Despite finally allowing Thrawn's memories to run wild through my head, I still wasn't able to get as much rest as I wanted. My dreams were filled with destroyed worlds, the feeling of death wrapping around me. I woke up two times in a cold sweat, so Dad gave me a weird look when I appeared with bags under my eyes. Thankfully I had the excuse of having too much homework to keep any questions or concerns he had at bay. Good thing he got called to go into work so I didn't have to come up with another excuse on why I was going to the library this early.
Sure I had an old computer in my room, but that relic was slow and could barely pull up PHO. A visit to the library would be an excellent distraction from my lack of social life, as well as allow me to gather information about the various gangs, PRT and Protectorate. At a glance, Lung and Kaiser would be difficult to deal with, but Lung was still only one person, albeit a very powerful one. Kaiser would rarely show himself in public, usually only showing up to fight Lung himself with assistance from Fenja and Menja. The Empire also had another heavy hitter in Purity, but she hasn't been seen in a few months, only making the rare appearance here and there to fight the ABB and Merchants. Rumors had it that she had left the Empire, but I seriously doubt that.
Glancing outside of the bus' window, I sighed. I would need to do a lot of planning. Manipulating the gangs into mutual destruction wouldn't be as simple as the wannabes at Winslow. I would need to establish my own presence here in Brockton Bay, but that would take a little while. I needed to raise funds and support. Plus, I doubt that most full grown men would be willing to follow a fifteen year old girl without a power that could easily force them to respect me. I needed to gather my own thugs that would be loyal only to me. Recruiting parahumans would also need to be high on the list. Normal humans could only do so much against capes, even with my strategies and tactics.
Still, first things first. Before any operation could start, information needed to be gathered and plans needed to be perfected. And I still needed to gather funds. People wouldn't fight for free, and I still needed to get equipment even if they did. Maybe I could offer my services as a private investigator on PHO? Yes that could work. I would get practice in using my power, earn a bit of money, and start to build my own powerbase. I'm sure most people would be willing to pay a decent amount to see if their significant other was cheating on them.
My bus soon arrived at my stop, and I got off without a hassle. Thankfully the library was a ten minute walk from my stop so I didn't have to walk far. Eyeing several people that walked by , I felt Thrawn's memories surge through me. A nerdy boy wearing suspenders who didn't look much older than me rushed past me with a binder in his hands. Despite his outward appearance, his arm muscles indicate that he does plenty of exercise. Was he a part of the school's football team? A possibility. He also could have learned self defense to protect himself from would-be aggressors.
Speaking of self defense, it seemed that I was going to need to up my exercise regime. Jogging wasn't going to cut it anymore. While Thrawn's greatest asset was his mind, he also trained his body to the same degree and was skilled in various martial arts from the Imperial Academy as well as various Chiss forms. At least I wasn't going to need to pay for some classes, I just needed to practice what was already in my head. Even if I wasn't going out on patrol like other capes, I still needed to be able to defend myself.
Eventually, I arrived at the library. Not even a few minutes later I was already seated at a computer in the back after showing the librarian my library card. Glancing around the area next to me in case anyone just happened to be watching, I signed in. Normally I would have used my personal email that I used back at home, but I didn't trust public computers one bit so I created a new burner email to sign into PHO. Tinkers and Thinkers were everywhere, and I didn't need any of them being able to find out where I live or who I was.
Thankfully various PHO users had made a wiki of the gangs and Protectorate of Brockton Bay. Why would they create such a thing? I don't know, maybe they wanted a target painted on their back. Any information that I couldn't find here could always be found with a search or news report. Let's see.
The Empire Eighty-Eight first came into prominence during the rule of Allfather. Rumors had it that Iron Rain and Kaiser were his children since they were often spotted together and Kaiser's rise to power after Allfather's death. Other rumors say that they have a connection to Medhall. Now that was interesting. Cross-checking Richard Anders and Olivia Anders profile, my theory was proven correct. Max Anders' sister died around the same time as Iron Rain with Allfather's death being reported a week after Richard Anders own.
Really? You didn't even need to have a Thinker power to know that Richard Anders was Allfather and Olivia Anders was Iron Rain. I clicked on a picture of Hookwolf. His costume was literally an iron mask with jeans with two tattoos. You seriously can't tell me that the PRT and Protectorate don't know his civilian identity. The government was always watching. Last week the IRS put a warrant out for Circus for not paying their taxes and they skipped town.
Pulling up a picture of the Empire's infamous logo, I suppressed my anger at our local law enforcement. Their logo was modeled after the Nazi flag with two stylized eights that looked like swastikas. Red, white, and black were the dominant colors. The flag that the Empire based their symbol on was originally created by the Nazis. The colors were taken from the German flag from Bismarck's era. White stood for nationalism, red for socialism, and the black swastika represented the 'Aryan race'. Nationalism? Really? They did remember that the United States fought the Nazis during World War Two? This would sound more believable if they were Neo-Confederates. Neo-Confederates are mostly found in the South, with the Sons of the Republic being the equivalent of the Empire in Houston. Anyways, the Empire was flawed in every possible way and was fueled by hatred. They could easily be taken apart by dismantling their mandate. Their capes are keeping the gang together. Kill the capes, kill the gang. Kaiser's death would cause a rift in the Empire and cause it to fall apart.
Hm, an assasination could work, but I didn't want him turning into a martyr. I needed to come up with a better plan. I could come up with plans on how to get rid of their capes slowly. Now onto the Azn Bad Boys.
The ABB, while not as large as the Empire were just as dangerous. Yellow, green, red, and white are visible throughout their territory. White was often associated with death, so those that had earned Lung's rage had their shops painted white. ABB thugs are usually dressed in red and green. Greens stands for eternity, vitality and energy in the Japanese culture. Red means strength, passion and blood. The ABB respects strength and Lung is one of the strongest capes on this side of the country. Get rid of Lung, and the ABB will dissolve into smaller gangs. Oni Lee doesn't have what it takes to be a leader. Very interesting.
Let's see what the internet said about the Merchant's. I immediately closed the tab and rubbed my forehead.
Who fucking used piss as paint?
The rest of my stay in the library went by quickly. My notebook was filled with the names of various capes, along with their powers, or rumors of what their powers are if they weren't as well known like the Undersiders. It seemed that Tattletale was going to be quite annoying to deal with, her claiming to be a psychic and all that. That was a lie of course, capes with psychic powers didn't exist in the way her victims describe her as. She most likely had a Thinker power like myself, albeit one that worked much more quickly. Still, the human brain could only handle so much information at once, so defeating her would require a sensory overlord. Revealing a lot of information at once that had nothing to do with each other should lead her into a dead end, makes her power overwork itself and a migraine should set in. Well, that was my theory anyways. Thinkers were bullshit and I needed more information. The rest of the Undersiders could easily be disposed of. Hellhound was still a normal human despite her ability to enhance her dogs, and Grue was also a baseline human that could produce a smoke-like darkness. I needed more information to be able to form a plan against Regent. There wasn't much out there with only their cape names and powers being known.
Anyways, I still had to deal with this city's so-called 'heroes'. The Protectorate was the main threat of course. Armsmaster was one of the greatest Tinkers alive, with those under his command being just as competent as he was. Give me command of a Protectorate department, and I would have already conquered half of the country by now. New Wave was another problem, as inactive as they are. Glory Girl was often spotted going out on patrol, while her cousins went out every once in a while. Panacea spent most of her time at the various hospitals throughout Brockton Bay, and the elder generation basically retired in all but name. They only appeared in public during emergencies, and even then it was quite rare for Flashbang to show up. An entire family, blessed with powers and they just let them go to waste. Manpower and Brandish both held jobs, while their respective spouses stayed home.
Being in a hero team must've been expensive with someone as destructive as Glory Girl with them. Hero insurance wasn't cheap, and they didn't exactly cover everything. Funding must be a reason why hero teams were exactly as popular as they were before. Well, that and the death of Fleur. The Golden age of Heroes was over, long live the Age of Taylor! Too much? Probably. I still needed to figure out what I was going to call myself.
Shaking my head as I analyzed the computer screen, I bit my bottom lip. Money was still the big issue here. Should I go ahead and offer my services on PHO? No, not yet. I was going to need a burner phone if I was going to do that. Plus I still had to deal with school and Dad. Hm, several household products could be used to create a homemade bomb-
No, what was I thinking? If I did that innocent people could be killed. I grabbed my forehead. As much as I hated Winslow, my grievances were with the Trio and Blackwell. The Trio deserved to suffer after everything that they did to me. They were useless and could not be used like Thrawn's classmates who assaulted him. Emma, Sophia, and what's her name shall be disposed of in time. I felt a smirk form on my face. Bombing Winslow could make them feel fear. This could work. With Winslow out of the picture, I could be transferred to one of the other schools or even apply to get a GED without Blackwell getting in the way.
I just needed to make sure no one was there when I did it. Innocent blood would be shed eventually, but not today.
Grabbing my notebooks and placing them in my backpack, I signed off of the computer. I would need to delete the burner email I used later. I had a dozen more that I haven't used yet. Making my way towards the exit, I accidently bumped into a mousey looking girl with short brown hair.
"Sorry!" I said over my shoulder as I kept walking. I didn't bother to hear her response as I was already out the door. I had an ugly ass school to blow up. Heh, it would have been funny if that was Panacea. Nah, coincidences like that didn't exist in real life.
There were several rules in life that you should always follow. First, you always returned a favor, and last, never trust anyone who was pretty or handsome. Nothing good could ever come from them. So when I saw a pretty blonde girl near the Boardwalk start grinning at me, I started walking faster. Naturally I took several detours in case she followed me. She was probably one of Emma's cronies, but I had never seen her before. Eventually I found myself back at my safe stronghold, home. I used Thrawn's gifts to make sure no one followed me of course.
Dad wasn't home yet so I was going to be alone again for most of the afternoon. That was fine with me, I enjoyed the silence. Plus I'm able to get the chance to talk to myself. I'm sure that Thrawn was a fascinating person to talk if you stopped to consider everything. Nah, who am I kidding.
I'm just...lonely…
There was a major difference between myself and Thrawn. While he had the political support of Grand Moff Tarkin in the Empire and Admiral Ar'alani in the Chiss Ascendancy, I had none of that here. Thrawn also had the support of his trusted subordinates. Gilad Paelleon was a competent officer who served under Thrawn during the Battle of Lothal, and would later serve as his trusted second in command during Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic. Eli Vanto was considered a close friend throughout his service as Thrawn's aide. Even Commander Faro was a trusted subordinate who Thrawn helped tutored until her transfer to the Eleventh fleet under his guidance.
I had none of that here. No Star Destroyer, no base of power, no one to trust on. All I had was myself and my brilliant mind. Blowing up Winslow was going to be a piece of cake. Sadly it seemed that the homemade bomb made of household products that definitely shouldn't be combined wouldn't be able to blow up Winslow on it's own. I had all day to come up with a solution. The plan had to be in motion Sunday night so I didn't have to go to school on Monday. It should take the school a few days to get everything organized for transfers to other schools, but Winslow's staff was so incompetent that it might even take weeks for the transfers to be complete. The American education system really needed to revamp itself.
I gave my computer a glance. If only that stupid thing was able to load pages faster. I didn't need Dad walking in on me taking in my notes and why it was full of alien letters. Good thing he was downstairs watching TV with a beer most likely in his hands which meant I had some time to create my plan. After all, a great tactician creates plans. A good tactician recognizes the soundness of a plan presented on him. A fair tactician must see the plan succeed before offering approval.
Thrawn was a great tactician, and I needed to live up to his legacy. Blowing up a school was necessary. If I go to school, that means I have to see Them, but if I blow up the school, that means I have some time off without having to see Them. That could distract me from advancing my goals. Too bad I couldn't arrange an accident for a certain Trio. That would have to be on my todo list. I turned my attention back to the decoy notebook I held in my lap.
Winslow's kitchen has numerous stoves powered by gas. A simple flame could cause a chain, and amplify the homemade bomb. The gas needs to spread around the school for maximum effect.
I felt a smirk form on my face. This was perfect! I just needed to make sure that no innocent bystanders would be caught in the explosion. Domestic terrorism was a great way to start my career.
Now I just needed Dad to fall asleep. It was time to cause a potential war crime.
Winslow didn't have much when it came to security. During the school day all they had was an off duty cop that seemed a bit too close to the skinheads for my liking. What was with adults trying to get the approval of teenagers? We're stupid! Well, most of us were. Me on the other hand?
Well, I'm a genius. That's why I was wearing a ski-mask with a backpack full of chemicals that shouldn't be mixed together while I broke the lock and chain that held the back door shut. Winslow didn't have many security cameras, and the few that they did have were mostly for show. Only the main office had a working one, and I wasn't planning on heading in that direction.
The lock broke after a few minutes of struggling. I really needed to work on my physical strength. Maybe I could find something to work out with at the thrift store? Jogging wasn't clearly doing enough.
Winslow looked like trash, but it looked even worse at night. Half drawn graffiti was everywhere, and it seemed that the janitors didn't do their job right last night. Poor custodians who didn't get paid enough for this. One of them was hospitalized by a gang of ABB thugs last month.
Even if I could close the school for a few weeks, I could make that work in my favor. I just needed to disable the fire alarm and the sprinklers.
Good thing Blackwell embezzled the money that was supposed to go into security or this would be much more difficult to complete. Ah, good old corruption. Who am I to deny such kindness?
Walking past a hallway of dented lockers, I made my way to the maintenance room. Hopefully this shouldn't take long. Grabbing a wrench I found by a used car dealership with a gloved hand, I felt a smile form on my face. Time to beat the crap out of some old equipment. Then I had to spray paint some Empire logos and swastikas.
Beating the shit out of the system that controlled the fire alarm and sprinklers took a bit longer than I hoped it would. Now I had to speed up my time table before the first members of the faculty start to arrive. I gave my watch a glance. Hm, I had about two hours left before I had to get out of here. Good thing I already had the homemade bomb ready to go. I had placed it in the main hallway, while I formed a pathway with gasoline that led to it. Afterwards I grabbed a blue spray paint bottle and went to work. It should be easy enough right? It's not like that the skinheads were the next Picasso. I just needed them to get blamed for this. After drawing a few rough E88s and swastikas which caused me to cringe, I threw the bottles back in my backpack.
Walking into the cafeteria, I made my way towards the kitchen. The lone flashlight I held in my hands only served to make the experience even creepier. Once the stoves were turned on, I only had a few minutes to get out before I could light it. Pouring more gasoline on the floor, I threw the container to the side.
I had found that at the dump halfway across the city so no one could trace it back to me. It had a bloodstain on it for some reason, but that should work in my favor. Someone else would have to take the fall for this.
Thrawn would be so proud. I giggled as I slid into the kitchen and started turning on several stoves. Naturally, I didn't actually light them. The gas should spread around the school, and combined with the homemade bomb and gasoline, do quite a bit of damage. Hopefully enough to cause Winslow to close for a while.
The smell of the gas caused my smile to turn into a grin.
It was time to start the fireworks.
Well, once I got out of here first.
Leaving Winslow ablaze was interesting. Setting the most miserable place in the world alight was strangely satisfying, yet I felt empty inside. Sure most of the people Winslow were horrible to me, but what about those who were just like me? My fellow outcast who were just as beaten down as me? What would they do? I shook the thoughts out of my head and threw the clothes I was wearing into a donation box. Naturally I wore a hairnet and disinfected other identifying pieces of clothing before throwing them away at various locations unrelated to each other. I walked back home through some back alleys, with the sounds of firetrucks racing through the streets.
The closest fire station wouldn't be able to react in time of course. Every variable was taken into account, so Winslow should be out of commision even if they manage to put the fire out. The damage to the school's structure should be enough.
No one paid me any heed as I finally entered my neighborhood. I would have to sneak in before he could notice I was gone. The school should be calling any minute that classes were cancelled. I eyed the tree by the window with a smirk.
Large enough to support my weight.
This was perfect.
Note to self, start working out more. My jogging clearly wasn't going to be enough. I would need to implement the Chiss martial arts and standard Imperial combat forms into my workouts. If Dad asked I could simply say I learned from a video from the internet. Self-defense for school was the perfect excuse of course. I wasn't a fighter, I wasn't one of the Dallons or had any abilities that could allow me to beat anyone in a straight fight. I had to be smarter than that.
Fair fights did not win you wars. You had to play dirty, take advantage of your enemies' mistakes. Pull them apart, assassinate them, turn them against each other. If killing a handful of opponents at a dinner could save lives would I be able to do it? A couple dozen lives for hundreds? That sounded like a fair trade to me. I had been home for an hour, yet I couldn't fall asleep.
Pulling the covers over my head, I felt the wheels inside of my head turning. Rushing out in the middle of the night to fight the gangs was a stupid idea. I would need to find others to fight for me. With my guidance, victory was only a matter of time.
I heard a knock at the door, right on schedule.
"Taylor? Are you awake?" Dad asked as he opened the door slowly. It was like 3 am, what type of question was that? Of course I was asleep. Couldn't he have waited till it was time to wake up.
Of course, I already knew the answer to that.
Groaning, I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, using my long hair to hide how bloodshot they are.
"I am now." I said groggily. Complete lies, I have been awake all night. Dad seemed to believe me and nodded his head. He wants to make sure that I'm ok. Dad received a call from the school district a few minutes ago. Classes are most likely cancelled.
"The district just called, classes have been cancelled for the week. There was a fire at the school."
"Oh ok." I nodded slowly. "Wait, a fire?"
"Yup. Get some sleep. I'll see you after work tomorrow." Dad gave me a smile and patted me on the head. He left soon after.
That was weird. Was Dad acting like a dad? Who was he seeing without telling me? Whoever he is dating makes him happy. I narrowed my eyes and held my knees to my chest. I missed Mom. A red glow caught my eyes.
I turned my head toward the mirror off to the side of my head. Thrawn was simply staring at me with a smirk on his face.
I can't bring personal issues into this, it would be detrimental to my mission. Acting emotionally would only end with me hurt. I glared at Thrawn, and threw my pillow at him.
I really needed sleep.
What was there for a Thinker to do without any plans? Come up with plans would be an obvious answer. No, you needed information to make plans. I only had a basic outline on the three gangs in town, but there was a fourth power that no one spoke of. Coil and his mercenaries were the most dangerous power in the Bay. He was obviously rich, judging by the amount of tinkertech his minions had. If only I had a powerbase like that, Brockton Bay would probably be run by me by now.
Walking down the street of the Boardwalk, I avoided the Enforcers and walked up to an ice cream stand. Ice cream in the morning was always fun.
The ice cream man gave me a weird look, but I walked away with a cone of vanilla in my hand. I should enjoy a day like this, hone my skills of observation. I wouldn't have time for myself once my plan started snowballing. Sitting on a bench with my ice cream, I eyed an enforcer that was standing on the corner.
He's keeping an eye out for troublemakers. His legs are tense, the man's stance indicates he has some form of training in hand to hand combat. I eyed his holster. He's carrying a taser not a gun. Really wants to take out his frustration on somebody. Why? Denied a raise? Rejected? Maybe he was just a plain bully-
Someone sat next to me. I gave the intruder a sideway glance. She's pretty with blonde hair, almost a platinum blonde. She seemed about my height and-
"Hi! Nice ice cream you got there!" The blonde girl said with a large smile. "I wish I could get one too, but my sister would start complaining about dieting." She rambled. I have seen her before, never in person, only on the news or online.
"Oh! I'm Victoria by the way! What's your name?" Victoria Dallon said as she extended her name, her foxy smile still on her face.
I just licked my ice cream cone one last time. I wasn't going to have another chance to enjoy it.
She wants to be my friend.