Denial
2.2
"Is there really much point in me getting an outfit before power testing?"
"It takes longer to prepare your full costume," Aegis – Carlos, I kept having to remind myself – said. "It's not like they can buy it from a shop. Everything has to be custom made and considering the Director wants you out in the public eye, it's best we get that out of the way first. Besides," he smiled and pointed at my face, "You can't keep walking around HQ like that. Identities exist for a reason."
I felt like I could, seeing as I was a normal person. I almost pointed that out again but stopped myself at the last second. It hadn't worked the last ten times today and it wouldn't work on the eleventh. I was technically two days into my life as a Ward now, and oddly enough the simple act of agreeing to join had made it so that Dad and I had been able to go home without being kidnapped. Admittedly, we'd had an escort, so that might have had something to do with it. I was back in the outfit I'd meant to introduce myself to the Wards in now, the black pants and white dress shirt.
And yet here I was, headed to a meeting in which an entirely new outfit would be custom designed and made for me. Something which was pointless, since I'd never get a chance to use it. Well, I'd tried to save them time and money, I really had. The number of times I'd suggested immediate power training was in the second digits now. Armsmaster was becoming equal parts annoyed and amused at what he saw as enthusiasm to get started and show off.
Ironic, really.
Power testing, to me, was about the only reason I wasn't pulling my hair out or freaking out more about the whole being a Ward thing. Sure, them not believing me was annoying, but it wouldn't last. The moment I went for power testing, they'd hook me up to whatever machines they had, and the truth would be revealed. Nice, simple and I'd be out the door before I got thrown into anything dangerous.
"I just think we should do testing first. Save all the effort, you know?"
"You don't have to be nervous, Denial." Carlos, as usual, mistook the reason for my protests. He seemed so eager to please that I felt bad, like I was scowling at a puppy who had brought me a stick, despite that I was trapped down a well. Adorable, but not entirely useful. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to do much more than sigh at him. "I heard Glenn Chambers is coming to handle your image personally. He's one of the best. If a little…" He trailed off. It was the first time I'd heard Carlos be less than complimentary about someone, so I homed in on it.
"A little…?"
"Not everyone gets on with him. Or most Capes, anyway. Image is… There's often a disconnect between what people want and what the Image Department decides is best for you, the public and the PRT."
"Should I be worried about that?"
"I don't know. Depends on you. My advice would be to think if there's any one thing you want, and then stick to it. Make it a compromise of sorts. He has to give you that or you won't agree on anything else. Go in with no idea in mind and he'll dictate everything."
"I don't suppose you have an example?"
"Oh, uh. I was easy, but Clock, for instance, wanted a full-face mask. Most of the time, Image likes you to have a bit of your face visible. Makes you more relatable. But Clock made a huge deal of wanting his covered and managed to get it by compromising on other things but not that."
"Okay. So you're saying that I shouldn't let them decide everything for free. I should get something I want out of the deal. Like a trade."
Carlos nodded. "Yeah, that's about right."
It made a lot more sense put like that, though I still wasn't sure what I wanted. Armour was a good start, but from what I'd seen, the Wards all wore decent armour of a sort. Except Browbeat, who I'd been told didn't because his powers specifically interfered with it. It was probably a bad idea to compare myself to Browbeat, though. Gender aside, we were as different as night or day. I considered the female heroes instead. Vista, and because I'd met her, Glory Girl as well. The second I did, I knew what I wanted.
"No skirt."
"Huh?"
"That's my thing," I decided. "I'm not wearing a skirt or having my legs bared. Give me trousers or give me death."
To my surprise, Carlos laughed. "Ha. Yeah, I can see that. Image is… well, no one likes to say it, but they do tend to try and make female capes a little more `seen`, if you know what I mean."
My face twisted. "You mean sexy?"
"Hey. If Glenn asks, I'm not the one who said it. And we're all underage, so I think the word is `approachable` more than sexy."
Yeah, yeah. Same difference. Vista was thirteen, yet her outfit was designed to accentuate her shape and figure, including tight leggings, a flowing skirt and what a video game nerd might have called breast-armour. Her face was also completely exposed but for a visor, while everyone else had full body armour of some kind.
I could see the writing on the wall there. If this guy tried to saddle me with something revealing, he was going to see just how much denial `Denial` could provide.
Glenn Chambers, you've no idea who you're messing with.
------
Carlos' warning did little to protect me from the force of nature that was Glenn Chambers. From the second I walked into the room, he took control, sat me down, pushed a cup of coffee into my hands and then started talking. Glenn seemed like the kind of person who was used to getting other people to do what he wanted. I hated him immediately.
It wasn't even that he was attractive or fake, because he wasn't. He was surprisingly unattractive for someone whose job was image. He was overweight, badly dressed and wore glasses even uglier than mine. His hair… well, the less said the better. It was as if he'd tried to grow a mohawk, given up halfway and then refused to do anything with what remained. Emma would have choked to death on seeing it.
Hm. That had potential.
It wasn't his image which annoyed me though, which was probably fitting given his job. It was the way he talked, combined with how he shot down everything I suggested. He wasn't even rude about it, just… self-assured; in a way that was always sort of brushing up against being smug without ever going the whole way.
"Being approachable is important. You can't cover yourself up like that, Taylor. You have a fine figure. Don't be afraid to show it off a little."
"I'm not baring my stomach!" I growled. "Even ignoring the fact that's just creepy, it would paint a huge bullseye on me. Like, shoot here to kill. You remember I don't have any powers to protect me, right?"
"Sure, sure." Glenn rolled his eyes. "What about your legs?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Hm. You're not making this easy, you know. People already have problems accepting parahumans as being the same as them. The last thing you want to do is make that worse by not revealing at least a little skin. It doesn't have to be crude, Miss Taylor. Some of your face, shoulders, arms, anything to prove you're not an emotionless robot."
"Gallant wears full armour. It even glows. He looks more like a robot than most robots!"
"He's an exception."
"Clockblocker wears full armour."
Glenn frowned. "Also an exception."
"Shadow Stalker--"
"Is so much of an exception it hurts. I mean come on, all black, edgy teenager with a crossbow and a mask that covers her expressions? I don't care if those are tranquiliser bolts, they're still full-length bolts being shot into people and perfectly capable of severing an artery or poking an eye out. Shadow Stalker is living proof I can't so much as take a weekend off without someone screwing the pooch."
I didn't see the problem. Out of everyone's outfits, I liked Shadow Stalker's the most. It was dark, so it would be less obvious at night, and I wasn't one for bright colours or drawing attention even in my normal outfits. As for the crossbow, well, why not have a weapon, right? Personally, if I was going to be dragged into this, I wanted an assault rifle, but I'd settle for getting the outfit sorted out first.
"I want something dark," I said, ignoring how Glenn reacted as if I'd slapped him. "Something concealing." He flinched again. "Maybe a full-face mas--"
"No, no, no. There's more to this than effectiveness. An outfit is a brand. It's how people judge you, how they see you, and, by extension, how they see the PRT. You might think it foolish and I'll admit that in some cases it can seem that way, but some people are simple. Some people do see a dark outfit and immediately think villain."
I frowned. "Why are we catering to those people?"
"Because we have to. You cannot win an election without appealing to numerous demographics. For capes, every day is a struggle not only to arrest the bad guys, but not to be seen as one of them. As a girl, as stupid as it sounds, you have an advantage there. Glory Girl regularly causes property damage that would see a less attractive male cape punished, but she is let go because of her age, her appearance and her fame."
"That doesn't sound fair…" I said, thinking of Emma.
"It isn't. Life rarely is. It can be the same with powers. You only need to look at the Canary trial to see how certain powers are treated differently to others. It's not something any of us like to talk about, but this is why image is so important. You only get one chance to make a first impression." Glenn reached over the table to lay a hand on mine. "Let me help yours be a positive one."
Damn it.
"Fine…"
Glenn smiled.
"But still no skirt!"
"Huh. The guilt approach didn't do it for you?" Glenn ignored how my eyes narrowed at that. Did he have no shame whatsoever? "How about a compromise, then? I'll agree on the no skirt aspect and keep skin concealed bar for your face, but only if you let me have full design over your face and hair."
"I don't want to cut my hair…"
"No cutting," he agreed. "Or at least not off the length. Such a change would draw attention to your civilian image. I'm just thinking a different style, to differentiate your out-of-costume self. Obviously, I'll design something to keep your identity hidden, so you don't have to worry about a Glory Girl tiara. Just let me design the face and I promise no skirt and no exposed patches of skin."
It was a good deal. Probably as good as I was going to get, and really, I supposed none of this mattered. The moment I got into power testing, I'd be free of this nonsense. I would only have to wear it the one time. Plus, I'd gotten my compromise. I'd forced Glenn Chambers to give up. I'd won. With that in mind, and a smile on my face, I reached over to shake his offered hand.
The way in which Glenn's scowl morphed into a wide grin told me I wasn't half as clever as I thought I was.
I had the sinking suspicion I'd been played.
------
The outfit, or the artist's rendition of it, wasn't quite as bad as I'd imagined. It came primarily in a mottled-grey a few shades lighter than dark, yet not quite bright either. Somewhere between Shadow Stalker's black and Gallant's silver. The boots were long and thin, reaching up to below the knee and thankfully didn't have heels. There was fabric that reached up to what was, in fact, a skirt, but I allowed it because Glenn gave me trousers to wear under it. The skirt also had armour plates on it running down the outside of the thigh, so I could see it as more armour than feminine fashion. if it had been a skirt, I had a feeling we'd have argued for hours, since the damn thing only came halfway down my thigh.
Several horizontal plates ran across the stomach region, grey plates over black fabric, leading up to a breastplate that wrapped around my front and back. It had… breasts. Or, well, not breasts but clear room for them and far more room than I needed. The armour looked like it was designed for a woman a lot curvier than I'd ever be. I shot Glenn a fearsome scowl.
"No one will expect such a well-endowed individual to be, well…" Glenn, to his credit, didn't look down to my non-existent chest. "It'll also let us pad more armour in, offering more protection to your vitals. Think of it as concealment and defence all in one."
"Right…" The armour would put me at a generous C-Cup by the looks of it. Hard to tell the exact size without seeing it in person. Either way, there was a symbol over the breasts, a circle in white with an X drawn into it. It was edged with red, but subtly, not enough to stand out too much. The same symbol repeated on the belt, boots and shoulders. Basically, anywhere he could fit it. "What's this for?"
"It's your emblem." Glenn said, making an X shape with his hands. "Denial."
"Oh. Okay." I could see it now that it'd been pointed out for me. It was still better than a clock, and I appreciated the dark tones of the armour otherwise. "I'm surprised you let me be this colour. I thought you'd have me in red and white or something."
"Armsmaster warned me your powers might lean more toward subtlety, so having you be too obvious might be an issue. There's also not much point in designing something I know you'll reject. In truth, I'm hoping you can help with our other problem."
"Other…?"
"You mentioned her yourself. Shadow Stalker. Too dark, too dangerous and not at all good at talking to the public. She sends the wrong kind of message."
"I thought she was alright," I said a little defensively. Shadow Stalker had saved my life, after all.
"That's what I'm looking for," Glenn said. "Not all the other Wards get on with her, but you seem willing to try. By making your outfits at least a little similar, it'll help create the narrative that you're a duo. That way, some of Shadow Stalker's negative PR can be balanced out by your good. She becomes the quiet and taciturn woman of action and you're the more approachable, less `bite your face off` of the pair. The public love that. Like Assault and Battery or the Triumvirate. Individual Heroes are impressive, but it's the teams that stand out."
"Plus," he added, grinning wildly, "It gives all sorts of merchandising opportunities. Box sets, Shadow Stalker and Denial action figures. Posters. The lot. We can have three sets. One for you, one for her, and then one for the both of you. That's a 50% increase in marketability."
"Yeah?" I asked, not really paying attention anymore. If I thought I'd actually be staying as a Ward, I might have cared more. But I didn't think I'd complain about Shadow Stalker either way. It would probably help to have a more experienced Ward to help, and Shadow Stalker seemed nice, for all that I'd not seen her since joining. "Sure. I'd be fine teaming up with her. As long as she's okay with it."
"Great!"
The final part of the outfit Glenn had prepared for me was the face. All the other Wards wore full helmets or visors, covering their eyes if nothing else, but it looked like Glenn was bored of that. Instead, my mask was more reminiscent of Miss Militia, leaving my eyes, upper face and hair free, and instead having a mouth piece that looked to wrap around the cheeks and fix over the mouth. A simple thing with the stylised X symbol once more. My hair, or the image's hair, was in a single long braid. Not something I'd normally wear, but again, that was the point. With the hair, the larger breasts and the grey armour, I'd look nothing like my normal self. I could only assume I'd be wearing contacts to help with my vision since glasses would ruin the effect somewhat.
"So," Glenn asked. "What do you think?"
"It's… Honestly, it's not as bad as I thought it would be," I admitted.
"That's the Glenn Chambers promise." He took the image back, ran it through a scanner and then let me keep the original in case I wanted to show the other Wards. "I'll get this finalised and sent off, then. Should be able to get it back before power testing if we're lucky. We'll look at equipment and tools once we have a better grasp on your powers."
With our meeting done, I was hushed out of the office and back into the corridor, where Carlos put down a magazine he'd been reading. He looked surprised. "Over already? That was quick."
"Apparently."
"Did you manage to get your no skirt rule?"
"In a manner of speaking." I handed him the image. "Compromised by letting him decide my face and hair." Despite that it wouldn't last and that I wasn't a cape, I still felt curious what an actual hero thought of my costume. "What do you think?"
"It's not bad. A bit dark."
"He wants to pair me with Shadow Stalker."
"Ah." Carlos winced. "Well, good luck with that." He looked a little closer at the picture. "Surprised he went for covering your mouth, though. He normally says facial expressions are one of our biggest selling points, along with the ability to actually talk." He suddenly laughed. "You don't think he did that on purpose, do you? Stop you telling literally everyone you see you're not a cape."
Carlos didn't notice that I'd stopped following him, frozen in the middle of the corridor. One of my eyes twitched.
"Son of a bitch…"
Spoiler: NoteLast edited: 24/9/2018 Award Quote ReplyReport1539Nara'la24/9/2018Reader modeNewAdd bookmark Threadmarks Javelin_CatcherHe Who Sought the Pointiest of Sticks24/9/2018Add bookmark#739Wow, just wow.
I'd buy Denial's fig, tbh, reading how it was described sounds awesome.
I'm guessing her costume's like Teen Titan's Red X but with more armor and more silver? Award Quote ReplyReport88NoelemahcThese things, they happen.Award RecipientHe/Him24/9/2018Add bookmark#740Two complaints.
One. Taylor clearly doesn't realize that being an unmasked Ward is just asking for trouble and should play along with the Game of Capes as far as masking herself goes (it seems to go down this road once she sees the costume mockup, but is left unsaid explicitly).
Two. The YG rules from the Quest that spawned the group very very very very explicitly prohibit the sexualization of underage capes. So bare legs, bare midriff or accentuating the bust are major nonos that Carlos should be aware of instead of scaring Taylor with them.
Liking the end result lots. The X on the fakr Breasts Plate is like an unsubtle metaphor along the lines of C'est Ne Pas Une Pipe. Maybe, Ce Ne Sont Pas Des Tetons? Inevitably, PHO will propose that and someone, maybe multiple someones, will get banhammered.
(Then Vicky, after meeting Taylor out of costume, will harangue her for trying to be more than what she is)
And of course the juicy potential of Shadow Stalker realizing she was just handed a marketing BFF girlfriend. How soon is the unmasking, eh?