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Amelia, Ch 19- Cherish Interlude

I was having a very bad week. Not as bad as when I joined the Slaughterhouse Nine. But close. For the last few days I'd been trapped on this abandoned ship. What kind of city just leaves abandoned ships sticking out of the ocean?

I had spent a lot of time alone with little more than my own thoughts and the view of a city. I'd even started wondering if they'd forgotten about me. I wasn't, strictly, trapped here. If I was willing to swim a couple miles in frigid choppy waters full of sharp objects while wearing around thirty pounds worth of metal on my arms and legs... I could escape.

Still, all my leverage died when Amy fucking Dallon manage to kill Jack Slash. How the hell did that happen?

I wasn't sure, but it did. Now the entire Slaughterhouse Nine was quite dead. Except for two. Myself, and the little nightmare girl coming to greet me in my captivity.

I'd given up on the idea of influencing her. Or, at least, of it mattering. I could make the child love me desperately, and she would still be capable of killing me without feeling or remorse. And people call me fucked up.

She scaled up the side of the barge with ease. She must have upgraded her body even more- she wasn't that strong before. Or that tall. As she reached the top, I got a good look at her. She had added almost a foot to her height and changed her features. Gone was the cute little Aryan ideal child, and in its place some unidentifiable ethnic soup young teenager. Still cute. Not that I was concerned about her race or attractiveness.

I was far, far too busy thinking about everything she could do to me, everything she'd done to others.

"Bonesaw," I said as she got to her feet.

"Hey, Cherish," she said cheerfully. "My name's Clarice now. Or Aceso. Either's fine."

Ah-kee-so? Didn't recognize that one. Okay, ignore it. "Huh, didn't know you were a fan of that movie."

There was no twinge of recognition, only a little confusion. "Oh, you didn't pick it from there. Huh."

"What movie?" she ask.

"Silence of the Lambs? Serial killer went around skinning girls? You've never seen it."

"Nope," she answered. "I'm not allowed to watch scary movies."

... "What?" I started laughing. I couldn't help it. This was Bonesaw. The living embodiment of the horror genre. The monster that kept other monsters up at night in fear. And she's not allowed to watch scary movies?

She waited for me to stop. "Y'know, it's not nice to laugh at people."

"No, but I'm not a nice person. And neither are you."

She shrugged. "That's okay, I have my big sister now. She'll help me be better. She says everyone deserves a second chance." She said it with such disturbing conviction. I had to wonder if I ever felt that way about my family. No, probably not. I only had myself, after all.

"She's not your sister. Won't ever be your sister. HER sister is dead, and no matter what you do, you won't be able to replace her. Face facts, she's just using you." There. Those were the emotional spikes. Genuine ones, she could tell the difference between those and my power at work.

"You're part of the Slaughterhouse Nine, Bonesaw. There's no turning back. You can't just leave. And we're all that's left. We have to escape before they decide we're no longer useful and kill us both."

"Amelia did. She took leadership from Jack. And since she's the leader, she gets to make the rules."

Amelia... oh... "Hah. So that's where you got the name from. Claire. Clarice. Jesus Christ, you've gone full stalker, haven't you?"

She didn't deign to answer.

"So, why are you here, 'Clarice'?" I asked. "Is it to offer me the same deal you got? Or what you did to Coil? Yeah, I know about that. Join you or have my powers stripped from me? Well, guess what, the second option's a death sentence for me. How is that fair?"

"No," she said. "Jack was right about you. You'll betray us at earliest opportunity. He thought it was fun. He said it was part of the game. But Amelia doesn't like that kind of game. She's not very good at it. You'd hurt her. And I won't let you."

"What? I don't get a second chance? She does after mind raping her own sister? You do after enough atrocities to fill a concentration camp? Where does your 'big sister' get off, being my judge and jury?"

"She doesn't know about this." Bonesaw's voice was cold. Strange. In all the time I'd ever known her, she's never been cold. Always energetic. Always cheerful. This is the first time I'd ever seen her act any other way.

"She will find out!" my stomach clenched at the certainty of what was coming. She was going to kill me. "You can't hide this from Tattletale or Coil. They'll know. And then she'll know. And she'll never forgive you."

She paused. Her emotions went into flux. I tried to influence them, but of course failed. Still, if she was confused, it gave me a chance.

And then she moved. Faster than I had thought possible for someone without speedster powers. Something hit my gut and then pierced it. Finding every flaw in the protective mesh and slipping through, shredding my insides. Why did that surprise me? Bonesaw's work. She'd know better than anyone how to beat it.

"If that keeps her safe."Last edited: Jan 26, 2015 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Opinef, Caimito, Darkcoif and 152 othersTanaNariVerified DickJan 10, 2015Add bookmark#26Amelia, Ch 20- Crystal Interlude

I followed my mother home, leaving Amy behind with her new team. And what a team it was.

Amy and Skitter? I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I'd spent enough time playing chauffer for the bug girl during the Endbringer fight. She was smart. Scary smart, really. I don't know if she really saved all that many people, but she risked her life, was willing to try and fight Leviathan head on with zero protective or offensive powers.

I... I could admit to myself that I wasn't that brave. Blasting him from afar? Sure. I could do that. Search and rescue? Absolutely. Literally shoving a stick up his ass and hoping for the best? No, that was more than I could see myself doing. The part where she used Armsmaster's own dismembered hand to do it? That was fucked up. Sure, it made sense. But it was still fucked up.

I had seen how torn up Amy was after the bank heist. Victoria, too, but Vic answered that in her usual 'find something, kick its ass' way. Amy was always the opposite. Running. Hiding. Something happened then. I knew I wasn't that close to my cousin. We were part of the same team. But Amy never really was 'part of' the team. She got the most useful power. But it was also the least flashy one. Well, unless she wanted to go Nilbog. And now it really did look like she was going to go Nilbog.

I couldn't imagine Skitter would hesitate... in the very short time I'd spoken with her... well, she didn't strike me as the type who understood 'restraint'. A lot like Victoria, that way. Was that what this was? Amy finding someone to replace Victoria? It would explain a lot.

Well, fuck.

I slowed down. "Mom, I'm going back."

"Why?" She didn't sound like she really cared that much. But, well, you try losing a husband and a son in the same day and see what kind of mood you're in. Compounded with what happened with Victoria and Amy and the fact that New Wave was functionally dead now.

I thought about lying to her. Briefly. But no, she was one of the few family members I had remaining. "I want to try to talk to Amy again."

"I think 'Amelia' made her position pretty clear," she said back. She had turned and we were hovering.

"I know. But. Well, you know what Aunt Carol's like. Trying to assert her authority over everyone the way she does. Well, except you, you're the only one she listens to."

She offered a sad smile. "Yeah. I always could talk her into anything. Even things that she knew were really bad ideas."

"You should probably talk to her again. After today, I think she needs it. And I think Amy needs it, too."

She chuckled. "Well. You got your father's way with people. Go ahead, if you think you can help. I'll see what I can do to get through to Carol. Probably should have done it years ago."

"Thanks, mom, you're the best," I hugged her and then turned and went back. It didn't really surprise me when a black arrow formed out of nowhere when I was still blocks away, although it did still creep me out.

Skitter's range was at least three times better than what it had been when I carried her during the Leviathan fight. I followed the arrows, since they were still taking me more or less the right direction. Although they had me fly out of my way a bit and enter their... the hell do you call that thing, anyway? Giant mutant tree house? Territory? Base?

Yeah, it was a base, sure, whatever.

The arrows, finally, led me right in the door. Or one of the door, this place had a few of them. I landed in front of one, and then it opened itself. A lot like one of those bead curtain doors you see in old hippie movies. I walked in. The place was actually rather well lit. I remembered Amy playing with bioluminescence when we were younger, when she first got her powers. I made her make my Lily's fur glow. That poor cat was miserable all night. The next morning, mom made her undo that.

The arrows, smaller now at least, led me to a side room where Amy was sitting on a chair that had grown out of the ground. There was another girl nearby, their fourth member, near as I could tell. She was smiling, but it seemed more like that was her default state than any actual amusement or happiness. Something about her made me really, really uneasy.

Judging by the redness in her eyes, Amy had been crying.

"Hey, Ames,"

"So, here to try and get me to change my mind?"

"I... well, kinda," I admitted. She wouldn't believe me if I said 'no'. Besides, it was true, I did want her to change her mind. "But that's not all of it. I just want to understand why."

"Because I should have done it years ago," Amy answered. "I bottled everything up. Hid from it. Lied to myself. I can't keep doing it. It hurts too much. Carol was never a mother to me. And Mark, I try to be understanding of his condition, but he wasn't much of a father, either."

"Yeah, I can see that," I agreed. It was true, after all. "I never spoke up, but I wasn't exactly Aunt Carol's biggest fan, either. Always thought she was kind of a bitch. Cold, distant. It's not like it was just toward you. She's like that with everyone except mom."

"And Victoria," Amy added.

"Yeah, and Victoria. I get why you left New Wave. It was always 'our parents, plus Victoria'. She was the media darling, the presumed leader of the next generation. I hate speaking badly about her. But putting her in charge of a team would be a disaster."

Amy managed to smile. It was nice.

"It really should have been you," I continued.

"Me? ...Really..." She didn't seem to buy it.

"Eric was too worried about girls. I... really don't do well with that kind of responsibility. I can't even handle being in charge of a group project at school. And Victoria called herself Glory Girl," I added with a smirk. "You were the one who always took on all the responsibility. The one of us that was the thinker, and I don't mean that in the parahuman way. The worrier. Especially the worrier."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I guess I see your point."

"Good. So I'm not going to try to defend Aunt Carol. She'll have to do that herself. But regardless of what you think. We're still your family and we love you."

"It's not that simple," Amy responded. "Over a decade of living with someone who acted like you were something between a bad memory and a ticking timebomb doesn't get erased with a few words. Even the kids Victoria brought over for slumber parties were treated more warmly than I was."

I sighed. Well, I did my best, I suppose. "Alright, can you at least accept that I wasn't a part of that? I was a child back then, too. If you say we're not family... that hurts, but I guess I have no choice in the matter. So can we at least be friends?"

She looked at me, really looked for the first time since the conversation started. "Y-yeah, I think I'd like that."

"Good," I answered. "So as your friend, I'm going to have to join your team now."

"Wh- what?"

"Yup," I smiled. "You guys keep saying anyone can join. No backsies."

"Fiiine," she moaned. "But I'm not the one who has to explain this to your mom."

God damn it.Last edited: Jan 26, 2015 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Opinef, Caimito, Darkcoif and 165 othersTanaNariVerified DickJan 10, 2015Add bookmark#27Amelia, Ch 21- Taylor

Amelia had just walked off, leaving Tattletale. Correction: Minerva and I to face New Wave. The didn't say anything, although Brandish was staring me down like I'd just eloped with her daughter. I didn't really stare back. In fact, I barely opened my eyes. I was currently training myself to rely more on my insects' senses. Right now I had touch range contact with the entire city. But I still couldn't hear or see through them in any way that my brain could parse into usable details. It was something I was working to change.

Eventually, Brandish turned and left, not saying a word to us. Shortly followed by the rest of the team. Lady Photon and Laserdream took off moments after they all left the Yggdrasil for normal soil.

"Kidnapping?" I asked Lisa as we watched them walk away.

"Not as far as the law's concerned," she responded. "But if someone broke into your house, stabbed your dad, and took you away to live with them... would it matter to you if it was all legal or not?"

"They..." I stared hard at the backs of New Wave. What. The. Fuck.

"Umm..." She interrupted. "Don't go all avenging angel here, okay? It... it's not as bad as I just made it sound. They were stuck in a messy situation, and there wasn't going to be a happy ending. They made a lot of dumb mistakes. They aren't bad people. They're just... not smart people..."

I sighed. This whole scenario made me think of my father. For all the problems I'd had in life, I at least knew my parents loved me. Was I hurting my father the way Amelia was hurt by hers parents? The way she just hurt them? That needed to change. "Fine, I'll go talk to Amelia."

Minera spoke up. "Not yet. We have the press to deal with."

"God damn it."

"And you're second in command, so it's your job to talk with them."

"I hate you. Hate you so much."

And sure enough, there they were. Not wearing anything identifying them as reporters, of course. A woman, and she'd have to be an adult to do that job, who was smaller than I was. Significantly smaller, I'd have mistaken her for thirteen based on her height and figure. Although her face structure, complete with several piercings, suggested older. She was currently pointing the camera at New Wave, while her partners went ahead toward us.

She moved to catch up after she got her footage. I almost felt sorry for her- that was a big camera and she had very short legs compared to her much larger, male, partners. One of whom was clearly the reporter- a slightly older gentleman, with the laugh lines that said he smiled for a living. And a younger, larger man, probably only ninteen or twenty carried a box that with other equipment.

"Good afternoon, ladies," the man said. I had to admit, he had the voice for it as well. "I'm Stan Vickery, with channel twelve news, would you mind answering a few questions?"

"We're rather busy at the moment," I answered.

"I understand," he said in a way that left no doubt that it wasn't going to slow him down. "But it shouldn't take too long."

I felt Minerva tense, with the bugs I had on her. I could almost hear her swearing, although she wisely said nothing with the recording equipment pointed our way. She stepped forward, smiling widely. "You're probably right," she said, throwing him off his script. "Mind if I tell you something confidentially, first? I can trust your journalistic integrity, right?"

Oh boy. She was going to go full Tattletale. "Sure, absolutely." He waved his hand at his partners and they set down their gear.

"So. Got a tip from the Protectorate, or was it someone else?"

"Lips are sealed, you know that."

"PRT." It wasn't a question. "Don't worry, your source already knows what I can do. She probably won't hold it against you. No? No, she'll definitely hold it against you. She's just hoping I piss you off enough that you run a negative story on us."

He didn't lose his composure, I had to give him credit for that, but his partners didn't have nearly the same confidence. They looked decidedly nervous, and they knew their boss had lost control of the situation. Was he their boss? I didn't know. I wasn't an expert on the hierarchy of news organizations.

"Thing is, Mister Vickory, I think she underestimated both of us," Minerva continued. "You're a man who truly believes in what you're doing. You wouldn't portray us in a way you believe is untrue, even for revenge. You may use tactics some people would consider sleazy, but you're still a real journalist, not some trash tabloid reporter. Your 'source' doesn't realize that. She also doesn't realize that I can respect people who do what they believe in, and I generally don't try and ruin people I respect."

He nodded. "Alright. You're every bit as insightful as your namesake. So, how much of what I was going to ask are you willing to answer?"

"Right now?" Minerva continued smoothly, "Nothing. Although, later, I'll be doing a lot of talking. We are still off the record, of course. You and I both know that the Protectorate's looking to preemptively trash our reputations, without making it look like that's what they're trying to do. A lot of that is because they don't want another hero team in town. Especially one like ours."

She stopped and smiled.

"Well, miss," he smiled back. "Consider me intrigued. Why especially yours?"

"We're competition," she said casually. "Most other hero groups don't have the resources to be truly big time without the Protectorate backing them. And most of the ones that do are villains. It's a matter of monopoly. They like to be the only big name in town, because they're afraid of what it'll look like if someone comes along and makes them look bad. Beats them at their own game. Makes the taxpayers wonder if they're worth keeping around."

"You believe you're capable of all that?"

"Well, yes. But it's not about what I believe. It's about what they believe. And it's about competition and monopolies," She'd started walking, and we all followed. She owned this conversation, and everyone here knew it.

"Take the PRT, for example." She continued. "They have tens of thousands of reporters across the continent, all clamoring for their attention and favor. As of right now, we have none. The Protectorate believes us capable of being a threat to their establishment and are willing to outright lie to hurt us. We have no one willing to tell the world the truth. They have secrets they want to hide. We know at least some of those secrets, and have no one to share them with."

"Which means the reporter who does hear your story has, as you put it, a monopoly," he concluded.

"Exactly," she responded. "Let us pretend you had that monopoly. I doubt you'd want to give it up. So, really, I can't blame the Protectorate for trying to get in our way. But I'm not going to let that, or for that matter them, stop us."

Meanwhile, I had noticed that Laserdream had turned around and headed back our direction. I put a warning up for Amelia to read, and sent a few arrows to guide her around. Didn't need any more footage of New Wave today. Amelia can handle her cousin, I decided. And if not, well, Clarice was with her.

"I'd say you'd make a good politician," the man chuckled. "But I wouldn't want to insult your intelligence. And journalism's out because I don't want the competition. It's really refreshing to see young people who get it. I guess my questions can wait for another day. How about you ladies show us a tour of your operations?"

Minerva smiled her biggest smile. "Happily. But Khepri and Gaea are in charge. My job is just to make their jobs easier."

Easier my ass. You're throwing me to the wolves, here. I don't care if you just housebroke them in front of me. I telepathically shouted at my supposed best friend. She pretended not to hear me, but I knew better.

"That's actually a really nice soundbite," he said. "Mind repeating that with the cameras on, some day?"

"Oh, absolutely. We'll have plenty of time to discuss the future," Minerva all but sang. "Now I'd better get back to making your life easier while staying out of the way of the cameras."

Go die in every fire. Nope. Still couldn't telepathically erase her brain. I'd need to work on that.

Seriously. Lisa. Fuck you.

The camera crew got their stuff together, and Stan stood next to me facing them. "This is Stan Vickory on location at Pantheon's new headquarters in the heart of Brockton Bay. This new superhero team has been granted use of what was formerly known as Crater Lake for their own purposes, and they have renovated it to astonishing effect in very short time."

"I am speaking with Khepri, one of the founding members of Pantheon. " he continued. "The first question, of course, is what your role is within your new team."

"I'm..." I said. Oh, jeez, what a question that was. "That's hard to narrow down. Pantheon is too small to have narrowly defined roles. Gaea and I lead the team and make most of the decisions on what we do in the future together. In addition, I'm the one with the most combat experience, so I'm going to handle field tactics if and when we need them."

"Yes. Speaking of which, you have sole credit for killing the Siberian," he continued. "I'm curious, how much was the bounty for her?"

I smiled. "Actually, I'm still not certain."Last edited: Ch 22- Taylor

"Care to explain that?" Stan said with a smile.

"The bodies were turned over to PRT custody, as is law in situations like this," I answered. "They will, of course, need to take some time to verify and assign appropriate bounties."

"I see," he responded. "So the refugee camp you've established?"

"Is mostly our own money, yes," I answered. "Along with a portion of the disaster relief that would be intended to repair the sewer lines and other infrastructure. City hall is in full agreement with us that using those to rebuild homes and restore electricity is a much more prudent use of resources. The Yddrasil can easily handle waste disposal for the near future."

"How long will 'near future' be?"

"As long as it's needed," I answered. "You'll have to talk with FEMA and city planning about that. We'll be here to support our community for as long as they need us to." Of course, that means forever. Of course, it won't take long before the politicians decide it's easier to keep the Yggdrasil and spend the whatever millions of dollars it costs to manage a city's sewers on something far more fun to talk about than plumbing. Vickory was savvy enough to realize that. But he didn't bring it up.

"That is remarkably generous of you," he replied.

"It's what heroes do, after all," I answered. "Pantheon's about finding ways for parahumans to use their powers for more than just showing off for the cameras and getting into stupid fights. We'll have a website and a fully detailed mission statement sooner or later. Maybe hire a secretary or two, but that's low on our list of priorities right now."

We spent the next hour or so doing the full tour. Including the thirty foot deep pit that the cleanup crews were dumping their garbage into. We couldn't get too close for safety reasons, and Vickory was content with getting distant shots. Apparently, closeups of dump trucks full of rubble weren't what news organizations considered desirable footage.

We were just closing up when a kid started running toward us. Well, he probably my age, but shorter than me by a few inches. Then again, most boys my age were. Stupid growth spurts. He had light brown hair and looked like he was in pretty good shape, for his age. Great arm definition, that's for certain.

He was gasping and wheezing by the time he got to us. "Hey... I... wanna be... on your... team..." he managed to gasp out. I quickly changed my opinion of how 'in shape' he was.

I glanced over at Stan, and the crew that still had the camera rolling. Eh, screw it, might as well get this out of the way for everyone. "Well, if you're here to volunteer, you can go check with the people setting up the refugee camp. They can probably use the help."

He smiled with far too much boyish charm for someone who looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "Nah... I have powers. I wanna join you for missions and shit."

"Uh... huh..." God damn it, couldn't be an easy one, could it? I activated the camera in my helmet and had a few mosquitoes buzz in Lisa's face, then spelled 'my video' on the wall. She'd get to it soon enough. "We try to avoid putting untrained individuals in combat. We'll accept any parahuman that doesn't belong in the birdcage." And at least one that does. "But we're not going to use you for, as you put it, 'missions', unless we're absolutely certain you can take care of yourself."

"Oh... believe me... I can totally do that," he was still wheezing. Then he pulled out a knife. God damn crazies, I thought as I took a combat position and reached for my baton. And then he stabbed himself in the throat.

The camera girl gasped. The rest of us had better composure, at least, but we were all at least a little shaken by the event.

The boy collapsed into dust, only for there to be an identical looking boy standing right behind him. "See, that's my power," he said without a trace of difficulty in his breathing. "Every time I get hurt or sick or even fall asleep. Poof. Full restoration." He smiled and held his arms out for the camera.

He's like Alabaster, I realized. He also likes being in front of cameras.

"So, what are you calling yourself?" I asked, taking the safest route.

"Ah, right," he said with his boyish grin. "I was thinkin' about calling myself 'Respawn' and joining up with Uber and Leet. Or maybe 'Decoy Boy' and joining the Wards. But now I wanna be in Pantheon."

"Interesting decision," Vickory spoke up, taking an opportunity while I was still figuring out how to approach this kid. "Would you mind telling our viewers why you'd rather join Pantheon instead of the Wards?"

Clever man. 'New hero chooses Pantheon over Protectorate' . Two stories for the price of one.

"Because they're boring. I mean Clockblocker's awesome and all but everyone else is a stick in the mud. And Pantheon kicked the S9's asses and besides they have all the hot girls- no offense Vista, you're a total babe and if you're watching this and wanna call me up I'd love that but I'm sure you get that all the time from the guys on your team so I get it if you're not interested that's gotta suck being around nothing but dudes all the time..." I watched in amazement as he just kept talking. It was all one sentence. How? "... and Uber an' Leet are the same thing just with video games no thanks you can keep the sausage fest I'm signing up fo-"

Then he spontaneously turned into dust and reappeared again. "Oh. Hate it when that happens."

"Did... did you literally just talk yourself to death?" I couldn't hide my incredulity. Even Vickory, who had managed to stay collected through Tattletale, showed an expression of surprise and maybe some concern.

"What? Oh, naw. I've had asthma since I was like three. Every time I have an attack, I reset. No big deal, really," he said with that same smile. "That's not my only power, either. Watch."

"Born sickly, lifetime of frailty, trigger likely related to illness, overcompensating. Serious self worth issues. Desperate need to prove himself." Lisa's voice came over the com for only me to hear.

He tossed his knife away. It turned into dust and reappeared in his hand. "I can respawn other things, too. Gimme a gun and I won't ever run out of ammo. Or any other weapon."

"Holy shit, he's like Oni Lee," Lisa gasped. "I'd put him at Breaker four. Shaker two. Possibly up to six. More if his power works on tinker tech."

.Well then. "Alright. You've convinced me that you're not likely to get hurt in a fight, that's a start." And an understatement. Could not be killed. Beaten, sure, I could think of a dozen ways off the top of my head. But unkillable.

"So I'm on the team?"

"Well... like I said. We won't turn anyone away who wants to help. As for the team that deals with super villains? I'm willing to give you a chance," I answered. "You still have a lot to learn before you're ready to go out in the field, even if you have a power that'll keep you safe. We can't have you accidentally endangering the team."

"Ah, no, I get it, that's cool," he replied. "I'm ready to learn, Sensei."

"Also... your parents, do they know?" I asked. He wasn't wearing a mask. Or even a costume. But still, have to ask.

"Parents are dead," he said, finally dropping the hyperactive thing he was doing. "Siberian. Please tell me you made that bitch suffer before you killed her."

I thought back reflexively. Yeah, 'suffer' would be a word for it. I hadn't managed to get many insects on Manton before Siberian started protecting the van. I had to rely on a mere handful of Black Widows and wasps for the first few minutes or so, before he was too ill to maintain the projection. It was an ugly and painful way to die. I wouldn't have wished it on anyone. And I'd inflicted it on someone.

"We'll talk about that in private," I answered darkly. My mood had shifted. I'd never killed before, and I'd be damned if I felt bad about Siberian. But the way he screamed and cried and begged and soiled himself as I assaulted him with far too few insects to make a quick death of it... I'd never stop having nightmares.

Vickory, at least, caught on. "I understand," he said amiably. "Hero business and all that. We've got more than enough footage to work with. Here," he handed me a card. "So Minerva has my number. No sense in wasting her time or powers finding it another way."

I took it. "Thanks," I responded. Then I turned back to 'Respawn'. "Okay, I'll take you to meet the rest of the team. Figure things out from there."

"Fucking sweet."

"Okay, Lisa," I muttered into my mouthpiece, "Please show the kid mercy."Last edited: Feb 9, 2015 Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Opinef, Caimito, Darkcoif and 154 othersTanaNariVerified DickJan 10, 2015Add bookmark#29Amelia, Ch 23

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Crystal hissed at Taylor, standing from her chair.

"I mean, I'm voting against adding you to our combat team," she answered.

"Amy-" She started.

"Amelia-" I corrected.

"Is not the only person in this partnership," Taylor. No, she was being Skitter, now. Continued.

"What about the others," she said, gesturing toward Aceso and Minerva. Don't they get a vote?"

"Uh..." I started. "We... never really figured out how we were doing that sorta thing."

Crystal looked at me. "Really? You guys are going to be attracting a lot of parahumans. I'll help you sort that out," she turned back toward Khepri. "After you put me on the team."

"You're too flashy, too visible, and too vulnerable. We don't fight like New Wave or the Protectorate fight." Skitter insisted.

"Near as I can tell, you haven't fought at all since starting this group," Crystal stepped toward Skitter menacingly. "Amy-"

"Amelia," I interrupted again.

"Took down the last of the S9 and has been doing all the heavy lifting. What have YOU done?" Crystal yelled at the bug girl. Who stood her ground admirably, especially for someone who was making eye contact with an angry girl who could blast her hard enough that I couldn't put the pieces back together.

"Exactly," Khepri replied. "We keep our combat ops secret. Hit from stealth. And if you do it right, your enemies are down before they even know you're there. Your power, your theme, your looks. They make you great for a more visible position. Public Relations shit. It makes you a liability in the field."

Crystal looked like she'd been slapped and was going to hit back.

I stood up. "Okay, Khepri, I want her on the team. She's my friend. She's smart. And she has more field experience and training than the rest of us combined."

"The rest of us have powers that can work through the changelings," Khepri countered, then looked over at Respawn. "Or don't need them. If she's out on the field, she'll be the only one who can die. And that changes the nature of the game. The amount of risk we can afford to take. Right now, we can't really lose, the worst that happens is we don't win. She changes that. Do you want her out there where she can get killed?"

I hesitated. Crystal spoke up. "I don't care. I've risked my life against fucking Leviathan! And spent a lot of that dragging your heavy ass around so you could play glorified tracking device with an Endbringer. You don't get to decide which risks I take!"

"If you're on this team, then yes I decide the risks!" Skitter yelled back. "I make the strategy, and when people die, it's my fault!" She all but screeched the last two words.

Her voice cracked. "I... I've gotten enough of my friends killed already." She looked down, fought to keep from crying.

Oh god. Has that been on her conscience the whole time? I got up and moved to her. Pulled her into a hug. Crystal and Minerva looked like they wanted to say something, but didn't. Clarice just watched. She'd gotten quiet and contemplative after the 'incident' with Coil. I was worried about her. But for right now, I didn't know how to handle the problem. Didn't know how to handle Taylor, either.

It was Respawn that broke the moment.

"Uh... I know I'm the new guy and all," Respawn spoke up. "But I might be able to help with that whole 'death' thing."

We all looked at him.

"Well," he hesitated for a second. "The thing is, I think I can 'tag' her with my power, and it'll work like with the knife."

"What's the limit?" Minerva asked.

"Anything I can deadlift," he replied. "Literally. Ever since I got my powers, I've been working out. Y'know, gotta look like a hero and all. Helps that my power heals me up really fast. As I get stronger, my power can handle heavier things." He extended an arm and flexed it, showing off his biceps.

I had to admit, he was in good shape. Even if he was also weird as hell.

"I've never tried it on a person before," he said. "But it should work."

"Powers are..." I still couldn't think of how to explain it to them. "They have weird, seemingly arbitrary rules that don't make sense from a human point of view. Just because it 'should' work doesn't mean it 'will'. This needs to be tested thoroughly."

"No better time than the present," Khepri replied. "Okay, 'tag' her and let's see how this works out."

He smiled widely and walked up to my cousin. "You may want to take off the glove," he stated.

"Uh, why?" Crystal's eyes narrowed.

"Because you are a lady, and I am a gentleman. And I need skin contact to make this work. So unless you wanna put this off in favor of a couple dates, first..." he kept smiling the whole time.

I suppressed a snicker. Sure, he could have just touched her elbow or something. But the expression on her face was priceless. Like she couldn't tell if she wanted to blush or punch him.

I had the feeling he got that reaction from a lot of people.

"Okay," she said after finding her voice again. She grabbed her glove and in one fluid motion pulled it off and held her hand out.

"Aww, and I know this great place, too..." he said with a pout. Then he smiled. "Oh well," and smacked her palm with his.

Skitter pulled her knife and walked over to Crystal.

"The hell's that for?" Crystal asked.

"We have to know if his power heals, or just teleports," she answered. "If it doesn't work, Amelia can repair the injury easily enough."

"That..." Crystal glanced over at Respawn. "Okay, fine, you have a point." She took the knife. And, in a single swift motion, split open her palm. "Okay, let's do this." Her eyes never left Taylor's.

A second later she vanished. The knife, and Laserdream's costume, fell to the floor.

Crystal shrieked and bolted from the room, at full flight speed.

"You knew this would happen!" She yelled from the other room. I moved away from Taylor and rushed to pick up the costume to take to my now disrobed cousin.

"How could I have known? My clothes come with me!" Respawn countered.

Crystal grabbed her clothing and peaked around the corner. She looked pissed. "Not you! You're an idiot! HER!"

And that is when Minerva started laughing. "Oh god! That was the funniest thing I've ever seen." She fell out of her chair. Then Taylor and Clarice joined in. Little snickers at first, but then full on laughter.

I was next. I couldn't help myself, it was pretty funny. "Et tu, Amy?" Crystal looked at me like she was going to cry.

"I'm sorry. But. It isn't even..." I struggled to both find a way to explain it, and hold in my laughter. "It... it's not that funny, but we've been nothing but business for the last week. I don't think any of us have even told a joke since we started the team. Except Minerva, and her jokes are only good if you're into schadenfreude."

Minerva's hand came up from her position on the ground. "I'd be insulted, but it's true." Then she was back to giggling.

Crystal's face softened. "Fine, I guess it's a little funny. I'm going to get changed now."

We'd managed to stop by the time Laserdream was back in costume. And then, looking at her, we all started laughing again. "You do realize that my power means I can literally make your heads explode, right?" She deadpanned. That just made us laugh harder. At least she wasn't upset anymore.

Except Respawn. He hadn't laughed at this at all.

"I'm sorry about that," he said sincerely. "If I'd realized, I wouldn't have suggested it."

"No, it's fine," Crystal replied. She even offered him a genuine smile. "You couldn't have known. Besides, as humiliated as it was, it worked. My hand is healed. In the grand scheme of things, being embarrassed is so much better than being dead."

"Thanks," he smiled back. "And I'm not saying I saw anything. But hypothetically speaking, if I did, I'd have to inform you that you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. You clearly put a lot of effort into staying fit."

Her smile left her face. "Aaaand moment lost. I almost thought you were a genuine human being for a minute there."

He shrugged. "One step forward, two steps back. It's how I move. Besides, I'd feel bad if I gave you the wrong impression." The way he said that was way too smooth for me to believe he hadn't said it before.

Taylor was the first one to recover. She addressed Respawn. "Okay, we'll have to do more testing with your power," she glanced toward Crystal. "With dummies this time. We know your power can restore people. Now we need to know range, time, and concentration limits. Amongst other things."

"Speaking of power demonstration... I have a question of my own," he said. "When are you ladies gonna go 'Queen of the Zerg', anyway?"

Taylor looked at him. "Umm... what's a 'zerg'?"

=========

,

Ch 24

Our first idea, of course, was to have me use my power on Respawn. If we could increase his strength, well, the implications were obvious. That didn't work out as planned. Turns out, his power makes him functionally immune to mine.

Or, more specifically, every time I tried to use my power, he disintegrated. I didn't even get a chance to look at his biology before he was no longer in contact.

"Damn," Taylor muttered. I agreed. It would have been so nice. Still, even his limited ability got Crystal past Taylor's argument, and made my General feel a lot more comfortable about fights overall. I tried to imagine how that'd feel. As someone else who was used to putting all the world's weight on her shoulders, I could empathize to a degree. All those I couldn't save, all those times I wasn't fast or mentally focused enough after Endbringer fights. That was always devastating. But to be the one who gave the orders that got people killed? I couldn't imagine what that felt like.

Our power tests continued. As it turned out, Respawn didn't have a range limit. At least, not one we were able to test easily. Well over ten miles, at least. The mass limit was, as he had said, his lifting capacity. A bit over two hundred pounds at this point. There didn't seem to be a limit to how many object he could 'hold', he managed to do almost a hundred pounds of Khepri's bugs at once. But that was still only one or two people of mass at best. His 'recall' time was at most twenty minutes, although things started getting unreliable after seventeen. Minerva guessed that it was a mental component on his part.

Taylor nodded. "That's an acceptable window. If we still haven't managed to end a fight in fifteen minutes, we're either hopelessly outclassed and should run, or it's an Endbringer. In which case that's still true, but we'll be staying anyway."

"Looks like I'm on the team, then," Crystal smiled at me.

"Just need a new name," I agreed. It would be nice to have her around. She's right, what happened to me wasn't her fault, and I know she has my back. Maybe she was a bit too protective, but I could live with that.

"I know!" Respawn volunteered. "I'm thinking Isis. And I can be Osiris."

"I don't know anything about mythology," Crystal replied. "But somehow every fiber in my being says 'no'."

"Harsh."

"Egyptian god," Minerva offered. "Life, death, and reincarnation. It's as good a fit as any. Isis would be his wife."

"That would explain that feeling," Crystal agreed.

"Also his sister," Minerva continued. "Plus her powers are nothing like yours."

"Eww," Crystal concluded. "How about you go with 'Osiris', and I pick a different goddess? Maybe one from the exact opposite side of the world?"

"Friend zoned already?" Respawn pouted. "Such a tragedy."

Aceso replied. "That would be the middle of the pacific ocean. East of New Zealand, south of Hawaii. Maybe Pele? Hawaiian goddess of wind, lightning and volcanoes."

"I think I'll pass on anything involving volcanoes," Crystal answered. It was no surprise, really, almost no one went with that association, in spite of the powerful imagery. Because Behemoth. So few people used anything which implied fire. Even those who actually controlled fire tried to avoid it.

"How did you know all that?" Minerva asked. "Did you upload wikipedia?"

"Nope," Aceso replied. "I have full internet access. Wired it into-"

"Don't want to know!" Minerva interrupted. "I'd avoid pacific deities anyway. Most of those religions are still being practiced, and some people might think of that as cultural insensitivity. Let's stick to dead religions that no one can get pissy about."

I nodded. She had a point. People got offended pretty easily over these things. I'd been accused of being some kind of 'demon' before, thanks to my healing powers. Then again, some people get just as offended over soccer games. Or, for that matter, whether it was called 'soccer' or 'football'. We were already pushing enough buttons, better not get into religious quagmires.

By this time Respawn had moved over to Clarice. "Hi, I don't think we've really been introduced," he said with a smile. "I'm Respawn, or Osiris now. Zach when not being a superhero and all. So you're a tech geek, huh? I'd like to look at your gear."

He managed to make that sound slightly dirty. Meanwhile, I was stunned. Bonesaw. I am watching someone hit on Bonesaw. And I was too flabbergasted to do anything about it.

She smiled broadly, in that faux-innocent way of hers that I kept hoping was an act, because the alternative was far more disturbing. "I'm Aceso. Clarice. I'd be happy to. No one seems to want to see my art, or cuddle with me." She pouted. "Not even my big sister."

"Oh, that's too bad. I'd love to see your art. And afterwards we can-"

"She's ten," Minerva interjected.

"... play video games," Respawn finished. He looked over Minerva with an incredulous look on his face. 'Really' he mouthed. Lisa gave a single slow nod.

I could understand his reaction. The 'Clarice' body would be considered tall by most standards at 5'6, and while it was a slender figure, it wasn't entirely lacking in curves. Especially for the Asian heritage that her features hinted at. She could be mistaken for an underdeveloped sixteen year old. Or a very well developed ten year old.

Crystal fidgeted uncomfortably, glancing between me and Clarice. Oh god damn it, she figured it out.

Respawn went to speak again and Minerva interrupted. "I'm a high end thinker whose skills revolve around putting together information from subtle hints. I know things about you that you have forgotten. Like that kitten your parents wouldn't let you have when you were ten. Give me a few minutes, and I can figure out which month it was and the name you had picked out for it. Try anything on me and I will shut you down so hard you'll cry in front of us."

Wow, I felt that one. Tattletale could be brutal, as I knew first hand. But she was right, we really did need to get him to, y'know, stop trying to flirt with us. Wait a minute. It wasn't 'us'. Just 'them'.

"Uh... yes ma'am," the kid said, some color draining from his face. "Message received."

I actually felt a little bit hurt. I mean, it's not that I was attracted to him. Maybe I would have been if I were normal. I was self aware enough to know I was incredibly messed up in that regard. Then again, I had a hard time believing I would go for Respawn- Zach- even if I had a healthy sexuality. But he had, in the course of an hour, managed to hit on every female he'd met, plus Vista by proxy.

Except for me and Taylor. Probably stupid worrying about that, since Crystal almost certainly suspected that our 'Clarice, brute combat thinker' was really 'Bonesaw, nightmare bio-tinker and last living member of the Slaughterhouse Nine'. Yet, for some reason, the part of me that was a woman was deeply offended by this.

"So... why haven't you asked me or Khepri out yet?" I asked. I immediately regretted it when all eyes turned my way.

"Uh..." he stammered while everyone else just looked at me like I was insane for asking.

"Actually," Taylor added. "I kinda want to hear this, myself."

"Self preservation," he replied. "Hitting on your boss just isn't a good idea. Hitting on your boss when her girlfriend, who's your other boss, is in the same room? I am both insane and immortal. But that sounds suicidal, even to me."

What. "What?"

Taylor mirrored me. "What?"

"You don't have to hide it. Legend made it cool like two decades ago." he insisted. "You two have great chemistry together. You're both 'sweet and shy' types normally, only to go 'badass action babe' whenever we have to worry about serious shit?"

We both just stared at him. Lisa started snickering. Crystal and Clarice were just watching us.

"We're... uh... not dating," Taylor said first.

"No? Seriously?" he asked. "I coulda swore it was either that or you were sisters, but I think I'd have heard if you were part of New Wave."

"Well, Amy was adopted," Lisa teased. Earning death glares from Taylor and I.

"Oh, is that what it is? Whole long lost sister thing? That's kinda cool, too."

"Also not what happened," I said. "We're not related. We're not dating. Up until a week ago we weren't friends."

"What about all the hugging?"

"First, it was just one hug," that you saw, I admitted to myself. "Second. We're girls. We're allowed to hug anyone we want and it doesn't mean anything. It... it's like guys shaking hands!"

"That is true," Crystal agreed. "It's in chapter 3 of the girls handbook."

Thank you, cuz, I thought.

"Of course, when you cross the ten second mark... it's more like guys holding hands." she added while smirking at me.

Traitor.

"Wow. I totally misread that everything, didn't I?" Respawn replied.

"Yes, yes you did," Taylor insisted. I nodded my head in agreement. While glaring at Crystal, daring her to speak up.

"Alright. So. Since I already have my foot this far down my throat, would you girls like to come with me over to Clarice's place and play video games?" He asked with a smile. A very suggestive smile. "I promise I'll show you those zerg I mentioned."

I was stunned to silence. And Taylor was no help. She simply put her face in her hands and shook her head.