"How much do they know?" Taylor asked as they got out, Charlie thanking the PRT driver as he led her inside.
"Officially? Not much. Shadow is suspended and on disciplinary for breaking her probation, both in and out of costume. But, people gossip, and it spread that Sophia is suspended from school for a serious bullying incident, and it isn't hard to connect 'Sophia is getting the whole ass library thrown at her' and 'new cape showing up the same week'," Charlie pointed out. "Aegis knows more as the Wards leader, Vista found out more… somehow? Personally I think she uses her power to listen in where she shouldn't be, and Vista gossiped with Gallant and me. Basically, they all know Sophia almost certainly bullied you, that you triggered recently, and that something happened between me, you and Sophia that led to Sophia getting in serious trouble. They don't know the exacts."
Great. They all knew she was a victim already. She might as well have a sign flashing above her head saying 'not hero material'. Maybe her hero name would be Crybaby.
"Relax, T. They're nice people, and no-one is going to blame you. Shadow dug her own grave, I just tripped her into it. Aegis is probably going to apologise for not being omniscient. He takes being Wards leader seriously and is treating this like he's personally failed at everything and should retire into the mountains and live as a goat," Charlie snorted.
Despite herself, she giggled ever so briefly and got another grin from Charlie. She was glad the mask hid her blush as they headed inside, Charlie taking her to an elevator and pressing a button that made a small alarm ring.
"Mask alarm. It tells them someone who doesn't know their identities is in the elevator. The door will stay shut until one of them presses the ready button," Charlie explained easily, seeing her curiosity.
The door opened quickly enough as Charlie walked in, utterly casual with a lazy smile.
"Hey guys," Charlie waved easily. "This is T, no cape name yet. T, meet the team. Red and white is Aegis, knight in glowing armour is Gallant, the dragon rider hugging the lance is Vista. No Clock, Brow or Kid?"
"Kid is putting in some lab hours, something about that bird of yours helping him plan better?" Aegis explained. "Clock is away, family thing. Browbeat is in the gym. Welcome to the Wards HQ, T."
"Yeah, Charlie said your power was amazing, and we need way more girls on the team!" Vista said, giving Charlie a dirty look over his description of her but she could see the smile under the scaled helmet. "I've been outnumbered too long, the heroic thing to do would be to help even the odds. Maybe we can force these gross guys to actually tidy up after themselves."
"Hey, my room is clean!" Charlie defended.
"You've literally used it like twice," Gallant pointed out with a quiet laugh.
"I guess being one of two girls on the team would be rough," Taylor commiserated. She had noticed the living quarters were a little… disorganised. Was that Kid's hoverboard being used to prop open a door?
"Ha! Two? No, I'm the only girl. Shadow does not count," Vista scoffed. "Charlie is more feminine than her."
"Oi," Charlie barked, elbowing her (and dodging the playful lance poke). "Besides, you're getting Flechette and I've heard she's great."
"Yeah, but that's still two girls, five guys and one… it," Vista scoffed. She might have found someone that liked Sophia as little as she did.
"Vista," Aegis sighed. "Please stop making things worse. Shadow is in enough trouble without you egging her on into breaking her probation more."
"It's not like she's here to argue, confined to the Rig until graduation. They might as well permanently wire her into the console and rename her Console Chick, because she's never leaving that room if Director Piggot has her way," Vista defended, but she did sigh and nod. "Ugh, fine. But only because you said please."
"So, what can you do if you don't mind me asking? Charlie enjoys being deliberately vague," Gallant joked, gesturing for her to join them on the couches.
"Hey, not my tale to tell," Charlie shrugged, hopping over the back of one of the couches to slump into his seat as he checked his watch. "Who is on the console today?"
"Shadow until 6pm, me until 10," Gallant answered easily. "Patrols are currently off for us, Fortune gave an ominous warning about the Ward patrols so we're sitting on our hands. Could have told me before I got all armoured up, but ah well."
"Wait, was Vista on patrol too? Odd, I didn't think you had any reason to be all dressed up-" Charlie started.
"I will poke you with my very large pointy stick," Vista warned, blushing slightly. Ah, she'd gotten all dressed up just to be dressed up. Was Charlie distracting them for her? "There's nowhere you can run that I can't prod you."
"I'm a Master," Taylor spoke up, before catching herself. "Not a human master, I control bugs, not people," she hurriedly corrected.
"She's underselling it. Insane range, unlimited multitasking. Combine her with Vista and she could probably control every bug in the city," Charlie added, getting a low whistle from Aegis.
"Damn, that's got to be thousands?" Aegis said, impressed.
"Millions," Taylor corrected without thinking. Aegis and Gallant paused, before shuddering in disgust at the idea. She didn't take offence, she did the same.
"...how many are in the Wards HQ?" Vista asked, with a tone that told Taylor she really didn't want the answer. "Oh, god, what was that face?! Damn it, Clock, I keep telling him to throw away the pizza and not leave the boxes around! Can you get them out, like now."
"Err, sure?" Taylor said, focusing as she commanded the swarm. People underestimated just how many bugs were… basically everywhere.
Vista leapt from the chair she was in as several bugs left it, shuddering.
"Do you think Youth Guard would back me up on it being unhygienic if I burnt the building down?" Vista asked quietly.
"Probably not. Or they'd try and force mandatory inspections once a week and we'd have to deal with that," Charlie pointed out, unbothered by the sight.
"Ugh, good point. But see, it'd be unheroic to leave us dealing with all these by ourselves, T!" Vista teased, clearly not too serious. "Alternatively, you could just move them all into those two rooms. It's fine, nobody uses them."
"That one says Shadow Stalker on the door, and the other is covered in clock doodles," Taylor pointed out, smiling despite herself.
"They won't mind," Vista said, very unconvincingly. As the meet up continued, Taylor found herself relaxing because… well, Charlie was right. They were really just a bunch of pretty nice teenagers. It felt more like she was hanging out at the popular kids table than meeting a bunch of heroes… only, this was Arcadia popular and not Winslow popular because none of them felt like Emma or her gang.
She was amused when Aegis asked to talk to her alone, because Charlie had read him like a book.
"I won't say it's fine," Taylor said, after his attempt at an apology for not keeping a closer eye on Sophia. "People should have noticed, but you aren't one of them. Besides, you've only been Wards leader for like two months, right? I did some research, and it used to be Triumph?"
"Ha, yeah," Aegis agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. With their patrol cancelled, he'd changed to a casual outfit with a half mask still on, jeans and a white t-shirt showing off his hispanic skintone and features. "But I knew Sophia was… struggling to adjust to heroism, I should have expected she'd be lashing out more out of costume."
"You don't go to Winslow, and Sophia would have gone ballistic if you went poking around her private life, you're not exactly friends, right?" Taylor asked.
"I thought we were making progress in integrating her into the team, going from reluctant teammate to possible friend. Turns out she was just shitting herself because Charlie was close enough to see through her bullshit," Aegis sighed. "But you're right. Wards Leader or not, I can't just butt into other people's lives even if I suspect something. And if I'd reported it, it would have gone to her handler without any evidence. Still feel bad, though."
"Guess that's what makes you a good hero," Taylor very lightly teased, getting a smile from him.
"Maybe so. The failures always sting more than the victories shine, but that just means you can learn from them," Aegis said gallantly (and kinda cornily), before giving her a grin. "I won't try to apologise again, but I'll do better if there is a next time. I doubt there will be, because my team is pretty great besides a certain outlier, but who knows what the future holds and it's best to be prepared."
Yeah, Aegis took his position a little too seriously but that was better than not taking it seriously. If more people followed his example, someone would have helped her long before Charlie had to.
Returning to the living room, she paused at the sight of Miss Militia and Clockblocker. Maybe it was unfair to the Wards, but she couldn't deny that she was secretly thrilled to see a full-time hero, the olive skinned woman turning them and giving them a crinkled-eye smile. Clock seemed excited about something, talking rapidly with Charlie, only wearing a domino mask that really didn't cover much. Gallant was missing, having left to start his Console Duty, if she had the time right in her head.
"Good evening," Miss Militia greeted easily, from where she had been speaking to the Wards.
"H-hi," Taylor replied, more than a little embarrassed to be talking to someone she once had a poster of on her wall.
"Hey, T. I'm heading to the Rig, got some shit to talk care of. You wanna come along? Even if you're not signing up today, you should sign up as an indie hero, like New Wave," Charlie said, turning from Clockblocker who was still beaming about something.
"And if nothing else, you can raid the gift shop," Clock added with a grin. "Hi, by the way."
"The Rig has a gift shop?" Taylor asked, blinking.
"We do public tours weekly," Miss Militia explained with a little laugh. "And Corvo is right. I won't bore you with the numbers, I'm sure you already know the risks associated with being an independent hero, but the PRT has a program for supporting independent heroes like New Wave, Sere and Dovetail. There's no requirement to do so, nor would you be under any contract or obligation. It's simply a way for us to ensure the local independents are up to date on current threats and have the support they need to avoid being pressganged into one of the gangs."
She already knew this, because she'd done her research after her meeting with Charlie. It was embarrassing how much time she spent on her phone now that she had one. She could see how people became addicted to it.
She also already knew the numbers for the survival rate of independent heroes in the city. It wasn't pretty. It was something she'd already argued with her father about. She didn't really want to join any organisation that had Sophia in it, especially one that had blatantly failed to rein her in… but the Wards seemed like genuinely nice people and it was a Ward who stopped it all. Sophia and Emma would still be getting away with whatever they wanted if Charlie hadn't put an end to it.
Would it be that bad? It was only until she 'graduated', she didn't have to stick with the Protectorate. Charlie himself said he was planning on going indie when he turned eighteen. It'd get her father off her back, because now that he'd realised how much he'd missed… he'd swapped from not paying attention to paying far too much attention, and it was stifling. He was terrified of the idea of her going out in a mask by herself.
Look at Mouse Protector. She was a cape who spent her early years in the Wards then went solo and had since been doing great for herself. She was one of the longest lasting indie heroes in the world.
Being on a team with Charlie didn't sound bad at all. Sophia would hate it. That wasn't the deterrence that Taylor thought it would be. A part of her wondered if Sophia would have the self control to not start shit, but if she did while already in so much trouble, it'd just make her situation worse. Another positive, to be honest.
"I-" Taylor started, trailing off for a moment. "I want to join up. With the Wards, I mean."
"Yes!" Vista said excitedly, beaming. "This is going to be so funny- I mean, cool. What, don't give me that look. You know Shadow is going to lose her shit."
"Probably," Charlie agreed with a snort. "But I think her survival instincts will do some heavy lifting in keeping her from causing trouble."
Miss Militia sighed and gave Vista a stern look which was returned with an angelic smile.
"Anyway," Vista said, reaching up and taking off her mask. "I'm Missy! You won't regret this, the rest of us are actually nice and not psychotic bitc- err, people."
"I'm Taylor," Taylor said, hesitating before she reached up and took her mask off, more nervous than she'd like to admit as she shunted most of it toward her swarm.
"I'm Dennis, but you can call me anytime," Clockblocker said with a wink, causing her to flush in surprise. Missy lazily swatted her hand and despite being sat half way across the room, hit Dennis on the back of the head,
"Carlos," Aegis said with a soft smile. "Welcome to the team, Taylor."
"As they said, you won't regret it. When we're in private, you can call me Hannah," Miss Militia said with another eye-smile as she pulled down her bandana and left it around her neck. Was it a rule that heroes had to be seriously good looking? If so, she might be doomed to villainy after all because not a single person in this room wasn't an eight. Missy was adorable in the kind of way where you could tell she was going to be a heartbreaker in a couple of years.
"So… uh, what happens now?" Taylor asked.
"The process is fairly painless, don't worry," Hannah laughed softly. "We can start it today, and then you just need to bring your father in."
The fact that Hanah said father and not parents told Taylor that unmasking was the right call. Charlie was right, half of the Cape scene was just people pretending they didn't know each other's real identities. He'd be happy, at least.
"It's basically just paperwork," Charlie snorted. "Welcome to the government, and the black art of bureacracy."
Ah.
– Sophia Hess (Shadow Stalker) –
She couldn't deny that she was fucking pissed.
So what if they pushed around Hebert a little? Who the fuck cared? Why were they making it such a big fukcing deal? And what the fuck was Charlie thinking, betraying his sister and her to side with that fucking crybaby? She let him fuck her on a dirty rooftop and then he just kicks her straight into a pile of shit without so much as an apology?
So, after several hours of Console Duty, spotting Charlie swaggering through the Rig like he owned the place, she couldn't deny that she had to hold herself back from attacking him. A part of her said it was to stop herself from giving the PRT enough rope to hang her with, but deep down she also knew she was fucking scared of him. His powers were utterly bullshit and wasted on a backstabbing cunt like him.
"Hey, Soph," Charlie greeted with a lazy wave like they were meeting up for a patrol.
"Fuck you," Sophia spat back, getting him to snort. "What the fuck, Charles?"
Charlie snorted at her words, unbothered as he put his hands in his pockets. She wasn't stupid. He was doing it so she couldn't see the card he was holding, but his pocket was deformed slightly from it. His cards didn't bend, might as well be made out of titanium and she could see the edge of the one he was holding, ready to be cast.
"Lets talk in private," Charlie said, nodding for her to follow him. She glared back, but followed behind. She doubted it would truly be private because she couldn't take a piss without Armsmaster wanting a report on the colour and volume anymore. She had a fucking Tinkertech ankle monitor, like she was a criminal. She fought criminals, and now they were treating her like one over some fucking jokes?
As they headed to the Wards room on the Rig, less used but still just as messy, he slumped into the chair without a care as he turned back to her.
"You fucked up. Did you think I was going to protect you from the consequences?" Charlie asked plainly. "You're fun, Sophia, but you aren't that fun."
"There wouldn't be any fucking consequences if you'd just kept your fucking mouth shut," Sophia growled, glaring at him. "Now I'm being sent to some fucking catholic school, with Piggot slapping a tracker on me and threatening me with Juvie if my grades slip below a B. They took my fucking crossbow, talking about a 'redesign' of my outfit to be less 'aggresive'. All because you decided to side with fucking Hebert?! You know they fucking drug tested me? They wanted to see if my 'aggression' was caused by any substance. Do I look like a fucking Merchant?!"
"Sucks to suck," Charlie shrugged, and she had to restrain herself from lunging. "And you really think nothing would have happened? You're not entirely stupid, Sophia. You know Taylor triggered."
"So fucking what? She's too much of a loser to do anything about it. Worried she'd go all Carrie on us? Fucking pussy, that pushover couldn't even bring herself to fight back when Emma took her mother's precious flute. She's weak, powers won't change that," Sophia growled.
To her surprise, Charlie laughed darkly as his eyes glowed purple. That was his Oracle's whatever, right?
"You wanna know something funny? Taylor is laughably stronger than you," Charlie said, and she froze in place. "She's triggered with a top-tier power, and if I hadn't acted, she would have gone villain… and eventually killed Alexandria because you made sure she'd hate the PRT. No consequences? Fucking short-sighted idiot. This is why you got caught in the first place, can't think more than two steps ahead. 'Oh, I'll just shoot people with crossbow bolts and what do you mean I'm under arrest, I'm a fucking hero.'"
"I- bullshit," Sophia said weakly, hating the doubt in her voice.
"Is it? Were you always such a badass, Soph? Is Shadow Stalker the same girl you were before you triggered?" Charlie asked mockingly. Her glare grew tenfold, because she fucking hated being reminded of when she was powerless.
And yet, his words were effective because if she said that she'd always been so badass, they'd both know she was full of shit. No, her powers had turned her into the predator she was today, rather than that weak, pathetic girl she had been… but could it do the same to Hebert? She'd never been that pathetic… right?
Thinking back, she shuddered. She hadn't fought back for too long as well. She couldn't bring herself to say she was the same now as she had been, because she hated the girl she had been.
"I- shut up," Sophia spat. "Don't you feel bad about getting Emma into so much shit?"
"What I got Emma was the help she needs. Someone had to step in and stop her from spiraling with your predator/prey survivor bullshit. Wasn't going to be Dad," Charlie scoffed. "I have faith she'll come through this… but Sophia? Stay the fuck away from her or I'll use every inch of pull I have with the PRT to have you reassigned to the fucking North Pole. Director Piggot would throw you in a pit with a smile, and if you do anything to fuck with Emma's recovery, I'll kick you in it myself without a moment of hesitation. You've done enough damage to her as it is."
"I fucking saved her!" Sophia shouted, stepping forward in anger. "If it wasn't for me, your precious sister would be in some ABB brothel, being pimped out for ten dollars a go."
"I know, and I'm grateful for that. It's why I did my best to keep you out of Juvie. Doesn't change that you're the worst possible influence for her. Emma is weak, and far too quick to cling to people she sees as strong. That's been you for too long, but now? It's me, and it's going to stay me," Charlie said plainly. "You were her pillar to lean on, but the foundations were set in sand and it toppled at the first push. She's a little shit, but she's still my twin sister and I love her. If you get in the way of her getting better, I'll make you beg to be sent to Juvie to get away from me."
"Stop acting like you're better than me," Sophia spat.
"There's a problem with that. I am better than you. Stronger, smarter, more powerful," Charlie rattled off, his casual expression replaced with a dark look for a moment. "You think you're a predator? Some big bad wolf the sheep need to fear? Maybe you are. But you're off the edge of the map now, and here? There be monsters. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
She didn't respond, eyes stinging with something she refused to admit were tears.
"I hope you get the help you need, Soph. You've got a second chance, well, a third since you pissed away the second. Yeah, it's gonna fucking suck to have the PRT breathing down the back of your neck but you've proven you can't be trusted to behave if nobody is watching. You want them to let you off the leash? Show you'll stop biting people without a muzzle. Don't throw away this chance, because you're not going to get a fourth," Charlie said, rising from his seat. "You want to call yourself a hero? Fucking act like one. If not? Tough out the rest of your time in the Wards and then fuck off. After all, you're a survivor, right? Then, survive."
With his final words said, he walked right past her, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She rapidly decided she didn't like them.