Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by
The Celestial Escalation
Chapter 09: Meeting the Mother
– Taylor Hebert –
100cp granted, 100cp total
I thought hard about exactly how much I should show the PRT, but I won't deny that Fortuna showing up almost feels like a threat. Having my power testing handled by someone who proclaims herself the Thinker and clearly has immense connections, if she can just slide herself into my power testing, means that lying or omitting things is much harder than planned.
Despite the surprise of having the woman who took down Lung over a joke (and I know she knew I wasn't serious because she's a super-powered Thinker), the testing proves… well, boring.
Amy would disagree!
Well, true. My girlfriend (still sounds weird to say) has certainly enjoyed watching them test the limits of my brute and mover rating. I'm not showing them the luck power, but Fortuna hasn't even hinted that she knows about it when she actively told me to use it on her the last time we met.
Fortunately, I don't actually have much to hide, since I haven't rolled any truly worrying powers (beyond my mom, who they think is a completely different cape and has no part in my testing). I also don't have much reason to hide my current power level, since the Celestial is empowering me so quickly that even if they decide to use it against me, their information will be out of date.
So, besides my Luck power, I'm fairly open with everything else, and as someone who bullied her way onto my 'good luck' list, Fortuna doesn't seem in a rush to point out that I left it out as I show off [Sliding Shadows]. They were rather surprised to find out that the healing ninja can now teleport, and I've confirmed their suspicions that my power is still developing.
It's not like I can hide that with the speed of my growth. [Thought Acceleration] gets me a combat thinker rating, and my various strength and speed buffs get me a nice Brute and Mover rating to go along with it, but from the start, it was obvious that they're not focused on my ability to punch things real hard.
There are two reasons the PRT are so interested in me, and so excited to have me willingly cooperating. My healing and Sleuth. Now, I have no doubt in my mind that Fortuna knows that I am Sleuth. Ems has admitted that they almost certainly already at least suspect that I am Sleuth. To put it simply, people noticed that Sleuth is inactive while I'm at school. Sure, they can't outright say they think it's me because even with my paper-thin identity, the Unwritten Rules are still very much in place, but at the very least, even people on PHO have theorised that Sleuth is a student.
But Ems has a plan for that, and all I need to do is play dumb at their vague questions. It's a funny middle ground because I'm playing dumb but so are they. This is about my power testing, after all, and they can't bother me too much about a 'different' cape without risking me deciding that I don't want to cooperate with them after all. So, while there have been some gentle questions about 'pre-cognative Thinker powers', they backed away quickly because they'd rather maintain a friendly relationship than poke me too hard and have me break off before they can try to recruit me for my healing.
As for Fortuna? She's been the picture-perfect power tester and hasn't done a single thing that could be seen as suspicious by even the most schizophrenic conspiracy theorist. Which is suspicious as fuck.
Be more suspicious, so I have less reason to be suspicious, you fancy fuck. Who even wears a fedora with a lab coat? Does it look good? You're damn right, it looks good. I'm actually offended at how she manages to so stylishly pull that look. Fuck you, you stylish bitch.
Her innocent smile as we move onto testing my healing waters, and Amy gets to do more than ogle me, makes me want to punch her in the face. And we just established that I punch hard!
– Fortuna (Contessa) –
As she led both Taylor and Panacea through the healing portion of the power testing, she maintained the same perfectly innocent, just-right amount of excited smile. Taylor's stare remained unbroken, clearly displeased by her presence and highly suspicious, but that was the point.
The Path to becoming an ally to Taylor Hebert was long and complicated due to Taylor's innate mistrust of almost everything except her AI companion. In time, she'd realise that Fortuna had helped her cover for her side gig as Sleuth, and that her presence here was a net positive for Nimue. But, at the same time, her presence furthered Taylor's paranoia that Fortuna knew more than she should, making her more likely to cooperate out of both a fear she wouldn't admit to and a very reluctant respect.
There was a third reason she was here, in truth.
She found it amusing.
Taylor's power may very well be the silver bullet they had been seeking, but for her to grow strong enough to become a threat to the Enemy, she first needed the incentive to do so. Her power could not properly path Taylor's growth, irritatingly, but she could path almost all of Taylor's current powers, allowing her to predict what Taylor was going to do. The only things she struggled to predict were the 'magic' used by Annette Hebert. Even her luck could be pathed, because with the active luck buff, many of her paths could be cut down in complexity as she got a 'lucky' break and things lined up just right for her.
Even if Taylor was not going to be their silver bullet as Contessa hoped, she was clearly a potential asset and a tool for stabilisation, with the proper application of Luck, good or bad, to key figures in their plans and the weaponisation of Sleuth to reduce the eternally climbing crime rate.
But while much of her reasoning was purely logical and part of her path, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying pulling on Taylor's tail. She knew why she was finding this amusement. Taylor's power disrupting her Path, just slightly. Whenever Taylor got a new power, or something that her power struggled with, Path to Victory… paused. In a way she'd never seen with any of her usual blindspots. It was almost like her power had done a mandatory update and needed to restart giving her moments where, for the first time in a long time, Fortuna was in the driving seat rather than Contessa following the Paths.
And it turned out, Fortuna was something of a troll, as PHO would put it. The fact that she could turn bothering Taylor into a genuine step on her Path made it all the better. It wasn't like Cauldron questioned why she spent her time doing things, as they were used to her going off at all hours of the day to do seemingly irrelevant things that would turn out important to a Path much later.
Each injured patient today was hand-picked to ensure that Taylor's heroic tendencies would be well and truly aggravated, and as Fortuna went through the testing, recording Nimue's healing powers and having Panacea confirm that they were not dangerous and had no side-effects, she smiled to herself each time Taylor's frown grew reading the charts.
Primarily Empire victims, targeted for various reasons, from religion to skin colour. She didn't need to be so obvious as to have a lesbian who got targeted be one of the patients for Taylor to get the message; her concern for Panacea growing. PHO had been alight with speculations about Nimue and Panacea's relationship, and the Empire's rhetoric meant that Kaiser would be forced to decry their homosexuality when the pictures of Taylor kissing Amy spread, thanks to a well-placed paparazzi.
Kaiser truly did not care about Nimue's sexuality as he tried to find a way to force her into his gang. But, to maintain his image, he'd have to speak out against it. His Herren clan allies especially would demand such a thing, and it would lock Kaiser into a path that would lead him to conflict with Nimue in ways he didn't want due to her ability to take down someone as strong as 'Lung'.
To get the aid he needed to free Hookwolf, he'd make promises he never intended to keep, and that would be his doom. After all, someone like Taylor would only ever act one way when faced with the knowledge that Kaiser had promised her womb to some incestuous hillbillies or planned to hand her over to the Gesellschaft for 're-orientation' to 'fix her' degeneracy.
Violently.
And then, the conflict would cause Taylor's power to continue growing as desired, giving Contessa more data to work with. All in a day's work, really.
As the power testing came to a close, she knew Piggot was practically frothing at the orders from above telling her not to push for recruitment at this point. Watchdog's analysis made it clear that Nimue had a currently unknown grudge against the PRT and that until it had been identified and cleared up, pushing for recruitment would drive her further away. Chief-Director Costa Brown ordered Piggot to maintain cordial working relations and get Nimue registered as an independent hero instead.
Making her report, which would put Taylor's powers a rating or two than they should be, Fortuna smiled to herself as she got ready for the next step in her Path to befriend Taylor Hebert. At the end of the day, Taylor remained a deeply lonely girl, which was why she had rushed into a relationship with Panacea. 'Ems' assisted, but the betrayal of the real Emma Barnes was a deep wound. It meant that Taylor was desperate for friendship and popularity, in ways she didn't truly recognise herself. It also meant that once she had gotten close to someone, she'd move the moon and stars to keep them safe and maintain her friendship.
As they came out of Deputy Director Renick's office, Fortuna paused and mentally counted down. Three… two… one.
The ringing of a phone distracted the trio, Panacea answering the phone, flinching at the sound of Brandish's voice. Carol Dallon just took her break and saw the already spreading images of Panacea making out with Nimue, and was displeased at being caught by surprise by this. In Brandish's extremely limited defence, Brandish did not care that her daughter preferred women, she was simply mad to find out through a gossip article that was trying to paint it in a negative light due to the author's heavy religious leanings. And yet, her words were antagonistic enough to put Panacea on the defensive and cause Glory Girl to spring to her defence, distracting the pair as they argued with their controlling mother.
Stepping into the corridor, she entered a sideroom in a move so swift and perfectly timed that only Nimue noticed, her glance just suspicious enough to make Nimue, who was naturally adverse to such drama, chose to follow and 'give the sisters' space.
"We don't have much time," Fortuna said the moment Taylor entered the room, watching as Taylor paused, already on the backfoot. "Tell Red Wing to monitor Emma's internet activities tonight, starting at nine thirty-seven. Give Sophia Hess and Madison Clements good luck before that time. You'll understand when Emma makes her move."
"You would want me to help Shadow Stalker and Browbeat," Taylor growled, her stacking intimidation powers coming into play subconsciously. It would be all too easy to get them registered as a Master power, but that would work against her goals.
"As I said, it'll make sense soon. You'll regret it more if you don't. When you see her, demand that Emma tell you about the alleyway. Don't ask, she'll lock up. Demand an answer," Fortuna replied softly. "Empire fanboys in Winslow have already leaked your identity to the Empire. They have no proof, but enough speculation that Krieg will consider it genuine intel and take it to Kaiser. The ABB also have a new leader named Bakuda, who wants to kill you to prove she is stronger than Lung."
"I- I didn't take down Lung, you did!" Taylor grumbled.
"Because you told me to," Fortuna pointed out with a small smile. "As I said, we're short on time. I've booked you a reservation at a sushi restaurant that Amy is interested in. It has been paid in advance, the booking is in your name, and the time and location have been sent to your email."
"I- what? This is the second time you've pushed me to do something involving Amy," Taylor growled, her suspicion and defences rising. "What do you care about my relationship?"
"My interest is in your well-being, because your powers growing will inevitably put you at the top of the Cape world. You could either become an S-class threat like the Butcher or Nilbog, or the next Triumvirate-level hero, the next Eidolon. Can you honestly say that you were in a good mental state upon getting your powers?" Contessa asked, watching Taylor flinch back. "You have the potential to do great good or great evil, and encouraging you live a healthy lifestyle will keep you on the right path."
It also limited the risks of Panacea becoming the next Bonesaw or worse, while Annette would push Panacea to use her powers more freely. Untangling the ticking time bomb that was Panacea, while making her more useful in the long run and ingratiating herself with Taylor in one move. Sometimes, Fortuna impressed herself.
Because as angry as Taylor wanted to be at the implication, at the meddling, she was truly grateful that Fortuna made sure she was in the right place, at the right time, to befriend the sisters. Her self-doubts made her happy to be seen as such a threat; her fears made her grateful someone cared about her well-being, even if it was for logical reasons rather than out of affection.
Because Taylor remained a lonely girl desperate for people she could rely on, after so many figures in her life had disappointed her.
"Is it even safe for me and Amy to just go out on public dates?" Taylor asked, already looking to Fortuna for advice despite her anger.
"It's safer if you do. Kaiser will make his move eventually, especially after you hit Hookwolf. You plan to go public, don't you?" Fortuna asked, getting a small nod.
"I do," Taylor agreed. "My identity is paper-thin anyway, so I might as well rip the bandaid off and be in control when it falls apart."
"Panacea is safer if you do. Brandish will approve of your relationship with Panacea if you stand up to her and make your intentions clear. Your father is actually safer as well, because already Stormtiger and Krieg are considering hitting your house in a 'home invasion gone wrong', but if your identity is public, they can't try that without people comparing it to Fleur," Fortuna replied simply. "Revealing your identity and confirming your relationship at once, right now, after dealing such a blow to the Empire, gets you both a considerable amount of public support. You have seven seconds before Glory Girl notices your disappearance and starts looking for you."
Taylor froze, giving Fortuna a look before she made her decision and slipped back out of the room because Taylor was desperate not to disappoint her new friend or give Glory Girl any reason to be angry at her.
"Door me."
Leaving the building, Contessa smiled to herself for a job well done. In forty seconds, Taylor would walk past the open doorway to the small room they'd been in and see her gone despite the lack of any exit, further establishing Fortuna as a dangerous woman better kept as an ally than an enemy.
She truly was good at this.
– Taylor Hebert –
Feat Achieved: Register as an Independant Hero, 100cp. 200cp total.
"I can't believe you managed to get a reservation there! Man, you must have abused the fuck out of your luck powers," Vicky half praises/half whines. Amy's face remains bright red after I revealed 'my' date plans, and it turns out that the sushi place is close to the hospital which caused Amy's interest in seeing it as they flew over on the way back from her shifts. "Even Dean had trouble getting reservations for us!"
"I guess I just have good fortune," I reply, getting a playful groan from her. "So, is everything okay with your mom? She didn't sound… thrilled."
"Ugh. She's fine, she's just complaining because she found out through a gossip rag. How did they even post an article so fast? The picture was right before we entered the building!" Vicky groans.
"Sorry, Amy. I probably should have waited until we got inside, huh?" I ask sheepishly. In my defence, this is my first actual relationship, and it's not like there's a guide for dating a celebrity.
"No. Why should we have to hide anything? It's none of their business, and Carol is just over-reacting because she didn't know every single little detail of my life," Amy grumbles, pouting cutely.
"I mean, she's not wrong to be worried. Brockton Bay is the Nazi capital of America," I point out with a frown of my own.
"Yeah, but you totally beat the shit out of Cricket and Hookwolf last night. Now the world knows they got beaten up by a gay girl," Vicky points out with a major grin on her face. "Have you checked PHO? You're an Icon, Nimmy. Like Legend."
"Which is why Kaiser is bound to react poorly," I counter. PR is a bitch and Kaiser won't take his strongest monster getting beaten up by a gay teenage girl kindly. "He might even target Amy over it."
"Let him fucking try," Vicky replies, flashing her teeth in a look that is decisively not a smile. "If he thinks we haven't learnt from Aunt Fleur, he's got another thing coming. Look, don't worry so much. One of us is in the gossip rags for something or other every single week. Honestly, it's a nice break from it being Crystal or me. Mom isn't gonna hold it against you. She wants to meet you, you'll come home with us, right? Amy has to get changed for your date anyway…"
Giving Amy a questioning look, I can see the very conflicted look on her face before she sighs and nods.
"If it gets bad, we'll just leave," Amy decides. Ouch, I'm guessing that there isn't much love lost between her and her mom? I did noticed that she doesn't call Carol 'mom'. Vicky's smile falters a little, before she recovers.
"We'll fly there, 'kay? I still think it's bullshit that you can fly around on a floating staff," Vicky snorts, taking to the air as she goes to pick up Amy and I stop her with a smirk, grabbing my girlfriend in a princess carry as I take to the air, easily balancing on my staff. Amy's face turns increasingly red as Vicky wolf-whistles, but she doesn't exactly complain as we take to the skies.
Vicky is faster than me, but she goes slow as she gives me the 'aerial tour of Brockton Bay' including all the best brooding spots. Medhall is apparently the best view, but there's towers with 'better vibes' if you want to stand on the edge and broodingly stare down at the city. Amy's blush goes hyper as Vicky shows off the best 'rooftop make-out' spots, evidently all tested and having gained her stamp of approval. She even tells us which to avoid due to cameras or active security guards as apparently 'there's nothing worse than getting caught with your top off by some overweight security guard with too much time on his hands'.
I have Ems record them all on our digital map of Brockton Bay, because she's got a point. If I got caught in a state of undress by some busybody security guard taking offence to a flyer on the roof, I'm not sure he'd survive. Though, whether I got to him before Amy is another question entirely. It sounds bizarre that there are rent-a-cops willing to confront capes over a little harmless trespassing, but this is Brockton Bay, so I shouldn't be surprised. Half of the city has long since lost their minds. Why else would they still be here?
Landing in their back garden, I let Amy down after getting a kiss on the cheek as thanks (which Vicky whines that Amy never thanks her, leading to the pair squabbling about Vicky flying too fast to be comfortable).
"Come in! Mom is on her way home," Vicky says, gesturing for us to follow as we enter, and I take my hood off. Vicky pauses before she gives me a beaming smile and starts the 'tour' of Casa de Dallon. Mark Dallon looks up as we enter the living room, blinking in surprise at my presence and… unusual state of dress. "Dad, this is Nimue. She's Amy's girlfriend, and the badass cape who beat Hookwolf like the bad doggy he is last night."
"Oh," Mark says, blinking slowly. "It's nice to meet you, Nimue."
"The pleasure is mine, sir," I say, giving Flashbang a respectful nod. "And please, just call me Taylor."
"And I'm just Mark, Taylor," Mark agrees, before turning to Amy. "I take it this is why Carol has called a 'family meeting'?"
Amy flushes, not in embarrassment but in anger, and Vicky cuts in first.
"Some paparazzi got a picture of them kissing and sold it to a gossip rag. It's just some overblown bulls- garbage," Vicky says defensively.
"Mhmm, gossip magazines usually are," Mark agrees, seeming utterly unbothered. "So that's why Amy's been happier lately? Good for you. Are you staying for dinner?"
"I'm taking Amy out for dinner, if that's alright," I reply, fighting off my own blush.
"Mhmm. Don't stay out too late, keep us updated. Don't do anything Vicky would do," Mark says with an almost playful smile before it fades again. I get the feeling he's maybe not altogether there, but Vicky beams at his attempt at a joke, playfully taking offence.
Amy's look changes from growing anger to embarrassment, and Vicky grabs our hands, continuing the 'tour'. At the end of the day, it's a upper-middle class suburban house. I don't know what I expected but beyond some minor damage here and there, which Amy tells me is from Vicky forgetting her strength, it's very much… mundane.
I get the feeling Vicky is just excited to play dress-up doll with Amy as she drags us into Amy's room and goes over all the nice dresses Amy has. Apparently, she doesn't like them usually but New Wave go to enough events (especially Panacea) that she has to have some formal outfits. I do briefly freeze at the realisation that I don't have any nice dresses, before a message to Red Wing informs me that Contessa had Parian make me one, and it's currently in my bedroom. A quick teleport back home has me all dressed up and returning so they can pick one that matches for Amy. Amy turns bright red at the sight of me all dressed up, and Vicky realises she gets to put make-up on two people tonight.
Personally, I think my slim black dress is way too much for someone like me to pull off. Vicky, Amy (and Ems) all vehemently disagree, swearing it's perfect for me. Amy looks like she might cry if I change into something more casual, and my admission that it's the only one I own makes Vicky's night as she bullies me into agreeing to a shopping trip.
Fuck you, Fortuna. Stupid, perfect, stylish Fortuna. Bitch.
Hearing a voice downstairs, I watch Amy freeze. As strong as she acts, she's clearly not thrilled at the concept of this 'family meeting', so I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. In the end, Vicky picked an adorable pink dress for Amy, which Amy looks as thrilled to be in as I am for my black one, but the unstoppable force that is Victoria Dallon cannot be fought, and as we are dragged downstairs, I get my first look at Carol Dallon, better known as Brandish.
Bitchy. She looks bitchy. Short blonde hair in a style I can only call 'Karen', a severe frown on her lips and a judgmental look in her eyes.
Her gaze moves to our dresses, before they soften just slightly as she gestures for us to follow her into the dining room, taking a seat.
"I take it you are Nimue, then?" Carol asks, and I give Amy's hand a squeeze as she goes to argue.
"I am, Mrs Dallon, but you can call me Taylor out of costume," I confirm, seeing her look soften further, even as she continues frowning.
"I take it you are aware of the danger of being openly gay in Brockton Bay?" Carol asks, staring straight at me. Is it her hero background or her lawyer profession that gives her such an intimidating stare? If it wasn't for my stacking intimidation buffs, I might fold.
"The Empire. I know," I confirm.
"I do wish you had informed me before I found out through a clear smear-piece on some second-rate gossip rag," Carol says, finally addressing her daughter with an annoyed look. "This could have been handled far more gracefully-"
"Mom, it's not that big a deal!" Vicky butts in, going quiet as Carol's eyes snap to her. I get the feeling I know who wears the pants around here. She does seem like something of a control freak.
"Should I pretend to be straight? Should I have accepted one of the stupid rich assholes that Vicky kept trying to set me up with?" Amy finally says, her voice icy and only making matters worse as Carol's eyes narrow.
"That is not what I said," Carol bites back. "Have you even considered what to do going forward? Like it or not, you are a public figure, and anything you do reflects on Panacea and New Wave."
"But basically, nobody on PHO has an issue with it besides the weirdo Empire fanboys! And even they've been quiet since… you know, Taylor beat Hookwolf last night," Vicky cuts in again, and a look at Carol tells me how much she sees PHO as a viable judgment of public opinion.
Fortuna's words echo through my head, and the way Amy is shrinking into herself makes my decision for me.
"I do have a plan," I speak up, before Carol can reply to Vicky. "I intend to become a public cape, revealing my identity. If the Empire are going to target anyone for this, it'll be me."
"Ooh, you could join New Wave!" Vicky says excitedly, but I shake my head.
"I have a team, Vicky. Red Wing and Sleuth," I point out. "I might be willing to go public, but I don't plan to force it on them."
I can't, because Sleuth doesn't exist at the moment, and Red Wing is an AI. I don't mention my mother, but my look makes Vicky realise as she nods with a small pout.
"And you believe you are ready to handle the Empire's retribution?" Carol asks, arms crossed.
"At the risk of sounding arrogant, Mrs Dallon, I am strong and I'm only getting stronger," I say confidently, drawing on all my intimidation perks and matching her posture. "Lung and Hookwolf learnt this the hard way, and I intend to offer my aid to the PRT when it comes to transporting Hookwolf and Cricket to jail, or the Birdcage in Hookwolf's case."
A moment passes between us, sparks flying before Carol relaxes.
"Do you intend to publicly acknowledge your relationship, then?" Carol asks, her bitchiness fading to a more thoughtful look.
"If Amy is fine with it, yes. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of," I reply with a confidence that I do not feel.
"I see. Amy?" Carol asks.
"Same. I'm fine with announcing it," Amy agrees, squeezing my hand.
"I shall speak with Sarah. It's important that New Wave put out a unified front on this. Frankly, it's less trouble than Crystal gets up to every time she goes to a sorority party," Carol admits, getting a quiet snort from Vicky. "Or any of Victoria's many PR disasters."
And that shut her right up.
"I take it you two are planning a date?" Carol asks, looking over our clothes.
"We are," I say, giving her the time and location.
"Victoria, patrol near the restaurant without making it clear you are lingering too close. Amy, send a message in the group chat if you encounter any issues, whether it's an attack or just a thrown insult. Am I clear?" Carol asks sternly.
"Yes," Amy squeaks as Vicky nods in agreement.
"I shall drive you to the restaurant. Before you speak up, Victoria, consider what flying there would do to their hair and the fact that both are wearing dresses that almost certainly don't have bicycle shorts under them, unlike your uniform," Carol points out, making Victoria go quiet before giggling awkwardly. "Amy, I expect updates every half hour. If you forget, Victoria will be showing up shortly afterwards."
"Come on, I need to finish your makeup!" Vicky says, flying out of her chair to the quiet sigh and scolding of her mother.
"Thank you, Mrs Dallon," I say, seeing no reason to antagonise the woman when she is more or less on our side. Being a bitch about it, but still. At least Carol didn't molest me which is more than I can say about Amy meeting my mother.
"There will be traffic, so we will be setting off soon. Victoria, do not take too long," Carol scolds, already pulling out her phone as she turns her attention to her work. I hear her greet Sarah, Lady Photon, as we are dragged upstairs.
As much as her excitement is contagious, I can't help but be a little concerned due to a simple truth. Why did Fortuna tell Ems to keep an eye on Emma?
— Bonus Scene — Emma Barnes
It was all coming together.
She'd thought long and hard about how to repay Taylor for everything she'd done, but the simple truth was that nothing could happen until the perpetrators were punished for the years of bullying that they'd done to Taylor. She wanted to claim that they'd made her strong, like the alley had made Emma strong, but it was all bullshit.
Emma wasn't strong. She was so fucking weak. So pathetic. Hiding behind Sophia, using that coward posing as a predator as a safety blanket.
The two messages she had ready to send were prepared, carefully curated to do the most damage possible. Madison was the least guilty of the trio, she was just a pathetic little follower, eager to do as she was told. Her punishment would be the least damaging.
But it would hit Madison where it would hurt the most, her reputation. See, Madison was quiet the venomous little bitch in their group chat, and there was basically nobody in the school Madison hadn't insulted at least once. Her sweet, friendly persona wouldn't survive when those logs were leaked to the whole school, and everyone knew what the cute little angel really thought about them. Madison would make Greg look popular by this time tomorrow.
But Sophia? She needed a worse punishment, and again, Emma had known just how to strike at the bitch who had misled her. Sophia was a boaster. She loved getting Emma to kiss her ass and tell her how cool and strong she was, which meant Emma had a lot of evidence of Sophia's less-than-legitimate patrol. Information that she was going to make sure fell into all the wrong hands, both legal and otherwise.
When the Empire learnt that the 'predator' that kept shooting their men with a crossbow was a little black girl, they'd tear her apart. Assuming the PRT and BBPD didn't toss her ass into juvie first. All Sophia's boasting, outright selfies with her 'prey', it was all coming back to bite her. It was no wonder she'd been so absent of late, scared to face a true alpha like Taylor. She couldn't hide forever.
But the worst offender? Who else could it be but her? Sophia was cruel, Madison was cowardly, but Emma? Emma was a traitor. She'd stabbed her best friend, her sister, in the back just to feel 'powerful'. The other two wouldn't have even paid Taylor a second glance if she hadn't been the architect pushing for them to tear Taylor down so Emma could feel less pathetic. Her punishment would be the worst, and it was well deserved.
She thought about exposing her own actions and her own venomous chat logs, and while she had done that as well, it just wasn't enough. Her crimes went far beyond that, and as such, only one thing made sense to her. She had to go back to where it all began.
Meeting Sophia was the worst thing that had happened to her, so she was going back and redoing that… event, and this time there would be no bitch to 'save' her.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Emma smiled brightly. Her skirt was too tight, her top too small. She looked downright slutty, and that was exactly what she wanted. As a female resident of Brockton Bay, she knew all the streets that girls like her had to avoid if they didn't want to become a statistic. Tonight, she was going to tour them all, straight into ABB territory.
If she survived her ordeal, she'd go to Taylor and beg her forgiveness, but as she was now, she didn't deserve it. Her hands shook at the idea of going looking for the ABB, but her mind was made up.
Tonight, she was going to be punished.
Author's Note: 'Surely Emma can't be that unstable' - Taylor, unaware that Emma is officially batshit insane after the realisation that Taylor is stronger than her or Sophia.
Meanwhile, Fortuna is doing Fortuna things.
Written: 02/01/2026