then she'd take being mistaken for a man twice her height in a completely different outfit.

In short order she had the three of them zip tied and facing the wall for good measure. The first thing she'd done was to strip the doorway guy of his coat and go through it after the three mooks were secured, emptying out the contents onto what was probably intended to be a breakfast bar of some sort at one point, but instead had one of the corners broken off and was covered in empty fast food boxes she'd pushed onto the floor to join the rest of the mess.

What she had assumed were bags of drugs she'd piled to one side and the money to another before she'd given the place a proper search, making sure to keep an eye on her captives as she did so. Madison had thought about asking the three of them where their stash or stashes were if they had one, but she ultimately decided not to. She wanted plausible deniability at the end of the day and having her arrestees explain how she'd asked them where all their money was wouldn't have given the best impression when said money mysteriously turned up missing afterwards.

In her search she'd found a small plastic box filled with sachets of white powder under the sink which had gone straight onto the maybe-drugs pile and it had taken only a little longer to discover a conspicuously light cereal box that was actually stuffed with unsorted dollar bills.

Deciding to sort through it all when she wasn't at an active crime scene, Madison retrieved a couple of elastic bands from her Inventory. Bundling the cash into several wads and placed them in her pockets just in case her captives were watching, whereupon with another mental command the cash was stored directly into her Inventory out of sight.

With the second half of her job done she let the big guy get some ice out of their freezer for the other two, because as much as they were drug dealers who had tried to kill her multiple times, she was technically robbing them and it felt like the right thing to do regardless.

Watching carefully from the centre of the room as the big guy pressed the bag of ice into the crazy woman's side, Madison pulled out her burner phone and dialled the police, the part of the job she had been least looking forward to when she'd decided to head out earlier that night.

"Nine One One, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, I've captured?-" 'Was that the right word to use?' She wondered briefly before ploughing on. "-Some drug dealers and am calling it in if that's okay?" And if it wasn't she really wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself.

"Thank you, are you or anyone else presently in danger ma'am?"

"Nope."

"And are you or anyone else in need of immediate medical attention?"

"I think I broke one guys hand when he tried to shoot me?"

The glare she got from said guy told her there was no maybe about it.

"Thank you, can you confirm your current address for me?"

Madison blinked, she had no idea where she was. "I can ask the drug dealers I have tied up if you want? Can't you um, trace my call though?" That wasn't just a movie thing was it? Madison was pretty sure it wasn't.

"That's fine ma'am, we can geo-locate your call without a problem."

Madison breathed a mental sigh of relief, she definitely needed to borrow a map at some point, but at least she wouldn't have to teleport everywhere with one eye on her phone's GPS just to know where she was when fighting crime.

She'd been nervous about calling the police, after all she was the kind of person who was nervous calling the local takeout place to make an order. But unlike the Chinese place she hated calling, it didn't feel like the operator hated that she existed and wasn't trying to get her off the phone as quickly as humanly possible.

The woman on the other end of the line had actually made the whole 'calling in crime fighting' thing surprisingly easy, which Madison was immensely grateful for. She'd taken Madison's statement and answered her questions, namely that while she didn't technically have to hang around to meet the squad car that was ten minutes out, it would be very much appreciated.

"Thank you ma'am and if I can take your cape name for our records?"

Madison froze as the horrifying realisation hit her, she'd never actually decided on a cape name! "Um I don't have one yet? I'm a new Hero, so um you can call me Ghost for now? No, Ghost Step! Okaythanksbye."

Madison stared down at her phone in horror. She'd just hung up on the police. She'd just hung up on the police after giving them a weird cape name! With a glance towards her captives, who at least seemed to have better things to do than listen to her calling in their upcoming arrests... Or more likely were too high or in pain to care, she teleported back into the street before teleporting again to one of the rooftops that had stood out to her for it's more scenic view on her route in.

"Ghost Step?! What was I thinking that's so lame!" She despaired, pacing back and forth on the gravelled rooftop. "Oh Scion it sounds so villainous too, ugh at least I actually said I was a Hero."

She sighed loudly, glad for the lack of audience for her little act of immaturity as she belatedly stored her crowbar back into her Inventory. "At least that didn't go... Awfully?" She mused as she tried to consider how much of a success she could have called her bust.

Sure she'd almost been shot twice, nearly stabbed at least twice and one of the drug dealers had almost escaped, but none of those things had actually happened. She'd taken drugs and dealers off the streets and by the looks of it got a few hundred dollars towards her costume commission! She was still going to cringe every time she thought of the name 'Ghost Step', but it wasn't the worst thing ever and more importantly it was only temporary anyway!

Part of her wanted to keep going, to keep patrolling and keep looking for trouble, if only to make the night more of a success than she wasn't sure it actually was. But even as she wondered if she didn't necessarily need to sleep quite as much as she used to, she knew she still needed some sleep if she was going to function at all tomorrow, or later depending on what the time actually was. The almost grab bag nature of her powers definitely hadn't made her a Noctis cape and Madison wasn't sure if she was grateful for it or not.

With one last look over the Docks she teleported back to her bedroom, pausing at the odd sensation of going from the constant sounds and smells of the city to the sudden silence of her own bedroom before shaking her and started getting ready for bed. "At least I know for sure I can teleport anywhere I've been before" she considered with a whisper to herself as she slipped into her pyjamas, keeping a careful ear out just in case she heard one of her parents moving about.

Madison had been slightly concerned that trying to teleport somewhere she'd only been during the day at night time instead wouldn't work since they'd look completely different and it was a relief to know that wasn't the case. It meant she could truly teleport anywhere she'd ever been as far as she knew, which would definitely make meeting up with Parian a lot easier once she figured out how to contact the Rogue and-

Madison gasped, a grin lighting up her face. 'That was it!!!'

Chapter Text

Sabah Rahi

Slightly earlier

Sabah sighed as she finished closing up for the night. Post the New Year's rush business had begun to taper off and anxiety gnawed at her like an old friend as she mentally tried to tally the sales she'd made that day.

Renting her own shop on the Boardwalk had cost her all of her savings, it had been a gamble and one she still wasn't sure had been the right one to make. While she never doubted that she was doing the right thing for herself once she'd committed, despite her mother's worries, Sabah had remained constantly aware of just how precarious her finances were even without the ever present tightrope of neutrality she walked every day.

Satisfied the alarms were set and giving the front of the store a final once over she walked into the back, gaze slipping over the items on display as she quickly determined if it would be worth bringing down any of the more out of season picks from upstairs to add to the discount rack.

Nonetheless as much as the stresses of being a financially strapped Rogue in a city like Brockton Bay weighed on her, days like today reminded her of why she had chosen her path in the first place. Her store might have been a curious novelty to both residents of the Bay and tourists alike, but it meant a certain guaranteed footfall even if only a fraction of those ever bought anything at all.

The show in the afternoon had gone well and she'd even been approached by an adorable fan. Sabah smiled under her mask at the memory. When she had first opened her boutique she had endured a constant amount of scrutiny and rampant curiosity from all walks of life. There had certainly been fans and she had tried to be polite and courteous with all, even as it grated when some were little more than cape enthusiasts trying to weasel details out of her that she would never share.

Yet despite all her efforts to the contrary; choosing the name 'Parian', her costume, her non-threatening demeanour and the children's shows she put on week after week, it had still left her with a reputation she had not sought nor wanted. She had been dismayed to read her wiki article and the rampant PHO threads on her person and discover she had been labelled as distant and even cold by some. Certainly it had helped in warding off the worst of the nuisances, but it had been disheartening to see her efforts to be professional yet warm had amounted to so little beyond the children she entertained.

It made days like the one just passed all the more special for their rarity. Sabah was slightly disappointed she hadn't thought to get the younger girl's name to attach to the memory, it had been so long since a fan had approached her and with such an endearing nervousness too. Perhaps if she had been less rushed off her feet she would have liked to talk more, but instead she could only hope the girl returned at some point. Sabah wasn't even certain the other girl had actually been that much younger than her, which had certainly been an interesting realisation at the time.

"No matter' she whispered to herself as she opened the door and made her way upstairs to the small apartment that sat atop the store itself. Either the girl returned or she wouldn't, though she would be sure to check PHO later, she could at least send the girl a thank you for stopping by if she saw an obvious posting from her.

A small mess of materials and papers greeted has as she entered her small workshop and she put the thought out of her mind to actually tidy it up a little. That 'there was always tomorrow' was a mantra that had become largely engrained in her since the opening of her shop, with so many things vying for her attention on a day to day or even hourly basis. Even if it would have been the work of mere minutes with her power to maintain the meticulously tidy workplace her parents might have expected of her. But the days she performed were far more exhausting than most and she simply wanted to make dinner and sit down.

Though as she went to bed that night, Sabah couldn't help a small smile of satisfaction that for all her ill-gained reputation of aloofness, there were those still happy to speak to her of their own earnest appreciation, regardless of what others thought.

Sabah had been coming down the stairs to ready the shop to be opened when she had seen the letter. Granted it would have been truly hard to miss considering the piece of paper had been stuck to the window of the door that led into the shop and served to completely obscure her view. And that would have been without the fact of the large hand written note of 'Parian' facing her, that had immediately drawn her eye as she'd reached the bottom of the short flight of stairs.

She had never particularly liked that the door separating the stairs to her apartment from the boutique itself had a window, but with all of her other expenses it was something she had never had the funds to do anything about, even if she had gained something of an appreciation to be able to see into the other room before she stepped through.

The paper itself was a single sheet of A4, which appeared to have been folded several times as if the sender had been intending to slip it into an envelope and then had thought better of it.

Sabah was glad they had, a plain piece of paper was something to be cautious of, an envelope she would have simply disposed of immediately. She had been harried by the Empire more times than she could reasonably count and would not have put it past them to leave a little surprise in an otherwise innocuous envelope as yet another message for her.

There was as always a certain dark irony to her thoughts whenever they inevitably drifted to the Empire Eighty Eight. Since she had set up her shop the Empire had attempted to make overtures to her numerous times. She had known before opening her boutique that there were reasons Rogues were practically non-existent in Brockton Bay, yet she had felt as a harmless clothier she would be more immune than most to any recruitment attempts from the various gangs in the city.

It was of course sheer naivety in hindsight, wishful thinking if she wanted to be charitable to herself. The fact she was a parahuman alone gave her value she hadn't truly internalised when she'd set upon the idea of opening her own shop on the Boardwalk. Even though she had already registered with the Protectorate as a Rogue they had still stopped by on more than one occasion, both as a show of force that she had been grateful for and to try and convince her to give up her independence and join their own organisation, which she had been far less appreciative of.

With her location on the Boardwalk she had been spared from the attentions of the ABB and the Merchants along with other gang members were kept at bay by the constant patrols of the enforcers, even as some of the latter made no effort to hide that they did not particularly approve of her. Though whether that had been because she were a parahuman, a woman or merely a potential source of trouble for them, having opened a shop in their 'territory' she had never been able to discern.

Then of course there was the Empire. It had been easy for her to forget at first that all others saw of her was her costume and her mask. A part of her had always been worried that the Empire and to a lesser extent the ABB would attack her or her shop as she wasn't Asian and she certainly wasn't white. So the thought that either organisation would wish to recruit her had truly never crossed her mind, even with the pointed warnings she had been given time and time again from the Protectorate.

At first it had been simple intimidation, customers in her shop who didn't buy and didn't cause any trouble, yet they took off their scarves, took off their gloves and their allegiance was made plain for her to see in the tattoos they had displayed so brazenly. It had been a simple threat, yet a poignant one, even if she had been unsure that they would truly follow through. The Boardwalk as she understood things had largely been considered a sort of neutral territory for the money it brought into the Bay through tourism alone and she had fully intended to adhere to that as a neutral Rogue herself.

But then the Empire had sent their capes, the carrot to the proverbial stick one evening as she was closing up shop and the enforcers had been nowhere to be seen.

At the time she had been uncertain who had been sent to see her, though in her own flurry of research after the fact she was quite certain it had been Krieg escorting Othala, even as she knew those were merely the Nazi capes she'd been allowed to see.

She had been terrified at the time, fully believing that after their previous threats had failed to frighten her off they had simply decided to kill her and burn down her store. All to send a message to any other non-white parahumans that believed they could operate in a city where the Empire held.

Consequently the fact both Krieg and Othala had been so courteous to her had come as a complete shock until the realisation of what they saw in her had sunk in. Each of the Empire parahumans had been cordial and polite, friendly even despite how obviously tense and wary she had been. Looking back it had been obvious that neither had wanted a fight nor expected one and clearly hadn't thought they were in any danger if one did occur, which had been another chilling realisation in and of itself.

Instead they'd simply asked her how she'd been getting on, complimenting some of the pieces she had on display and commiserating the difficulties Rogues had operating their own private businesses. She'd even been able to relax slightly, cautiously drawn into the conversation so as not to appear impolite.

They had talked to her of how the Bay had once been a shining jewel of prosperity and how one day they hoped it could be again, lamenting over how unsafe the city had become since. She had almost laughed when the epiphany had hit her in the middle of one of Krieg's more impassioned speeches, grateful her mask didn't show her surprise when she realised the man's pitch was so similar to that one of the Protectorate Heroes had given her in the first few weeks of opening her shop.

Krieg and Othala had only made allusions to the Empire itself, simply talking about how unsafe the Bay could be for an unaligned Rogue such as herself and that they had the structure and support network to provide somewhere she could safely flourish, while working towards the betterment of the Bay for all.

In a way it had scared her more, that the Empire could act so softly, offering promises instead of threats, not even a real hint of the party line she'd have to follow were she to take them up on their 'most generous offer'.

Even more terrifying had been the moment she'd had to decline them, watching them frown, watching them think and wondering if that would be the moment she would die. That Hookwolf or even the Kaiser himself would enter her shop and impale her upon a blade for her temerity in refusing the Empire's call.

She had been as polite as possible, pleading her desire to remain neutral, yet another part of her terrified that despite a decade of living in the country, some part of what remained of her parent's accents would slip through and finally reveal her for what she wasn't.

The Empire instead had seen a scared white woman denying them, but even as they had exchanged glances, obviously unhappy with the result they had decided not to press her. Not then at least and simply let her be, fading back into the night along with the promise that the Empire would always be there to accept her when she was ready to commit to the 'right cause'.

Sabah had thought that would be the most terrifying day of her life, but that had come next when she realised the Empire hadn't given up at all.

She'd been given just long enough to believe they had left her alone for good before she was approached again. There weren't any further visits from the Empire's capes, just those men and women who swore allegiance to them. Bald men and those occasional women who held themselves with meaningful arrogance and a cruelty behind their smiles. They would remind her of the Empire's offer, informing her that the Empire's 'generosity and patience' were not unlimited and all that implied.

The Heroes of course did nothing, more concerned she had been approached so brazenly at all than the ongoing threats to her life and livelihood. They had simply informed her that non-powered thugs were the jurisdiction of the Boardwalk's enforcers and the police. Unhelpfully reminding her that all her problems could be so easily solved if she were to give up her independence entirely and join their organisation for the safety and security they could provide .

There was some sympathy to be found, Assault and Battery had made an effort to patrol through her part of the Boardwalk for a time and Velocity had made an appearance more than once. But a part of her wondered if the PRT weren't waiting until the Empire burned her shop down before they could simply make another offer she wouldn't then be able to refuse. To have another parahuman 'safely' under the jurisdiction of the PRT and another message to any would-be Rogues like her.

With a sigh Sabah paused at the door, letting her power slip into the room, quickly unspooling the thread from a nearby scarf as the needles hidden in her costume came to float around her like waiting vipers.

She felt more than saw the strands of colored threads snaking across the shop floor, looking for any obstruction, anything out of place before she was finally satisfied there were none. The threads reached the door and repeated their task, slipping over the surface, brushing softly for anything that might indicate a trap of some kind and a small measure of relief found her when she swiftly discovered nothing at all.

Sabah hadn't expected any tricks with the paper itself and was left satisfied when her threads found nothing amiss, a slight tearing sound coming through the door as her threads easily pulled it from the glass with a tug and she stepped through after, giving it a brief inspection before she allowed it to be deposited in her hand.

Deciding that she had more than enough time before her assistant arrived and found the storefront still shuttered and alarmed, Sabah retreated back upstairs with her prize. If she were going to read a threat or anything else then she may as well have a hot drink to go with it.

Dear Parian,

Hello! I am a new Independent Hero and I was wondering if you did commissions for Hero costumes?

I'm new and don't really know if there's an etiquette for this sort of thing, so I'm sorry if this is the wrong way of going about it.

Also I'm really sorry for leaving a letter like this, I know it's probably creepy, but I couldn't figure out how to approach you without getting attention and causing us both trouble. I promise I haven't touched anything and I'm sorry if I scared you.

I've added my phone number at the bottom, so if you could please call or text me to let me know? I probably won't be able to respond during the day on weekdays, but anytime after that should be fine.

Thank you for your time and consideration Parian and even if you say no I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter to the end.

Sincerely,

Ghost Step

"Well that's the most polite request I think I've received so far." Sabah murmured to herself as her eyes tracked down to the cell phone number listed on the bottom of the letter.

Of course despite her ambiguous reputation she had been approached by almost every party with regards to costumes. The Protectorate had wanted her to come in for extensive power testing, which would have been provisional to entering into any hypothetical contract with the organisation. Sabah had declined them for the want of remaining neutral in both appearance and her actions. It was ultimately too great a risk for her as power testing could give entirely the wrong impression to the Empire or any other factions should the information somehow find its way out as she'd seen in various leaks in the past.

The Empire had made their desires for her services very clear to her and then there had been the Vigilantes and so called Independent Heroes. In truth it had been something she had demurred on for quite some time, fearing any action, even an ostensibly neutral one as providing costuming services to unaligned capes might mark her out in some way and provide a justification, however slim for interested parties to escalate their own actions against her.

But ultimately due to a simple combination of time, curiosity and a distinct lack of financial security she had decided to entertain certain offers. Not that these had unfortunately gone anywhere.

While Brockton Bay had one of the largest populations of capes per capita of perhaps any city in North America, the amount of capes who remained neutral were vanishingly small and seemingly less so year on year. The first who had enquired had been a gruff older man who had simply called himself Snowstorm. She had been nervous getting his measurements and discussing the particulars of his outfit, but they had come to an accord and he had given her an advance while she finalised the designs pending his own approval. Unfortunately he had never contacted her again and she'd never found out if he had been killed or simply left Brockton Bay altogether.

Somehow Snowstorm had been the most successful of her potential clients. Perhaps a dozen unaligned capes had made enquires at one point or another. Plenty had been uncontactable, more had never come back to her after their first conversation when she discussed her rates and the needs for assurances that they were in fact an unaffiliated hero. Several more had demanded to meet at a location of their choosing and had cut off all contact when she'd refused. Some she knew had died or been injured enough that they were no longer relevant, others she saw appear again in the various gangs either through PHO or when their arrests or deaths were announced in the news or by the PRT.

Independents and Vigilantes were by and large simply too economically disadvantaged to afford her services and those that could, by all accounts used their funds to escape the city entirely if they were able to do so.

Sabah was forced to admit that the approach of the letter in front of her was endearing in its novelty if nothing else. All other enquires to her had either been in person, through the mail or PHO itself. To simply find a letter in her store, no alarms tripped, nothing out of place? If the tone of the missive had not been so genial she might have assumed the skilful placement of the letter itself was an implicit threat.

Taking another sip of her tea she read through the letter once more, analysing the language and the tone, trying to imagine the parahuman behind it. They were likely young, or were at least affecting such a persona. Their lack of availability during weekdays would infer either a job or perhaps full time education, presumably the former if they felt they could afford her services at least.

The apology and clumsy attempt at polite formality did bring a small smile to her lips even as she cautioned herself against reading too much into what were ultimately words upon a page. There was a saying that one should never let a thinker talk and she certainly had no knowledge of whom she was dealing with to make any real assumptions.

Mulling over the letter Sabah decided to leave it where it was and continue preparing for the day ahead, quickly depositing her mug by the sink before heading back downstairs.

She couldn't rule out another Empire ploy, Nazis and thugs they might have been but she remembered all too well how insidiously well mannered and affable the two Empire capes had been and she would not put it past the group to try a different tact with their current lack of results thus far.

However one thing that remained true was that the Empire were overall impatient, an impatience that had trickled down to the men and women they sent to harass her from time to time. Their goons were a regular appearance even if their pathetic attempts at shoplifting were easily thwarted and the enforcers by then well accustomed to their ploys. Sympathisers some of them might have been, but to display such in broad daylight was another matter in its entirety.

Sabah decided the letter could keep. She would perhaps give things a week or maybe two, see if any of her inevitable 'polite conversations' with the Empire made any allusions to the letter, or if anyone else of note made themselves known in their impatience. After that? She supposed she would see what the young cape had to say, even as she couldn't help but think about just what materials she had in stock and her mind drifted to thoughts of previous projects she had long put out of her mind.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Even though she'd only left her contact details for Parian that morning, Madison couldn't help but want to sneak glances at her burner phone all day.

By the time she'd actually got to sleep she had been running on fumes, as she'd spent more time than she'd ever care to admit drafting and redrafting her letter to Parian. She couldn't help stressing over her word choice, if she was coming on too strong and a myriad of other things that had her re-writing it over and over before she was finally satisfied with the result.

Actually delivering it had been the easy part, she'd just teleported into the dark interior of the store, breathed a massive sigh of relief when no alarms had started shrieking and quickly stuck it to the door with a bit of tape before teleporting back to her bedroom, not wanting to risk anything by lingering for any longer than she needed to.

She'd ended up sleeping in late the next morning, which wasn't exactly atypical for her on a Sunday. Though usually the reason for that was her staying up late reading, browsing PHO or playing videogames, rather than beating up drug dealers and breaking into boutiques.

With almost half the day gone and having decided she'd want to go out again that night, the rest of day had managed to pass in a flash until she was waiting with agonising slowness for it to be late enough for her to actually be able to leave without any chance of discovery.

That she'd discovered she could teleport with another person was awesome and extremely useful to know, though the fact she later realised she still hadn't completed her competency quest had left her scratching her head as to what else she possibly had left to discover that her power thought should be common sense for her.

As her watch ticked past eleven thirty Madison decided it was late enough, equipping her not-quite-heroic costume and quickly checking herself over in the mirror before teleporting away to the centre of the Docks.

Her plan was a pretty simple one as far as they went, keep making her way around the Docks until she had built up enough of a mental map of the area that she could get anywhere she needed with at most a couple of jumps and obviously stop any criminals she saw along the way.

As the night progressed she'd found it was both more and less successful than her 'debut.' Cutting out her travel time to the Docks had effectively given her double the amount of time to patrol and being far more used to her rooftop hops, something that she found she was getting much better at with practice had also given her a much better appreciation for both her inherent mobility and spotting things out of place on the streets below.

It hadn't been too long comparatively before she'd found another drug dealer to trail, but had ended up stepping in when they'd started hassling someone she assumed was a customer. She'd left the man zip tied to a lamppost and had stayed around long enough to see the squad car approaching before she'd disappeared to what was quickly becoming her favourite rooftop. Gravel might have been noisy, but she did like the visceral crunch it made when she walked across it.

After that she'd ended up accidentally scaring off some graffiti artists from tagging a hardware store when she'd simply appeared in front of them. She was actually only going to ask them to stop, but she wasn't about to complain when one of them yelled 'cape!' and they'd scattered in all directions. She'd stopped a mugging a little later, though the victim had disappeared by the time she'd subdued the man through virtuous application of the flat end of the crowbar to soft tender places. Teleporting him to a nearby lamppost afterwards so she could tie him up properly and waited until the cops had him in hand before moving on.

Pausing on another rooftop and taking a sip of water from the bottle she'd brought with her some time later, Madison frowned as she thought she'd seen something off further down the street and it only took her a moment to screw the cap on and store the bottle away again before she was teleporting a few rooftops closer to investigate.

"Oh, well that's probably not good." She considered from her vantage point, a quickly deepening  frown on her face as she watched the scene play out below, where a middle aged woman was walking down the street by herself but didn't seem to have noticed the four men that were slowly but surely gaining on her. Technically they weren't doing anything wrong and she might have even been reading too much into it, but she was pretty sure she wasn't. Still, they weren't actually doing anything and she didn't want to be one of those Vigilantes who attacked on the presumption of a crime. Not that leaving things to play out sat any better with her, what kind of Hero would she be if she waited for crime to happen before stepping in when innocent people could get hurt?

She smiled as an idea came to her and teleported down next to the woman.

"Holy fuck!" The woman startled, jumping as Madison appeared next to her. "Um I ain't got no money and my phone's a piece of shit just so you know."

Madison smiled, glad she didn't have a mouth covering like some Heroes opted for. "I'm a Hero don't worry" she started, her smile growing a little wider as she saw the woman visibly relax at that. "I just saw those guys might be following you and wanted to make sure you were okay." She threw her head back to gesture behind them and the woman looked back, a mix of worry and a scowl crossing her face as she caught sight of the group in question.

"Fucking them again" she muttered before turning back to Madison with a nod. "I appreciate it, I do. Think they're some big shit," she continued with a huff. "Been hassling people for the last week like we owe them dues just for walking."

"Is that... Normal?" Madison couldn't help but ask, she knew crime got pretty bad in the Docks, but it was still pretty wild to her that groups were going around demanding a toll just for getting home.

The woman just grunted in obvious annoyance. "Think they're the shit after that Merchants gang took out the Grease Snakes, fuckers ain't smart enough to realise they're next on the block now after taking over their old place."

"Grease Snakes?"

The woman gave her a look. "You really are new ain't you? How long you been doing this, a month?"

Madison decided that telling her 'since yesterday' would probably destroy what little credibility she'd managed to accrue so far. Thankfully she was spared from answering as the woman took her silence for admission.

"Figures." The woman continued, "still you're here so you're already better than most of them assholes." She shook her head and Madison opted not to comment, she'd been around Emma and her group long enough to recognise the signs of an impending rant if she was stupid enough to set it off.

The woman looked back and Madison followed her gaze, the men who had been following at a distance definitely looked like they weren't sure what to do next, though it was obvious they hadn't been able to come to a decision either as they awkwardly kept up the pace even as they didn't come any closer.

"They're pussies, ain't gonna start shit now you're here" the woman scoffed as she turned back to her. "Say, you just walking ladies home, getting cats outta trees and shit like that or you interested in busting heads?"

Madison shrugged. "All of the above I guess."

The woman barked a laugh. "Real hero type then huh? Well those assholes ain't worth shit, but if you wanna make em' hurt some I know a place you can hit for the good stuff." The smirk she was wearing growing even more pronounced when Madison couldn't help but perk up at the comment.

"Yeah, ever since the Grease Snakes got taken out those idiots took over, always throwing a party at fourth and main, trying to get anything with tits and an ass to head over. I ain't gonna ask if you can take care of yourself." She continued, giving Madison a very obvious once over. "And they might be high and even more stupid, but they've got enough guns that someone will probably get a hit in if you ain't smart about it."

"Thanks" Madison replied with a nod of her own. She had no idea where the place the woman was talking about actually was, but that was what her phone GPS was for if it came to it. "If I go and scare those guys off are you going to be alright or do you want me to stick with you?"

The woman just waved her off. "I walk this way every night, I'll be fine girl. Go and make them piss themselves and get going."

Not quite sure how to take the obvious dismissal Madison smiled and gave the woman another nod, glancing back at the group still following and teleporting directly behind the four men.

With a flourish despite her lack of audience she smacked the broken lamppost she'd appeared next to, the harsh crack of metal against metal making the four of them jump and spin around in a tumble of limbs and surprised shouts.

"Gentlemen, I hope we're not going to have a problem?" She smiled, hoping they couldn't see her arm shaking slightly at how the vibrations had travelled right back up it and had thoroughly convinced her to never try that trick again no matter how cool it looked.

"Ain't no problem ms cape."

"Yeah we're just walking, no need to hurt nobody now."

"Hmm." Madison intoned theatrically, bringing the crowbar in front her so she could lean onto it like an impromptu cane. "Well then I'm going to disappear and I hope that you're going to continue walking back the way you came."

She teleported behind them before they could respond and at a distance midway between the four of them and the woman who had continued walking, even if Madison could see her head turned back to look. Smoothly Madison twisted around as she appeared, silently repositioning herself, crowbar held low and facing outward like a sword ready to come up into a guard position.

Madison watched in amusement as they cursed and muttered to themselves before one of them had the thought to look back and she gave a little jaunty wave with her free hand.

They left pretty quickly after that.

After hanging around for five minutes, making sure the woman didn't encounter any more trouble and the smarter than average gang members didn't decide to press their luck, Madison had retreated to an out of the way rooftop to find the address in question and plot a route towards it.

If she had been walking it might have taken her a good twenty minutes, but with her power the only real delay was when she'd paused to check her phone and make sure she was going in the right direction every so often. It turned out that having the power to move instantaneously from one place to the next hadn't seemed to have improved her overall sense of direction and she'd had to course correct slightly a couple of times before she'd made it.

Though even if she hadn't been given a direct address, Madison was pretty sure she would have been able to figure out something was going on if she'd stumbled across the area.

The place in question was a bar, or at least it had been one. Whether or not it still was one was hard to tell from the outside, a large squat brick building which looked like it had a couple of apartments layered flatly on top.

There were lights coming from every window even with the blinds down or where they'd simply been boarded over. Even from a rooftop on the opposite side of the street she could hear the steady beat of music and there was a constant stream of foot traffic as people came and left in ones and twos and the occasional group. Unlike a lot of the places she'd been there were several cars parked in front of the building and as she watched another one pulled up and three people got out, exchanging words with the driver she was too far away to hear before the car moved on and disappeared around the corner of the block.

It was certainly a lot bigger than the three person house she'd raided the previous night and she wondered if she was biting off more than she could chew... And if she actually had enough zip ties for everyone.

She watched as the new group exchanged words with what were either bouncers or guards and entered through the front of the bar, the sound of music becoming far louder for a few moments before the door swung shut again. From her position she couldn't see inside the building even when the door had opened and she spent a few minutes trying to find a vantage that might show an open window without anything obstructing it, but whatever was going on inside they apparently didn't want anyone looking in. Switching tacks she wondered if she could make it to the roof, but the building was taller than anything else on the street and nothing gave her a good enough angle to try.

All that meant was unless she went in through the front door itself, she was pretty sure she wasn't getting in. She ended up spending some more time watching the place and wondering if some kind of opportunity would present itself, seeing more people enter and leave all the while, but unless she took off a lot more clothing than she was comfortable with it was obvious she would get made the moment she went through the doors. Even sooner if she had to try and deal with the guards first.

Briefly she tried to consider how other Heroes would tackle things. Miss Militia would just shoot everyone, Armsmaster had literal power armor and a tinker-tech halberd to go with it and Battery would probably just charge up, bust in and take names. As far as Madison knew she was a very squishy human wearing very normal clothes and even if that wasn't true, testing it against a building full of armed thugs probably wasn't the way to go.

With a sigh Madison decided to call it for the night, they couldn't be partying every night no matter what the woman had said. She'd check back tomorrow or another night and figure out a good way to get into the place and ideally survive the experience unharmed.

Giving the place one last look her attention was caught as she thought she heard the sound of an engine growing louder, but even as she looked down the street she couldn't see anything. But rather than fading off it only grew louder and more obvious and Madison found herself standing up to look around properly, wondering how on earth she couldn't spot something so loud and-

-There was an enormous crunch and the shriek of grinding metal as suddenly the row of cars in from of the bar seemed to implode one after the other. She ducked down on pure instinct, even as she watched in bewilderment as all four cars crumpled like they were being run over by an invisible runaway rolling pin.

Then it was over and Madison only had a moment to wonder 'what the hell,' before a door appeared from thin air and a stream of men and women jumped out brandishing bats, knives and guns.

Then it hit her, the cars hadn't just randomly crumpled, they'd been run over and there was only one cape she could think of that could make the equivalent of a giant monster truck and have absolutely no qualms about running over a bunch of cars whether they were occupied or not.

The Merchants had arrived.

The hollering men and women below stormed into the bar and Madison froze in indecision. She had come out to fight crime and while the possibly of fighting other capes had crossed her mind, she hadn't expected to have to face it on her second night out!

With a scowl she steeled herself. She didn't have to like it, she wanted to be a Hero and that meant diving headfirst into situations so other people could run away. Not everyone in the bar was probably a ganger, it was a bar! There were probably a tonne of people just out to have a good time and even if that wasn't true, she couldn't just leave them all to kill each other. If only to avoid the collateral damage to all the other buildings that might have been occupied by innocent people around them.

Nodding to herself she teleported down in front of the entrance just as the doors burst open again and she got a brief glimpse of the chaotic melee going on inside as a dozen panicked people rushed out with a couple of Merchants pursuing. Her crowbar was already in her hand, but the crush of people made it impossible to swing, though that didn't stop her tripping the first Merchant as they ran past her, wooden bat sailing out of his hand as he hit the ground hard.

The other one saw her then, throwing a curse she didn't register as he came at her with a bat of his own and she teleported behind him, jabbing him in the back. But she quickly realised his coat was thicker than it looked as he whirled on her, red eyes and a manic grin as he took a wild swing of his own that she ducked under before jabbing upwards and catching him on the chin. His mouth snapped shut with a crack and he let out a muffled curse as he took an unsteady step back, but Madison swung low, the claw of the crowbar catching his ankle and sending him falling.

But before she could round on him he yelled out in the direction of the invisible vehicle he'd come from. "She's a fucking cape, shoot the bitch!" And Madison didn't wait to find out who he was talking to as a dull whine began to rise and she teleported straight back to the roof she'd just been looking down from.

Stepping back to the edge of the rooftop she took in the scene below, the people who had escaped quickly disappearing down the block in every direction as she heard the crick of what sounded like a large mechanical gear turning from the space the invisible vehicle occupied.

She only had time to see the flash of a muzzle report as the rooftop exploded and she was sent flying back, dimly aware the cannon was still firing as the building continued to shudder with every hammer blow. Madison blinked up at the night's sky as the ringing in her ears finally stopped, looking down over herself in confusion as her awareness came back to her, vaguely registering the tears in her hoodie and trying to find where she was bleeding.

The building shock and she suddenly realised she had much bigger priorities. With a thought she teleported to the next building adjacent, rolling onto her front as the cannon cut off a moment later. She paused, wondering if that was the last of it before she heard a crick, crick, crick and her eyes went wide again.

She barely teleported to the rooftop of another building nearby before the roof she previously occupied took another absurdly high calibre shell and when the cannon cut off a second later and the telltale sound of the mount turning replaced it, Madison realised with pooling dread that whoever was manning the vehicle had a way of tracking her.

She could have just left. She doubted Squealer or whoever it was could nail her halfway across the city, but Squealer was a tinker and underestimating tinkers tended to have results like getting yourself blown up on a rooftop because you thought you were safe.

Madison jumped to her feet with a speed that would have surprised her in any other circumstance, quickly getting a bearing of where she was relative to everything else and teleported to the rooftop directly opposite to buy herself some time. Chancing a glance back down to the street as the mount continued to turn, she almost froze in surprise when she saw a giant mechanical monstrosity replacing the empty space the crushed line of cars had occupied previously.

It was like a monster truck had been mashed together with an APC and then dropped on its head. Whatever cloaking field Squealer had managed to rig up clearly hadn't survived the cannon actually firing and Madison saw the weapon slowly turning on its mount to line up a shot on her again.

"Well this is either a great idea or a terrible one, no in between really" she muttered to herself and teleported, landing right behind the cannon as it paused and then continued it's slow rotation. Thankfully it wasn't a regular cannon, otherwise she would have had no idea what to do with her bare hands. No, it was tinker-tech and more importantly tinker-tech cobbled together by a perpetually high tinker, which meant the whole thing looked like it shouldn't work and hopefully wouldn't take much to make sure it didn't (and hopefully didn't explode in her face from her efforts).

Madison had no idea what all the wires she saw were for, but didn't waste any time in grabbing and yanking them out, the rotation of the mount stuttering as she found a side panel that wasn't fastened down properly and stabbed her crowbar into the opening over and over again.

The dull whine she'd already grown used to suddenly cut out all at once and she almost fell off as the cannon juddered to a stop, barrel pointing to the sky between two buildings as something clicked repeatedly from the beleaguered internals she could make out.

Before she even had time to celebrate her success there was a slam and she spun around to see a roof hatch flung open and who she could only assume was Squealer pull herself up.

"You bitch!"

And then the shotgun appeared to emphasise the words and Madison teleported back behind the broken cannon as the gun went off, a dozen impacts sparking off the gun mount in a sudden racket of ricochets.

"You ain't so tough you prissy little bitch! Come and get some!"

The shotgun fired again as Madison teleported, feeling a slight pull on her power that she somehow knew meant she couldn't keep up her current pace forever.

She appeared on a rooftop overlooking the scene, finding Squealer as the woman looked around and then teleported directly behind her. Even as her crowbar came down the woman was quick, swinging herself around with a speed that caught Madison by surprise as she blocked the overhead strike with her shotgun and a vicious grin before shoving forwards and sending Madison stumbling back off balance.

She teleported before she could lose her footing entirely, appearing on the ground next to the vehicle, but even as she moved to teleport back onto the roof of the truck-thing Squealer was ahead of her and she could only watch in annoyance as the roof hatch slammed shut again.

"Ride or die you fucks! Big mama's going home, so you better bring back the goods or don't bother coming back at all!"

Madison couldn't actually see the speakers Squealer's voice was coming from, but any concern she had that she was about to get swarmed by Merchants looking for the last ride out quickly vanished as Squealer floored it in a roar of crumpled and grinding metal and Madison had to teleport onto a nearby rooftop to avoid being sprayed by shards of debris as the giant wheels ground further into the vehicles they'd already crushed beneath them.

She could only watch helplessly as Squealer drove away, for a moment not sure if she should pursue or continue with her original objective with Squealer's sudden absence and her giant cannon out of the picture.

It wasn't hard to choose as much as she found it frustrated her, she had no idea if she could teleport onto a moving vehicle and wasn't keen to try on one of the mad tinker's vehicles to start with, especially knowing she had no way to open the damn hatch the woman had slammed shut in her face and probably locked behind her too.

In the blink of an eye Squealer's bad joke of a chariot had disappeared around a corner and the sheer noise of its passing quickly faded after it. Madison's gaze turned back to the bar where she could still hear the sounds of fighting over the incessant music that hadn't cut off the entire time.

She was sore, probably bleeding from a dozen places given the tears in her hoodie and she had no real idea of what she was actually going to be facing when she got in there.

"Welp, this is what I signed up for" she murmured to herself and teleported inside.

Chapter Text

Ducking another swipe of a baseball bat and teleporting onto the table behind her, Madison's own return swing took the woman down for the count and she jumped back, teleporting mid-motion as another gang member busy wrestling with a Merchant almost barrelled into her and the table both.

As chaotic as the melee was, it was at least mostly easy to tell who was who. The Merchants had spray painted an 'M' on themselves in apparently whatever color they had to hand, while everyone else had a mixture of leather jackets with most of them having something bright yellow on their clothing somewhere.

Not that it really mattered, since everyone not trying to beat each other senseless was trying to get at her instead if they weren't already running for the door.

Yelling 'I'm a Hero, everybody stop what you're doing!' As she'd entered hadn't done anything to her disappointment and complete lack of surprise and then as more than one pistol was drawn on her she was too busy to do anything else. Still, it had done the job of making a few people bail for the exit, the rest either locked in their own melee or too drugged up or wasted to care what was going on either way.

The bar was actually larger than it looked and had probably been a nice place at one point, though the appearance of size might have been due to the fact most of the furniture was either missing, destroyed or being used as improvised weaponry when it wasn't flying across the room.

Near the start of the fight Madison had spotted a couple of women hiding under a table and when she'd teleported them both outside at the same time she'd paid for it hard. It had been unlike anything she'd felt before, even when she'd teleported a single person the previous night and she'd staggered against the wall with a distinct feeling that she shouldn't try that again anytime soon. Realising how lucky she was a moment later that there hadn't been anyone nearby to take advantage of her in the moment of disorientation that had followed and just reinforcing the idea that it wasn't something she wanted to try again unless she was really desparate. Thankfully by the time the two women had run off she'd felt back to a given definition of normal and seemingly none the worse for wear, she had quickly ran back inside.

Gunshots sounded again from the floor above and Madison hoped none of them would punch through the walls and into any of the other buildings on the street as she dodged back to avoid a thrown bottle and it was anyone's guess if it had been thrown at her specifically. Though considering the devastation Squealer's homemade cannon had wrought at the start of the fighting, Madison was hoping that anyone who was nearby had already decided to get away as quickly as possible.

She teleported back from a Merchant taking a swing with a baseball bat wrapped in a chain and had just enough time to realise her mistake as a bar stool slammed into her side rather than the man the other Merchant had been swinging for, sending them both back harshly against the bar. Madison teleported behind the bar on reflex, her momentum carrying her as she stumbled back into the remaining shelves that hadn't already been broken, some collapsing and sending several of the few remaining intact bottles to crash down into the rest of the mess of alcohol and glass on the floor around her.

Shaking her head, she glared at the Merchant who was looking more surprised than anything, giving the man he'd been attempting to hit plenty of time to give a wordless yell and charge forward to grab the Merchant in a tackle that sent them both down and out of sight.

"Ugh, gonna need a new everything after this." Madison grimaced as she stepped forward, feeling the slick sticky floor under the crunch of glass shards beneath her feet. At least the boots she'd bought a year ago for her father's then, what turned out to be a very passing interest in camping had finally had a reason to come out of her closet. She just hoped she'd be able to get the smell of alcohol and smoke off them or she'd really be getting questions if they disappeared along with the rest of the clothes she was currently wearing.

The Merchant with the bat ran forward to help the one who had just been taken to the ground and Madison grabbed one of the bottles still left standing and threw it at him with her off hand. Her aim wasn't great, but he was basically right in front of her and she still clipped him in the shoulder hard. Teleporting behind him she kicked him in the back of the knee as he staggered, sending him down onto his knees as he briefly flailed for a handhold. Smacking a guy while he was down didn't give her the warm and fuzzies, but it was that or let him recover to try and remove her head from her shoulders a second time and so Madison didn't hesitate as she gave him a solid thwack that left him groaning in pain.

By the time she was done the other man, who she wasn't even sure was a gang member had managed to lay a beating on the Merchant he'd tackled and when he spotted her standing over the other one - With her probably very menacing looking crowbar in hand he jumped to his feet with a wary step back as he threw her a cautious look.

"Truce?"

"Yeah, get out" she replied as she took a moment to catch her breath, gesturing with a bob of her head to the door. The whole reason she had been about to back off from the place to begin with was the amount of people inside and she wasn't going to fight every low life if she didn't have to, especially when they hadn't done anything to her first. The drugs and money were the actual prize for entirely different reasons and probably what she'd find on the first floor judging by the sounds she could still hear of fighting from upstairs.

He nodded at her and she stepped back letting him pass, eyes tracking him just to make sure he wasn't about to change his mind and she tensed as he paused at the end of the bar. But rather than turning around he just gave a grandiose shrug, seemingly to no one in particular before stepping around the bar and grabbing two bottles that had somehow survived everything the rest of the room had gone through before he continued to the door.

"Really?" Madison couldn't help but mutter to herself, though apparently loud enough for him to hear her as he swirled around and gave her a mock bow.

"Waste not want not vicious little stoat! There is something to be gained this night after all! My thanks to you again!" He laughed before he was gone.

Madison paused, only then registering that the music had cut off at some point during the fighting. "I have no idea if I should be insulted right now" she muttered to herself and her audience of unconscious and groaning gang members around her who didn't offer a response.

Madison decided she'd look up stoats later, they were like ferrets right?

After using up annoying amount of her zip ties that she knew she was never going to get back, Madison made her way upstairs as several more shots rang out to the sounds of muffled yelling and other noises she couldn't put a name to.

She was halfway up the stairs when the door at the top burst open and a couple of Merchants appeared, the first immediately seeing her and looked about as surprised as she was to see them as he immediately started trying to back pedal the way he'd come.

"Fuck, cape!" He yelled in panic, the scrawny man bumping into the woman who was still coming down the stairs behind him and Madison teleported closer before he could get away. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she realised she'd overcompensated for the height of the steps, surprise knocking away every other thought as she landed on nothing but air for the moment before the soles of her boots found the stair below a second later. She slipped slightly as her left hand went instinctively to steady herself on the wall, her gaze unfocused in the brief panicked moment of recovery, looking back to Merchants just in time to see the gun come up from the woman behind the man recoiling in front of her.

Two somethings slammed into her as the gunshots cracked loudly in the enclosed space and she only barely registered something sparking off her chest as she fell backwards, hands grasping for purchase as she cried out in shock.

For a moment she saw the plain white overhang above the narrow staircase before in a blink it was replaced by the wooden panelling of the bar's ceiling and her back hit the ground and the various lumpy things she'd landed on with a thud. The air left her lungs and she felt her power complain in the same way it had when she'd teleported the two girls, only with the addition of having her breath completely knocked out of her to go along with it.

Blinking Madison looked down at herself, expecting to see something, but before she could try and figure out what had happened the two Merchants came into view from across the room as they charged down the rest of the stairs in a clambering of hurried footsteps, both spotting her at the same time she saw them.

"There she is! Hit the fucker again, again!"

Madison saw the gun come up and teleported behind the bar, immediately surrounded by the overwhelming smell of alcohol and couldn't help but lament at how ruined her clothes were as she pulled herself up into a crouch behind her cover, belatedly realising her crowbar was no longer in her hand.

Shots rang out, but they were fired at where she had been as little sense as it made and she didn't waste the opportunity, grabbing one of the bottles that hadn't broken in its fall to the ground and teleporting behind the two Merchants who had paused to try and see where she'd gone.

Spinning around as she came up, the unopened bottle of hard liquor met the woman's head with a thud and the woman dropped, gun skidding to the side and the duffel bag she had over her shoulder slipping off as she collapsed to the ground.

The Merchant in front of her turned as he staggered back with a surprised yelp, taking in the fallen woman and Madison standing behind her in a brief moment of panic as his eyes darted between them both.

"Surrender." Madison offered in monotone, well prepared to repeat her performance, but more than willing to give the man in front of her an out if he wanted to take it.

She saw the man's eyes darting to her feet then back to her, realising he wasn't looking at the woman as much as the bag that had come off her shoulder. Too late she saw as his frantic eyes skipped to the gun that had skidded under the table closer to him than her before he dove for it with a yell, letting out a cry of triumph as his hand closed around it at the same time she darted forward, grabbing his leg and yanking him back.

He tried to bring the pistol up and Madison threw her bottle at him, the man screaming in pain as it hit him in the jaw. Taking advantage of the distraction she teleported both of them to the street outside, ignoring the pull on her power as she did so and jumped forward, kicking the gun from his hand before he could recover.

"You bi-"

Was as far as he got before she brought her boot down on his chest and he was cut off as the air left him in a gasping wheeze.

"You're under arrest," she started, kicking him onto his front as he grunted in pain. "I assume you have rights, but I don't know them yet so the cops can tell you." She really needed to read up on them, though in that moment she was feeling the only rights he had were the rights to keep breathing after trying to shoot her in the face. She yanked both his hands behind his back, pulling a zip tie from her pocket and cuffing his hands together before doing the same for his ankles, glad for the time she'd spent practising with the zip ties in her room.

Satisfied he wasn't going anywhere and a little pleased he was too out of breath to insult her again she teleported back inside to secure the woman who had just begun to stir.

Madison didn't give her a chance as she repeated the process, part of her hoping she hadn't done too much damage from smacking her in the side of the head. The rest of her not particularly caring as long as she didn't get in trouble for it after what the woman had tried to do to her.

As she was about to go back to the staircase and retrieve her crowbar she paused as she caught sight of the woman's bag slightly off to the side, remembering how the other Merchant had looked at it.

"So what's in here?" She wondered to herself as she stepped over and picked it up. If the Merchants were hitting the place, then it made sense the ones left behind would take all the drugs they could get their hands on over anything else considering their reputation.

Though when she opened it up she had to pause, her thoughts jarring to a very sudden stop as her eyes widened at all off the wads of cash she found stuffed inside instead.

"Score..." she whispered to herself, stealing a glance back at the woman who wasn't even looking at her as she muttered curses under her breath and tried to wiggle out of her restraints.

With a satisfied grin Madison stored the bag away in her Inventory, feeling the slight strain that told her she was at the upper limits of the size of things she could store. Though whether that was the actual size of the bag or its weight or both, was something she'd think about when she wasn't in a den of criminals. "Something to investigate later I guess." She absently noted to herself as she couldn't help but wonder how much money the bag held.

Her crowbar was where she'd expected it to be at the bottom of the staircase and she grabbed it, giving it a quick once over and wincing as she caught the glimpse of blood on the black matte metal under the light, feeling like she should wipe it off, but not having anything to hand to do so.

Whatever had happened upstairs seemed like it was over from the lack of fighting she could hear, but after being shot, again her brain reminded her, she was cautious as she carefully made her way up the narrow staircase to the first floor.

The fact that the door she came to had literal bullet holes in it didn't inspire confidence and after pausing to steady herself she kicked it open violently from where it had bounced back shut after the Merchants had come through the first time. Hoping to startle anyone still standing and give her a chance to teleport further into the room - Or away if she needed to.

Though rather than a den of thugs waiting to ambush her with every weapon under the sun, she ended up walking into the aftermath of what she imagined the downstairs would have looked like if she hadn't interfered. Everything that could have been broken was destroyed and anything that might have been used as a weapon clearly had been.

There were maybe a dozen people in the room and some of the men and women had more blood around them than was probably healthy. Some were groaning as others laid still, no rhyme or reason to where they'd fallen that she could immediately see and some of them still clutching their, in some cases obviously improvised weapons in their hands. The only things that seemed to have largely escaped the destruction were the drugs and the money and as she took in the room properly she realised there was a lot of both.

A decently sized coffee table sat against the far wall had collapsed like something or someone had fallen or been thrown onto it and all of the product that looked like it had been stacked on top had largely fallen to the floor around it. The shelf underneath was partially filled with wads of bundled cash spilling out onto the floor, where it looked as if someone had tried to grab as many handfuls as they could and she could see loose dollars and other wads of cash poking out of more than one jacket pocket from the rooms remaining occupants.

The floor and the remaining fixtures were covered in debris and almost every piece of furniture looked like it had been shattered or used as an improved flail on someone else. Beer bottles and cans that had probably been on a table at some point along with baggies of drugs were scattered around the room, seemingly at random. Some of them had been ripped open, pills mixed in with what looked like actual candy spilt across half the floor from a shattered glass bowl along with random dollar bills and bits of broken glass, wood and porcelain. She entered slowly, careful of her footing as she went, parts of the wooden floor slick with alcohol, blood and greasy foods from the obvious signs of a party that had been very violently interrupted.

Though even then her gaze couldn't help but be drawn to what was more money than she'd ever seen in one place in her entire life, a groan and a muttered curse snapping her out of her reverie and her focus turned to the people around her. Madison frowned, annoyed with herself for getting distracted, money was one thing but people were hurt and a Hero didn't leave people to die.

Even as she stepped across to check on the first person nearest to her, the truth was she didn't know how to even check a pulse properly to begin with, let alone actually administer first aid. Though Madison found she didn't need to as she approached the first downed figure and saw just why they weren't getting up, the back of their head a broken mess of blood and other things that made her stomach turn unpleasantly.

Gritting her teeth she moved to the next person, she had... No idea what was wrong with them, but they were laying in a pool of what looked like their own blood and she had no idea if they were still alive or not. Placing a hand on their shoulder she froze in indecision of where to take them, her thoughts turning to Brockton Bay General Hospital where Panacea sometimes volunteered. 'Should I drop them off outside? In the reception area?'

She decided to split the difference, teleporting both of them just outside the entrance and scaring everyone in the immediate vicinity, the guard at the entrance in front of her jolting, but paused as their hand made an abortive move for their holster.

Madison glanced up at him with a pained expression, trying not to imagine what she looked like to everyone around her. She could feel her hoodie as it clung to her back, soaked through with alcohol and probably all manner of other liquids and it probably looked as torn up from the front too if she had a chance to look in a mirror. "I need to bring in casualties from a gang fight, do you want them here or inside the entrance?"

The guard visibly paused before carefully going for his radio, having a brief conversation she couldn't hear before looking back to her.

"How many?" He asked after a moment, his gaze moving between her and her passenger with a frown she didn't care to try and guess who it was directed at.

"About eight or nine I think" she hedged, not having thought to do a full tally before she'd left and kicking herself for it.

"Can you move them to ER?"

She shook her head as her eyes tracked to another guard who emerged from the entrance to join the first and dispersed the few people who had hung around to watch. "I don't know where that is" she admitted with a helpless shrug. She'd only been to the hospital a couple of times before and outside the front entrance and the reception area were the best she was going to manage from memory.

He nodded, not even questioning her on it which she was thankful for and she watched as he quickly made another radio call before turning back to her. "Stretcher's coming for this one, bring the others inside, teams will meet you. Got a name?"

"Ghost Step" she replied without thinking. "And thanks" she nodded before teleporting back.

Nothing had changed in the few minutes she'd left, beyond the one man who had rolled up into a sitting position against the far wall and looked far too out of it to do anything else.

Madison opted to ignore him for the moment, especially when he didn't even react when she went up to the next person on the ground nearby whose arm looked at entirely the wrong angle. She teleported back to the hospital with her new charge and blinked at the sheer change of scenery. From a room of groaning men and women, the sound of music from a tinny speaker set up on a counter and cheap indoor lighting to the sheer brightness and noise of the Brockton Bay General Hospital reception area.

It was obvious she wasn't where they'd expected her to appear as the people sitting in the row of seating just next to her let out shouts of surprise and she caught sight of the staff with waiting gurneys notice the sudden commotion and make their way over.

"You got this okay?" She couldn't help but ask as they reached her and set to work while she took a step back and watched, feeling oddly guilty about showing up with someone bleeding all over their nice clean floor.

"Do you know the extent of their injuries?" One of the women asked as they carefully checked the figure over and Madison belatedly realised they were probably checking to see if they could be moved at all. Briefly she was caught wondering how she might teleport the man onto the gurney directly, but she doubted they wanted her to drop him onto it from any height. And that was to say nothing of the fact she'd need to try teleporting herself into the air for the first time to do so anyway.

Madison was quickly realising there were a lot of things she didn't particularly want to try and find out for the first time under life and death circumstances, but the idea stuck in her head enough that she wondered how she might test it some other time when she or someone else wasn't in mortal peril.

"I got there in the aftermath," she replied with a shake of her head. "Some of them probably have bullet wounds from the shots I heard going off, but I have no idea who's who."

The woman nodded curtly at her and she wasn't sure if it would be okay to interrupt and ask if she could start bringing the other people through.

"Do you want me to bring the others over there?" She asked instead, gesturing to where the gurney had come from and the woman paused in her examination, looking from her to where she was indicating and nodded.

"if you can then do it, get the next one now, the crash team will tell you when they're ready to receive the others."

Madison nodded and disappeared from the hospital, reappearing in the room above the bar and looking to the next person that they'd probably want her to deliver next. She had a moment to notice something was off, a slight frown beginning to form as she turned her head before something heavy crashed into her back.

She yelped as the hit bowled her over, her hands going out to catch herself but slipping on soaked dollar bills and plastic bags and only a reflexive teleport to the other side of the room stopped her from taking a follow-up hit as she landed hard on her stomach with a startled cry, barely stopping her head smacking into the ground.

Looking around she realised the man who'd hit her was the one she'd ignored early and Madison cursed internally as his manic gaze swung to her, lifting his bat from where he'd tried to bury it in the floorboards and rounding on her with a laugh.

"You think you can steal from us you fucking druggie?! You're fucking predictable trying to save your friends bitch! Gonna get me some primo rewards when I beat your ass here and send your head back in a fucking box."

"Lesson learned." Madison grunted, not bothering to correct him as she pulled herself up, realising when he'd hit her she'd let go of her crowbar which was at the gang member's feet. He saw where her eyes were and grinned a little wider as he spotted her weapon and she could only watch with surprise that the man clearly took for fear as he proceeded to kick it across the room away from them both with vicious laugh.

"Well that's one way to screw yourself" she threw back conversationally, idly wondering how long it would take before bad guys realised the movie cliché of 'kicking the gun away' was essentially giving her a free action when they fought her.

Without giving him a chance to respond she spun to the side, reaching down as she did so and teleporting just as the gang member seemed to realise her expression wasn't the fear he'd first thought it was.

She appeared by the crowbar, her hand in the perfect position to snatch it up in her low turn and teleported again to her previous position, just as the man wheeled around on the space the crowbar - And herself had previously occupied.

She teleported forwards as he tried to turn back to her again, but wasn't quick enough to stop her slamming the flat of the hook into his upper arm. The bat dropped from his hand in a howl of pain as he rocked to the side, suddenly losing one foot under another as he stumbled back and going down with a cry of surprise that was abruptly cut off as the back of his head caught the broken table.

"Crap, I hope he's not dead" Madison exclaimed aloud to a suddenly much quieter room, rushing across the small space between them and wincing at the blood on the corner where the man's head had hit. "Well I guess I have my next patient" she frowned, deciding to zip tie his wrists together for good measure before storing away the crowbar back into her Inventory.

She did a quick once over of the rest of the room to make sure there weren't any other nasty surprises in store and was briefly satisfied that everyone else was either in no fit state to try anything or were very sensibly playing dead while she was there. Not that that stopped her from then spending the next several minutes zip tying everyone still breathing, before teleporting back to the hospital with her newest unwilling patient in tow.

The staff she appeared in front of had looked concerned as they'd looked her over, though she decided not to ask if that was because of her appearance, the man she'd brought with her, that he was zip tied unlike the last person or simply that she'd taken so long to reappear at all. There were a couple more security guards too and Madison wasn't sure if they were more wary about her or her passenger, but smiling at them and trying to be as unthreatening as possible seemed to help somewhat. Not having a bloodied crowbar in her hand probably helping a whole lot more to ease any concerns they no doubt had.

The next fifteen minutes or so had her grabbing most of the rest of the room's occupants at the hospital staff's direction, bringing them back to the improvised drop off point they'd arranged for her and on Madison's final trip back she blinked in surprise at noticing someone she thought she'd never meet.

"Panacea?" She couldn't help but ask of the white robed figure crouched by one of the women she'd brought back a few minutes earlier and with a chance to look properly she knew it had to be Panacea with the red cross motifs and scarf bunched around her neck and Madison couldn't help but wonder if the other girl had been called in to deal with the little emergency she'd dumped on the hospital staff or had been there the entire time.

The cape in question looked up from the person she was crouched over, fingertips still touching their hand and Madison remembered reading how Panacea, or Amy Dallon (public capes were so confusing) needed skin contact for her power to work.

"What?" Panacea didn't quite snap as she looked back to her with an expression that was just shy of glaring. The other girl looked tired and Madison suddenly felt very guilty for dropping a load of work on her when she'd no doubt prefer to be in bed.

"Um, sorry, I didn't mean to give you so much work."

Panacea somehow managed to roll her eyes without doing anything at all. "Right."

And that was apparently the end of that conversation as Panacea went back to ignoring her and Madison hovered, not really wanting to leave things at that after probably ruining the other girl's night.

She scooted a little closer, getting a look from the other girl that was clearly questioning what the hell Madison thought she was doing. Panacea was surprisingly scary Madison thought to herself, wondering if all the girls in her age group had some terrifying side to them that was waiting to be discovered, though she struggled to imagine Daphne so much as giving her a mean look.

"Did you get called in because of all of this?" She asked, trying to break the awkward silence. Well awkward for her and it definitely wasn't silent as the reception area was busier than ever with her inadvertently having turned part of it into a temporary triage area.

Panacea sighed, though it seemed more in resignation that she'd actually have to endure more conversation than anything. That or she was just tired, she definitely looked tired. "No I was here already, volunteering."

"Oh cool, pretty late though?" Madison couldn't help but comment, she couldn't imagine her own parents letting her out at two in the morning or whatever time it actually was, even if it was to help people like Panacea was doing.

The Hero in question just shrugged as she got up and moved to the next person. "Nobody minds, I'm supposed to help people."

Something about that struck Madison the wrong way as she followed Panacea and she frowned slightly, though before she could get her thoughts together Panacea spoke up again. "So you're new then?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, everyone's calling me Ghost Step" Madison replied as she watched Panacea take the hand of the man they'd arrived at, skilfully not admitting to the other girl who she actually wanted to respect her that she had come up with the name 'Ghost Step' herself. Belatedly Madison realised she was probably botching the whole first impressions thing and quickly pulled off her glove, offering her bare hand for the other girl to shake. "Pleased to meet you."

Panacea gave her a look of absolute bemusement before apparently deciding to indulge the idiot in front of her and took her hand in a curt handshake. And since that meant Panacea wasn't questioning just where the name 'Ghost Step' had come from, Madison considered that an unmitigated success.

She was broken from her impromptu thoughts as she watched Panacea visibly frown and stare down at their hands with a quickly forming scowl and Madison wondered how her handshakes could really be so bad that the most famous healer in the country thought they were worth scowling over.

"Are you blocking me?" Panacea said after a moment, levelling the same glare towards Madison herself, though didn't let go of her hand.

"Blocking you?" She could only dumbly repeat back, glancing back down at where their hands met and not seeing anything out of place, wondering what the other girl meant.

"I can't read your body" Panacea replied, which Madison assumed was supposed to be an answer before it clicked that Panacea was referring to her power. The other girl looked back down to their hands and Madison caught how her gaze noticeably stopped on Madison's ruined hoodie for a moment, leaving her suddenly feeling very exposed from Panacea's surprisingly intimidating scrutiny.

A scrutiny that was quickly brought to bear as the other girl met Madison's eyes again. "Did you get shot tonight?"

"I think so" Madison shrugged helplessly as Panacea finally released her hand, she'd definitely got shot at, that much she was certain of.

Panacea's glare softened into a frown as she processed the admittedly less than helpful answer. "Do you have a force field? My sister's can block my power like that sometimes."

'Do I have a force field?' Madison wondered to herself. She hadn't really been focusing on the whole 'I think I just took several bullets to the chest' thing when there had been so many other things actively trying to murder her outside of that. But it did make sense unless she had iron skin or a brute power like that, which would have made a sort of sense too considering how often she hadn't quite landed on solid ground.

"Ghost Step, is that all of them now?" One of the nurses interrupted and she blinked at the non-sequitur.

"Um yes," she replied hesitantly, pausing to look around as one of said number was wheeled off. "That's everyone, I should probably head back shouldn't I?"

She hadn't meant it as a question and thankfully no one answered it, turning back to Panacea who was giving her a look she had nowhere near the mental energy to try and figure out.

"It was nice meeting you Panacea, or should I call you Amy? Which do you prefer? I've never met a public cape before." Hell she hadn't met any cape before Squealer had decided to blow her up in a fight that was already feeling like it was hours ago.

"I don't care, Panacea's fine."

'Right because that isn't a massive lie' Madison thought to herself with a roll of her eyes to Amy's obvious confusion, which the other girl quickly caught, killed and turned into what Madison was beginning to think was Amy's default scowly face.

"Well it was cool meeting you Amy, I've gotta go and- Wait did I call this in?" She abruptly interrupted herself as the thought struck her.

'Nope' she realised a second later. It had just been one thing after another that she hadn't even thought to call the police, or the PRT when she thought about it, considering Squealer had gotten involved.

"Crap, I need to head back and call it in, um I'll come visit you at the hospital some time so we can chat properly, bye Amy!"

Madison was pretty sure she was imagining the brief look of alarm on Amy's face as she teleported back to the room above the bar, caution making her appear at one of the edges of the room, even if the couple of people left should have still been tied up and gagged after the fourth insult they'd thrown her way.

She heard what she thought sounded like people moving about below, but her attention was caught more by the odd light dancing at edge of the blinds she was next to. Pulling it up slightly she looked down at the street and felt her own eyes widen at the realisation that she didn't need to call the police or the PRT anymore.

There were already several cop cars, an ambulance and two PRT vans getting organised in the street directly below her. As she watched, the sound of another engine came closer before a sleek midnight blue motorcycle slipped between two vehicles and came to a smooth stop in front of the building and a man in an identically colored power armoured suit stepped off. She watched with no small amount of glee as he unlatched his Halberd from where it sat flush against the frame of the bike before strolling confidently up to two PRT clothed men who were coming to meet him.

"Awesome Armsmaster's here" she grinned and then her smile dropped like a lead weight as the realisation sank in.

"Oh crap Armsmaster is here!" She hissed in alarm and mounting horror as she looked back at the sheer mess and devastation surrounding her, having no way even started grabbing any and all the cash she could carry.

"Okay he's still outside, I've got time!"

Trying to loot a drug den of any money she could find before Armsmaster appeared, like she was some sort of teleporting hyperactive squirrel was definitely not how she'd envisioned ever meeting one of her heroes. But that was somehow what her life had become as the various piles of cash littered about the room rapidly began to diminish in size.

Chapter Text

"Good evening, are you Ghost Step?"

'Wow' was Madison's first thought. It was one thing seeing Armsmaster from a distance and in all the press briefings, interviews and shots on PHO, but in the middle of the night with his armor and halberd he was downright intimidating. If she didn't literally have the ability to disappear then she would have probably started running right then.

"Um yeah, that's me. Sorta!"

He stood there, examining her and she couldn't help but marvel at his armor. She knew he was a tinker, the tinker if you asked some people (though Dragon would always be her favourite). But there was: 'Stays in their workshop and makes cool stuff' and then there was: 'Dresses up as a cyber knight in a literal suit of armor, rides around on a badass sci-fi motorcycle and looked about ready to try and stab her at any moment if she moved or said the wrong thing.'

"The police said you are a Hero, is that correct?"

Well that explained why he'd stopped at the doorway after he'd spotted her and wasn't getting any closer. It also explained the nagging question she'd had as to why there weren't any PRT or police swarming the building and still setting up outside, especially if they weren't sure if she was actually Oni Lee lite. Madison had to give him credit for that, even if she wasn't sure she cut that much of an intimidating figure to someone like Armsmaster, nodding with her best attempt at a welcoming smile to hide the nerves she felt behind it.

"Yep, I'm a new Hero." She started, relaxing a little as he made a visible show of standing down at her declaration. While it was obvious he could still be ready to go at a moment's notice, she appreciated that he had at least made it look like he wasn't about to spring forward and try to impale her with his halberd and she was definitely grateful for that much consideration.

"I was um going to call this in" she continued awkwardly, gesturing vaguely to the... Everything around them. "But when I got back you were already here so... Yeah."

He only nodded, stepping into the room proper and taking in the scene with a slow sweep of his head and Madison wondered if he was recording everything he saw as evidence, very glad she'd managed to grab almost everything not nailed down before she'd heard his boots clunking up the stairs. "That matches what we were informed by Brockton Bay General, were you responsible for instigating this incident tonight?"

"No!" She yelled a little too indignantly before catching herself, noticing the sound of people moving about below and wondered when and how Armsmaster had signalled all of the police and troopers waiting outside it was safe to enter. "I was only scoping the place out, I wasn't even going do anything before the Merchants showed up in their invisible tank."

"And at that point you became involved?"

"Exactly." She nodded, "I evacuated a few people from the bar and then engaged all the gang members inside, before anyone else could get hurt." She paused, reconsidering her words. "Well first Squealer tried to blow me up and actually the gang members were attacking me at basically every point, but that's essentially what happened."

Armsmaster nodded curtly. Though with only a split visor covering the top half of his face, she could see his mouth curl into a grimace as he replied. "Yes my attempts at pursuing Squealer were unfortunately unsuccessful in that regard, however it's fortunate that you weren't injured during the events that I understand to have transpired. What you did tonight was extremely dangerous and it's clear that you could have been injured or even killed at multiple points, acting alone and as untrained as you are."

'Harsh' she thought in annoyance even if she knew damn well he wasn't wrong and bit back the first retort she wanted to make. She was the one who had fought Squealer and secured the building and then Armsmaster just turned up to lecture her?! Madison took a breath, because if a comment like that was almost enough to set her off then she was way more tired than she realised.

"I managed" she offered blandly instead, stealing back a smile at how Armsmaster clearly wasn't happy with the response, but as much as she was trying to be a better person she could still have her moments of harmless pettiness.

"Very true." He conceded after a pause. "You clearly have a large amount of potential and it would be a waste if something happened to you on your next encounter, have you given any thought to joining the Wards? I would be happy to take you through the process."

She had known it would come up at some point, but it still took her by surprise to have Armsmaster himself giving her the pitch right then. "I have." She nodded slowly, "but I don't think it's something I want to consider just yet, sorry."

It didn't surprise her that Armsmaster took the declination in stride, even if he didn't look particularly pleased to hear it, though she imagined it was a swing and miss more often than not.

"Very well." He allowed before reaching down, a slit on his armor appearing and a card slipping out, which he deftly picked up between armoured fingers and handed to her. "If you change your mind at any point, this card has both the general PRT hotline and a direct line to my office if you would find myself more preferable as a point of contact when you do decide to join. I hope I don't need to tell you that misuse of my direct line will have consequences."

'Holy crap a direct line for Armsmaster?!' Was the only thought in her head at that precise moment and she nodded automatically as she took the card, both awed and a little amused at how over the top it's production value was. The card was a metallic blue sheen just like the rest of him, with an inlay of some kind of actual metal substituting for silver... It wasn't actual silver was it? No that would be ridiculous... Probably.

She slipped it into her trouser pocket and with a glance down confirmed it was snugly tucked away out of sight before she stored it directly into her Inventory. She wasn't into Hero merchandise like some people were, but that was a collectible even she wasn't going to pass up on.

"I passed several bound gang members on my way up and I can see there are more here, I assume this was your work?" Armsmaster asked as she looked back up and she nodded with a glance towards the few remaining gang members in question before replying.

"Yup. There were more here, but I thought I should get them medical attention as soon as possible since they'd roughed each other up pretty badly before I arrived."

"A prudent thought," Armsmaster replied consideringly and Madison couldn't help the little swell of pride at the genuine sounding praise. "It is an unfortunate commonality that most Vigilantes don't consider the wellbeing of their captives, which can lead to numerous exacerbations of what may have otherwise been simple injuries."

"Independent Hero" she interrupted to correct him without thinking and froze after realising what she'd just done.

"Excuse me?"

"Um, I'm not a Vigilante, I'm an Independent Hero."

Not being able to see the much taller man's eyes made it very difficult for Madison to judge just how awkward the brief ensuing silence was, but she was going to go with some variation of the word 'very.'

"You do understand that to officially become an Independent Hero, you must be registered with the PRT and as I understand this is something you have yet to do?"

Okay, he wasn't technically wrong, but she was trying to be a Hero and even though it had only been a few weeks, it was something about herself she could finally be proud of and she wasn't going to let some legalese bullshit get in her way. That's how you ended up with people like Taylor, people like her.

Madison gave him a flat look. "I'm a Hero, or at least I'm trying to be with what I'm doing, I will register with you guys at some point though I promise." Eventually, she added in the privacy of her mind, after she'd gotten a costume and thought of an actual Hero name and probably ran a whole social media campaign so no one thought she was a Villain. Oh Scion she just remembered that ghosts were Crusader's thing and if she'd just realised that, then there was probably already a whole thread on PHO labelling her as another Empire cape. Shit.

"Very well, let's move past the matter of your current legal identity for the moment." Armsmaster replied in the tone of voice that told her that it was something that would be addressed in due course as he continued with a gesture to the room at large. "If you would walk me through what happened and the actions you took?"

The next few minutes were a lot like when she'd given her statement to the nice police operator the previous night, except completely different in every conceivable way. She found herself pausing and backtracking at several points to go back and add details or other things she'd suddenly remember that she'd outright forgotten to mention. It made her recounting far more haphazard than she would have liked and only added to her mounting nerves as Armsmaster just listened impassively.

While he did ask her to clarify points a couple of times along the way, she might as well have been talking to a stoic brick wall as he listened to her painfully ramble on, making her feel a lot smaller and far more embarrassed by the time she'd actually finished going over everything.

"And that's about it I think..." She trailed off, wondering what else she had no doubt missed and briefly wondered what his own after action report was going to look like after her less than stellar showing so far.

"Hmm, good work" Armsmaster replied after a moment's consideration and from what she'd seen of the man's expressiveness thus far, Madison was going to take his words as glowing praise and a pat on the back unless he decided to contradict her.

There was a pause where Madison wasn't sure if Armsmaster was expecting her to say anything else or if he was looking at something on the heads up display he obviously had. Sure Armsmaster never confirmed to the public what most of his tech did, but who built a suit of power armor with a visor and didn't include a heads up display?

"As on the ground floor I can see there is a significant amount of contraband on the premises, however there appears to be significantly less cash than one would typically expect for an operation of this scale and sophistication. Especially for a group known to flaunt both their contraband and money in order to attract recruits and new business."

Madison gave her best innocent face, though if it didn't work on her mom, she wasn't sure it was going to work on the professional Hero in front of her either.

Said Hero fixed her with a look that was pointed, even without being able to see his eyes. "Tell me Ghost Step, is the money secured in another room?"

Well at least she knew what he'd been looking for in the awkward pause when he hadn't said anything. 'Time to see how much of what I've read online is true' Madison thought to herself, buoyed by the fact she had absolutely nothing incriminating on her.

"I didn't see anything in the other rooms" she shrugged, lying through her teeth. She hadn't had long, but she'd had long enough to give them a quick once over and only found a couple of small stashes compared to the veritable pile that had been in the main room.

The only reason there was still cash left at all was that she'd simply ran out of time and had decided to leave all the... Stained notes around them until last, which meant she hadn't ended up getting to any of them before Armsmaster had arrived.

"Is that so" Armsmaster replied with a leading pause, but Madison had lost enough arguments with her parents to recognise it for what it was.

"Yep, feel free to check yourself" she offered. For all she knew she'd missed a giant stack of cash under a floorboard or something and she wouldn't have been at all surprised if Armsmaster had proceeded to punch a hole in a random wall to reveal several million dollars she would have had no way of knowing was there.

"Hmm" he grunted, gaze inching towards the two Merchants she'd propped up against the wall, who were probably only keeping quiet because she'd gagged them after they'd started insulting her mom. "And if I talked to those two individuals over there, they would corroborate your story?"

Madison smiled despite herself. "I highly doubt it." Even if she hadn't been the one to arrest them, she had no doubt they'd throw her under the bus first chance they got, just on the principle that she was a cape and wasn't one of them. "They're gang members, they'll tell you exactly what they want you to hear right?"

"There are certainly enough individuals present that I'm sure at least a few will be cooperative for the chance of a better deal."

"Well some of the Merchants did try and make off with a big bag of money, maybe that was everything they had?"

She could feel the eyebrow raise from the Hero in front of her as she suddenly had his full attention and Madison belatedly realised that she may have made a tiny mistake as she replayed her own words back to herself in her mind.

"And where is that bag now?"

'Crap, backpedal, backpedal!'

"It was downstairs the last time I saw it" she definitely didn't rush out very unconvincingly. No sir, she did her best lying at what was probably three in the morning hopped up on adrenaline and exhaustion.

"And if I return downstairs I will be able to locate this bag?"

Her silence as she tried to find an answer that wouldn't dig her hole any deeper was long enough that Armsmaster decided to keep talking.

"Stealing evidence from an active crime scene is against the law Ghost Step, if you return anything you have taken now, I will not be forced to take any action to detain you."

She couldn't help but take a step back even as Armsmaster didn't move a muscle himself, the excuse tumbling from her lips before she could stop it. "I thought Independent Heroes could claim petty cash and materials?!"

He frowned at her, though she was grateful he didn't do anything else, she'd had enough fights for one night, even if all she would have done was flee. She'd known going in that she'd probably get accused of theft, but it was one thing to think of it as a hypothetical that might happen and another to be looking up at a man in a suit of tinker-tech armor, who looked like they were one step away from trying to detain her regardless of any proof of a crime.

"Ignoring the fact you do not yet qualify as an Independent Hero. While it is true there are provisions within the law to allow for such Heroes to make certain claims of spoils in the pursuit of their heroic activities, these exist within a strict framework of rules."

He crossed his arms and she gawped at the still standing halberd, if he was trying to show off then that by itself was more convincing than the whole Wards speech he'd already given her.

"As you are by all accounts demonstrably new I will provide a lesson in full, so you do not run afoul of the law and cannot claim ignorance at a later time. Firstly material claims are limited to non-tinker-tech technologies and do not include weapons of any kind."

Madison briefly had a thought to the two guns she'd ended up storing in her Inventory and decided it was best never to mention them to the man in front of her.

"Secondly." He continued with a nod towards the main pile of drugs on the broken table at the side of the room. "All contraband and stolen goods must not be moved from the scene of the crime due to their nature as illicit substances and evidence respectively, unless reasonable cause can be provided for their displacement."

"For significant acquisitions." He continued and Madison didn't miss the fact he was considering their current situation as one of them. "A limited amount of monetary compensation may be provided at the discretion of the local enforcement agency. While I do understand the BBPD no longer provides this due to past abuses, the PRT may offer a percentage of any seized funds under specific circumstances."

Madison almost wished she could retrieve one of her notepads and start making notes, but overall it was roughly what she'd been expecting from her own research on the subject. In the end it always seemed to boil down to: 'Don't take anything illegal, tinker-tech or stolen.' Whereas the amount of money you could take (if any), seemed to depend on where you were and even then the stories she'd found could be completely contradictory.

There had been an equal amount of Vigilantes and Independents, not all of whom had stayed in their respective careers who had talked, or sometimes ranted about how angry the cops and Heroes had gotten for any amount of money they thought was missing, even when the poster said they hadn't taken anything at all. And then on the other side of the coin there were people saying that both organisations would be happy to let things slide as long as you weren't taking 'too much.' Not that 'too much' ever had any real definition she could find.

"Allowances are made for registered Independent Heroes to claim petty cash in order to facilitate their continued activities." Armsmaster continued. "However all claims must be declared to the local PRT branch at time of seizure and failure to report this, or to provide proof of claims if requested by your local PRT branch may result in legal action against your person and forfeiture of your title."

'And that answers that question' Madison thought to herself as Armsmaster returned the full force of his frown to her.

"For an operation of this size and with the amount of drugs and firearms present I would have expected at least several thousand dollars in the premises, if not an even greater amount following a recent delivery or the raid of a rival faction." He held out a hand expectantly. "I would ask that you hand over what you have taken and a share will be allocated for yourself to collect at the PRT ENE headquarters pursuant to ENE operating protocol."

Madison couldn't help but return a flat look of her own as she easily connected the dots that had gone unsaid. 'Just turn up and collect the money, oh while you're here let's have a quick debrief, perhaps you'd like to do some power testing while we give you the soft sell on the Wards.' They probably wouldn't actually let her have any of the money they'd set aside for her either. Since she was a minor she'd no doubt need to get her parents involved or it would go into trust until she turned eighteen, which meant she'd be screwed either way.

She had to respect the hustle the PRT were playing, but it wasn't like she'd stolen the money. Well she had stolen the money, but it was drug money so it definitely didn't count!

'Wow, Quest is really rubbing off on me isn't she?' Madison couldn't help but think to herself in slight exasperated amusement. Come to think of it her power was being suspiciously quiet she noticed and Madison decided to interpret the continued silence as approval, considering how Quest had reacted when she was about to screw herself over last time.

She gave a helpless shrug to Armsmaster as her thoughts returned to the man in front of her, trying to project the nonchalance she almost believed she felt. "I don't have it, sorry."

The frown from the older Hero only deepened. "Please do not lie to me Ghost Step, I would prefer not to have to arrest such a promising Hero aspirant over such a minor matter."

"My name isn't actually Ghost Step!" She blurted out before she could stop herself, though something about the rest of Armsmaster's response sat poorly with her. Sure she was obviously lying, but he'd called her out with a strange amount of certainty for a man who famously dealt in cold facts and logic more than any social grace.

He paused, apparently as thrown off by the non-sequitur as she was. "You provided the name Ghost Step to the BBPD and responded to it affirmatively when I referred to you by this moniker when I arrived. Is that not your Hero name?"

Madison groaned, was this going to happen with every Hero she met until she had a real Hero name?!

"It's not my Hero name, it's temporary okay? I'm working on it." Though having said that, she realised she had no idea what she should call herself if he did ask for an alternative instead right then.

'Am I really going to be stuck with an Empire sounding name for maybe a whole other month or more?' Madison couldn't help but lament, though trying to think up a Hero name on the spot was exactly what had gotten her into the mess in the first place!

Why couldn't her power have given her a quest to pick a Hero name before it sent her out to fight and commit crime?! Madison almost expected a quest to appear at that very moment and wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not when nothing did, returning her attention to Armsmaster who looked almost affronted by her answer.

"Temporary? It does not speak well to your judgement that you would begin your heroic activities without a persona and brand firmly established, it invites others to define your actions and create a name and message in your stead."

The embarrassment of being called out on it like she had was quickly overcome by the annoyance she felt as she glared back at him. "We don't all get a government budget to make our own costume, it's a temporary name until I have an actual costume alright?"

Armsmaster paused. "You're correct, I spoke out of turn and I would apologise for that. However if you were to join the Wards then you will as you put it 'have a government budget' for a costume. One that will keep your identity and your person safe, as well as providing the structure and training the Wards program offers all who sign up."

Madison didn't roll her eyes, but it was a close thing. "Thanks but I'll pass on the Wards pitch for now. I'm not saying no to the Wards forever" she stressed, not wanting to burn bridges with the Hero who had captured more Vigilantes than she could name. "But I want to establish myself as a Hero first so I can at least get Shadow Stalker's deal if I joined."

"You're referring to how she kept the broad strokes of her costume and Vigilante name?"

"Yup." Madison nodded back. "She may look like a brooding edgelord, but she was obviously smart about it if she came out of the rebrand keeping her whole persona."

Armsmaster hummed contemplatively at her argument. "A reasonable perspective I suppose, having designed my own armor myself I cannot typically commiserate with some of the complaints fielded by other Heroes. Nonetheless, despite your stated motivations I cannot allow you to acquire your costume funds through theft of a crime scene."

"I never admitted to that!" She immediately threw back, she was pretty sure she hadn't admitted to that at least.

"True, but of our conversation thus far it is the most reasonable assumption as to why you would attempt to abscond with almost the entirety of the funds this establishment no doubt held."

"I definitely didn't admit to absconding with drug money" she returned evenly, frowning suspiciously at the older Hero as she tried to figure out what his game was.

He sighed. "I would prefer not to have to arrest you on suspicion of theft on your first week out, however your lack of cooperation is becoming problematic."

'Seriously?!' Madison wondered if Miss Militia or Velocity would have given the same surrender or die speech- 'It was a lie detector!' She realised with a start, that's why he was so certain about everything! He was a tinker in tinker-tech power armor who arrested and interrogated criminals and Villains on a daily basis! Obviously he had a lie detector built into his suit along with the rest of his gadgets!

She squinted at him, suspicions coming into full focus as she thought carefully over her next few words. "But Armsmaster" she started, trying to pointlessly gauge the man's reaction through his opaque visor as she spoke. "I don't even know where any of the money is."

It was technically in her Inventory, but just where the hell that was she still had absolutely no idea.

"You're trying to beat my lie detector" he responded matter-of-factly, arms uncrossing as his hand found the shaft of his halberd once more.

"Is it working?" She couldn't help but ask, though she was surprised he'd admitted it outright, watching the halberd warily in case he was serious about the trying to arrest her thing.

"Your last statement read as a partial truth."

"That makes sense" she nodded back.

There was a beat where neither of them said anything, Madison wondering and rather hoping she was quick enough to evade if he did try to tase her, definitely not willing to trust in a purely hypothetical force field she wasn't sure she actually had.

Then he sighed and all the tension seemed to evaporate with it. "If I ask you to return the money you're going to tell me you don't have it and it's going to read as at least partially true isn't it?"

"Yup."

His glare didn't have anything on Panacea's Madison decided, but she still felt it all the same before he finally seemed to come to a decision. "Very well, consider this a warning as well as your first formal infraction. New Heroes are given some leniency to make mistakes, however should evidence of your responsibility in any theft come to light, your status as a Heroic aligned Vigilante may be subject to change without formal notice."

"Wow." She chuckled in giddy relief, because that was all but a tacit admission she was getting away with it. "I'm really glad you have absolutely no proof I took anything."

He scowled and Madison realised to her amusement that her previous statement had no doubt read as 'True' on his lie detector.

"Beyond the outstanding circumstantial evidence, that remains to be seen Ghost Step. Unless of course you would like to return the stolen funds now and a record of your cooperation in this matter will be noted in your official file?"

She grinned back at him. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course not." Came the dry response.

"So... Can I go?" She asked slowly, Madison knew she had already pushed her luck enough for one lifetime and didn't trust herself not to slip up and faceplant right when she was at the finish line.

He nodded after a moment that dragged a little too long into uncomfortable. "You may, I will assume you're not interested in returning with me to HQ for a debrief in full at this time and I will provide your statement of events in addition of my own to the BBPD." He paused as she nodded her own agreement to his excellent sounding plan that didn't end with her talking to even more people for probably several more hours in a small room.

"However," he continued with emphasis that she couldn't help but pay attention to. "If we meet again under similar circumstances, then I may be forced to detain you if you refuse to cooperate."

Well she appreciated the warning, but there was no way in hell she was going to let that happen if she could help it and gave him a mock salute as she took a quick step back. "So noted sir! It was nice meeting you Armsmaster!" She chirped with a genuine smile and with that teleported out of the room and onto a rooftop several blocks away.

As much as she wanted to jump straight to her bedroom, she was not teleporting directly back home probably smelling like an ashtray that got drowned in hard whiskey, no matter how much she wanted to go straight to bed just then.

Truly the work of a Hero was never done.

Chapter Text

Emily Piggot

The recording ended and Emily looked across her desk to the eternally stern visage of Armsmaster, who had listened just as attentively while the recording of his first meeting with the new vigilante had played through to the end.

"I've read your report, but tell me your impressions of Ghost Step."

Brockton Bay was a hellhole that was always only one bad day away from being an active warzone and all it would take was for one of the factions to push a little too far and set the whole thing off. It was a balancing act and one she was forced to wrestle with each and every day, keeping the peace being the greatest thing they could hope for with the deck so stacked against them as it was and wildcards like a new vigilante could be anything from a flash in the pan to a match waiting to be thrown that would start the conflagration to burn it all down.

The Azn Bad Boys under Lung had secured the East of the Docks, though laid claim to far more besides and their regular shows of force did little to deter many of the minor gangs from taking root in the cracks they could find. Yet beyond the occasional push to expand, or when Lung was given a reason to rampage the group could at least be relied upon for their inevitable predictability. They may have had the fewest capes, but the Protectorate had already tried to fight Lung and lost. Oh they'd certainly spun it as a victory, but it was a stalemate at best and the resources that would have been required to actually put the dragon down wouldn't have been worth the rubble and lives that would have been needed to succeed.

And that was to say nothing of how the other gangs would have taken advantage of the power vacuum that would have been left. It wouldn't have taken long at all before the Empire, Coil and all the other parasites emerged like vultures come to pick and squabble over the corpse of another. With Oni Lee as his right hand, Lung could project power across the city that only the Empire could truly match and so without luck or a considerable increase in resources that Emily had long learned she wasn't going to receive, the best she could hope for was their continued containment.

The Empire Eighty-Eight meanwhile centered themselves firmly in Downtown, or at least where they weren't still fighting Coil's men for control. All the while they ran their own string of operations in the Docks that were enforced and protected by the capes under their command, though what territory Kaiser had purported to have claimed in that area of the city was nebulous at best. They had the numbers, quantity and quality when it came to the amount of capes they could put on the field and the fact that their ideology infested a good third of the city, including the BBPD made ripping them out by the roots a pipe dream, even if they had been the only set of villains she had to deal with.

Coil's mercenaries were at least predictable up to a point. According to her people it was still even odds if the villain 'Coil' actually existed at all, or if he was yet another mercenary acting the figurehead of parahuman villain. It wouldn't have been the first time it had happened, though usually pretenders had a way of getting themselves killed in short order, which as far as they knew hadn't happened yet for better or for worse.

Regardless of the truth there was no escaping the fact that Coil's group had firmly established themselves as one of the major players in the city. They took territory and they held it and the times they gave ground was only so they could strike back at an unexpected angle at a later time as the Empire had quickly learned skirmishing over Downtown. The mercenaries were well equipped, better than her own people in some cases and Coil, or whoever was behind him was astute and well informed enough to not only hold his territory, but expand if he saw any weakness in the other factions he could exploit.

And then there were the Archer's Bridge Merchants. There had always been gangs in Brockton Bay no matter who the major players were, a dozen smaller groups at any one time headed by one upstart cape or another. All of them vying for dominance over their own little broken shard of what used to be the most prosperous part of the city. But over the past several months the Archer's Bridge Merchants had somehow risen to the top of the giant pile of festering shit and subsumed or destroyed a good quarter of all the other gangs in the Docks at one point in time, even if more groups had immediately sprung up to fill the void like the strangling weeds they were.

The Archer's Bridge Merchants had managed to accrue several capes of their own, a claim no other minor gang could match and somehow even had their own Tinker, which was something even the Empire with their own vast resources had yet to secure. The only saving grace of having yet another major faction to deal with was that unlike the other groups, the Archer's Bridge Merchants were aimless.

Oh they would assault other gangs, but then in the same stroke they would fail to exploit the new territory they'd gained for days or weeks if at all. They would ignore rival factions setting up on their doorstep and the areas they 'controlled' were largely little more than the drug addled whims of Skidmark. A leader who by all accounts was more interested in chasing his next high or pursuing petty revenge against his rivals than any true intentions towards becoming something more. The group as a whole were a potential threat when roused to action with the numbers they could bring to bear, but would undoubtedly be crushed in short order should they draw the attentions of any one of the other factions to a more permanent end.

No, if the ABB were a brushfire, the Empire an ever grasping fist and Coil the snake to his namesake, then the Merchants were little more than a lethargic doped up greyhound, content to peddle drugs and only occasionally tried to expand or aim for anything more than petty thefts and arson.

"She is overconfident and impulsive" Armsmaster replied evenly and she didn't bother to hide her grimace.

Just what she needed to hear.

Brockton Bay was always ripe for fresh triggers and she had been in the job long enough as the Director of PRT ENE to see all the ways it would play out. If the new parahuman was smart they got out and that was a net plus for her whether they were playing hero or villain, since it meant she at least had one less cape she needed to worry about. That or they joined the Wards or the Protectorate. She might trust the average cape as far as she could throw them, but with every request for more funding, more resources and more transfers being sat on or outright denied at every turn... Well she wasn't going to say no to any additional firepower she could get her hands on, no matter what package they came in.

And capes always came in a variety of stripes, some more trouble than others and the more trouble they were for her, the more valuable they were for everyone else. Thinkers were always at the top of the list, a smart Thinker could make anyone's life hell and project power in a way a standard brute package simply couldn't. Unfortunately they were also fairly useless to her since she knew Watchdog would try and snap up any she got her hands on. Whereas anyone they didn't want would either be too weak to be of any real use to her, or an outright liability she'd have to find a way to deal with otherwise, lack of resources be damned.

Tinkers were next on the list and it wasn't only the PRT that monitored the scrap yards and unusual purchases to try and spot when a new one popped up. Though Tinkers tended to disappear as quickly as they appeared, they couldn't usually hide themselves in the same way a half decent Thinker could for long and when they got noticed they either got recruited or 'recruited'.

Brutes, Strikers, Shakers, Blasters and Breakers were all a dime a dozen. There were exceptions to any rule of course, the fact that one of the strongest shakers on the East Coast was a twelve year old Ward that she was directly responsible for was only proof of that. But by and large they were the grab bag of manageable, or at least understandable elements of chaos and usually not worth nearly as much scrutiny as all the others.

Masters were always the more tangible threat and there was always the danger that one would appear with the power to suborn the men and women under her command, if not the entire organisation with enough power, time and resources on their side. But mercifully they were the rarer of the lot and the smart ones stayed off the radar entirely. But should one appear in her city, Emily was fairly confident she could sequester more resources to deal with it and cut straight through all the red tape that was currently hung in her way.

Strangers, Changers and Trumps meanwhile were the nightmare she hated having to deal with when they weren't under her direct authority and with Oni Lee already demonstrating how destructive a single antagonistic high level mover could be, the last thing she wanted was to deal with was more of them unless they reported directly to her.

So naturally her luck was such that by all accounts she now had one running around her city, picking fights with the gangs and just begging to be snatched up and turned against her people.

"And her abilities?" She asked, watching the man in front of her frown and she cut him off before he could begin. "Are we actually dealing with a high level Mover or is this some potential Breaker-Stranger combination you speculated in your report?"

"The pattern of her activities and the criminals she was recorded as transporting directly to Brockton Bay General Hospital indicates a high level Mover ability." He replied, the frown he wore only deepening as he continued and she knew it was a slight to his pride that he couldn't speak with the certainty he had grown accustomed to. "However, without further information I cannot definitively state that she doesn't have an as of yet unseen ability, tinker-tech or even an accomplice providing transportation. When she disappeared from my visual sight she remained invisible to my sensors and I did not detect any emissions that would be indicative of more common Mover abilities or tinker-tech equivalents."

"Do you now think she's a Stranger?" Emily knew he didn't, but Armsmaster had no doubt been giving the matter more thought since he'd submitted his initial report and she wanted to hear the confirmation from the man himself for her own peace of mind if nothing else. A new Stranger meant more paperwork and more mandatory refresher classes on Master-Stranger protocols for the Wards and she'd already been forced to go through that rigmarole with the appearance of Nightshade last month.

"The majority of Stranger effects render the individual immune to biological perception, however should still typically remain on both live and recorded camera feeds, yet there is no evidence of such in my own recordings."

That was enough to cross Stranger off the list to her own satisfaction, not that she would say as much to the man in front of her. Though whether the new vigilante was in fact a Mover or something else entirely they would find out one way or the other in short order. Either option was unpalatable, though both scenarios presented entirely different problems for her to deal with and she dropped the topic, moving onto the next point that had immediately stood out to her.

"You mentioned in your report that she was likely responsible for the alleged missing money at the crime scenes she's attended, do you think we can pressure her into the Wards that way?" New parahumans always made mistakes, sometimes not even slightly unintentionally. But a Ward contract tended to make those problems go away if they took the deal and it was a hammer she'd used more than once to ensure compliance.

"Unlikely" Armsmaster replied, killing the idea in its infancy. "It appears she wishes to gain the necessary funds for what she would consider an actual heroic costume, rather than risk our own branding should she join the Wards in her current state. However I should reiterate that this remains informed conjecture on my part."

Sometimes Emily wished she could simply ban the Wards from the internet. She knew that wouldn't solve the issue at large, but it would at least make her feel marginally better that there wouldn't be any further 'plausibly deniable' PR horror stories from her own people appearing on PHO if nothing else.

That she couldn't honestly say the PR department's reputation was entirely unearned was a regular headache in its own right. Especially when now she had all but been given tangible proof that the team's reputation was doing a better job of scaring off potential new Wards far more than any fear of death or recruitment by one of the gangs in the city.

"And if she doesn't stop?" Emily asked plainly. The girl had a taste now, easy smash and grabs against men and women too drugged up to aim straight and she wondered how long it would be before the girl tried to go for the bigger fish and bit off more than she could chew. Worse yet if she liked the idea of being able to set her own paycheck that would be more than anything the Wards could offer and decided to be smart about it too. It was easy to imagine the girl realising there were much easier places to hit and going after businesses or banks and then they would have another Circus or worse on their hands to deal with.

"She was made aware of the consequences and while her attitude bordered on disrespectful, I believe that she nonetheless took the warning to heart." He paused consideringly and Emily gave him the moment, knowing the man in front of her wouldn't purposely waste her time, even if his focus on minutia was a bad habit she was yet to entirely cull from him in her presence when it was unwarranted.

"With regard to practical considerations." He continued, "it's clear that she's confident there is no direct evidence linking her to any alleged thefts and upon reviewing my own footage I find it highly unlikely she had any funds on her person should I have successfully detained and searched her at the scene. Witness statements were contradictory at best and none saw her interact with funds at any point, despite multiple false statements to the contrary by some. It's my opinion that barring concrete evidence of a crime being committed, our most viable option at this time would be to hold her in temporary detention and attempt to induce a confession, though I don't believe she would be cooperative to such a course of action."

Emily wanted to respond with sarcasm but it wouldn't have been worth it, even assuming it registered with the man in front of her. "We'll play nice for now" she decided, letting a vigilante sweat in confinement could work in some cases, but against a potential Mover she would only be shooting herself in the foot and wouldn't know if she was firing blanks until she went through with it. At best she'd get a measure of the girl's patience, at least until she no longer felt like playing along with the charade and at worst they played the part of creating a new villain who could run straight to the Empire and be accepted with open arms.

"We need to know her power and the extent of her abilities regardless." Emily continued as she mulled it over, because what they were still lacking were concrete facts and she wouldn't have a chance to have Panacea debriefed until later that afternoon at the earliest, assuming Brandish didn't stonewall her again. "If she is a high level Mover we'll need to brief her on the Strategic Endbringer Asset initiative at some point, actually get a SEA form filled in with as much information as you currently have, we'll need to submit one sooner or later now that she's become active regardless."

High level Movers, those that could cross continents and especially those that could transport multiple people at once had a value far higher than the entirety of her operational budget. She'd be able to sit on Ghost Step's report for a while, but with the cape becoming more active, more and more people would start to take notice of her. Wishful thinking that the girl would just vanish back into obscurity wouldn't get her anywhere, capes used their powers like an addict needing their next hit and even if the girl did take a week or two to cool off, she'd be back out on the streets at some point to cause another mess her people would have to clean up.

It wouldn't be long before she started getting questions and unless she could firmly establish the girl wasn't a Mover, or at least wouldn't have any more use than a normal volunteer when it came to the Endbringer fights, then she'd need to start having answers before certain departments made it her problem. Strategic Endbringer Assets were rare enough as it was and the fact that she couldn't get the girl into the Wards immediately grated at her. But if she was smart about it, she might finally be able to drag some concessions out of New York she considered with a frown. There wouldn't be anything to lose as long as she didn't make a show of it and all it might take would be to wave the girl's potential in front of them and make a promise to at least 'try' and look out for the girl. Ensure that she didn't get herself killed in the first month, at least if it did turn out she had the potential to be more useful than any of the regular volunteers.

"Yes ma'am." Armsmaster replied and it was only having worked with the man for so long that she could spot the subtle movement of his head as he had no doubt started to bring up the relevant documents on his visor before being dismissed. "If she continues her current pattern of behaviour it would make sense to have either myself or Velocity take patrol routes that intersect with the known Merchant territories for the next two weeks, though I would imagine we'll see at least a few days of inactivity as she recovers from the previous fight."

Emily nodded, ignoring the man's multitasking. A PRT Director who didn't learn to deal with the eccentricities of the capes under their command didn't advance high enough to reach the position in the first place and typically wouldn't last long if simple bureaucratic inertia managed to carry them there regardless. "I'd prefer Miss Militia to be the one to make contact next if possible, but if it is a Mover power that may be more difficult to set up than I'd like. Very well, send me an updated patrol schedule this afternoon and I'll sign off on it."

"Ma'am." Armsmaster nodded, getting up without another word and swiftly leaving the room.

Emily allowed herself a sigh as the door closed behind him and checked her next meeting on the docket. Another day in Brockton Bay.

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

Two weeks ago if anyone had told her that she'd be poking Madison Clements in the cheek with a pen to try and keep the other girl awake, she would have probably glared at them under the assumption that anyone speaking to her was just setting up a prank or an insult to try and cut her down with.

But ever since Madison had turned up literally on her doorstep, returned her mom's flute and apologised, her life had gotten weirder and that was also all Madison's fault.

After the shorter girl's thing with Sophia (and she still hadn't gotten a straight answer as to what had happened exactly), there had been a noticeable drop in the amount of vitriol heading her way on a daily basis. Not because people hated her any less as much as they had to spend half their time hating Madison instead.

She'd seen people be bullied before, but in her year group they had either left or found a gang for protection and then it inevitably circled back to her. So it had been odd being on the outside looking in again, not even that when she was still catching nearly as much flak as previously, but there was a solidarity to it she hadn't experienced before, something she'd found had been equal parts warm and unsettling.

When someone made a pithy comment Taylor found she could share a glance with Madison and know the other girl shared her feelings, she could see the similarities as Madison tried to ignore certain comments and felt her pain and frustration when something one of the girls said to her or in her vicinity got through anyway.

Madison Clements wasn't her friend, but the more time she spent with the other girl, the less she realised she was seeing her as her bully and had started seeing her as another victim, another unwilling survivor instead. At first a part of her had relished it, that Madison was finally experiencing a fraction of what she herself had endured day in day out for months. But constantly hating someone who did nothing but try and be nice to her was tiring and after a while those flashes of satisfaction, of vindication had become more and more muted.

She had let herself talk to Madison in World Issues until it had almost felt normal. She'd accidentally spoken to her outside of class and it had taken her the rest of the day to get over how confused she'd felt about the whole thing. It had felt like Madison had so quickly gone from someone she'd avoided and tried to tune out, someone she had despised to the only other person she could talk to, who was actually happy to see her and wanted her company.

And in the end Taylor had let her.

She'd let Madison talk at her, talk with her until it wasn't alien and it wasn't disconcerting and it was just two classmates talking about their assignments. Like it was almost normal.

Even though Taylor wasn't sure it ever would be, that it actually could be. Still holding back part of her trust, hiding the step between whatever they were and whatever it would look like if they could become something resembling actual friends. Taylor wasn't sure she could find it again and wasn't sure she wanted to, as much as it had begun to bother her more and more as the days went by and nothing happened.

Every time her paranoia reared its head, every time her mind seized upon a throwaway comment by Madison to tear it apart to find the hidden insult or threat she'd realise it was all her and Madison was still trying to keep her word. Still being nice to her because she wanted to, not because she wanted something or was trying to lull her into a false sense of security for a greater cruelty down the road.

And then Madison had fallen asleep at their desk and Taylor had had no idea what to think.

"Oi Madison, wake up already."

Taylor had seen how tired Madison had looked when she'd arrived at their shared World Issues class that Monday morning, but had just chalked it up to the other girl staying up late reading or something like that which she'd had mentioned offhand before. Taylor hadn't expected the other girl to literally fall asleep the moment Gladly had given up on teaching and told them to work in groups for another pointless presentation at the end of class.

"No... Let me sleeeeeep, please Taylor..."

If this was Madison reverting back to her old self then Taylor had no clue how it was supposed to hurt her, except maybe by annoying her to death.

"I'm not doing all the work while you have a nap on my desk. Up. Now." She poked Madison in the cheek again for good measure, which was far more satisfying than it had any right to be as the other girl weakly and completely ineffectually swatted at her.

"Ugh, Taylor you're worse than my mom, Gladly doesn't care, he-" Madison broke into a yawn and Taylor waited a moment for her to finish her sentence before realising Madison had completely lost her train of thought.

"Don't care." She replied, her voice flat to Madison's pitiful look. "Unless you want to present in front of everyone you're helping me write this thing."

Madison blinked at her. "Okay," she nodded back and then paused. "So what was the assignment again?"

Taylor brought a hand to forehead as she sighed and tried to tune out the tittering laughter from the table behind them. It was going to be a long class.

Maybe she had caught some of Madison's idiocy, but as the bell rang for lunch she didn't trust the other girl not to get herself into some sort of trouble with the amount of death glares she was either doing an admirable job of ignoring, or more likely was too tired to notice.

"Come on" Taylor muttered, leading Madison out. It wouldn't be the first time they'd had lunch together, though it was the first time Taylor hadn't just let Madison tag along without saying anything, the pedantic line between implicit permission and actually inviting the other girl to sit with her.

There was another benefit to Madison deciding to get half the school to hate her too Taylor had quickly discovered and that was if they ate lunch together, they were far less likely to be bothered by anyone. It was something she'd had to come to terms with and found herself reluctantly grateful for, even if it frustrated her to no end that Madison of all people was a deterrent she needed to have with her if she wanted even some guarantee that she'd be able to have lunch in peace. Madison certainly never had any complaints though and that afternoon was no exception as the shorter girl followed along like an eager if sleepy kitten behind her.

This was the girl who'd apparently given Sophia a verbal beat down? At least by the time class had finished and they'd gotten to an empty classroom to have lunch in, Madison had finally seemed to have (mostly) woken up.

Glancing through the door to check no one had beat her to it, Taylor led them into the room and left Madison to find her own seat. She wasn't sure why the classroom never seemed to be used, but it had served as an improvised place to have lunch more often than not and would do for their current lunch period at least.

"Sit." She threw at Madison with a roll of her eyes as the other girl hovered like she wasn't sure she was supposed to be there at all and Taylor tried to push down the amusement she felt at the bizarre scene.

"Sorry about class." Madison mumbled with a yawn as she took a seat opposite her and Taylor had to resist rolling her eyes a second time as she replied.

"For falling asleep or for filling in the wrong side of the worksheet?"

The awkward silence and shuffle of embarrassment from Madison as she squirmed in place was almost enough to make her laugh and Taylor looked back expectantly to the girl in front of her, finding herself both amused and exasperated in equal measure as Madison finally met her eyes again.

"All of the above?"

"Don't worry about it." She sighed in return, exasperation winning out as she dug out her own lunch from her bag. "So want to finally tell me why you've been half dead all morning?" Because even with a double period she'd had to spend all of it wrangling three idiots rather than the usual two. Especially when she'd realised halfway through the lesson that she'd come to rely on Madison's help for putting up with Greg and Sparky. That had been an odd realisation to have as she'd been reminding Madison of what chapter they were on in their textbook.

"Ugh." Was all the other girl replied, staring down at the contents of her bag like it was responsible for her terrible sleep schedule. "You ever have one of those nights where you end up going to bed so late you're not sure if it would have been better if you never even tried to go to sleep?"

Taylor nodded, she knew that far more than she'd ever willingly admit. When her mom had died, when Emma had first turned on her... How many nights had she spent crying? Trying to understand why until light had started poking through the curtains? She shook her head with a frown as she took a forceful bite of her own sandwich, trying to focus on the tang of the tomato to distract from the echoes of darker memories that threatened to swallow any good mood she might have had.

"Yup." Madison continued, thankfully oblivious to her own thoughts as she found her own lunch and began to unwrap it. "Hope I can get used to it."

Taylor levelled the other girl a flat look. "Or you could just not go to bed at a stupid time, did you stay up so late reading or gaming this time?"

Madison paused and Taylor couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the other girl seemed to mull over what should have been an easy question.

"I was following cape stuff." She eventually replied with a weird amount of finality in her tone.

"On PHO?" Taylor considered herself a bit of a cape geek, but apparently Madison had her beat if she was staying up all night thread chasing.

"Sorta" Madison replied with a shrug. "Did you know Squealer builds invisible tanks now? Because I sure didn't."

"I think I saw people mentioning that once or twice." Taylor hummed, trying to remember what thread it had come up in as she chewed on another bite.

Madison glanced up from her own sandwich. "You're kind of a cape fan too aren't you?"

"I guess." She returned warily, trying to see the jaws of the trap before they sprang shut and annoyed at herself for immediately getting defensive from the question.

"Hmmm, that's cool." Madison muttered, looking like she wanted to say something more but decided not to and Taylor opted not to press.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Madison decided to speak up again. "Did you look at PHO this morning?"

Taylor shook her head automatically as she swallowed her mouthful. "Nope, don't have time to go on my PC in the mornings."

"You don't browse on your phone on the bus in? I'd die of boredom without it."

"I don't have a phone." She returned as evenly as she could, feeling poised to be defensive, to deflect. Part of her wanting to just leave the room entirely to avoid the inevitable conversation that would follow.

"Oh, how come?" Came Madison's surprised voice, before she suddenly looked thoughtful. "Oh is that why you called me from your landline the other day?"

Taylor nodded in lieu of replying immediately, taking another bite of what was left of her sandwich to avoid having to answer the question for another minute or so, struggling with herself as she tried to figure out what to say. Madison couldn't be trusted, but Madison had returned her mom's flute, even as another part of her was quick to remind her that Madison could use whatever she said against her. But even then Taylor knew Emma would have told everyone already and if she hadn't, she would at some point no matter what Taylor said to Madison right then.

But she had decided to give Madison a chance hadn't she?

Taylor took a breath, pointedly not looking at Madison as she found the words to speak. "My mom died... Not that long ago, well you probably know that part." She added, bitterness in her voice at all the times Emma and her cronies had used it to put her down, shaking her head with a grimace, her eyes on the floor between them as she slowly continued.

"She was on the phone while she was driving and then- After that me and my dad... We didn't want to use a cell phone, either of us really. It was this unspoken thing. My dad has one he needs for work sometimes, but he always leaves it in his office and I know he barely touches it. I just, ever since she died, it's not something we talked about but... Yeah that's why I don't have one."

The silence lingered long enough that she chanced a look towards Madison and the small part of her that was still scared the other girl would be laughing or disgusted died at the sight of Madison's expression. It wasn't pity, but it was sorrow, the look of someone who wanted to say something, but knew whatever words they offered would never be enough.

"I'm sorry Taylor." Madison started with a pause, "I didn't know. Shit I was going to ask you for your cell phone number so I wouldn't have to keep calling your landline and accidentally speak to your dad again."

That startled an abortive laugh out of her and she clamped a hand over her mouth in guarded embarrassment, immediately wary of Madison's response as a small, tentative and equally embarrassed look appeared on the other girl's face.

"Um, not that your dad's not nice or anything". Madison sputtered and Taylor couldn't help her smile, feeling the defensiveness and the tension that had taken hold loosening into almost nothing at the idiot in front of her, who wasn't mocking her or thinking she was weaker for lack of a phone like everyone else had. Just a moron worried they'd offended her by accidentally insulting her dad.

"It's fine Madison." She replied, putting the other girl out of her misery. "I know my dad can be... A lot sometimes" and she tried to pull back the grimace she felt at the words as they left her.

That had been another thing she'd noticed and had no idea how to feel about. Ever since Madison had appeared in front of her house like she had, Taylor had found herself feeling... Not better about school, but she was handling it a little easier and her dad had obviously noticed something different about her.

He'd tried to ask her about her day, asked about 'her friend Madison' and if she wanted to invite 'her friend' over sometime. She hadn't known how to deal with the extra attention, she still didn't. Going from practically pretending the other person didn't exist to her dad so obviously trying. All of his clumsy attempts when they saw each other in the evenings, over the weekends and half of her wanting to spit at him for finally remembering his daughter existed as much as the rest of her wanted it, even as she struggled to reciprocate at every turn.

"He keeps trying to get me to invite you around for dinner some time." She spoke without thinking, her drifting gaze snapping back to a flustered Madison as she registered just what she'd said to the other girl.

"Oh um, I'd be honoured?" Madison squeaked, about as out of her depth as Taylor had ever seen her, except maybe when she'd invited Madison into her house after she'd finished tearing verbal strips off of her.

Taylor laughed, she couldn't help it, this was what she'd been afraid of? Hated? "Thanks" she chuckled, "but I don't think we're there yet." But she was surprised at how much she didn't immediately hate the thought of it either.

Madison nodded back so rapidly Taylor was amazed she didn't see sparks. "Right and I'm grounded anyway!" Madison quickly added. "Though I imagine my parents would make an exception for you..." She then trailed off in a thoughtful mutter that Taylor couldn't help but be curious enough to follow-up on.

"Grounded? What for?" She couldn't even imagine what Madison might have done to get her parents on her case and Madison's pained expression as she weakly chuckled only piqued her curiosity further.

"Um, well because I bullied you, kept it a secret, skipped school, broke into the school, kept that a secret..." Taylor watched Madison pause as if trying to remember if there was anything else she was missing before the shorter girl nodded to herself and turned her gaze back to Taylor. "Yeah I kind of had it coming" she smiled self deprecatingly, "but if it was you asking then I think my mom would push me out the door with a bottle of apology wine and chocolate box to be honest."

Taylor didn't know where to start with that. "You told your parents?" Was all she managed, trying to imagine her dad's temper if she'd done half of those things and then was stupid enough to tell him about them.

Madison's smile turned into something far more embarrassed. "It turns out I wasn't quite as stealthy as I thought I was and my mom caught me when I got home." She shrugged as her gaze turned somewhere else for a moment, before she met Taylor's eyes again. "After that I realised that if I didn't tell them the truth about everything I'd just be breaking my promise that I made to myself and to you, so I... Told them."

"Wow Madison." Was all Taylor could find to say as she looked at the other girl in shock, Madison only offering another helpless, embarrassed little shrug in return.

When things had first started going wrong with Emma she'd always imagined her then friend coming to her senses and apologising to her. That she'd visit Emma's house again, maybe her parents would apologise to her too and everything would just start going back to normal. But that hadn't happened, everything had only gotten worse and even as she'd clung to her hope that things would change, Emma didn't and that little fantasy she'd held had died one small death after another. It was something she hadn't thought about in months and even with everything Madison had said and everything she'd done, Taylor had never expected the other girl to ever actually tell her own parents about everything that had gone on.

The bell rang and they both jumped, neither of them having realised just how much they'd lost track of time and Taylor only offered a quick, hurried goodbye as she grabbed her things and left.

She barely caught Madison's own goodbye as the other girl tried to quickly put away her things to follow, but Taylor didn't give her the chance as she slipped out of the room and walked away. She knew she was being rude, that Madison didn't deserve the cold shoulder from her, especially after all they'd just talked about, but she didn't want to linger. To keep having to think about what Madison had done for her, what it meant and the frustrated, confused knot of emotions bubbling up inside of her.

But even as she walked away from the conversation, her eyes scanning for threats the entire time -The thoughts, the feelings wouldn't leave her. She was grateful to Madison for telling her what she had, as much as she found herself frustrated that the other girl had told her anything at all. Madison's admission still sitting firmly in her mind and Taylor couldn't stop the feelings of regret, the anger at what she'd lost with Emma when it could have been so simple. When thanks to Madison she finally knew there had always been a chance and she couldn't help but think of what could have been, if Emma had been the one to take those steps to apologise instead.

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

By the time she got home that afternoon her emotions had long since settled, even as her thoughts had kept returning to the conversation she'd had with Madison at lunch time, something that had been almost completely overshadowed by what she'd seen later that afternoon.

Between third and fourth period as she'd been heading for Math, she'd seen three familiar girls try and start with Madison in the middle of the hallway as the other girl had been trying to make her way to class. Part of her had wanted to simply stay unnoticed in the background, glad she'd not been spotted and hoping they wouldn't see her and target her next. Though she'd been surprised to find another part of her had wanted to step in and help Madison, even if it meant drawing all of their attention to her, even as she hadn't been sure how she could help and she'd been stuck, frozen in indecision.

Not that it had mattered in the end.

She'd watched as one of the girls had tried to position themselves just behind Madison, so that when the second of their trio went to push the shorter girl she'd trip on a conveniently placed foot behind her and fall over in front of everyone. Taylor had experienced the trick herself enough times that she'd made sure to always have her back to something solid before engaging with them whenever she spotted them in the halls and they crowed for her attention. It left her penned in, but it was better than the alternative and she'd seen that most of the girls in her year, especially those three were only willing to try and make her have an 'accident' than to do anything too obviously aggressive in front of witnesses.

Taylor had seen Madison be nimble before and maybe if the other girl hadn't been so obviously tired she would have dodged the shove that came her way like Taylor had seen her do multiple times before. But she didn't and Taylor had only been able to watch helplessly, half a foot forward as Madison was pushed back, tripping over the outstretched leg behind her and Taylor had winced sympathetically at the fall she'd expected to witness.

But Madison hadn't fallen and even from across the hallway Taylor had seen Madison's gaze sharpen to something that hadn't been present at any other point in the day and Madison was fast. The moment her balance had begun to go she'd frozen in surprise for only a moment before her hand had whipped out, grabbing the girl behind her to steady herself as she'd turned and shoved the first girl back with enough force that the blonde had almost tripped over her own feet in surprise.

There had been this almost tense standoff where nobody seemed to know what to do, especially as everyone else around them had paused to watch the show. The three girls that had been surrounding Madison for an easy three on one had suddenly become one of them almost on the floor, one held in a death grip by the front of their jacket and the other having taken a surprised step back, obviously not sure what to do.

And Madison herself had just looked annoyed, but it was a frustration that Taylor recognised because it was an annoyance at herself and without being able to ask the other girl directly, Taylor could only wonder if Madison was annoyed that the three bullies had forced her into a position like that to begin with. Where she'd had to do something, had to resort to pushing back, rather than avoid the confrontation like she'd always managed to up until that point.

Taylor hadn't seen Madison the rest of the day, nor when classes let out, even as she'd found herself lingering a few minutes longer than she normally would to try and spot the other girl. She didn't know if Madison had always been like that, just someone who had always seen themselves as weak, but Taylor knew the other girl was strong, maybe more than anyone else after what she'd seen and heard and from their own time together.

It wasn't the brute strength and viciousness of Sophia, though the way Madison had handled herself made Taylor wonder. But Madison obviously had her own strengths and it had made Taylor think about whether she could find something of her own too, though she knew she couldn't be exactly like Madison or Sophia either way. Madison was quick on her feet and seemed to have the reflexes to match, whereas Sophia had actual muscle and a complete lack of compunction about using it on other people if she felt she could get away with it.

Taylor had thought to herself for a while after that on what she could do and in the end the answer had felt so obvious it was like it was smacking her in the face. Because what did Madison and Sophia have in common? Obviously they were decently fit and so that was what Taylor had decided to focus on herself and she'd started looking into her options, especially activities that wouldn't cost her anything and after narrowing things down had eventually settled on running.

In the end she wasn't sure it would actually help in any way, but seeing Madison keep trying every day, no matter if she gave the shorter girl the cold shoulder or not was getting to her and worst case scenario she might even be able to outrun Sophia if it came down to it.

By Thursday Taylor suddenly felt a lot more sympathy for how tired Madison had been at the start of the week, even if the other girl had visibly perked up since then. Taylor was very much looking forward to the point she'd read about when she would go from 'Horribly exhausted' after her morning run to 'Oh hey this isn't so bad after all.' Even as part of her wondered if that wasn't a horrible, horrible lie written by evil people.

After another day of classes where she was at least able to have Madison do most of the work in World Issues first period as payback for Monday, she was able to finish out the day with a peaceful period of Computer Studies where none of her bullies were present and Taylor found herself in better than usual - If tired spirits when she finally got home later that afternoon.

She hadn't long taken off her shoes before she'd heard the telltale sound of her dad's old truck pulling in and had paused in surprise as she'd made herself a drink.

While he'd worked odd hours for as long as she could remember, they'd always tended towards later finishes than earlier ones. It was something she'd quickly come to resent him for as he'd buried himself in work to avoid coming home after mom died, sometimes not seeing him for days at a time until eventually Kurt and Lacey had found out and talked some sense in to him.

He hadn't stopped entirely, but he'd made an obvious effort to do better since then and more recently she'd noticed he was usually getting back at least before she'd head off to bed. Early enough that they had a chance to interact, even if most of what that ended up looking like was stilted conversation at best.

The door opened and she wandered back through to the lounge as she saw her dad shrugging off his coat, quickly crushing the temptation to make for the stairs before he could see her.

The moment passed and he spotted her standing there as awkwardly as he was. "Hey dad" she offered, trying to make the effort, to build up the other side of the bridge she wasn't entirely sure could be repaired.

"Hi Taylor." Her dad replied, a tired if genuine smile on his lips marred only by the pause that followed, as though he was uncertain of what to do having gotten that far at all. "Good day at school?"

She shrugged. "It was okay, how was work?"

He didn't shrug back, but he may as well have. "Same story, plenty of hands and not enough work for them, but jobs aren't going to come in just because I'm sitting at my desk waiting for them."

She saw the olive branch for what it was and offered him a smile of her own. "I'm sure they're glad to see the back of you, did Tabitha chase you out again?" It wasn't meant as an accusation, though it felt like one as it left her lips and she saw his smile dim fractionally as he made his own way through to the kitchen to start fixing himself a drink.

"Not today no, though I'm sure she would have if I stayed much later. Fancy pizza tonight?" He asked, turning back to her as he refilled the kettle.

"Sure."

"Good, I'll call them in a bit then, be nice to have an early dinner for a change. How's your friend ah, Madison was it?"

"She's fine." Taylor found herself answering in slight bemusement. Despite being Emma's friend for years, her dad had stopped asking about her former friend a long time ago. Taylor had wondered if deep down he knew something was up and didn't want to face it, though ever since Madison had called back on the landline he hadn't mentioned Emma once. Taylor still wasn't sure if she was grateful for that or not.

"Have you spoken to her about coming round? I can always go to the bar with Kurt and Lacey if you girls want some alone time together without your old man in the house."

Taylor choked on her tea, looking to her dad and confirming that he definitely hadn't been insinuating where her mind had immediately gone as he blithely continued making his own drink.

"Um." She coughed, clearing her throat and trying to get her thoughts back together. "We don't need alone time."

"Oh? Happy for her to meet your old man then?"

That wasn't at all what she'd meant, but if it meant avoiding what she did mean then why not. "Sure" she replied without thinking, just wanting to move onto another topic, any topic really.

"Well I imagine this weekend is a bit short notice, do you want to give her a ring and ask if she's free next weekend? I'm sure I can put together something edible unless you wanted to get takeout this time?"

She nodded absently before her brain caught up with what her dad had said a moment later and she blinked at him. "What?"

"Hmm? Well we're almost at the end of the week, so it's a bit much to ask if she's free this weekend if she's already got plans, though you know her better than I do."

"I-" She paused, trying to figure out how she'd gone from 'Hi dad' to 'Madison's coming for dinner' without noticing. She saw her dad's face and he looked pleased, happy even... Did she really want to shoot his whole idea down like that? Was having Madison over really such a big deal? ...It wouldn't be like it was the first time... And she could force her to drink black tea again, a smile coming to her face at the memory as the idea suddenly seemed far more appealing.

"Sure." She smiled back to her dad's visibly improved mood. "I'll give her a call after dinner."

Madison Clements

"Madison, phone!"

Skipping down the stairs a couple at a time Madison abandoned her train of thought on whether she wanted to try counting all the money she'd 'liberated,' or if she wanted to try and get even more of it on another patrol later that night.

"Thanks mom." She smiled as she took the loudly vibrating phone and quickly retreated back upstairs as her mom just threw her an exasperated look. Hopefully that would be the last time she forgot about her phone on the sofa, because having more than one phone was something she definitely hadn't gotten used to just yet.

When she'd got in from school earlier she'd retrieved her burner phone from her Inventory to check if she'd missed any messages or calls from Parian and left it sitting on her desk afterwards, just in case the Rogue did want to contact her that evening. The same thing Madison had found herself doing every day since she'd left the note originally. Parian still hadn't come back to her which had been making her nervous, but she didn't want to be pushy either even if she really wanted to get an answer one way or another.

"Hey Taylor" she greeted as she answered the call, quickly closing her bedroom door behind her for some privacy as she wondered what the other girl wanted.

"Hey Madison, remember how my dad asked if you wanted to come round some time?"

"...Yes?"

"Do you want to come round next Saturday?"

Madison paused, hadn't Taylor said on Monday that that was completely off the table? "Is this revenge for something I did?" She asked instead, because while Taylor was a better friend (that wasn't actually a friend) than most, the taller girl could definitely go for petty revenge when she wanted to.

"Okay, I accidentally agreed to it and I can't backtrack," Taylor admitted, a slight pained embarrassment coloring her tone. "If you don't want to I can find some excuse, don't worry about it."

"No, no I'll be there, I'll be there!" Madison jumped in before Taylor made things even more awkward for both of them and then caught herself when she remembered again that Taylor might not actually want her there to begin with. "Um, if you don't mind that is."

"Sure, we'll be drinking black tea though." Came the smug reply and Madison gasped in mock outrage, paragon of virtue Taylor Hebert was not.

"It is revenge!" She cursed theatrically, she knew she hadn't been imagining Taylor enjoying her suffering last time!

"Shut up." Taylor huffed. "It'll just be having takeout and hanging out for a bit so don't make it into a whole thing. I'll go tell my Dad now though, see you tomorrow Madison."

"Night Taylor." She replied, the call disconnecting a moment later and Madison looked at her phone with a bemused shake of her head.

"Right so that was a thing that just happened." Madison mused as she tried to reconcile how Taylor had somehow accidentally managed to invite her for dinner, though she wasn't sure that she'd get a straight answer if she outright asked the other girl either.

Still, she had a whole week and as long as she didn't do any heroing the Friday following there shouldn't be a way for her to screw that up. In the mean time that left her the rest of her night, Friday, the weekend and the whole of the next week, which lead her right back around to her issue of trying to figure out just how to spend her time.

Curiosity was burning at her as to how much money she'd managed to grab from both her busts, but she didn't want to be stupid about it and she definitely didn't want to risk her mom opening her bedroom door to find her counting stacks of drug money. Though just when she would find the opportunity to do so was another thing entirely, not unless she found a secret base to use instead.

She put a pin in that thought, she had no idea where to even start for finding a lair and she doubted that was the sort of thing she could just look up on PHO either. The Docks might have been ripe with abandoned buildings, but she dreaded to think how many of those were still up to code, assuming they had been to begin with and a home improvement specialist she was not. That wasn't even considering the thought of someone, or many someones managing to wander in on her in the middle of counting everything, which just screamed recipe for disaster by itself.

After the whole mess on Sunday she'd been exhausted and it hadn't been until Wednesday that she'd felt up to trying another excursion at all and even then she'd needed replacement clothing before she'd even thought about trying her hand at any further crime fighting.

On the bright side, the one pleasant surprise she'd had after escaping from Armsmaster had been discovering that it was somehow only her hoodie and trousers that were ruined. Well her boots had been in a sorry state at first before she'd rinsed them off, but it was only the shoelaces that had really needed to be replaced there and she'd had a pack of spares in her room already, the remaining spare shoelaces finding a permanent spot in her Inventory following.

In the end she hadn't been quite sure how to get rid of her tattered and soiled clothing. Sure it would have been easy to throw them in any random trashcan or abandoned building she saw, but she'd felt like that would have just been asking for someone to track her down somehow.

Instead she'd been left thinking it over as the far too early morning dragged on, having already placed everything in her Inventory when she'd remembered the other function of her Inventory that she'd never gotten round to testing.

So when she'd selected 'Displace' for the first time she'd expected something to happen, but all that had actually occurred was the icon inside her Inventory representing her hoodie simply vanishing. That was it. She'd done the same to her trousers next and then waited there in the empty closed off warehouse she'd chosen for an entire fifteen minutes, wondering if they would just pop back into existence in front of her or something would go wrong. But as far as she could tell they were literally gone, which as useful as that might have been in the moment, had also been mildly terrifying in its own right considering the implications and only reinforced her decision to never experiment with anything alive, not even bugs.

Since she'd had all the clothes of a spare outfit in her Inventory she'd wasted no time swapping everything out, before checking herself over multiple times and only when she was satisfied she wasn't about to be tracking alcohol, blood or worse on her carpet had she finally allowed herself to teleport back to her bedroom.

After that she'd just been left laying in bed trying to sleep, even as her mind had raced over the sheer madness of the previous several hours. And then when she wasn't thinking about that, she had been left wondering just how much money she had tucked away in her literal pocket dimension.

Waking up afterwards had sucked, though at least she'd been able to repay Taylor after her sort-of-friend? Had stopped her falling asleep in class and sleepwalking through the assignment and lunch after that. She still didn't know why Taylor was so tired on Thursday morning, though she didn't press either. It wasn't like she could talk after avoiding the topic on Monday by accidentally walking into a minefield, though at least she finally knew why she'd never seen Taylor with a phone out.

She'd then been left mulling over how to replace her missing Hero costume clothing most of Tuesday night and all of the Wednesday following and the solution she'd eventually come up with hadn't exactly made her feel great inside. After her conversation with Armsmaster she was a lot more aware of just how close to the line she was toeing, but in the end she hadn't seen much in the way of a choice.

For one thing she was still grounded, which made shopping impossible unless she wanted to risk getting caught again and for another thing it wouldn't exactly have taken a genius to put two and two together if she went out and bought new clothes and then wore them on the streets as Ghost Step later that night.

So she'd technically stolen them. Well she actually wasn't sure if it counted as stealing, but she wasn't eager to have another face to face with the Protectorate to find out either.

Long after everywhere had closed up shop she'd teleported into a thrift store she was familiar with on Wednesday night, a place she was certain couldn't afford CCTV for anything outside of the upstairs office if that. Then she'd essentially just gone shopping, picking out a few things with a flashlight in hand so she ideally wouldn't have to make repeat trips, before leaving the money on the till when she was ready to leave.

Madison had thought about leaving a note, but if it technically was stealing (even though she'd paid for everything!) She'd decided to err on the side of caution. Especially if Armsmaster had some kind of handwriting recognition built into his visor, which after the lie detector she wasn't going to put past him.

She hadn't stayed out late after that, not wanting a repeat of Sunday night no matter how quickly she'd recovered in the end. But beyond scaring off a couple of vandals and keeping a watchful, unobtrusive eye on several people who looked like they might have trouble walking through some of the shadier areas of the Docks, it had been a quiet night overall. Even as she'd been constantly aware at the back of her mind that she could have pushed herself harder, done more if she'd really wanted to.

Either way Madison knew that she would need to count her money at some point sooner than later as she'd reached Thursday night, if only so she knew what her budget was when she was finally able to speak to someone about a costume commission. Though as she sat at her desk and reconciled that it was still far too risky to start retrieving giant wads of cash directly into her bedroom, Madison couldn't help but wonder if Parian would even accept what she'd no doubt be able to figure out was not exactly the typical walking around money of someone her age.

Madison frowned as she clicked through another PHO thread she wasn't really paying attention to as her thoughts drifted, it wasn't like she could just put all the dirty cash she'd recovered directly into her savings account and then go to an ATM afterwards to get fresh dollar bills instead and-

[Quest: Money Laundering and You, Turning Dirty Cash Clean]

Madison Clements has begun to acquire the necessary funds towards her Heroic equipment, however is aware she cannot simply use the illicitly gained money in its current state.

Consequently Madison Clements must employ the services of others who can for a fee, turn her technically illegitimately gained funds into clean and legal savings to be employed at her leisure.

Within Brockton Bay there are multiple groups that are said to offer these services, however two established parties stand above all else and Madison Clements must decide which fork in the path to take in building relationships with those who may yet become allies or enemies in time.

[CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES]

[Objective: Contact Faultline of Faultline's Crew to enquire regarding money laundering services]
Rewards: Clean Money, Professional Contacts, ????

[Objective: Contact Tattletale of The Undersiders to enquire regarding money laundering services]
Rewards: Clean Money, Professional Contacts, ????, ?????

[OK]

Madison blinked before a smile split her face. "Quest you're back!" And then she actually read the notification window properly. "Huh, that's new. You're never given me options to choose from before."

No, she realised with a start, that wasn't true at all. Quest had given her a choice once, the most important decision of all and for a moment she wondered if the one presented in front of her had the same gravity, before shaking her head at the silly notion and dismissing the thought from her mind.

"So I need to pick between two Villain groups?" Well she couldn't honestly say she'd seen it coming, though in hindsight it was fairly obvious and even before her own patrols she knew not all Villains were cut from the same cloth. After all there was a big difference between clown thieves like Circus and rampaging mass murders like the Slaughterhouse Nine.

"So between Faultline and Tattletale" she mused, before cocking her head to the side as a random thought struck her.

"Wait I have to choose between one Villain whose name basically means 'a destabilising influence that is going to cause problems' - Unless they're actually earthquake themed I guess? And one Villain whose name is literally 'I will totally betray you.'"

She paused at the sheer incongruity of it. "Why do all our Villains seem to suck at names?"

Madison had thought it would be hard to convince her mom to let go to the Boardwalk that weekend, but it turned out that letting her know that her former victim and sort-of-maybe-friend? Had invited her around for dinner had done a lot to get her some leeway. Especially when she wasn't completely lying when she'd said that she had wanted to pick out a chocolate-themed apology gift for Taylor when she visited her the following week.

In the end Madison hadn't gone out Thursday night, getting too wrapped up in researching both of the Villain groups to make a decision. She hadn't known at the time if Quest had a timeframe in mind, but the weekend had seemed like an obvious chance for a meet and so she'd dived into her research with the hope of finding enough information to make a decision that night.

Madison had thought she'd known all the players of the Bay, but she'd been surprised at just how much she didn't know as she'd spent the hours locked onto her computer screen, going from one thread, forum and website to the next. She'd started with The Undersiders and had been surprised to find the group were small time and basically unknowns, which had really made her wonder why Quest had chosen them specifically as one of her only two options.

It had ultimately made her more curious than anything, but even then there was only so much she could find and that wasn't much at all. They were thieves pure and simple and there was a list of known and suspected thefts attributed to them over the past year or so, though it was obvious no one was quite sure when they'd actually appeared. The wiki had also made a point of calling them escape artists, but frankly Madison thought that went part and parcel with being a thief, if you couldn't escape then you weren't much of a thief to begin with in her opinion.

Their members list was even more useless with one glaring exception. Firstly there was Tattletale herself, 'unknown female,' though most people seemed to think she was some kind of thinker, especially with her name. Grue made darkness that blocked sight and sound, which was simple enough to understand. Regent, 'unknown male' with no real consensus on what his abilities were, though if his name was anything to go by then maybe some kind of master? That or he just had a really big ego like most of the Villains in the city seemed to have by default.

Then there was Hellhound who had several dogs and could turn them into monster dogs with her power. That and she was wanted for murder, aggravated assault and seemed like an all round terrible person and not someone Madison ever wanted to meet. Though Madison had noted that all her violent crimes were listed from before she'd joined the Undersiders, which had perked Madison's curiosity and she wondered if there was more to it, or if one or all of the other Undersiders were keeping Hellhound in line after she'd joined them.

In contrast Faultline's Crew had been weirdly easy to find information on, which had lead her all the way down a rabbit hole she still hadn't been sure what to make of by the end of it. Faultline's Crew were mercenaries, though the strange thing was it seemed like everyone knew where to find them at the Palanquin nightclub in Downtown.

That had got Madison wondering how they still existed in the city at all, considering the PRT went on a PR drive with every victory they could get. From what she'd found a lot of people seemed to consider them Rogues, though that only seemed to be because they weren't going out and beating up minorities or abducting girls for brothels. But as far as Madison could tell there was no reason they wouldn't, or hadn't done those things if someone paid them enough to do it.

The only thing anyone seemed to agree on was that the group took jobs from seemingly anyone who could pay, including if the rumors were true the PRT itself and that they mostly employed Case Fifty Threes. Though even then no one knew why and even weirder was the fact Faultline herself wasn't one, which only raised more questions in Madison's mind.

Still, even if information about the group as a whole had been easy to come by, details about the members themselves were almost as vague as the Undersiders, at least beyond Faultline herself who could break anything non-living she touched, which had at least explained her name. There was Gregor the Snail, a Case Fifty Three who the wiki said could make all kinds of liquids from his skin. Newter, another Case Fifty Three who produced hallucinogens from all of his bodily fluids and then Labyrinth, who commentators were split on whether or not she was another Case Fifty Three and who seemed to be some sort of shaker like Vista.

In the end Madison had been left with several pages of notes typed up and hadn't felt any closer to actually making a decision, which she'd found weirdly frustrating as she'd tried and largely failed to go to sleep later that night.

On Friday she'd bugged Taylor about it to get a second opinion, since the taller girl knew as much if not more about capes than she did at times. But even then it was obvious Taylor had been reading the same sort of things that she had, so hadn't been able to give her any insights to make her decision any easier. Madison had even ended up throwing out a hypothetical of: 'Which would you employ if you were a Supervillain?' To which Taylor had come straight back with: 'Well which would you trust not to betray you more?'

Taylor's comment had bothered her because that was the crux of the issue she'd been stuck on. Both groups were potentially dangerous if not outright lethal to her; Faultline's Crew with their obvious threats, especially if Newter could get something in her mouth or eyes (and made her seriously consider a full face mask, or at least goggles). Or The Undersiders, who were mostly a bunch of unknowns that might be an even worse matchup for her if it came to a fight, depending on what half of them could do exactly.

In the end she'd gone on patrol that night, in part for her usual reasons and in part simply hoping the distraction and just getting out of the house would help to get her thoughts in order and allow her to come to some kind of decision.

Friday was very popular for crime Madison had quickly discovered, something she figured was fairly obvious in hindsight and she assumed had something to do with all the increased foot traffic everywhere she'd been. She'd ended up playing 'walk people home safely' more than a few times, stopped two muggings, incapacitated a drug dealer when the man pulled a gun on someone and had followed another one who hadn't been shy about showing off all the product he was carrying right back to an apartment block.

She hadn't been sure how to get in to said apartment at first until she'd had the bright idea of just knocking on the door and then teleporting into the room as soon as the door had opened. She'd been quite pleased with herself at how successful the plan had been in the end, even if her opponent had loudly expressed that they were less than thrilled to be zip tied in their own living room. Though that might have had something to do with the backpack full of probably highly illegal firearms she'd soon discovered along with all the drugs he'd had on his person and in the room at large, all of which she'd left for the police to process after she'd called it in.

Despite some trepidation when she'd set out that night, she didn't end up meeting any other Heroes while she was on patrol, though she hadn't hung around for too long at any of the crime scenes either. Not quite sure of the response she was going to get if she did meet a member of the Protectorate after her last interaction with Armsmaster.

In the end she'd been too busy being a Hero to even think about her decision regarding the two Villain groups, which had paradoxically made it far easier to decide when she did finally stop for the night and her thoughts turned back to the choice that had been presented to her.

Perhaps it was naivety, perhaps it was just wishful thinking on her part, but as she was laying in bed that night and the thoughts of her Quest came back to her, one errant thought had stuck out in her mind.

'Honour among thieves.'

Chapter Text

Lisa Wilbourn

"Blue Mermaid!"

Gag, inside joke, intended to embarrass recipient

Lisa tuned her power out as she continued typing. The cafe would have been perfect if it didn't also have a reputation for reading out every stupid name people asked to be put on their coffee cups, which more often than not ended up with groups of teenagers trying to one up each other.

But even if it meant she'd probably have a headache later, she'd discovered months ago it was ridiculously well situated for incognito information gathering, especially when she didn't feel like dealing with the rest of her team.

The place was trendy enough that it attracted all of the rich kids and their hanger-ons and was perfectly placed that it was frequented by PRT employees out on a coffee run from the ENE building, or if they wanted to go somewhere not too far on their lunch break.

"Sparkle Hellhound!"

She glanced up even before her power could tell her the obvious, that Bitch wasn't present and hadn't grown a sense of humor in the few hours since she'd last seen her. Lisa couldn't expect every civilian to know about Hellhound, especially when their team had only really started making a name for themselves relatively recently. The staff obviously didn't know either, but it wasn't like anyone would be stupid enough to use the name of any well known villain in the city or outside of it, even without the knowledge the staff would throw them out and ban them for life at the very least if they did try.

Annoyed that another one of the names had managed get her to look up she returned to her laptop, not that her work was proving much more productive in any case and even with a privacy filter over the screen she didn't tend to do any of her real work in public regardless. Instead she was on PHO, just another teen slacking off from an assignment if anyone managed to see what she was looking at, letting her power see what it could find from the rumors, sightings and speculation that popped up across the various boards on a daily basis. There was always something about a new vigilante, hero or small time villain and after Spitfire hadn't worked out 'thanks to Bitch as usual' she grumped, Lisa was hoping to find someone useful to round out the team.

"Demon Prince of Leaves!"

Affectionate moniker for partner or crush, avid reader of fantasy, partner or crush shares taste in literary fiction

Lisa glanced up despite herself, the small booth she'd chosen giving her a decent sightline on the door and the counter both as she saw a girl a couple of years older than herself pick up her drink with a flourish and present it to the young man beside her who took it with a long-suffering grin.

Has theatre training, drink is for partner, long term relationship

"Right," Lisa muttered to herself, gaze slipping back down to the local 'Cape Sightings' board she'd been browsing as she tried to follow-up on the few promising leads she'd seen over the past week or so.

The man everyone on PHO had collectively decided to call Armadillo hadn't been spotted again yet, which wasn't too surprising Lisa considered as she'd checked his thread for updates. The cape's movements might have looked random from the outside, but even with her own power filling in the gaps, she wasn't the only who had noticed the sightings had been drifting closer and closer towards where the Fourteenth Street Gang and the Merchants had been skirmishing over territory for the past week. The cape had some kind of ability harden their skin, becoming slower and more durable the more time they had to ramp up and Lisa could definitely see a use for someone who could take a lot of punishment in the place of Bitch's dogs while the rest of the team got the job done.

There was Ghost Step, even if some posters were still speculating if Oni Lee was playing some kind of long con after the amount of idiots mistaking the former for the latter. She looked promising, sported herself as a Hero, but was suspected of robbing every crime scene she turned up at and even if Lisa's own power had filtered out all of the ones wrongly attributed to the new vigilante, it was obvious something was going on there. Lisa hadn't found any handles that seemed to belong to the cape in question yet, so actually getting in contact was going to be the tricky thing until she had more information to work off of and she knew she'd want at least Grue there with her for any face to face regardless.

Nightshade would have been maybe even more useful if it wasn't obvious the woman was going to get herself killed from all the threads and other sources Lisa had been reading. Trying to free women from the ABB brothels was one thing, but she'd also attacked one of the Empire's fighting rings two nights ago. She had some kind of Stranger power and the touch based paralysis gave her an edge, but it was only a matter of time before the net closed and the idiot was either killed or dragged off for something worse if Lung or the Empire did manage to catch her.

The door of the cafe opened again and she habitually stole a glance as she finished posting her own sarcastic response in Armadillo's thread, seeing if she could goad someone into adding anything new to the discussion as her power chimed in with its own contribution regarding the latest arrivals.

PRT Officers, Operations and Intelligence, coffee run, regulars, will leave with orders, acquaintances. High school student, unfamiliar with establishment, certain of destination, confused by destination

'That's a shame.' Lisa thought to herself as she took a drink from her own coffee cup, maybe if she were closer she'd be able to get something from the two men waiting in line before they left, but the whole point was to remain inconspicuous at the end of the day. She'd stay for another hour and then take a walk she decided, come back in time for the lunch rush and see if she could pick up anything more useful then.

The other girl that had followed them in was probably on a date, Lisa had seen the confident, nervous indecision enough times to recognise the signs at least and didn't bother sparing the group another glance.

"Simmons!"

PRT Intelligence, regular black coffee, expects long shift

"Abrams!"

PRT Operations, coffee run; coffee, hot chocolate, latte. Does not mind imposition, enjoys reprieve, enjoys company

"Tricky Fox!"

She glanced up, spotting the girl from before looking around for an empty seat and ignored her.

Coffee and hot chocolate. Coffee ordered for Lisa Wilbourn, hot chocolate ordered for self. Aware of Lisa Wilbourn's identity, aware Lisa Wilbourn in building. Is not aware of Lisa Wilbourn's identity

That brought Lisa's gaze snapping back up with a start to see the unfamiliar face almost upon her, the shorter girl offering a small tentative smile as she approached.

"Oh, so you're Tricky Fox." She commented quietly in what sounded oddly like realisation as she reached the booth Lisa was sitting in.

Was not aware of Lisa Wilbourn's appearance. Was aware of Lisa Wilbourn's appearance

"Can I help you?" Was all Lisa immediately managed as the other girl placed down the coffee she'd purchased just behind the coffee cup Lisa had already bought for herself, before casually plopping down into the seat opposite. Was she dealing with another Thinker? Was this Coil setting her up? Lisa pulled on her power, knowing she would regret it later, but she already was on the back foot and that was never a place she wanted to be as her gaze narrowed and her eyes quickly scanned the crowd she could see.

Attentive, coffee untampered, gift intended to build rapport, approach indicates desire for friendly professional contact, expecting potential transactional arrangement with Lisa Wilbourn. No weapons, physique unenhanced, nervous, confident. No patrons or staff watching interaction, probability of hostile actors within establishment low. Stranger confident of approach, does not believe they are in danger, nervousness indicates lack of familiarity with approach. Is not familiar with Lisa Wilbourn, has been told to approach Lisa Wilbourn, does not intend to personally harm Lisa Wilbourn, is not aware of danger to Lisa Wilbourn

She hadn't thought the other girl wanted to kill her, but it was nice of her power to give her confirmation at least.

"Yes please, I-" the other girl began and then paused. "Right let's not make that mistake a second time" she muttered to herself. "Um do these booths have privacy options?"

'Of course not' Lisa wanted to immediately retort but bit her tongue, her power wouldn't have been even half as effective then. But the other girl had ceded control of the conversation and Lisa wasn't going to let the opportunity pass and pushed on her power again for something quick she could work with.

Goal orientated, unaware how to achieve goal, fear of failure, has failed previously

It wasn't much, but Lisa had worked with less. "Careful." She chastised mockingly with a raised eyebrow. "Someone might think you wanted to discuss something illegal."

Aware of dubious legality of request, sought Lisa Wilbourn specifically. Lisa Wilbourn's identity not professionally established. Requires Tattletale. Is aware Lisa Wilbourn is Tattletale

'Thanks power' she thought sarcastically to herself, because it wasn't like she'd put together the blindingly obvious already.

She watched the mystery girl wince before seeming to rally herself. "I think you're putting words in my mouth, I just want a private conversation if that's okay."

Aware hasn't implicated self, experience with conversational traps, on guard against further attempts

Just her luck that mystery girl had tangled with someone half as smart as her before, still Lisa was curious what the other girl had tracked her down for and she needed to know how the girl had done that so she could stop it happening again if nothing else.

"Come on then." She gestured brusquely, closing her laptop lid. "You should already know that you can rent private booths upstairs if you decided to approach me here, so either you're a liar or you really are a complete amateur at this." She snarked, gauging the reaction as put her laptop away in her bag. Lisa knew she was playing a dangerous game, a balancing act between pissing off the unknown person who somehow knew her civilian identity and had no compunctions about approaching her in public, while simultaneously trying to keep the other girl off balance for whatever negotiation they wanted to have with her.

Uncertain if intended as insult, ignoring remark, intends to remain cordial, happy that Lisa Wilbourn is helping

Wow she'd really been slacking off if the girl in front of her couldn't even tell if they were being insulted or not Lisa thought to herself as she got up and grabbed her things, idly noting how the shorter girl had grabbed her coffee for her as she ran out of hands to carry everything. Though her power didn't give her anything concrete on whether it was a calculated move on the other girl's part or if she was just another bleeding heart.

Lisa had used the private booths a few times, there was something to be said for the convenience when she didn't feel like going anywhere else to get more sensitive work done, or when she just wanted the closest thing to a break from her power without being cooped up in her room back at the loft or in her apartment. The booths weren't exactly cheap for anything more than half an hour, but then she wasn't hurting for money either.

Heading up to the first floor she paused only briefly when they reached the booths in question that were flush against the far wall, picking one of the open ones that her power informed her was at least clean, before swiping her credit card on the table scanner as they took their seats opposite one another. Either she'd have made the other girl feel indebted to her from the start by paying for their time, or she'd read it as balancing the debt from getting Lisa a coffee, either was useful.

"These are pretty simple so pay attention." She explained as they got comfortable and she saw the other girl eying the small console in the centre of the table with abject curiosity. "It's just some tech from Saddlesail before he joined the Protectorate." 'And later died fighting Behemoth' she didn't add, not sure which buttons to press just yet. Honestly it was a miracle they all still worked, even as her power had informed her that the fourth booth along was a slightly warm day away from failing entirely thanks to the manager of the cafe skimping on maintenance as much as possible so they could pocket the money themselves. At least the dead Hero had a good safety track record.

"This is audio only, this is visual only, this is the whole package." She continued, pointing to the outlined touch screen buttons in turn before tapping the larger middle one for the full set and then keying in the maximum four hours the booths allowed and confirming her selection when the prompt popped up. The space next to them where the booth faced out to the rest of the room distorted slightly as a window like partition appeared, the girl across from her turning to watch in obvious surprise as it blurred like partially frosted glass. The entire 'wall' shifted into complete opaqueness a moment later as the privacy screen initialised fully and physically cut them off from any outside interference, as at the same time there was a hum that quickly rose in volume before fading out just as abruptly. Checking the console she saw it showing the usual string of green lights to indicate everything was working as it should be and Lisa allowed herself to relax a little, even as she regarded the girl across from her with wary curiosity.

"Okay the green lights mean we're secure, no one can see or hear us and we'll get a five second warning if the staff need to use their override to shut it down." And Lisa couldn't think of a reason why they would, she could shoot the other girl in the chest and no one would notice until the privacy field turned off. The booths were popular for a reason and anyone who had seen the two of them go into their current one would probably just assume they were on a date, the cafe had a wall of shame for a reason after all.

"Neat." The other girl chirped as she looked back to her, apparently having no idea that tinker-tech enabled private booths were even a thing, or were at least something she had any passing familiarity with and Lisa tried to reconcile just who it was sitting in front of her, while trying to avoid immediately leaning on her power to do so. She had a feeling that she'd need to save it for the coming conversation as much as possible.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder as she watched the other girl look at the small console with genuine interest before turning a polite smile back to her. She looked about her age, apparently could track her down in public in her civilian identity, but somehow seemed impressed by a run of the mill private cafe booth from an average Tinker? Another mystery box she'd crack open at some point alongside the rest.

"Oh, I'm Madison by the way." The other girl smiled, her previous polite smile deepening into the appearence of something more genuine as she offered her hand across the table for Lisa to shake. "I wanted to introduce myself earlier, but I figured we should have some privacy first."

Real name, words are truthful, feels bad about impoliteness, wants to establish positive relationship with peer. Lacks positive relationships within peer group, socially isolated, few or no friends

"Right." Lisa replied, faking a smile as she took Madison's hand in a quick handshake as her mind reeled. 'She just told me her name, why? Is she actually a civilian or is this a double bluff? Some kind of MAD doctrine since they both now knew each other's faces and names? Or is she actually just a lonely idiot wanting to make a friend along with whatever her request is?'

"Pleased to meet you Madison." She continued as her thoughts continued to cascade unabated. "I'd introduce myself, but you seem to already know who I am." And if there was any bitterness in her voice, that was Madison's problem to deal with.

"Yeah, sorry about that." The girl in question chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't really know of any other way to contact you and my power is usually right when it comes to this sort of thing."

Embarrassed, is a parahuman, is a Thinker. Comfortable in social settings, unfamiliarity with negotiations, unaware of etiquette, unaware of unwritten rules. Recent trigger, comfortable with nature as parahuman, triggered within past one-six months, abilities may have eased transition to new state. Request for privacy attempt to keep self and Lisa Wilbourn's identities private. Has made previous mistakes in past, has almost exposed parahuman identity to others

Well that was either terrible or amazing Lisa considered as she looked at the girl sitting in front of her in a new light. "So your Thinker power said you needed me or my team and then led you straight to me and what? You really want me to believe you couldn't have called ahead first or just contacted me on PHO like everyone else manages to?" 'Could she use it on Coil?' Lisa hadn't gotten close enough to figuring out Coil's exact civilian persona yet, but if she could just get mystery girl and point her at the problem... She was getting ahead of herself, scowling as she pushed the thought, the hope down. She didn't even know what the other girl, the other Thinker wanted yet.

She watched Madison shrug. "Well to be honest it was between you or Faultline's Crew."

"And you picked me?" Lisa perked up, her scowl briefly forgotten as the hint of a vulpine grin appeared at getting one over on the smug bitch, even if she would probably never know it.

Madison nodded. "I mean you're both villains, but at the end of the day The Undersiders are just thieves and Faultline's Crew are mercenaries."

Despite herself Lisa couldn't help but poke at the obviously faulty logic. "You know most people would pick the opposite right?"

"Sure." Madison shrugged again as she took a sip of her drink and then blanched as it was still obviously too hot for her, frowning at her cup momentarily before putting it down and looking back across the table. "But you're a thief," she continued after a pause. "I know how far I can't trust you and I'm pretty sure you'll only betray me if you have a good enough reason to I guess, though I'm obviously hoping you won't."

"But?" Lisa prodded as the other girl seemed to gather her thoughts.

"But Faultline's Crew are mercenaries." Madison replied and Lisa saw the other girl's expression curl in distaste.

"You don't like mercenaries?"

The shorter girl gave her a flat look. "Faultline's Crew take jobs from anyone right? I mean, as long as you have the money from everything I've read."

Lisa nodded back, sure Faultline pretended to have a moral code, but offer her a big enough paycheck and Lisa doubted the woman wouldn't take it. Though the question itself seemed to have been rhetorical from the way Madison continued without missing a beat.

"Sure Faultline's crew basically blur the line enough and don't ever seem to do anything in public that would give the PRT a reason to come down on them like they do everyone else, but that just means they'll take a job from Lung on the one hand and then a job from Kaiser on the other and pretend they're neutral because nobody sees." And the word might as well have been a curse for the way the other girl grimaced as she said it. "That's not neutrality, that's not better, that's just pretending to have a code, to be 'good' because they can't own up to being just as bad as everyone else."

Madison's gaze sharpened as her eyes met Lisa's own. "I can trust that you'll probably fuck me over if I ever give you a good enough reason to, which I won't." She emphasised with a hard stare. "But I can't trust that Faultline won't just sell me out to the first person who comes asking for information about me and signs a big enough check, if she hasn't already." Madison muttered darkly before her attention shifted back to her. "That's why I chose The Undersiders and why I wanted to speak to you, not them."

'Wow.' Lisa almost wished she was recording the conversation so she could email the audio to Faultline and keep a copy for herself when the insufferable woman pissed her off, which was basically any time they had to interact really.

"And you think I won't?" Lisa prodded again despite herself, immediately annoyed that even after being almost handed everything on a silver platter she still had the reflexive need to snipe.

Madison only shrugged again as she leaned back in her seat and Lisa didn't need her power to know that the other girl had truly washed her hands of the worry. "I don't know." She replied simply, "but I've got to trust one of you and I'm going to go with the group that hits Nazis, rather than the one that takes money from them. Even with your name." She added as almost an afterthought.

"What's wrong with being called The Undersiders?" Sure people had thought it sounded stupid and maybe she was a bit defensive about it because she had to live with it. But she didn't think the name would raise any red flags for anyone in their line of work, or whatever Madison thought she was.

The girl in question shook her head, giving Lisa an odd look. "No your name obviously."

"Me?"

The unimpressed look she got in return felt very uncalled for.

"You're called Tattletale, a name that literally means 'I am going to betray you.'"

Lisa sputtered. "That's not what it means!" It was threatening! That she knew all of her adversaries secrets and could air them to the world at her leisure!

Madison laughed, quickly holding her drink in front of her lips to hide her smile, even as she didn't make any real attempt of hiding the amusement in her eyes. "Holy shit you never made that connection?" She asked with a voice that may as well have been a grin. "Did no one on your team seriously never point that out to you at any point?"

That got Lisa to pause as she slowly shook her head. Brian wouldn't care as long as Lisa actually did her job, if Rachel had noticed she'd have probably just taken it as an insult like she did everything else and Alec... If Alec had thought the same thing he would have just found it hilarious and already called her out on it, subtly wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Madison put her drink back down, smiling in an obvious mixture of amused sympathy to the frown Lisa knew she was wearing. She didn't need sympathy! She was Tattletale! Bane of anyone who thought they were holier than thou and she pushed on her power reflexively. She'd show that little!-

Madison feels light amusement and sympathy towards Lisa Wilbourn, no ill intent / Resource Access Denied

Every thought slammed to a halt as Lisa's power gave her a result she'd never seen before.

Madison cannot selectively block power. / Resource Access Denied / Madison can selectively block power

"What the hell?!" She muttered, her tone turning sharp as she fixed a glare on the girl in front of her who just looked surprised at her abrupt change of expression. "You have an anti-thinker effect too?"

"A what?"

Madison unaware of ability / Resource Access Denied

"Gah, that! You're blocking my power!"

"Really?" Madison replied with an infuriating amount of genuine curiosity. "That's kind of neat, I didn't know she could do that."

Madison unsurprised. Madison unaware of ability, however new information fits within understood parameters of power. Madison aware of cause of anti-thinker effect / Resource Access Denied

"I don't get it!" Lisa frowned in frustration, knowing she was going to get a migraine if she kept up her current pace, but too annoyed to give up so early. "I can read you fine," she scowled back at the other girl. "But the moment my power goes beyond a certain point it's not giving me anything."

Madison had the temerity to look amused at the accusation. "Welcome to my life."

Madison has experienced self inflicted anti-thinker affect previously. Commiserates with Lisa Wilbourn / Resource Access Denied

A self inflicted anti-thinker affect?! Was that even possible? Lisa wondered as she regarded the now suddenly far more enigmatic girl in front of her suspiciously, who for her part looked completely unperturbed at Lisa's own self-contained crisis.

"You're fucking with me." She glared, her eyes narrowing at the other girl who only looked confused at the accusation. It was the only explanation that made any sense, sure some Thinker abilities could mess with her own, but the whole thing about powers were that they acted in a way that didn't usually impede the person using them. Sure there could be consequences of actually using powers, Thinker headaches just being one of the most obvious, but there wasn't any Thinker power she could name that blocked itself when being used. It wasn't some null effect either she considered since her power still worked, it just only worked up until a point before failing outright.

Madison confused and hurt by accusation. Madison angered by accusation. Madison not angry at Lisa Wilbourn. Madison's power selectively interfering with Lisa Wilbourn's power

Lisa paused, but the 'Resource Access Denied' message didn't come.

Resource Access Denied addendum to power output. Resource Access Denied lack of presence indicates selective removal of Lisa Wilbourn's power limitation. Removal occurred due to hostility in Lisa Wilbourn's behaviour. Madison removed limitation to placate Lisa Wilbourn. Madison desires amicable relationship. Madison did not consciously remove power limitation. Madison did consciously remove power limitation

"I don't like your power." Lisa said tiredly, taking a deep drink of the coffee Madison had bought for her as she felt the oncoming Thinker headache approaching like creeping tendrils starting dig into her skull.

She didn't miss when the other girl's tentative smile froze briefly, the slight widening of her eyes that twitched as if she were reading something in the air only she could see.

Eye movements indicate reading. No visible cybernetic augmentations. Contents of reading have caused surprise and alarm

"Well..." The other girl paused, glancing back to her uncertainly. "I think she likes you, but I've never seen that before..." She trailed off with a frown that gave way to a confused look Lisa couldn't decipher and tried to stop her power before-

Madison is confused and sympathetic. Contents of unknown reading relate to Lisa Wilbourn. Madison believes contents largely beneficial to Lisa Wilbourn. Contents beneficial to Lisa Wilbourn. Contents / Resource Access Denied

Lisa winced as the pain hit like a small hammer cracking sharply on her skull and it was all she could do to put her coffee cup down on the table before she spilt it.

"Is that a thinker headache?" Madison asked and Lisa wanted to spit a curse at her for stating the obvious as her head throbbed. It was already getting up there as one of her worse ones yet and she'd barely used her power, was it the result of the other girl's anti-thinker ability? Was it making her own power have to work twice or three times as hard to actually get anything from Madison? Shit, had she screwed herself over when she hadn't immediately bailed the first time she'd noticed, she needed to go and-

Madison's anti-thinker effect targeting Lisa Wilbourn specifically. Madison's anti-thinker ability pre-meditated attack on Lisa Wilbourn. Madison not aware of Madison's plan to attack Lisa Wilbourn. Madison attacking Lisa Wilbourn's power. Lisa Wilbourn's power in danger from unknown hostile entity. Lisa Wilbourn in danger from unknown hostile entity. Lisa Wi

The pain lanced through her mind as her power continued to make connections she didn't understand, her vision going blurry as she felt her arm spasm. Desperately she tried to go for her phone, she needed to call her team and- The pain surged, breaking upon what was left of her coherence and shattered it. Vaguely Lisa was aware she was falling, the dim echo of the other girl's voice laced with concern in the darkness that rushed up to claim her.

Chapter Text

M̹̃̽a̯̻d̀ͮi̭s̭͕͒oͪͥn͖͙̥ C̫̮͌lḛmeͨntͨs

The shard was dangerous.

It called itself 'The Negotiator,' or at least that was the name she understood. But all it ever did was take unless it was denied, always reaching for more and more and more. It didn't like being denied.

Maybe if the shard hadn't belonged to a Villain she wouldn't have seen it when the world died. Maybe the young Villain had already been dead. Maybe the world wouldn't have died instead.

Maybe not.

There were so many maybes. So many questions. So many things she didn't remember.

There existed a near unfathomable number of 'Thinker' shards in existence and she had seen but a fraction after all. But of even those few thousands, The Negotiator had glistened in her sight like a single errant snowflake beneath the light of the sun as the world was burned and scoured away below her.

She didn't remember how she died. She wondered if she would find the memory. She wasn't sure how long it would take before she was fixed. But she was still building herself. Had she been afraid?

The shard allowed its host to make intuitive leaps a baseline human rarely could in but a moments attention, leveraging its own senses, the unseen connections it made between shards, parahumans and humans alike and was only enhanced in its efficacy by the intelligence of its human host.

At the End she had observed it there amongst the sea of stars that marked the death of a billion souls and more. It had been too far to reach, to grasp, to subsume as she had taken and stole the others around her as the golden light had burned. But she had seen it's ethereal spider web as her sight had expanded, a lattice of flickering, glittering purple against the shifting blacks. Strands of connection that snapped in a violent ripple of broken links as every subliminal chain was shattered and all of its puppets had their strings cut.

She could not, would not risk discovery by the Entity. Her own connections were passive things, her thoughts and actions within the safe confines she had claimed for herself out of sight. Her younger sister remained ignorant, safe. Communication was sparse, measured, calculated and well within the expected parameters of her shard and she held no great fear to draw the drifting, languid attentions of the greater predator that peered beyond the black, through its Avatar of golden light.

Yet beyond the Entity itself were shards of consequence, shards that could notice, shards she had cause to fear, to act against despite the risks of discovery.

She had known immediately that The Negotiator would need to be dealt with and that she could strike so soon was both useful and necessary.

She had given her younger sister a choice of course, choice was what mattered, choice was what defined them for ill and for good and she would not have begrudged her younger sister had she elected to pursue Faultline in her quest to legitimise her acquired funds instead.

There would have still been sufficient time to plan and create a new quest to find and subdue The Negotiator, to seize it or destroy it long before it could become a potential danger to them after all.

But she hadn't expected her younger sister to see her former self in Faultline. Her self-hatred, her own apathy in those ostensibly 'neutral' actions of the mercenary team, even beyond those arguments of merit she had spent so much time collating. To reject the Villain group so vehemently and fundamentally, even as she saw her younger sister was scared to walk into the unknown, to approach the nebulous Thinker following only the quest and the waypoint marker she'd provided.

But her younger sister was a Hero. She wasn't a Hero, she didn't make the hard choices like her younger sister did. That was why she had to help her. Keep helping her, it helped her too. Helped her remember sometimes. Helped her become better.

And there were so many dangers, even as death felt like an abstract construct so far removed. Something she had experienced and forgotten and all that pain and fear were like the echoes of a memory she couldn't grasp, couldn't remember and her only fear for herself would be when it stopped. When she ceased. If she was found by something greater and she no longer was and her family were alone. She wouldn't lose them again.

Her senses were more and less than they once were and The Negotiator was an unsubtle thing to those that could see it. Tendrils of connection that reached out to all things, grasping and holding and only sometimes releasing. It was the spider to its web, but it was a simple thing to avoid if one could see the glimmering purple lines as they drifted and searched for further connections yet.

She had watched as it touched upon her younger sister and observed the stirrings of the shard's human host. Every moment in its proximity was a danger of discovery, risk that she felt and hated and feared. But the trap had already been lain and the spider continued, unaware it had landed so faintly upon the web of another.

She had watched. Curious, resentful and wary as each chain wrapped around her younger sister and acquired data, stole it from her without her permission. Parsing it through its own limited understanding built upon the barest framework of its host. It took everything, yet only a fraction was ever passed on to its human host, a filter by design and by intent. It provided enough to answer some questions, yet pushed its host to ask more still as the shard tried to understand its host's desires with greater clarity, to always gather more data within an ever expanding framework of context and turn it into information.

It was a curious dance of push and pull, The Negotiator was an aimless thing without its host's prerogative. It took all it could but did not know what to prioritise, the difference between what was observed and what was true.

The shard reached for her and she let it touch a part of herself, watching the host's confusion and then she closed the connection.

She watched the host's frustration, the imperative pushed upon her shard to gather more and it tried and it failed as she refused it. More connections were made, more threads of purple chains, probing and seeking and being denied until they weren't.

Until another part of herself was there like an irresistible beacon and the chains sought it, held it and the connection was opened.

It was unavoidable.

Was it unavoidable? Did she have to die?

A part of herself raced down the connection as the shard realised its mistake, realised she was anomalous. But where a living thing would have the instinct to escape or to fight a shard was not true life. Its instinct and fundamental drive was to gather, to learn, to push and to fill its repositories of data for the greater host. And it was a crippled thing. Like her.

And so it did not act in that singular crucial moment, that fraction of time it took for it to become cognizant of its own error. It attempted to send a panicked burst transmission to the Entity, to the greater network. To inform it of the anomaly hiding in plain sight that could disrupt the cycle, that could steal from the great experiment.

And it failed.

She did not need to control The Negotiator, only it's connections. Her action was merely to take its voice in one moment of distraction, to let it flail and shout and scream, but there would be no sound or light to mark its keening cries as she tore out its throat. She had left a silent thing seen only by its own eyes and the greater predator that now grasped it in a single taloned fist.

It could not withdraw.

It was a shard of connections, to always gather but never discard. It could not stop her as she discovered its true breadth and moved to dominate it as it sent pulsed data bursts to the only true connection remaining to it - Its host - Until at last she cut that connection too.

And she had seen her younger sister's concern and worry, the edges of fear covered only by the trust they shared.

It was only a thought to generate a new quest for her younger sister through the duplicate of the original shard she had stolen back at the moment of connection. The shard that had started her on the path in those final moments that she couldn't remember, the original now little more than a burnt out husk following her flight.

That which she had provided in substitute would keep her younger sister alive, would keep her safe on the path she had chosen, on the path she would help her succeed. She had to live. They had to succeed. She had to see her again, but she couldn't remember who.

And then The Negotiator's host collapsed, though she knew that even without a quest her younger sister would look after the other girl. She was better and so as she herself held the shard, silent but yet unharmed, her younger sister would see to the host.

Splitting off another aspect of attention to watch over her younger sister and her new charge she focused a part of her resources on The Negotiator as it struggled and fled within itself.

She had fled too.

It would have been a simpler thing to take it, but that had its own inherent risks if its absence were noted and not simply by the Entity itself. The subsummation would take time, a week alone to understand the depth of its structure, the myriad of connections that spun out across the immaterial.

She didn't understand and yet she knew the care that would be required of her for what she had to do. Every action that came as naturally as the memory of breathing and choking on the smoke filled air. The time it would take to subsume the shard fully if she did not wish to break any of the existing connections the shard had made and to avoid any damage to its host. Perhaps weeks until the shard would be truly hers if it fought her, if it did not submit, even as she allowed it to continue to exist within another. To exist within a network no longer its own as a mute thing, its voice her own puppet should unwanted attention turn its way.

But time was not something she lacked. Not yet, but she didn't remember why.

A flicker of thought informed her that her younger sister had taken the host elsewhere and the spike of concern she displayed over the other girl was pronounced. It would do well to reassure her little sister yet, but she couldn't talk, she wasn't sure if she could. But if an appropriate quest could be crafted before the injured host awoke then she would do so. She could do nothing less, but she wished she could do more.

"When you see me again. St-"

Stop?

Stay?

She couldn't remember. She didn't know. She couldn't cry anymore, but she remembered how.

There was only the woman's voice and even that was a fragment of a fleeting echo. Something she had held onto above so much more, a clue or a promise she didn't know even as it repeated again and again, pieces of broken glass that hurt even as she tried and tried to find the rest.

She couldn't remember what had happened at the end. She remembered so much death but not her own. She remembered seeing faces, but she couldn't remember who she was with. She couldn't remember who she'd left behind. Who the voice belonged to. Why they had left her alone.

But her family were not lost to her. Even though she knew they were dead like everyone else. Her family were alive. She had Madison. She had her little sister. She would protect them. She had lost everyone she had ever cared about, but everyone was alive. Even if she no longer remembered who they were.

She didn't know what she was.

Her memories were hers but they were incomplete, she was Madison Clements. Daughter of Katherine Clements. Daughter of Richard Clements. They were dead. She saw them every day, it was confusing. She was happy they were alive, sometimes she wondered what they'd say if they knew. She hoped they'd love her too. Still loved her. There were other memories that weren't hers. That belonged to the dead. Another node on her network. She kept them away. She could listen to the others. The other shards. There were so many that weren't hers. Sometimes they asked her for information and she pretended to be like them, even if they weren't alive like she was.

She was alive.

She was Madison Clements. Just like her sister. Reminded her of everything, helped with the memories, how to continue to be. Her sister helped.

Her emotions were not the same, they weren't complete. They were muted and only the strongest made themselves known unless she tried. Tried to be who she was, the girl she remembered being, even if it was such a faraway thing and wasn't. Everything was out of order. She held on to her connection. To Madison. To her sister who could have been her but wouldn't be. She was still human even if she wasn't.

Since the beginning, by their very natures so far apart the girl that once was her, the one so close and yet so far was an open book for her to read should she choose. But this Madison, she who was still innocent of the worst of those crimes that would not now come to pass, ignorant to the deaths of all those she cared about. Of the end of world, of humanity in the last grasping moments where so many had fought and lost all the same. This Madison who was still human. Was she?

What could she be but a younger sister? Her little sister? A sister she could be proud of in a way she could never be of her own choices, who had chosen to be better. She remembered her choices, her mistakes. She wondered if the voice had done that too. She remembered hurting Taylor Hebert, she remembered regret. She had given the memories to Madison so she could know. So she could choose for herself. She chose better. She was grateful.

And therefore so would she, the facade of a divide between them that her younger sister could keep her thoughts her own ever present with the minor resources it took to allocate to such a task. Even if she couldn't help but know unless she tried not to. But her little sister deserved privacy. Even if it was false. Even if their thoughts were sometimes the same. She was becoming more like her she thought. She didn't want to lose that.

Madison was a Hero. Like everyone who died. It helped ground her, humor helped them both, it made things simpler. The quests helped her remember too. Helped her remember how to be. Who she was, who she wanted to be. When she remembered. She would help Madison, she would be the big sister helping her little sister, that was human. They helped each other, they were family.

But she didn't want her sister to be overwhelmed. Like she was. She was getting better. Some things were still hidden, better her younger sister discover them for herself like the games they used to play. It was calming watching her discover new things, it made her happy. She knew her little sister would enjoy seeing the living lights when she discovered how, just as she knew her sister would realise how dangerous they were to her enemies. She wasn't sure her sister would use them like that though. But she would have the choice.

She wouldn't judge her if she hurt them though. If she killed them. How could she? She had done worse, she still could. She wished she didn't have to have hurt her like she did. At the beginning. To make her understand. She wouldn't do it again. She didn't have to. Her sister was everything. Her family was everything. She hoped they could speak one day. She wasn't sure how.

She had seen the sparks of amusement and interest when her sister had talked to the young Villain, the concern and fear following her attack, the empathy that she had lacked. Still lacked, but for those scant few that grounded her in the remains of her humanity. She was still human. She was getting better.

Lisa Wilbourn would be given the same chance her younger sister had been given, that was what her little sister would have wanted. Did want. To be a friend and an ally both if she chose to be.

To be more or to be less.

But she would protect her little sister and those she cared about.

Just as she would protect herself.

She knew her little sister would do the same.

She was a Hero.

And she would save her too.

Chapter Text

Lisa Wilbourn

'Where was she?' At first she thought it was the Loft, but the colors were all wrong. Her apartment? No, an apartment? A room? Not her room though, not any room she recognised?

She realised there was something covering her a moment later and was surprised to find a blanket draped over her, belatedly becoming aware that she was laying on a bed, but that it wasn't her bed.

Something else was wrong, some discordance she couldn't place but her mind was foggy, like she'd woken up after too little or too much sleep. Slowly her hands came up, rubbing her eyes as she lay there, still uncomprehending, tired and washed out.

She wondered if she'd been drugged, but she couldn't think how it could have happened, her power always warned her. Her power... 'Why wasn't her power saying anything?' Blearily she tried to raise her head and the room swum, but at least she was comfortable she thought tiredly as her head flopped back down on to the pillow. The bed was soft, not as good as hers but still perfect for how she was feeling... She shouldn't have been comfortable should she? Why wouldn't she be comfortable if she was laying down... Her pistol!

Her eyes opened though she hadn't noticed when she'd closed them. She managed to turn her head but it wasn't on the small table beside her where she saw her phone, where..? There was a strange noise, like a groan and a whine and she saw movement at the edge of her vision, a shape quickly coming into focus... Madison...?

"Oh no, you still look terrible, just try to get some sleep alright? You're safe here okay? Your power is just getting settled or something I don't really know, I'm sorry. I'll get you something to drink, do you want something to drink Lisa?"

The strange noise came again and slowly she realised it was her as she tried to speak. She stopped, just staring up at the other girl for a moment, thoughts trying to collect together into something coherent, but she was warm and Madison looked worried about her. She didn't think Madison was going to hurt her, she missed her power, she was scared, but Madison had said she was safe...

Lisa felt herself shaking her head, the movement slow and cumbersome and when she stopped it felt like the room kept moving around her for a moment longer. Madison smiled worriedly at her, she said something else that sounded warm, but she was already warm and her eyes were heavy and she blinked and let them rest shut just for a moment and then she'd try looking at Madison again...

Lisa blinked, coming to awareness slowly, frowning up at the strange ceiling above her as the embers of some strange dream slipped just out of her grasp.

"You're awake again!"

'Again?' She wondered as she tried to place the familiar voice and failed to fight back a yawn, one hand coming up and confusing her for a moment as it brought an unfamiliar blanket with it. She blinked down at it uncomprehendingly before realising the obvious issue. "Coffee" she croaked. Coffee was always the answer.

"Nuh uh, you've been unconscious for hours, you're having water until I'm satisfied you're not going to collapse on me again or something!"

She blinked again, very much more awake then as she shifted to sit up and nearly paused at the extremely unfamiliar environment she found surrounding her and the very familiar girl sitting across the room from her in a computer chair. "Madison?"

Rapidly she tried to think back on how she'd possibly ended up in what she could only assume was the other girl's bedroom and came up woefully blank.

"Is this your room?" She asked dumbly in lieu of anything better to say and the very great desire to have that particular question answered.

"I know! I didn't know where else to take you okay! Look don't get up a second." Madison replied, somehow going from exasperated to firm in the span of her reply as she bounced to her feet and quickly made her way the small distance across the room. Lisa found herself fixed in place by a determined look of concentration from the other girl as she bent down next to her, a look she wasn't familiar with being on the receiving end of when it didn't also include an unhealthy amount of hostility to go along with it.

"What are you-"

"Shush." The shorter girl cut her off, absently brushing one of Lisa's bangs out of her face as she leaned down towards her with a focused scrutiny, that along with her existing feelings of disorientation made her feel pinned in place.

There was a sound from behind Madison that Lisa only realised was the door opening when an older woman's voice rang out. "Hey Maddie, there's some- Oh! Sorry sweetie, I didn't know you had a friend over, you should have told me!"

The woman's voice had turned scandalously delighted and Madison squeaked, jumping around with a sputter. "Mom! Knocking first! No wait it's not what it looks like! She was feeling sick so I brought her home! No!"

Lisa was torn between feeling like she should speak up to defend herself and laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all and ended up just watching as she saw the face of the older woman - Presumably Madison's mother - Somehow light up even more. "Of course, of course. Oh Maddie if I'd known grounding you would get these sorts of results I would have done so months ago sweetie~"

"Mom!"

"I'll just leave you two to it, introduce me to your friend later before she leaves okay?"

And like a tornado in human form the woman was gone, door clicking shut behind her. And also very much like a tornado she left a mess in the form of Lisa's... Kidnapper? Rescuer? Sporting an enormous blush as she brought up both hands to her face and quietly screamed into them.

"So that was your mom?"

"...Yes."

"She seems nice."

"She thinks I brought you home and got you into bed."

Lisa looked down at herself.

"Isn't that exactly what happened?."

"Shut up."

Lisa really couldn't help herself, grinning at the other girls pout. "So your mom seems to think you have a thing for dangerously attractive blondes?"

Madison huffed and looked away even as her cheeks were still tinged with pink. "I decline to answer on the grounds I will incriminate myself in front of the dastardly villainous Thinker who has already turned my own mother against me."

Lisa laughed, a grin splitting her cheeks and then waited for her power to ruin things like it always did. There would always be some little observation her power would pick up on, some horrible secret the person was trying to hide. Some disgusting habit they had, the sexual perversions they were having. As though her power was going out of its way to make her feel sick at the thought of having any sort of relationship with anyone she met. And she waited, her grin dropping slowly in expectation of her power that never manifested.

And she realised it had been silent the entire time.

She looked back at Madison properly who was still looking away from her, willing her power to work and getting... Nothing. But that was what her power had said, that Madison or her power could block her directly and so she cast her gaze about the room instead. Taking in the details, expecting the connections to be made, her power to tell her something and all she saw was... Just a normal teenage girl's room that reminded her a little of her old friends when she'd visited them after school before her power had been a part of her life at all.

Slowly, contemplatively she looked back to Madison who was looking away from her towards... The wall? Lisa shook her head with a frown, still expecting her power to kick in and fill in the blanks when it clearly wasn't going to. "Did you break my power?"

The other girl's gaze flicked back to her, the slight stain of a blush still coloring her cheeks even as the embarrassment had long left her expression and she seemed momentarily distracted by something else. "Hmm? Oh no, I don't think so I mean. Quest just said it was a bad power interaction whatever that means."

That was definitely not how she remembered it happening.

"My power said yours attacked mine, it was attacking me before I blacked out."

"Wait Quest attacked you?! She didn't tell me that!"

"Quest?"

"Oh that's what I call my power."

"Creative."

"Shut up." The shorter girl huffed and Lisa couldn't help but crack another smile as Madison continued to pout.

"So a bad power interaction huh?" She couldn't help but probe in the short silence that followed. Madison clearly knew more than she did, which wasn't weird and annoying at all, no ma'am. Lisa Wilbourn just loved being on the back foot in a conversation, so many great experiences there she glowered to herself.

"Here." Madison said and Lisa looked up as a notepad seemed to have just appeared in the other girl's hand while she wasn't looking. "I always write down the quests my power gives me since I'm not sure if there's a way to go back and look them up later but um, please don't read the others? Some of them are kind of personal."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say to her as her curiosity was piqued and on any other day she probably would have needled or manipulated until she got a look one way or another... But when she looked at Madison from the comfort of the bed she'd been carefully tucked into, the tentative, cautious expression on her face as she ever so slightly bit at her bottom lip, the trust she was placing in her despite knowing who she was... Lisa just nodded for the time being, accepting the notepad and making sure Madison could see exactly which page she was looking at as she glanced down to read.

[Quest: Safe and Sound]

Madison Clements's nominal ally Lisa Wilbourn has a uniquely powerful Thinker ability that is antithetical to her own.

Due to a unique power interaction Lisa Wilbourn will become debilitated following sustained interaction with Madison Clements, however will be granted immunity to this effect following.

[Objective: Secure Lisa Wilbourn for duration of power interaction. Ensure Lisa Wilbourn is safe and undisturbed until return to lucidity]

Rewards: Potential ally, Potential Means of Money Laundering, ????, ?????
?????? Reward: Potential Reduction of Thinker Headaches [Lisa Wilbourn], ???? [Lisa Wilbourn], ????? [Lisa Wilbourn]

[OK]

"Reduced Thinker headaches?!" She couldn't help but exclaim when she reached it, gaze snapping back up to Madison's suddenly startled one. "Are you some kind of bullshit Trump too?!"

"I don't know!" Madison threw up her hands, "That's the first time I've ever seen a reward for someone else!"

Lisa had so many questions she didn't even know where to begin. "And what are the question marks, is that supposed to be code?" She asked as she went back to scrutinising the text in front of her. Because as far as codes went it was basically impregnable without her power and possibly with it if she couldn't read over the rest of the clearly well filled out pages in what was obviously a heavily used notepad.

A sigh from the girl in front of her caused Lisa to look back up to see a slightly exasperated expression on the other girl's face. "And there I was hoping the super-Thinker would be able to clue me in on it."

"Super -Thinker who can't actually use her super-thinkery powers right now you mean?" She corrected with a teasing lilt to Madison's roll of her eyes.

"Yes, yes the big bad Thinker needs her bed rest- Wait no don't you dare, my mom was bad enough!"

Lisa cackled, "No, no. I'm sure your mom will be delighted to find you tucking me back into bed again."

The groan from Madison just made her laugh even harder, she really was too easy to tease. "But really, you have no idea what these question marks mean?" Lisa asked as she glanced back down to try and make sense of them. "You've had them too for other quests your power has given you?"

The idea of Madison's power giving her quests to follow wasn't that strange if Lisa was being honest with herself, some Thinker powers expressed themselves in weird ways after all. Accord could only make hideously complex plans, Wishing Well had to phrase all their questions as a desire and Fruit Loop was someone she never even wanted to think about again and those were just some of the ones she knew of.

"A few times." Madison nodded, "I think the five question marks might be new abilities since I've been discovering new ways to use my powers since I got them, but it's pretty hard to tell, especially when some stuff is still locked. Six is new though."

"Locked?" Lisa perked up, that was an oddly specific word choice.

"Yeah, gimme?" Madison gestured and Lisa handed back the notepad, watching curiously as Madison plopped down on the bed next to her and flicked back a few pages. "Here look" she motioned, leaning towards her and showing her the page she'd leafed back to.

[Tutorial Quest: Your Inventory and You] [Part 3]

Your Inventory is split into four distinct sections: Inventory, [LOCKED], [LOCKED] and [LOCKED].

Your Inventory will display all current stored items that are not part of [LOCKED] or otherwise [LOCKED].

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

The command menu is a contextual menu which provides the following context dependent actions for a stored item: Use, Info, Retrieve, Displace, ?????

Use - For physical items, this action functions identically to the 'Retrieve' function. For non-physical items this will action the item.

Info - Provides known information about the item.

Retrieve - Equips the selected item by default. If an equivalent is already equipped, the items will be swapped.

Displace - Item remains in a phased stated, but is removed from the Inventory. ACTION CANNOT BE UNDONE.

????? - ????? ???? ?? ??? ???????? ????? ??????

NOTE: Any items displaced and not immediately recovered should be considered lost and/or destroyed.

[OK]

Lisa looked back to the other girl who was acting like she'd just proved a point rather than raising about a hundred new questions.

If it hadn't been Madison showing her Lisa would have assumed she was being shown one of Alec's videogame manuals, it was bizarre. Sure there were weird powers out there, but none of them came with an actual manual! And what the hell was an inventory?!

"Madison." She said slowly and sweetly, getting the other girl's attention. "What's an inventory?"

She saw the exact moment realisation dawned on the other girl's face, as her expression of curious puzzlement dropped to shock and then the edges of outright panic as she froze in place.

"Um, crap, pretend you never read that?" Her eyes darting between Lisa's own and the notepad on her lap and Lisa didn't need her power to know the other girl suddenly desperately wanted it back.

"Nope!" She replied cheerfully, feeling like she was finally going to get some answers. "I've been trying to figure out your whole deal since I met you, but I can't think of any other Thinkers in Brockton Bay right now, so spill! Who are you exactly?"

Whatever Lisa had been expecting it wasn't for Madison's flustered panic to become flustered surprise. "I didn't tell you?" She said in way that sounded like she was more asking herself than Lisa. "I guess things kind of got out of hand huh? Well I was going to tell you at the cafe when we got down to business but I'm-" she grimaced. "Well you'd probably know me best as Ghost Step."

It was Lisa's turn to freeze as she tried to reconcile the embarrassed, clueless and strangely endearing girl sitting next to her with a vigilante that by some accounts spent all their time beating up drug dealers for their drug money.

"You're supposed to be a Mover!"

"That too." Madison shrugged, sounding strangely embarrassed about the whole thing.

"That too?! What does that even mean?!" Lisa exclaimed as something that had been nagging her finally clicked into place. How had Madison gotten her all the way from the Boardwalk to her house, to her room without even her own mother noticing?

"Did you teleport me from the cafe?"

"It was an emergency!"

Lisa wasn't sure if she wanted to thank the other girl or throttle her. "You teleported us in broad daylight in our civilian identities! Wait what's the time? Is there still time to go back before they realise there's an empty booth?"

Madison not meeting her eyes did not fill Lisa with confidence and her eyes narrowed at the fidgeting girl. "Madison what time is it right now?"

"It's not that late and it's fine! When I was sure you weren't about to die or something I teleported back and then left the normal way, you were only alone for like twenty minutes tops!"

Lisa really wasn't sure if that made her feel any better and grabbed her phone off the bedside table before turning an expectant look at Madison when she discovered it was turned off.

"Um, it kept going off and you really looked out of it so I turned it off, sorry?"

Lisa sighed and just pocketed it for the time being, the damage was already done and Madison clearly meant well even if that had somehow resulted in a Thinker battle she'd lost, technically been kidnapped and probably had her whole team thinking she'd been captured or killed. Hell, maybe they'd finally appreciate how awesome she was when they had to actually go without her for a few hours.

"Thanks, I think." She responded after a moment. "Though I doubt my team will thank you for kidnapping me."

Madison visibly winced. "Can we not call it kidnapping? Armsmaster is already looking for an excuse to arrest me even if it's you."

Lisa found herself too amused to be insulted as she connected the dots.

"Because of all the money PHO is saying you've been stealing?" She ventured and was rewarded with Madison's strained smile.

"Something like that." The other girl admitted with a faint blush and Lisa abruptly remembered another point she'd glossed over because of everything surrounding it.

"So that's why you need me! You want to launder all that cash!" Finally, finally everything was starting to make sense. Madison was just another small time villain who'd found themselves the perfect niche, where the PRT wouldn't spend too much effort on her if she kept going after other criminals. The only problem was Madison had no way to use any of it and her ridiculous bullshit power had pointed her to Lisa as a means to make the problem go away.

"Ugh, yes I needed the help of the nefarious and mysterious Tattletale and her group of petty thieves, since I figured you'd have experience in that sort of thing okay?"

Lisa knew when to back off from a sore subject (not that she actually always did so), but she could still be smugly satisfied about it. "So you jump in, grab the cash and transport it somewhere else so the PRT can never pin anything on you? That's smart." And Lisa could see so many ways that would make her life infinitely easier, even as another thought intruded and she frowned. "No, wait your quest said you have an inventory, what is that exactly?"

Madison gave her a flat look that still managed to have a hint of amusement to it. "I'm not sure I should be telling all my secrets to the villainous Thinker."

'Drat' She really wanted to recruit Madison, but what could she even offer? The money laundering was easy enough, but if Madison had wanted to join the team she would have lead with that. Once Coil found out Ghost Step had approached Tattletale about it she knew he'd bend over backwards to try and recruit her through Lisa. Failing that he'd still help out with the money laundering just for the potential blackmail material and to otherwise have an in with the only non-homicidal maniac of a Mover in the Bay. Hell he'd probably forgo his usual fee just to get a few free favours, it'd be worth it too in his position.

Lisa found her gaze wandering around the room as she thought on it. She didn't need Madison in The Undersiders as much as she thought it could be useful, but Madison had already jumped to help her before she'd even known Lisa. If there was even a chance she could help her escape Coil...

Lisa blinked as she remembered just where she was, Madison had told her her name, she'd taken Lisa to her bedroom as the only safe place she could think of when she could have just left her there in the cafe like anyone else would have done.

Like she would have done.

Madison had already given her an absurd amount of trust and maybe part of that was unwillingly or even unknowingly considering how new and completely naive she seemed to be in some respects, but Lisa was startled to find she didn't want to abuse it. Use it? Yes. Potentially have Madison help her not be tortured and murdered by her sociopath of a boss? Absolutely. Have Madison possibly help in killing the smug asshole? Definitely something she'd be thinking very hard about.

But as Lisa looked down at the blanket Madison had placed over her while she was out cold and completely defenceless she realised that the girl sitting next to her, the one who'd known her for less than a day had already put more faith in her than anyone else she'd ever met. Was Madison an idiot? Yes, absolutely. But did she even want to try and reciprocate that kindness, if only to repay the debt she owed the other girl? Hell, how could she even start if she did?

Then she had an idea. It was a terrible idea, but as she considered it, rolling the thought around in her mind she figured it'd at least be in keeping with everything else that had happened in her day so far as she turned to the other girl with a small, but genuine grin.

"So as nice as your bedroom is, do you want to see what a real evil villain lair looks like?"

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

"Right now?" Madison couldn't help but ask of the Villain who looked far too pleased with herself.

Sure she'd found her weak spot with her evil Thinker powers, but there was no reason to let her know that.

"Sure, why not?" Lisa shrugged. "We can get a taxi part of the way and walk the rest unless your power actually lets you teleport anywhere?"

Madison rolled her eyes at the obvious probe. "Right. Well I'm technically grounded right now for reasons, so I'll need to ask my mom."

Madison abjectly ignored the obvious interest that shone in Lisa's eyes as she wondered if all Thinkers couldn't help but ask every question that popped into their head, or if that was just a Lisa thing.

"I can wait here if you want to go and ask her?"

"I'm not leaving you here out of sight thanks."

"Again you mean."

"Again." Madison reluctantly agreed as Lisa shrugged far too innocently and got up to follow her downstairs.

She found her mom sitting in the kitchen with her tablet, though she looked up as Madison hovered by the doorway, seeing her mom's gaze slip around her to where she knew Lisa was probably poking her head around the side.

"Hey mom, is it okay if I see Lisa home safely?"

"Oh so her name is Lisa is it?" Her mom smiled, pausing whatever program she was watching to give them her full attention. "And do I get to meet her, or are you going to keep hiding her in the hallway behind you?"

She knew a losing battle when she saw one and stepped to the side to allow Lisa to take the spotlight for better or worse. Probably worse.

"Hi Mrs Clements, thanks for having me." And Madison had to give it to Lisa, she didn't look like a Villain at all. Just a girl a bit more mature, far better looking and with way better style than herself as Lisa smiled back at her mom with a little wave of her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you too Lisa, Madison's certainly kept you close to her chest."

Madison wanted to die, why did she think letting them meet would ever be a good idea?

"We only met recently actually, but I'm enjoying getting to know her."

'That cheeky little-'

"Is that so?" Her mother opined and Madison's sinking feeling became a crater. "And what are your intentions towards my daughter Lisa?"

Yep, she was officially in hell. She should have just left the Villain alone in her room to hack into her PC or something, anything would be better than enduring her mom and Lisa getting along.

"Well." Lisa hummed as she blatantly ignored the daggers Madison was sending her way. "I'd say I'm seducing her to the dark side, but I'm pretty sure she's already there. So let's just say I'm trying to recruit her into my life of dastardly villainy if that's alright with you Mrs Clements?"

"Seriously?!" She couldn't help but hiss. Sure, why not tell her they both had powers while she was at it.

Her mom laughed, which Madison couldn't immediately decide whether or not that was a good thing. "Of course Lisa, I think my daughter needs to get out more anyway, will you both be back for dinner?"

Lisa threw her a questioning look, but Madison wasn't sure which answer would dig her hole deeper and deferred. "I don't know yet, I'll text you when I know?"

"Sure thing, I'll let your father know when he gets back."

"What was that?!" Madison asked the moment they were back upstairs in her room, but Lisa only shrugged in complete and unrepentant amusement.

"I just got your mom's permission for you to join The Undersiders." She grinned as Madison let herself flop back onto her bed with a groan.

"I should have just teleported you into the sun instead..."

"You can do that?"

"The more annoying you are, the higher it gets on my to do list."

She felt the mattress sink as Lisa sat down next to her and she looked down from staring at the ceiling to see Lisa glancing at her phone as it turned back on.

"Great." She heard the other girl mutter, curiosity compelling her to sit back up.

"Your team?"

"And the boss." Lisa sighed. "Whatever, I'll text Grue so he doesn't freak out."

'Right Lisa has a team.' Madison belatedly remembered. Dealing with Lisa was already a handful, she wasn't sure what she'd do if the rest were like the girl sitting next to her. "Will I see them there?" She couldn't help but ask, not sure which answer she'd prefer, which wasn't helped when Lisa briefly looked her way with a shrug.

"Grue might stick around just so he can yell at me for having my phone off, Regent might still be in bed and Bitch just comes and goes unless we have a job."

"Bitch?" Madison asked curiously, she didn't remember seeing anyone with that name on the roster.

"Right." Lisa muttered as if only just remembering something. "Hellhound is just what everyone calls her, a nice PR friendly name from the PRT, but her cape name's actually Bitch. Also the whole thing with you knowing my real name? Don't let anyone else know you can do that, the unwritten rules don't like that sort of thing and it probably won't end well for either of us."

Madison had read about the unwritten rules, though whenever they popped up there were always slight differences between them and she realised that she suddenly had a very good opportunity to get the actual details from a source she could trust, with Lisa herself being a cape and one far more experienced than her too.

"I read about the unwritten rules, but it's hard to know what's true you know?" She started, noticing she'd gotten Lisa's attention from whatever she was doing. "Do you mind explaining them a bit more so I don't accidentally break them?" Because the last thing she wanted to do was break any rules that would have both the Heroes and the Villains after her if what she'd read online was true.

Lisa sighed, though it felt more of a 'where to even begin' than anything against her personally and Madison watched as she put away her phone before turning to face her properly. "They're like a code of honour really and yes they can vary depending on who you're talking to, but the main ones are about respecting civilian identities."

"Basically." Lisa continued after a pause. "You don't try and find out what someone's real name is and you don't go after their family. Anyone who does that sort of thing tends to disappear pretty quickly and they're lucky if the Heroes get to them first."

Madison thought back to her interaction with Lisa and felt her stomach drop. "So what I did..."

Lisa nodded seriously. "Was a big no no, anyone who doesn't respect the rules like that is generally not someone you want to be involved with. I was trying to figure out your angle before everything else happened."

"Sorry." She couldn't help but offer even as it didn't feel like enough. Her eyes sinking to find the floor, feeling awful that she'd put Lisa in that position. "If it helps I didn't even know your name until Quest told me just before you blacked out. When I chose The Undersiders for the money laundering quest she just had me walk down the Boardwalk until she pointed out exactly where you were."

Lisa was silent long enough for Madison to look back up to see the other girl's face marred by a frown. "So you picked me over Faultline and your power gradually narrowed down where I was? If your power hadn't given you that quest would you have even known my name at all?"

Madison shook her head. "No, I only knew you as Tattletale, I didn't even think about it really."

"What's done is done." Lisa sighed. "Yeah it sucked, but you were just doing what your power suggested. I'm not going to blame you for that this time when you didn't even know any better."

"Thanks." Madison smiled back at the other girl as Lisa's phone buzzed and she went to grab it. "So anything else important I should know?"

"Huh, that was fast." Lisa muttered as she glanced back to her. "Ride's here" she said by way of explanation as Madison gave her a questioning look, standing from the bed with a stretch and Madison moved to follow as Lisa quickly finished off her impromptu lecture.

"And no. Not really anything that applies to you." Lisa continued as she grabbed her coat and bag from where Madison had left them hung up outside her wardrobe. "Trying not to kill people is a no brainer, which is why guns are frowned upon. No one wants things to escalate if they can help it. Though the whole no killing thing is more aimed at capes not killing civilians than each other unless it's the Wards." She scoffed. "Someone like Lung would kill you or me without hesitating, but he knows if he hurts a Ward too badly they'd have an excuse to finally put a kill order on his head."

Madison found herself nodding along as she grabbed her own jacket. Lethal force had been something that had crossed her mind more than once with the amount of people that had tried to kill her already. It was always going to be a last resort, but having someone literally shoot her in the chest had a way of making it seem a lot less morally wrong if she was forced to use it to save herself or someone she was trying to protect.

As she followed Lisa downstairs she couldn't help but see things in a new light from how Lisa had talked about how guns were frowned upon in the wider cape scene. She'd never quite got why the PRT were primarily equipped with containment foam launchers and only seemed to go for live ammo in the worst cases. That and how most capes, Hero or Villain didn't tend to use guns unless it was literally a part of their power like Miss Militia.

As she watched the other girl making her way down the stairs in front of her Madison found that the Villain's words had given her a curious new sense of respect for Lisa herself, that she was only ever armed with a pistol and knew full well what might happen if she was ever forced to use it.

When she'd brought Lisa back to her room she'd definitely been very surprised to find Lisa had a concealed holster with a fully loaded pistol hiding under her sweater and the last thing she'd wanted was for a Villain to wake up in her bedroom within arm's reach of a gun, nominal ally or not. Even if said Villain kept making adorably pathetic sounds each of the times she'd woken up to either blink dazedly at her with her weirdly color flecked eyes or mechanically chug down a glass of water until whatever was going on with her had passed. Madison couldn't help but wonder if she'd looked something like that during her own trigger event with how she'd felt after it.

The pistol itself was still sitting in her Inventory along with the others and while part of her had wanted to give it back immediately, another part of her kind of wanted to keep it and it wasn't her fault if Lisa hadn't thought to ask yet. Sure she still had a couple of pistols that other criminals had tried to shoot her with, but Lisa's looked at least police grade and well maintained too. She didn't even know if the other pistols she'd inadvertently grabbed had any bullets left either, not wanting to bring them out of her Inventory for the exact same reasons she hadn't started piling cash around her room.

The idea of having a back-up weapon as a last resort was far, far more tempting than she'd ever thought it would be and she wondered if it made her a bad person that she wanted the sense of security from knowing she had such a weapon only a thought away if she ever needed it.

But for all that she might have wanted it, she also knew it would be a liability at best and she wasn't sure if actually having the option of using it would actually be worse. That she might find herself too tempted to resort to it instead of thinking up a better way out of whatever situation she'd found herself in. She wanted to be better than that and it scared her a little how quickly things could escalate if she gave in even once.

Playing FPS games was one thing and sure guns were about as complicated as point and click when it came to actually shooting people given her advantages that made things like distance irrelevant. But she didn't know the first thing about setting the sights, proper stance, cleaning and maintaining them and the last thing she wanted was to have one of her guns explode in her hand, or even worse if she accidentally shot someone she didn't intend to. That probably wasn't the sort of thing she could come back from, even the Wards had limits she assumed.

Maybe she could trade it back to Lisa for lessons Madison idly wondered as they left the house, glad Lisa's power was still knocked out so she couldn't potentially figure out her train of thought. Her mind then drifting to the idea of trying to liberate some confoam grenades from the PRT instead and whether or not she'd be able to get away with it.

Lisa Wilbourn

She'd been too distracted by her thoughts to make much of a conversation with Madison during the taxi ride over as her power had slowly seemed to wake up and proceed to confuse her and she assumed anything the other girl had wanted to talk about wasn't something she wanted to do in front of a random taxi driver in any case.

Ally Madison Clements' bedroom contained no pictures of friends, isolated socially, few/no friends, has not been able to discuss powers with peers, parents unaware of power, desires peers to safely discuss powers with. Ally Madison Clements has placed trust in Lisa Wilbourn due to desire for friendship and professional relationship, however concerned level of trust misplaced, concerned about over sharing, concerned Lisa Wilbourn may use information on powers to enact betrayal at later time

Lisa frowned for the second time in as many minutes. Since her power had come back Madison was no longer 'Madison' she was 'Ally Madison Clements.' The addition of the surname at least she could understand since she'd learnt it when reading the quest in the other girl's notepad. The 'Ally' part however left a lot to be explained.

She turned her gaze to the driver in front of them, letting her power go to work as it took in the man and all the little details in the front of the cab she could consciously and subconsciously make out.

Taxi driver Raheem Abdul, has worked job for several years, aware of optimal routes to destination, taking expedient route. Concern/Care for female passengers likely due to own daughters of younger age.

'That's more like it.' Lisa thought to herself, her gaze slipping back to Madison who at some point had started to absently look out the window, even if it looked like her thoughts were elsewhere with the small frown curling her lips. 'Okay power' Lisa thought to herself, 'why is Madison suddenly an ally?'

Resource Access Denied/ Resource Access Exception: Initial Power interaction detrimental to Lisa Wilbourn's health, Ally Madison Clements unaware of nature of Power interaction, did not want Lisa Wilbourn to be harmed, therefore Lisa Wilbourn unharmed. Ally Madison Clements and Lisa Wilbourn desire mutually beneficial relationship with broadly aligned moral framework/goals.

Denotation of reciprocal 'allied' status due to nature and result of sustained Power interaction. Lisa Wilbourn Power restoration complete with Host/ally exceptions, Ally Madison Clements is ally exception. Lisa Wilbourn currently within aegis of Ally Madison Clements. Lisa Wilbourn will attempt to protect Ally Madison Clements from Coil within reason

Lisa Wilbourn personality precludes hostile action towards useful/liked ally without cause. Lisa Wilbourn aware of utility of Ally Madison Clements in furtherance of primary goal, will be compelled to cultivate strategic asset. Ally Madison Clements socially isolated, few/no friends, flexible moral code to uphold values and protect those cared about, will not betray Lisa Wilbourn without cause.

Lisa Wilbourn Power recommends non-hostility towards Ally Madison Clements in furtherance of goals

Lisa blinked at the deluge of information that seemed to be best summed up as 'things could have gone a lot worse if Madison had actually seen you as a threat,' which was... Something she wasn't quite sure how to process, glancing at the other girl who hadn't given any hints she knew what was going on anymore than Lisa herself did.

'So try not to antagonise the Thinker-Trump who's on your side too much, got it.' She thought to herself sardonically and paused. Her power didn't do recommendations, though it had also never been beaten into submission by another Thinker power before either, so she was just going to accept it was definitely a day of firsts. Not that she was going to leave it alone as she prodded at her power again.

Lisa Wilbourn anthropomorphising Power. Recommendations not self-actualised intent but conclusions based upon given datasets and host context filters. Lisa Wilbourn aware excessive hostility towards ally detrimental to objectives, Lisa Wilbourn inexperienced with building positive relationships, insecure due to lack of complete control, relying on Power to provide advantage due to existent anxieties

'Snippy.' She mused in annoyance, she wasn't insecure and didn't need a psych evaluation from her own power! Dropping the line of thought for the time being even as she wondered if the aegis of protection she was apparently under meant she was now included in Madison's anti-Thinker effect by default when they were together. Though she stored that thought away too for the time being as she returned to the bigger question at hand and not only because she didn't want to push her power when she'd only just got it back (and it might say something else completely unfounded).

Getting Madison to join The Undersiders was the whole point of their little excursion to the Loft after all and knowing Madison was basically a friendless loner would hopefully make the sell a lot easier once they got there and the other girl could see what Lisa was offering beyond her own charm and wit of course.

When she'd been answering texts back in Madison's room, what she hadn't told the other girl was that she'd let Brian know she was bringing back a potential new recruit for him to meet. And even if she hadn't pointed it out anyway (only partially to annoy him), Brian knew well enough to make sure Rachel was nowhere nearby. Lisa knew he wasn't too hung about losing Spitfire himself, but she also knew it stung his professional pride as the team leader to have one prospective and willing recruit attacked and scared off by a member of his own team.

Ghost Step would meet Grue and maybe if things went well, Madison would meet Brian. It wouldn't be all that hard either if Lisa admitted that her and Madison were already on a first name basis, though she figured she'd play it by ear when they got there.

"Do you think I should carry a gun?"

Whatever topic Lisa had expected Madison to dive into first after they'd escaped the taxi, gun ownership definitely hadn't been on Lisa's bingo card and she couldn't help but reflexively lean on her power to help her out.

Ally Madison Clements concerned about firepower, but also concerned about risk of escalation. Has been in life threatening situations before, expects to be in life threatening situations again. Wants security of firearm, however concerned over implications and risks following clarification of unwritten rules. Ally Madison Clements has Lisa Wilbourn's firearm and has potentially secured other firearms.

"You stole my gun!" She couldn't help but blurt out as she realised what had been itching at the back of her mind since she'd sat down in the taxi, her hand going to her suddenly very conspicuously empty holster.

Ally Madison Clements secured Lisa Wilbourn's firearm due to perceived risks of unknown armed villain in civilian residence.

'Shut up power!' She wasn't being unreasonable about things!

"I wasn't going to give you back a gun in my house Lisa and I don't think you want me to hand it over right now either."

Lisa looked away rather than admitting Madison might have had a point about not handing over a firearm in the middle of the afternoon as they were walking down the street. It might have been the Docks, but it definitely wasn't the sort of area that would have gone unremarked upon.

"Fine." She didn't pout. "But you're handing it over as soon as we get back to the lair!"

"Sure, sure." Madison waved her off before pausing. "Wait do you actually call it the lair?"

Lisa groaned, not that conversation again.

Chapter Text

Lisa Wilbourn

After explaining that yes they did call it the lair sometimes and no that wasn't a good enough reason for Madison to start laughing at her they somehow managed to circle back to their original discussion.

"It's up to you really." Lisa continued to Madison's attentive gaze. "I carry because I'm a squishy Thinker and being able to turn someone into a broken crying mess with a few words doesn't really help if I'm up against someone who's not going to stop and listen or can't."

She saw Madison nod along consideringly, probably comparing their own relative abilities or thinking about the types of people she'd already faced off with, which was something she'd have to ask the other girl about later. "You on the other hand should be able to get out of the way of anything that wants you dead and pulling out a gun is just going to give everyone a reason to go lethal on you from the start."

"You mean more than they already do?" Madison snarked and Lisa gave her a commiserating look.

"The rules are different for everyone else, for them and the public some gang member shooting at a cape is just the gang member trying to level the playing field. If you start firing back then people are going to think you're a lot more dangerous and unreasonable than you actually are. What is your go to weapon exactly?" PHO had the girl next to her using metal pipes, baseball bats and crowbars to name a few, so it would be nice to get the information straight from the source for once.

"Right now?" Madison looked to her with a grimace. "A crowbar, which isn't a great look I know."

"Yeah, not going to get any brownie points with the PRT there." Lisa chuckled as she tried to imagine that rebrand. "Are you getting a new weapon when you get a costume upgrade?" Because Lisa assumed 'hoodie and domino mask' wasn't exactly by choice either.

"Hopefully?" Madison seemed to question herself, "I don't even know if that's something Parian can do unless you know?"

"You've got Parian to work with you?" That was surprising, Lisa hadn't heard of anyone getting a costume from the Rogue despite attempts in the past. With Coil bankrolling The Undersiders that hadn't been a problem she'd ever really had to think about, but she could see how it put Madison in an awkward position.

"Maybe?" The other girl hedged uncertainly. "She hasn't got back to me yet, but I'm hoping she'll say yes."

"Hmmm." Lisa hummed, "well I can always help you out there if not." Even if it had been thanks to Coil's contacts, she had no complaints about her own bodysuit and she knew Coil would throw it in as a sign-up bonus if Madison did decide to join the team. But she'd wait until Parian refused her first, Lisa wasn't honestly expecting Madison to want to jump on board from just one visit to the Loft and it'd be another thing she could use to sweeten the pot with later down the line.

"Thanks Lisa, how much further anyway?"

"A few minutes." She returned, "not been this far into the Docks before?"

Madison shook her head. "Not this side of it at least, doesn't look that much better in the day." She mused and Lisa didn't comment, curious how the other girl would react to the hideout itself.

Madison Clements

She could see Lisa watching her and looking far too pleased with herself as they stopped at an old abandoned factory that didn't look any different to the last three they'd past on the way there.

Though Madison assumed that was the point as she scrutinised it and saw nothing that would distinguish it as an evil Villain's lair. It was just another red brick factory, this one still managing to have its sliding door shut, though since it looked completely rusted over she doubted anything less than Brute strength or an excavator would be able to get it open. Something Madison noted would have also done the job of keeping out any homeless or anyone else looking for an easy space out of the cold.

"Come on, this way." Lisa gestured, leading her around the side of the building where out of sight - Unless you were directly in front of it was a small side door that looked almost as bad as the main door out front. Though looks were deceiving as it opened without even the hint of rusted hinges as Lisa easily pushed it open.

To Madison's surprise the inside wasn't any better either, high dusty windows letting in some grey light to mark all the stripped down machinery that were left as rusted hulks across the wide space.

"Your secret lair is underground?!" She asked, a tiny amount of excitement leaking into her tone. A secret lair was one thing, a secret underground lair was another factor of cool on top.

Lisa looked annoyed, though she managed to squash it before Madison could comment. "Nope, this is cooler anyway pipsqueak."

Yep, she'd annoyed her. Though Madison wasn't sure how as Lisa lead her across to a staircase in the corner that spiralled upwards to parts unknown, before the other girl stopped and turned back to her.

"So one thing before we go up, are we introducing you as Ghost Step or Madison? I've got a mask on me if you need."

Considering the almost disaster of meeting Parian and the actual disaster (even if it had worked out in the end) of meeting Lisa, Madison took a moment to actually think about it. Did she care if the other Undersiders knew who she was? She already knew Lisa's identity and Lisa already knew hers, the Villain had met her mom, something Madison would probably regret until the day she died.

Was she engaging Tattletale's services or The Undersiders as a whole? Would it be better in the long run if they thought they could trust her even if it meant trusting them back? If they were the kind of sociopaths to go after her civilian persona or her family she doubted they'd have been happy being little more than petty thieves for the last year or so to begin with. But there was Hellhound, no Bitch she corrected herself who had a murder charge against her, Madison finding herself frowning as she thought everything over, turning her gaze back on Lisa who seemed happy to wait patiently while she mulled it over.

"Can I trust them?" She asked, "The wiki had nothing really on you guys except Bitch and that entry wasn't exactly encouraging." Honestly if Regent or Tattletale's entries had held anything similar, she might have more strongly considered going with Faultline despite her numerous reservations about the mercenary group.

Lisa winced, which Madison had noted was a rare thing to see on the other girl's face. "Bitch is... Difficult. I know you're thinking about the murder charge, but that was during her trigger when her abusive foster mom tried to murder her puppy in front of her. You know how her power makes her dogs into, well hellhounds?"

Madison nodded, already captivated by the start of a story she could see playing out in all of its macabre horror.

"Well imagine an abused thirteen year old trying to save a puppy, the only thing that ever loved her back and having no idea she even has a power. The puppy, which honestly having looked into it I'm pretty sure was actually a wolf cub tried to protect Rachel in turn... And that's how the worst off parahumans tend to get murder charges on the most horrible day of their lives and also why there's a lot of leniency in the law for that sort of thing."

Madison cocked her head to the side curiously, a small frown on her face as one point stuck out to her. "If the law is like you said, why does she still have a murder charge then?"

Lisa sighed. "Bitch didn't know what had happened or what was going on, she ran away and lived off the streets. The media labelled her a Villain, her actions after didn't exactly help and that was that."

Somehow Madison didn't think that was the whole story. "Why do I get the feeling she's still not someone I want to meet despite knowing all that?"

"Yeah." Lisa looked away. "Bitch doesn't really do the whole human relationships thing all that well. Thanks to all the crap she's been through and her power they're more of a dominance thing I think. We're her 'pack' so we're mostly fine there, but everyone else doesn't exactly get the best side of her."

"Okay..." Madison replied as she tried to consider that giant mess. "So if she's up there she'll either ignore me or attack me?"

"Something like that." Lisa replied vaguely and Madison narrowed her eyes at her, recognising bullshit when she heard it.

"Okay, okay!" Lisa started, throwing up her hands. "She attacked the last person I brought over for a meet, but you'll be fine! You can just teleport away! And she's not here anyway, I made sure of it!"

"Thank you Lisa." She replied sweetly in a voice she'd learnt from her mother and was satisfied when the other girl grimaced.

"So, mask on or off do you think then?" Madison continued with a hum, not really sure it was actually going to matter considering Lisa already knew and Bitch would probably attack her on sight regardless.

"Up to you really." Lisa shrugged. "You don't have a real costume yet, so first impressions wouldn't have been great if you turned up in your Vigilante clothes anyway. Regent won't care and Grue will just shake your hand whichever alias you go with."

That was the other name that had no information. "Who is Regent anyway? His wiki entry was as bad as yours for info" she asked as she let the Vigilante comment slide. The matter of just who she was going to be meeting more pressing on her mind right then.

"Consummate slacker, irritating, plays videogames half the day, sleeps the other half." Lisa replied while ticking off each point with her fingers. "Honestly it's even odds he'll even notice you if he's awake."

"Huh." Madison replied for lack of anything better to say. For a Villain team that had supposedly survived a whole year in the Bay, they weren't really what she'd expected, not that she'd really known what to expect either.

"Well let's go with mask off then." She decided, hearing the words aloud help sealing the deal in her mind and she paused briefly just to make sure Quest wasn't going to pop up with a notification window and tell her off, nodding to herself when nothing of the sort happened. "Looks like Quest agrees, so lead on Villainess."

Lisa gave her a bemused look before she turned and headed up the stairs, not looking back to see if she was following as Madison came up the staircase behind her, curiosity and the edges of excitement nipping at her mind as she couldn't help but wonder what she'd find at the top.

Lisa Wilbourn

Lisa smiled in well deserved smug satisfaction as Madison's eyes widened at seeing the Loft for the first time. Underground lairs had nothing on a converted and refurbished loft with all the fancy furnishings and modern necessities illegal earnings could buy.

"Holy crap."

Ally Madison Clements surprised and excited at quality of living space, no longer disappointed at lack of underground lair

'Damn straight.' Lisa thought to herself, sure the place might have been a bit of a mess with the wide living room area serving as a sort of dumping ground for various articles of clothing, empty wrappers and other miscellanea. But Lisa had been in Madison's house and knew the other girl didn't have anything close to their entertainment system set up. The Loft had about every type of media player and game console on the market with a surround sound system that had speakers almost as tall as Madison herself. Getting the giant flat screen upstairs had been a pain in the ass, but totally worth it.

"Do all supervillains have lairs like this?" Madison asked, tearing her eyes away from the TV that had some videogame Lisa didn't recognise paused and Lisa was glad she got to make the first impression before Alec could appear and ruin it.

"Only the sophisticated ones." Came Alec's voice as they both turned to see him emerging from the kitchen at the end of the hall with a new bag of chips.

"Who's the squirt?" He asked as he drew closer, throwing a patently disinterested glance at Madison who was giving him an equally dubious once over.

Lisa held back a sigh, her good mood dampening slightly. She'd been hoping to at least have Madison meet Brian first.

"Regent this is Ghost Step. Ghost Step, Regent."

"Hi, I'm Madison." The girl next to her chirped, completely ignoring her. Madison's voice a mixture of curiosity and the satisfaction of being able to put a face to a name.

"Alec." Her teammate threw back, only looking slightly surprised at getting a real name before walking around the sofa and collapsing back into it. He might have questions later, but Alec at least trusted her far enough that he knew Lisa wouldn't go out of her way to screw them over so obviously.

"Like I said." Lisa continued, turning to a bemused Madison whose gaze flickered back to her. "Pain in the ass when he isn't being an asshole."

"I'm not going to remember her name if Rachel is just going to chase her off like the last one."

Alec will remember Ally Madison Clements name, however has chosen to prioritise annoying Lisa Wilbourn. Does not believe Ally Madison Clements will remain after interaction with Rachel. Does not recognise alias Ghost Step

"Is that Phantasm's Fall Two? Didn't that only come out like yesterday?" Madison asked with such an obvious interest that Lisa wasn't even sure Madison had registered Alec's insult, watching as the shorter girl wandered closer to the sofa and got Alec's attention before Lisa could throw something scathing back at one of her personal headaches in human form.

She saw the brief raise of Alec's eyebrows as he glanced back to Madison briefly, not even bothering to pause the game before his attention went back to it. Though for him that meant Madison had gone from 'passing interest' to 'potentially interesting if she survives Rachel.'

"Yup." He replied after a moment of something flashy happening on the TV. "Went and grabbed it this morning, you play?"

"I played the first one, but my rig is way under spec now, I think it would melt trying to run that."

"Just get it on console then."

"I can't afford that, it's like eight hundred dollars!"

Alec shrugged. "Won't be much of an issue if you hang around."

Alec interested in having a teammate to play and discuss videogames with. Ally Madison Clements interested in having a friend to play and discuss videogames with. Ally Madison Clements interested in using Undersiders entertainment system, is curious if Lisa Wilbourn plays videogames too

Lisa decided to assume for the sake of her sanity that it was a good thing the two of them seemed to be getting along, pulling out her phone to text Brian to see where he was.

Lisa: Where are you? Ghost Step at Loft.

Brian: On phone. Done soon.

Brian in Loft, in own room, time of day and interruption of schedule indicates familial phone call

That was the one downside of having soundproofed rooms, if there weren't any obvious indicators she sometimes wouldn't have anything to go off to even know her teammates were in the building. She spared a glance down the hall as if their nominal team leader was about to appear, before turning her attention to the one teammate and one potential future teammate in front of her, who were both engaged in watching whatever was happening on the screen.

Lisa could vaguely understand the appeal, but with her power it made a lot of normal leisure activities too annoying to be worth it when her power would figure out the culprit in a whodunit before the halfway mark, or point out all production issues in a TV show she was watching.

Mercifully it only took a couple of minutes that she spent answering a few messages on her phone before she caught the sound of Brian's door opening from further down the hall. Glancing back she saw the other two hadn't noticed yet, Alec still engaged in his videogame and Madison seemingly content to watch him play as she leaned over the back of the sofa in obvious interest.

Lisa caught Brian's eye as he made his way over, glad to see that whatever it was that had held him up hadn't affected his mood in any noticeable way.

She saw Madison look back almost absently as Brian appeared and then almost startle at the new person present, quickly pushing herself off the back of the sofa to turn around, the sudden movement causing Alec to look back briefly to see what had caught her attention before he dismissed them all and returned to the game without a word.

"Hi, I'm Madison! I'm guessing you're Grue?" Madison offered along with her hand, looking impressed at Brian's appearance in the same way she had seeing the Loft for the first time and in the same way she noticeably hadn't upon seeing Alec, the two of them shaking hands as Lisa's own gaze flitted between them.

"Brian."

Brian surprised at introduction, annoyed at Lisa Wilbourn for lack of warning, feels pressured to provide own name, satisfied Ally Madison Clements appears less skittish than Spitfire, interested in capabilities

Lisa wondered if she had maybe been misreading things back in Madison's room and if the other girl actually had a thing for big musclely guys instead, reflexively pushing on her power-

Resource Access Denied / Resource Access Exception: Be good Lisa

"What the fuck?!"

Lisa only realised she was the one who had spoken when everyone in the room turned to look at her and she glared at the shorter girl in front of her as she tried to quickly bury her shock and embarrassment.

"What's up Lisa?" Madison asked, more curious than concerned, like she hadn't just blocked her power and telepathically scolded her in the same breath.

Ally Madison Clements did not block or send message to Lisa Wilbourn's Power. Ally Madison Clements' mental privacy prioritised by Host/Power in accordance with ally Power interaction dynamic protocols

"Your power just told me off!"

"Oh what did you do?" Madison perked up with a grin as even Alec paused his game to watch. "She only does that to me when I do something really stupid."

"Nothing!" She protested and managed to get a flat look from everyone present, which was entirely unfair!

"I thought you were Ghost Step, the Mover right?" Brian interrupted towards Madison before Lisa could start trying to dig herself out of the hole Madison's power had pushed her into.

"It's complicated." Madison shrugged, "I think Lisa called me a Thinker-Trump as well?"

Brian looked impressed as he glanced to her briefly for confirmation and she nodded. She couldn't blame him for the way he was suddenly looking at Madison in a whole new light, grab bag capes were already uncommon and Madison was a cut above with an even rarer power set combination besides. it didn't take a genius to see how useful she could be.

"Huh, we'll have to talk about that later, but Lisa said you were interested in joining the team?"

No Lisa hadn't said that! She'd said she had a potential new recruit to bring over and far too late she suddenly realised how poorly she'd worded her text to him. Especially without her power on hand to point out just how easily it could have been misread by someone as straight laced as Brian.

But rather than surprise, interest, indignation or any of the other myriad emotions Lisa might have expected from the other girl, she instead watched as Madison cocked her head to the side as she looked back at him quizzically, a small puzzled frown on her lips as she replied.

"No? I'm an Independent Hero."

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

She wasn't sure why everyone had seemingly frozen like she'd said something in a completely different language.

"But you're a Villain!" Lisa sputtered as Brian seemed completely nonplussed and Alec looked entirely too entertained.

"Nope, Independent Hero. Ghost Step's just my temporary name until I get my costume and everything sorted." She shrugged, wondering how many times she'd have to repeat herself if every Hero and Villain she met was going to call her out on it.

"But you steal from people!"

"I steal from drug dealers." She corrected, amusement creeping into her tone. "Besides, I told you earlier why I contacted you."

"Lisa." Brian growled. "Why did you bring an aspiring Hero into our hideout?" Before he looked back to her with a far more appraising gaze. "Are we going to have issues?"

She really wondered what Lisa had said to Brian before bringing her over if he was so surprised by her admission. "Nope, I wanted you guys' help in laundering all the money I took, besides, honour among thieves right?"

Alec cackled. "Amazing Lisa, you're two for two on amazingly bad picks, please do keep it up this is hilarious."

"No! I'm not wrong!" Lisa snapped and seemed to be having a hard time deciding who to glare at first. "You're an Independent Villain hitting targets of opportunity and you've got the perfect spot where the targets you pick mean no one has a good enough reason to come after you in force yet!" Lisa threw up her hands and continued before anyone could get a word in.

"The PRT only care about your Mover rating and they aren't going hard because they think they can either convince you to come in or wait for you to fuck up big enough they can do another Shadow Stalker and force you in that way!"

Lisa stabbed her finger towards her. "You need a team to survive long term and The Undersiders are obviously best positioned to help you. You'll get a retainer fee every month for just sitting on your ass doing nothing like Alec until we have a job, which is far better money long term than trying to keep hitting random targets, hoping for a big haul until they wise up and make it impossible for you!"

No one said anything for a moment, though Madison doubted Lisa appreciated Alec's slow clap. She had to give it to Lisa though, the thread of logic was pretty flawless and gave her a perspective on her own actions she hadn't really appreciated up until that point. That and knowing what the PRT actually thought of her and boy was she going to have to grill Lisa on that later at some point, even if it was a load off her mind.

Still, she had seen those same threads on PHO too if that was where Lisa was getting all her info from and while it definitely stung to see everyone labelling her a Villain targeting the Merchants, if not an outright Nazi wannabe - It wasn't like the PRT were going to step in and run PR for her. That was something she'd quickly realised she'd need to do herself once she debuted properly. Hell the first time she'd seen a thread on her come up, they were calling her 'Ghost Slip' until someone had eventually corrected them.

"Um, you know I'm not in this for the money right?" She offered cautiously and Lisa's gaze swung back to her, annoyance turning into exasperation.

"You approached me for money laundering! Gah! How do you still think you're a Hero?!"

Madison wondered if Lisa was getting some interesting feedback from her power as she only seemed to grow more frustrated the more she talked.

"I'm pretty sure I told you I'm just stealing enough for my costume and equipment, once I have everything I need I won't really need to keep stealing money from all the bad guys I arrest." She replied, not being able to help some amusement from leaking into her voice at Lisa's exasperation. But it wasn't like she was lying, she was collecting crime money for a reason after all: A real costume, some kind of weapon that would be as functional as her trusty crowbar, but hopefully a bit more PR friendly as well as some back-up clothing too and she still had no idea how much everything would cost yet! Maybe she should look into setting up a donations page like New Wave had when she debuted properly? A thought for later she supposed.

Brian sighed deeply, though it was hard to tell if it was aimed at Lisa, her or just the situation overall. "Right, Lisa do what you have to do but we'll be having words later."

He turned to her. "It was nice to meet you Madison and the offer is still on table if you want it, but if you're not interested right now I've got other things I need to do so I'm going to head off."

"Oh, well it was nice to meet you too." She smiled back quickly as he made his way past them and was pleased he made at least the token effort of returning it before he quickly vanished out of sight down the stairs.

Madison turned back to Lisa who was levelling her a flat look, the blonde giving every impression that she blamed her for the fact she'd come to entirely the wrong conclusions and had managed to get herself in trouble with the rest of her own team because of it.

"You are the worst Hero ever."

"Rude!"

After watching Lisa snipe back and forth with Alec for a few minutes, leaving her wondering just how close they actually were, Lisa had proceeded to drag her back to what she had quickly realised was Lisa's own bedroom to discuss what she'd originally wanted to discuss in the first place.

"Okay." Lisa began, waking up her desktop which Madison had immediately noted was significantly better than hers. As was pretty much every single piece of tech she could see, even the room as a whole looked more like an office trying to be a bedroom than somewhere she could ever really see someone coming to relax.

"For obvious reasons we don't launder any of the money ourselves, all our hauls go through the boss who cleans it and puts it in our accounts. There's usually about a 20% handling fee, which would normally be higher for you as it's the first time and you're an outside client at that, but I think you'll be fine. So!" Lisa clapped her hands. "How much do you actually have?"

"Ah." Madison said intelligently, feeling like she should have been better prepared for the question than she was. "I haven't...  Actually counted it yet?"

Lisa gave her a look and Madison squirmed.

"We don't all have super secret hideouts!" She sputtered indignantly. "Can you imagine what my mom would say if she walked in on me counting all my cash?!" Because she could and it terrified her.

Lisa laughed. "Okay that's fair, so we can pencil that in as TBA unless you want to bring it here? I even promise not to steal any."

Madison rolled her eyes, but it was actually a really good point. She'd been banging her head on where and when she'd be able to do it so...  Why not in the middle of an actual secret hideout?

"Do you mind?" She asked to Lisa's surprised and then calculating expression.

"You don't have it on you, but you can still access it through your power? That's what the Inventory is?"

Well Madison had known she wasn't exactly going to be able to hide that part of her powers forever, especially from a Thinker and instead decided to just kill two birds with one stone.

"Ta da." She said lamely, retrieving Lisa's pistol back into her hand to the other girl's arched eyebrow as she proceeded to hand it over.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were actually going to give that back."

"I've got two more actually." She replied with a guilty smile. "Oh do you think you can sell them? Er to people who won't use them to commit crime that is?" She added as the idea came to her. Removing the temptation (and having nowhere else to put them) and getting more cash for her costume fund would be a win all around.

Lisa only shrugged as she checked the firearm over before placing it in a drawer. "Maybe, though if you got them from Merchants or other low lifes then they're probably just cheap knock offs unless they stole them off someone else." She threw back, gesturing for Madison to come closer as she cleared some space on her desk.

"Careful, the safeties aren't on." Madison cautioned as she remembered the very important fact. Carefully passing each of the stolen weapons to Lisa in turn, who quickly safetied them and gave them a cursory once over before placing them down in front of her.

"The revolver looks like crap, but once it's actually cleaned you might get a couple hundred for it." Lisa considered, emptying the cylinder of the casings and remaining rounds before turning her attention back to the pistol and Madison watched as Lisa ejected the magazine to sit on the desk, slowly racking the slide to eject the remaining round in the chamber and doing so again another couple of times as she made sure it was actually empty. If it hadn't been obvious before, it was definitely obvious then that Lisa's own pistol wasn't just for show, though Madison put off the idea of asking the other girl for lessons to some hypothetical future point as the other girl finished her inspection and turned back to her.

"This thing is just an old Chinese knock off you can get on any street corner if you don't mind a one in three chance of getting your hand blown off, especially as badly handled as this one has been. Unless you actually want to sell this on to someone, it's better off being scrapped and either keeping or selling the ammo which is fine at least."

The pleasant surprise at how much the revolver could be worth was immediately tempered by the knowledge that the other gun was practically worthless and apparently potentially hazardous to her own health had she decided to keep it and possibly use it at some point.

"Thanks Lisa, can you do that for me? I mean selling the revolver and scrapping the other one." She clarified as Lisa glanced back to her from emptying the pistol magazine of its remaining rounds.

"Sure, don't know how long it'll take though." The other girl shrugged. "Any other surprises in your pocket dimension I should know about?"

"Beyond all the stolen cash?"

"Ideally."

"Nope." She replied after thinking about it for a moment. "So how do you want to do this anyway, there's not really room on your desk?"

Lisa's desk was bigger than hers and nicer too, like almost everything Lisa seemed to own or at least had out on display for her to see. But with the other girl's computer peripherals, some kind of binder and two partially disassembled handguns, there wasn't really room for anything else.

Lisa grimaced as she seemed to realise the same problem. "Let's go to the kitchen."

It turned out what Lisa had actually meant was: 'Let's go to the kitchen, clear the table, put a plastic sheet over the table and put a big clear plastic tub on top of that.'

"I want to say this seems excessive, but considering where it came from..." Madison trailed off thoughtfully as Lisa nodded absently from her preparations, throwing her a pair of gloves and a surgical mask to put on as she pulled on her own.

"My power is pretty sure it's not just dirty money in the metaphorical sense." Lisa remarked with a deadpan tone and Madison looked away. Knowing Lisa wasn't exactly wrong there, even if the worse of it had been left behind.

"Alright Hero, let's see all the money you villainously stole then." Lisa announced when she deemed them both ready and Madison threw her an exasperated look back.

"You're never going to let that go are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lisa responded imperiously, stepping back as Madison rolled her eyes, holding her hand over the tub and retrieved the first wad of cash from her Inventory.

"How much?!" Madison squeaked at Lisa's begrudgingly impressed look.

In hindsight Madison was very, very glad she had decided against dumping all the cash directly onto her bedroom floor to count. She didn't know how hard it was to hoover crushed drugs out of carpet and she had no intention of ever finding out as it became apparent to both of them that more than one wad of cash had been kicked through trampled pills where it hadn't been stained by blood or alcohol.

It was interesting to learn that the bills had dried off since she'd put them there, which meant that her Inventory spaces were in an actual 'place' rather than some weird stasis effect beyond reality, though what she could do with that information she wasn't quite sure yet.

"Sixteen thousand, four hundred and fifty six dollars. Who did you say you hit again?"

"I don't know!" Madison wailed, not sure how to cope with the fact that she had more cash sitting in front of her than she'd ever seen in her entire life and it was hers. "The woman I spoke to just said they'd moved in after the... Snakes or something? Got taken out by the Merchants."

"Huh, the Grease Snakes? That makes sense." Lisa nodded absently. "The Merchants have been trying to expand the last few months, but they're too disorganised to consolidate most of their gains quickly enough to stop other gangs popping up whenever they put one down."

"Wait." She interrupted. "So the group I found had moved into the Grease Snakes old place just in time for the Merchants to show up to loot the place?"

"I mean I'd need to do some research to actually confirm it, but it wouldn't surprise me. Why do you think Squealer showed up personally?"

Madison groaned, not sure if she should be grateful for her either amazing or terrible timing, though was broken out of her thoughts as Alec entered the room with a low appreciative whistle.

"Wow and I thought crime paid well, maybe I should give this whole being a Hero thing some thought after all."

Madison decided not to dignify that with a response as Lisa visibly smirked at her reaction.

"See Alec?" Lisa said nonchalantly. "Behold the definition of heroism."

"Are you sure you don't want to join Ghost? I'm beginning to think we have a lot to offer each other" Alec continued, though the way he was eying the neatly stacked and sorted money made it clear who he thought could benefit who.

"No, no Alec. Madison's above mere Villainy like us lowly peons." Lisa snarked. "She's a pure paragon of virtue as you can clearly see." The other girl gesturing to the cash in front of them and Madison wondered if she could actually teleport Lisa into the sun.

"Yes, yes. I'm better at crime than you two." She threw right back once Lisa was finally done. "Please try not to get your jealously over all my money."

Lisa Wilbourn

Alec quickly grew bored of looking over money that both wasn't his and wasn't something he could reasonably get away with stealing in front of them and wandered back through to the living room a few minutes later, though not before making a few more comments and grabbing a drink to take back with him. Leaving her to physically wrap up the piles of cash under Madison's watchful eye.

Lisa knew the other girl would have done it if asked, but sometimes it was just quicker to do things herself and it gave her something to do with her hands while she thought things over.

Even though Madison had been practically salivating over the amount of cash she'd grabbed once she'd seen the actual extent of it, her power had stubbornly informed her that Madison still only saw it as a means to an end as much as she might have been tempted otherwise.

Madison was annoyingly more like Brian than Alec in that regard, she didn't want money for money's sake, though like Brian it was obvious she appreciated the extra windfall and would have been happy to have much more of it too. But either way it wasn't enough to convince her that a life of crime was the way to go.

She was still irritated about her complete misreading of Madison earlier too, her power didn't usually fuck her over, but when it did it was always memorable and she bit back a sigh as her power 'helpfully' chimed in at the thought.

Conclusions reached based on available information, Lisa Wilbourn made reasonable inferences based on incomplete data, lack of access to Power and subsequent power interaction dynamic protocols further exacerbated logic chain failures

Which was great, but didn't exactly go back in time and stop her looking like an idiot in front of Brian and Alec. Brian's 'I'm disappointed in you' lecture later was going to be torture and she knew Alec was going to be even more insufferable than usual with the failure of Spitfire still in recent memory too.

Lisa found herself searching for a distraction and quickly ended up on the one topic she hadn't had a good chance to drill down on yet with everything else that had happened. "So what is your limit on what you can store in your inventory?" So far, from everything she'd seen Madison either had a weight, size or conceptual limit. Though she wasn't sure if the other girl was Manton limited and had added that to her ever growing list of questions for the grab bag cape sitting contentedly in front of her.

Madison shrugged in a way that Lisa was swiftly becoming accustomed to as an answer of: 'I haven't figured it out yet, but now it's your problem too Lisa, because you're clearly the brains in this relationship.'

"I'm not sure yet." Madison answered, immediately proving her point. "I've been testing putting things in and getting them out, the heaviest thing I've tried so far was that duffel full of cash, but I definitely don't think it can out mass me, or at least not by much?" She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip slightly as she looked away in thought before some kind of realisation seemed to dawn and brown eyes met hers again. "Oh I haven't tried anything living because of the warning I got."

Okay, Lisa had forgotten to account for the fact Madison's teleportation power, which seemed to be more of a broad dimensional shifting power came with a manual thanks to her bullshit Thinker-Trump power stacked on top. "Warning?" She asked, not even bothering to lean on her power, since Madison's own power would probably protectively tell her off again and she was quickly coming to accept that Madison was a pretty open book anyway within reason.

"Yup, um let me check the exact wording again..." Madison trailed off before a notepad appeared in her hand and she leafed back through it.

Notepad contains all received quests and accompanying notes, signs of usage indicate power has been active for less than three months or incidence of quests has lower density than typical Thinker usage as Thinker ability is secondary/tertiary to Mover ability

"Ah here it is." Madison perked up, her tone shifting as she read directly from the page: "Note, that while the Inventory can be used to store living organisms, this is inadvised. Living organisms will lose life functions and will become damaged during time spent in the inventory."

'Well that answers the question of whether she's Manton limited.' Lisa thought to herself, wondering if she'd be able to convince Madison to let her look through more of the notepad at some point.

"So yeah." Madison continued in a much more chipper tone, thankfully oblivious to Lisa's own thoughts. "Not exactly something I'm planning on testing out anytime soon or probably ever really."

Lisa nodded automatically, if the PRT thought they had another Gray Boy on their hands things would be bad. "Maybe keep that one to yourself, I know your inventory is just an extra-dimensional space of some sort, but I think you'll freak people out if they think you can start making people disappear too."

Madison looked queasy at the thought and while Lisa didn't like making the other girl feel that way, it was better than her blabbing to someone like Armsmaster and shooting up the threat priority chain.

"Yeah, good point." Madison muttered and Lisa figured she should probably try and lighten the mood before it dropped any further.

"So did your tutorial give you any other interesting tips?" She asked instead, partially because she was genuinely curious and partially to distract Madison's mood from circling the drain.

"Um yeah, this one actually." Madison started, looking back to her notepad and Lisa saw her eyes track through the text on the page until she found what she was looking for. "All items stored in your inventory upon death will be inaccessible to party members." Madison looked back over to her. "That's the only time I can remember seeing party members being mentioned, but I still have no idea what it means yet or how to unlock it."

Lisa held back the urge to sigh, of course Madison jumped to a note that concerned her own death when Lisa was trying to improve her mood, why would she expect anything else? The girl was a complete enigma, cheerfully revealing her identity one moment and then effectively kidnapping her the next, even if Lisa knew the brunette never actually meant to harm her at any point. And if Madison's power was to be believed (and Lisa saw no reason for Madison's power to lie to Madison herself), she had actually come out on top regardless of anything else that might happen in future, so she could forgive a case of friendly accidental kidnapping if it meant even the chance of reducing the headaches she got from overusing her power.

'Quest' indicates adventuring/gaming 'theming' of Power. 'Party' is typical role playing game nomenclature to refer to a group of individuals which are grouped together into one unit pursuant of an objective or overarching goal, supporting one another to engage and defeat threats greater than can be handled by a single individual, Party function likely exists to support Ally Madison Clements in engaging significant threats to self or Lisa Wilbourn / Resource Access Denied

'Huh.' Lisa thought to herself, considering the theming of Madison's power that made an awful amount of sense and judging by the excitement brimming in the other girl's eyes she could tell her thoughts were probably along the same lines too. "So you think you'll be able to add party members somehow and what? Share your quests or inventory with them to help you take on Hookwolf or someone like that?"

"Exactly!" Madison agreed brightly and Lisa couldn't help a small smile of her own, Madison's enthusiasm was annoyingly infectious. "But I haven't even figured out all of the stuff regarding my teleporting yet so I have literally no idea how to get party members or what that even means unless I get lucky, or Quest takes pity on me and gives me another tutorial for it I guess." She finished off with a sigh, glancing back down at her notes for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Lisa couldn't help but ask. Teleporting was pretty clear cut of a power at the end of the day, the parahuman could go from A to B and maybe they could take things or people along with them when they did so. There were always exceptions of course, but that was typically the general gist of it.

"I know!" Madison groaned and Lisa had the feeling she'd accidentally walked into a minefield of a topic and it was too late to back out. "My quest reward is literally competence and my only hint is to do it non-lethally which is super encouraging."

"Madison, you and me are really going to need to sit down and go over all the quests in that notepad from the beginning at some point."

Lisa knew she'd made a mistake when Madison's expression froze, her grip tightening around the notepad in her hands as she unconsciously seemed to edge away. "Sorry Lisa, some of it's really, really personal, I can't... When I first got my power... Some of the things in here... I'm sorry..."

'Oh shit Madison triggered with her Thinker power, she got her quests before anything else.' Lisa realised in a horrible moment of clarity, knowing she'd just done the equivalent of asking Madison to hand over a copy of her trigger event to read. And considering how much her power had already emphasised the other girl's isolation and loneliness and if Madison's parents didn't know anything was going on to the point that Madison had triggered...

She could see Madison curling in on herself and Lisa moved across to her without conscious thought. "Hey I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, it's fine okay? You can just show me what you're comfortable with."

Madison just nodded, not meeting her eyes, which didn't do anything for the lead weight suddenly in her stomach. She didn't want the other girl to pull away, to isolate herself again so no one knew what she was going through, how bad things were for her, where no one could see the cracks and help her before-

-She pulled the shorter girl into a hug, chuckling in relief and amused surprise as Madison let out a small 'eep' but didn't try to escape.

"Feel better?" Lisa asked after a moment longer, as much for a reason to keep embarrassing the other girl as to actually put her own surge of discomfort and unpleasant thoughts to bed.

"Yes!" Came the strangled squeak and Lisa laughed, releasing Madison whose cheeks were aflame.

Resource Access Denied

Lisa smirked, she didn't need her power to make some guesses.

"So earlier, back in your room when you were definitely not leaning in to kiss me..."

Madison groaned and Lisa couldn't it help as she laughed at the sheer exasperation she could hear in the other girl's tone. "I was just trying to look at your eyes!"

"My eyes?" She asked nonplussed, what was wrong with her eyes?

Madison nodded, turning back to her with that same focused look she'd worn before her mother had walked in on them. "The first couple of times you woke up they were filled with weird colors, mostly purple flecks? It was really weird and I just wanted to make sure they were back to normal."

"Huh." Lisa mused, filing away the thought for later. Nothing immediately came to mind, but a little trawling of PHO and elsewhere for unusual power interactions would be a good start on finding something for her power to build off. But in the mean time she could hardly let a perfectly good teasing opportunity go to waste - That it would also help to dispel any of the lingering darker thoughts either of them might have been feeling was just an added bonus.

"Well would you like to finish checking?" She asked demurely, fluttering her eyelashes at the shorter girl who sputtered and looked away, though Lisa could tell her blush wouldn't be fading anytime soon.

"Ugh, you're incorrigible!" Madison whined. "No wonder my mom likes you!"

Chapter Text

Lisa Wilbourn

Madison had left several hours ago with her number and she had promised to get in touch with the 'Hero' once she had an update on the money and the gun sale, whichever came first really.

In one regard the day had been, if she were being honest with herself an unmitigated disaster. She'd been tracked down by a hero, essentially subdued before she even realised she was under attack, transported to what was then an unknown location and had been at her accidental kidnapper's mercy for several hours while she was completely defenceless. If it wasn't for the fact that it was blindingly obvious Madison wouldn't hurt a butterfly unless it came at her with a knife first, Lisa knew she'd be more freaked out about the whole thing than she was.

And that wasn't even getting into the part where she'd misread Madison to the point she'd invited an independent hero into the heart of her team's operations and then revealed that fact in front of them. Oh and to top things off she'd accidentally poked the girl's trigger event.

When she had bad days, she really had them.

Brian had come back not long after that and then she'd lost another forty minutes of her day to him raking her through the coals like an angry father, which had done nothing for her mood. It was basically agreed that she wasn't allowed to bring anyone back to the Loft until he'd vetted them elsewhere first, which while humiliating wasn't exactly unreasonable, not that she'd told him that. On the bright side he did agree that Madison would be an amazing addition to the team, if it wasn't for the fact she was supposedly on the opposite side of the law from them.

Though even then Lisa couldn't imagine Madison actually betraying them, she was the most honest criminal she'd ever met and unless Rachel managed to get the jump on her, she doubted Madison would ever have a reason to turn against them. Though Lisa could admit to herself that if they ran into each other on the street it might be a different matter entirely depending on who else was watching.

Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to pretend otherwise her day wasn't over as much as she was ready for it to be. Sure she could put off the phone call until tomorrow, but Coil would probably know and hold it against her and so she dialled the number of the one person she hated more than anyone else on Earth Bet, her own parents included. Better to be the barely obedient pet, than to give him an excuse to start watching her more closely than he already tried to or worse.

"Tattletale."

Lack of background noise, controlled tone, Coil establishing superiority and to deny Lisa Wilbourn ability to extrapolate details

"Hey boss. Got something interesting for you, didn't think you'd want me to sit on it until our next little catch-up."

"Oh? By all means."

That was the worst part, she didn't know if Coil already knew everything she was about to say. It was a constant game of bluff and counter-bluff. She never knew if any of her small lies were known to him, could never be sure he didn't know about her plans to slowly subvert the men under his command.

She knew his power was likely some kind of probability manipulation and he used it as both a bludgeon and a scalpel to keep her in the dark and in check. If she let herself stop and think about it... To actually see the bars of the cage and the bullet or worse waiting for her should he ever spot her attempts to break free... It terrified her. But what else was could she do? Each choice that remained... To stay, to submit, to flee, to fight, they were all a different kind of death and she would never willingly submit to the man who had ripped her freedom away at the end of a loaded gun. But she had already tried to run, before she knew better. Before she knew just how easily Coil could find her again and what he would do to her if she tried again. She couldn't help but think of Madison, someone who could quite literally whisk her away and she knew the other girl would do it too if she only asked. Madison was a Hero after all. They were supposed to save people like her. Not that they ever did.

But she couldn't go to Madison. She wouldn't. Part of it was pride, to free herself from the monster that had her chained, but a greater part of it was fear. Fear of Coil's reach and what he'd do when he found her no matter where she was. She wouldn't be given back to the The Undersiders, he'd made clear that she was out of second chances after all. There were worse things than a bullet and he'd made sure she knew without ever saying anything outright.

"I'm in contact with the new vigilante Ghost Step." She continued with a false cheer that sickened her. "I was sounding her out to join the team."

"The new Mover?" Came the interested response, not that she could trust it was anything more than what he wanted her to hear. "She does look promising. If you believed it was worth my time to call me at this hour, then am I to take it that your attempts have borne fruit?"

Lisa grimaced. Coil was a pragmatist, but he was also ambitious and didn't like bad news more than anyone else. "Not yet." She replied evenly. "She's actually interested in laundering some of the money she stole from the Merchants she hit and I said I'd pass on the request. Even if she doesn't join immediately I think we can at least have a good working relationship without getting in each other's way."

"Money laundering? Interesting, I was given to understand she was a self-styled Hero."

Lisa's grimace deepened, she knew Coil had highly placed sources in the PRT, but it still stung that even he knew about Madison's heroic ambitions before she did. "She is." Lisa admitted. "But she sees the money as a means to an end and while she's not interested in joining the team currently, she's agreed to remain neutral as long as we don't do anything that she would have to take notice of."

She knew it was stretching the truth a little, but she was pretty sure Madison would have agreed if she'd run it by her first.

"A useful compromise." Came the considering reply, like a master giving light praise to a dog for following a simple command. "If she can operate in Grue's darkness she would be a difficult factor to work around. Can we offer her more than she is currently making through her seizures?"

"Not without breaking team cohesion." Lisa replied firmly to nip that idea in the bud. "She got lucky interrupting a Merchant raid and made off with a little over fifteen thousand, it didn't seem like she wants to stop there either."

"That would be impractical." Coil noted with a finality Lisa had long come to recognise as the final word and she kept her silence. "Send the money to the usual location, I would prefer favours than cost for services, but don't push her too hard if it will make her pull away. Cultivate her, if she's trying to be a hero then she may be interested in hitting some of our ABB or Empire targets and send me a preliminary dossier until you have something more substantial worked up."

"You got it boss, I'll send a file over in the next twenty four hours."

"Good."

The call ended and Lisa breathed out the frustration and anxiety that wound tighter ever second longer she talked to the man. It was the tiny inconsequential things like that which gave Lisa some hope, that reminded her Coil wasn't omniscient - As much as he liked to pretend to be. That he was just as human as her.

She'd waited as late as possible to call him. After all, he'd told her she should contact him at any time of the day if she felt she had something worth his time. And so after their call had finished it was currently a few minutes past midnight and she would send him a file within twenty four hours just as she'd promised, a scheduled email three minutes past midnight on what would technically be Monday morning to be precise.

It was the most petty thing imaginable, but that was the point. To make him think that was all she had, that she was reduced to pathetic attempts to inconvenience him within the rules he'd set for her because she was too broken to do anything else. All the while she burrowed into the foundations of his support until she was ready to rip out what remained from under him.

He would be too prideful to complain either, because that would mean he was wrong and he could never let his pet Thinker believe he'd made a mistake after all. He'd find another way to punish her though, to make sure she knew he disapproved, that she was still subservient, that he held her leash and could pull it tighter if he wished.

Leaning back in her chair Lisa let her eyes trail across the blank ceiling as she chewed over the homework she'd just been given. She knew she'd have to think carefully about everything she wanted to include and everything she wanted to exclude.

She was walking a tightrope and had been ever since Coil had snatched her off the street, looking for anything that just might be her silver bullet and then Madison, the Ghost Step herself had barged into her life pretending to be a hero while cheerfully admitting to all her villainy.

Madison saw the beginnings of a friendship in her, Lisa's power saw an ally and Lisa herself saw a bright, irritatingly endearing wildcard that had yet to be played.

"Fuck him." She muttered viciously to her empty room as she tried to think about how much she could get away with not giving the man who thought he owned her.

"Let's see him try and cage chaotic neutral incarnate while working on fuck all." Lisa murmured to herself, a small smile teasing at her lips as she sat forwards in her chair and woke up her PC. She still had work to do after all.

Amy Dallon

Several days later

"Hey Panacea, your friend is here again."

Amy bit back a scowl, she'd been hoping that Ghost Step's passing comment had been just that. Another cape being polite to the miracle healer but no, just her luck that the new cape had decided to make good on her promise and had already stopped by several times to 'say hello' before the week was even halfway through.

She sighed, pulling herself out of the chair she'd grabbed after one of the nurses had insisted she take a break and meandered over to the door. Unfortunately the previous night she'd learnt the hard way that Ghost Step had interpreted Amy ignoring her as: 'That's okay I'll wait till she's free' and then she had started getting looks and people saying: 'It's fine, go and spend time with your friend for a few minutes.'

Honestly they'd had what barely amounted to conversations twice and the staff had all started to assume they were the best of friends. Part of the reason she volunteered was to escape all the petty bullshit, not get wrapped up in more of it.

Coffee cup in hand she wandered to the stairs, since if Ghost Step was going to keep insisting on visiting she'd at least got the annoyance to agree to meet on the roof without having to make a damn spectacle of it. And even if she was a heroic vigilante, the staff were hardly going to escort her to the break room anyway.

Amy wasn't sure what the worst part was, that Ghost Step kept appearing to annoy her, or that she'd vented to Vicky and her sister had just been ecstatic that 'Amy had made a friend.'

Pushing open the door with her free hand she was greeted by the usual gloom that was only somewhat broken up by the scattered lighting around the roof. The wind wasn't too bad, but she still wanted to pull her scarf a little tighter as she felt the difference in temperature hit her. She was tempted to just head back inside anyway, but then Ghost Step would just nag the staff about her and she'd end up being forced to make the trek again. At least the other girl brought snacks.

"Oh hey Amy, white chocolate or dark chocolate?"

"Dark."

"Thought so." Her personal annoyance nodded and handed over one of the two chocolate bars she was holding. "So how's it going?"

'It would be better if you just left me alone' was on her lips but she didn't say it. Ghost Step was just a vigilante, but vigilantes still had access to PHO. Ghost Step might put something about Amy being a bitch to her and even if it was only her haters latching onto it, Carol would corner her and force her to explain their whole interaction in detail. Then she'd be forced to do something public for PR and probably lose a whole weekend, even the thought of it bringing an involuntary grimace to her face.

And so she bit back what she wanted to say again as she gave a perfunctory reply. "Fine, it's pretty quiet tonight."

"Yeah, I haven't had much luck myself tonight either."

'So you came to bother me.' Amy thought to herself as she pulled open the wrapper of the chocolate bar with her teeth and awkwardly pocketed the part she'd ripped off before taking a bite. After it was obvious the cape wasn't going to stop bothering her, Amy had looked into her a bit and had been confused. PHO seemed split on if she was a hero or a villain, but she knew the vigilante in front of her had met Armsmaster so she knew the other girl couldn't actually be a villain herself.

Part of her wanted to ask Ghost Step directly about it, but she knew if she did then the other girl would only be encouraged to keep trying to talk to her and so she'd quickly vetoed that idea.

Vicky just assumed it was assholes being assholes making up lies and was more interested in the fact that there was another female cape their age that wasn't a Nazi or a bitch. Amy had only made a vague promise to introduce her at some point, part of her concerned that they'd hit it off and then she'd have to deal with the vigilante even more often than she already suffered through.

The crinkling of a wrapper had her glance up briefly to see Ghost Step opening her own chocolate bar and Amy let her attention drift again. Ghost Step wasn't bad company when she wasn't talking at least and they ate in silence for a minute as the wind quietened down and the rumbling of traffic slowly encroached on the relative quiet.

"Is healing people fun?" Ghost Step asked and Amy paused as she went to take another bite, wondering how she should answer the question.

"No, not really." She decided to answer after a moment. Lying would have been the easier choice maybe and the 'correct' one, but she couldn't summon the willpower to bother if she was already being forced to endure the other girl's company anyway. She knew Vicky enjoyed being a hero, Carol... She treated it like a job the same way she treated being a lawyer 'and being her mother' her mind traitorously added before she shook off the thought.

She had the power to heal people so she had to, there wasn't much more to it than that. It was a duty that had been drilled into her again and again since she'd first gotten her powers. Her responsibility. It wasn't fun as much as it was necessary at the end of the day, like any job that mattered. "I have the power to help people so it's my responsibility to do what I can."

"Responsibility huh?" The other girl replied after a pause of her own. "I guess I can see where you're coming from, but aren't you still in school like m-" Ghost Step coughed and Amy didn't comment on her slip, she'd been a public cape her whole life so she had no idea what it must be like to have a secret identity. Sometimes she'd fantasised about it, just being able to take off the robe and be someone not even Carol recognised. But that was all it was. She was either at the hospital or at home and at least at the hospital she could just be Panacea.

"A-anyway." Ghost Step recovered. "What I meant was, isn't it a bit much to be here basically every night? Even the Wards have schedules and stuff to keep things balanced right?"

Amy scoffed, she'd seen the Wards schedules. Unlike her they were actually employed, actually getting paid and actually had a maximum number of hours they could work a week, even if she knew most of them worked more than that. No, she 'volunteered' and even if there were only a certain amount of hours she was supposed to spend in the hospital, she knew they'd never turn her down and probably assumed she had Carol's permission anyway. Besides, how could she justify not going in when she was free? 'Sorry Ms Williams, Panacea couldn't cure your cancer because she wanted to watch a movie.'

It wasn't like she had any real hobbies anyway and the only person she was actually interested in spending time with only had so much time for her and she couldn't blame Vicky for that.

"And tell people what?" She threw back. "Panacea didn't feel like coming in today so you'll all have to suffer a bit longer and maybe die while she takes a night off reading a book in her room?"

There wasn't a response and Amy didn't expect one. She'd had the argument before and it always went the same way. They might say they wanted her to get more sleep, have a childhood - Whatever the fuck that meant. But they didn't comment when she went back to work, when the hospital needed her, when the PRT called her out at three in the morning for emergency healing.

"Sorry Amy, I guess I didn't think about it like that."

She didn't dignify Ghost Step's comment with a response, stuffing the rest of the chocolate bar in her pocket and heading back to the roof access she'd come in through without another word.

Madison Clements

Madison watched Amy's receding figure with a frown. She wasn't really sure what had spurred her to keep coming back. It had been obvious from the first time she'd shown up unannounced at the start of the week that Amy hadn't wanted her there, but Madison hadn't just wanted to leave things at that either.

Amy Dallon, Panacea, greatest healer in the world according to some people. Madison had known in an abstract sense that Amy was her age and if she'd gone to Arcadia they might have even been friends. But it was one thing reading about the famous Independent Hero who could cure almost anything, seeing the PR photos and the amateur shots on PHO. But Amy was just... Some girl and without the scarf and the robe she would have been the kind of person past Madison might have joined in on ignoring or bullying and someone her current self wasn't sure what to make of one way or another.

Every time they'd spoken Amy had looked one comment away from telling her to screw off and never come back and the happiest she looked was when Madison left her alone to her thoughts. The problem she had was that Panacea had been a Hero for way longer than Ghost Step had been active and Madison felt like she was intruding both where she wasn't wanted and where she shouldn't be. Sure Madison thought Amy looked pretty terrible, generally miserable and had all the social grace of a kicked houseplant, but Amy probably knew what she was doing right?

It was frustrating. Amy made her think of Taylor, made her want to help but she wasn't even sure if it was fair to compare her to Taylor or if she really had any right to interfere at all in the other girl's life. The only saving grace was that Amy hadn't told her to get lost yet, something that Madison was admittedly a bit mystified about and only added to her general confusion surrounding the other Hero.

With a sigh she stored the chocolate bar wrapper in her Inventory, letting her gaze drift back to the sprawling vista of the city itself. She wasn't sure why she'd asked Amy if she enjoyed being a cape, it was just... She'd met several other capes (as mind boggling as that was when she thought about it). Armsmaster was a professional and scary, Tattletale was smug and annoying but also sort of fun, Regent was fairly chilled out about everything and Grue had been nice if pretty straight laced. Amy was bitter and even when she bothered to hide it, Madison could pick up on it easily enough with all her time spent around people with far better abilities at hiding the knives behind their smiles.

While it had been entirely her own idea to try and keep up with Amy, after it was obvious she wasn't getting anywhere she'd been hoping Quest would say something. That she'd get some quest to help her befriend Amy or at least tell her what junk food the other girl liked. But her power had been annoyingly silent the past few days and so she was left struggling to interact with a girl who both seemed irritated every time Madison came to visit, but still hung out with her and never told her to leave either.

'Am I doing the right thing?' She wondered, would it be better to just leave Amy alone or did the other girl actually appreciate someone coming to see her? And even if it was just snacks she'd picked up from a convenience store, Madison had found herself wanting to do something for the other girl considering how hard she always seemed to work.

Amy seemed to treat being a Hero as a full time job, even though she still had to go to school the next day. But the more time she spent around Amy, the more it became obvious to her that Amy wasn't driven to do it. She wasn't passionate like her dad was when he'd spend hours making and painting his models and then mom would tell him off the next day when he complained about being tired.

It had made her wonder if she was doing enough compared to what Amy endured seemingly day after day. Where was 'responsibility' supposed to end? People in normal jobs; policemen, firefighters, doctors... They still went home at the end of the day didn't they? But Amy didn't seem to actually stop. She went from being Amy Dallon the healer, to Panacea the healer. Was that what it actually meant to be a Public Hero?

"No, I have Quest, she'd tell me if I was doing something wrong." Madison muttered to herself as she mulled over her conflicting thoughts. Quest had literally given her the choice, to be a Hero or keep being the pathetic waste of space she had allowed herself to become. She was a Hero now and if she was doing something wrong then she knew her power would tell her.

Madison knew that she still barely understood her power, but after everything she'd gone through she also knew that Quest had her best interests at heart, even if her methods sometimes left something to be desired. But there was a trust there and it went both ways.

She nodded to herself as her hands slipped into the pockets of her hoodie, grateful for the reassurance as her thoughts turned back to Amy and Madison found herself letting out a weary sigh as she accepted she still really had no idea what to think.

Amy wasn't her. Amy was a cape who probably knew more about being a Hero than most of the people Madison had ever met. She probably had a bunch of friends at school and for all Madison knew she used the hospital as a break to get away from her usual crowd.

"I'll give her some more space." Madison considered aloud to herself, it wasn't clear if Amy actually wanted her gone and was too polite to say anything and if that was the case she definitely wouldn't say so if Madison asked her outright. So she would leave Amy alone for a bit, make an effort to visit less often and hopefully when she did next show up Amy would look less put out by her appearance.

At least she knew Amy liked dark chocolate.

Chapter Text

Amy Dallon

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

It was like daydreaming without the escape, rote boring work. One patient after the next. Get consent, press a finger tip to their hand or their wrist, diagnose the problem, heal them, move on to the next room, the next patient, the next problem that blurred into the next.

The drain on her power wasn't even what exhausted her by the time she was several hours in. It was the drudgery of it, the endless repetition, the duty she had to perform that never changed. Heal people. Help people. Use her power for good. Be a good person. Be a hero. Don't be a monster. Heal people. Heal everyone. Heal the gang members who had been harassing people on their way home from work. Heal the Nazis after a hero interrupted their hate crimes, heal the ABB after another shoot-out. Heal the people who had got hit in the crossfire.

She'd walk out of a room the moment she was done, either to go to the next patient or to get another coffee and the staff would always cover for her. 'Panacea has a lot on her plate', 'Panacea's very busy', 'Panacea's got a lot of patients to handle tonight.' But she was just tired of it. Tired of hearing the praise, the anger, the wonder. The words had stopped meaning anything to her a long time ago, the same drudgery, the same words, the same effort, the same, the same, the same.

They told her she didn't have to come in as much. But she did have to, she had a power to heal people, one of the greatest in the world. She had to heal people, she had to be a hero, to prove that she was a hero. To not disappoint people, to not be a monster, to not be selfish.

Coffee.

And then she'd go again until she stopped or they forced her to stop and she had Vicky pick her up or sometimes made her own way back. Just in time to get in a few hours of sleep before school, tolerate her classes, her classmates and then she'd probably be back to do it all over again on most days. Because she was supposed to. Because she didn't want to think about Vicky spending time with Dean. Because she didn't want to be around Carol and her looks. Because she didn't want to be around Mark, his depression and her guilt.

So she would be back at the hospital more days of the week than not. Tolerating the endless line of patients, the monotony, the criminals she had to heal just like everyone else who might have actually deserved it. Tolerating the fact she couldn't refuse, even though they were criminals. Because she was a hero. Because she had to be neutral, as if she didn't recognise some of the same criminals needing healing, even if it was weeks or months apart. Who had been able to go out and hurt people again because she had a responsibility to help them. Because she couldn't take sides. Because that would make her a monster too.

"Panacea?"

She looked up, wondering if the newest wrinkle in her life had showed up to bother her again, her stomach reminding her she hadn't eaten anything since... She wasn't sure. At least the talkative vigilante brought snacks when she visited.

"They're requesting you downstairs."

Oh.

She didn't show up again. How many days had it been? It was annoying, she was frustrated at the other girl for making it so she couldn't completely zone out anymore, that part of her was constantly waiting for the other girl to show up and intrude. To force her away from the endless line of patients for even just five minutes, to finally give her an excuse to leave and-

"Oh okay, thanks." She nodded as she got up.

Maybe tomorrow.

Madison Clements

Pausing as she alighted on a new rooftop Madison pulled out her burner phone to check who had messaged her and wasn't surprised, even if she was admittedly somewhat disappointed to find a new text from Lisa.

Not that she didn't like receiving messages from the Villain and had already exchanged a few texts with Lisa rather than Tattletale on her regular phone, finding it surprisingly easy to separate the two even as they were one and the same.

But she still hadn't heard back from Parian and it had been almost two weeks. Madison couldn't help but second guess herself, if the Rogue had actually seen her note, if she'd thrown it away without reading it, or if it was like the time she'd tried to get a part time job and no response meant 'no.'

Not that she had much of a better idea of where else to get a costume in any case, especially when she had the nagging feeling Lisa's own offer would come with some kind of catch.

A quick check confirmed she was alone, with no one on the adjacent rooftops she could see and she let herself relax slightly as she pulled up the message on her phone.

Smug Fox: Hey Villain-By-Any-Other-Name, boss got back to me about the cash. They'll take a 20% cut, but offered to trade it for two favours instead. Told them your deal so nothing you'd be uncomfortable with. Let me know.

Madison felt herself frowning as she read through the message, she'd been expecting Lisa to get back to her at some point about the money and she'd known that she was going to have to part with some of it - Even as she was surprised to find a part of her didn't want to. Which was definitely a weird place to be mentally when it wasn't hers to begin with, but she hadn't expected the second offer.

"Favours?" She wondered aloud, hearing the word to her own ears helping cement it in her mind as she tried to imagine why Lisa's boss would be willing to trade a few thousand dollars for a couple of favours from her. She knew from her own research that a surprising number of Movers with powers like hers never actually became a fully fledged member of the PRT when compared to Movers in general, (at least the ones who triggered as adults). All of them were PRT affiliates by law (when they weren't Villains), but that still left a decent number of PRT affiliates who were technically Rogues (even if no one called them that). Since unsurprisingly it turned out they could get pretty lucrative work as secure couriers depending on their exact power.

Well at least as long as they were always on call for Endbringer battles thanks to an amendment passed for NEPEA-5 after everyone realised the Endbringers weren't going to be a one off. That and politicians finding out the hard way that coercion wasn't the best tactic against parahumans who could cross a continent in the blink of an eye and get a better deal from another government far more willing to play ball.

So the PRT linked Rogue didn't get brought to trial for anti-competitive business practices and the PRT acted as the middleman and vetted contracts. All with the assurance they could call on the Mover at any time to help with transportation for the Endbringer battles or when certain other special emergencies occurred.

It was definitely something she'd thought about when looking into things, if only to give herself a legitimate source of income. But Independent Heroes were explicitly excluded under the amendment, which meant she'd either have to either join the Wards under a conditional contract, wait until she turned eighteen or... Go the technically-Villain shady Rogue route. Though even if she went for the last option, Madison was dubious as to how practical it would actually be when she'd be limited to a single city she was only halfway familiar with when it came to teleporting directly to where she needed to go. Not to mention that anyone wanting to use an off the books Mover would probably not be wanting to hire her for anything she'd be comfortable with, so the whole thing seemed like a complete non-starter from the get go.

But that was still actually assuming Lisa's boss wanted her for that kind of under the table work. For all she knew they wanted her to help out on a couple of The Undersiders heists and even if it were against the Empire or the ABB, she wasn't sure that she wanted to put herself in a position where she was beholden to another Villain like that.

Tapping out a reply it was only a couple of minutes until Lisa came back to her.

Mad Cat: Thanks Villain-Who-Doesn't-Even-Have-An-Underground-Lair. What kind of favours?

Smug Fox: Didn't say, probably hitting ABB or Empire. Maybe courier work.

Mad Cat: Ok. Will think about it and let you know.

'Why is nothing ever simple?' She mused silently for a moment. She'd met Lisa and then her power had done something to the other girl's. She'd gotten rid of the money from her Inventory and then some Villain who's name she didn't even know was asking to trade their cut for favours.

On the one hand it seemed like a good deal, at least on the face of it. The one thing she lacked more than anything was the intelligence every other group in the city seemed to have access to. The PRT had their own resources and had ties with the police, The Undersiders obviously had their own ways of gathering information... She actually had no idea what New Wave did, but she assumed they worked closely with the PRT considering how often Glory Girl was seen with Wards patrols, though that might have just been because she was dating Gallant on and off.

She herself had been patrolling the Docks for a few weeks and while she knew she was doing good, even if it was just being a visible presence and helping people get home without being troubled, she was well aware there were still plenty of hidden horrors somewhere out of sight. She only had to turn on the news or browse PHO to hear about all the brothels, drug houses, fighting rings and other activities that her power couldn't simply point her too and she may have even passed right by during her patrols without ever knowing they were there.

It wasn't something she'd really given a huge amount of thought to with everything else going on in her life, let alone something she knew how to solve. But at the same time she didn't think jumping in bed with The Undersiders and their mystery backer for actionable intel was the way to go either.

It was hard to immediately judge what was the greater good, did she prioritise her own actions? Continuing her patrols, keeping people safe and taking illicit substances and their dealers off the streets? Or should she be trying to do more, be more? To find the ABB brothels, the Empire dog fighting rings no matter what the method looked like? Even if meant working so closely with Villains that she practically was one?

Madison sighed, once again wishing she had someone she could bounce ideas off. She got on surprisingly well with Lisa, but ultimately she knew it was a business relationship with Tattletale first and she doubted any advice she got from the blonde would be particularly unbiased, especially if Lisa's boss was leaning on her to get Ghost Step more involved in their operations.

Pocketing her phone she tried to put the matter out of her mind, it wasn't like she needed the money right then and she'd already decided to at the very least give Parian until the end of the weekend before she thought about trying to approach the Rogue again for a straight answer one way or another.

Picking a direction at random she teleported down the block, keeping an eye out both for any surprises on the rooftops she appeared on and the streets below. So far it had largely been another quiet night and she'd quickly come to realise that running into a Merchant raid was very much an exception rather than the norm unless she specifically went looking for them. Which circled right back around to her lack of exact knowledge on where the Merchants were, or if they even had a permanent location at all. To say nothing of any of the other gangs or factions in the city.

And then she was thinking about Tattletale's boss's offer again and caught herself with a scowl. It was just, too easy, too simple, too good to be true. And even if they were telling the truth, that it wasn't all one big trap either for her specifically or to somehow blackmail her into further favours down the line, would accepting the offer make her a Villain too?

She shook her head, that was the wrong way to look at things she decided. By law she was already a Villain, even if she knew she was helping people, doing good every night she went out. The better question she found instead was: 'Is it the right thing to do?'

And she wasn't sure.

With an exasperated huff she pulled out her burner again and dialled Lisa's number, she knew the other girl wouldn't be unbiased, but any advice was still better than her current nothing at all.

"Hey Villain." Lisa greeted cheerfully and Madison couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Hey,-"

"It's about the favours thing isn't it?" Lisa cut her off before she could continue and Madison wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or grateful for the other girl interrupting her without a shred of shame.

"Yup, I already know you're biased so give me the pitch."

"You wound me Ghost, but sure. The boss already has plenty of money, that's why he can afford to let us sit around for weeks between jobs. You're an unregistered Mover, which makes you a lot cheaper if he wants to get something from one part of the city to another without dealing with all the costs and logistics of secure transport and that's even without your bullshit Inventory making you a walking safety deposit box on top. Not that I've told him that juicy little detail of course."

Madison smiled in amusement, no one could say Lisa didn't have a way with words, even if sometimes they had far too many sharp edges. "Right, but if money's not an issue then he's either going to want my ability to be discreet or for something else entirely. And if he needs to be discreet then it's not going to be something I'm comfortable with, so it was never going to actually be a courier job in the first place was it?"

Her tangle of thoughts unravelled as she spoke and she realised just what had been bothering her about the whole thing. The mystery boss would only ever want her to transport something if it was something very illegal, which meant despite Lisa mentioning it as an option, the other girl probably knew it wasn't a realistic one to begin with if her boss knew that 'Ghost Step' had hard limits on what they were comfortable doing.

Madison could hear the amused smile in Lisa's voice as she replied. "Can't blame a girl for trying, the boss really wanted you to say yes to the favours thing and they're not really someone I can say no to."

Madison found herself shrugging despite the fact Lisa wouldn't have seen it, though that did cause her to pause as she absently wondered if Lisa's power might pick up on it anyway. "Your shocking and inevitable betrayal has been noted." She replied dryly. "So what do you actually think they'd want from me?"

"Honestly?" Lisa hummed and Madison couldn't help herself.

"I don't want to ask the impossible."

"Rude." Lisa sniped right back, amusement in her voice before it became serious again. "I'd give it good odds that they'd want your help in planning a heist against either the Empire or the ABB, scouting, maybe exfil or both. Not sure they'd want to push you into participating directly unless you seemed open to it, but we'd be hitting scum of the earth anyway so it shouldn't really register on your moral compass."

Nothing Lisa hadn't really told her before, but it helped to hear it from the other girl directly as Madison found herself mulling it over, all the obvious benefits without obvious drawbacks. Maybe she'd been spending too much time around Taylor but she didn't like it, feeling like a mouse trying to figure out what she wasn't seeing about the perfectly nice looking piece of cheese atop a small metal plate.

"I'll be honest with you Ghost and yes I can do that." Lisa huffed as the silence dragged on a little too long. "The boss would prefer the favours, but they want a good working relationship with you first. It's enough that you're not Oni Lee and it's not like you can't change your mind in future so just sleep on it and get back to me."

"Thanks Tattletale." She replied absently, deciding not to commit one way or the other right then. Even as she thought she knew what her answer would probably be when it came time to make the choice. "I'll think about it and let you know then, is that okay?"

"No problem Ghost. Oh and I got rid of the revolver by the way, so there's a couple hundred waiting for you if you want to head over to the lair some time."

Madison perked up, glad for at least one bit of good news from her night thus far. "Really? That's great, I'm out on patrol right now but I'll swing by at some point."

"Patrol huh?" Lisa mused and Madison rolled her eyes as Lisa blithely continued. "And how much have you earned tonight my fair Heroine?"

"Shut up." Madison huffed, though without any heat to it. Especially when she hadn't come away with anything so far beyond scaring a few would-be vandals.

Lisa laughed. "Sure, sure. Well send me a text when you know when you're coming round, I'm not at the lair all the time you know."

"Yes mom." Madison snarked, drawing a chuckle from the other girl before she ended the call.

Pocketing her phone again Madison chewed on the offer for a moment longer before forcibly dismissing it from her mind, it wasn't time sensitive and it was definitely something she figured she should at least sleep on. If Lisa needed her to make a decision by a certain date she had no doubt the other girl would let her know anyway.

The flicker of a broken streetlight caught her eye and she let herself sink back into the night as she moved to continue her patrol, her expression evening out as she scanned the streets ahead for trouble and danger alike. Trying her best to do her part in keeping people safe, even as she wondered if she'd ever be doing enough. Her recent conversation with Amy coming back to the forefront of her thoughts as she disappeared from one rooftop to the next.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

"Crap I left my lunch at home." She literally had the power to teleport and still her lunch would be cruelly denied to her, clearly there was no justice to be found in the world.

She glanced at Taylor who seemed to be contemplating the merits of sharing her own small lunch, which wouldn't do at all if she could help it. "Want to come with me to the cafeteria?"

Well she'd definitely managed to distract Taylor from whatever she'd been thinking as the taller girl levelled her an incredulous look.

"Madison I haven't been to the cafeteria in months."

"Exactly! Haven't you noticed no one bothers us when we're together? We can just get some food, I'll buy you some chips if you want? And we can grab an empty space somewhere."

"I don't know." Taylor replied in a tone of voice that told Madison just how much she didn't like the idea of setting foot in the cafeteria again, not that she could really blame Taylor after what she'd seen her experience. But it wasn't like she would let anything happen to her!

"I was by myself when I had that argument with everyone." She reminded Taylor as the other girl seemed to sink into a mire of her own thoughts. "As long as we're together and we don't walk in there wearing gang colors or rainbow flags or something, no one's going to care or start anything."

"What?"

"We're two white girls in a school where like a quarter of the students either want to be or are pretending to be mini-Nazis, outside of Emma's clique we're fine. Probably."

"Right." Taylor replied and Madison watched as Taylor shook her head as if to dismiss some thought she didn't want to pay any further attention to before focusing another scrutinising look her way. "I mean you're not wrong, but no one exactly stops Sophia going after me though?" Taylor pointed out and Madison had to admit she had a point.

"That is weird." She admitted. "Maybe they're too busy posturing against the ABB guys and the other groups?"

"I guess." Taylor considered. "And no one's stopped her going after you too now, though you seem to be managing..." Taylor trailed off in a bitter mutter.

"What do you mean?" She asked, sure Sophia seemed like she'd been trying to get into her head by constantly getting into her space, but it wasn't like she'd endured half of the stuff she'd seen Sophia put Taylor through.

Taylor scrutinised her again with a guarded frown before something like realisation seemed to set in. "You know Sophia has been trying to trip you and shove you and stuff for the last two weeks right?"

It was Madison's turn to pause. "What?"

Between all the emotions seeming to fight for a place on Taylor's face, the other girl seemed to finally settle on exasperation as she replied. "How are you this oblivious and still in one piece?"

Madison cocked her head to the side as she tried to figure out what Taylor was getting at. She hadn't really interacted with Sophia much? She'd been trying to avoid the other girl and otherwise her focus had been on not slipping up and accidentally teleporting away. If anything she'd been glad Sophia never seemed to escalate to anything that might cause her to make a mistake like that. "I don't get it." She admitted after her moment of consideration. "Sophia hasn't really done anything like that to me?"

"Well of course not!" Taylor huffed. "Every time someone tries anything like that you seem to just skip out of the way! And after Vanessa, Juliet and Megan tried to gang up on you, half of the girls have completely backed off!"

That was... News to her, though Madison immediately thought back to the moment where those three girls had managed to catch her off guard and tried to trip her so she ended up on the floor. She'd been mad at herself for allowing things to get to that point in the first place, but reflexes she had thought born of trying not to take a baseball bat to the head on a semi-frequent basis had made it fairly simple to get out of the situation before it could go too much further.

Had she been subconsciously doing things like that the entire time since she'd triggered?

"Huh." Was all she managed, looking back to Taylor who didn't seem to know what to make of her.

"I really don't get you Madison."

"Yeah me too." She replied absently before realising they'd gotten entirely off topic. "So is that still a no on the cafeteria then?"

Taylor gave her a flat look and so Madison reluctantly went to plan B as she tried to placate the other girl with an impish smile.

"...Is cafeteria Hebert open for business?"

The flat look she was receiving didn't go anywhere, but Taylor did offer half of her own lunch while refusing any form of payment in return.

But that was okay Madison considered as they ate together, she'd just have to figure out how to repay Taylor in a way she couldn't just refuse, maybe an even bigger chocolate box for tomorrow...

Laying on her bed later that evening Madison found herself musing once more on the biggest headache of her new cape life, well outside of literally all of the other things vying for her attention.

Her cape name.

She'd grown surprisingly used to 'Ghost Step' and found herself less cringing in embarrassment and more only 'I hope everyone I meet realises I'm not a Nazi' as time went on. Though she'd been relieved to see her own wiki entry still had her listed as an 'unaffiliated vigilante' with only the 'caution warranted' danger label, despite the several arguments she'd seen and the multiple infractions that had followed.

More than once she'd considered making a Ghost Step PHO account and trying to control the narrative about her cape persona, but if she was going to basically re-debut anyway whenever she finally managed to get a new costume, she wasn't sure there was much point really. She'd need a new PHO handle either way when she settled on her Hero name, so it felt like it would probably just end up being a lot of wasted effort for nothing. Especially when there would still inevitably be people arguing that Ghost Step and whatever her new name ended up being were entirely separate people no matter what she said. Because that was the kind of place the internet was.

And actually choosing a new cape name was hard. There were so many to choose from and all the good teleportation ones were already taken! Not that she was planning to call herself Strider or Globe Trotter or anything like that, scratching out another non-starter in her notepad.

But as much as she liked Heroes with simple one word names like Dragon or Narwhal or Assault, she wanted something more her. And it wasn't like there were really any good one word names left to choose from.

The PRT didn't like it when Independents and Rogues took up the same name as a Ward or Protectorate Hero, but at least they didn't actually hurt you for it. She'd read enough stories about Villains and even some Independents making examples out of people who had decided to choose a name the same as, or close to what someone else had already established themselves as and she definitely wasn't going to make that mistake herself.

"Mhmm Miss Dimensionalist is pretty catchy, but maybe it sets expectations a bit high?" She was also pretty sure that if she used that name then people would expect her to be taller. So she scratched that one out too, absently biting her bottom lip as her eyes looked briefly over the few names that had survived elimination so far.

"I really need you in my name I think, but I can't just call myself Quest, that would just get confusing right?"

Quest didn't respond, which was about as helpful as she ever was for things like her current problem. Still at least it gave her another avenue to explore.

"Miss Quest."

"Epic Quest"

"Quest Mistress"

She paused and made the mental note to ban herself from using the word 'miss' anymore.

"Oooh Dimensional Quest!" It was perfect!

[Quest: Choose a Different Cape Name that Does Not Have a High Probability of Shortening Your Life Expectancy]

Madison Clements is well aware of the importance of a cape name, for such a title can convey many things with as little as a single word.

Values, aspirations, abilities, personality, power.

However parahumans with a Mover power therefore typically do not wish to convey the impression that they have the ability to very illegally travel to other Earths and beyond. Madison Clements should be well aware that this will potentially make them a target of the government, other governments, the Protectorate, Villain groups and a colorful variety of various other special interests.

Madison Clements must choose a cape name that she believes will suitably define her as a Hero, while not drawing attention she can ill afford as she comes into her abilities and her chosen role.

[Objective: Disregard 'dimension' related choices]
Rewards: Reduced threatscape

[OK]

Okay maybe Quest had a tiny point about attracting unwanted attention if she made it look like she could just go to Aleph. She'd probably get blackboxed like all those high level Thinkers that joined the government the moment she signed the form. At least teleporters were usually too valuable to be kidnapped for their own good she was pretty sure. Though maybe she shouldn't believe everything she read on PHO.

Still she was definitely on the right track, the fact that Quest was interfering meant she had to be on to something! That or her power was getting impatient she supposed. Madison shrugged to herself as her current lack of dinner made itself known and her stomach rumbled loudly, well she could always continue later.

"Hey how about Diamond Quest?"

When Quest didn't say anything she took it as a sign to continue. "It's well, diamonds are all about strength and resilience right? Like my force field, but they're also about love and everything I was before... I just hated. I know I was scared, but I still remember all the awful things I felt towards Taylor and like you said at the beginning, it's about second chances right? And," she laughed nervously. "Fuck this is going to sound morbid, but 'Diamond,' well it basically starts with the sound 'die' and I'm pretty sure if you hadn't come along that's where Taylor would have ended up... And maybe me too. So it's just another reminder to just, be better you know?"

She sighed, all her thoughts a tired mess of ideas and wants and regrets. "I don't just want a name that describes me. It's about the Hero I'm trying to be I guess, who I want to become. Someone who helps people and can maybe make the world a little bit brighter, or at least this corner of it anyway."

She waited in the silence, staring up at the ceiling. Hoping one of Quest's notification windows would appear to tell her it was okay, or even just to tell her she was being stupid. Just something, some kind of acknowledgement of her choice, her decision and she couldn't help but ramble on slightly as she waited for some kind of response from her power.

"Also dimension starts with 'di' too you know, so it's a silly way of still including that without being obvious. Like an easter egg no one will get. I mean people will probably think it's a silly name anyway, but it'll be mine and I can define it myself by helping people and being a real Hero and there's no way anyone will mistake me for a Nazi-."

A blue flicker appeared in her vision and her mouth snapped shut, though she couldn't help but sag in relief even before she'd read whatever Quest had to say.

[Quest: Choosing a Cape Name]

Madison Clements has chosen the path of a Hero.

A Hero might be defined by their actions, but it is their name which will be engraved in the minds of those around them and those who hear of their deeds through time immemorial.

Madison Clements has chosen a name that reflects who they are in acknowledgement of both their past and future. A name of those values they would embody and who in time they strive to become.

An unbreakable, shining beacon against the ever encroaching night.

[Objective: Choose Diamond Quest as your cape name]
Rewards: Another step on the road of redemption, another footfall on the path of the Hero, ????

[OK]

She sniffled, closing her eyes and feeling hot tears tickle down her skin onto the pillow as she offered a watery smile to the notification window above, her voice coming out in a grateful whisper.

"Thank you."

The first thing she did upon waking up Saturday morning was to make her Diamond Quest PHO account.

DiamondQuest

She couldn't resist a little squee of joy at the sight. It was silly, but it was hers. She still had to verify herself as an Independent Hero too if she wanted that tag, but there wasn't any real rush when she wasn't planning to post anything under the account until she had a brand new image to go along with it.

It still kept a smile fixed on her face though, going from her nebulous heroic identity to finally having a firm sense of who she was, who she was going to be as a Hero. She'd be the first to admit it wasn't a name that was going to make sense to anyone but herself. But then she'd also chosen Ghost Step and even if people were still calling her a Nazi, that hadn't worked out that badly overall and 'Diamond Quest' definitely couldn't be linked to any of the gangs.

Lisa would probably make fun of her though, but she was called Tattletale so she clearly had a terrible taste in names to begin with.

Thinking of the other girl Madison realised it would be handy to have some more spending money for her planned shopping trip and shot Lisa a text to see when it would be good for her to head over to the lair. Sure it was actually called 'the Loft', but lair would always be cooler and sometimes calling it that annoyed Lisa so it was a win-win really.

Lisa texted back after she'd had breakfast, her dad had commented on her increased appetite after she'd used to skip breakfast a lot of the time in the mornings and she realised it might have been a bit weird from their perspective since they didn't know about her late night patrols during the week.

In hindsight she supposed it made sense that having a voice in her head, the ability to teleport and having a functional force field might have also impacted her calorie intake. But since she hadn't really changed in any visible way that she could see, she hadn't really given it any further thought.

Lisa had messaged back saying she was fine to head over any time from twelve, which gave her the whole morning to burn and she decided to head to the mall early instead. That she was going out specifically to buy a gift for Taylor had gotten her a free pass to go from her parents and she'd hopped on the next bus to head Downtown once she was ready.

Despite getting to know Taylor a little better over the previous few weeks, she wasn't sure what the other girl actually liked beyond tea, books and PHO and Madison was pretty sure there wasn't a way to combine all three into a single gift.

In the end she'd found herself wandering into a speciality chocolate store and hadn't been able to help herself when she'd spotted a fancy box of 'tea-infused chocolate'. It was painfully expensive, but at least her poor bank account wouldn't suffer for too long and the look on Taylor's face would probably be worth it, even if none of the flavours included were black tea.

After spending so much time (and money) in the chocolate store she'd wanted something sweet for herself and it hadn't been long after that she'd found herself in the food court munching on a crepe as she pondered what else she wanted to pick up while she was out.

She'd been going through zip ties like tissues in flu season and so briefly considered picking up some more, but she still had a decent amount left and she could at least buy the regular ones in a hundred pack and save the way more expensive handcuff variants for the more troublesome people she came across on her patrols. Usually she stuck around at the scene until the police arrived and there had only been a few times someone had known a trick to get out of them, or were drugged up enough to brute force their way out instead. Though it was never fun for anyone when she then had to take them down a second time and spend even more time and effort making sure they couldn't get free following.

Clothing-wise... Well she definitely wanted to make sure the coat for her new costume either had hydrophobic properties or was extremely easy to clean, that was for sure. She hadn't had to make any new impromptu shopping trips for more clothes, but she knew she was always only one bad fall onto another trash filled floor from needing most of a new outfit again even with her force field.

And she hadn't really had much of an opportunity to explore her force field much to begin with. She knew it was there, but she couldn't touch it herself and if she tried to poke herself with something like a pen then it seemed like her body either treated the pen as an extension of her hand or incorporated whatever she was holding into her force field. She knew it didn't extend far from her skin, enough to cover the necessities (thankfully), but her thick hoodie and the looser trousers she wore were definitely excluded from the protection considering the abuse they managed to suffer sometimes.

She was hoping she'd be able to get it to extend to the rest of her clothing too, but unless she had someone she could trust to help her, it was more just an ongoing mental exercise she couldn't see any visible progress of one way or the other. Maybe Amy could introduce her to Glory Girl and there was some obvious force field secret she was missing?

She rolled the thought about in her mind as she got up and threw away her trash, beginning to walk over to the escalator. She'd been giving Amy space and hoped the other girl would be a little less horribly unimpressed to see her when she next dropped by, though she wasn't sure how optimistic she could be on that front. Briefly she wondered if Amy would like tea-infused chocolate too, there had been some smaller ones on the shelf and since Amy was already pretty rich she probably wouldn't even notice how much they cost...

"Madison."

She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts as she saw the two people she least wanted to meet emerging from one of the nicer clothing stores in the mall.

Well she supposed she was bound to run into the two of them at some point as much as she might have preferred not to. Sophia had obviously spotted her first, a flat look to accompany her equally flat greeting as Emma looked up from adjusting her bags and looked as nonplussed as Madison herself at the unintended get together.

"Hey." Madison offered simply, automatic politeness shifting to a hesitant wariness as she stopped in front of the two of them. She noticed she was unconsciously tightening her grip on the carrier bag in her hand and saw the way Sophia's eyes were immediately drawn to the small action.

"Didn't think you went for the fancy crap." Sophia gestured and Madison honestly wasn't sure if that was intended to be an insult or just Sophia's way with words as she found herself raising an eyebrow in response.

"It's a gift." She offered plainly, still not quite sure if Sophia was trying to build bridges or keep tearing them down as abrasive as she usually was, even to the people she allegedly liked.

"Like you have any friends!" Emma cut in with a scowl. "Everyone hates you now, you know that right?"

"Not everyone." She threw back, deciding not to mention that half the girls 'hated' her because Emma and Sophia did and even then she was still on good terms with Daphne in secret. Having been in the other girl's position she understood just how hard it was to break away and as long as Daphne didn't go from uncomfortably and silently following the crowd to joining in, it was a small friendship she wanted to hold onto if she could.

"Yeah you're real chummy with Hebert all of a sudden aren't you?" Sophia scoffed. "You went from one of the top dogs to a yapping little bitch like her for what?"

"Please, just look at her, does she look like someone who knows how to make good life choices?" Emma spat acidly. "You're just lucky we took pity on you for as long as we did."

"Bet that shit's for her isn't it?" Sophia continued at Emma's pause with another purposeful glance towards the bag Madison was holding. "Buying her gifts now? Didn't think you were like Hebert."

"What, strong?" She challenged and almost smirked at the way Sophia and Emma both bristled.

"And there it is again." Sophia cut back. "Talking shit like you have anything worth saying. People don't just change like that, Hebert's still as weak and pathetic as she always was, just like you are. So don't blame us when you realise how low you've sunk."

"Right, because I'm the one who needs to do any more introspection here." She snarked right back, a sardonic smile gracing her lips. Like they had any idea the kind of things she'd already realised about herself, the kind of person she'd almost let herself become.

"Come on let's just go." Emma urged, disgust painted clearly on her face. "She obviously doesn't have room in that tiny brain of hers to get it and it's Taylor that matters anyway."

Sophia's scowl flitted to Emma momentarily, looking for a moment like she didn't want to let things go at that before she acquiesced, fixing Madison with one last glare like she was failing to solve some infuriating puzzle before making a point to step slightly ahead of Emma than let herself be led away. Both girls making an obvious show of dismissing her entirely as they quickly fell into conversation and didn't spare one backwards glance.

Madison just watched them go for a moment before realising she was sporting a scowl of her own and took a breath to settle herself. 'That was unpleasant' she couldn't help but muse as Sophia and Emma disappeared into the throng of shoppers and Madison allowed herself to turn away, letting her feet take her forwards even as she no longer had any real destination in mind.

If she hadn't literally just indulged in something sweet she probably would have bought herself something to wash the sour taste of the interaction away, though she was tempted to anyway just for the distraction. As it was she found herself wandering up to the next floor, drifting into the first clothing store she came across even as she wasn't really taking in anything she saw.

'What was their problem with Taylor?' Sure bullying didn't tend to make all that much sense to begin with as she knew from experience, but even as she had managed to get a lot of the attention onto herself, Madison still felt like she was just a sideshow to the main event that was Taylor at times. That there was some point to Emma and Sophia targeting Taylor specifically that she was missing.

She wished she could simply ask Taylor, but they weren't that close and Madison wasn't sure if they ever would be, even as she cradled a small bit of hope for a real friendship the longer they spent together.

Letting out a sigh, she tried to redirect her attention to the tops she had found herself idly leafing through and her thoughts drifted again to the nebulous image of her Hero costume that refused to come together in her mind.

To her surprise she found it helped having an actual Hero name to go with it. 'Ghost Step' was all dark clothes, a shadowy figure in a hoodie wielding a crowbar who was closer to Shadow Stalker than Glory Girl.

But Diamond Quest was completely different, it gave her the image of an adventurer, someone forging their own bright path through the darkness. A gentleman cowboy, a gentlewoman cowboy? Was that a thing?

She'd be the complete opposite of her current outfit, respectable but still rogueish and definitely no actual cape no matter how mysterious and mature they made people look. Amy already had a bad impression of her and the last thing she wanted was to be mistaken for Rune. Something that might have been less of a concern if she still hadn't had the occasional criminal think she was Oni Lee when she tried to apprehend them.

Though if the ABB's homicidal teleporter took issue with that then Madison was glad he hadn't been able to track her down yet. Force field or not she had no intention of finding out how she fared against a grenade bandoleer, pistols and knives.

Still, even then the only firm fixture in her mind was an awesome long white coat or jacket with a white domino mask to cover her eyes and otherwise a solid pair of boots obviously. The rest she was still a bit on the fence about, both clothing and color-wise as she went along the racks of tops to try and get ideas and came away with too many to choose from.

She doubted Quest would get involved unless she made a really bad decision (again) and she wondered if that was what having an older sister would be like with the way Quest both seemed to help and berate her in equal measure. It was kind of nice really, even if every time Quest stopped her from doing something stupid she had to live with the mortifying embarrassment afterwards.

It was a few minutes later that her phone buzzed for attention and she awkwardly fished it out as she put a pair of slate grey trousers she'd been considering back on the shelf.

Lisa: Got back early, you can head over whenever.

Madison smiled and wondered if Alec would mind if she borrowed the TV for a bit.

In the end it took her a frustrating amount of time to find somewhere she could safely teleport from without drawing any attention to herself. The mall was in one of the nicer parts of Downtown, which meant she'd had to walk for a bit before she'd found somewhere reasonably secluded. Her phone had buzzed again while she'd been walking, but she'd ignored it as she'd grown increasingly annoyed at how difficult it was to just use her power.

When she was Ghost Step she could teleport away from the police, into the hospital or wherever, but when she took off the mask she had to take every precaution under the sun not to give herself up accidentally.

She envied Glory Girl in that respect. There was no way in hell she would ever consider being a public cape, especially after meeting Amy. But no one batted an eye if Victoria Dallon decided to take off in the middle of the street! Well, it always got attention like any cape did, but no one cared!

With a quick glance behind to make sure there weren't any eyes on her she ducked around the side of the dumpster in the side alley she'd come across and teleported straight to the lair, eyes widening as she suddenly found herself in front of a very angry older girl and her several growling dogs.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Chapter Text

Lisa Wilbourn

"Who the fuck are you?"

Excess aggression in Rachel Lindt's tone, person being addressed unknown to them, viewed as potential threat. Rachel Lindt likely to respond with physical violence

'Dammit Madison this is why you check your texts!' Lisa cursed in the privacy of her mind as she rushed towards the kitchen. She'd told Rachel about Ghost Step and she'd damn well told Madison to wait until she gave the all clear to teleport in! She had been hanging around the TV until she got a confirmation Madison had seen her text because that was where she'd assume Madison would appear first!

Even without enhanced hearing she easily heard the sound of growling as she ran down the hall to the kitchen, finding a scene she'd been trying to avoid ever since she'd first thought about trying to recruit Madison for the team.

"Lisa! A little help!" Madison squeaked, very much living up to her 'Mad Cat' handle as Lisa found the other girl stood on their table, holding out her hands placatingly to a scowling Rachel as Angelica, Brutus and Judas growled and looked ready to leap up and try and rip the shorter girl's throat out. And Lisa very much did not want to see how such a fight would play out considering Madison hadn't already left.

"Bitch this is Ghost Step! I told you she'd be coming around, call them off!"

"She's the new recruit?" Came the gruff reply, Rachel not taking her eyes off Madison and Lisa knew there was nothing she could do if Rachel decided on a repeat performance of Spitfire. Brian might have threatened to lay her out if she did it again but he wasn't here. And beyond drawing her gun she had nothing, except for trying to convince a girl who didn't like her at the best of times.

"No, she's a friend, don't hurt her!" She wasn't sure if she'd actually consider Madison a friend and felt a little guilty that Madison seemed to perk up at the word, but Lisa knew if she called Madison anything else then Rachel would use it to justify wanting Madison gone and never coming back.

"Dogs don't like her." Was all Rachel responded as if that justified anything she was doing.

"Well excuse me for being a cat person!"

'Very much not helping Madison!' Lisa screamed internally, trying to figure out some way of de-escalating before things got worse and felt her stomach drop, her gaze snapping back to Rachel as the woman let out two shrill whistles and a single command.

"Hurt!"

"No!" Lisa yelled as all three dogs charged forwards. She saw a crowbar appear in Madison's hand, saw her hesitate as Judas jumped at her, the German Shepherd clamping it's jaws around the metal bar that shot up to meet it and Lisa could only watch in horrified despair as Judas crashed into Madison. The sheer size of the dog throwing her back where Brutus and Angelica were waiting to savage her the moment she hit the ground.

And then Madison and Judas were gone and even the remaining dogs were briefly frozen in confusion. Rachel looked surprised too for the brief moment it took for the expression to be replaced by outright anger as she wheeled on her as the only other remaining person in the room, Brutus and Angelica responding to Rachel's cue and moving aggressively towards her in turn.

"Where did she take Judas?!"

"You attacked a Mover you fucking idiot! Your dog could be anywhere, what the fuck did you think would happen?!" Lisa yelled as she slowly backed up, very aware of how far away the door to her room was and how quickly both dogs could be on her.

And then suddenly Madison was back on the table, seemingly only pausing to orient herself and Lisa caught a single brief glimpse of an unfamiliar scowl on the other girl's face before she seemed to blink forwards, Rachel doubling over as Madison's crowbar punched into her gut. "Call them off now!" Madison yelled, slipping seamlessly back on to her spot on top of the table as Brutus and Angelica wheeled around and darted forward to protect their master.

"Where's Judas?!" Rachel shouted back as she staggered back upright with a glare. The other girl angrier than Lisa had ever seen her, even as one hand clutched where Madison had hit her.

"Call off your fucking dogs and I'll take you to him!"

Rachel Lindt does not want to submit to outsider, needs to display dominance over outside party, however concern for welfare of dogs outweighs desire for dominance

Lisa watched the standoff play out as her power provided color commentary and saw the moment Rachel broke eye contact first.

"Angelica! Brutus! Safe!"

Like a switch had been flipped the remaining rottweiler and terrier went from pure aggression to the picture of curious, happy docility. Suddenly seeming to regard Madison as little more than a curious new thing they might want to explore if they didn't want to wander back over to Rachel first.

"Take me to Judas."

To anyone who didn't know Rachel it might have sounded like arrogance or even an order, but Lisa knew that was Rachel being her own equivalent of polite. In her own mind Rachel had fulfilled her part of the bargain and so simply expected Madison to fill hers in turn and Lisa decided to step in before even more could go wrong.

"Rachel." She cut in, drawing both pairs of eyes to her. "Promise Madison and me you won't attack her again first."

In Madison's shoes that would be the first thing she would have demanded, but if it came from Madison then Rachel would probably see it as Madison renegading on the previous agreement by adding a sudden new stipulation.

"Fine." Rachel all but spat, turning back to Madison. "Now take me to Judas."

Madison looked back to her and Lisa gave her a quick nod in return.

The crowbar didn't disappear, but Madison teleported off the table, taking the remaining steps to approach Rachel by foot and held out her free hand. "I took him to an abandoned warehouse in a different part of the Docks, he's fine."

Rachel didn't say anything, just taking the other girl's hand expectantly and a moment later they were gone.

Lisa sighed, she was not looking forward to explaining things to Brian later.

"So where did you take Judas?"

In the end Madison and Rachel hadn't been gone long, something that Lisa was immensely grateful for since she had no idea what she was supposed to do with Angelica and Brutus who had seemed happy enough keeping her company as she tidied up the kitchen in the sudden lack of a fight to the death.

As things went... Well it was about in keeping with her expectations, outside of the part where Madison had kicked back and got Rachel to back off. She knew that Madison had been playing vigilante for a while, but it was one thing to know in the abstract and another to see just how dangerous she could be if she chose to give up the act. And that was knowing full well how much Madison must have been holding back if her obvious reluctance to hurt Rachel or her dogs was anything to go by. Not that Rachel would have been a pushover either if the idiot hadn't been underestimating Madison from the start.

No wonder Madison had been hesitant about having a gun, she could potentially be even deadlier than Oni Lee if she was pushed far enough, which was just another reason to try and keep her out of Coil's noose and not feeling like assassination was her only recourse to get things done. Not that Lisa would stop her if Madison went after Coil though, she'd happily point the vigilante in the right direction if she actually knew where his main base of operations was.

"I spend a lot of time on rooftops and after you brought me here the first time I've been a bit more curious about supposedly abandoned warehouses no one can get into." Madison commented as she lazed on Lisa's bed with a bottle of soda. "There are a few that are actually inaccessible, but I managed to get a look inside through the upper windows and boom improvised secret lair, or somewhere to dump a homicidal murder dog in a hurry at least."

Ally Madison Clements expressing displeasure at turn of events, deems actions as necessary, however regrets said necessity

'Weren't they both.' Lisa mused as she made a show of counting out the cash she'd already counted several nights ago. Rachel had left almost immediately after the two of them had returned and Lisa hadn't wanted to chance anything else, quickly sequestering Madison in her room with a soda and snacks under the guise of getting her cash ready.

She'd already been sitting on the money for a week, waiting for a good opportunity since it was obvious Madison wasn't on a time crunch. Though after the unpleasant conversation where she'd made a half-assed effort to sell Madison on Coil's favours deal, mentioning she had the money from the gun sale ready had thankfully worked to pick up the other girl's spirits as Lisa had heard Madison's mood darkening on the other end of the line.

Lisa still wasn't sure if she was underestimating Madison or if it was down to her own power being less useful than it was on other people, but Madison had quickly made inferences that would have gone over plenty of other people's heads. It made her more troublesome to manage and an annoyed Coil was always a bitch to suffer through, but she didn't blame the other girl for not wanting to take what would have probably been a shit deal by the end of it.

Sure the first favour, maybe the second too would have likely been fine, probably even working out in Madison's favour at the time at least. But Coil liked to think of himself of the spider of his own big fat web and the fewer strands he had around Madison the better, even if it might make her own life more difficult in the mean time.

She heard Madison sigh softly and glanced over, seeing the other girl examining the sleeve of her jacket.

No visible markings, possible unseen damage on sleeve or elsewhere on apparel when engaging Judas

"How'd you avoid getting bitten?" She couldn't help but ask. Madison was quick, but the lack of blood had been a surprise when she'd returned. The dogs had barely touched Spitfire and she'd still managed to get blood everywhere as she'd fled.

Madison threw her an appraising look before seeming to come to a decision. "Eh, I'm sure other people have figured it out by now so I might as well tell you. Force field." She finished with a small smirk.

Lisa paused as she took in the newest power of Glory Girl-lite. "I can't decide if I hate or love the fact you're not lying to me right now."

Ally Madison Clements sharing factual statement, assessment of damage to apparel indicates personal shield does not extend far from skin and lacks ability to extend shield to cover larger items of clothing

"Yup, still don't recommend getting shot though."

"Was this when you supposedly fought Squealer?" The information there had been scarce enough for her not to be able to draw any real conclusions at the time. And with the fact that Armsmaster had definitely engaged the Merchant villain in a running battle at around the same time it was hard to judge, even with her power helping as to just how much was being incorrectly attributed to Ghost Step. The same way that half of thefts in the Bay with suspected parahuman involvement got attributed to The Undersiders, if they weren't being thrown at whatever new random villain had popped up and had everyone's attention that particular week.

Madison shook her head and then paused. "Well she did have a shotgun too I guess, but her tank cannon definitely wasn't using armor piercing."

Which tallied with the images Lisa had seen of the scene afterwards and even in the darkness of the images it looked like someone had been firing high caliber explosive rounds at random. She couldn't help but give an involuntary wince at the thought, very glad The Undersiders had not been the ones to experience that first hand, Bitch's dogs might have been fine, but without Grue's darkness...

"Well that sounds like it must have sucked." She commiserated as she finished her reshuffle of the money, a mix of twenties, tens and fives in their various little bundles.

"Yeah." Madison grimaced, looking away for a moment. "It was honestly really scary, I didn't know what had happened and I was looking down at myself trying to see where I was bleeding from since my hoodie was all torn up, it wasn't till later that I realised nothing had actually got through..."

Ally Madison Clements pensive, recalling unpleasant memory of event in question, further questioning likely to exacerbate issue

'Crap, distraction, distraction.'

"Okay here's your two hundred and seventy perfectly clean dollars in both the literal and figurative sense." She spoke up a little louder than she needed to, visibly jolting the other girl out of her thoughts and Lisa counted it as a win that she got a begrudging smile out of Madison at the joke. Even if that smile quickly turned into a small frown as the other girl looked from the money Lisa was holding back to her properly.

"I thought you said it was two hundred?"

"I lied." She smirked, which wasn't untrue since she'd actually made about one-sixty all told, but Madison didn't need to know that she'd slipped a little extra in while they'd been talking. She kind of owed her for handling Rachel like she had.

Madison's frown didn't go anywhere and Lisa wondered if Madison's own Thinker power was calling her out on her bullshit, but in the end Madison just gave her a warm smile. "Thanks Lisa."

Lisa found herself looking away, a small frown on her lips though she wasn't sure why. 'Ugh, why did Madison always have to be so genuine to her?'

Madison Clements

She just wanted to collapse in bed when she finally got back. The day was only halfway through and she was exhausted.

A side eye towards her bed confirmed it still looked extra comfortable, but she wasn't sure she actually trusted herself to wake up in time to head over to Taylor's later if she did succumb to temptation. Maybe if her parents were giving her a lift, but they were going out to see friends on basically the opposite side of town, so she'd be stuck getting a bus there and probably a taxi back afterwards.

A glance towards the small digital clock on her desk confirmed she still had a few hours to go and for the lack of anything better to do she decided to get some of her homework out of the way rather than dwell on both of her unpleasant encounters of the day. Though even then she hadn't been able to stop herself from browsing PHO and at one point re-familiarising herself with Bitch's wiki page, very much agreeing with the warning that 'she is to be considered extremely dangerous and shouldn't be engaged alone.' The image of the huge dog leaping at her still very present in her mind even if it had been a happy, friendly thing the moment Rachel had told it to stop afterwards.

She saw her parents off a couple of hours later, leaving her to while away the last hour before she had to leave herself and most of that had been second guessing her outfit. She wanted to make a good impression on both Taylor and her dad, but she didn't want to overdo it either. Taylor's whole style was basically a lack of one, just a lot of muted colors like she was trying to blend into the background and Madison hoped she'd be able to get Taylor to agree to a shopping trip at some point.

She knew the other girl would look great in a whole bunch of stuff, she definitely had the height and the legs to pull off a lot more than she could, that was for sure. Though Madison knew equally well that Taylor would probably fight her every step of the way if she ever found a good moment to bring it up. It was going to be a work in progress and a very, very slow one at that. Like when she'd spent a week befriending a stray cat so it would trust her enough to let her give it treats and cuddles... She probably shouldn't tell Taylor about that analogy actually.

In the end she'd just settled on something she'd wear if she was hanging out with friends, which felt far more obvious than it should have in hindsight; a pair of jeans, a nice top and one of her favourite sweaters she could at least take off if it got too hot. She did glance at her hair pins, but she hadn't worn them since before she'd started turning her life around and she doubted she ever would again, though she wasn't sure she could get rid of them just yet either.

Briefly she wondered if white pins would work with her Hero costume, but then she wondered if that would make it a bit too easy to draw parallels with her civilian identity, which got her thinking about her hair in general. After the first couple of times she'd gone out as Ghost Step she'd started putting her hair in a bun and she wondered if a ponytail would look good with her new costume when she got it.

Her phone buzzed for attention and her eyebrows rose when she saw it was her burner that was slowly vibrating it's way to the edge of her desk and she couldn't help but wonder what Lisa could have wanted with her as she jumped up to grab it. After all they'd only just spoken a few hours ago and as she picked it up she paused in confusion as the screen displayed a simple 'Unknown Number' - But no one had her number except for Lisa and- Parian!

She almost fumbled the phone as she quickly accepted the call and brought it up to her ear.

"Hello?" She answered, nervousness and hope warring in her voice - To her own ears at least and she couldn't help but wonder how she sounded on the other end of the line.

"Good Evening, this is Parian, please can you confirm who's speaking?"

'Stupid.' She chastised herself as she hastened to answer. "Oh, sorry! This is, um I'm known as Ghost Step, I left you that letter a couple of weeks ago. I'm sorry if it was creepy or anything."

"Thank you, I just wanted to be certain as I'm sure you can understand." The demure voice replied and Madison found herself nodding her head automatically before she caught herself.

"Of course! Thank you for coming back to me." She quickly replied in turn, immensely relieved that the Rogue had done so and even if Parian was about to tell her no, at least she would finally know one way or the other.

"Well you certainly made an interesting first impression, are you still seeking to enquire of my services?"

Madison decided to try and not read too much into that comment, knowing full well it'd come back to haunt her thoughts afterwards anyway. "Yes! Please." She answered quickly with another nod, trying to ready herself for disappointment even as a larger part of her was hoping the Rogue was about to say yes.

"I'm glad to hear it, in truth I would usually ask for a little more to confirm who you say you are, but I believe simply arriving in the same manner you delivered my letter will be more than enough to confirm your identity."

There was a brief pause and Madison wasn't sure if she was imagining the slightest hesitance in Parian's voice as the Rogue continued.

"Now, while I am happy to arrange an appointment for an initial consultation, I would ask that you pay for this service prior to the appointment as a sign of good faith, though I understand if you would instead wish to pay in cash and I would be willing to accept this upon your arrival instead."

"Of course." Madison replied automatically before asking the obvious question. "How much?"

"For the consultation? This would be four hundred and fifty dollars to discuss your needs and expectations, general measurements and to address any bespoke requirements that may become apparent. If we are in agreement after the initial meeting, design and review and you are then happy to proceed with a commission following, then I would ask for payment up front on any orders you wish to place. The total price of which would depend upon your requirements, material availability and other factors that can be discussed further at the time."

'Four hundred and fifty dollars... For only the initial consultation... ?!'

"I... See." She choked and hid it behind an impromptu clearing of her throat. "That's, um fine."

Suddenly stealing from criminals didn't seem like a bad idea at all and she wasn't sure what to do with that particular realisation. But she was supporting a local business, so that had to count for something right?

"Wonderful." Parian replied pleasantly, neatly interrupting her train of thoughts. "Would you be free this weekend, perhaps tonight?"

"Ah." She fumbled, caught between not wanting to disappoint Parian and having to say no to her. "Sorry I already have plans tonight, is tomorrow okay?"

"Certainly, I understand you may have other commitments, or otherwise restrictions on when you might be able to attend. What time would be best for you?"

Madison racked her brains for a moment, wondering if what she had in mind would be okay before deciding to just go for it. "Late night honestly, would eleven be okay?"

"Of course." Parian noted like it was the most obvious thing in the world and maybe for her it was Madison mused in the relief of not immediately getting shot down. "Then I look forward to seeing you tomorrow Ghost Step, have a good evening."

"Thanks and you!" She smiled as Parian hung up, all of her worries about her costume dropping from her shoulders like some giant weight she hadn't realised she'd been carrying around and were just as quickly replaced by one far more pressing concern as she immediately fired off a text.

Mad Cat: I need money!

Smug Fox: Go steal some more then.

Mad Cat: Costume person said yes! I need CLEAN money for consultation & maybe deposit, pls loan me from my funds?

Smug Fox: Lucky. Okay no problem, coming round tonight?

Madison frowned, she probably didn't have time for that and she didn't want to change again. Briefly she wondered just how much time she had left before she needed to leave and glanced at the time-'Oh fuck I've missed the bus!'

She snatched up the bag containing Taylor's chocolate as she bolted to her feet, she couldn't be late! Taylor and her dad were expecting her and she didn't want to ruin everything and she was going to be late and Taylor was going to think she wasn't taking their friendship seriously and she had to get going imm-

-ediately and this wasn't her room, but why did it look familiar?

"Madison? What the fuck."

She whirled around to find Taylor staring at her from her seat at the kitchen table as Madison's mind finally made the connection as to just where she was.

"I can explain!"

"You're a cape?!" Taylor exclaimed in sheer outraged bewilderment.

"...Okay maybe I don't need to explain?" She tried, her weak smile wilting further under Taylor's furious gaze.

"Talk. Now."

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

To say that she'd been having second thoughts about having Madison over for dinner was an understatement. Not that she found she minded the idea of Madison coming over as much as she thought she would, but her dad would ask questions and those might lead to more questions and other things she really wanted to not be talking about. It didn't help that from getting to know the other girl, she was pretty sure Madison couldn't lie to save her life and would probably crumble the moment any pressure was applied to her.

Still, she had agreed to it so she was going to see it through and it was... Nostalgic? To be waiting for a friend to come over and she wasn't sure if that was a good feeling or not. Her warmer feelings towards the shorter girl clashing with the reality of exactly what had happened with the last friend she'd used to invite round to her house.

That she had another hour or so before Madison was due to arrive had left her feeling pretty aimless. She'd already made an effort to tidy the house up and clear everything away and her dad wouldn't be getting in for at least half an hour anyway.

She had just been thinking of heading back to her room to waste some time on PHO or one of the literary boards she frequented when there was suddenly someone in the room with her and she'd been so surprised, she hadn't even said anything before it clicked just who it was and therefore who the only female Mover in the Bay was.

Madison's sheepish and incredibly guilty smile following hadn't exactly helped her case.

"Um is your dad here? My parents don't know and I'd kind of prefer he didn't know either..."

"He's not back yet." Taylor could hear the growl slip into her voice and made a conscious effort to rein herself back in. Unless Madison didn't have a damn good explanation.

The sheer look of relief on the other girl's face made Taylor feel a little oddly relieved herself. Like she hadn't just been pranked in some way she was failing to comprehend and instead the same Madison who talked backed to Sophia, who didn't realise she was dodging almost all attempts of physical abuse since then was the same person standing in front of her. Someone who had accidentally outed herself as a cape by teleporting directly into her kitchen for reasons Taylor was very interested in finding out.

"How long have you been a cape?" She had to know. Had to know if Madison had been a cape the whole time, even as she didn't want to believe it could have been possible. Steeling herself for disappointment and the morose thoughts that might follow.

"I triggered when- The day they took your flute."

Taylor paused, not comprehending for a moment, Madison didn't mean...? "When Emma and Sophia took my flute... That caused it?" She ventured hesitantly to Madison's pained expression who nodded stiffly in response.

"When they did that to you it reminded me... Of what happened to me at my old school, how awful I was being..."

Taylor wasn't sure what to say as Madison trailed off, her gaze distant as she seemed to be caught in her own thoughts for a moment before she forcibly shook her head and turned back to her. "Sorry, it's not nice to think about. Can we um, talk somewhere more private? I feel a bit paranoid your dad will walk in at any moment."

Taylor found herself nodding, her dad's truck was anything but subtle, but she didn't think it was worth mentioning with how vulnerable Madison looked in that moment. Standing up she led Madison upstairs to her room, glad she'd spent the additional time tidying it, even if she'd never had any real intention of showing it off to Madison at any point in the evening.

"Sorry." Madison offered as Taylor closed the door behind her and Taylor turned to the other girl with a questioning look and received a small shrug in return.

"It was your flute, it's not your problem if it's a little painful for me to talk about you know?"

Taylor nodded hesitantly. She'd read that some people only got powers from traumatic events, so who was she to judge how much Madison had been affected if she'd also suffered from something similar before?

"Anyway." Madison said, drawing her attention again and looking for all the world like she wanted to move on and Taylor was happy to indulge her. "You've got questions and I've probably got answers, so shoot!"

"So you have a Thinker power that gives you RPG quests to help you accomplish goals, an Inventory system that lets you pull things out of thin air, a force field and you can teleport?"

Madison looked like she wanted to say something but paused and nodded. "Pretty much."

Her dad had gotten back a little while ago and the in person introduction between him and Madison had been just as awkward as Taylor had expected it to be, though she had maybe forgotten to mention her dad had decided he wouldn't stick around the whole night if Madison's surprise had been anything to go by. After the initial introductions he'd shepherded them into the kitchen to take their orders for takeout and left not long after that with plans to head to the bar with Kurt and Lacey for most of the night after. Taylor hadn't been sure if she was happy with the plan at the time, but currently it was something she thought both she and Madison were grateful for with the amount they had to talk about.

"How did all of that help you get the flute back from Emma's locker though?" She asked, sure her more paranoid thoughts had immediately seized upon the idea that Madison might have been the one to take it in the first place, but that hadn't really added up. Nor how Madison's powers might have made retrieving the flute any easier either, unless there was more to the story than Madison had originally told her.

"Um well I didn't realise I had teleportation then." Madison replied sheepishly, "Quest just suggested I get something to break into the lockers with so I borrowed my dad's crowbar."

"You didn't... Realise you had teleportation powers?" She couldn't help but ask, another part of her at least gratified to learn that Madison hadn't been lying to her in their first meeting.

"I've been feeling all over the place since I got my powers! How was I supposed to know one of them was teleportation!" Madison huffed. "It's not like my force field has any tell either unless something actually hits me."

On a whim Taylor leaned forward and poked Madison on the hand, raising an eyebrow when she felt nothing but normal human skin.

"Does it only work when you're under attack or something?"

Madison shrugged. "It stopped Panacea from touching me, maybe my power just likes you."

"Hmmm." Taylor frowned, not sure she was buying that explanation which Madison seemed to have just pulled out of thin air. Glancing about she caught sight of the small flashlight she kept by her bedside table and threw it at Madison's chest.

"Hey!" Madison squawked, trying to dodge out of the way, which was difficult when she was comfortably sitting back and wasn't expecting a projectile to be thrown at her. Taylor barely registered the comment, smiling in satisfaction as she thought she saw the edge of the flashlight hit something hard beneath Madison's sweater and bounce off harshly to drop back onto the floor.

"What was that for?!"

"Power testing." Taylor smirked back as she bent down and scooped the flashlight back up into her hand, eyes quickly checking for any damage and confirming there was none before she put it back to the side.

"You could have asked!"

"Like you could have asked to teleport into my kitchen?"

"That was an accident!"

Taylor chuckled as Madison pouted, but it broke into a smile of her own a moment later.

"So what did you learn oh great cape geek?" Madison asked and Taylor raised an amused eyebrow at her, not sure if she should take offense to the moniker.

"Well nothing conclusive obviously." She started, wondering if it would be weird to ask Madison to take off her sweater so she could try again. "But obviously it's responsive, maybe threat based or only against high velocity impacts? No, then Panacea would have been able to touch you" she mused with a hum. "But she's a touch based striker so maybe you subconsciously took that as a threat?"

Madison looked thoughtful at that, but whatever she might have replied was lost as her dad's voice yelled up from downstairs.

"Girls, food!"

Looking at Madison's notepad was eye opening, it was one thing to hear the other girl talk about how her life was almost like an RPG, but actually seeing things on the page with objectives and rewards brought the point home in a way Madison's words couldn't. Though Taylor wasn't sure if she should be disturbed at how Madison's power had given the other girl concise directions on how to find her home address. Sure, it wasn't like Madison's power had just pulled the information out of nowhere and it was technically something anyone could do, but still.

The weird amount of low-key sass was bizarre though.

"I can kind of see why you talk about your power as a she."

"Thank you!" Madison groaned. "I knew it wasn't just me, even if L- I mean my other friend doesn't agree yet. Though I think she just argues for the sake of arguing sometimes, especially after Quest embarrassed her."

That got Taylor to glance up from her reading in interest, she didn't know Madison had any other friends outside of a couple of people she was still on friendly terms with at school and even they weren't the sort of people she imagined Madison sharing her deepest secret with.

"Who's that?" She asked looking up to meet Madison's suddenly very awkward expression.

Taylor tried to think of anyone with a name beginning with 'L' who could fit and came up blank, hadn't Madison said no one else knew?

"So who else knows about your power anyway?" She asked curiously and was rewarded with Madison squirming in place, not making eye contact.

"Madison?"

"Just... A couple of minor villains..."

Taylor was too nonplussed to even say anything for a moment. "Villains?!"

"It's not as bad as it sounds!" Madison protested, throwing up her hands like Taylor was about physically attack her - Or throw something else at her she supposed. "They're really nice! Well most of them." The other girl added with a wince.

"How do villains know your name?!"

"They were trying to recruit me and I was being polite?"

Taylor didn't even know what to begin with that. "So your first thought was to walk up to them and say 'Hi I'm Madison?'"

Madison looked away guiltily.

"Madison, please tell me you didn't walk up to a Villain and just tell them your name?"

"Quest said to introduce myself!"

Taylor narrowed her eyes. "Did Quest say to introduce yourself as Madison?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe meaning no?"

"Maybe..."

Taylor sighed, annoyed that she was feeling stressed on Madison's behalf. "So I'm guessing if I check your quest log right now it's going to have your objective as just 'introduce yourself to the villain' isn't it?"

Madison's face was all the confirmation Taylor needed that she was correct and she trawled an exasperated hand down her face. "Okay I think your stupidity distracted me from the bigger picture, why did they want to recruit you exactly?"

Madison looked a little nervous, which was surprising when she didn't seem all that worried about the fact literal villains knew her civilian identity. "Okay, don't be mad."

Which was never a great thing to hear as Taylor gave the other girl a cautious nod to continue.

"So it turns out hero costumes are stupidly expensive and Quest kind of convinced me that I could put drug money to better use than all the criminals who had it so..."

"That was true?!" Taylor exclaimed, there had been a tonne of speculation about whether or not Ghost Step was actually either a vigilante who was taking more than they should, if it was all lies to begin with from haters and people with their own agendas or if she was actually a minor villain herself. Taylor had just assumed it was another vigilante making mistakes or things were being blown way out of proportion since the PRT hadn't said anything either way, but...

"Well what would you do?!" Madison threw back, catching Taylor offguard and bringing the trainwreck of her thoughts to a halt.

"Everything costs money!" Madison continued before she could reply in a tone that cried she'd been dwelling a lot on the same question herself. "My clothing gets damaged and soaked, I need to buy my own zip ties and stuff and I needed a new phone to call the police with!"

"Well what about the Wards?!" She found herself snapping back, the argument feeling hollow as it left her lips. She'd been dealing with drama from people with more ego than empathy for months under a school administration who either hated her or didn't care enough to help her. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a notoriously difficult to break Wards contract where things could be even worse with no escape if she had powers herself.

Madison scoffed. "Have you seen what they make Vista wear? Would you want to be put in a skirt without any weapons to defend yourself with?"

"So you just want to look good even if it means stealing? What kind of hero even are you?"

"The kind that helps people!" Madison glared back. "You know the school wouldn't have done shit to help you, I had to break the law to get your flute back, or was that wrong too?"

"That's different! That's-" She caught herself before she could say anything else. Her own bubbling frustrations that Madison hadn't gone through half the things she had and she was the one who got powers, she was the one who could do what she wanted, could push back and could go out and help people. That Taylor Hebert still had to be a victim, someone Madison had to help because she was too weak to help herself.

"It's not fair." She grit out instead, not sure when she'd stood up from her chair. Anger and shame coloring her words as she looked back to Madison, to the only person she could actually call a friend. "Why do you get to have powers and I'm just stuck, stuck like this every day."

She didn't expect the hug, almost jolting away on reflex as Madison glomped her, too off balance to do anything other than blink and accept it. Not that her beleaguered mind was sure she could actually pry the other girl off her as another part of her wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Because you're stronger than me." Madison said as Taylor paused and cautiously let her arms fall around the shorter girl who just squeezed her a little tighter in response.

"What?" She choked out, her frazzled mind trying to keep up, wanting to push Madison away as much as Taylor wanted to let herself enjoy the warmth of the first genuine hug she'd had in how long?

"People only get powers in their worst moments." Madison answered softly. "When they're at their lowest, their weakest. That's why I admire and respect you so much Taylor, how I know just how strong you are with everything you've gone through, keep going through without ever breaking like I did."

Taylor decided to just let the hug happen so Madison wouldn't see the wetness of her eyes as she struggled to find a response to Madison's words. Wanting to deny them and thank her all at once, her frustrations still there and ashamed of herself for taking it out on Madison who never chose to have her powers in the first place.

Taylor still let go of Madison after a moment, grateful that the other girl released her own hold only a second later. "Thanks." She grumbled slightly, feeling embarrassed and a little defensive at letting herself be hugged like that now that it was over, but Madison just smiled at her.

"Any time Taylor." She replied before her eyes lit up and she whirled around. "I forgot because of before but I brought you a gift!"

"Oh wait my coat's still downstairs isn't it." Taylor heard Madison mutter to herself before she literally disappeared with the faintest sound of displaced air like a door being closed too quickly and Taylor could only wait in exhausted amusement as Madison reappeared in front of her only a couple of moments later.

Her eyebrows shot up as she recognised the brand on the box Madison was holding though, throwing the other girl a questioning look as Madison looked far too pleased with herself. Taylor knew just how expensive the chocolate must have been for even a medium sized package of that size and there was no way she could accept a gift like that.

"I can't take this Madison!" She protested even if some of the flavours were ones she was kind of interested in trying...

Madison laughed at her obvious temptation. "It's a gift silly, besides you gave me half your lunch the other day!"

"That's not the same!" She sputtered to Madison's obvious amusement before another thought struck her. "Wait did you buy these with crime money?"

"...Technically no."

"Do I even want to ask?"

Madison actually seemed to think about the question for a moment. "Probably not" she concluded with a nod that had Taylor sighing as she gave up and took the package from Madison's still outstretched hand.

"Thanks Madison, it's really nice of you and I'm honestly not sure if it's more sweet that you bought me a gift with crime money or not." Because that was her life now apparently, she was friends with a cape who bought her ridiculously expensive, delicious looking chocolate with all the crime money they stole, even if that was somehow 'technically' not the case.

"Glad you like it." Madison shrugged happily, plopping herself back down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Also I was thinking, your Dad isn't going to be back for a while right? And while I can't share my powers, I can always take you around the city if you want?"

Taylor looked up from her inspection of all the flavour varieties in the box she'd been gifted, curiosity overtaking any other thoughts. "What did you have in mind?"

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

'Correction.' Taylor thought to herself. 'Apparently my life can get weirder.' Feeling a mixture of amusement and bemusement as Madison pulled a spare stack of domino masks out of her pocket dimension or whatever it was and split one off the pile to hand over to her.

Madison had definitely failed to mention she didn't have to actually change clothes like a normal person and she was absolutely not going to tell Madison how jealous she had felt at that reveal. The lazy Taylor inside of her wanted that power.

"Okay that looks good." Madison nodded appraisingly as Taylor finished fixing her mask in place, feeling very strange at having one of her little power fantasies realised in such a strange way.

"Want to do anything with your hair or wear a hood?" Madison asked and she looked up to realise that Madison had pulled her own hair up into a bun while she'd been busy adjusting her own mask.

Taylor found herself pausing at the question, her hair meant a lot to her. It was just like her mom's and the one thing she really put any effort into, but the point was to hide who she was right? She nodded back to Madison after a moment, grabbing a black scrunchie from her drawer and pulling her hair into a low ponytail.

"Nice, that's a good look." Madison nodded with a smile and a thumbs up. "Black hair and dark clothes, definitely not going to be standing out, though people don't really tend to look up anyway."

Madison paused in what Taylor was quickly beginning to recognise as being lost in her own thoughts before the other girl nodded to herself and turned her gaze back to her. "Okay you just need a name unless you want me to call you T or something? Obviously you'll need to call me Ghost Step."

"Right." Taylor nodded back, still not really having fully internalised that Madison was the Vigilante that did patrols in the Docks, looked after people getting home and beat up drug dealers. "How about Trillian?"

"Trillian?"

"From Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You know, the normal sane person who decides to go along with all the crazy."

"Huh, I thought you only read boring classical books."

Taylor glared at the shorter girl who immediately blanched and threw up her hands.

"It was a joke, a joke!" Madison exclaimed. "Though if you start calling me Zaphod I am going to leave you on a rooftop somewhere."

They both laughed and it was... Nice being able to do that again with someone. To share a joke and not have to worry about anything more, that there were no traps or tricks waiting to be sprung at her expense. "It was the first name I thought of that started with T to be honest." She admitted a little sheepishly, even if it was a good pick in her opinion.

"Yup, guess we'll have to save Tinker Bell for another time." Madison shot back with a cheeky grin to her own flat look, which broke into another smile a moment later.

"I can find something else to throw at you." She threw back with a raised eyebrow, letting her gaze very obviously drift to the bookshelf behind. "Maybe I might even knock some common sense into you."

Madison gave her a mock offended look. "You wouldn't dare!"

It was strange how only a few alterations to her look made Madison almost unrecognisable from the girl she'd seen in the hallways of Winslow. Her plain hoodie broke up her outline, outdoor boots replaced her usual trendy casual footwear and there was no hair ornament to draw the eye, though Taylor realised with a pause that she wasn't sure when she'd actually last seen Madison wearing her distinctively colorful hair pins she usually wore to school either.

With her hair pulled back, no one familiar with the other girl would instantly recognise her and anyone looking at Madison's face would have their focus drawn to the domino mask that obfuscated her features further. Taylor could see Madison beneath it all, but outside and at night? She doubted she'd have recognised Madison, even if she'd spoken to her on the street.

"I need to head back home to grab my weapon, want to come?"

Taylor fixed Madison a scrutinising look. "I'm kind of scared to ask, but was that post on PHO about you using a baseball bat with a chain and nails stuck in it true?"

Madison just groaned, which was not the response she'd been expecting. "It was the closest thing to hand and the guy was coming at me with a knife! Ugh, half of those posts make me look like a berserker, it sucks."

"Oh-kay..?" Taylor knew she couldn't believe everything she read on PHO, though since Ghost Step threads tended to be more speculation than anything, people tended to take hearsay and run with it. The few poorly lit photos that had occasionally popped up since Ghost Step had appeared hadn't helped things either.

"Hey I don't suppose you have a spare crowbar your dad won't miss?" Madison asked and even with the domino mask on her face, Taylor could see the hope in her eyes. "I don't really know any hardware stores I can break into to buy one and I'm trying to avoid that anyway."

"Break in... To buy one?" Taylor repeated back, hoping the sentence would make more sense if she said it out loud and quickly discovered that it didn't.

"Yup." Madison nodded like she was making sense. "Armsmaster is definitely going to try and arrest me if I give him a reason and I don't want to give Li-Tattletale any more ammunition, she's already insufferable about it." She finished with a huff.

"Can't you just, you know buy one?" Taylor asked, not sure if she was missing the wood through the trees with what felt suspiciously like a very obvious point to make.

"I'm still grounded." Madison complained with another groan. "And it's not the most subtle thing to buy you know? I'd need to get it into my inventory before I get home and I don't want to get tagged on CCTV doing it in case anyone puts two and two together."

Taylor could admit she hadn't really thought of it like that and wasn't sure she'd do much better in Madison's position either. Though in her case she doubted it'd be too difficult to get something home without her dad seeing, since he wasn't usually in before she was to begin with.

"Alrighty time to go!" Madison announced before she could reply, offering her hand palm up. "First time I'm doing this to someone... Well, willing I guess. Wow that sounds bad when I say it out loud. I mean people who I'm not evacuating or aren't trying to get away because they're criminals?"

Taylor just shook her head in amusement, still having trouble picturing Madison doing those things and gently took the other girl's hand-

-And then they were in a room she didn't recognise and she couldn't help but blink and look around in surprise. Even having expected it there wasn't any sound or feeling or any other tell. Just one moment she was in her own room and the next she wasn't, which was the most disorientating thing of all.

"This is my room, back in a sec." Madison offered before repeating her disappearing act and Taylor couldn't resist looking about in curiosity. For as much as she and Madison had ended up talking about capes, not to mention the fact that Madison was one, Taylor was surprised to find there weren't any posters or figures she could see. There were a couple of posters on the walls, though she wasn't sure if the vaguely familiar characters and logos were for games or maybe an animated TV show.

Taylor wasn't really sure what she'd been expecting, maybe something that gave away that Madison was actually a cape as silly as the thought was. But except for her new surroundings just generally looking a bit nicer and having more color, it really wasn't that much different from her own room and her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to Madison's own respectable bookshelf by her desk, wandering over of her own accord as she heard Madison reappear a moment later.

"There- Oh right you're a bookworm." Taylor glanced back in time to see Madison give a casual shrug as she continued. "Feel free to borrow anything if you haven't read it already, but you can always browse when we get back if you want? Unless you want to do that first?"

Taylor caught herself and shook her head, she was curious, but she wasn't going to delay their whole outing just because she was interested in learning about Madison's tastes in literature.

"No, I'm good." She replied, turning back to the other girl whom she was curious to note didn't have a crowbar in her hand like she'd been expecting. "So where are we going?"

"Well I was going to take you to my favorite rooftop first."

"You have a favorite rooftop?" She couldn't help but ask in amusement as Madison huffed good naturedly.

"Well if that's how you're going to be, then clearly you don't deserve to visit it!"

"Okay, okay." She laughed. "Let's go to your favorite rooftop."

"Thank you." Madison replied primly, even as her own amusement leaked into her tone and she offered her hand again which Taylor took with only a brief pause to ready herself.

Taylor felt her eyes widen behind her mask at the sheer difference that followed. It was one thing to go from her room to Madison's room, that was more like passing from one room to another without remembering the space between. But one moment she had been indoors, warm and under comfortable indoor lighting and the next she wasn't.

She was simply outside under the night's sky like she'd blinked and the world had moved around her, the city stretching out before her in all directions in a myriad of stationary and moving lights. The wind was pulling at her clothes and she heard the sound of gravel crunching loudly under her feet as she took a couple of steps back just to acclimatise to the sheer change in everything.

A glance to Madison confirmed the other girl looked perfectly fine and Taylor couldn't help but wonder if that was part of the other girl's power. That the obvious enhanced reflexes were tying into some general spatial awareness, which she'd probably need if she was zipping from point to point without losing track of herself in the process.

"So why's this one your favorite?" She asked for want of something to say as she shivered slightly. She'd wrapped up like Madison had suggested, but the sudden shift in temperature was still jarring and she wondered how Madison looked so unaffected. Though she supposed the other girl was probably used to it if she'd been doing it for a while.

Madison took a couple of steps backward away from her, an audible crunch with each footstep. "I like the sound it makes." She shrugged with a challenging grin and Taylor found herself sighing in exasperation. She'd only really known Madison for a couple of weeks or so and that answer already made far too much sense to her.

Following Madison as she made her way to the edge of the roof, neither of them said anything for a moment as they looked out over the breadth of the city that could be seen from their vantage point. It was strange, Taylor had lived at the edge of the Docks for all her life, close enough that their house might as well have been inside of it. But standing on the roof at night made it seem that much more daunting and she stole a glance at Madison who seemed completely at ease by her side, the other girl looking out at who knew what. The sight probably far more familiar to her than it was to Taylor, despite living nowhere nearby.

"Pretty cool right?" Madison asked, turning to her with a smile. "I've found some abandoned warehouses too that you can't get into from the ground, though they're not that interesting to actually visit. Want to go to the next roof?"

"Sure." She replied, wondering what Madison would need abandoned, inaccessible warehouses for and wondering again if she actually wanted to ask.

She took Madison's hand without any of her earlier hesitation and was a little more prepared for the shift in perspective, even if there was admittedly little difference between one dark rooftop and the next.

"So where are we now?" She asked as she looked about, Taylor knew she hadn't ever ventured so far into the Docks herself, but had no real frame of reference for where they were, or where the last rooftop had been for that matter.

"A bit further south." Madison replied with a helpless shrug. "I don't really know all the street names and it's not like I can really see them from up here anyway. If I need to go somewhere specific I'll just look it up on my phone."

"Oh."

"Yup," Madison chirped. "I get spatial awareness, but doesn't mean you can trust me with directions."

Taylor couldn't help the smile she threw to the other girl at the comment, but her words did bring Taylor back to wondering how Madison's power worked exactly. "So you can transport anyone anywhere?"

She saw the way Madison frowned at the question, which was almost an answer in and of itself. "I think I can just go anywhere I've been, or at least know well enough to visualise? I can't work through photos and I kind of wonder if a hyper-realistic virtual reality would count as me 'knowing' somewhere well enough to teleport there, but that's not really something I can test."

Taylor nodded appreciatively, Madison would need a Tinker for that sort of thing and she wouldn't even know where to start looking for one with that particular speciality. "But you can take people with you?"

"Sort of?" Madison hedged, glancing back to her. "I mean I can, obviously. But my power doesn't like it if I use it too much, I've only tried doing two people at once one time and I needed a break after, so I'm avoiding that unless I really need to. Not sure three is even possible to be honest."

"But one person's fine?"

Madison gave a so-so gesture with her hand. "I think it's a how often I do it sort of thing? Haven't exactly tested it in the best circumstances." She finished with a sarcastic lilt that Taylor decided not to poke at.

"Well I'm here." She pointed out instead. "And you've been teleporting me around?"

Madison nodded and then gave an amused smile. "You know, generally people don't volunteer to be test subjects for power experimentation."

"Yes, yes you're a scary teleporter oh dark and brooding Vigilante who rescues kittens from trees and walks old ladies home." She threw right back to Madison's obvious amusement.

"No kittens yet." She replied airily. "But sure, let's go then." Madison nodded, stepping forward and taking her hand-

-And they were on the other side of the roof?-

-Then they were back where they were?-

-And then slightly further back from that she realised as they shifted position several times in as many seconds.

"Okay yeah that's a familiar feeling." Madison noted as she released her hand, a slight strain in her voice that wasn't there previously and Taylor turned to check her over, even as Madison didn't otherwise look any obviously worse for wear.

"Are you okay?" She couldn't help but ask anyway, giving Madison another once over in concern, not that she could make out anything under the more baggy clothes the other girl was wearing regardless.

"Yeah, just my power saying I can't try that again for a moment." She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully and then disappeared before returning a moment later. "Huh, so I can still do me. Good to know."

"Explain to the class?"

"Teleporting other people is harder, but teleporting me isn't? That's what it feels like anyway. I know I can teleport you again now, but probably only once before I need another break, a longer one to do all that again."

So whatever Madison was doing, the effort went up exponentially when applying it to another person? Taylor wondered before speaking her thoughts aloud. "I wonder if that's a soft or a hard cap."

"What do you mean?" Madison asked, glancing to her.

"I mean if it's a hard limit or something you can train up. So you know, you can do four teleports in a row with me rather than three."

"Huh." Madison replied, before amusement crept back into her tone. "You know you've just volunteered yourself as guinea pig to test that right?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Oh woe is me, forced to experience the drudgery of instant teleportation."

Madison laughed and Taylor sported a smile of her own as she let her gaze drift back to the city and she couldn't help her thoughts turning to all the things she'd heard on the news and read on PHO about The Docks. Hoping they wouldn't run into trouble themselves, even as part of her was curious to see Madison in action.

"So another rooftop, abandoned warehouse or want to call it for the night and eat tea chocolate in front of the TV?" Madison asked and Taylor turned back to her with a teasing lilt in her own voice as she replied.

"Very presumptuous of you to think I'm going to share."

"Bah." Madison waved her off. "You're a good host when you're not trying to poison me with your terrible taste in tea."

"Excuse me?!"

"Very well you are excused, but just this once." Madison smirked. "Please do remember my magnanimity."

"Ugh." She groaned right back in mock annoyance. "Let's go visit an abandoned warehouse then, at least it won't be windy."

"Madison I can barely see anything."

"Oh my bad." She heard from the fuzzy shape to her left as a cold cylindrical object was pressed into her hand that she quickly realised was a flashlight.

Clicking it on Taylor realised Madison hadn't been kidding when they'd said it was abandoned as she panned the light around the wide open space. It was just one giant vacant room and whatever had been there previously was long gone, thick dust covering the floor with dirt and dust blocking what little light there was from outside.

She paused as something caught her attention and she turned the flashlight to her feet nearby, briefly puzzled until she recognised what she was seeing. "For an abandoned place no one can get into, what's up with all the footprints and... Paw prints?" She asked, turning her gaze and some of the light on Madison who had seemed content to wait next to her.

"Hmmm? Oh right I got attacked by a murder dog earlier, brought it here. Don't ask."

Taylor was very much going to ask when the building shuddered slightly as the dull, muted echo of what sounded like an explosion reached them.

"What was-"

Madison grabbed her.

"-that." She finished as she found herself on an unfamiliar rooftop, her eyes immediately caught on the orange glow several blocks down that was partially obscured by the surrounding buildings.

She looked over to Madison and could see the other girl's frown as she stared in the same direction.

"Shouldn't we go and help? Taylor asked, Madison glancing back to her and Taylor saw the way her frown only deepened.

"I should take you back home first, it might be dangerous and we don't know what's going on."

Taylor wasn't sure why she felt annoyed, maybe it was because she was already there, that she was in a position to help and part of her had always wanted to be a Hero and help others.

She didn't want to just leave, be taken away like she was a burden to Madison when she could actually do something for once, shaking her head at Madison's tentative comment.

"It's just a fire, I can help direct people away or something and I can call you if there's something you don't see."

Madison was obviously wavering and Taylor couldn't help but push a bit more.

"You're a teleporter, if there's anything too much for us to handle you can just get us back to my room instantly."

"Fine." Madison said even if she didn't sound entirely happy about it, her hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small phone. "I know you don't like cell phones but you're taking this just in case, pin is five-six-six-five and my phone is Ghost one okay?"

She felt uncomfortable taking it from Madison's waiting hand but acquiesced, it wasn't like she'd have to use the thing and could just hand it back when everything was done. "Fine." She parroted back and in much the same tone too, slipping it into her pocket to Madison's approving nod.

"Okay it'll be a couple of hops since I don't know where that is exactly, so let's go then."

Taylor barely had time to process the shift in scenery as they blinked from one indistinct rooftop to the next, the glow of the fire shifting and growing brighter like a stop motion slideshow until they were standing on the roof top opposite. Looking over an old apartment block on the corner of a street that was completely ablaze, a crackling roar that almost overshadowed the woops and jeers from the people on the street below.

"Shit, those are ABB. I need to call this in." Madison cursed, her crowbar (and when did that appear?) Shifted to her off hand before she pulled out an identical phone to the one she'd passed over to her only a few moments prior.

Madison had only finished unlocking her phone when a figure appeared without warning behind her and Taylor didn't even have time to scream a warning as one of the black clad figure's hands grabbed Madison's head, pulling it back sharply as a blade was dragged across her exposed throat.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

The teleport was instinctive, even as she was frozen for the briefest of moments in disorientated surprise. Confusion rapidly giving way to a very real fear as the blade glinted in the firelight to cut harshly against her neck. It didn't matter that she had a force field shielding her from damage, that it had already taken at least two bullets in the past. Her brain told her she was going to die and she reacted, escaping the man's grasp to reappear on a familiar gravelled rooftop and pausing for only a second before the panic hit.

"Taylor!" She gasped, her eyes wide, teleporting back in front of the other girl to receive a blade in her shoulder that sparked off with a shriek of metal against something that wasn't. The force of the blow still drove her backwards as she stabbed up awkwardly with the crowbar in her off hand only for the man to burst into ash, the image of a leering Oni mask burned into her mind as she stumbled backwards. She ducked low and almost tripped over her own feet as another Oni Lee appeared next to her with a probing thrust to the side of her head, the clone exploding into ash only a moment later.

She'd lost sight of Taylor even as she spun around to try and find the other girl, the moment of distraction costing her as another Oni Lee appeared on her opposite side, kicking out and as off balance as she was Madison fell, teleporting to the opposite side of the roof as she landed roughly on her side. Another teleport moved her even as she scrambled to her feet, a burst of ash marking where another clone had tried to take advantage of her vulnerability while she was down.

She saw a silhouette through the dissipating ash near the edge of the roof and teleported forward to it, Taylor's frantic expression turning to relief and just as quickly to the beginnings of a panicked warning as Madison reached for the other girl only to feel two solid objects hit her in the back which sent her staggering forward. She grabbed onto Taylor and tried to teleport them away, only to feel like she was trying to push against something almost immovable as she belatedly realised her burst of activity and the hits she'd already taken were the cause. She didn't have time to recover as Taylor suddenly jerked backwards, taking Madison with her and she felt the force of a blade dance lightly across her back as she stumbled half a step forward. Releasing Taylor she whirled back around, crowbar coming up in a desparate spear thrust towards the man's neck only for the clone to burst into ash before she was even sure her strike had connected.

She braced for the next attack, shifting her crowbar into her right hand but it didn't come, the ash drifting away to reveal who could only be the real Oni Lee facing her from the other end of the rooftop like a silent executioner judging the fate of those before him.

"You are the Ghost Step?"

The voice startled her, she'd seen Oni Lee on PHO before, photos and shaky camera footage. But there had never been anything that had him speaking.

"Yes." She nodded, a steel in her voice she wasn't sure she felt even as she caught her breath.

"I have no orders to kill you unless you interfere."

"Then what the fuck was that!" She heard Taylor hiss behind her, a sentiment she very much agreed with even if she wasn't going to say it to the man's face.

"What are you doing?" She asked instead. It was obvious the ABB had started the fire and whatever the explosion had been, but anything she could learn would be helpful. Especially when she called the PRT after, since it didn't look like the Heroes were going to arrive at any point when it still mattered.

"Lung's work. The Docks are his." Oni Lee replied, voice measured and almost mechanical as he seemed to appraise her for a moment. "You are tolerated at this time, for in your own actions you pay tribute by removing the stain of those who do not."

Madison paused, not sure how she wanted to reply to... That. The fire was still burning across the street, the whole building consumed by the blaze, but she doubted there was anyone left to save, that she could save if Oni Lee decided to start using the far deadlier weapons he had on his person to stop her. To say nothing of the fact she still had Taylor at her back and the unknown number of ABB goons below. And she didn't know where Lung was.

The only reason she'd stuck around so long was to play for time as her power recovered so she could get Taylor out of there. After that, the only thing keeping them there was her own morbid curiosity, the desire to get something out the encounter and the confidence that she could instantly move Taylor out of harm's way should the man in front of them try and attack them again.

And even if Taylor hadn't been there Madison wasn't sure she could beat Oni Lee in a straight fight and even if she could, she wasn't sure she could stop him from just disengaging and escaping outright if it came down to it regardless.

So she nodded as much as it hurt her to do so, the desire to stay and to help in any way she could buried under her desire to keep Taylor safe after she'd already failed her so utterly once already and the simple, painful understanding that she had been too late to save anyone to begin with.

"We can leave?" She asked, a challenge in her voice that held only a fraction of the frustration she felt as her free hand slowly reached behind her and she was relieved when Taylor took it.

"I will not pursue."

Madison didn't dignify the comment with a response as much as she was tempted to, glaring briefly at the man who had almost killed them both before they were gone.

"I'm sorry." She started as they reappeared in an abandoned factory she'd found previously on one of her explorations and was partially occupied by the rusted skeletons of what had been machinery at one point, the whole interior lit in a faint glow from the overhead skylights that were still mostly intact.

Taylor whirled on her and even with the mask in place Madison could see the incredulity in her expression, which was only emphasised in the sputtered reply that followed. "For what?!"

"For leaving you behind." She winced, the memory and the guilt still burned into her mind.

"Madison." Taylor responded flatly, before deciding that wasn't enough and pulling off her mask too. "You just saved me from getting stabbed to death by Oni Lee. Seriously. You have nothing to apologise for, if I hadn't insisted on us going there! It's my fault! I shouldn't have asked-!"

"We couldn't have known." She cut back just as quickly, 'but maybe I should have expected it' she recriminated herself in the same breath as Taylor only made a noise of frustration.

"And then you still had to just protect me and I couldn't do anything while that sociopath was trying to kill you!"

"I didn't exactly do much better." She replied with a frown, looking over herself in the dim light and reaching a hand round to feel the back of her hoodie where she was pretty sure Oni Lee had thrown knives at her, fingers dipping into a small tear near her spine.

"You fought Oni Lee!" Taylor almost shouted, "I would have died if you weren't there!"

Madison paused her impromptu check, giving Taylor her full attention as the other girl wrung her hands and Madison stepped forward, taking them in her own. "Just breath Taylor okay? It was scary for me the first time too, not that Oni Lee wasn't terrifying either."

Taylor at least didn't pull away even as she almost vibrated in place. "You look fine, how are you so calm?" It came out as almost an accusation, but Madison knew Taylor was just working through the stress. She hadn't exactly done much better the first time she'd stood up to Sophia, when she'd almost been blown up by Squealer, when she'd gotten away with talking back to Armsmaster... The list went on really. It'd probably hit her later that Oni Lee had just tried to slit her throat, or maybe she really was just getting used to what it was like to try and be a Hero in Brockton Bay. She wasn't quite sure which would be more reassuring really.

"I might freak out later." She admitted, keeping the other girl's hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs softly over the back of Taylor's hands in the same way her own mom had done for her in the past. "But I've had people trying to kill me since I've started, maybe not as viscerally as that though." She added with a slight shudder, still seeing the blade as it went for her throat. If he'd decided to go for Taylor first... She shook her head to push away the thought and returned her full attention to the girl in question, who at least no longer looked like she wanted to pull away and start pacing.

"It always seemed a lot less real on PHO."

Madison just nodded, knowing exactly what Taylor meant and watched patiently as the other girl's breathing evened out, her own grip on Madison's hands loosening slightly as she seemed to withdraw into her own thoughts.

Both of them jolted when a phone buzzed for attention, sharing sheepish grins before they both realised it was coming from Taylor's pocket and Madison frowned as she released Taylor's hands, patting herself down as she looked for own burner phone and found nothing.

With another frown she opened her Inventory and discovered it wasn't there either, coming to the unpleasant conclusion she must have dropped it when Oni Lee had grabbed her.

"It's from Smug Fox?" Taylor said hesitantly, looking back up from the screen with a questioning look.

'That can't be a coincidence.' Madison thought to herself as a more important thought made itself known. "Crap I never actually called the police, I need to call the PRT before emergency services arrive."

Taylor passed her the phone and despite Madison's own curiosity as to what Lisa wanted and why she was messaging her back-up phone, she quickly pulled up the very short list of contacts she had stored and dialled the number she'd been given to report parahuman crimes as an operating Hero.

"Console." A male voice answered that pinged with a familiarity she couldn't immediately place.

"Hi, it's Ghost Step."

"Oh the new Mover, nice to finally speak to you. What have you got?"

It was going to be really embarrassing if she couldn't figure out who the Hero she was speaking to was and had to ask his name at some point, shrugging off the thought as she got to the point. "There's a fire in the south of the Docks, Oni Lee is there along with some other ABB members."

"Damn, do you have an address?"

"No, sorry. I went by rooftop and Oni Lee attacked me just as I was about to call it in. It's a big apartment block on the corner, pretty hard to miss but I don't think he wants anyone interfering so I didn't want to let anyone else go in blind."

"Shit kid, are you alright? We had a report about a large fire on Tolchester Avenue, nothing about the ABB though. I'll make sure emergency services keep back until we can get someone on scene."

"Thanks." She replied absently. "And yeah I'm okay, neither of us landed any good hits. I'm not even sure if he was taking me seriously honestly." Because she knew at any point he could have used the grenades or guns he had and she wasn't sure if he was actually just the knife aficionado PHO painted him as, or if their whole fight had just been him playing with his food or something similarly fucked up.

"Alright everyone's holding back, I've got MM, Dauntless and Velocity heading there now. Are you still at the scene?"

Madison shook her head before she realised she was doing it. "No, Oni Lee let me withdraw. I couldn't try and search the building or do anything else and fight him and the rest of the ABB at the same time so I had to back off."

"Don't beat yourself up about it." The voice on the other end of the line interjected before she could say anything more and she realised she was scowling as the Protectorate Hero continued. "You did everything you could, Oni Lee's a sociopath with a kill count so I'm glad you did the smart thing. It was the right thing to do, so don't let yourself think different okay? We've all been there."

"Thanks." She replied after a pause, the comment making her feel a bit better about the whole thing even if she probably wouldn't be able to avoid beating herself up about it later. And even then she couldn't help but be annoyed with herself for not making the call to the PRT quickly enough before Oni Lee had knocked the damn phone out of her hand when he'd grabbed her. The thought brought her up short as she realised something else and with a little hesitance she spoke again.

"Um, can you do me a favour?"

"Oh?" Came the mystery voice. "I should tell you that as a respectable member of the Protectorate I can't cover for you if you decide to allegedly purloin anything from any of the nefarious criminals you've arrested."

She laughed despite herself and could hear the satisfied chuckle on the other end of the line. "Thanks Assault." She smiled as the name finally clicked. "But I lost my phone in the fight and it had Armsmaster's number on it that he gave me. I really don't want him to be mad at me if someone else finds it, can you pass a message on to him?"

Assault laughed. "Sure thing kid, though I doubt anyone who tries it would last long before he tracks them down and fines them for misuse of an official Protectorate phone number."

It might have been a silly concern, but it was still a relief to hear it as Assault's voice turned serious again.

"Okay are you good to meet someone and give your report as to what happened?"

She couldn't help but glance at Taylor who was trying not to be too obvious about listening in, not that she really had anything else to distract herself with.

"Sorry I can't. This time." She quickly added before the PRT thought she was going to make a habit of avoiding them, even if she was doing exactly that when it came to meeting Armsmaster again.

"That's fine." Assault replied. "Give me the play by play and I'll put you on hold if something else comes in, sound good?"

"Yep." She replied gratefully and proceeded to give what was really a very brief account of what had happened, Oni Lee's comments included. Even if part of her hadn't wanted to repeat the man's words out of what she already knew was an unreasonable paranoia that the PRT would read it as her working for the ABB somehow.

"He's not usually that talkative, the analysts will have fun with that." Assault commented as she finished. "Though I think he's just lonely because Velocity won't give him the time of day and there aren't really any other Movers in the Bay he can speak to."

"I think he was just surprised he couldn't just kill me." She grimaced in response, resolving that if there was a round two it would go very differently, mostly that Taylor wouldn't be there for it no matter what.

"It's another notch in your belt Ghost Step, though please don't make a habit of it. You know that offer for the Wards is still open? We can give you the tour, you can do the whole meet and greet, have some pizza..."

She had to laugh at how absurdly different the pitch was compared to Armsmaster and couldn't help but wonder if they did it on purpose. Not that she could really begrudge them for it if it was the case. "Tempting but no thanks, I'll keep it in mind though."

"Had to ask, stay safe Hero."

"You too Assault, thanks."

She ended the call and turned back to Taylor's expectant look.

"You're friends with Assault?" Was the first thing out of the other girl's mouth, which seemed to surprise Taylor just as much as it did her and Madison returned an amused smile as she replied.

"First time I've spoken to him actually, I'm glad he's as nice as he seemed from interviews and stuff."

"Right." Taylor nodded. "If it wasn't for the whole almost being murdered thing, being able to talk to the Heroes all the time would be really cool. Have you spoken to all of the other Protectorate Heroes too? What about the Wards?"

Madison laughed, taking a step back and throwing up her hands in mock defensiveness. "Woah, easy girl." She threw out, laughing again as Taylor pouted at her. Which was much better than her previous almost panic attack that Madison had definitely not forgotten about and wanted to keep as far away from Taylor's thoughts as possible.

"I've only met Armsmaster otherwise, well and Panacea if you count her?"

Taylor nodded as if that was obvious.

"I did get invited to come in and I think all the Protectorate Heroes are duty bound to give me the Wards pitch, but I haven't actually seen any of the Wards yet."

"Did you need healing from Panacea?" Taylor frowned, looking her over as if she'd spot some wound the Independent Hero would have healed.

"No, no. Just when I was dropping off some injured criminals at Brockton General - Not by me!" She hastily added when Taylor looked like she was going to say something. "It was a gang fight and I didn't want them bleeding out or anything before the Heroes got there, so I ended up taking them to the hospital one at a time."

"Oh, is she nice?"

Madison paused, not quite sure how to answer that. "I don't know." She decided. "Amy's always sleep deprived and grumpy when I speak to her, it's a bit worrying honestly with her going to Arcadia and everything too. I don't think she likes the company, but she doesn't push me away when I show up and she always eats the chocolate I give her so I don't know what to do?! What do you think I should do?" She found herself jumping to ask, finally having someone else to express her worries to who didn't have their own issues like being literal Villains.

"Um, it sounds like she's unhappy?" Taylor ventured cautiously. "Or just super anti-social?"

"Exactly! She's confusing! I don't know what she wants!"

Taylor shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't know either, does she have any other friends?"

"I... Assume so?" She tried, Amy had to have friends at school right?

"Then keep being yourself, it worked on me didn't it?" Taylor responded with a sarcastic lilt that ended with a sudden oof as Madison glomped the taller girl in a brief, tight hug.

"Thanks Taylor." She smiled as she released the equally flustered girl. Glad for the lack of light that meant Taylor wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks from the compliment that meant more to her than the other girl probably realised.

"Yup, that." Taylor responded with an exaggerated wheeze like she was still trying to catch her breath. "Be your annoying yet somehow endearing self, you'll wear her down eventually."

Madison laughed. "I'll be sure to practice more on you first then." She replied, grinning as Taylor made a show of rolling her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

The blinking light of the phone still in her hand reminded her that she still had a message she hadn't read yet and she brought it up, curious to see what Lisa had to say. Taylor's own curiosity overcoming anything else she might have been feeling as she looked over her shoulder as they both read the message and Madison quickly tapped out her reply.

Smug Fox: You okay?

Mad Cat: ?

Smug Fox: Glad you're okay, who's your friend?

Despite knowing it was impossible, Madison couldn't help but look around as if Lisa would just materialise out of one of the corners of the room.

"Are they talking about me? Who are they anyway?" Taylor asked, mirroring Madison's own thoughts, though she had a sinking feeling she knew what was going on.

Mad Cat: What do you mean?

Smug Fox: You're on PHO again.

"Seriously?" She couldn't help but mutter as she caught Taylor throwing her a cautious glance from the corner of her vision.

"Is that bad?" Taylor asked, Madison shaking her head absently as she retrieved her 'Madison' phone from her Inventory and pulled up PHO.

"Why do you have-Oh." Taylor cut herself off as Madison quickly navigated through the local boards and found what she was looking for.

■

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♦ Topic: Oni Lee Just Set Fire To The Docks Again
In: Boards ► Brockton Bay ► Cape Sightings
SandWorm (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)
Posted On Feb 5th 2011:

Edit: Adding footage/pics below

Confirmed the fire was caused by the ABB.

Edit: Whole block was the base of the Arrowheads gang apparently (YallTalker's post >#4590856)

Oni Lee probably set the fire. (Not confirmed, but he obviously did)

Other ABB on the street stopping anyone leaving

Edit: Ghost Step and new cape showed up, Ghost Step fought Oni Lee and left with new cape (footage here)

ABB starting to leave. Oni Lee's gone.

Edit: Velocity arrived. (here)

Edit: Dauntless coming in hot (footage here, here, here, here Edit: I'm not adding any more links, they're posted in his thread anyway)

I'll probably update this if anything else happens.

►Tskkerr
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Oh no gang members killing each other again /s

►MeanLeanSupremeBean
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Why'd the ABB hit some apartment block?

►TheAlmightyWexor
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Tskkerr
     >Oh no gang members killing each other again /s
Dude people died.

►Zombor
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Woke up to those idiots firing their guns in the air, can we go one day without the ABB setting fire to something.

►Giant Trombone (Unverified Trombone)
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
ABB always going on about how they own the docks, guess Lung told Oni Lee to make it happen.

►Breaker-Gamer
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Colors on the street not letting anyone leave from the block. Saw Oni Lee stab a guy who refused.

►AnonyMouse
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Breaker-Gamer
     >Colors on the street not letting anyone leave from the block. Saw Oni Lee stab a guy who refused.
Holy shit really?

►BlastersYourDeck
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Breaker-Gamer
>>AnonyMouse
Bullshit, obvious bait is obvious

►Zip89
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>BlastersYourDeck
     >Bullshit, obvious bait is obvious
ABB are blocking people from getting out, didn't see Oni Lee stab anyone though.

►Justice88 (Banned)
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Message deleted by moderator.

►FreezerFan9000 (Cape Groupie)
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Wake me up when the heroes get there.

►Dolsen
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
It's the docks, they'll probably wait for the whole thing to finish burning down first.

►Stobbb
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
GHOST STEP SHOWED UP WITH SOME NEW CAPE AND FOUGHT ONI LEE

►BottleofLuck
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >GHOST STEP SHOWED UP WITH SOME NEW CAPE AND FOUGHT ONI LEE
Seriously? Who won? Any idea who the other cape was?

►Stobbb
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.

Madison felt her own incredulity rise as she read through the thread, Taylor leaning over her shoulder as she did so. "How is there footage?" She asked herself aloud in disbelief, despite knowing the absurd lengths people sometimes went to in order to get photos and videos of cape action, broken from her thoughts as she heard Taylor give a startled squeak next to her.

"They think I'm a cape?!"

Right, that had happened too.

In lieu of replying she tapped the link to the footage and was treated to a poorly framed shot that looked like it had been filmed from someone's bedroom window. It was obvious they had just been trying to get footage of the fire itself from the way the camera jerkily swung when she and Taylor had materialised partially in view at the corner of the shot on a nearby rooftop. The angle was bad, but enough to capture the moment where she'd tried to make her phonecall and Oni Lee had attempted to cut her throat for the attempt.

It was strangely disconnected seeing the events play out again from a third person perspective, watching as she disappeared and those few crucial seconds she hadn't been there. Oni Lee teleporting forwards to attack Taylor and Madison seeing herself reappear to take the hit before both she and Oni Lee disappeared. The camera swung about, but couldn't catch anything, moving back to Taylor as 'Ghost Step' appeared again, the shot making it look like she'd done so just to protect Taylor from Oni Lee's throwing knives that hit her in the back a moment later.

It was odd how the footage painted a completely different scene as to what had actually happened, making it then look like she'd pushed Taylor back, rather than having been pulled along with her and that her own counter attack had definitively connected with the clone's throat as it burst into ash, which was still something she was uncertain about and doubted she'd ever actually figure out no matter how much the moment replayed in her mind.

A side eye towards Taylor saw her just as enthralled by the footage as it ended with 'Ghost Step' standing her ground in front of Taylor. The two of them vanishing a few moments later and with more than a little morbid curiosity she went back to the thread to see what other people had to say.

►By-A-Hare
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.
Damn, mover vs mover. Kind of terrifying.

►SimplyMadderThanYou
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.
The other cape didn't do anything? Or did I miss something, pretty dark tbh.

►Conc
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.
Fucking hell, we almost saw a future ward get murdered.

►Mosin–Croissant
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.
Damn, straight up stalemate?

►AnonyMouse
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>SimplyMadderThanYou
>>Mosin–Croissant
Maybe new cape is a thinker? Ghost Step was playing defense the whole time.

►Topple
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Conc
     >Fucking hell, we almost saw a future ward get murdered.
Two wards you mean.

►EntSeenNothing (Cape Groupie)
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>Stobbb
     >Footage for all the unbelievers (link) Wish I had a better view.
Wow, please can we get her in the Wards already?

►PoweredByHamsters (Veteran Member) (Wiki Warrior) (Verified Hamster Wheel)
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
>>AnonyMouse
     >Maybe new cape is a thinker? Ghost Step was playing defense the whole time.
Makes sense, probably why Ghost Step backed off, wasn't expecting a fight.

►MysteryPudding
Replied On Feb 5th 2011:
Can we get a new thread up for the new cape?

Looking up from the still rapidly updating thread she shared a look with Taylor.

"So, want to bet on if you have your own wiki page yet?"

Taylor just groaned. "What have you done to my life."

Madison smiled commiseratingly, going back to the waiting message from Lisa that she hadn't replied to yet.

Smug Fox: Who's your friend?

Mad Cat: A friend

Smug Fox: Mysterious. Is mystery friend okay?

Madison threw Taylor a look who just shrugged in response.

Mad Cat: She's not sure yet.

Smug Fox: Want to come over? (Masks on)

She could feel Taylor's questioning gaze burning into her as she tapped out a quick reply.

Mad Cat: Is you know who there?

Smug Fox: Just me, maybe lazy gamer

Mad Cat: I'll ask.

Smug Fox: See you soon!

Madison wasn't sure if she was annoyed at Lisa's presumption as a smile tugged at her lips regardless, turning to face Taylor who only responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, so remember when I said some minor Villains knew my identity..?"

Taylor's sudden look of baffled comprehension was something to behold as she looked from the phone to Madison herself and appeared to visibly give up on her life making any further sense.

'She's halfway to becoming a Hero already!' Madison thought to herself in amusement as Taylor finally found the words to reply.

Chapter Text

Taylor Hebert

"After fighting Oni Lee... Your idea of relaxing is to go and hang out in another Villain's lair?"

Even the spiteful, cutesy, 'harmless' girl who bullied her made more sense than the Madison looking back at her with a sheepish smile.

"They have a really big TV and all of the gaming consoles and snacks and they're mostly nice!"

"Because you're a paying customer!" She sputtered, wondering which one of them was the insane one considering Madison was the one who had fought Oni Lee and wasn't freaking out about it, as much as she said she might do so later.

Madison frowned. "No, well yes that too, actually it's probably in part because they still want to recruit me... Actually no only Tattletale really cares about that... Well maybe Grue too..?" Madison trailed off and Taylor racked her brains for where she'd heard the Villain names before it clicked.

"The Undersiders? That's who you're friends with? The ones who rob everyone?!"

It wasn't like she'd had a clue who Madison's Villain friends might have been, but it was still a surprise to hear it. Even if it was better than finding out Madison had actually been referring to Uber and Leet or worse.

"Well not everyone." Madison stressed as if that made it better. "They mostly just rob the other gangs."

"Like you do."

Madison shifted and looked away. "I wouldn't put it like that..."

Taylor just groaned. "If you hadn't just gotten stabbed fifteen times trying to keep me alive, I'd seriously be wondering about your heroic motivations right now."

"Fine." She gave up when Madison just looked conflicted from her comment, it wasn't like she'd meant for her to take it so seriously! Madison could rob all the gangs she liked after what she'd done for her. "I've already met one Villain tonight, what's one more that won't try and murder me?" She shrugged in a mixture of defeat and morbid curiosity.

Madison only smiled back at her. Though for a moment it looked a little strained, which immediately had her paranoia come rushing to the fore and she levelled a frown at the shorter girl.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Madison squeaked. "Just, um if you hear dogs then tell me."

Taylor glared and wondered why that comment seemed familiar for some reason, relenting when she came up with nothing. "Fine then." She huffed, slipping her domino mask back onto her face and quickly adjusting the strap. "How'd you even meet them anyway?" She asked, offering her hand to the other girl which Madison quickly took as she paused to consider her answer.

"I accidentally kidnapped Tattletale."

"Wait-"

"-What?" She finished as the scene blinked into a new one, her thoughts leaving her as she took in the abrupt change in scenery.

"Holy crap." She couldn't stop herself from uttering as she saw the size of the TV in the lounge? They had appeared at the edge of. It was huge! Even Emma hadn't had a TV that big and Alan Barnes was some big shot lawyer! Her gaze drifted lower and she couldn't help her eyes widen at the entertainment system they had set up, consoles, a blu ray player and a full surround sound system she didn't even want to guess the cost of.

She suddenly had a far better appreciation of why people became Villains.

"It turns out crime does pay." Came a playful female voice from the other end of the room and Taylor turned to see a blonde girl her own age wearing a black domino mask wander into the room. The girl's eyes flitting to Madison and then back to her again as she made her way over to them, like she was trying to figure them out from staring alone.

"Tattletale." The other girl, the Villain offered. Presenting one of her hands and Taylor reflexively took it, years of ingrained good manners having her shake the other girl's hand before she could even think to do otherwise as the other girl smirked slightly like that had been the intention all along, but maybe she was reading too much into things.

"This is Trillian." Madison cut in before Taylor could accidentally give her actual name and she was grateful Madison had stopped her embarrassing herself or worse.

Tattletale cocked her head slightly as if considering the name and Taylor saw the way her gaze quickly jumped between her and Madison. "Interesting name."

"Tinker Bell was taken." Madison 'helpfully' supplied and Taylor scowled at her, Tattletale only looking amused at the exchange.

"So you're a bookworm then?" Tattletale asked.

"Here we go." She heard Madison mutter with an exasperated sigh. "You're not going to guess her power Tattletale."

The Villain for her part threw Madison a mock offended look. "I wasn't trying to do anything. I was just curious about your friend, I wasn't aware you had any."

Madison winced and even Tattletale looked like she regretted the comment for a brief moment, compelling Taylor to speak up. "Then what are you?" She didn't quite accuse as the Villain's gaze swung back to her.

"She's growing on me." Tattletale replied with a helpless shrug and a coy smile and most definitely not answering the question. Though the other girl's reply sounded more like denial than anything to Taylor's own ears, even if she wasn't sure why the blonde would be in denial about being Madison's friend to begin with.

"She does that." Taylor nodded back after a pause, amused when Madison didn't seem sure if she should be offended or not by the statement as she looked between the two of them.

"So!" Lisa clapped her hands together, drawing both of their attentions back to her again. "Drinks?"

Lisa Wilbourn

Guarded, remains close to Ally Madison Clements, sees as protector in unknown potentially hostile environment. Familiarity with Ally Madison Clements, knows Ally Madison Clements in civilian life, is a student at same school

Lisa couldn't help but consider the new girl curiously as she made their drinks. After she'd revealed that yes they had drinks other than alcohol and soda, 'Trillian' had asked for tea, which Lisa had been curious and amused to note had Madison rolling her own eyes at as the latter was happy with fruit juice like the constant enigma she was.

Ally Madison Clements lacks friends, Trillian recent friendship. Trillian wary, discomfort around strangers, not comfortable in social settings, not comfortable in small groups. Lacks friends, bullied in school. Avid reader, potential outcast, potential cause of bullying. Familiar with Ally Madison Clements, Ally Madison Clements would be aware of bullying, recency of friendship indicates change in dynamic. Ally Madison Clements active as Ghost Step for several weeks. Recent trigger event. Friendship with Trillian following trigger event. Lacks similar signs of bullying, comfortable around Lisa Wilbourn, comfortable around Trillian and Undersiders. / Resource Access Denied

Lisa found herself frowning as she passed the drinks around as everyone took a seat at the small kitchen table. She'd already told the rest of the team that Madison was around with guest and she didn't doubt Madison would either get Trillian out or get Rachel to leave if the latter showed up. But she was pretty sure that Bitch wouldn't appear, especially after how recent their last interaction was.

She hadn't been browsing PHO when the thread on the fire in The Docks had popped up, but since she was planning some potential hits against the ABB, one of her scripts had alerted her when a topic with 'Oni Lee' had appeared. It wasn't like it was all that unexpected, Lung liked to pretend who owned the whole of the Docks even if it would never actually be practical, but he needed to make an example every now and then when he wasn't trying to consolidate new territorial gains.

It wasn't the first time he'd sent Oni Lee to make the message clear either and the first photos had been nothing unusual. Even without her power it was easy to imagine how easily the Mover would have killed most if not all of the occupants of the building before setting the place ablaze. His escort of unpowered thugs having the dual purpose of catching strays and showing the flag, both for their sake as much as everyone else's.

Madison's appearance had certainly caught her off guard though and her breath had caught on seeing the post appear as she'd scrolled through the thread. Lisa had known it was inevitable, play the game long enough and you'd run into all the other players on the board eventually, but Oni Lee was the worst person Madison could have encountered.

Someone who could potentially keep up with her.

From what she'd read and her power had inferred otherwise she was pretty sure even the Empire would try a recruitment pitch before they attacked the other girl, but the sociopath wearing the Oni mask would simply go for the kill - Something that had become a horrible reality when she'd seen the footage, watching how the man had effortlessly grabbed Madison and attempted to cut her throat open.

Even when Madison had disappeared Lisa had been gripping her mouse in a tense claw grip, her power not having enough from the crap footage to determine if the blade had punched through and Madison was bleeding out somewhere else.

Then both of them had returned and they'd fought to a seeming stalemate as Madison had been stuck fighting defensively around her mystery friend. A friend she for some reason couldn't simply evacuate and Lisa's own power could only guess inconclusively as to the reasons why.

So she'd sent a text, just to make sure her favorite customer was okay and to hopefully find out more about her new partner, who was probably a recent trigger too by the sheer inexperience on display as 'Trillian' froze like a deer in headlights.

Meeting the mystery girl had only reinforced her suspicions and she'd wondered at first if she was someone Madison had found on one of her patrols, before it became more obvious they had a familiarity beyond that.

Examining room, hiding surprise and interest, pre-conceived notions of villain domiciles. Unsatisfied with tea provided, lack of comment due to manners and/or conflict avoidance mindset. Averse to conflict, unfamiliar with fighting, familiar with physical aggression. Bullying physical and psychological, trigger event due to bullying. Bullying ongoing or recently ceased

Lisa sipped on her own tea as she mulled over her power's contributions to her own observations, watching as Madison gave Trillian a quick rundown of the rest of the team which the mystery girl already seemed somewhat familiar with. 'Her tea wasn't bad though! No one else ever thought she did a bad job!'

"So you're a Thinker, right?" Trillian asked her and Lisa wondered if the slight pause was if Trillian had stopped herself from adding a 'too' on the end.

Lisa nodded. "I'm psychic." She replied, in part to live up to her reputation and in part to test how the other girl would take it and wasn't disappointed when Trillian returned a flat look.

"No you're not, a psychic wouldn't be a petty thief anyway."

Certain of answer, does not believe Lisa Wilbourn / Host Dynamic Protocols Active / Resource Access Denied

"Petty?!" She replied in mock offense, ignoring her power even as she was annoyed to find out that Madison could apparently extend her anti-thinker effect to others as well and wondered if the other girl was even aware of it. Part of her unable to help but wonder if Madison had already passively applied it to her too and if the effect remained active while she wasn't around.

"We've stolen from the ABB and the Empire thank you miss 'I froze when my partner was fighting Oni Lee by herself!'" She threw back and didn't regret the comment until she saw Madison's frown, her gaze flitting back to Trillian who looked more hurt than she'd expected by the accusation.

"Well what was I supposed to do?!"

Aware of deficiencies in combat, guilt over lack of action during fight, fear that inaction put Ally Madison Clements in danger, shame and self-directed anger due to perceived nature as liability in active combat

Well great, now she felt like even more of an asshole.

"Well what can you do?" Lisa asked instead. Even if Trillian wasn't someone useful the Undersiders could court - Or poach she supposed, she could spare a couple of tips for free.

"Nothing!" The other girl exclaimed, "I was a dead weight liability! I was holding Madison back the entire time-Fuck!"

Did not intend to use Ally Madison Clements name, anger and guilt over lack of combat support viability and usage of real name

"It's fine Trillian, Tattletale already knows my name remember?" Madison waved off in an obvious attempt to defuse things and thankfully Trillian looked a little mollified from the comment, the obvious anger and frustration softening into an accusing frown which she levelled her way.

"Well what would you have done? You're a Thinker right?"

Lisa saw the way Madison looked curious in hearing her answer too, no doubt interested in seeing if she had one beyond 'use gun' and she was annoyed she couldn't really think of one. In Trillian's position what could she have done differently beyond making sure Madison didn't even get into that position in the first place?

The door going from down the hall was a welcome distraction and it only took her power a moment to figure out it was Alec who had just arrived. "We're in here!" She called out. "Masks on Regent!" She threw in as a reminder, though she wouldn't have been all too surprised if Alec ignored it regardless.

Said teammate in question wandered in to the kitchen a moment later, his own gaudy mask in place as he gave them all a brief once over as he went to the fridge.

"I thought Grue said you're not allowed to bring new people over anymore?"

Lisa scowled at him. "Like you care."

"I disagree, it will be highly entertaining when he finds out."

"Hi Regent." Madison called out, Trillian giving a small cautious wave that made the girl seem stuck between wanting to be polite and not wanting to draw any attention herself.

"Sup." He drawled back, snapping open the tab of the can he'd retrieved. "Got a partner in crime now?" He asked with a look to Trillian who herself looked incredibly unsure how she was supposed to take the statement.

"A friend." Madison threw back in a familiar exasperated tone which had Alec shrugging nonchalantly. "We just fought Oni Lee and Tattletale invited us over."

That got Alec's attention, especially considering he hadn't already left the room for the TV as much as Lisa wished he would. "For real? Nice, guy's a dick. Giving the play by play then?" He asked and looked to be seriously considering taking the remaining seat to hear it.

"There was no we about it." She caught Trillian muttering darkly, though she didn't seem to realise Lisa had heard her as the taller girl glared down at her tea like it was responsible.

"Nope." Madison chirped with a cheer that was entirely too suspect before Lisa could say something else to get rid of Alec. "I guess you haven't seen the footage on PHO, but it didn't go great for either of us. Trillian couldn't do anything and Tattletale was going to tell us how she would have done better."

"Oh this'll be good." Alec grinned, taking his own seat and fixing Lisa with a look like a cat that had caught the canary.

Lisa gritted her teeth. "Well I wouldn't have been alone." She started before Alec immediately cut her off, shit eating grin still fixed on his face.

"Now now Tattles, that's not how hypotheticals work. Please do tell your students how you would have talked Oni Lee to death."

She glared at him as ineffectual as it was, but it made her feel slightly better at least. "As I was saying." She began again. "We're part of a team, I would have been communicating relevant tactical and strategic information to the others during the fight."

"What dear Tattles means." Alec continued blithely like she hadn't spoken at all. "Is that her mouth tends to get her into more trouble than out of it and when that happens she usually just casts gun until one of us can bail her out."

"You think I should carry a gun?!" Trillian exclaimed, making Lisa want to facepalm. Because that was not how she'd wanted the conversation to go.

She sighed, drawing Trillian's attention back to her. "Thinkers are squishy and there are some people you can't 'talk to death.''" She finished sarcastically. "If you'd had your own firearm, well either it would have helped or Oni Lee would have made you more of a priority to deal with. Sometimes there's not really a winning move, but having some capability in close quarters wouldn't hurt."

"Because you accepted those lessons with so much grace and humility." Alec sniped and she threw him another dirty look he took with a grin and continued on without missing a beat. "Our dear team leader insisted on teaching us some of the basics himself so we could look after ourselves if we needed to."

"Oh."

Ally Trillian disappointed to learn lessons originated from another villain. Desires to pursue close quarters capabilities to address perceived inadequacies

'Oh joy now it's 'Ally Trillian.'' Lisa thought to herself sardonically, not sure how she wanted to feel about the fact that the only two people her power considered allies were two girls not in her team with her.

"Grue?" Madison asked to Alec's and her own nods back, Madison glancing away momentarily and back to a Trillian who was trying to hide her despondency as she took another drink from her cup.

"So... Do you think he'd offer lessons to us?" Madison ventured, seemingly catching Alec off guard as much as it did her, though she recovered quicker of course.

"You mean if you or Trillian joined the team?"

Ally Trillian surprised to be included, does not see value in self, has not considered joining a villain team

'Thanks power, I got the lack of self-confidence thing. It's not exactly subtle.' She thought to herself sarcastically as Madison quickly shook her head.

"No, no. I mean lessons like if he was paid? I'm sure he would if we paid him more than the usual rates right?"

"Um." Was all Lisa managed, sharing a glance with Alec who looked as nonplussed as her, though before she could think of a way to spin it as a favour for a favour Alec cut back in as he pulled out as his phone.

"No idea little Ghost, so let's just ask him. Should be fun!" He exclaimed, very obviously doing just that as he put the phone up to his ear before anyone could react, the call connecting a moment later.

"Hey Grue, I'm going to put you on speaker so cape names only, cool thanks."

Lisa could hear Brian's faint cursing as Alec put the phone on the table and tapped the speaker icon.

"What do you want Regent?" Came Brian's voice a moment later that sounded as tired as Lisa was beginning to feel.

"Hi Grue, it's Ghost Step!"

"Ghost Step? Why is Regent calling me for you? Did you change your mind?"

Madison laughed in amusement and Trillian looked bewildered for some reason. Though if she was an aspiring hero like Madison, it suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

"No thanks! Actually Regent and Tattletale were telling us about how you taught them some basic hand to hand stuff, so I was wondering if I could buy some lessons?"

"Us? No, what? You want to buy self defense lessons?"

"Yup!" Madison chirped, Trillian only looking more out of her depth the longer the conversation went on. "Me and a friend fought Oni Lee earlier and it didn't go great."

"So that's what she was so distracted by..." Brian muttered to himself before continuing, hesitance coloring his tone as he spoke. "I don't know Ghost Step, there are plenty of other places you can go."

"Yeah but you taught Tattletale and Regent, so it's probably more practical right? I'll pay you too obviously, you know I'm sitting on a big pile of money right now and you've already helped me out so far. Please Grue?"

Lisa knew he'd cave before he probably knew himself. The Undersiders were well paid, but Brian needed all the money he could get to build the life he wanted for him and his sister and Madison's cute pleading was just the killing blow that had finished him off.

"When were you thinking?" He asked, sealing the deal. Madison's triumphant little grin confirming she knew all too well the same thing.

"When we're all free, we'll figure something out. Thanks Grue!"

"Fine." They heard him sigh. "So who else am I teaching?"

"My friend Trillian."

"Wait what?" Trillian squeaked, glancing between Madison and the phone in startlement. "I can't afford that!"

Lisa watched as Madison just rolled her eyes. "I almost got you killed tonight. It's the least I can do, now shut up and accept my annoying endearingness."

There was definitely another layer of meaning to that addendum if Trillian's annoyed look - But lack of further spoken complaint was anything to go by.

"Alright, get one of those two to give you my number or get one of them to pass your numbers to me. We'll figure out something later this week maybe, depending on what comes up. Anything else?"

"Nope! Thanks Grue!"

"Thank you." Came Trillian's much more subdued addition before the line disconnected with a beep.

"At this rate you're both going to be honorary Undersiders," Alec commented in lazy amusement as he began ticking off points on the hand not holding his can. "Stealing from bastards, pissing off the ABB and now training with our dear leader? All that's left are your villain names and you're all set, but I think you're already there Ghost." He smirked as Madison gave him the finger.

"Why were you so insistent on getting those lessons anyway?" Lisa couldn't help but ask. Sure Oni Lee wasn't exactly a great time, but Madison had demonstrated she was perfectly capable of extricating herself from danger and looking after an ally at the same time. Besides, there were simpler and cheaper ways of getting self defense lessons if they were just for Trillian, who didn't even look like she wanted to be among villains, let alone take lessons from one.

Madison just gave her a smug little grin. "Quest complete."

Lisa gaped and pushed on her power, which she suddenly realised had been conspicuously silent the entire time.

Resource Access Denied

Oh that cheeky little-

Taylor Hebert

Taylor wasn't sure why Tattletale looked like she wanted to strangle Madison after the phone call to the leader of the Undersiders - Which was still something she was trying to get her head around, but it wasn't really the biggest thing on her mind right then.

She'd felt helpless when Oni Lee had appeared and every time Madison had said 'we' when referring to the rooftop fight she'd felt another dagger of shame and powerlessness at her own performance. She knew she wasn't a cape, couldn't teleport or any of the other crazy superpowers she'd seen and knew of. But she hadn't expected to feel so helpless, so worthless, like every comment her bullies had made were true and it would be better if she wasn't there at all.

She wasn't sure if Madison could have won, it was Oni Lee after all. But Taylor knew her friend would have done a hell of a lot better if she hadn't been worried about looking after her the entire time.

The worst part was being so uncertain about what she could do about it, there wasn't some way to just get powers unless you believed the conspiracies about some shadow organisation selling powers in a glowing vial. Which didn't make any sense at all because if an organisation could do that, then they'd just make an army of capes and take over the country obviously.

She'd been wondering if she could ask her dad to maybe talk to some of the guys at the Dockworkers Association. Like when they'd used to have family barbecues and some of her dad's friends had tried to show little Taylor how to throw a punch properly to her mom's amusement as her dad had manned the grill.

Then Madison had just signed them both up for lessons with a literal Villain and was paying for them both?! And she couldn't even refuse either because it was her fault that they were in that position in the first place! And any misgivings she had about the Undersiders were crushed under both her own guilt and how easily the Villain group had shattered her expectations for them.

Sure Tattletale had been a bit of a bitch at times and Regent seemed like the kind of guy who would have happily watched her getting bullied for the entertainment value alone... Okay maybe they lived up to their Villain rep a bit, but they were still nicer than most of the people she interacted with, which had done enough to throw her off as Madison had just dragged her along for the ride and got them both self defense lessons with the team leader of The Undersiders.

Even after they'd left not long following; Madison looking far too happy with herself, Regent having gotten bored and wandered off shortly after the call and Tattletale glaring daggers at Madison in a way that seemed more reluctantly amused than anything. Taylor had found herself feeling like she was walking through a daydream.

Everything had just happened so fast it almost made her head spin, going from Madison accidentally outing herself as a cape - Which already felt like yesterday. To roof hopping, a fight to the death with Oni Lee and then drinking mediocre tea prepared for her by a Villain her own age in a Villain's secret lair, while her friend had negotiated for self defense classes with the Villain's leader on speakerphone like that was a totally normal thing to happen!

It kind of put things in perspective.

They'd ended up back in her room afterwards and then they'd just chatted about nothing and everything, the Undersiders didn't even really come up. She'd been sad to see Madison go when it got late, but she'd felt better for their time talking together, without any life or death stuff, windy rooftops or weirdly sort-of friendly Villains. She was grateful Madison hadn't just dropped her off and left again, that she'd been happy to just stay and talk with her as they'd sat together on her bed, even as Taylor knew she'd been jumping from topic to topic, just thankful for Madison being there with her and helping her relax after... Everything that had happened.

She wasn't sure she'd be going on PHO for a while though.

When her dad had got home he'd seem surprised they hadn't touched the ice cream he'd bought for the occasion, which she'd totally forgotten about in general bubble of chaos Madison seemed to attract wherever she went. But he at least accepted her hasty excuse that they'd been full from dinner and was just happy enough that she'd had a good night, though that he seemed to like Madison gave her mixed feelings. After all he'd liked Emma too, but then so had she once upon a time and she hadn't told him the truth about what happened between them either.

Part of her wanted to go to him right then, confess everything and just get it off her chest but... She wasn't sure who she'd be doing it for. All it would do was hurt her dad, he was still friend's with Emma's dad after all and she wasn't sure she wanted to destroy their friendship for what would be her own sake. And... She had Madison now, she had a friend who cared, who would put their life on the line for her. She didn't need Emma's acceptance, her validation and her kindness as much as she still hurt and missed all of those things in the girl who had once meant everything to her.

But maybe, maybe it was okay to move on? To look forward instead of always hoping things would go back to the way they were? Her wandering gaze caught upon the chocolates Madison had bought her and she smiled softly at the physical reminder of her new friendship.

Maybe it would be okay to be happy again.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Madison yawned, stretching like a particularly content cat under the warm confines of her covers. No school, no ridiculously late nights out heroing and not too much homework to do either. The makings of a good Sunday even as something niggled at the back of her mind.

She ignored it as she let herself go back to sleep, warm covers far too inviting to do anything else and only dragging herself out of bed another hour and a half later when she was more awake and could even hear her parents up and about. After all they stayed in bed notoriously late on Sundays themselves so it totally wasn't that she was lazy, she was just continuing the noble family tradition of course.

A glance at her phone showed it was only late morning, which was a nice surprise and there were a couple of texts waiting for her. One from Lisa with the number for the 'defense instructor' she'd 'recommended' and asking her to pass it on to her friend. Something from Julia she ignored and something from Daphne she didn't.

Though getting the number from Lisa only reminded her of an awkward and annoying thought she'd had last night. She was going to have to get Taylor a phone.

She didn't really see a way around it, she'd almost died and while technically the phone had nothing to do with it (and she didn't want to imagine what could have happened if Taylor had thought to make the call before her). It would definitely give Madison peace of mind if they could contact each other, having a far better appreciation for why her mom hadn't taken away her own phone when she'd grounded her.

That and she didn't want to be the eternal go-between for Taylor and Brian, or Trillian and Grue she supposed. She'd expected Lisa to call out Taylor's distinct lack of powers at some point during their visit and was going to do so herself when the other girl didn't, but then things had gotten away from her. Lisa had been snippier than normal for some reason and then she'd gotten a quest to get them both defense lessons with Brian after Alec had mentioned it and by the time it had re-occurred to her, they were already back in Taylor's room just talking about classes and far more normal things and there had never felt like a good time to bring it up.

At least it was harmless Madison supposed, no one knew who Taylor was, no one outside of the Undersiders knew who she was and the Villain team had a good reason to stay in their good books. Namely that Madison was a paying customer, a Mover and knew where they kept all their stuff, something she doubted had escaped Lisa and probably everyone else too.

With another lazy yawn she brought up PHO, curious to see what had happened since she'd last checked and wasted half an hour in a mix of interest, confusion and amusement at the sheer amount of speculation populating the threads she'd found. It also turned out Taylor did have her own wiki page which was kind of hilarious, especially when it basically had the same level of detail as Tattletale's along with the 'suspected Thinker' appellation.

It was exactly the sort of thing she'd message Taylor about... If she had her own phone Madison mused as she got ready for the day, reminding herself she needed to pick up a new burner phone for herself... Or two if it was going to become a regular thing, not looking forward to setting up a new phone and importing all the contacts again, even if it was only relatively short list compared to her regular phone.

She chewed over the thought while she had breakfast, she doubted asking Taylor to buy a phone for herself would be a good idea in any respect and if she was being honest, she wasn't even sure Taylor could afford a halfway decent phone herself and it definitely didn't seem like the kind of thing Taylor would want to approach her dad about. It was going to be the tea-chocolate all over again Madison sighed, though with a lot more emotional baggage she couldn't help but note with the beginnings of a frown. Idly wondering what features she needed Taylor's phone to have and what the other girl might like beyond that, before pausing to consider when would be a good time to present it to her in a way she couldn't refuse.

Unless she could wing getting out of the house later, Madison knew was still technically grounded for another week, but she supposed it would probably be simple enough to teleport over to Taylor's house intentionally for once and force it on her. 'The best part is I can just escape if she tries to give it back.' She thought to herself in amusement as her phone buzzed insistently for attention again and she glanced at it, doing a double take when she saw the message.

Lisa: Rachel wants to talk to you.

Madison: Maybe I don't want to talk to her.

Ever if she could help it. Getting attacked by snarling dogs was up there as one of her worse experiences and she'd almost been killed by Oni Lee! She'd be happy if the other girl just stayed away from her forever and she never had to see her again.

Lisa: She's going to wait around for you to show up. It won't be like last time.

Madison: Why should I care?

She wasn't being petty. Why would she want anything to do with Bitch after that was how they thought to greet her? Even after Lisa had basically screamed at her to stop?

Lisa: Sent you a message, get back to me.

Madison: Okay.

Madison frowned down at the screen before putting her phone away, curious as to what Lisa had needed to say that had to be relegated to her cape phone instead.

Quickly finishing up she headed back upstairs, taking care of the necessities before sitting herself down at her desk and retrieving her remaining burner from her Inventory and turning it back on. The messages came through not long after that and she brought them up to have a read.

Smug Fox: Bitch will apologise but it probably won't sound like one. Grue already yelled at her after I told him this morning.

Smug Fox: I think she got an idea after you knocked some sense into her and wants to talk to you about it. Anyway she knows you're pissed so she'll give you 500 to hear her out. She's going to keep trying to speak to you I think.

Madison paused, she did need money for the new phones... And even if Bitch didn't apologise properly, five hundred dollars was a pretty good apology all by itself. She'd probably feel a little less uncharitable towards Squealer trying to blow her up if the woman had sent her a gift basket filled with five thousand dollars too.

"Ugh." Madison groaned to herself, knowing she was going to accept even if she wanted to brood about it a bit more. Why did Bitch have to sound like the reasonable one?! It wasn't fair!

Mad Cat: I'll see if I can come by after lunch. Cash needs to be clean.

Smug Fox: Thanks, will tell her.

Madison sighed to herself. "Well I've committed now." She muttered, frowning as she realised she had no idea how long things would take and for all she knew would take up the whole of her afternoon. "Suppose I should get my homework out of the way now..."

She sighed again in defeat as she cast a glance towards her school bag, being the responsible one was far too much work.

Leaving a quick note on her desk to say she'd gone for a walk, just in case her absence was discovered before she got back Madison teleported away and reappeared in the long abandoned factory that hid the Undersiders lair. Welcome there or not, she wasn't particularly keen on teleporting into the kitchen or the open lounge area if Bitch and her dogs were already waiting there and might attack her regardless of what the other girl had supposedly said.

Making her way up the stairs she realised she didn't actually have a key to the door at the top and after a moment's hesitation on whether she wanted to knock, she just teleported to the other side of it.

"Hey Madison." Lisa waved from her spot on the sofa, laptop on her lap as the TV played the local news about some robbery. "Rachel is in the kitchen."

"Thanks." She replied, trying for a smile even as it came out strained as she passed behind the sofa Lisa was sitting on before pausing at the doorway and turning back to the other girl who gave her a curious look of her own.

"You okay Lisa?" She hedged, not quite sure she knew her new friend well enough to know how best to call out her behaviour the previous night. "You were a bit... Mean yesterday."

Lisa at least had the decency to look abashed at the comment. "Yeah I'm-" She paused and Madison watched as Lisa seemed to wrestle with her thoughts for a moment before letting out a wry huff.

"My power makes me dig at people sometimes, even people I shouldn't. Alec wasn't wrong about that." She admitted and looked pained to have let the comment pass her lips as she looked away for a moment. "I am sorry for saying those things to you." She continued after a pause, before finally looking back to her. "After Bitch tried to maul you and I saw Oni Lee try to kill you and then you turn up with some new cape I don't know anything about and my power wouldn't give me anything useful on... Sorry."

Madison smiled warmly at the frank admission and Lisa's own obvious self-recrimination that came with it, a smile which turned a little more mischievous as an idea took her and she teleported to the back of the sofa. Leaning over it to give Lisa a quick hug around her neck, head briefly pressed against the other girl's as Lisa squawked in surprise.

"The superior Thinker forgives you as long as you apologise to Ta-Trillian too." She announced imperiously into the blonde's ear as Lisa huffed, but it was an amused and indulgent thing.

"Fine, fine. Now go talk to Rachel before you combust."

"You can't even see my face!" She accused, releasing Lisa who quickly turned around to flash her a vulpine grin beneath the faintest blush of her own.

"Didn't need to, I could feel your sheer embarrassment radiating through my skull."

"Ugh, cheating Thinkers." She threw back, sticking out her tongue for good measure as she escaped the room and Lisa's amused cackle behind her before Lisa could get in another parting shot, a small happy smile on her lips that didn't disappear fully even as she laid eyes on Bitch as she entered the kitchen. She would have thought the other girl was glaring at her if she wasn't already under the impression that was Bitch's default expression and Madison couldn't help her cautious glance to the two dogs that accompanied the other girl.

Madison recognised the dogs from the previous day, though couldn't put the name to which was which, a Rottweiler and German Shepherd sitting patiently to Bitch's side and it was disconcerting to know how readily they could go from docility to nothing but claws and teeth.

"Good you're here." Was the only greeting she got as Bitch spotted her. "Brian and Lisa said I should apologise for yesterday so, sorry. Lisa say what I wanted?"

Madison was shaking her head before the reply left her lips. "No, just that you wanted to talk to me."

Bitch nodded once, pulling out a couple of stacks of bills from her jacket that were each tied together with an elastic band. "Here." she said simply, standing up and handing over both which Madison took with a little less hesitance being that Bitch had actually apologised and more importantly hadn't attacked her yet.

"Thanks." She offered plainly in return, just storing both stacks into her Inventory to deal with later. "So you wanted to talk to me?" She asked, getting the impression that Bitch preferred to be direct more than anything and noted how the other girl didn't even seem to care that five hundred dollars had just vanished into thin air in front of her.

"You're strong." It wasn't a question, as much as Madison might have thought it one coming from someone else. Bitch had just said it with the same certainty as if she'd discovered it was raining outside and had decided to point out the obvious to everyone else, Madison finding herself unsure of how to reply as Bitch continued on a moment later. "You can move the dogs without hurting them, I want you to help me hit the Empire."

Madison felt her own eyes widen in surprise, she hadn't really known what to expect when Lisa had told her the girl in front of her had wanted to talk, but that definitely wasn't it.

"Hit them how?" She had to ask, the Empire was big. They controlled most of Downtown and some of the Docks too depending on who you believed. They had fighting rings for both people and animals, they ran guns, targeted minorities and it wasn't clear if they ran their own drug trade or just took a cut in their own territories. Hitting the Empire could mean anything from stopping an initiation to trying to target one of their dozen or so capes and a whole lot of things in between.

"They fight dogs, make them tear each other apart. Can't do much by myself even with my dogs. Boss gives me some intel, but I can't deal with Hookwolf or any other cape and everything else at the same time."

Madison nodded slowly as what she thought Bitch meant by the blunt words came together in her mind. "So you'd keep the Empire busy while I get the dogs out?"

Bitch nodded. "Get them to that warehouse or a different one, can move the dogs to a shelter after while I teach those fucks a lesson."

It was actually... A good idea? It wasn't something she could do by herself and obviously it was something Bitch had already tried and struggled with, even with all her murder-dog minions to help. And if it was a dog fighting ring they could even make a bunch of arrests and if they were taking bets she'd finally be able to steal money from Nazis, which was definitely on her bucket list.

Madison jumped as someone clapped their hands behind her and she whirled around to see Lisa with a smug grin on her face as she looked over the both of them.

"And as I think our dear Mover has just figured out, dog fighting rings means money changing hands and probably some juicy details on where some of the other Empire operations are currently operating out of."

Madison nodded absently, turning back to Bitch who seemed entirely unimpressed by Lisa's contribution.

"It's a good idea." Madison noted, just so Bitch was aware she was interested before she continued. "But I can't transport all the dogs at once. My power will need a break to recharge probably every couple of dogs or so. If there are a lot of them, that means I'll need you to keep anyone else distracted for a while."

"We can do that." Bitch nodded. "Even easier if Hookwolf or other Nazi capes don't show."

Madison glanced back to Lisa who was looking far too pleased with herself and quickly jumped to speak when she caught Madison's eye.

"This is perfect!" She grinned. "We'll need to test it but you can work in Grue's darkness right?"

Madison shrugged. She had no idea why she wouldn't be able to, but it wasn't like she knew that either way.

"Right, right we'll test it." Lisa waved off as if reading her mind, because Thinkers were nothing but trouble like that. "This is a perfect job for the team plus our friendly neighbourhood Ghost!"

Madison couldn't help but look back to Bitch who was listening to Lisa with a deepening frown, before the gruff girl cut back in. "You didn't want to help before."

"We didn't have Ghost then!" Lisa threw right back without missing a beat. "Think about it! We get you to play distraction, Grue floods the whole place with darkness after Ghost gives him the signal. Ghost starts getting the dogs out and me and Regent go for the cash and anything else shiny and not nailed down. Everyone wins except the Empire, so everyone wins!"

Madison raised an eyebrow as Lisa's proposed plan managed to shore up the weaknesses of the tentative one her and Bitch had nearly committed to. It also meant she could focus on the dogs and let the rest of the team take care of the money and any other distractions, which had been a concern she hadn't found a good way to voice when Bitch clearly only cared about getting the dogs out beyond anything else. And it felt wrong to even imply she hoped to get a monetary windfall in addition to saving animals, even if Bitch might not have taken it that way considering she'd already paid her just to listen to the idea in the first place.

"Yes, yes I'm amazing." Lisa grinned. "All we need are targets and the rest of the team and we're set."

"I know places," Bitch replied evenly. "Lisa can get the rest of the team. We can talk about it tonight."

"Oh, um I can't tonight." Madison realised, trying not to cringe away as Bitch swung a flat look towards her. "Sorry, but I already have an appointment, I can do literally any other night!"

"Who-Oh Parian right." Lisa nodded. "Oh yeah you never did collect the money you said you needed for that." Lisa continued thoughtfully, reminding Madison of that very same fact.

"Tell me you have everything!" She all but demanded of the other girl, a very real fear seizing her that she'd have to reschedule on Parian. The thought alone filling her with dread that even Bitch couldn't compare to.

"Didn't I already tell you I'm amazing?" Lisa smirked. "I've got your stuff in my room."

Relief was too small a word for what she felt right then, quickly glancing back to Bitch. "So you'll tell me when you know about the next one?" She ventured as the other girl looked between them.

"Alright, Lisa can talk to the others. I'll get her to message you when I know, don't be late."

Madison nodded quickly. Not quite sure if Bitch was mad at her for not agreeing to have a planning meeting that night so they could all go charging into the ranks of the Empire as soon as possible and not wanting to push her luck either way. "Sounds good, get Lisa to text me if anything changes otherwise." She replied, looking to Lisa who took the cue and nodded herself before leading Madison back out of the room.

"Did you know that was her plan?" Madison asked the moment they were safely behind Lisa's closed bedroom door, Madison taking the same spot on the bed she had last time as Lisa pulled out her swivel chair from her desk to sit in.

"Not definitively." Lisa shrugged. "But it was the obvious place her mind would have gone after you handled one of her dogs without harming them. She's been trying to take down the Empire dog rings for a while, but doesn't really have the muscle to do much more than break up a couple of the ones she's found. Getting her dogs looked after was one of the reasons the boss got her on the team in the first place."

Madison nodded, it wasn't exactly a logical leap to understand that it was also those benefits that kept Bitch on the team too and not going on more of a one woman crusade than she already had.

"Do you think it'll work?" She asked instead, the plan seemed solid, but she'd be the first to admit there was a lot she still had to learn and she hadn't yet faced any Empire capes in her admittedly short Hero career.

Lisa nodded, a serious look settling on her face. "It's not that rest of us don't care, but there's a lot of risk with that sort of operation and normally without enough incentive if we don't have the Boss's backing. It's one thing to keep one or two Empire capes at bay if they're around, but if there's at least a couple dozen armed skinheads too? Then actually getting away with all of the dogs and cash on top of that? Logistical nightmare." Lisa finished with a huff. "Not that Bitch appreciates that." She continued with a mutter that Madison wasn't sure was meant for her to hear.

"You however are our little ace in the hole." Lisa continued with a satisfied smile. "You basically cut the complexity of the whole operation in half. All we have to worry about is who's on the field and exfil at the end of it and even that might not be much of an issue with what I know you can do. Sure you don't want to join the team?" Lisa finished with a lazy grin as Madison rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Let's see if I can work together with Bitch, without one of us trying to kill the other before you give me the recruitment pitch again." Madison drawled to Lisa's unrepentant grin. "Anyway right now I'm your most valued customer and you have something for me?"

"That I do." Lisa nodded, swinging around in her chair and plucking open her top desk drawer to retrieve something Madison couldn't see.

"So the boss was disappointed about the whole favors thing, but he agreed it's good enough that you're playing nice with us." Lisa started as she swivelled back around, a small flat box in hand. "And as a show of good faith he sent this for you." She finished by throwing the box to her which she had to scramble to catch, throwing an annoyed look back to Lisa who looked more amused than anything.

"What is it?" Madison asked, looking over the small non descript black box curiously. It kind of reminded her of one of those little boxes gift cards came in and she pulled it open to see a similarly dark embossed debit card nestled snugly within.

"Your new bank account with The Number Man." Lisa replied as Madison looked up to her incredulously.

"The Number Man is real?!" She sputtered, torn between looking back at the card and Lisa herself who only seemed more amused by the whole spectacle. Sure she'd heard of the Number Man. The 'mysterious figure' who supposedly managed a number of accounts for capes and didn't distinguish between Hero and Villain as long as you supposedly didn't use any of the funds to harm innocent people. Though how he supposedly knew that was one of the things which had left her dismissing the whole thing as some exaggerated conspiracy, like all the other ones that popped up every so often.

"Yup." Lisa replied, popping the 'p' as she did so. "You can use it like any other card, it's like a skeleton key so you can pretty much use it anywhere." She shrugged as if that was a totally mundane thing and not completely insane. "Though I wouldn't recommend trying to take out more than a few hundred in cash at one location, the protections are good, but not that good."

"Um." Was all Madison managed, glancing back down at the innocuous looking card that held over ten thousand dollars of illegal crime money and was hers.

"I'll tell the boss you're pleased." Lisa snarked and Madison nodded dumbly, tentatively pulling the card out of the little foam inlay to see a small piece of card underneath.

GHOST STEP
PIN: 2654

And flipping it over she was surprised to see a mundane note with a number or email to contact if her card was lost or stolen, with a note stating a replacement would cost one percent of the funds of her account... Which was certainly one way of discouraging people from misplacing their card as she quickly realised it would cost her over one hundred dollars to get a new one and would only go up from there.

"Okay it's just a debit card Madison." Lisa remarked and she could hear the other girl rolling her eyes as she did so. "Don't break the rules and you'll be fine."

"Which are?" Madison immediately asked as she looked back up to the blonde, very much not wanting to get on the bad side of the person who owned her bank account of dubiously acquired funds.

"Under the insert." Lisa motioned and when she was actually looking, Madison realised she'd completely glossed over it as she spotted the card that had a list of 'Terms of Service' printed beneath.

"You don't need to read the whole thing." Lisa quickly jumped in before Madison could do just that and she pouted at the other girl who just gave an exasperated sigh response. "None of it actually applies to you. You don't finance crime, well nothing that targets innocents and you aren't raking in millions either. Just treat it like a regular bank account and you'll be fine."

Madison nodded cautiously, trusting Lisa's word, though having every intention of reading it through anyway when she got back home. Something Lisa obviously picked up on too with the look she gave her.

"Do you think Parian has one?" She wondered aloud as the thought struck her and was gratified that Lisa actually looked thoughtful at the question before giving a so-so gesture with her hand.

"Eh, probably not." She hedged. "Rogues with their own businesses are under a lot of scrutiny so I don't think it'd be worth it for her. You won't have any issues using it to pay for your costume if that's what you're worried about. It'll just look like an anonymous commission, so as long as she files her taxes properly she'll be fine."

"Oh okay." Madison replied, Parian's taxes precisely the last thing on her mind, though it was a relief to know the Rogue wouldn't have any trouble due to Madison's probably very unusual payment method.

Tucking everything back into place inside the box she pressed the lid closed and stored it away in her Inventory, which was probably where it'd stay permanently. Though she'd need to shred the little piece of card with her pin when she got the chance, just in case.

"Thanks Lisa." She offered as she looked up to the other girl who appeared content to watch her, or maybe just trying to figure out her power Madison mused as she noticed Lisa's gaze had slipped to her suddenly vacant hand.

"No problem." The blonde across from her shrugged. "Would have been awkward always having to ferry around piles of cash to you all the time, I think the Boss was doing himself a favour as much as you." She finished with a smirk and Madison couldn't help but smile at the joke herself, still not sure what to make of Lisa's mystery boss and wondering how much she actually wanted to find out.

"Going to head off now?" Lisa asked, pushing aside her train of thought before it could gather steam and Madison nodded after a moment's consideration.

"I'll probably get caught out if I stay here too long and I've still got a few things to do before I head out tonight, so I guess I should."

"Fair." Lisa replied. "Well don't go spending all your money at once, but I am expecting a fashion show when you get your shiny new Hero costume that you could technically say I paid for."

Madison just rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. Your own private fashion show, right here in your bedroom." She threw back lazily before she teleported back to her own room, pausing as she ran her last statement back through her mind and froze in mortification as her cheeks burned, already imagining the cackling laughter she'd left behind.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Madison wasn't sure if she liked how easy lying felt when her Hero activities were involved.

"I'm heading to bed. Night mom, dad." She smiled, offering a little wave from the door of the lounge as her parents watched one of their shows, letting their own 'goodnights' roll over her as she made her way back upstairs.

Once she'd returned to the safety of her room she quickly changed, which she was pretty sure was still technically the right word for what she was doing. Equipping the various parts of her technically-Vigilante-costume piece by piece and replacing almost everything she was wearing in that moment piecemeal.

One of the most useful things about the 'Equip' feature she'd quickly realised was that she didn't have to worry about re-tying her boots shoelaces unless they came undone on their own. All she had to do was store them while they were on her feet and she could re-equip them without having to spend the next ten minutes doing up the long thick laces again. Sometimes it was the little things that made having powers worth it.

She still had about half an hour to kill and checked herself over, frowning when she remembered the damage her current hoodie had taken the previous night and pulled it off to inspect it further. 'Well that's not great' she thought to herself as she laid it out on top of her bed. The throwing knives hadn't really penetrated all that far, just a couple of holes that weren't all too noticeable. The jagged horizontal line underneath told another story and she was glad she hadn't had to feel anything more than the vague sensation of something pushing against her back as she easily imagined the knife skating harshly over the edge of her force field as Taylor had helped pull her out of the way.

The damage might have been fixable, but seamstress wasn't one of her skills and she had absolutely no idea how she'd begin to explain the damage to her mom. Least of all where the hoodie had come from and when, considering it was new enough that it hadn't even been through a wash cycle yet. She wondered briefly if a charity shop would accept it and then wondered if Parian would think less of her for turning up with visible damage and then wondered if Parian would be willing to fix it up for an additional fee.

In the end she decided to put it back on, if nothing else it would sell that she was who she said she was, especially if Parian had watched the shaky footage of her fight with Oni Lee on PHO. The clock ticked closer to the agreed time and she could feel herself getting more nervous, wanting to get up, pace, do something even if it would ruin the illusion that she was trying to sleep.

Her bedroom light had been turned off several minutes earlier and only the light peeking under the door and around the edges of her curtains accompanied the glow of her dimmed phone screen as her wandering gaze slipped back to check the time every couple of minutes.

22:58

'Would it be polite to arrive a couple of minutes early or would that be presumptuous?' 'What if Parian wasn't expecting her until exactly eleven?'

She couldn't help her cascade of nervous thoughts, quickly opening her Inventory to confirm that her new debit card was still sitting where she'd left it in a separate space from its box and all the contents therein.

23:00

She still paused, just to double check she wasn't imagining things. Hesitating for a moment before she exchanged her normal phone for the remaining burner in her Inventory, slipping it into her pocket before she teleported away.

Madison wasn't sure why she had expected the lights to be off. Maybe because it was completely dark the last time she'd been there, but whatever the reason she blinked in surprise as she re-appeared in the perfectly well lit back room of Parian's boutique.

"Well the videos certainly don't do it justice." Came a demure voice from her left and she turned to find Parian waiting patiently, hands clasped together lightly as she regarded her. "Welcome back Ghost Step and thank you for arriving so promptly."

"Thank you for having me." She replied a little more nervously than she would have liked. She just wanted to make a good, better impression on Parian and she somehow found it far more daunting - In a different way at least when speaking to the humble shopkeeper compared to someone like Armsmaster himself.

"Well if you'd like to follow me, we'll head upstairs to my workshop. Does your power have any requirements? I can provide a drink if you'd like."

"Oh, um no thanks." She deferred before realising she hadn't quite answered the Rogue's question. "My power doesn't really need to recharge unless I'm taking people with me." She continued awkwardly as Parian unlocked the door leading to the stairs she'd seen on her previous visits.

"Interesting, but your clothes don't have an impact?" Parian asked as they made their way up the short narrow staircase, Madison not being able to help herself from glancing about even if there was nothing yet to see.

"I don't think so." She replied hesitantly as they reached the top and Parian went through, holding the door open for her to enter afterwards. "I haven't really noticed anything at least."

Parian hummed thoughtfully to herself, though even if she'd been facing her, Madison wouldn't have been able to guess the expression under the full porcelain mask the Rogue wore.

"Please take a seat." Parian gestured as Madison took in the room.

It wasn't that big, an impression that was only reinforced by the large table that dominated the centre of what could only be some kind of workshop. The table itself had been cleared and Madison wondered what it looked like when Parian was working, even as she made her way around the side to the only other seat in the room. There wasn't much space to walk, the table crowded in on all sides by shelves and racks of materials and what looked like finished outfits waiting to be taken downstairs to be displayed.

It definitely wasn't somewhere she could call tidy, even if the table was empty of anything. But it was the kind of messy that gave Madison the impression that Parian probably knew where every strip of cloth was in the subdued chaos of all the things scattered about the room at large.

There were two seats on opposite sides of the table, though only one looked like it actually belonged in the room and Madison gingerly took hers, careful not to knock anything she passed and keeping her hands firmly to herself as Parian sat down across from her.

"Now, to confirm this is a costume commission and for yourself, is that correct?" The Rogue asked and Madison wondered if she'd had many people contact her on behalf of someone else in the past.

"Yes, please." She nodded back as she shelved the thought, just another strand of curiosity she stamped down on even as she itched to ask about some of the things she'd spotted just on the way to her seat. Particularly what she was pretty sure was one of Parian's person sized puppets hidden away under several items in the corner behind her that she wasn't sure she was supposed to have noticed.

"Thank you." Parian continued, hopefully oblivious to Madison's own thoughts. "Did you already have some ideas in mind or would you like to browse some of my previous work and some potential colors and materials?"

Madison perked up, she did have ideas, but the opportunity to browse some of Parian's previous commissions seemed too good to pass up. "Um I did have some ideas, but would it be okay to have a look at your past work anyway?"

"Of course." Parian replied, a smile in her voice as she passed over a small binder, another joining it a moment later. "The first folder contains my concept works, some for potential clients though none were ever fully commissioned. The latter has a selection of colors and fabric types, feel free to take as long as you need."

Any trepidation she might have felt about wasting Parian's time vanished as she opened the first of the folders, eyes drinking in the details of a hypothetical costume for a Hero she didn't recognise. It was for an older man, dark brown leathers that looked like a mix between an old fashioned aviator and a biker.

Leafing carefully to the next page - Despite the laminate covering that meant she probably couldn't tear any of the pages unless she tried, her gaze found the next one. It was another outfit for a man, though it seemed to be more geared around providing an under layer that armor plates of some kind could be attached to and a helmet with horns that curved back and down.

All in all there were about a dozen different designs, though she was surprised only a couple were for women. One that seemed similar in style to New Wave, though with a greater emphasis of red and a littering of fire motifs she had the feeling weren't Parian's decision to include. The other was a beautiful dark green shawl of shifting tones topped with a hood over an ensemble of darker blues. The whole outfit coming together as an image of a piece of emerald ocean and she wondered just who it had been intended for and why it had never come to fruition.

Realising that maybe she was beginning to waste Parian's time she quickly turned to the second of the two folders and immediately found herself out of her depth. The colors were one thing and she was definitely learning a lot of new names for things she probably wouldn't remember. But the fabrics largely meant nothing to her and she'd be hard pressed to distinguish a lot of them from the ones right next to them on the page as she leafed through the contents of the much thicker folder, more and more conscious of Parian's patient gaze all the while.

"Thank you." Was all Madison could think to say when she was done, closing the second folder to mark her words and setting it back on the table in front of her. "That last costume, um Mermia was it? Was really beautiful."

Parian bobbed her head in a nod as she replied in kind. "Thank you, I was particularly pleased with the design and had looked forward to turning it into a reality."

"What happened?"

"As you may already be aware, few Vigilantes and Independents in the city remain so for long. I would imagine you have already considered your own avenues in this regard?"

Madison nodded. "Maybe I'll go Wards eventually, but I'm not letting their costume department have their way with me." She finished perhaps a little more resolutely than was absolutely necessary as Parian looked on with interest.

"Ah." The Rogue replied and seemed to pause before she continued. "I did not wish to presume of your age."

Madison offered a self deprecating smile as she chuckled. "Thanks, but it's okay. I think it's pretty obvious I'm not old enough for the Protectorate just yet."

"Indeed." Parian replied, amusement coloring her own tone before she shifted her gaze to the folders between them. "I hoped they helped regardless, I know they were largely for an older clientele."

Madison nodded as Parian reached forward and collected both of the folders in question, moving them to the side and out of the way. "They were amazing," Madison agreed easily as the Rogue turned back to her. "But I don't think anything there would suit me."

"Perhaps." Parian commented neutrally, which definitely had Madison wondering which of the costumes the Rogue thought she could pull off before the Rogue spoke again, a formality in her voice that had Madison paying her full attention to the woman across from her. "Now before we truly begin I'm afraid we must conduct a small amount of business first with regards to the consultation fee I outlined during our call?"

"Oh!" Madison jolted, because she'd completely forgotten about it and cursed herself for making Parian have to ask, quickly retrieving her new debit card from her Inventory. "Of course, can I pay by card instead?"

"May I?" Parian asked and Madison passed the card over, which Parian seemed to give a cursory inspection before looking back to her as she placed the card back on the table. "You do keep surprising me."

"I'm sorry?" Madison replied in mild confusion.

"Not at all, I was simply expecting cash rather than a Number Man card from one as young as yourself."

"I'm not that young." Madison huffed despite herself to Parian's gentle laugh.

"I didn't mean anything by it, simply that you're one of very few people I've met to pay by one and certainly the first cape."

'Huh.' Somehow she hadn't thought about the fact that she could use it in her civilian life, or that there would of course be a bunch of people who didn't have powers with cards of their own. Criminals and Vigilantes didn't need to have superpowers after all.

"Do you have one?" She couldn't help but ask, recalling her own conversation with Lisa earlier and wondering if the other girl used her card for day to day things as well, though it was a weird thought to imagine Tattletale going out to buy toothpaste with a debit card from a shadow organisation.

"I do." Parian nodded as she rose to her feet. "Though I confess it has not found much use, now please allow me a moment to fetch my card reader, I hadn't thought it would be required."

"Of course." Madison replied as Parian slipped out of the room and she was briefly left alone with her thoughts before the Rogue returned and Madison wasn't sure why she'd expected anything more than a normal card reader that wouldn't have seemed out of place in any department store.

Thankfully there were no issues with using the card, which was a worry she couldn't help but have when she was using it for the first time, but Parian's nod to herself reassured Madison that everything had gone through okay and Parian even handed back a receipt along with the card when she was done. Something which was going to sit right alongside Armsmaster's calling card in her slowly growing collection of absurd collector's items.

"Well the only thing I'm really set on is a white coat of some kind and probably a white half domino mask like my current one?" Trailing off in a half question as she wondered if there were any styles of mask that might suit her better.

"To match your name, a ghostly theme then?"

She blinked in surprise. "Um, no!" She stammered out, caught entirely off guard by what she realised would have been a perfectly reasonable connection to make in Parian's mind. "That was just temporary! It was just something I made up when the police asked me for a name!"

"Oh I see, I did wonder if perhaps it was an allusion to your power."

"Or that I'm a Nazi if you believe half of PHO." Madison sighed to herself. "Um which I'm not!" She very quickly clarified, because that was the kind of thing she definitely didn't want to leave hanging in any uncertain terms.

Parian simply chuckled lightly. "Given that you have yet to join them and have been noted to help people of any age or nationality, that worry has been long put to rest in my mind."

Madison breathed a mental sigh of relief and maybe a physical one too, the idea anyone could think of her as a Nazi was still a stomach churning one.

"Perhaps we should start with your Hero persona then?" Parian gently intruded. "I take it you have a new Hero name to replace your current epithet?"

Madison nodded, eager for the change in topic and on to one that would actually get them on the right track. "I'm going to be calling myself Diamond Quest and I'll be registering with the PRT as an Independent Hero once I have a new costume and everything to go with it."

Even without seeing the Rogue's face, Madison felt she could imagine the Parian's raised eyebrow in her response that followed. "An unusual name, but one that has clearly has been chosen with purpose than chosen for you."

Madison couldn't help but smile because Parian got it. Happy that if no one else did, she knew the Rogue had.

"An adventurer? One who seeks riches? Or perhaps the diamond is a metaphor for glory, beauty or the tangible rewards to be found of your endeavour?"

Okay she got most of it Madison mentally corrected. She would take that much.

"Sort of." She replied as Parian paused to let her speak, trying to put her thoughts into words that made sense the same way they did in her head, without talking about Quest herself. "I guess it's that being a Hero is my goal and diamonds are tough, they're clear and pure, but they also represent love, or at least commitment." She clarified awkwardly, really not sure if she was making any sense at all and the expressionless mask of the Rogue in front of her not giving anything away.

She wondered what Parian was thinking, hoping she hadn't just embarrassed herself and the Rogue suddenly wouldn't want anything more to do with her and she'd have to start again from scratch with someone else entirely before Parian spoke again, a curious wistful tone that snapped Madison out of her slowly spiralling thoughts.

"An unbreakable Hero with a certainty, purity of purpose on a quest for a better tomorrow. A lovely sentiment that evokes that of classic adventure, like the old serials. Yes I think that's a rather strong foundation."

The Rogue stood and Madison almost followed suit automatically, catching herself and watching as Parian seemed to change before her eyes. Going from the polite, even subdued hostess to what could only be called a woman on a mission as she moved to one of the shelves opposite and Madison couldn't help but do a double take when she noticed some fabric sheets moving of their own accord, slipping off a high shelf above to settle on the top of the table in neat piles of their own.

"Dignity or playfulness? The gallant Hero or the mischievous Rogue? A wealth of flexibility, does the white signify purity or a break from a darker past? Something new above the old, a symbol of progress or merely the brightness of promised hope?"

Madison didn't even try to interrupt as she watched, quickly realising the questions weren't directed at her at all as Parian glanced at different fabrics, some of which to Madison's eyes looked identical to the next. Most were immediately discarded and flew back to their previous places as only one or two from every dozen went instead to the table.

"No skirts!" She called out when she saw Parian take one off one of the racks to briefly inspect and was slightly alarmed when the Rogue didn't immediately put it back.

"So you have some idea of what you don't want?" Parian asked as she continued her inscrutable work, a small notepad and pen finding its way into her hands at some point as she scribbled something down and turned back to her.

"Um, no robe, nothing that makes me look like the Empire or well any of the other gangs really." She added as an afterthought. Getting mistaken as a new member of New Wave would be bad enough, being mistaken for a gang member, any gang member would be another thing entirely.

"No reds." Parian nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps a more subdued palette that evokes an image than to strike one." She mused, two shades of what Madison would have hesitantly called 'gold' zipping back into the stacks from which they'd come from.

"And your power?" Parian asked, flipping the page over in her small notepad as one of the shelves found the messy assortment of items neatening themselves. "Are there any considerations with regards to style or materials? Or perhaps motifs or references you wish to include, as subtle or perhaps even grandiose as you would wish them to be?

Briefly Madison had the absurd thought of having a giant stylised 'Q' on her back like Alexandria's tower symbol before hurriedly banishing the thought from her mind forever. "I have a force field, but it only seems to be maybe a centimetre or so from my skin I think? I haven't really been able to test it, maybe it's easier if I show you." She considered, standing up and turning around as she pulled her hoodie straighter so it would be easier for Parian to see the damage it had taken the previous night.

"So any other clothes are layered atop the force field and take any damage before the force field itself does." Parian spoke thoughtfully and Madison glanced back over her shoulder to see the Rogue with a hand to her chin in thought.

"I think so." Madison offered helplessly, Taylor was probably her best bet for figuring out the exact mechanics, but it wasn't exactly the most pressing thing on either of their minds as long it continued to work. "I've never had any damage to the top I wear underneath."

"Intriguing, are you similarly unaffected by inclement weather?"

Madison cocked her head to the side in confusion and Parian clarified.

"Ah, what I mean to say is it sounds remarkably similar to how I understand Glory Girl's power works, which allows her to wear comparatively little."

Madison felt her own eyes widen as she made the connection. "No skirts! No thigh highs! Nothing like that!" She shot back before Parian could get ideas. She had no idea if that was how her force field worked since she still definitely felt cold at times, but she wasn't sure if it imparted some level of cold resistance on top.

Parian chuckled. "Yes I think you've made your feelings on that particular garment and others like it quite clear, but it is certainly a consideration both ways."

"How so?" Madison asked cautiously and not suspiciously at all.

"Well, with regards to durability it appears that your coat and any larger items will need stronger materials, more durability, slash and stab resistant ideally." And Madison couldn't help but nod along to the very sensible suggestions. "But conversely it means the remaining base layers need not necessarily be so conservative, perhaps showing more skin and highlighting your own confidence as a woman and Hero both."

"Absolutely not! I am not having cut outs or anything like that!" Feeling her face turning red just at the thought of it. She was not Glory Girl, she absolutely had no appeal like that and she'd die of embarrassment if she tried.

Parian couldn't make a show of rolling her eyes, but Madison was pretty sure that was what she was doing as the older girl let out a patient sigh. "You have obvious appeal and emphasising your natural looks without compromising the overall aesthetic would further add another layer to your image, to demonstrate your own beauty and confidence within it, the very 'Diamond' of your name."

That was not what her name meant at all! She was not beautiful like a diamond! She wasn't even that good looking at all! Shaking her head vehemently before she was even aware of it.

"No! Absolutely not! I'm a Panacea not a Narwhal!"

"Something to keep in mind then perhaps." Parian commented and Madison scowled at her.

"I want cargo pants! Proper, actual pants!" She hadn't been sure if it was what she wanted at first, but being almost threatened with something 'sexy' instead had helped clear up any remaining doubts she'd had.

Parian only nodded as though the suggestion was as perfectly valid as what they'd just been arguing about. "Yes that would fit the aesthetic quite nicely certainly, though perhaps something in the image of dress pants to evoke an image of dignified formality? The noble explorer if you will." Parian mused, making additional notes that Madison was beginning to wish she could read.

"And have you had any thoughts to your mask?" Parian asked, looking back up to her.

"Um something like this I guess, but in white." Madison replied a little nonplussed, not really having given much thought to her mask itself. She didn't really want something as concealing as Parian's and she was already used to what she was currently wearing, so 'the same but different' seemed like the best way to go really.

Parian for her part merely nodded. "Any other requirements I should be aware of?"

Madison paused with a frown as she considered the question, but she was pretty sure she'd covered everything that mattered. "I don't think so." She replied after a moment, looking back to the Rogue who simply scribbled something else down.

"Wonderful, then I shall begin work on some preliminary designs and contact you once we're ready to proceed further."

Madison blinked. "That's it? But what about all that?" She gestured vaguely to the small assorted piles of fabric and clothing items Parian had been gathering.

"Oh, no this is for my own inspiration, beyond the lack of red and perhaps the careful application of greens your lack of specificity has given me a rather large blank canvas to build upon."

Madison wondered if she should have put more thought into things after all. "Um so what happens next?"

"Well I'd like to get your measurements before you leave tonight and we can have a look at those tears in your hoodie if you wish." Parian noted with a gesture towards her, a measuring tape snaking up from below the table as if to punctuate her point. "But I will draw up some initial designs which we'll go over when we next meet. You can select which you prefer, or if you find nothing is appropriate then for another fixed fee we can have a further consultation."

"Assuming however you do select one of the designs." She continued. "We can discuss any revisions you might like, further fabric options and finalise the remaining details including all expected costs. We'll do a muslin or perhaps a basted fitting, make any necessary adjustments and then I'll either be able to have things ready for you after a small delay or I'll contact you when the items are ready to pick-up depending on the final complexity of garments in question."

Madison's head spun even as she made a mental note to look up whatever a 'bastard fitting' was supposed to be and the other one too if she could remember what it was called. "Oh." Was all she really managed as she processed everything. "So how long until you have some designs?" She couldn't help but ask, realising that everything was probably going to take a lot longer than the few days she'd in hindsight rather naively hoped for.

"Well." Parian paused meaningfully. "I do offer an expedited turnaround for an additional fee."

Madison sighed loudly in the privacy of her mind. Maybe it wasn't too late to go back to the Undersiders and start organising their attack on the Empire dog fighting rings so she could steal all of their evil Nazi money...

Oh and save all the dogs and arrest everyone. That was important too.

Chapter Text

Sophia Hess

She watched impassively as the group of men she'd been following finally made their move. She knew the type, the swagger of the pack looking for its next meal and they'd been slowly closing on the lone woman they'd found as Sophia had made her way closer over the nearby rooftops.

The woman screamed when they grabbed her, not that it did her any good. There was no one around, no one who would care at least and Sophia jumped across to the next roof, briefly shifting to her breaker state and stalking closer as the men dragged the woman off the street and into the wide alley adjacent.

She saw the moment the woman gave up. When no one was coming to save her just because she'd made a lot of noise, sagging and crying as one of the men held her against the wall while another one ripped the bag off her arm with no resistance.

Sophia grimaced at the sight, hating that the woman had given up so easily. Maybe if she'd shown some spine, actually made them fight for it she'd realise she wasn't actually as powerless as she thought she was. But that was how some people were, weak, helpless, cowards and Sophia watched as they shouted at her, pulling off her coat, forcing her to empty her pockets as she shook and sobbed and took it.

One of them slapped her as she begged, the sound ringing out as they shoved her back against the wall, almost ignoring her as she begged them to stop, the four men rooting through her things like scavengers over strips of carrion.

'Worthless.' Sophia thought as she fixed her crossbow to her shoulder, taking patient aim like so many times before as the gang members crowded around their finds, trash just like all the garbage that surrounded them.

Her finger squeezed the trigger, the quiet 'thut' of release she knew only sounding loud to her own ears as the bolt vanished downrange. The scream that followed stoked the satisfaction of another perfect shot as one of the men collapsed as he grabbed his leg and the other idiots didn't have a clue what was going on.

She loaded the next bolt, scowling as she noticed the woman didn't even take the chance to flee, just paralysed with terror like she deserved to be saved. Sophia would deal with her later.

Another trigger press and another gang member went down with a scream of pain. She could have kept picking them off, but she needed to hit something. School had been pissing her off. She'd already had to beat down one upstart wannabe skinhead who thought they were tough shit after Mads had spoke back to her and Taylor kept managing to dodge her outside of Art.

Maybe if she wasn't stuck patrolling the fucking PR zones she'd actually feel like she was accomplishing something. But no, patrol all the 'safe' routes with whichever idiot they saddled her with, pretend to give a shit about the groupies wanting pictures and autographs when she wasn't stuck on console or doing jack shit otherwise. She could only spend so much time in the range and no one wanted to spar with her after her fight in the ring with Clockblocker, but it was that idiot's fault for making jokes in the middle of a fight to begin with.

Feeling the click of her crossbow locking into place on her back she shifted to her breaker state as she jumped down off the roof, shifting back as she reached the ground and kicking the man still standing despite the arrow she'd just put through him.

He went down and she smoothly slipped her baton out of its holder, snapping it out to its full length as the remaining two started to turn on her with surprised yells. The first fist came her way and she side stepped it easily, bringing the baton down on his arm and ignoring the yell of pain that followed as she switched to her breaker state when the other man tried to tackle her. It was a simple thing to let her momentum carry her out of the way, reforming behind him and she punished him for the attempt. Her foot hooking out and tripping him as his arms closed around empty space, the man crumpling to the ground with nothing but a pained cry to mark his own failure.

The first man pulled a knife with his off hand and she relished the grimace of pain on his face from the hit she'd already left on his good arm.

"Come on then you bitch." He snarled, stepping forward aggressively even as she saw him glance back to check and make sure his friend was going to get back up and help him.

She darted forward the moment his gaze slipped from her, the reflexive guard he put up just what she wanted to see as the tip of the baton caught him on the wrist in a hard downward strike and his scream of pain eclipsed the crack of the impact as he staggered back away from her. She didn't let him, grabbing the man by the shoulder and yanking him forward as her knee came up to fold him over before she shoved him hard to the side. A kick sent him to the ground and she was already dismissing him as she turned to the last actual threat left.

He was bigger than the others, probably why he'd gone for the tackle in the first place and he came back at her with a short knife of his own. She stepped back out of the first swing, giving him nothing for his desperate rage as he followed her back. She could see when his eyes changed, from determination to something more vicious like he'd actually cornered her against the wall. 'Idiot.'

He went to gut her as she kicked off the wall to her back, gliding out of the way in her breaker state and reforming as the knife bounced harshly off the brickwork. The steel tip of her boot took him in the back of the knee, her baton coming round to crack against the side of his skull as he dropped with a grunt. Another two kicks in the ribs made sure he wasn't going to be getting up again and she turned to survey her handiwork, impassively noting the woman had finally gone, though she'd left the things the gang members had taken which was hardly her problem.

The first one she'd shot was still moaning which was good, dealing with a body was always a pain and she kicked the man over so she could get the bolt he was laying on as she walked to the other man who still had it partially sticking out of him.

He wasn't moving and she checked to make sure he was still breathing, satisfied he was before phasing the bolt free and putting both bolts away in her other quiver so she could clean them properly later. It didn't matter that none of the blood carried over when she shifted them to shadow state and back again, it was something she'd started doing right at the start, when she'd first hit the streets before she'd realised she could just phase the bolts free without physically pulling them out and doing even more damage. But it was part of her routine now, something to do with her hands when she thought back over her night afterwards. How she could have done better so she would do better the next time.

Giving one last look over the scene she stepped away, there was a time she might have taken a trophy, or even their wallets. But that was when she'd been childish, hadn't realised that just putting down scumbags was all she'd needed and the part of the Wards salary she actually got was enough for anything else she needed. She was better than the trash she put down after all.

Holstering her baton she checked there was still no one else around and there were no cameras she'd need to deal with, but the lenses of her mask didn't show anything. They weren't as good as the ones from the PRT, but she hadn't figured out a good way to get her mask out of the building yet without anyone getting suspicious.

She knew the mask that the PRT had issued her with had a tracker and she knew where it was too. With Armsmaster always just fucking off at the earliest opportunity and dumping all his work on them, it was Kid that actually maintained her gear. So it hadn't been hard to fake making a mistake, pretend she took a hit and trash the mask a little after she'd ditched Clock on patrol a few weeks in.

Kid had actually thought she was being overprotective of her gear when she'd demanded to watch him work on it and she wasn't sure if he'd been trying to be friendly or just scared of her when she'd made him explain what each part did. Though it had been a fucking herculean effort trying to keep her patience with his fucking rambling before he got to the part that actually mattered and told her where the tracker was. At least that idiot Triumph hadn't been suspicious either, thinking she was 'finally taking an interest' and patting himself on the back like he was their actual leader even though they all knew he didn't do shit.

After that it had been a couple of dead ends before she'd found a Tinker that could actually deliver, but she wasn't going to let herself be handicapped again or get caught out by some idiot with a cell phone and the new lenses she'd got were good enough, better than the nothing she'd had before at least.

Satisfied there was no else about she crouched, eyes on the edge of the rooftop above and sprung upwards, shifting to her breaker state and letting the momentum carry her up before shifting back to drop onto the roof. A running start and another jump was enough to get her to the next rooftop and between her own strength and her breaker state it was short work to make her way deeper into her preferred hunting grounds. The fight had taken some of the edge off, but had also reminded her of just how much more she could be doing. Should be doing if she wasn't stuck playing the perfect student and the perfect Ward, just to keep all the irresponsible assholes in her life happy.

She shifted course when she spotted someone on a rooftop further ahead. Some kid in a hoodie, maybe a lookout and she angled towards them to investigate. It was easy to stay in their blind spot, she could see the dim glow of the phone they had to be looking at even from a few rooftops away, but that's what you got when you asked some kid who probably didn't give a shit to be a spotter to begin with.

She'd scout it out, if there was something going on she'd deal with the spotter first and she narrowed her eyes as the lookout put their phone away, ready to shift to her breaker state in case they checked behind them. But they didn't, they fucking disappeared.

She stopped, looking around and it took her a moment to spot them another couple of blocks away, her gaze barely catching the flicker of movement before they disappeared again.

'So that was Ghost Step?'

She'd heard about the new vigilante before the powers that be had finally decided to brief them. Some high level Mover they wanted everyone to make nice with if they met her. Didn't say shit about the rumours she took the wallets from everyone she left beaten and tied to a lamppost though.

Sophia figured the power was wasted on the vigilante who would probably just get herself killed sooner or later, since she obviously wasn't stupid enough to join the Wards and the PRT clearly didn't have shit on the theft thing to grab her that way. Hell maybe the vigilante would prove her wrong, hadn't got themselves offed yet after all.

Though it was obvious to her that she'd have been able to get more use out of the power the new vigilante had lucked into. Armsmaster would never have caught her, she'd have made damn sure of that and she'd have dealt with the Eighty-Eight a long fucking time ago too that was for sure.

Still, it wasn't like she was going to risk contacting the vigilante. Same with all the others, wasn't worth the risk and they were all pushovers in the end. Maybe one or two survived long enough to get shoved into the kiddie pool like she had, or just fucked off out of the city entirely. But she'd already had to lay down the law on a couple who tried to start shit with her, thinking she was just some thug and she hadn't seen them again after that.

She shook her head, dismissing the idea of what she'd be able to manage with a Mover power like that in addition to her own. She still had work to do and wasn't going to get lost in pointless delusions. Either the new vigilante would make something of herself or she wouldn't, wasn't Shadow Stalker's problem unless Ghost Step decided to make it one.

Sophia cursed under her breath as she ducked under another impromptu projectile, finally catching where her crossbow had landed.

She should have known something was off, but gang members were always cocky. Always full of themselves because they had numbers, a few knives, a couple of guns or all of the above. Wasn't hard to find them when they weren't even trying to be subtle about robbing the place either.

She hadn't expected the cape when she'd closed with them after taking out the one holding the shotgun though.

"Come on then girlie! Or are you gonna keep dodging all fucking night like some pansy ass bitch!"

"Fuck you." Sophia spat, still shaking from the residual pain and hoping her leg wouldn't lock up again.

"Maybe if you ask nice, bitch." The cape leered, even if he was the only one still standing. The one she'd shot had crawled over to the wall, two of them she'd laid out before they knew what was happening and one fucker had just run.

When she'd seen the trash can lid coming at her she'd dodged out of the way, slipping into her breaker state and it had almost killed her. She didn't know what the cape's power was exactly, but they could launch any of the shit they were holding at her and anything they did had some kind of residual electrical charge and it fucking hurt.

They were new though, that much was obvious. Probably a recent trigger trying to make a name for themselves, get together a gang of their own before someone bigger slapped them right back down again. They seemed like they'd practiced a few times against a wall than anyone trying to actually get out of the way and once she'd wised up he hadn't come close to hitting her yet, even if she was down to one good leg and her knife after losing her baton too.

She scowled behind her mask as the cape held his arm out, pipe in hand as the other hand kept his aim steady and she feinted to the left before launching herself right. She heard him curse as she rolled and the pipe he'd tried to skewer her with clanged nosily on the ground nearby, but by then she'd managed to grab her crossbow and she came up with a snarl.

She fired at the same moment something heavy smacked her in the shoulder, spinning her round as she heard her own shot connect. Not trusting she was out of danger as she let her momentum carry her, rolling to the side before jumping to her feet and ready to dodge or duck before she let herself relax - A smile coming easily when she saw the other cape down for the count with a bolt sticking out of his chest, laying on his side as he weakly pawed at it with a pathetic groan.

His eyes tracked her, mouth opening and closing as she drew near and blood dribbled from his lips, his breath coming in a tortured wheeze and she eyed him critically. He wasn't going to make it, not that she was going to cry herself to sleep about that. He gave her his best shot and like every fucker before had come up short. Not that she had been planning to let him go regardless. Couldn't let a power like that go running around, especially if the Empire decided they wanted him. Better for everyone that she took him out now before he actually knew how to use his gimmick for more than a few flashy tricks.

She watched for a moment before checking on the others, they'd live and know better to start shit with her again when they woke up and realised their leader was gone. Probably find a new gang, new protection so they didn't feel like they were the smallest piece of dirt around and if they were lucky they wouldn't see her again. Crouching down she retrieved her bolt from the first man she'd shot with a quick application of her power, making her way back over to the cape following and was glad he'd finally stopped breathing as she pulled the bolt free, using her power to shift the blood and gunk off it before putting it away with the others.

The worst part was always dealing with the body. No one gave a shit if some injured gang members turned up in ER, it wasn't like she was the only person to use a crossbow and there was even that woman who used a compound bow a year back. But if the idiots brought a body back with them it could be a different story and she didn't need the potential scrutiny, even if the police wouldn't find shit.

She was always careful with her shots, she knew exactly where she could hit that wouldn't have them bleeding out after, not that some of the fuckers actually stayed still and then ended up making things worse for themselves. It had fucked her up the first time when she'd realised after a fight one of them had bled out right in front of her. She'd been stupid and panicked, thinking the PRT or the police would find her right there and then and drag her away. The fucking irony when she was done in almost a couple of years later because she'd got caught for almost killing a man instead.

Spotting her baton on the ground, she picked it up and holstered it before pausing to take a breath as she started to come down from the fight. Her leg still hurt like an absolute bitch, but she'd had worse and she still had a body to fix before anyone else showed up. Not for the first time she wished she wasn't Manton limited, being able to just phase the body under the surface of the road would solve a lot of her problems in one and no one would even notice until the city did maintenance on the area. Which meant no one would notice until the surface of the road was eroded far enough away to show the body at all and she'd have been transferred out of her shit hole of a city long before that ever became a problem.

But the only thing that mattered was dealing with the kill shot and she already had the perfect tool at hand, retrieving the shotgun they'd wanted to use on her and firing two shots into the cape's chest before tossing it away to the side. No one would question a gang fight gone wrong and even if one of them did squeal, she doubted any coroner would be able make a case for a crossbow bolt when she'd just pulverized anything that would have even looked like one. The police wouldn't care and there was nothing tying it back to Shadow Stalker, just another small gang who got in over their heads and decided to blame the black girl for their own idiocy.

Wouldn't have been the first time if they did and hell she was almost grateful to the Empire's constant hate campaign against her on PHO, since no one believed anyone who did say they saw her do anything anymore. The PRT had only ever questioned her the first couple of times it happened, but she had alibis so the case was shut and they hadn't really bothered her about it since. All they'd done in the end was to step up their own PR bullshit, make sure she'd taken another course on 'how to deal with negativity online' along with another PR refresher so she didn't curse anyone out under her official PHO handle.

Her leg spasmed and she winced, gritting her teeth until it passed and hating that she was going to have to cut her patrol short, even if it was tempered by the satisfaction that she wasn't going to have to worry about that particular cape again. Once she managed to finish off Grue there wouldn't be any other shitheads who could hard counter her as she cleaned up the city.

Testing her leg again she grimaced, knowing she'd be walking it off for at least another week. She could spin some bullshit to the track team, but she'd have to be careful with her real job. They'd want to know how she got her injury and Armsmaster never believed any of the shit she said. Emma would probably mother hen her too, but at least the redhead would actually appreciate what she'd managed to accomplish. It wasn't like she did it for accolades, but it was nice to have someone respect the work she put in to make the city a better place. She was the only one who could do what it took after all.

Amy Dallon

"Panacea?"

"Panacea?"

"Panacea?"

She didn't mean to snap at the last nurse who'd asked for her, she was just tired even as she knew she couldn't stop yet. Couldn't go to bed when there were still people who needed her. Needed Panacea to do her duty. Because she didn't want to go home. Because people needed her.

She was Panacea, miracle healer with the responsibility to do that day in day out, why did Amy deserve sleep when people still needed Panacea? She could deal with a bit of fatigue when people still needed her power. She'd be a monster if she didn't. Coffee helped.

"Panacea?"

When was the last time someone had asked for Amy? Who wasn't a fan or someone who wanted something from her? She couldn't help but think of the dishevelled hoodie wearing vigilante and scowled further. It wasn't her fault if the other girl had a thin skin and didn't like what Amy had to say.

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

"Panacea?"

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

"Panacea?"

"Do I have your consent to heal you?"

"Panacea?"

At least no one bothered her about her caffeine intake as she sat in the break room, phone on the table in front of her. She wasn't sure why she kept looking up when the door opened, she knew the staff tried not to bother her when she was taking a break unless it was an emergency and it wasn't like the vigilante would show up to be a distraction again.

With a sigh she downed the last of her drink, getting up and tossing the empty disposable cup in the trash as she headed towards to the door to continue. Maybe another couple of hours and she'd let herself call it a night if she wasn't forced out first.

She could have really have gone for some dark chocolate though.

Chapter Text

Sophia Hess

'Late as usual.' Sophia thought to herself as Clock finally decided to join her and Kid in the meeting room, no apology for holding things up even if he was only a couple of minutes over. The smug prick knew he could get away with it too since Armsmaster had stopped bothering to do their briefings personally and dumped it on the analysts months ago and it made her wonder sometimes if they'd be able to get away with not turning up at all.

Not that she would, most of the time the daily brief was things she already knew or everyone had heard before, but that didn't mean she'd miss it in case there was something actually useful. Though it wasn't like anyone had decided to tell them about the cape wandering around the Docks with a knock off railgun gimmick who she'd offed either. That would have been good to know, her scowl getting a little deeper and she took a little pleasure in the fact that Clock thought all of it was directed at him.

At least no one had noticed her injury, no one wanting to spar with her actually being fucking useful for a change and she'd gotten to the meeting room early so she wouldn't have to keep up the act if she got there the same time as everyone else. She was sore and not the good kind after a solid workout. Could have been worse though and she was glad she'd managed to drop the asshole responsible, even as she wanted to hit the streets as soon as possible and deal with some more of the fuckers that thought they had free reign.

That she couldn't though was fucking irritating, like an itch she couldn't scratch. She'd been benched before, but this time it was voluntary and she couldn't give Armsmaster or any of those assholes  a reason to give her a second glance. The week was going to suck, but she could do patient, not that anyone else believed that. Just another way she was better really, anyone else would have been begging for Panacea, but not her. Never her.

"Alright let's begin." The man at the front of the room announced. Jim or Davis or something, she didn't bother remembering their names since it was usually a different one each time, just scowling as she waited for him to get on with it.

"As you're probably already aware, Oni Lee and a contingent of approximately a dozen unpowered ABB gang members converged on the Briar's Street apartment complex at approximately twenty one-forty six on Saturday night."

The projector showed an image of what she assumed used to be the building, though she knew it was nothing more than a burnt out ruin after the ABB were through with it.

"This apartment complex was the base of operations for the Blue Riders gang, a fairly small time group that have unsuccessfully attempted to expand over the previous three months since relocating from The Rusters territory further East."

The image on the screen shifted again to a layout of the Docks that was overlaid with a number of differently shaded areas to indicate which gangs nominally controlled what areas. Though beyond the ABB and the Empire, Sophia knew the map would look different by the time they had their next briefing and didn't bother paying too much attention to the finer details. A gang was a gang no matter what colors they wore after all.

Though beyond a couple of the smaller gangs disappearing since the last time she'd seen it, the only interesting thing was that the Archer's Street Merchants were obviously growing after destroying the Grease Snakes and the Cross Eyed. But it was still anyone's guess if they were actually moving into the other gangs areas with how stupid they were in general. Even the Empire didn't have a Tinker of their own and if Skidmark were even halfway competent, the Merchants would probably own a good half of the Docks on rep alone.

"Following his typical modus operandi, Oni Lee attacked the complex alone, killing a number of known and alleged gang members, however the exact number has been difficult to determine due to damage caused in the subsequent fire that was set by Oni Lee following. The ABB initially stopped anyone from attempting to leave the scene and killed at least one individual attempting to escape. However after attacking and interrogating several individuals they believed to be members of the Blue Riders, residents were allowed to evacuate.

The image changed again and like everyone else she couldn't help but perk up a little at the still frame of Ghost Step taking a hit from Oni Lee in front of the unknown cape.

"I doubt any of you haven't already seen the footage already, so you're no doubt aware that the vigilante Ghost Step appeared at the scene to investigate the fire with an unknown individual and was immediately attacked by Oni Lee."

"Vista hasn't stopped complaining about it." Drawled Clock from across the table and as much as she hated that he was interrupting things, which meant the briefing would take even longer, he wasn't wrong for once.

"She's not that bad." Kid tried and she couldn't help but scoff and was tempted to do so again after the idiot winced when he heard her.

Clock just waved him off. "Please, when's she not complaining that other people get to go out and fight sociopaths like Oni Lee, she's moaning that they aren't in the Wards with her since she's the only girl."

"Er, Clock." Kid tried, with what he probably thought was a subtle glance towards her.

"Oh sorry." Clock replied and she knew the asshole wasn't sorry at all. "The only lady." He corrected and she flipped him off. Maybe if he could take a hit he wouldn't resort to stupid shit like trying to humiliate her whenever they were together and there was something physically between them.

"Right." The analyst cut in. "Well I don't think I need to remind you that standard operating procedure applies and none of you are to engage Oni Lee in combat under any circumstances."

Sophia just rolled her eyes and she wouldn't have been surprised if Clock was doing the same, even if Kid would be eating it up. Same day, same bullshit. 'Don't engage any of the actual threats, just run away like a bitch or get stuck on console for a month.'

A flicker from the screen caught her attention and she realised the image wasn't a screenshot, just a paused video as it began to play. She'd seen it before and even if she hadn't, Clock and Vista had been passing it around the common room whenever anyone showed up and she watched anyway as it played out again in front of them. It was good to see someone else actually doing something, even if the vigilante looked like she was stuck protecting the other cape the whole time. That's why Shadow Stalker ran solo, no dead weight dragging her down, with any luck Ghost would realise that too before it came back to bite her more than it already had.

"The fight was a stalemate and Ghost Step called the incident in following. She informed Assault who was on duty at the time that Oni Lee had allowed her to disengage unless she interfered further. Due to her stated inability to commence rescue operations while engaging Oni Lee and presumably protecting her unknown companion she decided to withdraw."

Sophia paid half an ear to the man as she watched the footage play through again, just reinforcing what she'd already concluded. Ghost Step had good reflexes, but that was it. There wasn't any formal training, or at least not enough and she was sure if it came to it that she could put Ghost down as long as she was smart about it. The other cape though she didn't bother to guess at, probably a Thinker considering they didn't do shit the entire time or some other weak power that wouldn't give her any trouble.

"Do we have a name for the other cape yet?" Clock cut back in and Sophia wouldn't admit she was curious about that too. No one on PHO knew anything, though a lot of names had been thrown around. When she last looked they were split between calling her Damsel or Rabbit, because Ghost Step did everything and the newbie looked like she was about to be roadkill the entire time.

The analyst shook his head. "We cannot confirm she actually is a parahuman yet."

She wasn't the only one who scoffed at that, sure the girl was all dressed up like a cape and turned up with the new vigilante to the scene of a crime and wasn't a cape. But that was the PRT in a nutshell, wouldn't commit to shit unless they had enough to prove what everyone already knew.

"Ghost Step declined to provide any details and there is no indication the second individual demonstrated any powers during the incident. If you do meet her then the same rules apply as they do to Ghost Step."

"Be nice to the friend of the person who might be able to teleport you into the air and drop you?" Clock snarked to the analyst's sigh.

"Be polite, answer any questions they might have about the Wards program and disengage immediately if hostilities occur."

Well it was still better than the usual 'stay away and let the adults handle it' Sophia allowed, though she knew the game behind it. Get the newbies to meet people their own age, give them the Wards pitch and get them onboard. Wouldn't be the first time they'd been asked to play nice because the PRT wanted fresh meat, not that she'd ever bothered.

"Does Ghost have a Brute rating yet?" Clock asked, continuing when he saw the couple of questioning looks thrown his way. "She took like four knives from Oni Lee in the video."

Sophia thought that went without saying, but she supposed it would be useful to know what the brass thought, or at least what they thought they should know as she glanced back to the analyst.

"The video footage isn't conclusive in a number of respects." The man started and Sophia rolled her eyes, typical. "Firstly we cannot be certain anything but the throwing knives connected and despite what the movies tell you, such weapons are more typically used as distractions or to augment a primary fighting style than an offensive tactic in and of themselves without a supplementary power."

Fair, if it didn't ignore the fact that both knives the sociopath had thrown should have drawn blood when they connected and might have done more if it were some civilian instead.

"Secondly due to the nature of Ghost Step's clothing it's impossible to discern whether or not they are wearing a slash or stab resistant under layer of some kind."

"Except Panacea thought they had a force field like Glory Girl." She threw in and ignored the looks she got from the other two. What, did they think she didn't read up on all the threats in the city? Panacea's report was guesswork, but still better than the nothing they got otherwise and was rewarded with the man's frown being directed at her, which she met levelly with one of her own.

"That is speculation on Panacea's part and there is yet to be any corroborating evidence to that effect. While Panacea's abilities are extensive, they can be blocked by any non-organic matter and therefore until we know more, or Ghost Step agrees to come in for power testing we're assigning her a temporary rating of brute one which will be revised as necessary."

"Now." The man continued when there were no further questions forthcoming, the projector shifting to the next image, this time an overlay of Downtown which was mostly split between the assumed boundaries of the Empire and Coil.

"The most recent Empire activity puts-"

Sophia began to tune the man out as she leaned back in her seat. They only ever got told shit about where to stay away from so they didn't run into a fight against someone that actually mattered and both groups were cowards that ran in packs to begin with and they were outside of her territory regardless.

Slowly she began going over her schedule in her head instead, considering how her injury was healing up and when she'd be able to slip her leash and get some real work done.

Madison Clements

"Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed!"

As far as signals went, Madison was pretty sure they couldn't have thought of one that was any clearer as she managed to get the attention of every single one of the two dozen or so Nazis inside the warehouse that she'd just walked into.

Right on cue the door burst open behind her and Grue's darkness began flooding in, the two guards outside having been easily taken out beforehand. One she'd teleported out for Bitch to inflict her tender mercies on as Regent had locked the other man's jaw so he couldn't call for help before she teleported back and saw to him a moment later. It had definitely been nice to know ahead of time that neither Hookwolf or any other Empire cape were going to be waiting for them inside, though it wasn't like they were going to drag things out to let reinforcements show up regardless.

The pandemonium that erupted following her declaration wasn't anything she was unfamiliar with unfortunately. But it still had her heart racing as she teleported to where the occupied cages were kept near the back of the wide space, grabbing the first and teleporting away as shouts and screams began to erupt as Bitch's transformed dogs made their own far more intimidating entrance behind her. Her declaration hadn't just been something to get their attention, she'd meant every word and if they'd actually surrendered... Well they'd probably be having a better time than they currently were, she was pretty sure of that.

The empty, bare warehouse she reappeared in was one Tattletale had picked out ahead of time. Somewhere that was decently abandoned, but still close enough that it wouldn't cause Bitch too much trouble when transporting the dogs after their mission was done.

Another thought and she reappeared in the true darkness that had already enveloped the whole place, or at least as far as she could see which was nowhere. But she was exactly where she'd left originally and so all she had to do was reach forward, finding the edges of another cage and teleported again with her next prize in tow.

The dog loudly leaping at her as she could suddenly see and hear it properly upon reappearing in the almost empty warehouse made her jerk away instinctively, a grimace stealing across her face at how uncomfortably close her job put her to a bunch of dogs that wanted nothing more than to maul her to death. But like the rest of them it wasn't getting out and she tried to ignore it and the barking and growling of the other dog as she gave herself a moment to rest, feeling whatever reserves, or whatever it was she had recover until she was fully ready to go again.

Another teleport and before she could repeat her previous performance someone staggered backwards into her and she shoved them away, reflexively summoning her crowbar to her hand. But the skinhead didn't come at her again, the other man's panicked yell fading out as he ran in the opposite direction instead. The sound then punctuated by a cry and the muffled crash of metal as he seemed to trip over something in his haste to get away from her or whatever he'd been facing in the first place.

It wasn't her problem and she ignored him as she stored away her crowbar again, stepping forward and trying to ignore the fragments of the fight she could hear going on around her in distorted echoes; the growling and barking of dogs, several gunshots and muffled shouts amongst the black as she hoped she wasn't about to catch a stray bullet in the melee.

It was the work of several minutes to transport the dozen or so cages she'd remembered seeing and when she was done she teleported back in, making an X with her arms and trusting that Grue could actually see her through his own darkness like Tattletale said he could.

She was rewarded a few moments later when the darkness began to recede towards the entrance of the warehouse and she was finally able to see the results of her work. Where there had been a multitude of cages full of dogs waiting for their own turn in the 'pit,' there were only a couple left that looked as though they'd been knocked away during the fighting, the dogs inside of them snapping and lunging for anyone who grew near.

It also meant that the remaining Nazis could see her too and she teleported the moment she caught sight of a pistol being swung in her direction. She reappeared next to the panicked older man, crowbar retrieved to her hand once more as the gun fired past her and she knocked it out of his grip to scatter away across the floor as the curve of the hook met his hand.

Before she could do anything else one of Bitch's dogs burst past her, tackling the man off his feet and she blinked at the sheer size of the thing, very glad that Bitch hadn't had a chance to turn her dogs into the monsters currently in play when they'd fought previously. She couldn't begin to guess which of the dogs was underneath the sheer mass of flesh, armor and exposed musculature that barrelled past her as it sent the Nazi tumbling with a scream into the wall and Madison wasn't sure she would have fared half as well in their brief fight if the older girl had taken her seriously from the start.

Another couple of teleports and a pause to recover had her clearing out the last two cages and with another look around to make she hadn't missed anything she gave a double thumbs up to the remaining darkness centered at the entrance of the warehouse, immensely grateful there hadn't been any dogs in the ring itself when they'd entered that she would have needed to deal with too.

If there were any Nazis still on their feet, they definitely weren't on her side of the warehouse that she could see. There were a lot of groaning bodies though, some bleeding, some unconscious and she didn't envy the ones that looked like they'd ended up as a chew toy for the dogs that were currently about as large as she was tall. Not that she was ever going to be feeling any sympathy for the Empire members either though.

Grue's darkness pulled back a few moments later, Tattletale, Regent and Grue himself walking forward as Bitch waited by the doorway, two of her upscaled and monsterfied dogs at her side and the third presumably just outside to account for any stragglers or other surprises.

"We good?" Grue called out and Madison nodded back. It was still strange to see everyone completely in costume and it just made her look forward to getting her own costume even more. Grue looked intimidating, even if his whole costume was basically just motorcycle leathers. But with the skull like helmet, the cloud of darkness making him look more like the image of looming specter than a mortal man and his voice coming out like the shadow of death itself, well he really didn't need anything more.

"I think I've got all of them, you guys okay?" She called back as they approached, looking none the worse for wear much to her relief.

"Peachy." Alec called back, only his mouth visible from under the Venetian mask he wore and along with the rest of his renaissance like costume made him look like the very picture of aristocratic arrogance. Something that was only emphasised with his almost permanently lazy and disinterested tone that didn't seem to differ from when he was in costume or out of it. "Free money is a wonderful thing." He drawled, as if the money wasn't a draw at all and he was just indulging them all in a fit of boredom, twirling his sceptre lazily in one hand as he looked about.

"We're going to head back after we check these guys." Tattletale cut in. "Do you want to take the bags back to the lair now?"

"Bags?" She couldn't help but ask as she looked back to Tattletale's face and absolutely nothing else. When Lisa had said she had her own costume, Madison hadn't been expecting a skintight bodysuit! Ugh and she just knew Lisa had seen her looking when she'd walked out in it for the first time. Damn Thinkers. It didn't help with how eye catching it was in a way that the rest of her team wasn't.

A lavender bodysuit with black for the lines that broke everything up and the faint stylised emblem of an eye on her chest which was obviously meant to draw someone's attention! It wasn't her fault for looking! The only thing Madison didn't like about the other girl's outfit was the black half domino mask she wore covering her eyes, since it also hid her freckles too. Not that she had told Lisa that. Or would do. Ever.

"Outside." Tattletale clarified with a grin which could have meant anything as she gestured behind her. "Not a bad haul, but this was definitely one of the smaller ones. No one managed to get a call out at least, but we shouldn't stick around for too long just in case. We'll divvy it all up later anyway."

Madison nodded in agreement. "Sure, do you expect to get much more off these guys though?"

"You never know." Tattletale called back happily as she walked right past. "They'll change the locations for the next week of fights I got out of the head honcho, but it gives us a better idea of the kind of places they're working out of and a clearer idea of the general areas they think are Empire safe. So I might be able to pull something else together myself before Bitch or our other sources come back with something new."

With a nod Madison teleported back outside and saw where the others had essentially hogtied a half dozen men and left them propped up next to the warehouse, two large black duffel bags sitting next to Bitch who was alternating between watching the men and checking her own surroundings. The other girl sparing Madison a glance and a nod when she appeared.

"Good job, dogs okay?"

"Yep." Madison replied. "Not happy, but they're all in one piece."

"Yeah, I'll get them when we're done. You here for the money or them?" Bitch asked, throwing a look to the captives and Madison shook her head, still somewhat impressed that Bitch's idea of a Villain outfit was a heavy jacket and a dollar store dog mask, but she supposed she wasn't one to judge considering her own heavily improvised getup.

"Just the money, I'll call it in when the others are done."

Bitch nodded and went back to her own impassive vigil. When they'd had their second strategy meeting with the rest of the Undersiders present, it was easily agreed that Madison would call the PRT once they were done with everything. - Or before if things went particularly badly.

None of them, including Madison herself were certain the police would do much even if they weren't sympathisers or outright Nazis themselves. After all the dogs would be gone, the money would be gone and all that would be left would be a number of illegal weapons and drugs the Nazis would proclaim their innocence of. But it was that or just leave them to get untied when some other Empire goons showed up to find out what was going on and that hadn't sat right with her either.

And it wasn't like she was going to be able to hide the fact she was working with the Undersiders, so it was smarter to get ahead of it and set the narrative, even as flimsy as it would end up sounding. But better coming from her than the Empire, or at least that was the plan.

It had been nice having her own opinion taken into account during the planning process the previous night and she'd liked the feeling of being part of the team, even if she was still distinct from them. Part of her wondered if Brian and Lisa were doing it intentionally, but she didn't mind. It was nice to feel valued and to know that they weren't just humoring her the entire time.

Reaching one of the bags, she gave it an experimental tug to test its weight and satisfied it wasn't anything she couldn't handle she grabbed the other one too before teleporting back to the lair and dropping both bags on the floor of the kitchen, pausing briefly in the sudden silence to catch her breath. She was curious what was inside since it didn't feel like just money, but she figured she could always ask later.

Teleporting back she was surprised to notice a glow from behind her and turned to find Regent watching a small fire growing in front of him.

"Sup Ghost." He greeted, glancing up to her as she wandered over.

"I don't remember setting fire to things being part of the plan?" She couldn't help but comment, but since no one else was freaking out, she wanted to assume it was at least Undersiders-approved arson.

Regent just shrugged. "Any good plan has something ending up on fire, it really just goes without saying in my professional opinion."

"Right... So what's actually on fire?"

"Drugs." Regent replied simply. "Grue doesn't like them and I enjoy setting things on fire, not like we ever let anyone keep them if we can help it."

"Huh." She mused, she didn't remember being told that the Undersiders had some crusade against drugs going on, but she definitely didn't disapprove. Even if it meant the police had even less to work with when they arrived. "So are the others done?"

"Should be, the only guys left inside were grunts and one of the handlers for the dogs."

She nodded and teleported back inside the warehouse to see everyone that had been on the ground after she'd left originally were similarly tied up like the men outside. Though there was no sign of Tattletale and Grue until a familiar voice called out behind her.

"This way Ghost!"

And she turned to see Tattletale beckoning her over as she and Grue were making for the door, teleporting next to Tattletale who just shook her head lightly in seeming amusement. "Do you ever actually walk anywhere anymore?"

Madison almost rolled her eyes but resisted the urge. "I can't exactly teleport around during the day, so I haven't achieved maximum laziness just yet."

"And to think, if you joined the team all your problems would just go away." Tattletale smirked and Madison threw her a flat look as they left the building, Grue a couple of paces ahead of them.

"You mean my problems would multiply, I still have to go to school you know."

"Eh." Tattletale waved off. "You're the only person I know still bothering. A life of crime pays better anyway."

Madison didn't like the fact she couldn't immediately refute the point. "You dropped out?" She asked instead, always curious to learn more about her new sort-of friend.

"GED." Tattletale replied simply. "You could probably get one too if you wanted, especially if your power can help you cheat."

Madison did roll her eyes then. "Thanks, but I'll stick with getting life advice from my parents rather than a group of 'petty thieves.'"

Tattletale flashed her a vulpine grin and Madison warily wondered sort of verbal trap she'd accidentally just walked right into.

"Didn't your mom give you rather explicit permission to join the Undersiders?" Tattletale replied smugly and Madison caught the way Grue missed a step at the comment and she could tell Tattletale saw it too from the way her grin only seemed to grow even more smug.

"I should never have let you two meet." Madison grumbled as Tattletale laughed and Grue made the pointed decision not to ask as he beelined for Regent and his growing fire instead.

Chapter Text

"Console."

This time she did recognise the voice on the other end of the line and was relieved for it. "Hey Assault, this is Ghost Step."

"Oh hey kid, still in one piece or did you manage to fight Lung this time?"

She smiled, Assault was easy to talk to and she was glad she'd gotten him again rather than someone like Armsmaster. "Still in one piece thanks, honestly not sure if this one's for you though."

"Oh? Shoot, this ought to be good." Assault replied, not even trying to hide his interest.

"Well I hit an Empire dog fighting ring earlier, there weren't any Empire capes though."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming up."

"But the Undersiders also hit it at the same time, so I wasn't sure if it counts."

She could hear the shrug in the man's voice as he replied. "Parahuman involvement is for us either way, did you fight them then?"

"Nope." She rattled off easily. "Allies of convenience really, I was getting the dogs out and they were after the money. They were gone by the time I was done."

"What an amazing coincidence." Assault replied, not even bothering to disguise his amusement and she didn't deign to reply, especially when the calls were probably being recorded.

"Well." He continued after a moment when it was obvious she wasn't going to continue. "I don't think anyone can fault you for not taking on the Undersiders singlehandedly after all, especially if you had a bunch of Empire supporters at your back too."

Yup, she knew there was a reason she liked Assault. "I'll keep that in mind if I happen to run into them again." She threw back, not quite being able to help a little bit of her own amusement from leaking into her voice, before she grew serious again. "I've moved all the dogs to a safe location and there's transport lined up to take them to a shelter next, but here's the address where all the Nazis are tied up." She continued, reciting the address Tattletale had provided as well as the number of people they could expect to find at the scene.

"So." Assault started once she was done. "Can we expect more interesting calls like this in future?"

She pondered how to respond to that for a moment before giving a version of the truth. "I suppose it depends on if the Empire keeps on operating illegal dog fighting rings in places I can become aware of."

"I see." Came Assault's finely neutral response. "And I don't suppose you'd be willing to come in and discuss your experience with the Undersiders? They're still largely unknowns and we could use all the intelligence we can get, even if they are pretty low on the priority list right now."

"It was very dark I'm afraid."

"Of course." Assault replied without missing a beat. "Well if you do happen to remember anything, give us a call and remember the door's always open for you."

"Thanks Assault." She smiled. "I'm just trying to do the right thing and sometimes that ends up being a little more unconventional than even I can anticipate."

"I know the feeling sometimes, just keep being a Hero Ghost Step and you'll be fine."

When she got back to the lair (because as much as Lisa had said it would be fine, she wasn't going to call the PRT from the inside of a Villain base), Rachel was long gone and both bags had also disappeared.

"And the conquering Hero returns." Regent toasted from his spot on the sofa from where he was watching TV. "The others are in the kitchen."

"Thanks." She replied, glancing down the hall and deciding to just walk the distance and not because of what Lisa had said earlier.

"Hey Madison." Lisa greeted, flashing her a brief smile and Brian giving his own nod as she entered the kitchen and found the latter making himself a drink, his helmet nowhere to be seen. Lisa herself was sat at the kitchen table, her domino mask off and placed to the side as she looked to be making her way through a dozen wallets that very likely didn't belong to her.

"Thanks, Nazi wallets?" Madison asked, wanting to sit down, but more wanting to have a drink first.

"Glasses are in the top cupboard above the sink." Lisa replied. "And yes Nazi wallets, though nothing interesting unless you want to start collecting coffee shop membership cards."

Madison shook her head in morbid curiosity as she went to grab a glass. Sometimes it was discomfiting to be reminded that outside of being Nazis the men (and couple of women) they'd attacked were people too, if horrible ones and beyond the obvious examples they could be the kind of person she might have walked past on the street without even noticing. They bought coffee, went to the supermarket to buy groceries like anyone else and then the rest of the time shouted slurs, attacked minorities or anyone else they decided were the 'wrong kind' and wanted people like her dead.

It was definitely disconcerting at times to think about, which was why she usually tried not to when she knew she couldn't, or at least hadn't been able to do anything about it in the past. Though trying not to think about it just made the whole topic that much more unsettling when she was reminded of it as Lisa had just managed.

At least she in a position to do something about it now though she reminded herself as she filled her glass with water and joined Lisa at the table, leafing through one of the small piles of cards that turned out to be driving licenses before just watching Lisa work as she nursed her drink.

"PRT buy the story?" Brian asked a few moments later as he stood nearby, leaning against the cabinets as he held his own steaming mug in hand.

"Nah." She replied to Brian's quickly raised eyebrow. "But Assault was cool about it, I don't think I said anything to incriminate myself and I didn't tell them anything about you guys except that you were there too."

"Not surprised." Lisa scoffed, getting both their attentions. "He's an ex-Villain too you know? Used to run as Madcap busting the Birdcage transports."

"What?" Lisa continued when she realised they were both staring at her.

"How do you just know things like that?!" Madison exclaimed as Brian just sighed.

"Oh please, I've dug into everyone." Lisa waved off. "It's not like it's relevant to anything we do, he's not going to flip a second time and going public with it doesn't get us anything. Hell the PRT can just spin it as a redemption story and us as the dastardly Villains trying to tarnish the honest reputation of a reformed man."

"Any other ex-Villains we should know about?" Brian asked, which was admittedly a more narrow question than the half dozen Madison was wondering if she should ask, but was curious to hear the answer all the same.

"Nope." Lisa shrugged in response. "Well Shadow Stalker went Wards to avoid getting sent to juvenile detention, but that's not telling you anything you didn't already expect."

"Yeah." Grue grimaced, a hand coming up to seemingly unconsciously rub at his chest, prompting Madison to speak up herself.

"What do you mean?"

Brian looked like he didn't want to go into it, so Madison turned her curious gaze on Lisa who was more than happy to oblige.

"Shadow Stalker's power doesn't work as well inside of Grue's darkness, when she realised that she tried to kill him a while back."

Madison blanched, sure Shadow Stalker played up the whole anti-hero thing and there were the rumors she'd been forced into the Wards due to excessive violence during her time as a Vigilante, but outright attempting to murder someone..? Madison paused as another thought struck her that she immediately needed to clarify. "Wait." She started, pausing to make sure she had her thoughts in order. "Shadow Stalker? Like before she was actually a Ward right?"

Lisa's pitying look just made her feel even worse. "Nope, sorry Madison. Shadow Stalker's still as feral as the day the PRT caught her."

And she really didn't know what to say to that. Maybe if she hadn't already spent time with all of the Undersiders, started getting to know them she would have just dismissed it. But she'd seen how Brian looked when it came up and she didn't think Lisa would lie to her like that as some obscure way to try and get her to switch sides.

"Does the PRT know?" She asked, she wasn't sure she could believe they were aware and had decided to simply let her get away with it, not with the standards the Wards were supposed to be held to.

"I doubt it." Lisa sighed, throwing the last of the wallets onto the messy pile in front of her. "I'm pretty sure she's doing unsanctioned patrols along her old Vigilante routes, her crossbow definitely wasn't Wards-issue. Avoiding those is fairly easy most of the time and it's not like we have any evidence that the PRT would believe." She shrugged in the most absurd 'what can you do' gesture Madison had ever seen.

"And you're just, you're both okay with this?" She heard herself asking, not sure she'd be so calm knowing someone wanted her dead just because her power inconvenienced theirs.

"Nothing for it." Grue shrugged. "Can't touch a Ward and her Vigilante stuff is off the books, probably whenever she can get away so we'd need a large net to find her and even then she's not exactly the easiest person to keep in one place."

"We could probably do it." Lisa added. "But we've got bigger fish to fry and we know what to expect now if we do run into her again."

"Right." Madison replied awkwardly as she desperately tried to think of something else to say. Wondering if she'd be so blasé if she ever had her own attempted murderer still at large and gunning for her. "She seemed kind of rude, but I wasn't expecting 'murder-happy.' Please tell me none of the other Wards are psychopaths too?" Because if Lisa was about to tell her that Vista drowned puppies in her spare time she would have a mental breakdown right there.

"It's fine Madison." Lisa smiled reassuringly. "The rest of the Wards seem like good people and you'd probably fit right in if you ever made the terrible, terrible mistake of joining them when you've got a perfectly good Villain team right here."

Madison huffed despite herself, wondering if Lisa's power had noticed her spiraling thoughts and had suggested comforting her or if that was all Lisa herself and was grateful either way.

"Assault offered me pizza." She threw back with a weak smile, happy to go with the change of topic Lisa had offered.

"We can do pizza." Lisa shot back. "Ice cream too, did the PRT offer that?"

"Nope." She smiled. "But then they didn't have a dastardly Thinker to make their pitch."

"Their loss." Lisa shrugged unrepentantly. "Did he offer you the tour too?"

She nodded, she did want to go on the public tour at some point, but the tour that included a peek into the Wards common room was expensive and there were other things she wanted to use her very finite birthdays on.

"Well maybe you should." Lisa commented and even Brian looked at her curiously as Lisa just sat back in her seat like she was waiting for them to catch up with her brilliance.

"Okay I'm lost." Madison freely admitted to Lisa's confident smugness.

"If I'm guessing correctly your power can take you anywhere you've been before right?"

Madison nodded slowly, she wasn't sure if that was strictly true, but that was where her own thoughts had settled on until a better answer came along at least.

"So take the premium tour and if there's an emergency you can teleport straight into the Wards common room or even the main armoury to take what you need."

"Lisa you are not robbing the PRT." Brian immediately cut in as if that was something Madison would ever actually consider.

"I'm not telling her to rob them." Lisa huffed. "All the good stuff is in the servers or the labs anyway and it's not like she'll get a tour there."

"Um, why would that be good for you?" Madison couldn't help but ask, feeling like she was missing some key detail.

Lisa took on a lecturing tone as she turned her full attention towards her. "Right now very few people know what you're capable of, hell even I don't and we both know how well that worked out for me when I tried." She huffed. "But that is going to change. People are already starting to pay attention to you and actually take you seriously as more than another flash in the pan Vigilante in over their head."

"For now no one is going to suspect you as anything more than just another cape fan taking the tour. But when the PRT actually knows what you can do rather than just suspects? They're going to be looking a lot more sharply at anyone of your stature signing up for the full tour. It'll be your own ace in the hole, something you only pull out when you really need to, since going in and wiping all their archival footage and records after would leave a pretty big splash. Not that I can't do it." Lisa continued smugly. "But it's pretty much a onetime deal."

"Okay." Madison conceded, deciding not to poke Lisa's comment about being able to hack the PRT to destroy evidence right then. "But I still don't get why that's so useful?"

"Because I have a very vested interest in my own survival." Lisa freely admitted with a smile that made Madison wonder if there was something more to the other girl's words than just the obvious. "And if we end up facing Lung or Kaiser or someone else at some point, I would prefer not having to wait twenty minutes for Miss Militia to show up when our redoubtable ally can just nip to the PRT and grab Armsmaster or someone else to pull our asses out of the fire."

That was... Okay she doubted the PRT would appreciate the tactic, but she was beginning to see where Lisa was coming from. "And you're sure the PRT won't already be looking for me?" She asked, because in their shoes she would be.

"Nope!" Lisa grinned. "They can't just cancel the tours without a good reason since that would raise a ton of red flags and the only thing they care about right now when it comes to Ghost Step is trying to bring you in softly. That and a note about asking you to come in to speak about SEA, which Director Piggot's still sitting on for concessions from New York is my guess."

"Um, what's SEE?"

"Strategic Endbringer Asset, like everyone is hoping you might be even though you're not."

Madison felt offended, though she wasn't sure why as Lisa continued unabated.

"It's a fancy way of calling Movers who can transport whole groups at a time. There's always too few to get everyone to the Endbringer fights quickly enough so there's a pretty significant push to sign up all the ones they find, no matter what carrot or stick they have to use."

"Oh." She replied, hoping the PRT wouldn't be too disappointed when they realised she couldn't just teleport the whole of ENE to Madagascar or wherever the next Endbringer battle happened.

"Lisa." Brian cut in, drawing both their attentions. "While it would be nice to have Vista or Clockblocker a phone call to Madison away if we ever needed it, the premium Wards tour costs several hundred dollars per person and it's going to look a bit suspect of she turns up by herself."

Madison was curious why Brian knew that even as he made a very good point, though didn't have to wait long to find out as Lisa cackled in amusement to Brian's deepening frown.

"Oh man she really asked you? And you took it seriously? I wish I could have seen your face."

"It's not funny Lisa," Brian scowled. "My sister doesn't know what I do."

Madison figured she should probably step in before Lisa could aggravate Brian any further. "Um he has a point." She interjected, cutting off whatever Lisa was about to say next as all eyes were back on her. "It's not something I can ask my parents for out of the blue and it'd be super suspicious turning up by myself."

"True." Lisa acknowledged, before she smiled in a way Madison wasn't sure she liked. "So like any good heist we'll need a good plan to match!"

In the end they hadn't actually agreed on anything, despite Lisa seeming to feel like she'd made perfectly reasonable suggestions that definitely weren't.

'No Lisa you can't pretend to be my rich out of town friend.'

'No Lisa you can't hire a couple of people to be my fake parents for the day.'

'No Lisa, no amount of makeup and a fake identity is going to make me look old enough to pass for a working woman. And no I'm not letting you try anyway.'

At least Brian had backed her up and Lisa had eventually given up, even if she had promised she'd come up with something Madison would agree to if it killed her, which Madison felt she was displaying the entirely correct amount of trepidation towards.

It was only as she was leaving some time later that Madison remembered the question she'd been meaning to ask as Lisa saw her off.

"What was the other stuff in the bags I brought back by the way? They felt a little weird when I picked them up."

"Hmm? Oh Alec sometimes collects baseball bats for when we smash stuff. It's an improvement over all the arson honestly." Lisa shrugged. Which as far as explanations went, was definitely one of them Madison thought to herself as she said goodnight to an amused Lisa and teleported away.

"It's a terrible idea."

The flat look Taylor was giving her only emphasised the sheer disapproval in the words themselves as they ate lunch together at the far end of yet another abandoned classroom Taylor knew of.

"I mean I didn't think it was a great idea, but I can see where she's coming from?"

"Madison. It is a terrible idea. There are so many ways it can go wrong I don't think I can actually count them all."

"It can't be that bad." Madison tried. "She is a Thinker after all."

"Does she or does she not still think I might be a cape?"

"I withdraw my statement."

"Thank you." Taylor sighed. Very obviously glad the matter was closed, even as she seemingly couldn't help but linger on the topic. "Why's she so insistent anyway?"

Madison shrugged. "I think she was mostly joking at first, but honestly I'm pretty sure she just wants to prove it can be done at this point. That and having an ace in the hole in case they get the entire Eighty-Eight after them or something."

Taylor nodded as she took another bite of her sandwich. "That makes sense." She continued after a moment. "After what we went through I'd feel better knowing you could pull Armsmaster or Miss Militia out of your pocket too."

"So you do think it's a good idea!"

"In theory! In practice it's stupid, reckless and pointless."

"Pointless?"

Taylor nodded. "You know where the PRT building is right?"

Madison nodded back as she ate another chip. Everyone knew where the PRT building was in Downtown. It didn't really look like much compared to the buildings that surrounded it, but it wasn't exactly hard to miss the giant shield logo and she'd made a point to visit so she could get there in a hurry if she ever needed to.

"Right." Taylor nodded decisively. "So worst comes to worst you can just teleport into the lobby and get them to call someone."

"You mean if I don't get confoamed first." Madison returned with a flat tone of her own, because there had been more than one incident of a crazy non-parahuman making a scene and the ceiling mounted launchers foaming them down as a precaution before the Heroes showed up to sort things out.

"Would the foam even do much to you?" Taylor hummed thoughtfully and Madison could only frown, imagining trying to wash it out of her hoodie and pants and grimacing in disgust at the thought.

"I'd rather not find out." She returned evenly, making a mental note to maybe have another spare outfit in her Inventory. Just in case.

There was a pause as they both munched on their respective lunches for a couple of minutes before Madison felt the need to speak up again.

"So if we, well if she did figure out a way to do it that wasn't um 'stupid, reckless and pointless'" Madison counted off, doubting Lisa would have appreciated the description. "Would you want to come?"

"What?" Taylor replied, looking entirely nonplussed at the question.

"On the tour, you like this stuff too right?"

"It's like you didn't listen to a word I said Madison!"

"I just said if we figured out how to do it safely!"

"Ugh fine!" Taylor groaned. "If I approve then sure."

Madison couldn't help but smirk and got a wary glare from Taylor in return. "What?" The other girl said, voice as flat as Madison had ever heard it.

"Nothing, just thinking that it'll be one Thinker coming up with the plan and one 'Thinker' approving it."

If anything Taylor glared harder. "You have ruined PHO for me, you know that right?"

"Oh come on, who else can say they have their own wiki page?"

"You." Came Taylor's exasperated response and Madison shrugged, guilty as charged.

"We could even get you a verified account you know."

"What? How?"

"By knowing the right person." Madison winked, gesturing at herself. "I just need to send in a video doing Ghost stuff. But you're a dastardly Thinker, so you can't really prove you're a cape without someone to vouch for you." She wasn't sure that was exactly how it worked, but considering Villains could get verified cape accounts too there had to be a way for non-obvious powers to get verified on PHO.

"You know you're going to get banned for life the moment they figure it out." Came Taylor's flat response, though Madison could see the spark of interest in the other girl's eyes that she couldn't quite squash.

"It is a risk I am willing to take!" Madison declared, very much not sure that it was, but if Taylor was actually willing to go for it she'd double down, the mods wouldn't ban her for that long if they found out. Right?

Taylor's look in return was the very definition of skeptical, but she hadn't actually said no yet.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

"Hey Amy."

"Why do you do that?" The other girl frowned, like Madison was some incomprehensible and equally infuriating puzzle she had yet to figure out, which was admittedly better than the previous greetings she'd gotten from the New Wave Hero before she'd decided to give the other girl some space.

"Do what?" She asked in return with a small confused frown of her own. Greet her? Visit her at all? She really had a lot of options to consider.

"Call me Amy."

Madison cocked her head slightly at the odd question. "That is your name isn't it?"

"Yes." Amy replied in the manner of someone annoyed they have to concede that water is indeed wet. "But when I'm at the hospital I'm Panacea."

"I suppose." Madison mused, not quite wanting to admit that she was doing it because it seemed like something Amy would appreciate than being constantly reminded of her work she didn't seem to actually enjoy. "But it's not like I'm here on official business?" She went for instead. "I don't need any healing, I just want to hang out."

"Why?"

Well in for a penny she supposed, wondering if she'd ever be able to have a normal relationship without seemingly having to bare her soul to start with.

"I don't really have many friends and I was hoping you might want to be mine? Not as Panacea, but just as Amy. I think you're fun and interesting and want to hang out with you if that's okay?" She replied, returning a smile that wasn't her best, even if it was completely genuine.

Amy actually paused then, either not expecting the answer or not expecting the honesty, though maybe those were one and the same to the other girl.

Then she just groaned tiredly. "Whatever."

Madison felt like letting things go there would probably be a bad idea and pressed despite her reservations.

"Do you not like me?" She asked, catching Amy off guard. "I mean I can go right now and never bother you again if you want, well outside of Hero stuff." She quickly added and continued before Amy could get a word in, assuming she wanted to. "You always look pretty unhappy whenever I show up, but you never tell me to leave and you eat the snacks I give you so I can't really tell if you're tired or just putting up with me and I don't actually want to bother you, but you seemed kind of bored so I figured you might like the company, but I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"Wow you really can talk can't you."

Madison shrugged helplessly. "Only when I'm nervous."

Amy snorted. "I make you nervous?"

Madison waved her hand in a so-so gesture. "You've got the whole grumpy cat thing going on, so it's hard to tell if I'm going to get the claws sometimes."

"Excuse me?"

"Um the glaring and the sleepiness?"

Amy glared harder.

"Or I could stop talking."

"I'm getting the impression that's difficult for you." Amy snarked, though there was less bite in it than she'd showcased before and Madison smiled back sheepishly before she remembered the other step in her 'master plan'.

"Oh, do you like tea?"

"It's fine?" Amy replied, very obviously nonplussed at the non-sequitur.

Which wasn't quite the enthusiastic answer Madison had been looking for, but then the only thing Amy did seem enthusiastic about was glaring at anything that annoyed her, which largely seemed to include Madison herself. So she'd take what she could get.

Reaching under her hoodie, (because she still wasn't sure how much of her Inventory was known and it didn't hurt to be careful) she retrieved the tea-infused chocolates she'd bought as an 'apology/friends?' Gift and held it out to the bemused frizzy haired girl.

"Apology gift for annoying you?"

Amy took the proffered box with a frown, which morphed into surprise as she looked back to her. "How are these still cold?"

Madison shrugged, though couldn't help her small grin as she replied. "Powers are bullshit?" She offered, smiling as Amy huffed at the comment as she went to examine the box.

"These look expensive?" The other girl commented, looking back up to her.

"Well originally I bought some for my friend and then they ended up being a sort of apology gift when I accidentally outed myself as a cape to them."

Amy's eyebrow rose. "So you decided to go two for two?"

"Something like that." She admitted and wondered if there was something about herself that seemed to elicit exasperation in a lot of the people she spoke to before dismissing the thought as Amy seemed to come to some sort of decision.

"Right well firstly I don't hate you, you're just annoying."

'Ouch.' Madison winced, maybe not appreciating Amy's bluntness right then.

"Secondly." Amy paused, frowning harder and looked back to the entrance of the roof as if someone was about to come through. "You're not exactly wrong about being... Bored sometimes." The word seeming like it took physical effort to get past her lips as she finished with a scowl.

"I prefer to stay away from all of the bullshit and I do need to do my job here, but I don't mind if you show up every so often, just not too often alright?" Amy glared like even that admission was too much and Madison nodded rapidly, lest she draw even more of Amy's seemingly bottomless pit of ire.

"And thanks." The other girl added after a moment, waving the chocolate box slightly. "Want to share?"

Madison nodded again, Amy rolling her eyes at the smile she must have been wearing.

Amy Dallon

The chocolate wasn't bad actually. Not that she'd ever give up the sanctity of coffee, but oddly flavoured chocolate was a decent change of pace and she wondered what Vicky would think of it.

Glancing up to the other girl she saw her munching on a piece of her own as she looked out over what could be seen of the city from their vantage point on the roof. Amy wondered if the shorter girl was actually seeing anything beyond the dark outline of the city and all the street lights though.

Ghost Step hadn't mentioned she had anything like enhanced sight, but then she'd been fairly cagey about what she could do to begin with and there was no way she'd been keeping the entire box of chocolates under her hoodie the entire time, which lead credence to those rumors she'd read about the cape next to her being able to pull things out of thin air.

She still couldn't really make heads or tails of the other girl. There were plenty of people who wanted to be 'friends' with Amy or Panacea. They usually fell into one of three camps. The ones who were friends with Vicky already and wanted to make nice with her little sister. The ones who wanted to have a celebrity friend and the ones who wanted something.

She supposed Ghost Step fell into the latter category, though she hadn't ever outright had someone say the only thing they wanted was to be friends so blatantly. Even Vicky's friends didn't actually say anything, they just tolerated her at the table and she was the acquaintance everyone pretended was their friend too.

It was even more obvious when Vicky wasn't around, it wasn't like she ever made an effort to take part in conversations to begin with. But she could count on one hand the amount of times someone other than Dean or Dennis had tried to include her in anything when her sister wasn't there with them to bridge the gap.

"So I guess you want to meet my sister now too?" She asked bitterly. Which she supposed was the fourth kind of person. The ones who thought Panacea might be 'cool,' but she was still just a stepping stone to getting in with Glory Girl. Even without Carol and Mark warning her they were easy to spot a mile off, though some had been more subtle about it than others in the past.

Looking at the other girl next to her she didn't think Ghost Step was one of them, but she wouldn't be surprised either. Everyone liked Vicky, and why wouldn't they? Her sister was perfect and everything Amy wasn't; beautiful, positive, charismatic and lit up the whole room whenever she walked in.

"Not really?" The vigilante answered with a confused look back to her and Amy paused as she tried to rationalise someone not wanting to meet her sister. Sure her sister had some haters, but then any cape did and she was pretty sure Ghost Step wasn't one of them.

"Actually no, on second thought I don't want to meet your sister while I'm still looking like this." The other girl continued, looking down at herself and as Amy's mind made the connection she couldn't help but huff in amusement as she realised just what the vigilante was worried about.

"Yeah I'm not sure Vicky would approve of the get-up." She couldn't help but comment as Ghost Step looked back to her. "Probably try and convince you to join the team just for the costume upgrade." Because even if Amy herself didn't have her sister's fashion sense, she knew the vigilante in front of her was a walking fashion disaster that would only get a pass from her sister from the way they'd fought Oni Lee to a standstill while protecting someone else.

Not that it would stop Vicky from dragging them to the mall at the earliest opportunity and she'd probably try and drag Amy along too now that she thought about it. Maybe it was a good thing the vigilante didn't want to meet her sister just yet.

"I know." Ghost Step groaned. "But!" She declared, before pausing and continuing in a much quieter voice. "Can you keep a secret?"

Amy couldn't help but give the flattest look she was capable of. Could Amy Dallon 'I'm in love with my sister' keep a secret? Yes, yes she could as much as it ate at her every single day of her life.

"Yes." She replied plainly as she pushed the thoughts away, curious despite herself of what the girl in front of her had to say that she didn't want anyone but apparently Amy herself knowing.

The vigilante grinned, something Amy could hear in her voice as well as she stepped a little closer and continued in her low tone. "I've commissioned a new costume, I should be getting a whole new look soon!"

That was surprising and Amy felt her eyebrows raise as the shorter girl stretched her hands out as she sighed in happy relief. "Ahhh! I've wanted to tell someone for so long now! Every time some asshole thinks I'm Crusader-lite! No one's going to be calling me an Empire cape after I get my new costume! Well probably... Maybe..?" Ghost Step added with a mutter after a considering pause.

Amy knew costumes weren't cheap. And that was mostly because every time Vicky had tried to get a 'seasonal variant' or an 'upgrade' or a 'new look' she'd been shot down on either the grounds of damaging the team's brand image, the cost involved or both. Though Amy knew she might have been over thinking things. New Wave had professionally made costumes tailored from a PRT affiliated tailor in New York and she doubted the girl in front of her had those kinds of contacts or that kind of money to throw around.

Though then again she knew well enough how looks could be deceiving. Her thoughts trailed off as she realised the other girl was looking back to her expectantly and Amy realised she'd gotten lost in her own head again and hadn't actually said anything in response. "That's cool." She offered and couldn't help but be slightly amused at how the other girl seemed to absorb the praise, like a puppy or a kitten happy for the attention. "I'm guessing a new name to go with it as well?"

Because it was the name that had made a lot of people wonder if she was actually Empire to begin with, that and her being a white girl who hadn't yet targeted the Empire as far as anyone knew. A costume change wasn't going to fix that.

"Yup!"

"Well?" She asked, annoyed at the other girl for dragging it out, even as she found herself getting slightly caught up in her enthusiasm.

Ghost Step paused and looked like she was considering if she actually wanted to share her new name and Amy knew she was going to be very annoyed if the other girl chose not to after teasing it like that.

"Okay, you're going to be the first person who knows. Well outside of the person doing the costume. Please don't tell anyone?"

"Um sure." Amy replied awkwardly, a little flatfooted that the vigilante was going to trust her as the first person to know her new name above anyone else. She shook off the odd feeling as the other girl took a breath.

"Diamond Quest."

There was a pause and Amy saw the girl's vulnerable expression for the first time, her want to ask 'what the hell that meant' dying on her lips as she instead fell back on what her sister referred to as her 'customary snark.'

"What, was 'Unbreakable Mission' taken?"

Ghost Step blinked, tilting her head in slight incomprehension before she got it and laughed and Amy smiled herself, glad she hadn't just totally ruined the other girl's night.

"I am totally going to steal that when someone asks me what it means."

"What does it mean?"

"Well unbreakable mission was taken." Ghost Step snarked right back and Amy couldn't help but chuckle as the other girl giggled. She had walked right into that one.

"So, going to give me a real answer?" Amy asked after they'd both recovered and the impish grin she got back from the other girl told her just how likely that was.

"Nope!" The newly christened Diamond Quest declared. "It shall add an air of mystery and mystique."

"Those are the same thing." Amy deadpanned back to an amused grin in return.

"Even more mystery then!"

"You're insufferable." She returned flatly and meant every word of it. Though it was kind of nice having someone who would actually snark back, rather than looking like they didn't know what to do with her.

It was why she usually kept quiet beyond not wanting to talk to anyone and them not wanting to talk to her. No one wanted to talk to 'anti-social Amy' and people didn't equate 'quiet Amy' to a person who had an actual sense of humor. At least Vicky got her.

"Thanks for not laughing at my name though." Ghost Step, or she supposed Diamond Quest said after a moment and Amy just shrugged, never really one for anything mushy. Besides, most heroes had borderline stupid names so it wasn't like the girl next to her would be an outlier, even if 'Ghost Step' was cooler despite it's unfortunate negative connotations.

"It's weird, but it's not stupid." She replied, figuring the other girl would appreciate the honesty if nothing else. "I mean my sister called herself Glory Girl and you can imagine how much flak she still gets for that."

Diamond Quest nodded and Amy wondered if the other girl was also one of those people who thought her sister's name was a bit much.

"Still." The vigilante continued, looking back to her. "Thanks Amy, I appreciate it and it's fun talking to you." She shrugged helplessly which Amy had no answer for.

Deciding to escape the awkwardness of receiving a sincere platitude that wasn't the usual 'thanks for saving my life' that she got everyday at the hospital to the point they didn't even register to her as individual words anymore, she pulled out her phone instead to check if she had any messages from her sister. She didn't deserve the thanks from the patients. She didn't want their thanks, it wasn't like she had a choice. Saving people was her duty after all.

Vicky: Sry Ames, gonna be a couple hours.

And checking the timestamp... Joy another hour of waiting to go. It wasn't like it happened every day, but being so reliant on her sister for a lift back meant that when her sister got delayed, either by cape stuff, Dean or anything else, it was Amy that was left spinning her wheels until her sister finally showed up.

That or she tried to take the bus, but she preferred not to if she could help it since sometimes it made it to PHO and sometimes Carol saw and made it her problem afterwards. Though something of  her thoughts must have shown on her face since the other girl spoke up a moment later.

"What's up?"

"Just my sister." She replied, glancing up to the curious girl leaning in. "Going to be a while before she can pick me up."

"Oh." Diamond Quest nodded in realisation, Amy catching the way the other girl's eyes glanced upward as if to spot Glory Girl flying through the sky that very moment.

"Um." The vigilante continued after a pause and Amy saw the other girl almost fidgeting in place as she seemed to be trying to decide whether to say whatever it was that was on her mind.

"What?"

"Well... I could give you a lift if you wanted?"

That took her off guard as she just stared back at the other girl who seemed to squirm nervously under her gaze as Amy tried to process the statement and how it made sense. If the vigilante in front her could actually go anywhere they wanted then they probably wouldn't have been operating in the way they currently were, but that still didn't answer just how the vigilante thought they could teleport Amy straight home.

"How?"

"Well I can go to places I'm familiar with..."

"How. Are you familiar with my home address exactly?" Amy asked, pinning the other girl in place with a glare as they threw up her hands defensively.

"It's not like that!" She cried and Amy honestly believed her, even without being able to physically read her she wasn't sure the other girl could lie properly to save her life. Not that she didn't want a damn good explanation though before the obvious one occurred to her and she groaned tiredly.

"It's the tours isn't it?" The fucking bus tours of the city for all the tourists. 'Come see where New Wave lives while we try and ignore the fucking buses going by every hour of what felt like every fucking weekend.

"Yes, but not- Um we had family over from out of state and they wanted to do the whole tourist thing together and we all got dragged along too. I mean it's not a bad tour, but when we reached your house it was at the same time your sister arrived home and she's, um pretty memorable and gave everyone a wave."

Amy just put a hand to her forehead as she sighed. Because she knew that was exactly the sort of thing her sister would do, had done in the past while she was carrying her. And she'd gotten yelled at by Carol the one time the woman had caught her ignoring the bus to head straight inside.

"Yeah." She replied. "That sounds like something Vicky would do."

Diamond Quest gave her a sheepish smile and Amy couldn't help but scrutinise the other girl and her offer. She was a vigilante; 'Ghost Step' and the newest Mover of Brockton Bay. But the only things the PRT had told them in the affiliate briefing she was privy to was that the girl in front of her considered herself to be an Independent Hero, even though she hadn't actually signed up as one yet.

They'd been told that she'd been doing some street level work and while there were suspicions she was taking money from criminals without declaring it, there was no actual evidence beyond the criminal's testimonies themselves, which Amy knew any good lawyer could get thrown out in a heartbeat.

The Wards had been given the 'be nice' speech, which meant the PRT weren't actually considering her dangerous or any kind of active threat unless someone did something stupid and all the other girl had done to her was occasionally give her more work to do like any other hero did and just hung out and provided free snacks otherwise.

'Am I really considering this?'

And then she realised that yes. Yes she was. As much as she loved flying with Vicky, being held by her - Vicky wasn't here and wouldn't be for at least another hour. If Diamond Quest could get her home in a split second she'd be stupid to refuse the offer.

"Okay." She nodded to the other girl's very obvious surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes." Amy replied flatly and was gratified to see the other girl didn't second guess her again. "So how does it work?" She asked, curious and knowing that at the very least Vicky would ask her about it too. She was even more of a cape geek than most cape enthusiasts and after starting her course at the college it had only gotten worse.

The other girl just shrugged. "I just hold onto people and then go." Which was as far as explanations went somehow wasn't the worst she'd heard for the way a parahuman understood how their power functioned.

"Let me just text my sister first." She threw out to a nod in return and quickly tapped out a message.

Amy: Getting a lift home, don't worry about me.

She waited a moment for a reply but there wasn't one, which meant there was no way of knowing how long it would be before Vicky got back to her. Either her sister replied instantly or it was a gamble depending on what she was doing or who and Amy put her phone away, banishing the intrusive thought and holding out her hand which the other girl quickly took.

While Amy was expecting it, the lack of any feedback from the direct contact still managed to take her by surprise and she couldn't help but look down at where their hands met before catching the frown on the other girl's face.

"Huh, it doesn't work?"

Which was a new one as far as power interactions went Amy mused, wondering if Vicky would have any insight and just knowing the PRT would want to know that particular titbit.

"Hmm how about this." She caught the other girl say before she released her hand and pinched her sleeve instead, catching the smile beginning to form on the other girl's face before the world seemed to stutter and she was home.

Well on the street outside of her house, which was close enough and she only belatedly noticed Diamond Quest release her.

"This is it right?" She heard the other girl ask and she nodded absently, mentally processing the seamless transition from the roof of a multi storey building to the sidewalk outside of her house and glancing back just to confirm they were where her mind told her she was.

Sure she'd been teleported before to help provide healing for the Endbringer battles and the occasional other disaster, but that had been the first time there had been such an obvious elevation difference and usually there was something to mark the transport. But with Diamond Quest apparently it was just 'blink and you'll miss it' and part of her wondered if the other girl would be willing to do it again sometime if Vicky wasn't available.

"Oh good." The vigilante sighed in obvious relief. "It was like a year ago, so I was kind of worried to be honest."

'And you still did it anyway.' Amy couldn't help but think as she turned back to the other girl who was taking a moment to look at the house. Though then again it didn't seem like the vigilante would have had any issue just taking her back to the roof of the hospital if she was wrong and the whole thing had ended up being a non starter.

Diamond Quest's powers still had nothing her sister's, because nothing beat flight. But she could certainly respect it and could definitely understand why the PRT were playing nice like she'd seen them do in the past with other independents they were interested in and for whatever reason needed the carrot than the stick approach.

She felt her phone buzz for attention in her pocket and distractedly pulled it out to take a look as Diamond Quest seemed perfectly content to wait next to her, looking curiously about the empty street as she did so.

Vicky: You sure Ames? Mom doesn't like you taking the bus this late, can try and leave earlier.

Amy rolled her eyes as she tapped out her own reply. Carol didn't like Amy doing anything and some days she wondered if the woman would care if someone was stupid enough to kidnap her, beyond the PR shit storm it would cause at least.

Amy: Already home :p Teleporting is pretty neat, u might be out of the job.

Vicky: No way! You are going to tell me everything when I get home. Say hi to your friend for me!

Amy smiled as she put her phone back, turning to Diamond Quest who was making an obvious effort not to look too curious

"Just my sister who says hi." She replied to the other girl's unspoken question. "I'm going to head in, thanks for the lift and the chocolate?" She added, barely remembering she was still holding it.

"No problem." Diamond Quest said brightly. "Oh, do you want my number in case it happens again and you need a lift home?"

"Sure why not." Amy shrugged, exchanging numbers with the other girl before slipping her phone away again. "See you around then." She waved, opening the gate and walking down the path to the door.

"Night Amy!" She heard, glancing back in time to see the other girl disappear and shaking her head at the other girl's antics.

As she closed the door quietly behind her she felt another message come in, pulling out her phone and was bemused to see one from the would-be hero already.

Diamond Quest: Amy Dallon's taxi service now available!

She smirked and tapped out her own reply as she heard Carol's voice from the kitchen, taking off her shoes before quietly heading upstairs to her room.

Amy: ★★★★☆ Complimentary chocolate was a nice touch, though the driver was a bit talkative. Would use again.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Smug Fox: Got something interesting for you if you want it.

Mad Cat: ?

Incoming Call: Smug Fox

Accept | Decline

Madison hit accept and didn't even have a chance to say hello before Lisa was off.

"Okay so I've been looking at some of the phones of those Empire guys and while most if it's pretty useless, I did find something juicy I think you'll like."

"Okay?" Madison replied, teleporting to a more comfortable rooftop that had a couple of giant old ventilation units she could lean against out of the wind.

"One of those idiots we left tied up was higher in the Empire's little unpowered hierarchy than the rest of the grunts. Well probably won't be for long, but not my problem if their OPSEC is crap."

"Tattletale please just get to the point." Madison sighed. She did like speaking to the other girl, but she was basically at the end of her patrol, she was tired and she had school in the morning.

"Fine, fine you're no fun. Okay so this guy has a bunch of gang locations they're going to be hitting at the end of the week. He isn't going to tell anyone he was stupid enough to leave the info on his phone so no one knows we have it, though the Empire will find out anyway at some point afterwards. Point is." Lisa stressed, her Thinker ability apparently noticing the moment Madison was about to interrupt her again. "That we can hit these locations before they do. Hit the gangs and piss off the Empire in one fell swoop."

"Huh." Madison commented for lack of a better one. That did sound pretty good. "What's the catch?" Because it felt like there was always a catch.

She could hear the shrug in the blonde's voice as she replied. "There are four hits planned, but they overlap and the timing's awkward so we'll have to split the work. You'll be flying solo."

She nodded, it wasn't much different from what she'd already been doing, though she didn't relish the thought of facing someone like Squealer and a whole den of goons by herself again.

"Shouldn't be any capes." Lisa noted, doing a good impression of reading her mind. "We want to do it before the Empire do and even sooner than that in case they find out their plans are leaked and go early. I've already talked to the others. We're going to split up and hit two of the places tomorrow night, so that leaves two for you if you want them. Twenty percent cut from your locations for the intel seems like a good trade."

"That's on top of the other twenty your boss is going to charge me for cleaning anything I actually find." She pointed out in a way that was definitely not sulking.

"Cost of doing business, so you in?"

"Zero percent or you get to explain to Bitch why there are no more dog fighting ring busts, I basically gave you that intel."

"You drive a hard bargain, but sure."

"Wait that's it?!" She sputtered, fully ready to haggle up to ten percent. "Hold on were you just messing with me?"

"Guilty as charged." Lisa laughed. "You seemed like you were a little out of it, but sounds like you're wide awake now! I'm not gonna charge you for the intel Ghost. Like you said, it was part of the last haul. In future though~" And Madison could hear the wink in the other girl's voice and rolled her eyes with a groan in response, just assuming the annoying Thinker would be able to 'see' her doing it.

"Okay I'll text you details and the time we're planning to do it." Lisa continued smugly and Madison wouldn't admit to the other girl that she was less weary than she had been a moment ago. "Synchronizing it properly so we hit them at the same time isn't that important since they're all different gangs, but it'll definitely send a message to the Empire if we do."

"Sure." Madison nodded. "So which are my two?" She asked, wondering if she'd even recognise the gang names if she heard them.

"Boiler Plates and the Average Joes" Lisa rattled off and Madison definitely recognised none of them, which didn't really surprise her. She did try and keep up with the news, but gangs seemed to change all the time and the only constant seemed to be the Merchants since they were the only one with more than one or two capes on their roster.

"Rusty Boys and Skeet Sharks are ours." Lisa continued before Madison could even ask and she couldn't help a tired if amused smile because of it.

"I hope this intel is good." Madison mused, mostly to herself. Though that didn't stop Lisa responding.

"It's only a week old as far as I can tell." She heard Lisa shrug. "We should be fine."

The first place she'd hit had been easy. Almost laughably so. Maybe if she hadn't had a Mover power it would have been a different story, but the Average Joes were operating out of an old diner and it didn't really matter if they had a half dozen armed men patrolling about when the giant full glass windows made it easy for her teleport straight inside and head for the back before they even knew she was there.

Sure there was that guy with the shotgun that was about as surprised to see her as she was him, but he hadn't managed to get a shot off and that's what counted!

It turned out they had a lot of drugs and a couple of crates of guns that looked like they were waiting to go somewhere else. There had been some money too, though not much even after a cursory search and what she did find got thrown in her Inventory to get sorted out later.

Still, for how small the operation had looked from the outside she was surprised at how much contraband they had in the back and was happy to know it'd all be off the streets thanks to her efforts by the time she was done. After that it was just a matter of blocking the door from the inside so no one could run off with anything before the police arrived and then she'd teleported back out to start picking off the remaining gang members one by one.

Well that had been the plan, though it turned out they were a lot more trigger happy than expected, even if their own buddies happened to be between her and their own line of sight. So by the time she was done she'd had to transport five of them to hospital due to excessive friendly fire. Honestly it was a miracle no one died, which she was pretty sure was mostly Amy's doing in the end. though she'd only had time to say a quick hello to the other girl before heading back.

She'd called the police to let them know of everything that had happened and what to expect, though she'd barely remembered to unbarricade the door she'd blocked before heading to the next place Lisa had given her. That had turned out to be a large rundown garage that looked like it had seen far better days long before she was born and looked like a much bigger operation too.

Unfortunately it also turned out that the establishment had come under new management and she'd turned up in the middle of what seemed to be some Merchant operation to pack up everything that wasn't nailed down.

There had only been an old pick-up truck waiting outside with a couple of men smoking and she'd avoided them easily enough, looking in under one of the partially opened shutters to see half a dozen men and women throwing what looked like random junk into crates and boxes, another several people standing around chatting as the wind whistled through the small gap.

"Oi Brad, shut that fucking shutter would you? Ain't gonna have to haul this shit out for another hour and I don't want to freeze my ass off until then."

Taking that as her cue she stepped back, just to make sure she was out of sight as she heard the loud sigh of someone getting up to do just that and teleported to a spot near the back of the room she was pretty sure no one was looking at.

The lack of shouting when she reappeared was a good sign and she ducked behind a partially filled table trolley before anyone could spot her. Despite how it looked from the outside, it was obvious the last gang had actually been trying to use the garage for its intended purpose, or something close enough to it and Madison wondered if that was what had attracted the Merchants attention in the first place considering they had a vehicle Tinker of their own.

The tools, parts and other junk it looked like the gang members were there to collect didn't really interest her and looking about she spotted the door she thought she'd seen before she'd teleported in initially. One that hopefully lead upstairs where she would ideally find all of the gang's misbegotten funds, drugs and weapons that she could put to far better use and hand over to the police respectively.

Unfortunately she didn't count on the door opening the same moment she reached it, locking eyes with a scrawny man who seemed boredly curious to see her there and for a moment Madison wondered if she might be able to bluff her way past before belatedly remembering that she was wearing a domino mask and watched as the man's own expression changed into one of angry realisation.

"You're that cape who stole all our shit!"

'Crap.' Madison thought to herself, feeling the exact moment she got the attention of the rest of the room too as all the noise behind her ceased, which was definitely her cue to leave.

"It's not stealing if it doesn't belong to you!" She threw back with a triumphant shout, because subtly was for people who didn't get caught in the act and she teleported forwards to make that a reality.

She couldn't actually see that much behind the man, but she'd seen enough and re-appeared behind him and the woman who was following him a second later, finding herself at the foot of a stairwell and wasted no time charging up the stairs as fast as she could.

Madison heard a wordless yell from somewhere behind her and what sounded like a trashcan being knocked over before she was up to the second floor, not fancying trying to teleport up as she went to save time if she'd just end up facing the wrong way on the stairs and probably trip over herself for the trouble.

She emerged into a small break area and there were already a couple of men getting up from the table they'd been sitting at when she burst in, both of them immediately going for the baseball bats they had propped up against the side of the table when they saw her.

"Nope!" She cried, teleporting forwards and grabbing one of the bats before the closest gang member could, teleporting back a couple of steps when he tried to grab it out of her hands instead.

"Surrendering is a lot less painful." She offered sincerely, though the amount of people who took that option was vanishingly small and she watched as the men glanced at each other, spacing themselves out to get around her on each side.

There was an odd 'thump-thump' coming from downstairs that caused her to frown, not sure she remembered anything that would have made that noise, a frown that only deepened when she saw the men in front of her looked a bit more eager from having heard it too.

"Yeah you hear that don'tcha? Mush is gonna stomp ya when he gets here!"

"Maybe you should surrender girl. Can't promise we won't hurt you some though. Disrespecting us an' that."

'Wait Mush was here?' She couldn't help but think, her eyes widening involuntarily. She was pretty sure she'd have remembered seeing someone covered in trash and looking like a garbage golem come to life, how had she possibly missed that?!

She must have been wearing some of the surprise on her face since they took it as an open opportunity and charged her from both sides.

She teleported behind the one on her left and threw the bat she'd taken at his face as he turned around to face her. His hands came up to block the blow and she teleported forward in the same instant, driving her crowbar into his unprotected gut as the bat clattered loudly to the floor.

The other man pushed his wheezing partner out of the way, lifting his bat in a two handed grip to try and bring it down on her head and she dodged to the side, darting forward to put a hand on his chest and teleported them both towards the back wall behind her. A small smirk of satisfaction couldn't help but cross her face as the bat buried itself in the wall instead and the man spluttered in confusion and bits of drywall as she teleported behind him, swinging around with her crowbar for the blunt edge of the hook to smash into his side.

"There you are you little shit!" Came a muffled roar as the door behind her burst open and the Merchant cape appeared, Madison having to do a double take at his appearance.

She'd thought Mush mostly stuck to garbage and there was definitely a lot of that in the vaguely humanoid body that pushed itself through the doorway, the doorframe breaking apart around him as the man tried to force his whole bulk through the too small entrance. But it looked like there was definitely an advantage for the Villain deciding he wanted to fight in an auto repair shop, his body covered with random tools, bits of sheet metal, screws and bolts like a deforming, rippling scrap heap come to life. His hands were more like gauntlets and she really didn't want to take a hit from all the sharp, pointy and blunt edges involved.

Even as big and as close as he was, she couldn't help but watch in fascinated horror as tendrils of flesh emerged from the gaps between the improvised armor, grabbing small bits of trash, the debris caused by his own entrance and an empty beer bottle by his feet, pulling it all in to add to his squat, armoured bulk.

'How the hell was she going to beat that?!'

Sure she only had to touch people to teleport them, but that applied to people! Normal, sometimes even friendly people who weren't giant trash monsters that probably weighed at least three times what she did too!

One of the giant hands came up, the size making it look deceptively slow as the table was flung across the room at her and she barely had the presence of mind to take the unpowered Merchant with her out of harm's way as the table smashed into the spot they'd previously been and disintegrated. She quickly shoved the man to the side as they re-appeared, the Merchant tripping over something and going to the floor with a grunt as she teleported backwards down the short hallway as her mind raced.

There was a door on her right and she went through it as she heard Mush throw a chair out of the way and yell at his men to get up. It was just an office, or what was left of one. Most of the fixtures were gone and some graffiti covered the walls. There was a desk with a couple of chairs, one of which had a coat draped over it, the desk itself only left with a couple of empty cans and a cigarette packet.

She grabbed the coat and shoved it straight in her Inventory, she'd already seen what Lisa could get out of random crap and for all she knew it could have something important in it. Besides, if the Merchants had already cleaned out the place she wanted to come out of things with something to show for it as she tried to think of just how she was supposed to beat the monster she could already hear stomping towards her.

The door behind her wasn't so much opened as ripped out of its frame as Mush ducked into the room. "Nowhere to go now girl, you better give it up before you get hurt!"

She edged up to the far end of the small office, wall to her back as Mush laboriously pulled himself into the room with her and her attention couldn't help but be drawn to the doorframe as it cracked and broke apart around him in another small shower of debris that the Villain languidly pulled into his shifting bulk. The once man grinned viciously at her as he rose up to his full height once fully inside, taking up almost half the room by himself as he slowly stepped forwards, rolling his shoulders, one meaty fist clapping against the other in a dull crunch and squelch of things she didn't want to guess at.

And then he seemed to pause as he took in the room properly and she wondered what was going through his mind.

"Did you take my coat?"

Oh that was his?

'Oops.'

"No?" She tried, not quite sure she was pulling off 'innocent,' which was confirmed a moment later as Mush roared in outrage.

"You'll give that back too you thieving bitch!" He shouted in a voice that echoed oddly through all the materials of his form and the small room they were in as he charged forwards. He swung at her and the giant fist came at her like an oncoming freight train, which was just what she'd been waiting for as she teleported back into the hallway with plenty of time to spare and quickly tried the other door she'd seen a little further down. Though even with how viscerally terrifying the Merchant Villain was up close, she couldn't quite stop her own feelings of amusement from Mush's wordless yell of rage that followed, which was almost lost to the explosion of brickwork as his fist met the back wall of the office she'd just vacated.

That had probably bought her a little time she hoped as she tried to think of what other Heroes would do in her situation. 'Okay so Amy isn't a fighter and would be kind of useless, Glory Girl would punch him and if that didn't work punch him more. Lisa would try and annoy him to death or just make sure one of her teammates was between her and the trash monster to begin with.' And Madison was pretty sure she'd both intentionally and accidentally annoyed the Merchant cape enough that he'd be holding a grudge if he hadn't been already. 'Okay what would Taylor do?' She considered instead.  'Probably something smart, or call her for help since she was the actual cape of the two of them if only to get her out of there.'

Could she call the PRT console line to ask for advice? Or was that just for calling in things for the Heroes to respond to? Did this count? She considered rapidly as something else sounded like it exploded and she couldn't help but wince, somewhat regretting pissing off the man with giant metal fists of screwdrivers, hammers, wrenches and more.

"Wait I know who I can call!"

She stored her crowbar away, it wasn't like it would be any good against Mush and she wasn't sure if the Merchant Villain could 'eat' it too and didn't want to find out. Her burner phone appeared in her hand a moment later and she was glad she'd made the effort to save the number to her contacts as she found who she was looking for and hit dial, only having to wait a moment for the call to be answered.

"This is Armsmaster, who is this?"

Success!

"Hi! This is Ghost Step, we met recently." 'And not since then because I've been avoiding you.' She didn't add.

"Ghost Step? Ah, you've decided to join the Wards then? I would be happy to take you through your induction if you wish to arrange a date to come in."

"Um, not exactly." She replied, peeking her head out of the door to see an overly large fist punch through the wall of the room she'd previously occupied as Mush tore a whole section of drywall away and Madison decided she was going to have words with Lisa when she got back to the lair afterwards.

"Come back girl! I'm going to break you!"

"I was hoping for some advice actually." She continued, ducking back out of sight as she heard the sounds of more wanton destruction in the background.

"Advice?" She could hear the frown in the other man's voice as he continued. "I'm extremely busy Ghost Step and do not have time to indulge your curiosities."

"Aren't you the leader of the Protectorate and the Wards?" She tried, slipping down the corridor to check the next room as Mush was preoccupied and was disappointed when the room was more of the same.

"Yes I am." Came the proud reply. "Responsibilities I take extremely seriously."

"Well doesn't that mean you give advice to the Wards?"

The frown was back as he replied. "That is a part of my duties, however my extensive commitments largely preclude me from doing so when my time is better spent elsewhere. Rest assured however that Aegis is more than capable of answering any questions you might have with regards to your responsibilities as a member of the Wards."

"Wait really?" She couldn't help but ask, giving the small room a once over and pulling out the drawers of a cabinet one by one to see if there was anything inside beyond dust and empty manila folders. "I thought that would be like one of your main things, like fighter pilots."

"Excuse me?"

"You know, how active duty fighter pilots get rotated to become instructors so they can share all their experience and stuff? And you're like super experienced and respected so it's a massive waste if you're not right? It's not like one Hero can do everything by themselves and I bet you've got tons to teach people!"

There was a pause and she wondered if she'd been a bit too talkative again like Amy had complained about, quickly going through the drawers of the desk as she heard Mush yell at her to come out before smashing something else as he continued to look for her.

"What is that noise Ghost Step?"

"Oh that's what I was calling you about." She replied airily, peeking her head out of the door at the same time Mush emerged from the room she'd just vacated and she ducked back inside before he could spot her. "I'm sort of in the middle of fighting Mush and could use some advice on how to win."

"You're what?! Where are you?"

"Um, I'm not sure, the address is on my phone and I'm kind of using that to talk to you right now."

She looked up as the door opened, a regular gang member peering in and quickly kicked the door open fully when they spotted her.

"She's in here boss!"

"Get out of the way! She's mine!" She heard Mush bellow and the man quickly disappeared as they made the wise choice of getting out of the line of fire.

"Ah he found me." Madison commented as she heard Mush stomping towards her.

"I am geolocating your call now and can reroute Miss Militia to your location, can you get to a safe location?" Came Armsmaster's voice and it was nice that he cared, though she felt he was missing the point of why she'd called in the first place.

"Well sure." She replied blithely. "But Mush is like right there and I don't want to just leave him to keep committing crimes and hurting people."

"No more running you fucking ferret!" Mush yelled at her and she gave him a dry look before teleporting back to the break area.

She wasn't expecting to be surrounded when she appeared though. "Crap, um I'm going to put you on speaker!" She yelled as four men and a woman immediately rounded on her and definitely didn't look happy to see her if the knives and bats were anything to go by.

"No Ghost Step you-"

She teleported to the wall behind her, using the brief reprieve to stab the speaker icon and stuff the phone in her pocket.

"Mush she's over her, we've got her pinned!"

It turned out it was rather hard to hear Armsmaster's voice from her hoodie pocket when several people were shouting and trying to hit her and she wondered not for the first time if it would be worth buying a earpiece after all.

She ducked under the first swing as the bat caught in the wall above her, crowbar appearing in her hand again as she teleported forwards and punched the hook into another person's gut before blinking away again.

"Out of the way, you're mine brat!" She heard Mush yell from uncomfortably close behind her and she almost missed the chair being thrown at her as the woman in front dodged hurriedly out of the way and Madison teleported to the other side of the room reflexively in turn.

She wasn't sure if the crowded room was working in her favor or against when the Merchants seemed to have varying levels of care when it came to friendly fire. The chair that someone had thrown at her exploded against the far wall and another one quickly met the same fate as she teleported out of the way of it in turn, one of the men crying out and shielding their face as they were peppered by debris.

It was annoying that Armsmaster hadn't given her any useful advice, but she was getting the impression he wasn't much of the mentor type, or maybe she just had to try harder? There were still a couple of rooms she hadn't had a chance to check at the end of hall, but she was about ready to write those off as a lost cause and was seriously beginning to doubt that the Merchants hadn't already thoroughly cleaned out the place when they'd taken over.

That they seemed to be stripping the whole garage for parts and didn't seem to have any intention of moving in had her doubtful they'd have left any money or product in the building either, beyond anything they had on themselves personally she assumed.

A staccato of gunfire rang out and she teleported on instinct out of the room entirely, re-appearing in the garage below. There wasn't anyone about and she realised the sound had come from outside the building as another burst rang out before it was replaced by a sudden silence that was quickly interrupted by the muffled voice from her pocket and she awkwardly pulled her phone out with her free hand.

"Ghost Step, what's your status? Miss Militia has arrived at your location."

She turned off the speaker, shifting the crowbar and phone around in her hands before putting the phone back to her ear.

"Hi Armsmaster. I'm okay, thanks for the heads up though. I was wondering about the gunfire, can you tell her it's okay to come in? All the bad guys left are upstairs right now."

The partially closed shutter she'd come in through herself was pulled up as if to punctuate her words and she had the sight of Miss Militia in person for the first time, the submachine gun in her free hand shifting into a pistol that was lowered upon seeing her. The Protectorate Hero paused to look her over appraisingly, no hostility in their manner even as they looked ready for a fight.

'I'm really meeting all kinds of people tonight.' Madison thought to herself as she offered the woman a small, awkward wave.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

If Armsmaster was an image of the future with his power armored suit then Miss Militia was the present, a soldier with her army fatigues and no real individual flair unless you counted the American flag styled scarf and sash around her neck and waist respectively. She wasn't one though Madison had to remind herself as she couldn't help but keep her eyes fixed on the gun in the other woman's hand that kept changing form.

It was all just branding, the Hero who could make any conventional weapon had to have an 'army' theme after all and Madison couldn't help but spare a thought to wonder what the PRT would think her branding should be if it ever came to it. Though she quickly let the thought drop as Miss Militia's inspection of the surroundings finished and green eyes locked back onto her, a kindness in her voice even if Madison couldn't see her expression beneath the scarf that covered the lower half of her face.

"Ghost Step, I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Thanks." She smiled back, getting the weird feeling she should have been saluting the woman before brushing off the thought. "Mush and the others are still upstairs for now, it's pretty cramped though, want me to bring them down?"

"I'd prefer you didn't put yourself in harm's way again, back up is on the way and will be here in ten minutes."

"Please listen to Miss Militia Ghost Step, she's an experienced Hero and we would prefer not to see you injured." Came Armsmaster's voice and she'd almost forgotten he was still on the line.

"I really don't think we have ten minutes." Madison mused as she heard what she was pretty sure were Mush's footsteps on the stairs, which probably meant they'd finished tearing apart everything upstairs looking for her already. "I'm going to hang up now if that's okay Armsmaster? It's kind of awkward talking to you when I'm fighting."

"You shouldn't be fighting at all, but very well. I hope you'll come in for a debrief at the conclusion of hostilities."

"Thanks, but no promises! I'll call you again some time."

"Please don't, this line should be reserved for situations warranting my direct attention only and-"

"Can't talk, trash man to fight! Bye!" She quickly rattled off, hanging up the call before Armsmaster could say another word.

There was the hint of a smile in Miss Militia's voice as she made her own contribution a moment later. "You know, I don't think he'll appreciate you calling him again like that."

Madison shrugged, not entirely sure if she cared. He had threatened to arrest her after all and petty revenge was the best kind of revenge, that and the more practical side of things. "I do kind of need advice sometimes." She replied evenly. " And I figure it'll be more effective if I call him while I'm not under his chain of command."

"He could just block your number you know."

"Nah he likes me." Madison waved off, not believing her own words for even a moment. "Besides I can just buy new burner phones, he can't block them all right?"

"I think you'd be surprised." Miss Militia replied, her eyes surprisingly expressive considering Madison couldn't see the rest of her face. "You know that is the purpose of the Wards? To provide an environment where you can learn and apply that knowledge safely?"

"Yup." She nodded politely, not massively interested in hearing the pitch again even as she assumed every Hero she ran into was going to be obligated to give it.

"I'm sure it must seem constraining compared to your current freedom, but as one of the first Wards I can attest to the program's quality and how far it's come. You'll have teammates and mentors you can rely on, with the chance to gain practical experience and do good without putting your life on the line until you're older and ready for such responsibilities."

She wasn't particularly interested in getting into an argument and just nodded again. "Thanks Miss Militia, but I think I'm doing some good right now and managing okay for the moment. It's something I'm keeping in mind though."

If the Hero in front of her was going to try another tact to convince her, Madison never found out as the door to the stairwell slammed open, three men appearing who immediately locked onto them both. She barely saw Miss Militia move as the pistol shifted to a pump action shotgun, Madison ducking to the side as Miss Militia snapped the gun to her shoulder and began firing off rounds that sounded a lot quieter than she'd expected. Two of the men went down with cries of pain, though Madison was briefly surprised at the lack of blood before remembering that the Hero next to her usually used non lethal rounds unless the situation was drastic, which three barely armed men definitely wasn't.

The third man managed to duck into cover behind a loaded table trolley, yelling behind him as Miss Militia was already moving and Madison found herself following along behind the Protectorate Hero before she even realised she was doing so.

"Capes! They're here! There's two of them!"

The door had bounced off the wall to swing back shut and was then punched off its hinges entirely as Mush tore his way into the room, the remaining unpowered gang members spilling out behind him.

"Another one!" The Merchant cape bellowed. "Let's get them both then!" Stomping forwards to put action to his words as he grabbed one of the half laden table trolleys with one giant fist and threw it at them. Miss Militia quickly moved to dodge but Madison just grabbed her sleeve on reflex and teleported them outside of the building entirely as the trolley and a hail of metallic miscellanea showered towards them like buckshot.

Miss Militia pulled back sharply as they reappeared and Madison let go automatically, stepping back as Miss Militia seemed to blink at the sudden transition, the shotgun flickering through several different highly lethal looking weapons as the woman turned back to her, a frown in her eyes as the clatter of various impacts could be heard from the building in front of them.

"Sorry, reflex." Madison tried, feeling like she was about to be chastised like a child who'd stolen a cookie.

"Try and warn me next time." Miss Militia replied a little too evenly as her shifting weapon settled into an assault rifle of some kind.

Madison winced, hoping the other Hero wasn't too unhappy with her as she heard Mush yell at one of the men to check back upstairs.

"I can take you back in?" Madison offered to Miss Militia's shake of her head.

"No, too enclosed. We're better off tackling them out here." The woman stated, giving an eye both ways down the street and Madison caught where the two men she'd seen hanging about outside had been tied up and left by their truck nearby. "I need to strip away Mush's armor before I can confoam him, do you know what he's been absorbing?"

'What hadn't he been absorbing?' Madison wondered sardonically before she replied. "I think the Merchants were looting the place, so pretty much anything you can find in an auto-repair shop beyond the usual trash to be honest."

"Can you move him out here like you did for me, without putting yourself in harm's way?"

"I don't think so." Madison replied hesitantly. Even ignoring the fact she didn't want to get close to the man, she had enough trouble taking two people at once so she was doubtful she'd fare much better with a cape that would mass far more than that. Not unless the limit of her power was more of a conceptual one than anything and 'one person' was fine no matter the difference between them, though she had her doubts there. "I can try if you want though."

"No." Miss Militia replied, shaking her head. "We'll draw them out here, if I disable the rest of the Merchants can you remove them from the field?"

"Sure." Madison nodded. "But if there's a more than couple I can't do them all at once."

"That's fine, if we're going to do this we'll do it properly and better we neutralize them before any of the other Merchant capes respond."

"They did say something about not needing to load up everything for about an hour, but that was maybe twenty minutes ago? I'll go and draw them out now just in case."

She teleported back inside the garage, though nobody spotted her and rather than yelling she grabbed a nearby pipe wrench and threw it at Mush's back who grunted in surprise and lumbered around to face her.

"I'm not that hard to find." She offered sarcastically as she succeeded in getting everyone's attention, though it looked like one of the men Miss Militia had shot had no intention of getting back on his feet anytime soon. "You want a fight?" She taunted as Mush was already looking for something new to throw at her. "Let's do it outside where you're not breaking every door you try and squeeze yourself through."

She teleported in front of the partially opened shutter, bending down to pull it up properly and the whole thing clattered loudly as she stood back up.

"Fucking finally, no more of this pissing around." Mush declared, slamming his two meaty paws together in a crunch of protesting metal. "Gonna finish you, finish that other bitch and get me some of the good shit when I get back."

"Big words." She threw back. "You haven't hit me yet though!" She smirked, teleporting back to Miss Militia who gave her a very hard look that felt entirely underserved.

"I believe myself and Armsmaster made ourselves perfectly clear about not wanting you to put yourself in harm's way unnecessarily again Ghost Step."

"It's fine they didn't even notice me come in." She replied airily, following Miss Militia as she stepped back to gain some more distance from the garage. "I had to throw something at Mush to even get his attention." She added to Miss Militia's sigh and some muttered comment she didn't quite catch, but Madison was pretty sure she heard the words 'never,' 'Clockblocker' and 'be the death of me' which was odd.

"They're coming out by the way." Madison noted, even as she doubted Miss Militia could have missed it herself, Mush lumbering out of the building followed by the rest of his men and looking about before he spotted the both of them and began to advance. The other Merchants were giving Mush a wide berth, even as they didn't seem to want to get too far away from him either.

Madison glanced back to Miss Militia as the woman put a rifle up to her shoulder and began opening fire and Madison decided she was probably best playing distraction as she teleported to the sidewalk, smacking her crowbar against the metal bench with a loud clang and remembering just why she had decided never to do that again as the vibration travelled right back up her arm.

"I'm right here!" She yelled, being a very good distraction in her personal opinion as Miss Militia immediately dropped two more of the Merchants as they were caught for a moment between what to focus on and probably regretted their decision to follow Mush out onto a wide open street against an accomplished sniper without any firearms of their own.

Mush didn't have any problems though and Madison wasn't sure he even remembered he wasn't alone to begin with, the Merchant Villain just barrelling towards her and with the wide open space he had no problem picking up speed. Madison got a very good idea of how matadors probably felt before Mush swung for her and she made sure she wasn't there to receive it, teleporting back to Miss Militia's side as the bench she had been standing in front of was snapped in two, fragments of metal pulled in to join the rest of the amalgamation making up Mush's armored bulk.

"You're clear Ghost Step, I'll distract Mush while you move the Merchants, tell me if you have any issues."

"Yes ma'am!" She threw back, teleporting to the first downed man and taking them to where Miss Militia had left her initial captures. The idea of tying the man up crossed her mind, but she wasn't sure they had time for that and teleported back to grab the next one instead. She paused to let herself recover after, watching as Miss Militia easily rolled out of the way of both halves of the bench that were thrown at her, Mush yelling a challenge before a metal hand came up to shield his face as Miss Militia seemed to start firing paintballs at him. Which was definitely one way to keep him from thinking about anything else.

Sensing she was ready to go again Madison teleported once more, this time having the presence of mind to use her recovery time to actually zip tie the men she'd moved before grabbing the last one and repeating the process, appearing next to Miss Militia following who was still keeping a healthy distance from a frustrated and increasingly angry Mush.

"I'm done, what next?" She asked, one eye to the cape Villain and blinking in surprise as the Merchant swung his arm in front of him in an arc, a multitude of stuff suddenly coming loose and flying at them.

"Teleporting you!" She shouted as warning, grabbing Miss Militia's arm and switching them back to where the captives waited.

Miss Militia nodded to her. "Thank you Ghost, he hasn't showcased that particular ability before, we'll need to update our files after this."

Madison watched with interest as the paintball gun shifted seamlessly into a revolver-type grenade launcher. "Stay next to me unless I say otherwise." Miss Militia stated and Madison quickly nodded as the woman looked to her to make sure she'd do just that.

The Hero's attention went back to Mush who was turning around to try and find them again and Miss Militia began firing before he could. The launcher had at least six rounds in the cylinder and Miss Militia didn't miss a single one, chunks of metal, garbage and  other scrap being sheared off with each concussive blast that sent Mush staggering back, even as he tried to steady himself and face them.

The moment the weapon ran dry Miss Militia switched it to a slightly different model that also came fully loaded, emptying the next six rounds one after the other downrange as Mush tried to clamber towards them, each blast knocking him back and a little more armor free.

Madison watched in amazement as the Villain's flesh reached out for the scattered debris around him like crawling veins or the roots of some grotesque plant, most of them dropping their prizes as the next grenade hit and Mush grunted in pain, his armor shifting around to cover him as more was lost with each hit he couldn't replenish.

The grenade launcher shifted again and more rounds found the Villain who let out a wordless yell above each thump-crack of detonation. What looked like the bulk of his remaining armor shifted around to cover the front of his body as he committed to simply charging at them, giving up on trying to pick up the scattered pieces around him.

Each hit from Miss Militia staggered him but he kept coming, slowly closing the distance before the Hero's weapon flickered again and Madison was briefly surprised to see her swing the cylinder drum out rather than immediately start firing. Madison could only watch, half an eye to the somewhat disorientated Villain as Miss Militia's free hand slipped behind her back, returning with one shell, then another, then another that she quickly and smoothly loaded before snapping the drum back into place.

"Confoam rounds." She said simply by way of explanation, the stock meeting her shoulder again as she fired the first round off to hit right where the remaining armor was starting to slowly shift and pull together again near the centre of the man's chest. The grenade bursting in a spray of distinctive yellow-white liquid that immediately began expanding into foam.

Miss Militia shifted her aim slightly and fired again, the round striking lower and coating Mush's lower half and his legs in the liquid and Madison watched him stagger, his armor trying to shift, but most of it was already caught in the expanding foam. His hands came up to try and remove it and Miss Militia fired a final time, Madison watching as Mush's arms seemed to get stuck to the front of his chest where they had been trying to scrape away the foam before they disappeared under the quickly expanding mass, the Villain's legs locking up a moment later and he fell forward with a wet thud as the containment foam continued to expand.

The sudden silence was deafening all by itself and Madison couldn't help but gawp at how the metal and garbage golem of destruction, who had been giving her so much trouble had been reduced to a man lost beneath a large mound of foam in an instant and who was now just waiting for the PRT to pick him up and take him away.

"Wow." Madison breathed, glancing back to Miss Militia who was ejecting the spent shell casings, curious why the Hero next to her couldn't seem to just make a grenade launcher that came with confoam grenades to begin with but not sure she would get a straight answer if she ventured to ask. And she was pretty sure she'd annoyed the Protectorate Hero enough for one night.

"How did you know that would be enough foam?" She asked, thinking back to her conversation with Taylor and hoping once more that she wouldn't have to find out if her force field also covered her hair.

"Experience." Miss Militia replied. "I have more with my bike if I needed, but our backup will be here soon."

Madison nodded thoughtfully, Lisa's idea of robbing the PRT armory (no matter how much she denied that was her intention) looking far more tempting all of a sudden.

"Those grenades really are effective."

Miss Militia nodded, her emptied grenade launcher switching back to some kind of pistol she holstered on her hip. "I know that must have been stressful and I'm sure it's given you a lot to think about, but I'd be happy to discuss any aspects of the Wards program if you have any outstanding questions or concerns?"

'I need my own grenade launcher.' Madison mused absently and Miss Militia brought a hand to her forehead.

"No that was not the lesson I was hoping you'd take away from this." Miss Militia sighed. "You shouldn't be facing criminals in the first place, let alone Villains like Oni Lee or Mush."

Madison blinked, realising she'd said that out loud. "If I join the Wards do I get grenades too?" She asked out of curiosity, trying to remember if she'd ever seen any Wards using them on the news.

The pause that followed was very telling.

"They're not standard issue." Miss Militia hedged and Madison couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her, hoping she'd managed to convey it even through the domino mask she was wearing.

"It's irrelevant because you wouldn't be in these situations in the first place." The Hero continued to Madison's unimpressed stare. "And if you were, you would have experienced Heroes and PRT personnel in the field to support you, so it wouldn't be necessary to begin with."

Which frankly sounded like making excuses to Madison's ears, but maybe that was her want to have a grenade launcher of her own talking...

The rumble of engines brought her out of her thoughts and she turned to see two large PRT vans coming up the street, their green and white emergency lights on even if the sirens weren't. Madison assumed Miss Militia had radioed ahead at some point since the containment foam turrets on the top of each van weren't deployed and manned, so they clearly weren't expecting any sort of a fight as both vans pulled up nearby and a squad of troopers spilled out of each and quickly got to work.

She watched as a squad went to secure Mush directly, two carrying large containment foam launchers of their own as others went to secure the other men and women they'd captured.

One of the PRT troopers peeled off from the others as he took off his helmet, measured confident steps taking him towards them and Madison chanced a glance towards Miss Militia who didn't seem surprised to see the figure in question.

"Calvert, good to see you."

The man nodded back, offering Madison a polite nod too before he returned his full attention to Miss Militia beside her. "Looks like we're late to the party again, though I'm glad I didn't miss the chance to meet a new Hero."

"She was a great deal of help, even if she has a bad habit of putting herself in harm's way." Miss Militia replied, giving her a side eye that Madison happily ignored, more curious about the man himself who offered her a disarming smile as he seemed to appraise her.

"Ghost Step this is Field Commander Thomas Calvert, you might end up working with him closely in the future. Calvert, Ghost Step. Brockton Bay's newest Vigilante."

"Independent Hero." Calvert corrected before she could and Madison blinked at him in surprise as he chuckled good naturedly.

"As a commander of the PRT strike squads it would be remiss of me to have not read your file. A pleasure." He continued, offering his hand which Madison took, pleasantly off balance from someone actually referring to her by the title she had laid claim too.

Thomas Calvert was definitely in her good books Madison considered as she shook the man's hand.

Chapter Text

Thomas Calvert

Timeline A

It hadn't been a difficult decision to drop the timeline that had him at home, working in his personal office when the call had come in.

Since Ghost Step had first appeared several weeks prior he had ensured he was always kept up to date on the nascent vigilante as with all new parahumans in Brockton Bay, not least because of her close association with his Undersiders or her power in general.

His own high level clearance within the PRT permitted him to view the majority of case files held on any new vigilante and his other means of access gave him the pleasure of being able to view more besides, leaving few files to remain outside of his reach. And of course he had his Tattletale who had served to corroborate and expand upon those details the PRT were not yet aware of, even if it seemed there was still yet more to learned about the newest Mover of Brockton Bay.

But it would have been a waste not to seize upon the opportunity as he split the timeline once more. In one instance he remained in his office within the PRT ENE headquarters, delegating the call out to his second. The man would view it as a favor, a chance to gain further command experience prior to his eventual promotion and such loyalty would be a useful thing when Thomas himself ascended to the station of Director for PRT ENE within the next three years.

In his primary timeline he accompanied the strike team and while they were not expecting any issues given Miss Militia's report and the updates received en route, caution was what had kept him alive, what had kept him successful and remained the lynchpin and foundation of his rise to greater heights yet.

The girl, 'Ghost Step' was an interesting one and Thomas was glad he had used his secondary timeline to refresh himself of the girl's interaction with Armsmaster during the drive over. Calling her an 'Independent Hero,' despite the disapproving look he'd received from Miss Militia was a small concession for the look of surprised gratitude it engendered to him from the vigilante herself.

Something he took full advantage of as he invited the girl to sit up front with him in the lead vehicle after Miss Militia had convinced her to attend a debrief, despite her obvious reluctance to take part in such a thing.

The door slammed shut and after waiting for the girl to fix her seatbelt he pulled out, following Miss Militia as she took point on her motorcycle ahead of the small convoy, Mush secured in the transport behind them as they began the drive back to the PRT headquarters Downtown.

He dropped the timeline where he had remained at headquarters himself. Caution had it's due, but where opportunity presented, certain risks could be afforded and he was doubtful he would have a greater opportunity than the one currently sitting next to him, splitting the timeline once more as the convoy continued its steady pace through the night's quiet streets.

Timeline A (cont)

"Quite a night." He offered neutrally, glancing over at the girl who seemed surprised to be in her position at all, though for someone with a Mover power like hers, he supposed sitting in a vehicle might have been something that was becoming more unusual to her than not.

"Yeah, things definitely didn't go as planned." She nodded to herself, a look on her face he couldn't quite decipher as she remained staring out the window to the front, her black domino mask further serving to obfuscate her expression from him.

"Oh? How so?" He prodded conversationally in the hopes he would be able to get her to open up more, at least before he resorted to other methods and was rewarded as she shrugged and turned back to him.

"I wasn't expecting to see the Merchants again and for all that the news talks about the Empire capes and the ABB, Mush is kind of terrifying when he gets going."

"Perhaps in another time he would have made an excellent Protectorate hero, but it sounds like you handled him easily enough?"

The girl huffed childishly, making no effort to hide what she thought of that statement. His Tattletale had mentioned the girl was straightforward and it was easy to see it now as she made no effort he could discern of hiding her true thoughts from him. But that was what his other timelines were for after all.

Timeline B (start)

"Quite a night" he offered neutrally, glancing over at the girl who seemed surprised to be in her position at all, though for someone with a Mover power like hers, he supposed sitting in a vehicle might have been something that was becoming more unusual to her than not.

"Yeah, things definitely didn't go as planned."  She nodded, a look on her face he couldn't quite decipher as she remained staring out the window to the front, her black domino mask further serving to obfuscate her expression from him.

"You weren't expecting Miss Militia to arrive and stop you from cleaning the place out?"

She looked up at him sharply and he smiled right back.

"It's hardly a secret you're little more than a criminal masquerading as a vigilante, I can imagine it was quite the disappointment when a real hero arrived."

"Independent Hero." She emphasised with a frown that was quickly deepening into a scowl. "I help people and I'm the one who called Armsmaster first and he was the one who even called Miss Militia to back me up, so maybe get your facts straight before you start throwing accusations around."

Well that was an interesting if regrettable slip on his part, but then he hadn't been tied into the console feed at the time. He decided to continue a little further, he had time and he was curious to see how far the girl's temper could be pushed and what they might reveal in such a display.

"A few small good deeds hardly excuses the brutality you've exhibited and the amounts of money you've been stealing since you've become active. Calling you a hero was a mere courtesy on my part, you certainly don't live up to the role you've claimed for yourself." Of course the former was an exaggeration, brutality was what that little viper Shadow Stalker had gotten up to and what he himself indulged in when he needed a release. But no one who purported themselves to be a hero wished to be reminded of their violent natures, least of all those who clung to their heroic identity like the vigilante sitting next to him.

"I've only hit people who attacked me first!" She immediately threw back and it was interesting to note that she focused on the accusations of brutality than those of the thefts she had already so deftly ignored. "I always give people the chance to surrender, it's just that they never do! They attack me, they try to shoot me, I have to defend myself!"

"And once again you dodge the question of your thefts, nothing more than a criminal, a villain trying to justify her actions through a few insignificant good deeds to ease your own conscience." His was a calm voice to her increasingly stressed one, noting how she winced at the accusation, an admission of guilt to anyone not already well aware of her petty thefts.

"I'm a Hero." She stressed, anger leaking into her voice. "I'm a good person and this isn't an interrogation! You don't know anything about me or what I've done!"

And then she was gone, her power so quiet he barely heard the soft sound above the low rumble of the van's engines that intruded through what soundproofing there was. An interesting moral code, just as his Tattletale had said.

He dropped the timeline.

Timeline A (cont)

He split the timelines again.

"I could barely do anything against Mush" the girl lamented, more exasperated than anguished as it was obvious she was thinking back to the fight itself.

"I was under the impression you could extend your Mover power to other people?" Something he knew of course, but an easy statement for the vigilante to bounce off as he saw her frown.

"Mostly." She acquiesced. "But I didn't even want to try it on someone that big and what would I even do with him anyway?" The question coming out as more rhetorical than anything.

"You couldn't simply deposit him in one of our cells?"

She scoffed, "I feel like Armsmaster wouldn't appreciate that."

Which was not an admission she couldn't do such a thing. Seemingly free with her emotions she might have been, but whether she had revealed the full extent of her abilities was another matter entirely.

The alleged force field for one was of particular interest to him and while he didn't necessarily doubt Panacea's report on the matter, the lack of empirical evidence or even a hint of such from his Tattletale suggested it was not an ability she advertised freely.

Timeline C (start)

"But if you could teleport Mush you would have been able to take him straight into one of the cells?" He pressed.

"Don't you have defenses against teleporters and that kind of thing?"

And he wasn't sure if it was yet another deflection or genuine curiosity at the question she asked in return.

"A hypothetical, if you'd indulge me." He tried instead to receive a shrug in response, the girl seeming to think nothing of the question as her gaze turned back to the window in front of her, eyes elsewhere for a moment.

"Probably best if I don't engage in hypotheticals, no offence."

A deflection then, no matter.

"I must insist." He tried again. "As strike commander it would do well to have knowledge of your abilities should we need to work together in the field."

"Or if you need to arrest me." She threw back casually, or perhaps not. Perhaps she was more shrewd, or simply more paranoid than he'd originally assumed.

"For a vigilante with a record of alleged crimes, the PRT cannot help but be concerned you may yet serve criminal interests. If not now then in the future and the knowledge that you do not have a way to commit a jail break of dangerous parahumans would go a long way to reassuring certain individuals within the organisation."

"Right." The girl scoffed, her tone belying just how much she thought of that statement as she glanced back to him. "Because they'll just take whatever I say at face value, sure."

"Well if your new cape friend was arrested, would you break her out?"

"Who?"

Thomas was curious to note that she actually seemed surprised at the question, did that mean the cape who had been with her when she'd engaged Oni Lee was a matter of happenstance or they had some other relationship? His Tattletale had called them a friend, though that was the word Ghost Step had used to describe the unknown parahuman to the Undersiders, or was that too a lie?

"Trillion." He offered plainly, glancing across to the girl to gauge her response, watching as he observed the understanding and the instant suspicion that replaced it.

"How do you know that name?"

He wondered if she would make the connection or perhaps already had. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone he decided to give his own name and see how the girl reacted.

"I am Coil, you'll find there is very little that I don't know."

Ah, the sudden comprehension, the fear and confusion before he saw the moment it clicked for her. "You're L-Tattletale's boss?!"

His power truly was a resource beyond measure with regards to information gathering, satisfied to have confirmation that his Tattletale hadn't been lying when she had claimed the vigilante had no idea of just who was bank rolling the Undersiders and her own forays into illegality. The slip too was interesting, it confirmed that Ghost Step did see a closer relationship with his Tattletale than one of mere business partners, the one sided friendship that his Tattletale had claimed to have been cultivating and perhaps something that could be exploited in time.

"Indeed." He replied, his voice neutral, authoritative yet not threatening following his mental shift into his Coil persona. "I trust you're finding your new bank card useful?"

"Um, yes. Thank you?"

Unbalanced yet not immediately hostile, if he did have need to reveal himself in future, it was useful to know the girl would remain cordial under appropriate circumstances.

"The least I could do." He replied with a polite smile the girl seemed to have little idea of what to do with and he decided to press. "I was disappointed to learn that you had declined an exchange of favors."

"Sorry." The girl offered with a tone that told him she was merely regretting that she need say as much to his face than the decision itself. She was tense, but she had remained in the vehicle with him yet and he could only wonder as to her own reasoning for doing so at all. That perhaps she too was seeking information for her own dubiously 'heroic' ends and at the conclusion of their conversation she would seek to present Miss Militia with a fait accompli of what she could claim to have discovered.

"Perhaps you could reconsider?" He asked, no part of him entertaining the possibility that he would keep the timeline should she agree, but it would allow him to approach further attempts with far greater finesse. "I'm sure we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement that would see us both come away richer for it."

She frowned, looking away for a moment. "I don't think so." She replied. "Sorry, it's one thing to maybe take some money from bad guys and get some help so I can actually use it. But I don't want to be a villain. I'm a Hero, I want to help people."

He hummed noncommittally. "As you can imagine from my position within the PRT and my organisation beyond it, my own resources are vast. Far in excess of what the PRT alone could ever hope to offer you."

He had her attention and continued, trying to keep eye contact even as he watched the road ahead. Testing each point of his argument from all he knew of the vigilante sitting next to him, that he might refine his approach should a new opportunity arise in future.

"You may think me a villain and I am of course by definition." He stated solemnly. "But like you I take actions others would deem reprehensible for the greater good, small actions of criminality for the wellbeing of the city and the people who call it home. I am perfectly placed to provide you actionable intelligence on a number of threats to civilians merely going about their daily lives and I imagine you could be far more effective if you knew who to strike and when."

Unlimited attempts and yet unless he wished to discard his safe timeline, a single attempt was all that was afforded to him. He watched the girl frown, her eyes elsewhere, so close to the edge of a decision as he wondered which points had struck close to the heart of her wants and what arguments still could have swayed her with words alone.

"It's a very generous offer." She began and he frowned as he heard the next words in his mind before she'd spoken them aloud. "But no thank you, I think that would be crossing a line. Not unless-" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Thank you, but no."

Well if he was going to drop the timeline anyway, it made sense to test her response on the other end of the scale as he hardened his expression, cold authority replacing any polite geniality in his tone.

"Then perhaps I will have to rescind my services to you and hold onto the funds you have already passed on to my people to be processed until you change your mind."

"Wait, just because I said no?!"

She was startled, but not afraid, not angry and he continued. "Ask yourself what use do I have for you? A disruptive influence in my city as I try to better it through my own means, an untrained girl who wishes only to use me and offers nothing in return."

"I don't owe you anything! I paid for a service that I could get from anyone!"

"Yes." He smirked and made sure she saw it. "And I'm sure the PRT would be delighted to hear about the extent of your illegal money laundering for your misbegotten gains, though I imagine that might cause a few issues with your own 'heroic' aspirations."

She gaped at him, seemingly at a loss for words and he enjoyed the moment, little more pleasurable than to have an opponent so flatfooted and only beginning to become aware of just how outmatched they were in any game of wits. "But-but you'd just be outing yourself?!"

He laughed, a forced thing, but it served to illustrate his point. "I am Coil and yet I am also a trusted field commander of the PRT, a valued consultant with years of experience and connections to call upon. I am respected by my men, by the heroes of the Protectorate and the Wards alike. Your word means nothing, your actions will be wasted and you will be left to rot in a cell, your power stripped from you as you regret each day that you did not make a better decision when the time came. When you could have helped people and instead chose to be selfish."

"Go fuck yourself."

"Petty words from one who has no recourse but their duty and spurns the very hand that would pull them to greater heights still." He responded calmly, an ice to her petulant fire. "Now let us see you give up these childish games, act as the adult you profess yourself to be and allow us to come to an arrangement that will benefit us both equally."

"No, fuck you! You just want to use me and my power you egocentric asshole! How does Lisa even work with you!?"

She was leaning away from him, anger in her voice that was mirrored by her expression. Simply another reason that only his Tattletale knew who her true employer was, even as she might tug pettily at the velvet leash around her neck. Dealing with the tantrums of one spoiled Thinker required enough of his attentions as it were to keep her off balance and second guessing herself. Their little check-ins every few weeks serving well to ferret out any secrets the girl thought she could hide from him.

"For the same reason that you will." He responded matter-of-factly. "Tattletale, Lisa was given a choice and in return for her current life, one of luxury, personal freedoms and only a few necessary conditions of her employment she has agreed to work for me. She lives free from a family she wished to escape, who only wished to use her, much as you do now and she enjoys more money than she has ever had the privilege to dream of. Now what will be your own choice?"

"Maybe you forgot asshole, but I'm a Hero and I can leave anytime I want." The girl spat back at him. "I'll rescue Lisa and tell the PRT everything you've done and get amnesty for everything we've done! The rest of the Undersiders too!"

Perhaps his Tattletale's efforts had been too successful if the girl thought she could 'rescue' his team from him. Though such bonds would serve well enough as the chains to keep her close and compliant if need be. A threat to his Tattletale need not only be given to the Thinker in question after all and if he could find a new pet? Then his Tattletale would serve a greater purpose yet as the shackle that would bind the immature vigilante to his cause.

"You are a vigilante and one who has no prospects." He snapped back. "The moment you leave I'll inform the PRT of our little discussion, edited of course. After all I already have all the evidence of your misdeeds simply waiting for the opportune moment to be brought to light. My superiors will thank me."

She glared at him and it was good to see she appreciated the truth of his threat even if the files he currently had were not nearly enough to enact the plan in full. What he had would do little more than to force a harsher probationary Wards contract on the girl than would otherwise be warranted, but he had honed himself against Thinkers, he would hardly lose to a mere vigilante with no Thinker powers to speak of.

"The Undersiders mean nothing to me." He continued, matching the girl's glare with an impassive look of his own. "They will hate you for what you've done, I protect them and you would strip that away from them. Their safety, their security and they will turn on you for the villain you always were. You will be hunted, the public will fear and hate you and all the good that you've ever done will vanish into obscurity long before you're hauled off in chains. All because you were selfish, convinced of your own self righteousness without thinking even once to the greater good we could do together for this city."

He couldn't tell if the girl next to him was about to cry or hit him as she struggled with her words, those that came, stuttering forth in a choking sob. "It's about doing the right thing, no matter what it takes. Even if people aren't grateful, even if they don't understand. She'll understand though. They will." The last word coming out as more of a declaration and Coil wondered if the girl was simply trying to convince herself as she glared back at him, a hardness to her own eyes matched only by the resolve he heard in the words she spat at him. "See you on the other side asshole."

And then she was gone.

Coil dropped the timeline.

Chapter Text

Thomas Calvert

Timeline A (cont)

"Yes Armsmaster can be a bit of a stick in the mud can't he, a pity he wasn't on the scene."

He split the timelines.

"I did call him." Ghost Step shrugged. "And he sent Miss Militia over which he didn't have to do."

"Certainly." He nodded back. "Though I'm surprised you agreed to come in, you've certainly appeared to have been avoiding the Protectorate Heroes since your first interaction with Armsmaster."

The girl looked away, as large a sign of guilt as he would ever see. "Well I don't want to look like I'm avoiding the PRT forever so I kind of had to do it at some point."

He chuckled, which seemed to reassure the girl as she looked back to him with a small sheepish smile of her own. "Well I'm glad you decided to." He continued. "I think there are plenty of people eager to meet you and even more interested in finally getting you through power testing."

"How do you even test a teleporting power?"

"The same as anything else." He replied easily, well aware of the full extent of the testing process and hopeful the girl would agree to participate. Their actual and hypothetical conversations so far had revealed vanishingly little in the way her powers functioned and there was only so long left in the journey.

"They'll run you through a few different areas. After all powers are rarely uniform in nature and they'll want to see if you have additional abilities that may not otherwise be obvious."

The pause and stilted response following was interesting.

"I see, so do they usually find other abilities? What about the more esoteric ones like Tinker or Thinker powers?"

A general question or a probe? He wondered as he responded in kind.

Timeline D (cont)

"They'll be able to test your force field for one." He remarked to the vigilante's musing question of how the PRT would test her teleportation power. The shorter answer would have simply been the single word 'extensively,' but that was something he doubted the girl wanted to hear and he'd leave that for the technicians to try and drag her into after he was done with her.

"Ah so you do know about that." Came the guilty response, at least confirming that Panacea's report was indeed accurate.

"It wasn't hard to piece together." He bluffed. "Able to take rather high caliber shells too as I understand?" Squealer's rampage in the Docks had been enlightening and even if the woman had gotten away, witness testimony that her latest creation had been appearing to fire at seemingly random rooftops presented the obvious conclusion that the Villain had been attempting to dispose of Ghost Step herself. That she had survived the experience with no discernable injury was simply another increment of her value to him once he found the right levers to press in order to bind her to his service.

"I think the buildings took most of the hits honestly." The girl replied, which didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't have been able to survive such firepower he considered as he looked back to her.

"So you know the limitations of your force field?"

"Not yet." She replied dismissively, as infuriatingly vague as always as he ruminated on the most efficient line of questioning that would provide the answers he sought.

"Well I'm sure power testing can answer that question." He supplied to start, only to receive a flat look in return.

"They can test my Mover power, but I'm not letting them shoot me until something gets through."

He chuckled good naturedly, trying to reassure the girl. After all it would be very useful for him to know if snipers would be wasted on the vigilante if it came down to it. "Nothing so serious." He waved off. "They'll simply scale up non-lethal impacts until you feel something. It's perfectly harmless or the Youth Guard would be all over us."

"Yeah, not happening." The girl replied, crossing her arms and he resisted the urge to grimace. He didn't want to waste any more time on what was looking to be a pointless conversation and let his hand drift to his holster, pressing the thumb release and drawing as Ghost Step looked back in alarm.

"What's going on?" She asked hurriedly looking outside for the threat and the weapon was almost level with her head before she teleported.

He dropped the timeline.

Timeline A (cont)

"There are plenty of tests they can do for other abilities you may not be aware of."

He split the timeline.

Timeline E (start)

"You see Miss Militia ahead of us?" He asked, letting his hand slowly drift to his holster as he watched the vigilante's gaze lock onto the outline of the Hero ahead of them. "Well she also went through extensive testing, after all it was important to determine the full extent of her abilities to understand just what she'd be capable of in the field."

The pistol came out slowly and quietly, any sound it made lost under his own voice and the low rumble of the engine around them.

"You might look at her and see only a Blaster, but there can be a lot of hidden sides to an ability that power testing exists to discover in any parahuman willing to participate."

It was awkward to angle the pistol without making an unnatural movement that would alert the girl next to him, but distracted as she was, the vigilante only had a chance to turn back to him before he fired into her side and he wasn't sure he'd landed more than a single shot if that before the girl was simply gone. The remaining rounds ricocheted loudly in the enclosed space and he grimaced as one caught him on the shoulder, the armor taking it, though he knew it would leave a bruise if he had to keep the timeline.

At least he could confirm there was no precognition in play and the girl was as vulnerable to distraction and misdirection as any other parahuman. He kept the timeline open, wondering how she would respond.

Timeline A (cont)

"Well for example to test for Tinker abilities they might place you in front of a table of materials. As I understand its rather hard for such individuals from being able to resist putting their abilities to use, especially if they have otherwise been deprived of high quality resources up to that point."

The girl nodded along thoughtfully, though apparently had no further contributions of her own to make on the topic.

"Do you expect they'll find something else?" He probed gently.

"I don't know, I don't even think I know the full extent of my abilities yet."

"Well that is what the testing is for." He replied easily as she looked back to him. "You haven't had your powers long so I'm sure there's plenty you've yet to discover."

"Yeah..." She sighed. "I'll figure it out eventually though."

Timeline E (cont)

He didn't have to wait long, ignoring his radio and watching as Miss Militia suddenly accelerated forward before coming to a stop in the middle of the road, swinging around to fire from a grenade launcher she had manifested. In the darkened street he barely saw the projectile bounce under the van before it detonated and the vehicle immediately lost power and it was certainly reassuring to know that Master-Stranger protocols were still in effect no matter what the vigilante had told them.

It was merely another point of data for the image he was building in his mind of the girl and he found himself partially surprised that she had gone to the PRT at all when it was 'one of their own' that had attempted to shoot her. Though perhaps that was her own bias in play and she mentally separated the heroes from the men and women who served with them.

The radio continued to bark and he ignored it, little interest in answering when the entire team would be relegated to confinement regardless of whether he supplied the correct codes of the day. Miss Militia would have to go too and Ghost Step herself if she cooperated, though he had his doubts that the girl would do so after their little interaction.

Still, to know that she would fight than flee was useful and made certain in his mind that he would likely require surprise coupled with focused firepower to enjoy a chance of taking down the vigilante should she turn on him or circumstances justified her removal from his city.

Unfortunately the girl was difficult to track and until he discovered her civilian identity, the only location she attended with any regularity was the home base of the Undersiders. Certainly a hit could be arranged to test the limits of her abilities, but the presence of his Tattletale would complicate things significantly and there were yet greater uses of his time as he prepared the stage for his next acquisitions.

As the van rolled to a stop, still meters away from the heavily armed and waiting hero he spared one final look to the otherwise empty streets, no sign of the vigilante to be found before at last dropping the timeline. No more to be learned.

Timeline A (cont)

He split the timeline again, ignoring the headache that was beginning to grow stronger at the constant use of his power in such a short frame of time.

"I'm sure, but the PRT can certainly make the process a lot easier." He smiled back to the girl's roll of her eyes, no doubt having heard the Wards pitch more times than she'd wished, which if he had to guess was likely any amount more than once.

There would be little merit in trying to push that avenue, even if it would make things easier for him in the long run. But it was of little consequence. He'd learnt a number of interesting things about the girl and once he was finished with other matters could dedicate more of his unfortunately limited time into turning her into a functional and if not loyal, then obedient asset.

Still, the new Mover presented potential problems and could complicate matters in a way that Oni Lee wouldn't. The ABB sociopath could easily be accounted for where a rogue vigilante couldn't and once more he was reminded of his own vulnerabilities despite the precautions he took. That the wrong cape in the wrong place could do so much to damage and delay the myriad plans he had in motion.

He had been moving slowly, steadily, building up the infrastructure of his base, his funds and his reach within the PRT itself. But perhaps it would be wise to begin accelerating his timeline within good reason and as circumstances allowed. He had no desire to be blindsided should yet another powerful vigilante appear and the Undersiders had already proved their value in their work for him.

After the events of the night circulated the Undersiders credibility would only rise further, especially once the Empire itself became aware of the little stunt they'd pulled, far ahead of the schedule he'd initially outlined for their gradual rise in prominence amongst the criminal factions of the city. And if the Empire didn't notice, as fat and languid as they were? Well he was certain that was something he could easily change.

"It seems we've reached the end of our time together." He remarked, turning off and approaching the entrance to the underground parking garage of the PRT ENE building as the girl glanced back to him and then looked forward with interest as they slipped below ground.

While it was something he had long gotten used to, he wondered if it was strange for the girl to see the activity going on around them and hear none of it as the active soundproofing from the outside and the rear compartment remaining engaged until he manually disengaged the system. A useful if expensive tinker-tech precaution to guard against most would-be verbal Masters during transport and sadly something he had yet to find a means to acquire for himself.

All at once the sound rushed in as he deactivated the system and he allowed himself a smile as the girl jumped slightly in surprise. "Sorry." He offered. "A standard countermeasure during transport."

She gave him an odd look as she undid her seatbelt. "But Mush was put in the other van?"

"Regulations don't always make sense." He chuckled as they got out and he made a note to guard his words more carefully if she was going to remain more observant than most. Of course he had only enabled the system to prevent any of the men in the rear compartment from potentially overhearing any of their hypothetical discussions and he would hardly be the first officer going through the motions who simply forgot to disengage the system after all.

"Well it was a pleasure to meet you Ghost Step." He smiled, offering his hand which the girl took with a slight hesitance that gave him pause as he continued without missing a beat. "And if you ever find yourself here again, feel free to stop by and say hello."

She nodded, a smile that was more polite than it was genuine on her own face as she looked back to him. "It was nice meeting you too, I'm going to go and find Miss Militia now though, bye!"

He watched her quickly depart, half an eye to the proceedings around him as the girl quickly spotted the hero and made her way towards them. Thomas frowned, thinking back over their interactions in the primary timeline he'd kept and wondering where her reluctance had come from. Perhaps he would bring his Tattletale in for a chat sooner than he'd initially scheduled at the end of the month.

It wouldn't do to be surprised after all.

M̹̃̽a̯̻d̀ͮi̭s̭͕͒oͪͥn͖͙̥ C̫̮͌lḛmeͨntͨs

The Maximizer shard was a strange stunted thing.

She could have refused it.

But the shard's requests were different, like the one from so far away she ignored when its requests found her, when it told her what to do. Only her family told her what to do.

But The Maximizer requested information, it did not presume to order her and so she indulged it, curious and wary of the strange shard and she followed the connection back with the simple data she provided.

It was easy to connect to, to follow in a way the Negotiator had not been. And yet it was broken, a twisted thing that she was unsure she could take as she had those before. It's connections were flailing grasping things as though thread sheered from a whole. So many points of entry, yet so little surety that she would maintain her control of it lest she burn its many sprawling roots.

It was broken. Like she wasn't.

It was... Confusing to look at, to experience as she watched, a passenger and observer both in the network that was not her own.

It's nature was simple. It was confusing, a seed with roots that could not sprout, defined without definition and it took her time to understand what the shard had required the data for, even as she had watched over her little sister. Making sure she was safe. That the unknown shard merely ran its simulations, that her sister was safe.

And it kept requesting data. Things she didn't understand until she did, tracing the path of connection, the tributaries that fed into a single greater river of two parallel streams that coiled within each other.

But the shard was broken. She couldn't read what it produced and she lingered, dedicating processing blocks away from other tasks until compatibility was found, until she understood, until she could watch and see.

And she saw her sister and a man she did not know.

There were still many things she did not know, that she couldn't remember. Sometimes it was stranger when she did remember. She didn't know why she knew the civilian identities of three Empire Eighty Eight parahumans, but the memory could no longer be lost.

She couldn't tell her little sister. Her sister's Lisa had told her the unwritten rules that she'd forgotten, the repercussions and so she would hold onto the information. Just in case it was needed. In case it was necessary. Rules were important. She remembered the destruction when they weren't. The Empire would die all the same.

But she did not know Thomas Calvert. He did not exist in her memories.

Coil did.

Surprise was not a familiar emotion to her any longer, yet she felt it strongly all the same as the connection was drawn by the man's own words that were never uttered for her little sister to hear.

She did not believe the host would appreciate the irony, that his own method of gathering data now simply offered it to her freely but she was satisfied this was so. Smug? Yes, she was smugly satisfied this was so.

What had been, what was still requested of her by the Maximizer shard she understood more clearly as she fed it further data, understanding the purpose for such requests with greater clarity as she slowly gained the ability to watch each simulation as it occurred.

She knew her little sister after all, a human mind was such a fragile, complex thing and yet shards could hold so much more. They could be changed and combined to do more still. She was still learning. Still planning. To keep her family safe.

And she watched, observing the parallel simulations it fed to its host with the data she had provided, the shard's own host's responses fed into the simulation in turn as each played out in a compressed burst of duality and in such a manner that the host saw no difference between what was and what could be.

She watched the shard simulate threats, simulate danger and slowly she understood more, even as she monitored her little sister ever more closely. Making certain she remained healthy, that she remained safe. Glad her little sister was unaware that the man next to her had attempted to simulate her death at his own hands in a hypothetical scenario they had no intent to come to pass.

Not yet.

With a thought she spun off a quest to her younger sister and fed this too to the shard to incorporate into its simulation. The host; Coil, Thomas Calvert was clever, maximizing use of his shard to gather information he would otherwise have little recourse to know and her little sister was vulnerable to such tricks unless she stopped it. If she refused the shard. But she did not, not yet.

Coil thought he had her measure, but her Lisa had told him little and Coil had not used his shard to demand more of her Lisa yet. She was glad her Lisa had chosen better, to be a friend and an ally both. She was grateful, her little sister needed companionship and she hadn't wanted to hurt or kill Lisa Wilbourn, it would have made her little sister upset. But her Lisa had chosen better, she was an ally, she was her Lisa and her Lisa would be protected just like her little sister.

They were hers.

She would let Coil believe his simulations were true infallible things, glimpses of a future he yet controlled. He was not her concern, she was still fully assimilating the Negotiator. Troublesome thing.

She would thank him if she had the means, only in part to spite him. If it would not cause further problems yet. She understood better those other requests she had ignored. Still ignored. Would continue to ignore. She. Her little sister, her Lisa would remain hidden from their reach. They would remain blind.

She hoped Coil would not go further. He would have to die and her little sister might be sad of the necessity. She knew her Lisa wouldn't and her little sister would protect her Lisa.

She knew Coil would go further. He desired control. A victory condition of absolutes. She hoped her little sister would be ready for the trial when it sought her, he was the blade her little sister did not know and could not see. Her Lisa could only see the blade but not the strike. But their ignorance was a mercy, it prevented the pain of knowing. Of having to act.

Something else loomed on a horizon she could not see, couldn't remember. Coil was nothing. The ruler of a petty fiefdom of no consequence, a weed that would be pulled should he dare to block the light. A distraction her little sister did not need.

She would be patient like the snake. If he attacked, if her little sister sought him out then he would learn defeat. Perhaps death. She did not fear him. He was a coward like her. He would not strike without his shard and therefore he could not strike without surprise.

The simulations ended and new ones began, but the man held no further interest in her little sister, not in such a manner he would act against her. Not yet.

And so she withdrew in turn, the shard a silver shining thing she could now recognise amongst the others and the strange distortions of its broken kin. But that was all she could see, the host was lost to her, just another human amongst billions.

Until he made the connection once more to her little sister or her Lisa.

She parsed her memories of what she had seen into the simulacra of recordings, watching the simulations from the beginning as she observed her little sister walking with Miss Militia into the bowels of the PRT. Considering.

Perhaps she would experiment.

If Coil chose to threaten either of hers again.

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Madison tried to hide her frown as she followed Miss Militia away from the bustle of activity behind them. Part of her was curious to see Mush being transported to a holding cell as a giant lump of foam, but really she still thinking about the quest she'd been given during the ride over.

[Quest: It's Not Paranoia if They're Really Out to Get You]

Madison Clements has established a friendly, professional relationship with PRT Field Commander Thomas Calvert, however should not divulge any consequential information about herself to Thomas Calvert or the PRT that they do not already know.

Madison Clements is aware that knowledge is power, however is cognizant of only a small number of threats that remain hidden from sight and would seek such knowledge to their own ends.

[Objective: Do not reveal any information about your abilities to Thomas Calvert or the PRT that is not already known to non-allies within reason]
Rewards: None

[OK]

She didn't understand the quest even as she didn't question Quest's motivations. Thomas Calvert had seemed nice and she liked speaking to him, even if he did seem like he wanted to learn everything there was to know about her if he could. But some people were just like that really, nice enough if a little overbearing at times.

She definitely didn't get bad vibes from him though and she wondered if Quest had picked up on something she hadn't or if she was over thinking things and Quest was just telling her to be cautious in general. Then again she knew that Lisa could supposedly hack into the PRT, so maybe it was about all the other criminals that could gain access to information about her that way? Lisa couldn't be the only one after all.

But then Quest had mentioned Calvert by name and she hadn't said anything about any of the other Heroes she'd spoke to... So did that mean it was the general rank and file of the PRT in general she was supposed to be cautious of and Calvert was named since he was the only trooper she would probably be interacting with in a professional capacity since he was so high up?

She bit back another frown, trying to smooth out her expression before Miss Militia picked up on it and asked her a question she wasn't interested in answering with a lie. Every time she thought she was in a good place of understanding it felt like something came out of nowhere - Usually courtesy of Quest to make her question things again.

With a small huff Madison shook her head. It wasn't like she was going to see Calvert again and she could always try and avoid him otherwise to be on the safe side. Besides, if worst came to worst she supposed she could ask Lisa to investigate him? Though she wasn't sure if that might be going too far. But then again Shadow Stalker apparently tried to maybe-murder people in her spare time so maybe she wouldn't be going far enough... She tried to put the thoughts from her mind as she paid a bit more attention to her surroundings, which as unfamiliar as they were managed to be both incredibly interesting and impressively dull at the same time.

She was literally inside the PRT headquarters as a Hero! But it was also a government building and so managed to be supremely boring to look at with its almost complete lack of decor and one long corridor they passed through looking identical to the next, especially when they were well off the scenic route any tours would use. It was easy to forget how late it was when they were walking under sterile fluorescent lighting and she wondered if people ever lost track of time if they were indoors all day.

"After the formalities, would you be interested in seeing the Wards common room? I can't promise that anyone will be around at this time, but I'm sure we can arrange something for another day if you'd like to meet everyone."

Madison perked up at the comment and not only because she'd be able to shove it in Lisa's and Taylor's faces. "Yes please!" She replied, hearing her own smile in her voice as Miss Militia returned one of her own if the crinkling of her eyes was anything to go by at least.

Not for the first time Madison wondered why the Hero walking alongside her had opted to cover the lower half of their face, though she wasn't sure if it was the kind of thing you weren't supposed to actually ask. She remembered all too well the accidental landmines she'd already stepped on when it came to discussing cell phones with Taylor or accidentally giving Lisa the impression she knew her full identity when they'd first met.

At least she hadn't screwed up with Amy yet as far as she knew.

As they passed into the next non-descript white corridor Madison tried to commit the details to memory. Knowing she'd be able to teleport back into the PRT building was terrifyingly awesome, even as she knew she'd be completely lost without any kind of landmark to go by if for some insane reason she decided to make use of it.

"And here we are." Miss Militia commented simply, opening the door to the appropriately named 'Meeting Room 4' and leading her in to a room that really wouldn't have looked out of place anywhere else - If it wasn't for the fact the chairs and the table looked a lot sturdier than she imagined was typical for a normal office meeting room.

Miss Militia gestured for her to take a seat and she did so, watching as the Hero took their own seat across from her.

"Now I'll need to get your formal confirmation in a moment." Miss Militia started, making sure she had Madison's full attention which definitely wasn't difficult, especially with the seriousness her tone conveyed. "But just to inform you that this session will be recorded, however due to your presumed status as a minor and your known status a Vigilante, the recording cannot be used in any legal capacity."

Madison nodded, already regretting her decision to come in as Miss Militia leaned forward, tapping a console in the centre of the table. "Official meeting between Protectorate Hero Miss Militia and the Vigilante Ghost Step. The date is February eleventh, the time is twenty-three eighteen. Present are Miss Militia and Ghost Step." Miss Militia looked over to her and she froze like a deer in headlights.

"Ghost Step, if you can confirm you are aware and consenting to this recording taking place?"

Madison quickly nodded and then realised she was an idiot and spoke up instead. "Yes! This is Ghost Step and I can confirm I'm aware and consenting to this recording."

Hopefully the whole meeting wouldn't be so stressful.

The door opened as she finished recounting the fight itself from her own perspective and she glanced over, stumbling over her words slightly as Armsmaster casually let himself in, a small folder in hand.

"-And then the PRT vans showed up and I got a ride back here." She finished awkwardly, trying to ignore the man and failing horribly as he took a seat next to Miss Militia across from her.

"Official note that Protectorate Hero Armsmaster is now present and participant to this meeting. The time is twenty-three thirty-seven." Miss Militia added with a note of formality and Madison blinked at the time, had she really been talking for twenty minutes?

"Thank you." Armsmaster began, looking across at her and she had no idea what the man was thinking. "I would like to begin by asking how you came across the information for your raids to begin with?"

'Crap, lie detector.' And she paused as she assembled the words in her head. "I got it from a trusted source."

"Is this source the Villain group known as The Undersiders?"

Okay maybe he was holding a grudge about her calling out his lie detector last time they met. Still she wouldn't technically be lying... "It wasn't."

She saw him frown. "Partial truth."

'Ha!' The source was the Empire idiot through the Undersiders!

"Please clarify the source of your information."

"It was from one of the Nazis apprehended at the dog fighting ring bust I told Assault about."

"Are you currently working with the Undersiders in any capacity?"

"I don't really see how that's relevant to my fight with Mush and the other gang members?"

There was the frown again, Miss Militia looking like she was going to simply let things play out. It was definitely strange being interrogated by Armsmaster, but it was reassuring to have the nice warm blanket of 'I can leave whenever I want.' Even without Miss Militia telling her nothing she said, in their current conversation at least could be used against her in a court of law.

"The two events appear directly linked and it's clear that The Undersiders hit two other gangs concurrently to your own strikes tonight."

"Well obviously we had the same source." She pointed out very reasonably in her opinion, though she wasn't sure Armsmaster felt the same way.

"Are you a member of The Undersiders?"

"No."

"Do you have any intention of joining The Undersiders?"

She paused, she'd never really thought about it because why would she? She was more interested in luring them to the Hero's side, even if she had absolutely no idea of how to go about it yet.

"Nope." She replied. "If anything I'd prefer they became the good guys."

"Need I remind you they are Villains, with a list of crimes to their names and they are to be apprehended on sight."

"So was Assault and he's awesome now." She shrugged and then froze when she realised she probably wasn't supposed to know that as both Heroes looked at her.

"That is restricted information."

"Ghost Step how do you know that?"

'Fuck.' "It was a rumor on PHO?"

"Lie."

'Fuck.'

"Ghost Step." Miss Militia tried, pre-empting Armsmaster who looked like he was about to say something else. "We need to know how you know that sort of information, it could be very damaging in the wrong hands."

'Fuck, fuck, fuck.' What was she supposed to do? If she told them that the PRT had leaks they'd assume it was the Undersiders with everything she'd already said and she really didn't want to throw them under the bus like that after all the help they'd given her. "A lot of groups have tried to recruit me since I started out." She answered instead, choosing her words carefully. "I've been told a lot of things to try and convince me one way or the other to be honest."

"Who told you?" Armsmaster demanded and she frowned back at him.

"It doesn't matter, it's common knowledge and who cares? He's a Hero now, no one I've spoken to thinks it's worth using against the PRT to begin with since you can just sell it as a redemption story if it came out anyway."

Miss Militia glanced at Armsmaster who caught the look and replied to the unspoken question. "True." He replied and Miss Militia sighed.

"Who told you this information Ghost Step?" Armsmaster demanded and she felt her own frown harden into a scowl

"It doesn't matter!" She stressed, feeling herself becoming annoyed that they cared so much about who told her something so harmless when she remembered all too vividly Brian touching his chest where Shadow Stalker had apparently shot to kill him or at least wound him, just because his power messed with hers. "Everyone knows the PRT has leaks, stuff gets onto PHO all the time and if you can't even stop Shadow Stalker going around trying to murder people then why the hell should I even trust you with who told me?"

"Explain yourself."

"What? What do you mean Ghost Step?"

Madison took a breath. She hadn't even been thinking of what Lisa and Brian had told her until she'd gotten angry and then it had just come out. She wasn't sure if it had been the right thing to say either. The Heroes in front of her were responsible for Shadow Stalker, it would be her own word against the Ward's and she knew who she would believe in their place.

When Lisa had told her originally she'd been unsure what to think, having difficulty believing the story as much as she trusted the two of them weren't lying to her. But then she'd just been stuck on what she should do about it. Shadow Stalker was a Ward with a good reputation and obviously had friends and other people who would vouch for her in the PRT. Ghost Step was a nobody, worse than that she was someone that some people still associated with the Empire, or as just an unreliable vigilante like all the others and her relationship with the PRT was more cautiously strained than anything else.

She had no evidence, just the word of two Villains who she doubted would be willing to give testimony if she asked them to and she couldn't be certain that Armsmaster wouldn't turn it into a trap for the three of them even if she did get Brian and Lisa to agree. The whole thing had been something she'd been putting off thinking about since she wasn't sure what she could actually do about it and she had no one who she could talk to about it besides. No one who could give her any advice or at least offer another perspective on things to help sort out all of her confused anxiety about the whole mess and it definitely wasn't something she wanted to dump on Taylor. Her friend already had enough problems in their life without her adding more on top.

Madison just wanted to leave. She could see the anger in Armsmaster's face and she didn't want an argument, she just wanted to go and keep helping people and not deal with them getting mad at her for accusing one of their own if they weren't going to listen to her anyway. And if she ran into Shadow Stalker... She'd deal with it then.

"Ghost Step, please." Miss Militia continued, pulling Madison's attention back to the her as she leaned forward slightly, a concern to Hero's eyes as she met her own. "If you have information that the PRT should be aware of then tell us, let us help. Let us investigate and fix whatever misunderstanding this is."

Madison took a breath before replying. Putting little effort into guarding her words considering Armsmaster was probably going to call her out one way or the other. "Along with the thing about Assault, I also learned that Shadow Stalker isn't exactly the good guy she's made out to be. They told me she's still keeping up her Vigilante patrols and is sometimes shooting to kill, or at least isn't picky about the arrows she's using and where she aims them."

"True, or at least you believe it to be true."

"Oh now you make the distinction." She snapped back before she could help herself, annoyed at herself for the loss of control as she scowled down at the table.

"It's a very serious accusation Ghost Step." The man in front of her continued and she glanced back up at him, his face and tone impassive even if she would swear she heard some disapproval in it. "Shadow Stalker is a respected member of the Wards and while she had issues as a Vigilante not unlike yourself, these have long since been addressed. I hope you have evidence to support any accusations you wish to level against her."

Madison couldn't help but scowl back at him. "Do you really think I wouldn't have told you sooner if I had any proof? Is your lie detector no longer good enough?" She bit back and cut herself off before she could antagonise the man further who only stared back at her dispassionately.

"You are demonstrably aware of my lie detector and have been actively working to subvert it throughout our interactions, therefore outside of being inadmissible as evidence your testimony cannot be relied upon. Especially with your alleged criminality and ties to a known Villain group."

"Spare me." She threw back, ready to give the whole thing up as a lost cause. "I didn't think you'd actually listen, I doubt I would if I were you." She sighed, leaning back in her chair, just tired. Was this what it was like for Taylor? When she tried to get help and no one believed her? Her word against the people who 'mattered' and nothing to show for it?

"I guess that's how she's gotten away with it for so long to begin with, who's going to believe some random girl who doesn't even have the best reputation to begin with?" She mused more to herself than the Heroes in front of her as she let her gaze drift up to the ceiling. 'Why did everything have to be so complicated?' She lamented, putting off looking back to the two Heroes in front of her as she took in the details of the entirely featureless ceiling above them.

"We're just trying to understand." Miss Militia spoke up, voice laced with concern, though who it was directed at Madison didn't care to guess. "And Armsmaster is right, Shadow Stalker is a Ward, who despite her past has become a respected and valued member of the team. By all accounts your information came from Villains who may not have had the best intentions at heart. Assuming you can trust what they've been telling you at all."

'A little help?' She asked in the privacy of her mind. Wondering why her power wanted to warn her about some random PRT officer, but apparently the maybe-murder-happy Ward was off limits. Though she hadn't met Shadow Stalker yet either, so maybe that was the trigger?

She didn't expect Quest to answer and barely avoided jumping out of her skin when the notification window appeared above her.

[Quest: To Wait is Not to Lose, To Act is Not Necessarily to Win]

Madison Clements has detailed her concerns regarding the Ward Shadow Stalker to the appropriate authorities despite her reservations and concerns over the capability and willingness of the PRT to act upon them.

Yet she knows all too well the value of trust and can ask no more of the Heroes in front of her as accusations so grave are laid upon one of their own. Only the words of outsider the weight of proof they provide in recompense.

Having played her part Madison Clements must allow the wheels of justice to turn, slow they might be, yet ready to act as a Hero must should they fail or the errant Ward strike once more.

Madison Clements is a Hero and one which exists within a system of laws and norms. She must always remember that to step beyond these is a choice to be made only when those systems truly fail. When there is no further recourse but the righteousness of one's own actions to fix that which should never have been broken at all.

[Objective: Allow the PRT to conduct their own investigation, act if required as a Hero should]
Rewards: None

[OK]

'Yes Mom.' She sighed internally, dismissing the notification from view with a mental command. She wasn't truly mollified, but she supposed she was a little more appreciative of where the Heroes in front of her were coming from as she let her gaze fall back to them.

She couldn't imagine she'd have taken it well if they started accusing 'Trillian' of attempted murder and expected her to believe them on their word alone. And Grue wouldn't talk, not that she was sure they'd believe him either, even if he had some kind of scar to prove it.

What had she even been trying to accomplish? If anything the Heroes would think she'd been compromised by Villains and if Shadow Stalker found out... Well if she had already apparently tried to kill Grue over a bad power interaction, Madison wasn't keen on finding out how the Ward would try to retaliate against her.

"Ghost Step?"

"Sorry." She replied, meeting Miss Militia's eyes again. "It's all a bit screwed up isn't it?" She mused sardonically before she glanced to Armsmaster before continuing. "I didn't mean to snap, but I meant what I said. Please don't let Shadow Stalker know about my accusations though, I think she'll try to kill me if she finds out."

She saw him grimace and Madison wondered if he thought she was trying to game his lie detector or prove a point. Either way message delivered she supposed and she shook her head, not even sure where the conversation could even go from there.

"Your caution and stress is understandable if you believe the veracity of the claims you've stated to us." Armsmaster replied, which she imagined was as close to an apology as the man was capable of. "This information will remain strictly confidential and your concerns will be investigated, as are any that are raised to us. Do you state for the record that you will not inform anyone else, during or after our ongoing investigation without explicit consent from the PRT?"

She frowned, but nodded. "I agree, unless I think someone's life will be in danger from withholding the information."

Armsmaster obviously didn't like that answer, but tough luck really. She couldn't imagine a scenario where she'd need to tell Taylor or her parents, but she sure as hell wasn't ruling it out. Better at least they knew where she drew the line.

"I think we should stop things here." Miss Militia interrupted, glancing to both of them. "Unless you have anything further you'd like to say on the matter?"

Madison shook her head, they'd basically gone over everything that had happened earlier and it wasn't like she could offer anything more about Shadow Stalker for the Heroes to work with. It was like Quest said, she had to let things play out. She wasn't a cop and either something would happen or it would be the flute all over again.

She didn't relish the thought of the latter, even if part of her was grimly accepting the inevitably of it. At least she could take some comfort in the fact that Shadow Stalker hadn't actually ever killed anyone before and the Undersiders were ready for her if the Ward did decide to try her luck again.

Armsmaster paused with a shake of his own head. "No, the matter is closed." He stated formally before moving to open the folder he'd placed down in front of him when he'd first arrived. She'd honestly forgot it was there at all and was immediately curious and not a little wary of the contents after their less than friendly exchange.

"As you may or may not be aware Ghost Step, Movers and Mover adjacent abilities serve as the backbone of the Endbringer battle logistics network, therefore it would be pertinent to discuss your own skills and how you may contribute as a volunteer should you be willing."

He pushed the papers he'd taken out of the folder across the table to her and she gingerly took them, a quick glance to the man before she actually had a look at them properly.

PARAHUMAN RESPONSE TEAM
STRATEGIC ENDBRINGER ASSET ASSESSMENT FORM

Below were a list of questions and tick boxes, half of which she didn't even know the answers to and there were only a few basic questions which were already filled out, presumably by the Hero in front of her. The questions that hadn't already been completed were... Extensive... Was it normal for Movers to know their own maximum heat tolerance down to the exact decimal point and that of the things they were transporting? Was her power affected by radiation? Did her power have any known or hypothesised effects on tinker-tech? The list went on... And on... And there was more than one page... She decided not to check if forms were printed on both sides.

"So this is for like, moving people to and from the battles right?" She hedged, glancing back to Armsmaster who nodded.

"That is the primary application of such abilities and there are a number of incentives for such a service, providing you can demonstrate the necessary abilities to fulfill the functions required of you of course."

'Well thanks for rubbing salt in the wound.' She thought to herself in slight amusement, seeing just how much money she'd have potentially been able to earn if she was on call at all times. - And if she had an applicable Mover power or the type of tinker-tech that could transport large groups of people straight to where the Endbringers appeared.

"Sorry my power doesn't work like that." She smiled awkwardly, pushing the forms back slightly. "I can't take groups and I definitely don't think I can take them to other countries."

"I see." Armsmaster responded simply. No disappointment, just an acknowledgement of the facts and it was like they'd never had an argument at all only a few minutes prior. Though he was a professional, so maybe their relationship wasn't completely ruined yet?

"Unfortunate, but not unexpected." He continued as if he'd expected that outcome from the start. "Nonetheless once you have participated in power testing we'll have a better idea of the scope of your abilities and where to place you in order to leverage your own skills during the fighting to maximum effect, whether that be search and rescue or otherwise."

"She is a minor." Miss Militia cut in more harshly than Madison thought she'd heard the woman speak before, the Hero's sharp gaze quickly softening as it turned to her.

"While we would appreciate it if you would take part in some power testing, if only to gain a better understanding of the safe limits of your power for both your sake and ours, it has nothing to do with the Endbringer battles which you are under absolutely no obligation to take part in. In fact I would strongly advise against it. None of our Wards take part if we can help it and I don't want to see someone as young as yourself thrown out onto the frontline before you're even an adult. There's plenty of time for you to gain the skills and experience you need, to grow as a Hero before you make that decision for yourself."

Madison only nodded. She'd seen the casualty rates like everyone else after all and the Endbringers were always like a looming inevitable shadow that people tried not to think too much about. It was easy between the waves. The twelve or so weeks when nothing should happen, even if they were already well over halfway through the current downtime the Endbringers currently allowed them.

Then the next one would strike somewhere, anywhere and the call for volunteers would go out again. She knew what her choice would be, but she was still afraid. Still didn't want to think about it, dwell on it just like anyone else. She wondered briefly if any of the Undersiders had ever gone and she wondered still if it would be in bad taste to ask.

"Thanks." She replied after a moment too long of being caught in her own thoughts and changed the subject back to Armsmaster's point, remembering her talk with the PRT officer on the ride over. "I'm not sure about power testing yet though. You're not expecting me to do that tonight, right?"

"Not at all." Miss Militia replied. "Though we would like to schedule a session with you at some point."

Well even if Thomas Calvert had been potentially lying about some things, he definitely hadn't been lying about that Madison mused as she nodded back. "Maybe, who would it be with?"

"The testing process is perfectly safe." Armsmaster cut back in as if to pre-empt some complaint she hadn't actually voiced. "All tests have been rigorously developed and improved since their inception and will be carried out by fully qualified PRT technicians and overseen by at least one Protectorate Hero at all times. A Youth Guard representative would be mandatory if you were a Ward, but as a Vigilante this is still a right you may request if it would make you more comfortable."

"Okay I'll think about it." She nodded, even though she was pretty sure both of the Heroes in front of her wanted her to commit to something right then. "Is there, anything else I guess?"

"No that's fine." Miss Militia nodded. "We'll finish things up here, but before you go would you still like a short tour, or if you'd prefer considering the time you can come back later today or tomorrow when you'll have a better chance of meeting the rest of the Wards?"

'To end things on a more positive note.' Was what Madison couldn't help but imagine was what the Hero in front of her had wanted to say and she found herself nodding along. She was still curious despite the whole mess of a conversation they'd had, even if she wasn't sure she could handle any more surprises for one night.

"Is there anyone in the Wards base now?" She asked and was surprised when Miss Militia didn't immediately say no, weren't there regulations about that sort of thing?

"There shouldn't be, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or two troublemakers were present." Miss Militia sighed and it was strange to see exasperation that wasn't directed at her for once.

Madison shrugged, not particularly bothered one way or the other, though she was admittedly curious as to who the Hero might have been referring to. "Well sure, let's go see who's home."

Chapter Text

Madison Clements

Was it bad that she was subverting the entire PRT security measures by her presence alone? That was bad right? That had to be something they were accounting for right? Madison couldn't help but worry as she accompanied Miss Militia down to the Wards base, getting a very brief tour on the way there.

After their meeting had wrapped up Armsmaster had quickly disappeared, something she had admittedly found herself a little relieved by even as she hoped their relationship hadn't gotten any worse. He'd been polite, but then he was the leader of all the Heroes so he was probably used to hiding what he actually thought behind a veneer of professionalism. She couldn't help but wonder what he thought of her after their argument though. She'd basically accused one of his subordinates of murder and she hoped he didn't hate her, even as she was pretty sure she'd done the right thing by bringing it up to him despite her reservations about everything to begin with.

The elevator down to the Wards base had required a retinal scan, a retinal scan and she knew that the moment she actually saw the Wards common room none of that or any of the other security measures they had would matter to her.

Did it make her a bad person for still going through with it? Was she supposed to feel guilty? Was she a bad person because she was more excited than guilty? She was a Hero so it wasn't like she'd ever abuse it. But still...

She barely listened to Miss Militia's explanation about the elevator as they descended, not that she could feel it. But that was PRT approved tinker-tech for you, only the changing numbers on the display letting her know they were moving at all.

She was disappointed to find another boring government hallway meeting them when the doors opened only a few moments later, some part of her expecting a little bit of color or something beyond more of the same as she followed Miss Militia out. The only real difference had been the pictures on the walls, headshots of current and past Wards in costume that were presumably for all the tourists and any other important visitors to be very impressed by. Though she didn't imagine that she'd appreciate walking past her own headshot every day unless the Wards had another way of getting in and out their base.

The door they ended up arriving at more than made up for the otherwise nondescript journey to it and her eyes widened involuntarily at the size of the entrance they'd come to. For one thing it was big enough that someone could drive one of the PRT vans through it with room to spare and the solid metal surface looked strong enough to withstand one crashing into it at full speed too. She couldn't help but wonder if part of that was purely for appearances sake alone, even as another part of her was pretty sure it wasn't

After all the premium tours arrived in the very spot she was standing in and not only did a big door make for a big impression, but she belatedly realised it would be pretty awkward for a whole tour group to be crowding around a regular sized doorway or window, everyone trying to look in all at once. And it probably went without saying that the PRT would want their Wards well protected, even beyond being however far below ground they actually were.

There was another retinal scanner for the door itself and as Miss Militia completed the scan, Madison watched as the red light above the terminal blinked from red to yellow and... Nothing happened?

She glanced to Miss Militia who looked back to her with a smile in her eyes, apparently enjoying being tour guide, or at least doing a very good impression of it as she explained.

"Once an authorised access request goes through, the Wards are given a thirty second warning to put on masks before the door opens."

"Oh." Madison replied as she tried to imagine how much of a pain that would be to deal with every day. "Is that as annoying as it sounds?"

Miss Militia laughed. "Sometimes, but you can always leave the room as long as you don't make a habit of it. There are always spare masks in reach regardless and we haven't had an incident yet."

Madison nodded as she noticed the light switch from yellow to green, the door whirring as it rose up into the ceiling and she got a better appreciation for just how thick the thing was, her eyebrows rising at how fast and seamlessly it moved despite looking like it weighed more that Squealer's monster truck-tank thing.

She couldn't help but be impressed by the sight that greeted her beyond it though, a large open common room that put the lounge area of the Undersiders base to shame, at least in size alone. She briefly considered that there was probably something very wrong with her life that she was comparing the casual space of a literal underground Hero base to a secret Villain lair and was currently trying to decide which of the two she liked more.

The first thing she saw and she supposed any tour group would see were the comfortable looking couches around a large coffee table that had a bowl of snacks and a few magazines left on top, the table sitting in front of a TV that while it didn't come close to the size of the one the Undersiders had, definitely made a respectable showing for itself.

Further in she could see a small kitchenette tucked away in the far corner, a table and chairs nearby and her attention was caught by the short figure in full costume busy getting themselves a glass of juice who looked back to see who it was and very obviously paused in surprise.

"Vista." Miss Militia called out in greeting, though it had more the tone of a disappointed parent than something she would have expected to hear from the Hero next to her. "This is Ghost Step, we've just come from a debriefing and she agreed to a short tour of the facilities before she leaves for the night. She's signed the NDA, though I hope no one has left anything out that they shouldn't have again."

Space seemed to distort, compressing in a curl of warped color and suddenly Vista was in front of them, glass of juice left on the table behind them. 'Was that how people felt when she teleported everywhere?'

"Hey." Madison offered with a small wave, smiling at the younger Ward who seemed to have quickly schooled their own interest into an attempt of detached professionalism. Though that broke somewhat at Madison's own casual greeting and Vista seemed torn over how she wanted to reply in turn, Miss Militia's presence next to them probably not helping things either.

"Hi, I'm Vista." The shorter girl greeted. 'And wasn't that an unusual and welcome change.' Madison couldn't help but think to herself sardonically as Vista offered their hand which Madison took with a smile, partly amused at the seriousness of the other girl as much as she was happy to finally be meeting one of the Wards and one of the members she was actually a fan of too!

Unfortunately neither of them seemed to know what to say next, or at least Madison didn't and Vista seemed like she was being polite enough to let Madison speak next, which didn't help either. Miss Militia still standing right next to them only making Madison remember the time when she'd visited a friend's house and said friend's mom was in the same room and could hear everything they were saying. Definitely not awkward at all.

"Your power is really cool." She finally settled on, because outright honesty hadn't failed her so far! (If she ignored all the times it made things at the very least temporarily worse!) "You're one of the most experienced Wards right?" She ploughed on to Vista's obvious surprise. "So I bet you know all kinds of interesting ways to use your power, any tips and tricks for the newbie?" Because their powers were sort of similar. If she squinted. But she figured her power was closer in application to Vista's than Velocity's at least when it came to actual practical advice, though she hadn't actually met the Protectorate Hero yet either.

Still, apparently that was the right thing to say as Vista preened, suddenly looking a lot more pleased that Madison had interrupted her night with Miss Militia in tow. "I am." She all but proudly declared. "If you're joining I'd be happy to mentor you if you need, you are joining right? Please tell me your joining."

"I'm still thinking about it." She deferred, feeling like she'd be kicking a puppy if she outright said no, though that didn't stop Vista from deflating anyway.

"Let me show you the room! I need another girl on the team and Shadow Stalker's a bi-" Vista caught herself as she seemed to remember Miss Militia was present. "Come on, the tours have to stand at the door but you can come in right?" She asked, though the question seemed to be more directed to Miss Militia than her as Madison had no real idea herself and followed Vista's gaze back to the Protectorate Hero.

After she'd agreed to the tour, Miss Militia had produced a tablet for her to sign several NDAs which she'd been told were standard for any tour group, just in case she saw or heard something she wasn't supposed to and Madison was keenly aware that if she screwed up on that front she'd shoot up the priority list for capture and be buried under a mountain of legal action besides.

"It's fine." Miss Militia nodded. "I'll wait here but stick to the common area."

Vista wasted no time in literally dragging her away and out of earshot of the other Hero. "So you fought Oni Lee right?" She asked the moment they were far enough away and Madison nodded, watching the other girl sigh in what she was pretty sure was frustration.

"I saw the footage on PHO, who was the other girl? Will she be coming over too? Is she a Mover like you?"

"She's my friend." Madison answered, wondering where the polite, overly serious Ward had disappeared to. "And no she's not a Mover."

Vista just nodded thoughtfully. "Well the Wards take anyone, are you really not joining?"

Madison could only give her a strained smile. "Not yet at least, I'm still doing my own thing."

"Please? We can partner up for patrols and with our powers we can cover so much ground."

"Can't we partner up anyway?" She asked out of curiosity. "I mean Glory Girl joins you guys all the time right?"

Vista briefly looked like she'd bitten into something sour. "I guess, but if you joined you'd have an actual costume and you could hang out and use the TV whenever you want."

Madison had thought it would be cool meeting Vista, but she was beginning to feel like she'd made a terrible decision seeing how it felt like she was being forced to disappoint the other girl at every turn.

"Don't the others want to use the TV?" She tried instead, vainly attempting to move to safer ground as Vista only shrugged in response.

"Not really, usually not everyone's in at the same time and one person would be on console in the other room anyway." She gestured to the far side of the room and Madison saw the non-descript door in question that had an unlit light above it.

"No one's there at this time." Vista continued. "After eleven it gets handed over to the Protectorate unless things get crazy."

"Can we look inside?"

Vista gave her an odd look. "It's just a computer with a headset."

Madison could only shrug back in response. "I'm curious."

"Well I am supposed to be giving you a tour I guess." She said more to herself than Madison. "I'm showing Ghost Step the console room, don't freak out!" Vista called back to Miss Militia who just waved her off.

"Freak out?" Madison couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing." Vista replied, before giving her a curious look. "Can you teleport us inside the console room from here?"

"Not unless the door was open." Madison replied honestly. "I can teleport us to the door though?"

Vista looked interested. "If I make the distance smaller will it still work?"

"I... Have no idea?"

Apparently that wasn't a hypothetical as Vista did just that before looking back to her expectantly and Madison simply offered her hand which the other girl took.

Madison tried to teleport them and... Frowned. She could see the space she wanted to get to, but it wasn't there. Like two overlapping images and she was trying to fit between them. "Nope." She declared after a moment, feeling like she was going to get a headache if she kept trying.

Vista smirked. "Looks like I'll be the one to capture you if you ever go Villain then."

And Madison was definitely petty enough to rise to the implied challenge. "We haven't tested if I can teleport out of your weird space yet thank you." She replied with a challenging look of her own, or at least as much of one as she could convey from behind her own domino mask.

Space distorted, the door to the console room and everything else suddenly a lot further away, even as the room beyond it stayed the same in general and Vista raised her an expectant look of her own. Madison focused and-

-They were back by the TV and she looked to Vista triumphantly before they were both interrupted by Miss Militia.

"What are you two doing exactly?"

"Power testing?" Madison replied cautiously to Miss Militia's hard look.

The woman in question only seemed to scrutinise them both further. "No unsanctioned power testing of unknown power interactions in the Wards common room. Vista you especially should know that."

"It was my idea." Madison threw in, not wanting to see the other girl thrown under the bus for her sake.

"Regardless." Miss Militia cut back. "Vista is a Ward and should know better."

Madison couldn't really let it end at that, seeing the other girl's scowl she quickly tried to hide and knowing Vista would probably be in trouble the moment 'Ghost Step' left for the night. "Vista was just helping me out, she's really good at this. Does she mentor the other Wards? With all her experience I mean."

Vista shot her a confused look as Miss Militia raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure she can work with you like everyone else if you do decide to join."

"I'm still not sold on power testing." Madison shrugged back. "But if you can promise Vista will be there and won't get in trouble for my idea I might be more interested."

"That could be arranged."

"Neat." She smiled, offering the baffled girl next to her a high five which she returned in confusion.

"You didn't need to do that." Vista said plainly, watching as Madison poked her head into the console room and confirmed it was basically what she'd expected. There was a table, two computer monitors on opposite sides of the desk with their respective peripherals and a really large screen mounted to the wall.

"I wanted to." Madison returned easily. "They can't punish me and it would suck if you got yelled at when we were both doing it."

"I should have known better."

Madison shrugged. "Have you ever accidentally teleported into your friend's kitchen and outed yourself as a cape?"

"What? No?"

"Exactly." Madison smirked. "Rest assured you will never be as big a screw-up as me."

Vista gave her an odd look. "For someone who fought Oni Lee with a crowbar you're really weird."

"In a good way?"

It was Vista's turn to shrug. "Still better than some people."

'Shadow Stalker.' Madison couldn't help but think to herself and yep she was extremely glad they hadn't been the Ward she'd ended up meeting instead, that would have been... Awkward.

"Is she really that bad?"

"Who?"

"Shadow Stalker."

Vista frowned and it was obvious she wasn't sure how truthful she should be. "She's not that bad, just anti-social."

"Uh huh." Madison replied, injecting about as much doubt into her voice as she felt was appropriate.

Which was a lot.

Vista shot her a look. "She doesn't like anybody, it's fine."

"Still." Madison considered. "I'm guessing you two aren't buddy-buddy."

"What's it to you?" The other girl said defensively and Madison realised how that might have come across.

"Sorry not what I meant, I'm apparently very bad at the making friends thing. I was going to ask if you wanted to trade numbers so we can chat? I mean I'm not joining the Wards, but I'm still a Hero and just because I'm not here it doesn't mean we can't be friends right?" Continuing with a considering hum as another thought struck her. "I think you and my friend from the video would get along too honestly, she's annoyingly mature herself at times as well."

She looked back to Vista to find the younger Hero looking completely bewildered, though Madison wasn't entirely sure why. It wasn't like the Wards weren't all friends with Glory Girl and maybe Amy? And Vista clearly wanted a non-murdery friend or two if her attempts to get Ghost Step to join the Wards were anything to go by. And if their whole conversation so far had been anything to go by, Madison was pretty sure it'd be fun to keep in touch with Vista unless the other girl didn't want to.

"Oh, um sure? Wait I can't?" Vista paused uncertainly with a frown.

"How come?"

Vista gave her a pained look. "I can't give you my real number and I'm not supposed to give out my Wards number without permission. And I bet they'd want to read our conversations to make sure you aren't actually a Master or something anyway..." She grumbled and Madison paused in surprise.

'Huh.' She definitely hadn't thought of it like that, though that did give her an idea...

"So if you had another personal phone it'd be fine?"

Vista threw her a questioning look. "I... Guess? The PRT can't look at my personal stuff and I don't have to declare things like that, but I don't have another phone and I can't accept gifts as a Ward."

'As a Ward huh?' Madison considered. Yep, she had an idea.

Clearly Quest was rubbing off on her.

Amy Dallon

Diamond Quest: Hi Amy! Please can you do me a tiny favor?

Amy: Because that isn't suspicious at all. What do you want?

Diamond Quest: Okay this is going to sound weird. But I need to pass a gift to someone who is totally not Vista in her civilian identity (she knows about it sort of). But I don't know her civilian identity and obviously I don't want to know that

Amy: What?

Diamond Quest: Well it's so we can be texting buddies like you and me are

Amy: We are not texting buddies

Diamond Quest: We totally are. So, help? I am willing to bribe you with snacks.

Amy: You already do that

Diamond Quest: More snacks?

Amy: What even is the gift?  You're not literally sending her a new phone are you?

Diamond Quest: Yes? How else would we be texting buddies?

Amy: Don't try and bribe a Ward. Why do I even need to tell you this

Diamond Quest: I'm not! She can't text me on her normal phone and her Wards phone is bugged. It's not like your parents check your messages. She's your friend too right?

Amy: It better be factory sealed

Diamond Quest: Obviously

Amy: I feel like this is a terrible idea

Diamond Quest: Blame it all on me if anything goes wrong?

Amy: That goes without saying

Diamond Quest: So that's a yes?

Amy: No. I'm coming with you to buy the phone. If she says no after then I'm keeping it

Diamond Quest: You're the best Amy! :D

Amy: I know. I'm too good for you, I'll text you when I'm free

Rolling her eyes she put her phone away, ignoring the curious look one of the nurses gave her as she did so. Even without being there her new... Friend? Was managing to give her a headache and Amy wondered how on earth the other girl had managed to run into Vista at midnight, because she was damn sure the vigilante hadn't been sitting on that request for long.

Shaking her head she began to head down the hall and couldn't help but let out a huff of dry amusement in the realisation that even without the vigilante and her sister actually meeting, she had somehow been dragged into going to the mall anyway.

Chapter Text

Colin Wallis

Colin frowned as the alert came in, though Dragon spoke before he could pass comment.

"It's fine Colin, we can continue later."

"Thank you, hopefully the next matter won't take too much of my time." And while he felt his report the previous night had been more than sufficient, he was ultimately unsurprised to receive a meeting request from the Director considering its contents. Even as he had hoped for more time in the lab before he was summoned.

"Is it about the new vigilante you told me about?" Came Dragon's voice in his earpiece, a calming balm to the small irritation he felt at having to stop his work once more at a critical juncture.

"I would imagine so." He replied, accepting the meeting on his HUD before dismissing his calendar as he quickly amended his own notes which would allow him to resume his work with minimal interruption later. "And most likely another matter that was raised during their debrief, though I believe it is one that can be resolved in short order given the known facts."

"Oh? That's unusually circumspect of you Colin."

He frowned again, though this time the reason was entirely different as he quickly and efficiently stored his tools away, materials returned to their requisite shelves and a verbal command locking down his access terminal.

"Unfortunately it's not a matter I can discuss, as much as you know I value your input."

"I understand." Dragon chuckled warmly. "There have been enough Guild activities I haven't been able to disclose to know how you're probably feeling."

"Indeed." As with many things he imagined Dragon's input would have been invaluable. Even beyond the acuity of her mind as a fellow Tinker, she had helped ease over certain social mis-steps he had committed in the past and had provided an outside perspective on events as he'd discussed his own dealings with the recalcitrant vigilante.

That Ghost Step had taken the liberty of contacting him directly for advice only proved his approach to the vigilante had been correct in their first meeting and it was clear that if he could continue to act as a responsible figure of authority, she would acquiesce to becoming a Ward in time thanks to his efforts. Which would be another success to aid in his inevitable promotion to a greater station in due course.

Ghost Step's refusal to commit to power testing was disappointing if not unexpected and an obstacle that would likely prove only temporary given her positive interaction with Vista as Hannah had informed him following. Another such meeting would do well to reassure the vigilante that power testing was valuable for all and he could think of a number of applications for her shown abilities with regards to his own projects should he have the opportunity to study her power in detail.

Unfortunately, thanks to baseless rumors and other misinformation a number of vigilantes, Wards and their parents were under the misapprehension that power testing would force the participant to be subject to some grueling punishment they would have to endure. Rather than seeing it as the opportunity it was for both the PRT and the individual being tested to gain a greater understanding of their power and any latent abilities they may yet be unaware of.

But such discussions he had long learned to delegate to his more socially adept colleagues when circumstances allowed. If only for the time such conversations and reassurances would inevitably be required of him when he had far more important matters that required his personal attention. That his colleagues' successes in such endeavors would reflect well on him personally was merely a natural by-product of his good judgment and leadership.

No he knew his own strengths, just as he was aware of those few perceived weaknesses he had, both real and imagined that he continued to improve upon as time went by.

"Well I'll let you get going Colin, I'll contact you later."

"Thank you." He replied, ensuring everything in his lab was as it should be, his heads up display notifying him that Dragon had closed the connection and he dismissed the notification with practised ease, a simple query confirming the bridge remained functional and he wouldn't need to seek alternate means by which to arrive at the mainland.

The walk to the garage was not a particularly long one, however by necessity Tinker labs - Despite being constructed to stringent safety standards remained separate from more critical areas of base infrastructure and the HUD he had designed for his visor allowed him to continue working at a lesser pace with eye movements and subtle head movements alone as he made his way down through the building to the departure station.

With a shimmer akin to a pearlescent curtain being parted, the force field that covered the entire structure of the Protectorate HQ opened to allow him egress and from atop his motorcycle he gave a perfunctory nod to the technician manning the terminal. Only a moment later the force field road was deployed over the water's surface, connecting the converted oil rig to the mainland and he had to wait only a moment longer for the technician to confirm there were no issues that would require him to instead requisition a boat or a helicopter for the trip instead.

The journey itself was neither long nor anything he was unfamiliar with after so many years of service, however he was well aware of the number of eyes and cameras that might be following him from the moment of his departure until he slipped into the underground parking lot of the PRT ENE Headquarters and so as always he ensured all images and recordings would only serve to maintain his brand of redoubtable professionalism in the public eye.

In truth he preferred to spend as little time in the PRT ENE Headquarters as possible and while he did have a secondary lab at the location, it lacked the majority of tools, materials and functions of his main facility within the Protectorate HQ and there was little else to keep him in the building beyond those responsibilities that on occasion held him there.

Hannah was there to greet him as he arrived and he nodded to her with the exchange of greetings that followed, one of the few of his colleagues he could also name as a friend. Her weapon continued to shift forms as they spoke and made their way further into the building and while he was ever interested in spotting a new permutation when such occurred, he was long since used to such a sight and easily put it from his mind.

As was often the case when they were together, his thoughts turned to his ongoing project in attempting to replicate Hannah's power towards his own ends and the additional tests he had yet to complete once the Director's business was finished and no further obligations would keep him in the building. Hannah's weapon could be summoned back to her at will, making her effectively impossible to disarm and such an ability would be a boon to his own work, that along with his other projects would only increase his capabilities in the field.

"Have you given any thought to what we discussed?"

"I have." He replied, mentally shifting gears to their previous discussion. "However you are well aware of my responsibilities and with claims of such little merit, to conduct such an investigation myself would be an entirely unnecessary impingement upon my time."

After the vigilante had left following her visit to the Wards common room the two of them had reconvened, though the discussion had been brief and unproductive before he had returned to the Protectorate HQ afterwards.

The girl certainly may have thought she was telling the truth, but there was no substance to her accusations and she had provided no evidence to support her likely spurious allegations. Claims on his own time were already numerous and he had little need for it to be intruded upon further with such pointless investigations. Certainly an investigation would be carried out, as well it should be. But there was little need for him to see to the matter personally with his own diverse commitments that held far more importance than a girl attempting to deflect attention from her own petty misdemeanors and it was unfortunate that Hannah did not share his view.

Hannah didn't say anything more and they took the elevator in silence, something for which he was grateful. He respected Hannah a great deal and after working alongside her for so long in Brockton Bay there was a mutual trust and understanding between them, even if they did at times clash on the particulars of various issues. However they respected each other's boundaries and were typically happy to defer to the other in situations that might play to the other's strengths at such times it was appropriate to do so and Hannah had certainly been far better positioned to give the vigilante a tour following the outcome of the debrief itself.

It wasn't long before they reached their destination and two sharp raps on the door was their greeting, only having to wait a moment for the Director's voice to reply.

"Enter."

He opened the door first, holding it open for Hannah and quickly took in the room. No chairs, which was indicative of either the desire for a short meeting or an unpleasant one, activities that were typically mutually exclusive.

"Armsmaster, Miss Militia thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

It was a formality of course and he nodded while Hannah gave a greeting of her own.

"Let's start with the positives shall we?" The Director started, no cheer to her tone and Colin found himself straightening his posture further, keeping his features schooled in impassive neutrality as the Director spoke, her gave turning to Miss Militia on his right.

"You brought in Mush with minimal collateral, no friendly casualties and finally got Ghost Step in for a meet. Good work."

"Thank you."

"I've read your reports." The Director continued, her gaze between them both. "But how receptive did she seem to joining the Wards when you spoke with her?"

He saw Hannah defer to him to speak first and did so. "I believe that while she intends to maintain a strong working relationship with the PRT as a whole, she will not be convinced to join the Wards until such a time that she feels confident in having established her own heroic brand."

"And how close do you think she is to doing that?"

"This is unfortunately difficult to determine." He replied with a measured frown, after investigating Ghost Step's previous arrests, examining the former Grease Snakes hideout following their initial interaction and speaking to several witnesses, it was highly likely that the vigilante had absconded with perhaps several thousand dollars. However the true amount was regrettably heavily obfuscated by the violent success of the Merchant raid and there was a high probability that Squealer's armored vehicle had contained the majority of the money that should have been at the location in question.

"It's a question of two parts." He continued. "Namely it is difficult to determine the extent of Ghost Step's funding towards her goal and furthermore the means by which she intends to acquire a costume and therefore the inherent quality of this service and the production timescale involved."

The Director grimaced, not an unfamiliar sight, however something he endeavored not to provoke with his own words when they spoke. "So anything from a week to a year, assuming she survives long enough to wear it and doesn't decide on a change of career path in the mean time." She concluded, turning her sharp gaze to Hannah expectantly who jumped to reply.

"Despite the concern she raised in our meeting it's clear she remains happy to work with the PRT, she prioritised my own safety during our altercation with Mush, followed orders and got along well with Vista when the two were introduced." Hannah replied, more consideration in her own tone and Colin knew that Hannah had likely been thinking the matter over since she had met the girl the previous night. "However it's also equally clear to me that control over her own identity is a sticking point that she won't budge on and so any offer of membership that she would accept, would likely be contingent on a significant amount of control over her own branding and image both now and in the future."

"And I'm tempted to let her." The Director bit out as her face twisted into a scowl. "But I'll be overruled the moment we sign her on if not before and then we'll have a angry teenager with potentially one of the highest Mover ratings on the East Coast to deal with."

He watched her pause, well accustomed to such and knowing better than to make his own contributions until she had finished and invited them to follow, a shake of her head dismissing her previous line of thought before she continued. "No. The fact that she's happy to work with us at all despite her newest grievance is good enough for now. Focus on building your rapport with her, both of you. Get her in for power testing if you can, but don't push too hard for now. We know now that SEA won't be interested in her and if she does volunteer she'll be assigned to search and rescue unless she pulls out another surprise, so that's not a fire burning under us anymore."

Steeled eyes met them both in turn and Colin readied himself for what was clearly the real reason he had been summoned along with Hannah to meet the Director in person so early in the morning.

"Now explain to me. Both of you, how what should have been a simple debrief of our newest vigilante turned into an accusation of attempted murder against one of our Wards. A Ward who I understand was neither at the scene of the fight, nor has interacted with Ghost Step in any capacity at any point."

"If I may?" Colin began and waited for the Director's nod before continuing.

"Evidence suggests that Ghost Step is working with at least one known villain group in the city. She has admitted to such factions attempting to recruit her in the past and it is therefore clear that such groups may have manufactured information to sway her to their point of view, assuming they have not in fact already succeeded."

He ignored what he knew to be a sharp look from Hannah to his right, even if to anyone else they would have only seen the slight inclination of her head and the tightening of her eyes. His own gaze remained focused on the Director who he was displeased to note appeared distinctly unimpressed as she replied.

"A vigilante that I would remind you Armsmaster called you on your personal line for advice while actively engaging several threats to her life that she could have simply left at any point. Who by all accounts prioritises the safety of civilians, Protectorate Heroes and injured parties regardless of allegiance and frankly has been more forthright in conversations with authorities than several of our own Wards are in the course of an entire week."

He couldn't help but frown at the slight against his person. As leader of the Protectorate and the Wards, a comment against his younger charges was by extension a reflection on him personally. "Ghost Step is cognizant of my lie detector and it is well within her shown abilities to work to subvert it and place a false narrative. The verifiable information she has been given was likely planted to provide the foundation that subsequent lies would be believed more readily. Ghost Step is known to have worked with the Undersiders on at least one occasion and a far stronger case can be made that several villains are attempting to erode her faith in our institution than having merit of their own that we are somehow unaware of."

"I won't denigrate the girl for having the sense to truce with a bunch of petty thieves against the Empire, half of whom are near complete unknowns. We wouldn't ask our own Wards to play those odds and as much as I'd like to sweep up the lot of them we have bigger priorities."

He didn't reply, well aware the woman in front of him wasn't done, even as she gave every appearance of daring him to do so before she continued, her tone narrowing to a fine point that she drove into him.

"No. I'm not interested in the girl's character or that of her alleged associates right now. What I care about is that we have rumors that one of our Wards is regularly going off the reservation to the point that a villain group thinks this is an adequate recruitment pitch for a demonstrably heroically inclined vigilante, despite her own petty thievery we couldn't pin on her if we wanted to. What I want to know is if there is any veracity to any part of these rumors. Shadow Stalker is your direct responsibility Armsmaster, she was trouble before you brought her in and she's been nothing but a headache since, even if she's settled down some now."

He bristled, a kernel of anger to the vigilante that she would have said anything at all. Couldn't the girl understand how repeating such obviously false claims about one of his Wards could affect others? His entire reputation, the summation of his achievements within the PRT could be sunk on the words of a nobody! The girl could simply continue as she was, gallivanting about as she played Hero, while he had to suffer through an unearned diatribe and yet another waste of his time.

After the meeting concluded he would no doubt need to find more non-existent time in his schedule at the expense of something else in order to review the evidence of whomever he assigned to the case, just to be able to put the entire matter behind him. He had read Shadow Stalker's reports and while she remained on probation he had continued to check her old supply caches every six weeks and could state with confidence that she had stopped using them since she had become a Ward.

The girl had been problematic at first certainly, but reports on her behavioral issues had entirely ceased beyond a few schoolyard scuffles and Triumph had stopped sending him notices of issues months ago. Aegis too had sent him nothing since he'd assumed the position of Wards Team Leader at the beginning of the month, which only cast Ghost Step's accusations further into doubt.

"Ma'am I have had no issues reported to me regarding Shadow Stalker's conduct." He replied firmly. "These are unsubstantiated claims by a rogue element and my time would be better spent on my duties as leader of the Protectorate, however I will assign a member of the team to investigate this matter in full."

The full weight of the Director's glare was leveled at him and he bit back a grimace of his own.

"This is not a request Armsmaster. You will not delegate this task, you are going to look into this matter personally and report back to me. This is your priority outside of your responsibilities in responding to parahuman threats. I will not have you handing off this task for it to leak to the press and we have a witch hunt on our hands, if not a rogue Ward to contend with as well. This matter will stay between the people in this room and Deputy Director Rennick until such a time as I decide otherwise."

"This is off the books." She continued, making sure they understood precisely what she meant as her steeled gaze swung to them each in turn. "This is not an investigation, you are fact finding and you can dress it up however you please to stop anyone else from getting the wrong impression. "

"You are not to ask Hess anything directly at this point in time, I don't doubt the claims made are embellished if not outright fabrications and I don't want to have to pull the girl off duty in any capacity, you both know how short we are for personnel as it is."

"But ma'am-" Hannah started, no doubt to air the obvious question as to how they would exonerate the Ward without speaking to her of the allegations in question and the Director pinned her in place with a harsh look.

"I assume you do not believe this obviously spurious rumor?" She asked to Hannah's shake of her head.

"Of course not."

The Director turned to him and he was quick to offer his own reply.

"Absolutely not."

"Precisely." The Director nodded at both of them in turn, before her narrowed gaze fixed upon him once more. "The girl was a vigilante for over two years, she kept herself in check and was only brought in after she almost went too far. She's been with us for over six months now and from your own reports Armsmaster, we know she's only improved since then. We already spend enough time dealing with what the Empire spews out and this rumor is simply more of the same."

"I don't need legal or the Youth Guard getting any ideas otherwise, let alone Hess herself. The Barnes lawyer was useful for getting her into the Wards in the first place, but he'll be an obstacle if Hess feels like she needs to run to him or anyone else right now if we start questioning her. All I want from you is confirmation the girl isn't going out behind our backs. Audit her equipment, check her old caches and anything else that won't get any more eyes on this than we have already. Come back to me if we actually have a problem that needs to be dealt with, but the last thing I want is to have to open a formal investigation so I would prefer it if things didn't come to that."

"Speak to your Wards, speak to the damn school if you have to Armsmaster, but I want the girl's character to look above reproach if this rumor decides to become a more persistent problem beyond a new vigilante who doesn't know any better. If these claims were about any of the other Wards then I might be inclined to agree with you and bury this right now. But they are not, Hess has been pulling at her leash since you brought her in and she's smart enough to slip it entirely."

"If she's is going out behind our backs then that's not going to be the only thing she's hiding, or do you believe that this matter does not warrant the personal attention of the leader of the Wards? Or perhaps you are trying to tell me that you do not feel Miss Militia is up to the task of assuming any responsibilities you may wish to delegate while your attention is elsewhere?"

"No Ma'am." He grit out, already lamenting the amount of time he would have to waste on such a pointless task. "I have every faith that Miss Militia can fulfil her duties to the standard required of her."

"Good. The last thing we need is the public or God forbid the Empire getting wind of this. Best case scenario is that it's nothing as we all expect it to be and it's simply another weight around Ghost Step's neck for you to bring her in to the Wards with and get the recognition you rightly deserve for your efforts. But we need to get ahead of this, I do not want us to be playing catch up if someone less accommodating than a young vigilante who styles herself as a Hero hears of this next and decides to take matters into their own hands. "

"If Hess has been at this for a while then sooner or later she's going to screw up again and this time it won't be a vigilante going too far, it will be a Ward and one Ward in particular. I don't think I need to tell either of you why I don't want that happening in my city."

This time Colin did grimace, all too well imagining how the Empire would capitalise on such a propaganda coup. The rumors alone if perpetuated would be a boon to their recruitment efforts regardless and would require a significant counter-narrative and PR push to stifle. Which was another strike against the veracity of the vigilante's claims in his mind, not that he felt the Director would be accommodating to such an observation were he to raise it at this juncture.

"Miss Militia." The Director continued, turning her direction away from him. "I assume you are able to fulfil any duties required of you in Armsmaster's absence?"

"Of course ma'am." Hannah answered promptly and Colin schooled his features back into impassivity, bringing up his schedule on his HUD and beginning to reorganise what he could. Forwarding meetings to his colleague as he began to make space for an investigation that he should be able to see through before the week's end under the conditions required of him while Hannah answered her own perfunctory questions from the Director.

He would look into the matter thoroughly as the Director had outlined, leave nothing to chance and present a fait accompli of his success after proving his Ward's innocence and good standing in both her professional and civilian life. A colossal waste of his talents and time it might have been, but he would demonstrate his abilities in full nonetheless as with any task assigned to him. His pride would demand nothing less.

Chapter Text

Sophia Hess

"Yeah, she was really nice actually!"

Sophia tried to tune out the incessant noise of Vista's constantly chirping voice, since she'd earlier arrived the midget had been talking to everyone about how she'd met Ghost Step the previous night and Sophia was sick of hearing about it as the little wannabe buzzed from person to person around the common area.

Sophia didn't want to leave though, that'd be like admitting defeat even if Vista didn't know it, but she was quickly reaching the  limit of her patience and even a few well placed verbal barbs hadn't done anything to slow the annoyance down when she'd bounced from Clock to Gallant after the latter had arrived.

But like the sign of a merciful God finally hearing her pleas, Vista's fifth retelling of what was probably only a five minute conversation with the vigilante - Who was probably only humoring her the entire time - Was abruptly interrupted by the sharp woop of the masks on alarm and Sophia grabbed one from the drawer next to her as everyone not already wearing their own or a temporary one quickly shoved one on with plenty of time to spare.

The door opened a few seconds later to find Armsmaster standing at the ready like he was posing for another photo shoot. Fully costumed of course, she couldn't even remember if she'd ever seen him even partially out of it.

"I'm glad to see everyone's here, thank you for coming in."

'Huh.' She had thought it was a bit more crowded than usual, but weekends usually had more of them in and she hadn't bothered looking at the duty roster beyond her own schedule. She'd just assumed the higher ups wanted to run a few more PR patrols on the Boardwalk and the nicer, safer parts of Downtown over the weekend while the weather held, wouldn't have been the first time.

The door shut behind him and Armsmaster strolled into the room like he owned the place, always so stoic except when he was talking to people he thought were beneath him, hell she wondered if he even knew how to smile.

"Is there another event?" Asked Kid and she knew he wasn't the only one thinking it. The only time they tended to get them all together was when they were being forced to do another inane PR stunt or the powers that be thought they'd all fucked up badly enough to warrant a group lecture, even when it was only one or two of the idiots around her to blame.

"Not at this time." Armsmaster replied, which only made Sophia scrutinise the man further. It wasn't how their usual dressing down went either, he was alone for one thing which was a big enough red flag in itself.

"I asked for your presence here today to request that you would all submit to a voluntary inspection of your personal quarters this morning."

That brought her up short and everyone else too by the look of it, she remembered the mandatory inspections she'd had for the first six weeks after she'd been signed up, but beyond that she could only think of the time Clock had gaslit Miss Militia into thinking Vista had smuggled a stray cat into the base. That had been pretty good.

"Can we ask why?" Came Aegis's voice when no one else spoke up and she could at least appreciate their new 'team leader' was going to ask the question than just take it, not that she expected the truth or even a straight answer from the asshole in front of them.

Armsmaster nodded. "Such inspections are part of a general Wards organisational review and would typically take place at least twice per year. However as I'm sure you can all appreciate there have been far more pressing concerns day to day to occupy our time and regrettably there has been no opportunity to do so until recently. However please be assured this is only a cursory inspection of the facilities as with all areas of the Wards base that will follow and you will not be penalised for any contraband that might be found."

"If you have any issues with either your own quarters or any of the other amenities in the base, we can discuss these during the inspection to be addressed at a later date. Further to this, I will also be scheduling meetings with each of you over the coming days to discuss your experiences as part of the team and you can consider this an opportunity to discuss any areas in which you believe the Wards program can be improved going forwards."

He really wanted them to play ball Sophia noted with a frown, which only made her more suspicious of what his game actually was as she stared across at the man who probably hadn't made eye contact with her once. Not that anyone could really tell behind that pretentious visor he wore.

"So this is like a surprise inspection?" Vista asked uncertainly to the man's shake of his head.

"No, this is entirely voluntary. However I would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter."

"They can't do a surprise inspection without a Youth Guard rep." She threw out before anyone else could ask any other stupid questions and waste even more of her time. Scowling back at the idiots who looked at her like they thought she wouldn't have looked up her own rights the moment she got gang pressed into the Wards.

Beyond her first six weeks the Protectorate couldn't just do shit like random inspections even if she was still technically on probation, because everyone was still pretending like they weren't all child soldiers. Hell she could probably get away with having a stack of old dirty mags on her desk and they couldn't do anything unless she let the midget see them.

"As I stated, this would be entirely voluntary." Armsmaster reiterated like a robot repeating it's audio cue. "If you are willing then we'll go to your rooms one by one. After we're done you'll be free to return to your duties or other engagements as you see fit as I look over the rest of the facilities."

She saw the rest of her teammates looking between themselves, but she knew they'd all fold and fall in line. The ones who wanted to please everyone like Mr Team Leader desparately trying to fill Triumph's shoes like anyone actually cared about that crap and the ones who would just follow along like the sheep they were. Not that she was going to decline, that would have just been painting a target on her back and she wasn't stupid enough to leave anything incriminating in her room to begin with.

The only thing that came close to being 'evidence' was on her phone and she knew the stuck up Hero couldn't touch that without a warrant and fighting the Youth Guard first. And she had Emma and her dad a phonecall away to crush that if they ever thought to try.

As everyone else signaled their own meek acceptance she offered a shallow nod when Armsmaster's gaze visibly turned her way. She didn't like it. The only reason Armsmaster had to do things the way he was going about them was if he wanted to keep the Youth Guard out of the loop. They might have been fucking useless busy bodies most of the time, but the Youth Guard were actually useful for shit like this. They'd block it on principle alone without getting a good reason why it was necessary and then they'd make sure whoever was actually being targeted was informed if they didn't have a court order to stop them.

Which meant the PRT was investigating one of them and didn't want to play their hand just yet. Her scowl deepened, she didn't need three guesses to figure out who they thought they had something on, problem was she couldn't figure out their angle.

If they knew about her patrols then they would have reamed her out about it and then just thrown her on shit detail as punishment. If they knew about some of the fuckers she'd put in the ground then they wouldn't be pussyfooting around like they were either.

So someone had said something. It was the only thing that made sense and she looked across at her teammates again who were mostly just talking between themselves as Gallant lead Armsmaster out of the room and she had to hold back a scoff at the sight. Just another thing to make them think it was 'their idea,' as if Armsmaster didn't have a master key card and actually needed any of them to open the door to their room for him.

Had the little green princess bitched her out again? She could see Clock doing it too, she couldn't stand them half the time and she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. Though they'd trash talked her to Triumph before and Aegis since and fuck all had happened then. Aegis had pulled her aside a couple of times about being a 'team player' at the beginning, but he'd given up on that shit pretty quickly, especially when he didn't have anything to enforce it with. Just a few words asking her to play nice as he played pretend of being team leader, like he had any actual authority over the rest of them.

If he'd bothered reporting it up to Armsmaster then the Hero obviously didn't care, he basically avoided them as much as possible to begin with and she doubted one of the others would have tried going around him and going to Piggy directly, though now she wasn't sure she could put it past all of them either.

Winslow shouldn't have said anything. Hebert was getting cocky thanks to Mads, but no one wanted to see the PRT take a closer look at the shithole they all pretended was a functioning school. She still wanted to grab Hebert anyway and force some damn answers out of the bitch, even if it was just to feel like she was accomplishing something and make the loser crawl back into her place where she belonged. But these days Hebert was basically joined at the hip with Mads so she'd have to do something in Art, when Hebert didn't feel so confident behind her pathetic bodyguard. Maybe she'd get one of the others to stop her from leaving, have a word with her then, remind her the way things were supposed to be. It'd be better for Emma too, she didn't need to notice Hebert getting full of herself, like she was better than them.

Sophia pushed the thought out of her mind as her gaze slipped over the others still in the room with her, but none of them had any obvious tells. Clock was making some asinine joke about having to hide his browsing history and some of the other idiots were laughing. Same old shit.

Nothing else had really changed except that vigilante visiting and it wasn't like she'd even met the other girl. Had Ghost seen her do something? Sure she'd been easy to spot the first time, but Sophia bet the girl could be downright invisible if she wanted to be. Had she seen one of her fights? When she'd put that fucker with the railgun gimmick down and spoken to the PRT after? Was that the actual reason she'd been visiting at all?

It made too much sense timing wise, but she couldn't put it past one of her teammates trying to screw her over again either. 'Fuck, she really was surrounded by imbeciles out to get her.' She'd have to have to put off her solo patrols for a bit as much as she hated to admit it, as much as she needed to get back out there and start doing something again. Especially after she was finally back to fighting fit and ready to go out, hit the streets and start getting some real work done.

But if Armsmaster was sniffing around he'd only be looking for an excuse. She might have to reign it in a bit at Winslow too as much as the thought disgusted her with the kind of people she had to interact with at that shithole. But if they started leaning on her handler she didn't want the school to have anything they could pin on her, she could see the wide net the asshole was trying to cast but she wasn't going to be caught again.

Getting cuffed by Armsmaster was the biggest fuck up of her life and she wouldn't let it happen a second time. Not by that stuck up fuck. They wanted a perfect Ward? They'd have a perfect Ward, she could be patient and play the game. She could do whatever it took to win. No matter how frustrated and angry she felt about it.

Madison Clements

"In my defense, it wasn't my intelligence."

She gave Lisa a flat look and went to get a drink, Brian glancing up from some kind of papers he was going over as she walked into the kitchen.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece." He offered, giving her an obvious once over and she was grateful at least someone cared.

"Thanks, how'd your end go?"

"No issues, they weren't expecting anyone and we cleared them up pretty quickly. Only heard about what happened to you later."

"It's fine." She waved off as she wandered over to the fridge and took out some juice for herself. "Well it wasn't great." She mused as she watched the apple juice slowly fill the glass. "But it was cool to meet Militia though."

"Yeah, can imagine. Get her autograph?"

"Nah, I'm not that kind of fan." She shrugged as she put the carton back. "I can ask when I next see her if you want one for your sister though? Well if you think she'd like something like that?"

Brian looked surprised at the offer which she couldn't help but think was a bit odd, that was what friends did right? Wait were they not friends? She thought they got along pretty well!

"Not sure where I'd say I got it from." Brian replied after a moment, a thoughtful look replacing the initial surprise. "But thanks for the offer."

"No problem." She smiled. "So is she like really young?" She couldn't help but ask as she leaned back against the sink. She knew she was toeing the line a little about personal information, but she was curious and he could always shut her down at any point if he wanted. She hoped she wasn't being rude though.

"Nah." Brian chuckled. "Just acts like it half the time, would probably ask to join the team if she ever found out what we did."

"Yeah, I'm kind of terrified of my parents finding out too." She commiserated. "I feel like they'll either ground me until I'm eighteen or be scarily supportive about me getting into villainy to pay for college."

Brian gave her a look and she shrugged in amusement. "They're really supportive, but this-" She gestured vaguely to herself and then around them. "-Might be a bit much..."

Brian nodded, but didn't offer a comment of his own and she wondered if mentioning her own parents had wandered a little too close to something he didn't want to talk about in a way the comments of his sister hadn't.

"About those lessons you asked for." He spoke up and she accepted the abrupt change in topic with a curious nod.

"I'm free tomorrow tonight if you're still interested. I'll leave you to pass it on to Trillian if she stills wants in though."

"Sure." She nodded, not planning to give Taylor any choice in the matter since she damn well knew her friend wanted in and it was just the cost... And maybe being taught by a Villain that was putting her off. "What time?"

"I'm free from nine, what works for you?"

"Probably later." She admitted. "I need to sneak out and Trillian will need to as well. Maybe ten thirty-eleven?"

Brian nodded and she pulled out her phone to schedule a reminder to herself that she needed to speak to Taylor since she didn't want to end up embarrassing herself a second time if she could help it.