BeyndBOT - Eventually.
Djberneman - Right?!
With Taylor off to talk with her Dad, I was free to just walk around. I had no idea what I wanted to do in Brockton Bay, the only place I knew here was the burger joint we had our date at. (And the hospital, but that doesn't exactly count.) Aside from that, I didn't know what to do... So I decided to just walk around, music blasting in my ears, and see what happened.
This was Brockton Bay, shit had to happen if I just walked around enough, right?
So for the next hour or so, I walked around for a bit, just idly taking in the city as I zoned out.
Being an introvert, and living in the projects, I didn't really 'Go out for a walk' often... Or at all, really. So while I knew a few landmarks back home, my grade school, middle school, and high school, which were all just a few blocks away from each other, and my home, I knew fuck all of everything else... So the idea of learning more about my girlfriend's city then my own was mildly Amusing.
At the moment, I was somewhere... No idea where, and paused when I saw some kind of show. There was a big ass giraffe made of... Yarn? And a pair of monkeys that were climbing up and down its body as the thing moved around. It surprised me so much that I just stared for a bit, not sure what the fuck was going on.
Then I saw the woman the kiddies were gathered around, and remembered who she was. (Parian... I think. Yeah, that sounds about right.) I hadn't really thought about the other Capes in the Bay, only paying attention when something big happened. So while I knew that the Wards went through a rotation, Aegis and Kidd Win being transferred to New York and Boston respectively, and that Armsmaster was sent off somewhere while Dauntless took the reigns as the head of the PRT ENE's Team Leader, I didn't know much about anyone else.
Watching the show, I hummed to the song, 'Everything Black' was a vibe, and thought about the Cape scene in Brockton Bay. (The ABB should still be Lung and Lee...) I frowned, scratching my chin as I thought about something. (Bakuda should exist by now... But do they have her?) I... Didn't know... And that was an issue.
Bakuda was always portrayed as a woman with an inferiority and superiority complex the size of the Empire State Building, couple that with a bunch of bombs with esoteric effects, and you got one of the most dangerous characters in Worm. Sure, there were people like Legend who was basically 'Light', or Alexandria who was discount Superman, but Bakuda could kill them if she actually tried and made something specifically for them... (Probably gonna have to kill her.) While I had my aliens, and forms that could survive in space, I knew there was a chance the bitch could still kill me.
I felt some Confused Interest coming from my Other Half, and was kinda Curious how my emotions were being interpreted to her. But since she wasn't asking, I didn't feel like elaborating, and just sent over Curious Contemplation. It was enough for her to accept, and she went back to paying her Dad more attention.
Yes, we had shields and tough as fuck armor, but there had been a consistency of Bakuda making 'Glass Bombs', and I wasn't sure if the Ultimatrix would swap me to someone that could survive it if I was suddenly glassed...
I frowned, idly noting that another song started playing. The bleed over from Grey Matter and Brainstorm was useful, but also a pain in the ass. Out of everyone in the Bay, including Flechette, who replaced Aegis, Bakuda was the biggest threat. (Though, I might not be allowed to kill Bakuda. I can't hide it either since Taylor would eventually find out... I could maim the bitch though. Can't build shit if she doesn't have hands.) I liked the sound of that idea, it removed Bakuda as a threat, while also being an 'Ethical' solution... (Can I still do it though?) I hummed, then decided to ask.
Mentally tasking the V.I to call my Aunt, and activate the short range noise dampener in my headphones, the call connected in a moment, my music being put on pause as it did. "Hello Phoenix, something come up?"
I hummed. "Hey Auntie. Hypothetically speaking," I ignored the sigh. "If there was a dangerous Tinker, like 'Oh shit that's bad', levels, could I cut off her hands?"
There was silence for a bit, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the way some blonde chick whipped her head towards me. There was no way she heard what I was saying, she'd need to be in my personal space to hear anything I said, so the fact she was looking at me was suspicious. "... I need more information then that." I was Surprised that wasn't an immediate no.
Taking the que, I went on. "Well, I'm pretty sure Lung has, or will, recruit a Tinker soon. From what I know, she specializes in bombs," My Aunt sucked in a breath at that. "And she's sort of bat shit crazy." Well, I was pretty sure she was, I hadn't ever met the bitch, but she was portrayed pretty much the same way in a majority of the fics I read.
As I spoke, I kept an eye on the blonde who'd been listening to me. I had no idea who she was, but the way she was looking at me was starting to get Annoying. Flipping her off, I ignored the frown she sent back. "Do you know how long she's been active for? And how credible is your source for this?"
Humming, I tried to think of what the common thing for Bakuda was... Then blinked. "The 'Cornell Bombing', was... How long ago?"
"Shit." I snorted. "How certain are you about this information?"
"100%. Just don't know if he did it yet."(The timeline says that he recruits her March 23rd, and since this takes place around the beginning of March, he 'Shouldn't' have done it yet.)
My Aunt was silent for a bit, then groaned. "I'll see about establishing a better information network. Big moves like that NEED to be known." I hummed, noticing the show was coming to an end. "... Phoenix," Blinking, I made a noise for her to go on. "You wouldn't happen to know any OTHER massive pieces of information that should be shared, do you?"
For a second, I was about to say no, or shake my head, when I had a thought. (Dragon can deal with alot of threats on her own, especially now that she's free...) The thought rang through my mind for a bit, and I nodded. "There's a team of Capes... I think they should be in Boston right now, who have an Endbringer Lite with them." There was silence for a bit, and I thought I heard a mutter of 'Someone give me strength.'
"... When you get home, we're going to have a LONG and in depth conversation." She was using 'The Voice', and I took a moment or two to wonder how the hell she did that. "Am I understood?"
Snapping out of it, I nodded. "Read you loud and clear Auntie." I was totally going to forget and be reminded when the time came.
"Good, that's good... Anything else you'd like to ask?"
Thinking about it, I shrugged. "Nope... Actually, can you keep an eye on Mouse Protector?" I'd seen a thread on the woman recently, and she was still alive and fucking with people, so the Slaughterhouse hadn't gotten her yet. I might've forgotten about Bakuda, but I still needed to deal with them, Jack especially. Without him, I'd have a few more years to perfect the 'Kill Scion' plan.
"... I can... Why?" Ah... A reason...
Well I had a good one. "The 9 will go after her at some point. Not sure when, but it'll happen." She was still alive, so that meant there was a chance to get the drop on those fucks. I had an idea on how to deal with them, judicious use of XLR8 and Arctiguana were plan A, the Ultimates were on the table, but I'd need to encounter them first to see if the plan would work or not. Plans B-E though included 'Nuking everything in that direction' with some of my heavy hitters, Agni, Ymir, Surtr, or Cabrakan. Sure, there'd be an ungodly amount of collateral damage, but eh, they'd be dead.
"... What?"
I blinked, remembering I was on call. "Yeah. Don't know when, but it'll happen." Murder Rat hadn't shown up in alot of fics, but it had shown up enough for me to guess it was an actual event, instead of something fannon that turned 'Canon.' Though, there were never any specifics on when it happened. I was assuming it was after Leviathan, because it'd make sense for them to go pick her up, then keep making their way to the Bay.
But they could've totally done it earlier. Thankfully, I noticed the post and remembered her, and set the V.I to notify me if shit changed. "Phoenix," I blinked at her tone. "You have no idea how tempted I am to make you come home and squeeze you for answers." Maybe this had been a bad idea. "... But since you're taking some downtime, I'm going to settle for waiting until later."
"Kay." I could work with that.
"Mhm... Just... Hah... Just don't cause an international incident when I'm not looking, okay?" Part of me felt Indignant at that, while the rest of me recognized that I was kind of skirting those lines every time I went around the world as XLR8...
Though, just because she was right didn't mean I had to agree with it. "Whatever you say Auntie." Not an explicit agreement, though it implied I agreed.
"Good... That's workable enough. Have a good time out Phoenix."
"Mhm. Later Auntie D."
"Goodbye... What am I going to do with that boy?" The call cut out, and I blinked, knowing I wasn't supposed to hear that.
Shrugging, I listened as my music started back up, and noticed that the show had finished. The crowd started dispersing, and I decided to look at the blonde girl. Meeting her eyes, I took a second to think about the odds of seeing someone else with green eyes, then felt like I was whacked upside the head when I remembered the usual descriptions of Tattletale. (Blonde? Check. Freckles? Check. Green eyes? Check. 'Foxy' features? I guess...) Recognizing I was looking at the annoying bitch herself, I did what any reasonable person would.
Turned around and decided that no, I wasn't getting involved with her.
But then I stopped when I remembered something else. (She's usually used to find Leviathan's or The Simurgh's cores.) The latter's was unnecessary since she made sure to keep one specific wing safe, but I didn't know where Leviathan's was. Sure, I could probably build a scanner to find it, but having someone else find it for me saved time, time that could be used to work on Anti Endbringer weapons. I'd had schematics for things like those, but hadn't started making them because I needed better materials and power sources to build a world breaker or anything close to that.
So now I had a problem. I could either get involved with Tattletale, save myself some time and prepare to kill Leviathan, or do what I wanted to do and fuck off... I kept thinking on it, my mind bringing up various descriptions of the blonde Thinker, and making me wonder just what I should do. (Do I even need to deal with her personally?) That thought rang out, and reminded me that I had the backing of an entire organization. Again, I didn't need to deal with the potential bitch at all!
That thought had made me perk up, and I started to grin... But then something happened.
I must've been too focused on my thoughts, and the music that had been drowning out everything else, so I didn't notice what was going on since the show stopped.
Maybe that was why getting whacked by a whole person surprised the fuck out of me.
[Lisa's POV a few minutes earlier]
Suddenly being free was supposed to be better then this. It was supposed to be euphoric and actually meaningful. But apparently the world didn't get that message. The bastard had up and disappeared one morning, no 'Thank you for your unwilling service', or 'Your insight was worth all the hours of existential dread I put you through', nothing! The asshole had just vanished! (Atleast threaten me not to spill the beans you son of a bitch!) If he'd left some kind of threatening letter, 'Your services are no longer required' or some shit like that, I wouldn't be worried! Hell, a message on PHO would've worked!
But nooo, the Bond Villain wannabe couldn't even do that! Now here I was, walking around the Boardwalk, looking over my shoulder every once in a while at the prospect of getting shot or kidnapped again for the assholes' sick amusement. Sure, he'd been gone for a while now, but I knew he was still out there. Still a shadow looming over me. For all I knew, if I tried to get out of Brockton, he might just come reclaim me and give me a little fucking hat that said 'Imbecile' or some shit like that.
Grumbling to myself, I was about to head out and grab some food, when I saw Parian doing another one of her shows. The Rogue was apparently recreating some kind of children's book scene or somethi...-
Audio inconsistency in the area.
My eyes widened. Now that my power alerted me to it, I noticed there was something wrong.
Yes, there were cars and pedestrian sounds filling the background, but straining my ears, there seemed to be a certain dead zone. If I didn't have my Power to point it out, I wouldn't have noticed. Looking around, I ignored the random pedestrians, the kids watching Parian's show, anyone that I c...-
-...-
My eyes snapped onto whatever caused that reaction to my Power, and I caught sight of the source. (Relatively tall, I'd put him at around 5'6-5'10 range, green hair up in a ponytail, green eyebrows so it's either natural, or he went the extra mile. Baggy black sweater with the sleeves rolled up, how the hell is he not sweating with that on, though maybe that's why the arms are exposed? Black sweatpants that stop over a pair of black steel toed boots.) Frowning, I tried to focus on him, see if it was a fl...- Our eyes locked for a second, and I felt a chill go down my spine.
It wasn't a fluke.
I could feel my Power try to work, try to look at what I was staring at, and failing to do so. It was like it wasn't even working, getting me nothing but silence... And no headache. I was looking at someone with the intent of analyzing them, picking them apart with my Power, and it wasn't working! Turning to some random car, I felt my Power activate.
Paint slightly reflective, chassis seems to be unblemished, small bit of wear seen near the handle, Recent repaint most likely cause of the former deductions.
Didn't care! I turned back to the guy.
-...-
Nothing! It wasn't working!
I wanted to jump for joy, shout to heavens, buy a goddamn lottery ticket, all that good shit! My Power had never gone silent before, not without giving me a migraine the size of Texas. This, this was new! Something I didn't know!
It was something I didn't know... (Okay, now I'm just going to go the opposite way because Self Preservation.) I looked at the guy for a bit more, noticing he was still talking... Part of me was curious, there was an unknown a couple of feet in front of me, and I wanted to figure it out. It would be an experience, learning about something without the aid of my Power, but it would be a challenge! It could be something to get my mind off of the shitshow that was Coil fucking off to Narnia, and the Undersiders falling apart.
The loud slam of a car door brought me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see... (Oh shit.) Seeing Hookwolf, Storm Tiger, and Cricket come out of an SUV made me twitch, the urge to run rising, but I kept them in my sights. They were making their way to Parian, who had gone still as the Capes made their way to her.
Posture turned defensive, threads of the Giraffe construct beginning to slightly unravel, preparing to fight.
My eyes turned to Hookwolf, the murderous Cape was practically radiating amusement and eagerness.
Posture tense, hooks churning beneath his arms, gait powerful and confident. Expecting a fight, eager for a fight, prepared to take Parian when it comes to it.
I frowned. The Empire had been getting cocky ever since The Merchant's bit the dust. The territory war for former Merchant territory had gone to the ABB mainly because they were right there... And after Lung single handedly fought off Kaiser, Hookwolf, Victor, Krieg, and the bimbo twins, the E88 decided that they'd leave that territory be.
Though the loss didn't stop them from giving the ABB a bloody nose. Oni Lee hadn't been spotted in a week, word was that the teleporting suicide bomber had nearly lost an arm. There was talk that he HAD lost the arm, but without anyone seeing him, there was no way to know if that was just hopeful thinking. Thankfully, things quieted down after the PRT got involved. Dauntless was somewhat competent, and with the support of Miss Militia, the pair of new Heroes they got in the forms of Ursa Aurora and Mayday.(Not OC's)
The New York and Baltimore Heroes had an annoying amount of synergy with Dauntless and Miss Militia, making an actual capable team, and were able to stabilize the Bay. Granted, Pantheon, Khepri specifically, had started the dominoes that led to the Merchants getting taken down, but atleast the PRT did something before they started imploding.
The appearance of one of said Heroes brought me out of my thoughts, and I started to inch away. As I moved, my eyes drifted towards the green haired guy, catching his gaze. (Huh, green eyes.) His was a shade close to R...- Tearing my eyes away, I turned back to the scene in front of me.
Dauntless had landed by Parian, Arc Lance straight by his side, and a look being sent to the three E88 Capes. Knowing he wasn't on his own, I looked up around the roofs, and spotted Flechette, the New York Ward, looking tense and ready to fire. (Oh fuck.) Looking away, I spotted the other Ward with them, and saw it was Vista. (Double fuck.) The youngest Ward, but strongest Shaker on the East Coast was glaring at Hookwolf, her hands clenching and unclenching.
Eager to fight, WANTS to fight, wants to fight Hookwolf. Unsettled score? General dislike? Reasons unknown.
That wasn't helpful, but it was more incentive to get the fuck o...- "You guys starting the party without me?!" I groaned at the voice, and was unsurprised when Glory Girl showed herself and hovered above Dauntless, a grin on her face as she cracked her knuckles. I had no idea how the Collateral Damage Barbie had known this was going on, but it was a Sunday, so she was probably out shopping, and spotted the scene.
With the inclusion of Glory Girl, things seemed tense. All together, it was a 3 on 3... But given the match ups, Parian would be at a disadvantage given Hookwolf could shred her creations, Storm Tiger could cut them apart, and Cricket used some sharp Kamas. Though Dauntless could maybe negate Cricket, or they could cancel each other out, but that wasn't factoring in experience and hear.
The atmosphere was tense, and a bunch of people started to make their way out, myself included because fuck n...- Another door slammed shut, and I turned to see... (Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me.) Victor and Rune had apparently been here t...-
"FIGHT!" I whipped my head back around to see Hookwolf as he charged, his form shifting...- Glory Girl shot forward, her fist smashing into the man before he could fully Change...
And sent him flying towards the guy my Power didn't work on. (He hasn't moved?!) The guy had apparently been dead to world due to whatever he was thinking about, and now he was about to die from getting smashed by an improved projectile Hookwolf.
It was like time slowed down, all eyes still on the scene trailing where the murder blender was being sent, no one fast enough to stop him as he flew right towards the unsuspecting bystander. "LOOK OU...-" Whoever shouted was too late.
He connected, the two of them colliding and being sent into a wall as it caved and broke.
There was a lull in the area, people obviously having seen where Hookwolf was going, and had seen the guy being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For a bit, no one moved, the most that happened were eyes trailing to the hole in the building, then to Glory Girl, who look mor...- "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"
"Who the HE...-" Hookwolf came flying out of the hole, and all heads whipped to the source.
I froze, afraid that moving would gather attention onto me. (Ohshitohfuckohshit!) Coming out of the rubble was a figure that made everyone flinch. A form fitting black suit walked into the light of day, acidic green eyes pulsing from the symbol on his chest, and the lines on his body. The silver and gold spear and ribbon flag of The Guild shone on his outfit, further authenticating who it was. A pair of what looked like shotguns rested on his hips, a sniper rifle on his back, and silver grenades on his waist. The black visor hid his eyes, but it wasn't hard to imagine he was glaring at everything.
Everyone recognized the man.
It was hard not too when he was labeled as THE Changer. The man to practically solo an Endbringer.
Anubis, he'd made the distinction of what to call him clear, came out, and looked at all the Heroes and Villains assembled in front of him. "Who the FUCK threw that bastard into me?!"
The sheer amount of anger coming from the Cape was a bad sign. Sure, I'd be pissed too if I was forced into a fight, but this was beyond that.
Not only had Anubis been caught in the crossfire between the E88 and the PRT, Glory Girl too but it was just her, but he'd practically been unmasked since it'd be an easy thing for anyone to hack into the nearby camera feeds, or for some stray idiot to post a video about this.
Add onto the fact he could've died, or been fatally wounded after having a murder blender thrown at him, and it would be obvious to anyone that he would be beyond pissed.
"WELL?!" The shout broke the silence, and as if it was agreed on beforehand, everyone turned to Glory Girl, who was sweating bullets.
Seeing who was being focused on, The Changer let out a threatening gro...- "YOU WANT SOME YOU SON OF A BITCH?!" Hookwolf reemerged from wherever he was sent, and charged towards The Changer, his form complete as a massive wolf made of hooks ran towards the Cape.
"He's got a death wish." Really, there was no other explanation for it.
Knows who he's going up against. Doesn't care.
(Or he was just insane.) That was a viable option too.
Seeing him coming, The Changer snarled, reached for one of the grenades on his belt, primed it, and tossed it at Hookwolf. The murder blender saw it, and obviously jumped to the side, avoiding the explosion of electrici...-
Not electricity. Burn marks on the ground indicate more power then simple electricity. Most likely a more powerful energy source.
That made me remember he was apparently a Tinker too.
With Hookwolf moving, the rest of the E88 moved with him, Cricket shooting towards Parian, Rune grabbing a piece of rubble and jumping onto it, Storm Tiger charging at Glory Girl, and Victor going after Dauntless.
The Heroes weren't idle either, Dauntless charged after Storm Tiger, Glory Girl snapped out of her stupor and shot towards Rune, while Parian set her constructs after Victor. "Tch," My eyes went back towards The Changer, and I watched as he tensed his legs, then jumped high above the charging Hookwolf, going a few stories up into the air. But what really drew my eyes was the way his suit writhed, the fibers on his left arm moving away to expose the device that made him THE Changer. Time slowed down again as I saw his hand move to the device.
The face plate popped.
A green hologram appeared.
His hand pushed down the dial.
A flash of green light went of.
Then something massive came crashing into the earth...
And I decided that no, I wasn't going to stay here. (Self preservation, GO!) So I booked it. (Thank god I've got experience in running from Cape fights.)
[Phoenix's POV]
I didn't bother seeing who I turned into, there would only be one or two picks who'd be weak enough to not handle the landing, but I wasn't worried about getting them. And as the transformation ran its course, I grinned as I felt myself fall back onto the ground, a massive crash going out as dust kicked up around me. Though, it wasn't enough to hide my form. Straightening up, I stood over the dust, and grinned at the fucker who was starting to look up at me. Despite my Annoyance and Anger at the situation I was in, I still had to say it. "You've made a Humongous mistake." I felt some Surprise and Concern come from my Other Half, she'd obviously felt me changing into the dino, so I decided to share my vision with her instead of wasting time explaining.
|What the fuck?| I mentally snorted, but idly took in the fact she was apparently already on her way. It was nice, knowing she dropped spending time with her Dad to come to my side.
[I'll explain later.] She grumbled at me, but sent Acceptance over.
My girlfriend aside, Hookwolf met my gaze, and fucking growled. "Nothing I haven't seen before!" Amused at the reaction, I watched as the fucker jumped at me, his claws clashing against my hide and doing fuck all. Vaxasaurian's were giant fucking dinosaurs, their hides wouldn't be hurt by something as simple as steel.
I watched the dumbass try to claw my leg, bite it, tear into it really, and it wasn't working. His growls grew in pitch, and I decided to add some fuel to the fire to feel better. "A little more to the right, I've got an itch over there." Amusement pulsed over the Bond, and I felt my lips twitch.
The Nazi's growls rose even more at that, and he decided to jump onto me, his claws lightly digging into my hide as he tried to climb me. Without a worry, I swat him off... I blinked at the way he seemingly unraveled, turning into a sliver puddle as he avoided my hand, only to reform a moment later as he jumped onto my arm.
Now, I've watched Attack on Titan, and I knew better. "Nope." So I used my free hand to tap the dial, changing form and getting rid of the Nazi's footholds. "Lodestar!" Watching Hookwolf fall from the sky, I grinned. "Here, let me give you a hand." Raising a pincer towards him, I reached out towards the metal above me and took control of it. The fucker yelped, and I felt a grin form on my skull. "I've looked forward to doing this." That said, I slammed him into the ground, then brought him back up to slam him to my left, back up, then slammed into the right. The process repeated, and the mounting Amused Humor from my girlfriend was only making this better.
After a minute or so, I felt the last bits of my Annoyance and Anger fade, and gave the Nazi one last slam into the ground before I let go. "Puny Mutt." He didn't get back up, but he hadn't turned back into a man yet, making me frown, then tap the dial again. Turning back into myself, I grabbed a grenade off my belt, primed it, then tossed it at the downed Hookwolf. An explosion of Pulse Energy enveloped the Cape, and by the end of it, his smoking Human form was revealed, making me nod.
Him down, I turned to take a look at the scene around me.
Glory Girl was avoiding rubble from Rune, both blondes causing a fuckton of damage. The former was using the latter to create more ammunition by having her break the shit thrown at her, making the rubble smaller and more dangerous to be hit by, while the latter was trying to get closer, not that it was working. (How has she not gotten that bitch yet?) Rune shouldn't have been that difficult to deal with, though that was probably me being better coloring my view.
While they were duking it out, Dauntless was holding off Storm Tiger, dodging wind blades as his fancy stick spun, leaking lightning. The guy had made it into range, and started jabbing at the Nazi, who was avoiding said jabs
While that was going on... Victor? I was pretty sure that was his name, was dancing around the monkeys as a pair of cloth Master Hands tried to pummel him into the dirt. They were failing, not only because they were too big, but because the guy was skilled enough to avoid them.
Then there was... Wait... Where wa...- A cry found me turning towards Parian, who had fallen to the ground, one of Crickets scythe things being pulled back as the Cape stood behind her. It looked like she was about to take the woman ho...- Space bent, and a crossbow bolt found itself lodged into Cricket's wrist. The woman let out a strangled gasp, dropping her weapon and jumping away from Parian.
She would've probably tried to do more, but then the buzzing started. It was quiet, and I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't sharing my senses with my Other Half, but Cricket noticed, and froze. |Going big. I need Big Chill.|
Amusement radiated out of me as I barked out a laugh. [Putting the fear of god into them? Bet.] In moments, I turned back into Lodestar, then tapped the dial. "Big Chill!" My mind was suddenly connected to a greater whole, a sea of insects under heel. My wings unfurled, and I flew up. The sound of buzzing grew louder, a crescendo of chitin and wings that filled the area.
It didn't take long for the rest of the combatants realized what was going on, but when the sky went dark, a sea of insects rushing into the streets and crawling onto the sides of nearby buildings, they all went still. Finishing off the invasion, my Other Half flew to my side, a pair of wings coated in her black and gold suit, as she hovered next to me, Sentinel out and thrumming with Pulse Energy.
"Surrender.""Resistance is futile.""Resist and you WILL be taken down." I had to say, making her voice echo with the bugs surrounding us was fucking ingenious, and was probably going to traumatize everyone here. |That was the point.|
I mentally snorted, but managed to keep it in, deciding to look down at the Nazis instead. "Resistance would be welcomed. I'm still somewhat... Annoyed." I exhaled a chilling mist at the end of that, accentuating my point.
There was a mental eye roll from my girlfriend at it though, but I ignored it in favor of staring at the Nazis below us. Cricket had gone stock still, eyes roaming everywhere she could see. Rune seemed to have passed out, her little slab of concrete falling to the ground with a crash. Victor and Storm Tiger shared a look, and began to slowly lower their weapons.
As for the Heroes, Parian, I knew she was a Rogue but she fought alongside the Heroes, had gotten up and was making an impromptu tourniquet.
Glory Girl was looking a little pale, which Amused the hell out of me given the fact she was the reason I got involved in this bullshit in the first place. She what? I would've blinked if I could, but since I couldn't, I settled for mentally shrugging. [She punched Hookwolf at me, and we crashed through a wall.]
|SHE DID WHAT?!| The insects buzzed louder, the clicking of mandibles and beating of wings scared everyone aside from myself. It didn't help when she turned to glare at Glory Girl, who 'Eepd' in fear.
The unintentional intimidation tactic got the Nazis to surrender faster. Seeing that, I cackled, a frightening sound as the Necrofriggian. [Have I said I love you today?]
My Other Half huffed. |Yes, but I won't say no to hearing it again.| My cackle only grew louder.
[Taylor's POV]
After we cuffed the Nazi Capes, I dispersed my Swarm, and landed on a nearby rooftop. My boyfriend glided behind me, lazily following upside down as he kept his eyes on the Nazis. Really, if I didn't suddenly lose my fear of any and all insect related things, I'd think the sight of a moth man staring down at people with his head tilted all the way back would be terrifying... Though to me, it was hilarious. Humor and Amusement flickered through the Bond at that thought. "It's nice to be appreciated."
Rolling my eyes, I wrapped my wings around my body, the design of my suit shifting to adjust to my wings going into their resting position, and looked at my Other Half. The Necrofriggian properly oriented himself, wrapping his wings around his body like a cloak. "So... What happened?" And wasn't THAT the question?
I'd been perfectly fine and was mid conversation with my Dad, and thanking Uncle Kurt again for making sure Dad had a place to crash, when I'd felt my Other Half transform. I kept my 'Lock' on, so I hadn't suddenly grown brown scales and a tail, but I still got Worried. Ever since we first Bonded, we hadn't really gotten into fights without the other. My first patrol was the outlier, and that ended up being a mess, so neither of us had gone out of our way to patrol or fight alone. So feeling and seeing that he was in a fight, I ran out of the DWU, put on my suit, and used the Speed Mode to run across the city.
On the way, I pulled as many insects as I could, not consciously counting them, and only after the whole thing was over, did I notice I had a good million or so bugs surrounding everyone. Overkill was overkill, but it was also the best kind of kill. Amused Befuddlement pulsed through the Bond, and I noticed the twitching mandibles of my boyfriend. [Queen of Escalation indeed.]
I scoffed, and poked his carapace. "That aside, explain."
The alien Mothman tilted his head at me, then huffed. "Well, it started after a conversation with Auntie, when I saw who I'm pretty sure is Tattletale." I blinked at that, remembering the Thinker being a former member of The Undersiders. "Mhm. Anyway, I saw her, and decided to just pretend I didn't and go about my day." Reasonable. "Right?!" Rolling my eyes, I motioned for him to go on. "So I turn away from the Thinker, not about to raise any flags her presence brought, when I started thinking."
I couldn't help myself. "Did it hurt?" He stared at me, and I got the impression he'd be raising a brow at me if he could. She was right. I snorted at that. "You're rubbing off on me."
His Mischievousness sparked, and I knew what was coming. "Thought I was rubbing off IN you?" My cheeks warmed at that, and I mentally ordered the bottom half of my mask to open. It did it just in time for me to expel a blast of freezing air at my boyfriend. Though he unfurled a wing, having the icy winds harmlessly splash against them. The wing dropped, and he gave me an Amused look. "Done?" I huffed, and closed my mask. "Anywaaay, I was thinking if it'd be worth it to interact with her at all, when I realized I could just dump her on Dragon." Taking a moment to process that, I gave my boyfriend a look that, despite being hidden beneath my mask, he understood. "Do you want someone else to bunk with us or something?"
Blinking, I thought about having another person live with us. On its own, I could maybe accept it, Huh? It'd obviously depend on if they were trustworthy, if we could handle them...- [More people means we wouldn't get to have sex in the kitchen, living room, showers... Anywhere outside of our rooms, really.] I paused... That...
"With Dragon she goes then." My boyfriend let out an Amused scoff, a puff of freezing mist coming out of his mouth. It was probably another relationship high I was riding, or it was because of how our Bond made it feel for us, but sex was great... And since neither of us wanted to give up on 'Us time', it was obvious that the solution would be to just let Dragon deal with her... (I'll need to give Tess my condolences.) Another huff came from him at that, but I ignored it. "Then what happened?"
He hummed, turning a bit to get a look at the cuffed and secured E88 Capes. "Well, Glory Girl punched Hookwolf into me, and I got pissed. My shield pulled its weight, protecting me from getting torn to shreds and flattened like a pancake." My Swarm buzzed at that, my Anger being shunted into them. My boyfriend's wings twitched at that, but he let out another stream of chilling wind, longer and more potent since I could see the ice forming in the air, then relaxed. It was interesting, knowing that I could affect Big Chill, but that he could reign himself in. "After that, I showed you what went on, and now we're here."
I hummed, about to say something, when we noticed the aforementioned Cape began to fly towards us. Seeing the both of us turn to her made her flinch, but the girl breathed out, a shaky smile on her face as she kept coming. She eventually reached us, hovering a few feet away from the ledge. "H-Heeey..." My partner and I stayed silent, both of us deadpanning at her... Not that she could tell given one of us was a bug alien, and the other was covered by a mask. "I uh... Just um... Damn, this is harder then I thought."
The Amusement coming from the both of us at seeing the Alexandria Package squirm and not know what to say, was immense. "Yesss?" I bit back a snort at the deliberate hiss in my boyfriend's speech, as well as the small puff of mist he blew out. "Get on it with it."
For a moment, Glory Girl frowned, but after clenching and unclenching her fist a bit, she sighed. "I'm... Sorry, I got you involved."
That was a good start, but neither of us were content with that. ""And?"" Talking in unison hadn't been planned, but we rolled with it.
The combined rasp of our voices made the New Wave Hero flinch, and look down like a scolded child. "... And for almost getting you killed, Wukong."
My Other Half hummed, and I was tempted to make a few Hornets land on Glory Girl out of spite, but the Calm coming from my boyfriend kept me from doing it. [We can use this.] Under my mask, I looked at my boyfriend. Knowing I was doing that, he mentally hummed, and went on. [We needed an in with Panacea, this is how we get it.] I blinked...
Then nodded.
Of course my boyfriend would immediately exploit/guilt trip someone if it benefited him. Why wouldn't he? [Are you disagreeing?]
I mentally shook my head. |No, just calling it how I see it.| Manipulation was a good tactic in my books, just as long as it wasn't taken too far. Amusement pulsed from him at that thought.
That aside, he nodded at Glory Girl, making the girl brighten up. The smile she shot us was b...- AGONY flooded us, the Swarm buzzed and flitted around as it felt like an 18 wheeler smashed into our Bond. The connection between my Swarm and Big Chill was being pulled and twisted, while our Bond relayed how it felt. I didn't notice when I fell onto my knees, a hand on my head as the pain made it look like everything was spinning and Wrong an...- "OFFfofFOffFf!TUrn!ItOfF!" My Other Half collapsed onto the roof, his wings furling and unfurling as he thrashed. Seeing and feeling his pain, I grit my teeth, my Swarm ri...-
The pain vanished, and I managed to make out sounds. "-rry! I didn't mean it I swear!"
I groaned, but managed to look over to my boyfriend, ignoring the girl's apology. Phoenix was laying on his face, a pair of his wings splayed against the roof, while the other pair were still wrapped around him. There was still Pain and Annoyance coming from him, so I could tell he was still okay. "'Okay' is... Subjective..." Despite the headache we both no doubt were dealing with, I felt my lips twitch.
"Is... Is there..." Ah, she was still here.
My boyfriend rolled over, aiming a glare at the heroine. "No. Shoo. Go away... We'll guilt trip you later." I would've normally said something against that, but my headache was keeping me from doing it.
Glory Girl flinched, and after looking at us for a bit, nodded. "I'm sorry." Neither of us responded, and the heroine flew away.
With her gone, we stewed in our pain for a bit, before my Other Half tapped the dial, turning back into himself. "We're going home."
Yeah, I wasn't going to argue with that.
2 birds with one stone here. An in with Panacea and Tattletale.
And before anyone asks, Lisa won't be a big focus, the intention is for her to be there on occasion, though that could change depending on how the story actually goes.