1,709"Alright, hear me out," Luna said. Taylor stopped walking, looked at the ground, and sighed.
"Alright," she said, tempering her sense of decency in expectation. Luna hopped around to stand in front of her, gesturing at her, and spread her arms like a circus ringmaster.
"Let's say all of this works out," Luna said, "We make everyone a Psyker, you stuff the Parasite into the heart of the sun or whatever, and you become Empress of the world. Right?"
"Right." Taylor agreed, although with significantly less enthusiasm. Luna nodded.
"Right. So we've won, it's all worked out. Traditionally, you know, the conquering Hero gets his damsel in distress. Obviously it'll have to be switched, but once we find you a Prince in Peril you save him, get married, it's all very romantic."
A couple of missed steps there, Taylor thought, but she couldn't bring herself to interrupt. Like a metaphorical train wreck, she was frozen to the spot.
"So you're married and all," Luna continued, "But. What title does your paramour take?"
"What?" Taylor asked, very softly. She could no longer resist the urge to take her helmet off and pinch at the bridge of her nose, trying to enforce order on the sudden chaos of her world. Luna looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Well, you know, Patriarchy and all means that a spouse of yours would become Emperor, which would put him above you in rank," Luna said, as though explaining this to a small child, "Which obviously would be no good given your obvious issues with authority that isn't, you know, you. If you were a Queen he could be King-Consort or Prince-Consort, but Emperor-Consort just doesn't sound right at all."
"Fortunate that it's unlikely to ever come up, then."
"Come on, Taylor. Are you really telling me that you'd say no to an harem of nubile young men? Or young women I guess, either way."
"I really am telling you that I'd say no. Never seen the point in it."
Luna folded her arms, one lifting up to cup her chin, and met Taylor's eyes. Taylor raised her eyebrow, gaze level, and Luna nodded pensively.
"No, that's fair enough," she said, "Actually, can we even get pregnant? I mean, the constant Warp exposure, and the augmentations on top of that…"
Taylor shrugged.
"Don't know."
The Emperor thought that he'd had some natural children – not the Primarchs – but he wasn't sure. Taylor hadn't made a comment on that, but she'd felt the lingering embarrassment, deadbeat dad indeed. But getting someone pregnant was different to being pregnant.
"I mean, in theory you could just change your gender," Luna said, "Wouldn't take long, right? Change back afterwards?"
Taylor shook her head, starting to walk again.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I'm only thinking of your legacy."
"I don't need children, Luna. My legacy will be the Mankind I leave behind."
There was a moment of silence behind her: Taylor turned her head just enough to see Luna press a clenched fist to her mouth and hear her whisper of "Fuck that's a good line."
"Well, fair enough," Luna said. catching back up, "I was trying to lighten the mood, and now you've come out with that I really don't have much more to say."
"Finally," Taylor murmured, earning a small, sad noise from Luna.
"Rude," Luna said, before brightening so much that Taylor could feel it without looking at her.
"So, looking into the future. You really think it'll work?"
Taylor shrugged.
"There's no guarantee, but I think there's a good chance. The problem with trying to tell the future is all the variation, the waves of the Warp interrupting and making it hard to see. But with the Warp so quiet, it should be easier. And with all four of us looking, we can compare notes and see if there's any overlap."
"Hmm. Well, you'd probably know best. So we'll need to decide on a plan, right? So we can narrow down the options?"
Taylor nodded.
"Right," she said, "I'm thinking something pretty simple, actually. The two of us: I'm sure that Alastor and Cynthia would like to come along but they'll be at risk for no reason. We'll go in. One of us takes the firebomb, places it at the centre of Ellisburg. The other one goes after Nilbog himself. We synchronise: kill Nilbog, use our powers to draw all of his creatures to us, set off the bomb, hunt down any who didn't come to the call."
"Ultimate Sacrifice," Luna said, giving the technique the name that an Imperial Librarian would have used, "Or a variation. Makes sense. It's not very subtle, though."
Taylor gave her a sardonic look. Luna, despite the hypocrisy, was completely unruffled.
"Someone has to say it," she said, "I don't really care, but better if we've thought of these things. Of course, if it works who's going to chastise you? You'll be a hero."
'Do you think that's jealousy, in her voice? She might deserve some, given that she'll be doing as much as I will.'
"This is what happens when you burn your bridges. Not that she can be entirely blamed, but the circumstances of her birth will conspire against her."
True, if unfortunate. Only being able to work with Luna in secret was going to get grinding, Taylor knew, but there wasn't any other choice. And who knew, maybe if Luna did enough for the world people would overlook her initial psychotic rampage.
"And pigs might fly."
'You know, with the right genetic alterations…'
The Emperor sighed, deeply and heavily enough that Luna glanced around as though she'd heard the edges of it, and Taylor laughed.
"Don't laugh," Luna grumbled, "It's weird. It's like a…like an echo, at the corners of my thoughts. Where he should be, but isn't."
"I have wondered about that," Taylor said, "You took the Shard of the Parasite, but not the Emperor. But now that the Shard's gone…"
"Can you hear me?"
Luna sucked in a breath through her teeth, a hissing inhalation. Her eyes had widened, blue almost washed out against the white in sharp contrast to their normal gleam, and she shook her head.
"I can hear the faintest whisper," she said, "But I think you'd need to be connected too, Taylor. Otherwise it's like...like a voice on the wind. I can almost hear it, but not quite."
Hmm. Much as Taylor had suspected, the Emperor couldn't broadcast to other people unless he was really trying.
Was it selfish to feel relief? Probably, but Taylor chose not to dwell on it. There were some things better left unexamined, she found.
"Shame," Luna said, "But at least it means you aren't at risk of giving your secret away to any Psyker who crosses your path. You might consider telling people anyway, so that there aren't any awkward questions about why you're so much more powerful."
"I don't think replacing one awkward question with a dozen more is sustainable," Taylor said, starting to walk again. Luna shrugged.
"Maybe."
Thankfully Luna didn't continue: not that there was much chance to, since they'd almost reached the room where Alastor and Cynthia were waiting. Taylor and Luna could have blocked their conversation from them, but Taylor didn't want to do that too much: it looked too suspicious. Taylor led the way into the room where Cynthia and Alastor were waiting: Cynthia sat on a couch with one leg crossed over the other, staring at her intertwined fingers. Alastor leaned against the wall opposite the door, a cigarette trailing smoke hanging from the corner of his mouth. Taylor noted the way the smoke twisted, as though an invisible force was trying to push it towards a slightly cracked open window. Creative.
"Are we ready for an adventure into the theoretical?" Luna asked loudly, clapping her hands together and beaming. Taylor took a step away from her, ears ringing slightly.
"I guess," Alastor said. Cynthia just looked up, her expression grim. What had Luna been telling these two, to get them like this? Taylor hated to think.
"So, how are we doing this?" Alastor asked, "Luna's told us some things, but not actually how it works."
Taylor gave Luna a judging look, but Luna waved it off.
"Don't be like that," she said, "We both know that it's complex. Do we really want to have a long conversation about meditation and insight and the proper mindset and et cetera et cetera when we can just enter the vision ourselves and take one of them with us?"
Taylor shrugged.
"Not really," she admitted, "But we'll have to talk about it another time. Alright, here's the basics: to look into the future in this case, we go into a trance that allows deeper contact with the Immaterium. We're not really guiding it beyond the very start, but you have to stay in control. Visions are dangerous because, if they aren't controlled, it's very easy to get lost."
"I've heard a lot of horror stories," Cynthia said, looking up, "But what does that mean, exactly? How do you get lost?"
Taylor exchanged a glance with Luna, who pulled a face.
"All yours, Taylor."
How kind of her. Taylor chewed her lip in thought, trying to find the best explanation.
"Alright," she said, "It goes like this. When you're in the trance, you're seeing how things might happen, not how they will happen. And it isn't like a movie: you're living it, sometimes it skips, especially if you're looking further into the future. The science of it is working out what actions brought you to the end, and deciding if you want to keep them. But the future is ever changing. There are choices, options, so many forks in the road. You can get lost searching for the future you want, if you aren't careful."
"If we do…get lost…" Alastor said, "What does that involve?"
"Nothing too unpleasant," Taylor said, "You won't be able to leave the vision. You'll stay in the dreaming state, looking into the future time and time again, and eventually your body will die and your spirit will…well, go wherever it does."
Alastor squinted.
"If you consider that not unpleasant, I'd hate to see what you'd consider a horrible fate. Also, my spirit?"
"The most essential part of you," Taylor elaborated, "Your soul. Your spirit. Your mind, your you. Whatever you want to call it, the thing that makes you you and lets you use the powers of the Immaterium."
"A little more esoteric than I was hoping for," Cynthia said, "But I'm ready."
Taylor nodded.
"Remember," she said, "It's a vision. It'll feel real, but you have to remember that it isn't. You won't be able to control yourself, but you can wake at any time: do not go too deep. I can drag you out if you get lost, but it won't be pleasant."
Alastor and Cynthia both nodded, eyes intent on her, and Taylor glanced at Luna.
"One each, right?" she said, "Who do you want?"
"Alastor will go with Luna," Cynthia said, standing, "I'll go with you."
'What do you think? Another expression of paranoia, worried for her comrades? Or a realisation that, you know, I'm going to be better at this than Luna?'
"The second, without a doubt. But it hardly makes a difference. We will win her over, or we will destroy her."
Taylor forbore to comment that such an attitude was what led to the Imperium of Man: she knew the Emperor already recognised that. Instead she nodded to Cynthia, before the four of them adjourned to a pair of couches, opposite each other. For a brief vision they could stay on their feet, but for this it was better to be seated. Taylor suspected they'd still fall onto the ground anyway, but it was the thought that counted. In unison, she and Luna reached out and took Alastor and Cynthia's hands.
"I know this is a foolish suggestion," Taylor said, "But try to relax."
And with that she took a deep breath and let the currents of the Immaterium carry her mind away.
Taylor looked down at herself, making sure that her newest armour was still in place. Mostly bronze, with white details, and the Imperial Acquila on her chest in vibrant gold, it would protect her in the event her powers failed. Not that she expected that to happen – not that it had ever happened before, not since her first fight with Lung – but it was better to be safe than sorry. The sunlight around her was bright but weak: a cool day, she thought.
Taylor looked around herself, taking in Ellisburg. All the sad attempts at making it whimsical, fairytale couldn't hide the truth: that it was a grave. It was the dream of a sad, lonely man trying to convince himself that his life was worth living, a castle of nightmares. It was time for the dream to end.
"Luna, are you ready?" Taylor asked, a thought activating her vox transmitter. Luna, wearing a set of armour similar to her own, should be approaching Nilbog now: the plan didn't require that they moved in perfect synchronisation but a little bit of cooperation would only help.
"Nearly there," Luna replied, "Just walking towards the throne room, if your directions were right. You might as well start drawing in the creatures."
Taylor let out a slow breath, resting a hand on the bomb that they'd carried in. It wasn't large: it didn't look like something that could consume an entire town in a conflagration that would burn flesh and muscle and bone to ash and cinders, but appearances could be deceiving.
"Right," Taylor agreed, quietly. She closed her eyes and gathered her power, letting it flow out from her body. This was an awkward balancing task, calling the denizens of Nilbog's kingdom to her without actually breaking her Notice-Me-Not field and revealing herself, but she managed somehow: every creature touched by her powers would feel an inexplicable urge to wander towards the centre of the town and see what was going on there. Slowly, slowly the crowd around her thickened, creatures of all shapes and sizes milling around, waiting. Taylor took another breath.
"Luna, they're ready," she said. She got a soft hum of acknowledgement.
"And so am I," Luna said. Taylor couldn't hear the hiss of steel on scabbard as Luna drew her sword but she could imagine it, the whisper-soft noise.
"Consider this a compliment," Luna said, even though Taylor knew Nilbog couldn't hear her, "After all, decapitation by the sword used to be considered quite the honour."
Taylor imagined Luna lifting the sword in one gauntleted fist, high over Nilbog, before it came down. Neither Luna, Taylor nor the Emperor had been able to work out if Nilbog and his creations shared some sort of mental bond, but the shock that went through them, roiling in Taylor's chest as they all felt their god die, was proof enough.
Not that it mattered. Taylor dropped her disguise and abandoned subtlety, broadcasting a single command: over here. Nilbog's monsters turned, shock and horror turning to rage, and as they swarmed forwards Taylor drew her powers around her in a shield, closed her eyes and triggered the bomb.
Flame burst into being, blinding even through her shield and her closed eyelids before her visor darkened and cut it away, the sound punching at her ears, the death-screams of ten thousand souls around her as they perished in the flame. Taylor kept her eyes closed for a few heartbeats more, until the flame had passed, before she opened her eyes and gazed upon destruction. The fire had scoured clean the buildings, knocking some down. Flammable parts burned, sending thick and choking smoke into the air, and Taylor took a deep breath as she stepped off the patch of undamaged land protected along with her body. The closest creatures had been annihilated by the conflagration, but in the distance Taylor could see corpses burning. A light, at the corner of her eye, and Luna landed in the ash with a dull thud. She'd chosen to keep her hooded cloak even in her power armour, but now she pushed the hood back and peeled off her helmet, grinning wide and bright.
"Ah," she said, "Victory! Don't you want the smell of it in your lungs?"
She took an exaggerated breath, still grinning, and Taylor wrinkled her nose. Now that the flames had passed the smell of scorched flesh was beginning to creep through the air filters in her helmet and Taylor couldn't imagine removing her helmet to expose herself to it.
"You know, I've always heard that burning human flesh smells like pork," Luna said, taking another deep breath, "But I can't really smell it. Just smells like char. It's a shame, because I was actually kinda hungry and-"
Luna cut herself off with a cough, looking surprised. Taylor tilted her head at her.
"I hope you haven't caught something," she said. Luna shook her head, clenching a fist in front of her mouth and coughing into it.
"Some ash must've got caught in my throat," she said hoarsely, "Can't believe it. Nilbog's revenge, I guess?"
Taylor's reply was cut off by another series of coughs that wracked Luna's form, bending her over in a racking, hacking attack. Taylor stepped closer, alarmed, but before she could reach Luna the ash moved. Taylor felt the movements around her, shuffling in the ash and spun in a circle, glaive in hand as Luna fell to one knee, her hand hooked and gauntleted fingers pressed against her throat. Out of the ash twisted parodies of humanity rose, creatures too spindly to be human, arms triple jointed and legs twisted. Mouths drooled and snapped and Taylor felt their minds, fresh-born and hungry.
"Parasites," Luna wheezed next to her, "In the air."
She forced in a breath, rasping through her throat, and it turned into a snarl at the very end.
"Nilbog's last trap-"
Luna stuck a hand past Taylor, the Immaterium twisting to her will, and before Taylor could do more than open her mouth a torrent of flame poured forth, tumbling over the creatures and setting them ablaze. Luna doubled over again a second after, both hands going to her mouth, and Taylor stared as the creatures Luna had set alight staggered, stumbled and then split, fire consumed to create more, more, more. They looked at her, ravenous, savage, and Taylor took her glaive in both hands and gritted her teeth.
"Come on then!" she shouted, and on they came.
Taylor leaped forwards, propelled by a powerful beat of her wings, and swung her glaive in an arc. A spray of blood followed the arc of her blade, creatures sliced apart, and Taylor planted her feet and let them come, hacking them down one by one. Luna was still coughing and hacking, clutching at her throat as she fought to deal with the parasites she'd identified, and Taylor stood in place to protect her. Glaive flashing, armour whirring, tendrils of force whipping from her form and pulverising onrushing monsters with savage blows, she fought on and on. A moment, just a moment when her vision wasn't clouded by thousands of howling monsters and the dark, thick blood that splashed from their wounds and Taylor stepped back to keep them away from Luna, not sparing her clone a glance. She just needed to buy enough time, draw them in closer. Closer. Closer, and the salivating horde poured in and Taylor decided it was enough. She slammed the butt of her staff into the ground, pushing back the monsters with an expanding bubble of force, and drew in a breath.
Now.
Taylor speared her glaive down, into the burned earth, and raised both her arms. A breath. A heartbeat, and Taylor called on the Immaterium and pushed. The air around her billowed away with a heavy, punching sigh, the massive exhalation of so much air being replaced with vacuum and the creatures stopped. Whatever Nilbog had done to them that had made them resistant to fire and explosions was insufficient for the lack of air and pressure: Taylor held her Void Prison open, blood pounding in her ears, until all the creatures within sight had fallen to the ground, their screams eaten by the void.
A breath, and she let it go. The air crashed back into place with a thundering clap and Taylor gulped in another lungful of air, looking down at Luna as she slowly recovered, and heard the screams beginning to rise from outside the town, the gunshots following moments later. An icy hand clutched at her heart.
What had they unleashed?
The vision blurred, as time passed. Taylor briefly considered ending it there – the Nilbog attack had gone wrong, that was hard to argue, the vision had fulfilled its purpose. She reached out, blindly, calling to Luna. In a vision like this communication was hard, but they could manage.
"We should call it here," Taylor said, "Nothing more to see."
"Don't agree," Luna said, slightly more clipped, "It might turn out well."
"The deaths…"
"Could be worth it. Could be avoided. We should wait longer."
Cynthia and Alastor, inexperienced, couldn't actually speak but Taylor felt their agreement with Luna. She sighed, although none of them would hear it.
"We'll continue, then."
The vision settled back in as Taylor walked down the street towards the Brockton PRT HQ, her armour crusted with blood that she hadn't had the time to remove. The members of the Brockton Bay Protectorate were there to meet her: Armsmaster, Assault, Battery, Miss Militia, Dauntless, Triumph. All of them recovered, all of them grim, and Taylor felt a prickle of worry snake up her spine. She said something to the Emperor, but Taylor couldn't tell what: those conversations, it seemed, never carried over to her visions.
"A bigger welcoming committee than I'd expected," Taylor said, her tone harshened by weariness, "I'd have expected you all to be in the field. There's an emergency going on, you know."
"We know," Armsmaster said, tone flat and implacable, "The Ellisburg Quarantine Zone has been breached, but it's being contained. As you probably know."
Taylor looked to her right, feeling something in the shadows, and from the corner of her eye she saw a Dragon robot perched on the roof of the PRT HQ. Her heart beat cold for a moment.
"You've obviously called me here for a reason," she said, "So spit it out. I'm busy."
Armsmaster lifted a hand and something small hovered out of his palm, a tiny drone that floated in the air. It buzzed and whirred and lit up, miniscule projectors lighting up and broadcasting onto the dark glass of the PRT HQ. A drone video, taken from above, and Taylor didn't need to watch for long to see the result. Fire billowed, faded, and then the camera zoomed in just in time to see Luna land next to Taylor and take her helmet off. Taylor closed her eyes inside her helmet.
"Tens of thousands of people have died already, with more to follow," Armsmaster said, "Because you attacked Nilbog and caused his creatures to breach the Quarantine Zone. Filtering out the parasites unleashed might take years. Decades. And that is your fault."
For a second Taylor wondered if she could pretend it was another clone, that Luna had taken away and brainwashed one of her sisters. But then, no. Even with her helmet always on, Taylor's armour and glaive were distinctive. They'd been far too confident. And besides, she was too tired for word games.
"I'd argue that whoever decided to leave Nilbog for so long is at fault," Taylor said instead, tightening her grip on her glaive, "But I don't think that's going to be a productive conversation. So, you're here to take me into custody?"
"Come quietly," Armsmaster said, "And nobody will get hurt."
"That would be nice," Taylor mused, "But we both know it isn't going to happen."
Armsmaster straightened his already painful straight posture even further, planting the butt of his halberd on the ground at his feet.
"Taylor Hebert," he said, "By order of Director Rebecca Costa-Brown, you are to be taken into custody to answer for your part in the Ellisburg Quarantine Breach. Cooperate, and you will get a fair hearing."
"I really am sorry," Taylor said, "But we both know that cooperation has never been my strong suit."
"Take her down!" Armsmaster barked, and everything went bad very quickly.
Armsmaster launched himself forwards, halberd dropping, and Taylor snapped out a telekinetic tendril that knocked the halberd off course, slamming the fist clenched around her glaive into Armsmaster's face and knocking him back. Assault and Battery closing from her right, press them back with a sweep of the halberd, reverse it and thrust the butt to the other side. It caught Triumph in the chest, throwing him back and Taylor brought her glaive down, the air swirling around her as her power formed a barrier that blocked Miss Militia's shots and Dauntless' lightning.
"Luna, hurry up," she snarled through her vox, "The distraction's going to get harder the longer it goes!"
There was a crackle from the vox before Luna replied.
"I didn't expect the place to be swarming with PRT heavies," she snarled back, "Looks like we aren't the only ones playing dirty!"
What?
"Sending people to kidnap my Dad, Armsmaster?" Taylor demanded. Armsmaster dropped into a crouch as reply, halberd whining as the edge began to spin.
"Protective custody," he said flatly. Taylor whirled her glaive, teeth bared.
"Protective custody," she mimicked, "You're a bad liar."
Armsmaster burst forward, halberd swinging, and Taylor met it with her glaive. Whatever his weapon was made from ground against the psyker energies of her blade, screeching together as they fought, clashing again and again. Armsmaster was good, too good, his movements crisp and almost robotic but the quick movements made it too dangerous for the rest to dive in. Taylor could hear Luna fighting through her vox, snarls and crashes and then Luna spoke again.
"Daniel Hebert. Come with me, if you want to live!"
Was now really the time? Taylor caught Armsmaster's descending blow on her glaive, one handed, servos in her armour whining as they took the force, and slammed her other hand against his chest. The ripple of force that followed flung him across the road, into a building, and Dragon's robot came in with a roar. It descended, missiles belching from hidden ports as the other Heroes scattered and Taylor took off, weaving through the missiles and meeting the robot's face with her glaive. Psyker fuelled energy shrieked as it met metal, the metal parting until Taylor was past and above the robot, the two halves smashing into the expanding foam left from the missiles.
"I have your Dad," Luna shouted, "Time to go."
Taylor dropped. A bullet whistled overhead courtesy of Miss Militia, but when she landed the Hero didn't fire again: Armsmaster was still picking himself out of the wall and the others didn't seem too eager to rush in.
"You can still end this, Circ," Dauntless said, his voice surprisingly soft for a man who had just been throwing lightning bolts at her, "You can make this right. Just surrender."
"It's kind to offer," Taylor said, "Maybe should have had you do the first talking rather than Armsmaster. But we all know that it's too late to make things right."
Taylor glanced down at the sparking remains of Dragon's robot.
"Tell Dragon I'm sorry about her latest toy," she said, "And, forgive me, but I hope I never see any of you again."
They all started forwards, but Taylor was already stepping into the Warp. Leaving those memories of older times behind.
The vision blurred.
Alexandria landed majestically, her cloak flapping in the wind and her costume black as midnight. Taylor very nearly felt inferior in her increasingly battered bronze and white, but she spread wings that were quickly fading to grey in defiance.
"Circaetus," Alexandria said, "This doesn't have to end this way. Whatever leverage Luna has over you, we can deal with it. Just step aside and let us stop Luna."
Taylor laughed, short and bitter.
"Save the pretences, Alexandria," Taylor said, "I know who you are. Rebecca Costa-Brown, that was quite the trick. Luna told me about the PRT elite sent to kidnap my Dad."
Alexandria's face remained impassive behind her full-face helmet, but Taylor felt the flash of irritation that filled her.
"So now that sweet-talking and hostages have failed, what?" Taylor asked, "You're going to threaten me, personally? Kill me?"
"If I thought it would work I might," Alexandria said, "But you're too reckless, I know that. I'd send you to the Birdcage, if I could, but we'll need you for the final battle against Scion."
"Ah," Taylor said, "Of course. You can't kill me, because you need me. So you've got some nice prison tucked away, where I can moulder until I'm useful. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I've no intention of bowing to your whims. Luna's nearly finished: when she's done everyone in the world will be empowered, and there will be no more need for Parahumans."
Alexandria made a quiet, bitter noise.
"How you mocked the concept of Parahuman Feudalism," she said, "Only to create it yourself, but with you at the head. Are you such a hypocrite, Circaetus?"
Taylor shrugged.
"Isn't everyone?"
She shook her head.
"Walk away, Alexandria. Walk away, and let someone else save the world."
Taylor didn't need the ability to read minds to see Alexandria's intention in the way her chin dipped and her fists clenched. She let out a slow breath, power gathering in her frame.
"We both know it's not that easy," Alexandria said, and charged. She went from hovering to flying forwards in the blink of an eye, smashing through the barriers Taylor threw up between them. Alexandria shattered the first three layers of Taylor's defence like a cannonball through glass, her fist breaking them one after another until she hit the fourth, the thickest. The impact was like an explosion, ringing in Taylor's ears, but the barrier held and Alexandria was held in place for just a second. It was long enough: Taylor held out both hands, power tearing through her, and unleashed it on Alexandria. Even if Alexandria was too tough to be crushed Taylor could hold her in place: Alexandria wasn't strong enough to overpower the weight of Taylor's power. Taylor strained but Alexandria struggled more, forced down to one knee under the pressure. The ground cracked under her.
"What makes you different?" Alexandria demanded, straining against Taylor power, "You called us monsters for being ready to sacrifice! You said that saving millions was worthless if it meant we killed billions, and now you're going to give everyone powers? How many will die because they're strengthened? How many will kill? What makes you different, what makes your way different?"
"I am different," Taylor said, "Because I am right."
Behind her the sky cracked open, power washing out and over the world, and Taylor felt lights begin to flicker into being as, at last, Humanity reached out for its destiny.
The vision blurred.
Taylor was crowned among ruins. Not everyone had become Psyker active: in fact, barely half the population had, the Awakening flawed and rushed. When some people had begun demonstrating powers and others hadn't governments had acted to oppress or recruit, witch-hunts had begun, Cauldron and their lackeys had hunted Taylor and Luna without remorse. Victory, such as it was, had been hard fought at best. And the Parasite yet remained.
"That's enough," Taylor said, "It hasn't worked. We've seen enough."
"The vision isn't over yet," Luna argued, "We can see more."
"See what? The destruction of over half the species? It's not worth it to look further, Luna. We should stop here and rethink."
"No. We need to see, Taylor! We need to see what the future might hold!"
"Don't get lost in the vision," Taylor snapped, "We end it. Now."
Taylor reached out, intending to pull them all out of meditation and end the vision, but met a resistance she wasn't expecting. Luna pushed back hard, keeping them all in the vision, Alastor and Cynthia unable to do anything. The Warp twisted and seethed, caught between Taylor and Luna, and Taylor felt a spike of panic run through her as she felt the whole vision shudder, their control slipping.
Something in the vision cracked, if that was the word: Taylor felt the moment that it stopped reflecting any semblance of linear time and began to bounce around possibilities without regard to how likely they were. She struggled, but Luna was lost in the vision and dragging her out was the hardest part: marshalling her strength to drag them all out of the vision without killing Alastor or Cynthia, Taylor was forced to watch as futures grated past.
A planet burned, smouldering with lingering flames, the corpse of a Parasite broken upon a mountain range. The population, strangely quadrupedal creatures with insectile eyes, bowed before a figure in tattered cloak and battered armour, ragged wings folded behind her.
"Thank you," they whispered in the vision, a million voices, "Thank you for saving us. Thank you for stopping it."
Taylor's ghost didn't reply, spreading her torn wings and taking to the sky. Her people were long gone, but she remained: only vengeance was left to her, until no Parasites remained.
The vision cracked.
The Earth burned. Countries stood. Countries fell. Parahumans fought or ran and died all the same, against the iron fist of the God-Empress's legions. Her subjects marched together, conquest their only aim, subsumed into the malevolent will of the First Psyker: at the head of her armies she strode, armour pristine white and gold. All who stood before her were crushed, all who knelt joined her host: the echo of Taylor within the god she'd become screamed against the unfeeling automaton that she'd allowed herself to become. She'd underestimated the price she'd pay, and now the universe would pay it too. Unity, and the blade of a sword. Taylor gritted her teeth and wrenched at the vision, forcing it through a dozen flickering images – her wings gore-red, her armour bronze and crimson, an axe bloody in her hand. The Earth, burning. The Sun, blossoming into a supernova at the heart of the solar system. Taylor, clad in gold on the bridge of a vast warship, leading a fleet towards something she knew not. Taylor, falling through the sky towards an endless forest, Alexandria above her and retreating through a shimmering tear in reality as Taylor reached towards her, broken wings unable to keep her in the air.
The vision cracked.
Taylor and Luna watched the lights of civilisation spread across the Solar System, Humanity no longer chained to their homeworld, thriving at last. Taylor, alone, watched the light of civilisation spread across the Solar System, humanity unchained from their homeworld and thriving at last. New stars were found, new planets colonised, all under the name of the Empress of Mankind and her strong right hand.
New stars were found, new planets colonised, and Taylor watched from hiding as Humanity grew without her. The vision was useless now, she recognised: the Nilbog disaster could be avoided, but everything else? Taylor could probably guess at the causes of one of two of the far futures she was now seeing, but most of them were a mystery. Just something to trouble her dreams at night. Taylor continued to gather her power as more futures passed, terrible and hopeful alike, until at last she was strong enough. The Emperor reached out to her: they couldn't speak in the vision, but she felt his strength added to hers, power gathering in them.
One last time, the vision cracked.
Taylor ran through a ruined city, her helmet heavy on her head, her sword in her hand and thick with blood. Alarms wailed, fires crackled, screams rose in the smoky air. The echoes of death rattled around her skull as she burst through the doors to a half-fallen building, crashing in just in time to see a smiling man with a ragged goatee cut her Dad's throat.
"No!" Taylor shouted, the man turning. Fury boiled in the pit of her stomach and she swung her arm, the Warp responding to her command. A thousand tendrils of force coiled around the man and squeezed. Taylor ran past the paste that had once been a man and fell to her knees, her hands reaching out for her Dad, power burning in her palms but it was too late, too late. He was already dead and Taylor hugged her Dad to her, a sob catching in her throat.
"Oh," said a soft voice, "Would you like to feel this forever?"
Taylor whipped around, power surging, but it wasn't fast enough. A boy, maybe ten, pressed his hand to her the very moment before her instinctive retaliation tore his mind to shreds and left his soul in tatters. But too late, too late: Gray Boy fell in slow motion, time tearing around Taylor, and her mind voiced the scream that her voice wasn't able to.
Time…passed. A loop, Taylor knew, hugging her Dad to her before she turned to confront Gray Boy, back to hugging the body to her. Her mind was free, but her body was trapped: the torment had driven most of the victims mad within days. Taylor, the Warp still flowing through her, didn't have that luxury.
Time passed.
Taylor reached out, her mind the only thing no longer looping. Sometimes she saw things outside the bubble, flickering images and movements that she couldn't quite identify. Sometimes there was nothing but darkness. It didn't matter. The Emperor whispered in her head, keeping her in the present, keeping her sane. She searched the Warp, looking for a solution, and…she found one.
Time passed.
At last, Taylor found the solution she needed. Stopping time was a Psyker power, not one she'd ever practiced. It was difficult to work at it, especially trapped in the loop, but Taylor had nothing but time. Nothing but time, nothing to do but try, and try, and try. Try, and try, and try.
Time passed.
The loop, at last, failed. Taylor spilled sideways onto the concrete, a ragged breath tearing at her throat, a sob that she hadn't been able to voice for…she didn't know how long for. Her clawed gauntlets scraped at the ground, her limbs flaring with pain, but she stood. Taylor stood, dragging in gulps of air, and slowly picked her Dad up. With him in her arms she walked out of the lingering ruins, and into a world long dead. Ash crunched under her boots, the sun shone weak and watery through clouds, and Taylor stood in the ruins of a fallen civilisation and wept for her people. She couldn't say how long she remained there, looking up into the sky, but she knew one thing: she had failed. Her world was dead, her species was dead: she was all that remained of Humanity. But the Parasite yet lived: it must have been the thing that inflicted this destruction, and Taylor slowly set her Dad down. Her people were dead, but she yet lived. And while she lived, she had vengeance to take.
Taylor set her Dad down, and took to the skies.
It was that final vision that gave Taylor the strength she needed. She knew it was a vision, still, and she gathered every scrap of strength she had and wrenched, tearing at the roots of the vision. It hurt, it hurt like almost nothing she had ever felt, every bone and nerve and scrap of flesh howling in protest as power burned through her but at last the Warp gave way: at last the vision cracked, shuddering away into rainbow splinters in her sight and Taylor came back to herself in the room where she had begun. Taylor fell sideways, out of her seat and onto the thin carpet, gasping in breaths of air: Alastor lurched forwards, retching. Cynthia fell back in her seat, a faint whine coming from her throat, and Luna lurched to her feet only to collapse like a felled oak, crashing down close to Taylor.
Taylor was waiting by Luna's bedside when she finally awoke, a day later. Taylor herself wasn't in the best shape of her life: although she'd managed to remain conscious, unlike the others, the backlash of dragging three unwilling participants out of a vision that deep hadn't been easy: Taylor had barely managed to organise the three of them into beds before she'd collapsed and slept for twelve hours straight. Given that she normally managed on three or four a night that was a little concerning, but she was fairly certain that she'd recovered and she'd even had time to bundle up her fury for later, when Luna could actually have a blazing row with her. Luna, when she cracked bloodshot eyes open, looked first at her.
"Taylor," she breathed, "What…what happened?"
Well, at least it wasn't 'Mother', Taylor reflected. That would have been a rather more poignantly uncomfortable statement. She didn't need to tell Luna what had happened, however, because Luna remembered. Taylor watched the realisation cross her face.
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Taylor mimicked before handing Luna a glass of water. She made a drinking motion, and Luna obediently sipped at the cup, closing her eyes as she drank. When she opened her eyes again they were more focused, although worried.
"Cynthia. And Alastor?"
Asking first for her Lieutenants was a good sign, Taylor decided, even if the news wasn't as good.
"They're both comatose," Taylor said flatly, "I've checked them and they aren't in danger of dying, but my guess is that they've both strained their powers, like I did fighting Lung. They're just taking it worse. Best case scenario, they'll wake in a couple of days with their powers starting to come back. Worst case, they could be out of action for months. Well done with that, by the way."
Luna closed her eyes.
"Your bedside manner is atrocious," she croaked. Taylor clenched a fist on her thigh.
"Actually, I think the way I'm talking and not screaming at the top of my lungs is a sign of good bedside manner," she said, forcibly calm.
"Well, that's true," Luna admitted, eyes still closed. Taylor felt the Immaterium stir around her, as though Luna was testing her strength, but chose to wait it out. When Luna sighed out a breath that Taylor recognised as relieved Taylor cleared her throat.
"Everything in place?"
Luna nodded.
"I think so," she said, an unusual hesitation in her voice, "I feel…strange. Fuzzy, almost. I haven't strained my powers like you said Alastor and Cynthia have, but I don't think I'm in perfect condition."
Luna shuffled herself into a straighter sitting position, her lips twisted into a grimace.
"I was stupid."
"Incredibly so," Taylor flatly agreed, "But I'm sure we'll have quite the argument about it later. For now, what were you thinking?"
Luna's grimace deepened, her eyebrows drawing together, and Taylor shook her head and forestalled the reply with a raised hand.
"No," she said, "No. Not the time. We both know what happened, right?"
"We broke the vision," Luna said, quietly, "I tried to keep us in, you tried to pull us out, and between us we shattered the control we had. The vision, it started showing us futures that could be."
"Right," Taylor agreed, "The Emperor and I have talked about it, and we're pretty sure that the vision just became an actual vision, uncontrolled. Which was why we saw all of those…all of those futures. Did the vision stay from your viewpoint, after it broke?"
Luna went white.
"No," she whispered, "It just…I saw you, on a planet I didn't recognise, surrounded by aliens. Ragged cloak, ragged wings. Nothing but vengeance remaining."
"Ah," Taylor said, "Yeah. I guess you could call that a dark future, right?"
"How can you be so flippant?" Luna hissed, "All of humanity, dead!"
"I noticed. In case you hadn't, I'd dedicated the rest of eternity to hunting down and killing the Parasites. But not all visions come true, and that one especially won't."
"How do you know?" Luna asked, vulnerable for once, and Taylor met her eyes.
"Because I won't let it," she said, her flat tone inviting no questions. Perhaps wisely Luna chose not to ask any.
"Not every vision could have been false," Luna said, instead. Taylor shrugged.
"Technically none of them are false. And none of them are true, it's not worth thinking on."
Not worth thinking on too much, at least. Trying to understand the paths that led to futures seen in Warp-spawned visions was the kind of thing that required entire Eldar lifetimes, and even then it was never certain: Eldar Farseers had come to blows more than once over differing interpretations of visions. Taylor would bear all those futures she'd seen in mind, but she couldn't become paralysed trying to avoid them. She couldn't afford to.
They both retreated into silence for a moment, sinking into their own thoughts before Luna spoke again.
"I take it that you aren't going to pursue the future that we saw."
Taylor felt a muscle twitch in her eyelid, but she just nodded.
"Over half the population died, Luna," she said, "I can't do nothing about that."
Luna shrugged.
"We can make alterations," she said, "Now that we know about the parasites that Nilbog's hiding, and the way his creatures split."
"But if that's the case, then the rest of the vision isn't valid anymore," Taylor countered, "The moment we make changes, the future changes too."
All she got in reply was a grunt, but Taylor knew it was grudging agreement rather than dismissal. Luna, eventually, was the one to break the silence.
"So what now?" Luna asked, "We still need to deal with the Mathers. I should be recovered in time for that, right?"
Taylor shrugged.
"I don't know how long away it is," she reminded her clone, "You wouldn't tell me. But I have something else to do. Alexandria's deadline is coming up."
Luna squinted at her.
"Her deadline for your answer on joining Cauldron, right?" she checked. Taylor nodded and Luna grimaced.
"How close? You shouldn't go."
"Telling me to be careful seems out of character."
Luna sat up, teeth bared briefly, and reached out to grab Taylor's wrist. Taylor blinked down at her hand, clasped over the vambrace that Taylor was still wearing.
"Alexandria's dangerous, Taylor," Luna said, "I know, I know. I'm usually reckless. But Cauldron, Alexandria, there's some kind of conspiracy going on and we only know the most basic parts. And I won't be recovered for a day, maybe more, so I can't back you up if you need it. We saw Alexandria in the visions, remember."
"We saw a lot of people in the visions," Taylor said softly, "We both know the visions won't all come true. They can't all come true, they contradicted each other. We need to know what Cauldron's doing before we end up having to make a move against them, you know that."
Know your enemy. And, for all her glibness, Taylor was certain that Cauldron could be her enemy in the future. But for the moment, there were questions that Taylor wanted answered and Cauldron was her best chance. Luna squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.
"It could be dangerous," she said, "But that's never stopped us before. But still, in the visions…"
"Alexandria was only in a couple of the visions," Taylor mused, "So what are the important parts? Her real name is Rebecca Costa-Brown."
"The head of the PRT," Luna said, "That's a cute trick. The PRT are supposed to make sure that Heroes don't run out of control, but they're already compromised. If we didn't already know that Cauldron are some sort of Freemason conspiracy that'd seal the deal."
"Sure, but it's not that important. So Alexandria could turn the PRT against us: she could do that even if she wasn't in charge. We both know that they wouldn't take kindly to our Psyker plan. So, moving on: Parahuman Feudalism. Bit of a weird name, but…what, a new political system?"
"She said that you'd recreated it, but with yourself at the head," Luna slowly said, "That implies a new political system. But Feudalism?"
"It's a specific term," Taylor murmured, "Implies kingship, nobles, peasants."
"Might makes right," Luna said sourly. Taylor smirked for a moment.
"To the strongest," she quoted, "Seems like Alexandria's trying to live up to her namesake. That's not exactly much use as information, though. So the third thing…"
"You and Alexandria weren't on this world," Luna said, "You were falling from high enough that I could tell that. You were falling over Germany, I think, but last time I checked there were more cities and fewer forests in Germany."
"Yeah," Taylor said quietly, "It seems like they've got some way to access other worlds."
That could be useful to her future plans. Well, useful might be underselling it – vital might be a better word. After all…
"Robert Frost," the Emperor said "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep…you do not need to risk yourself in an attempt to hold to an oath no-one would expect of you, Taylor. My home universe is dangerous, and saving the Primarchs is a fools errand."
Perhaps she was a fool, then, but Taylor didn't reply. The Emperor seemed to sense her resolve, because he laughed ruefully and said no more.
"I don't trust them, and I don't like it," Luna said, "If they really can access other worlds, what's to stop them from trapping you? They could throw you onto another world and you'd have to listen to whatever they wanted to get back."
"I feel like you're overestimating how easy it would be to force me through a portal," Taylor said mildly. Luna shook her head.
"Anyone can be tricked," she predicted, "Anyone. What if it does happen?"
"Then you will have to continue alone," Taylor said, looking down at her folded hands, "Until I can find my own way back. There must be a way, and if there is a way then I'll find it. You know that."
"It's dangerous," Luna repeated, more quietly, but then she heaved out a sigh, "It's dangerous, but you're right. We don't know enough about the Parasite to effectively engage it. If Cauldron knows more, we have to learn from them."
"And who knows," Taylor said, "Maybe they'll turn out reasonable and we won't have to fight the local Illuminati."
"I don't think we're going to be that lucky," Luna gloomily forecast, "But I know, we have to take the chance. Just…just be careful, Taylor. You're going into the lions den, and there won't be anyone there to help you.
Taylor didn't point out that she'd done that plenty of times before, and it had usually turned out alright. Instead she just nodded, letting silence fall between the two of them before she finally had to leave. It was the least she could do, she thought.
Taylor stared down at the street in front of the Brockton PRT HQ, reflecting on several of the visions that had taken place there. Her fight with the Protectorate, of course, but also the grim parade of soldiers, marching under the cold eye of their living goddess. She grimaced.
'I'm surprised Luna didn't bring that one up. You'd think that she'd be all in favour.'
"It may be that she simply didn't notice. She saw the armies of the First Psyker, but we were her. We were the only ones who could really tell what she'd done."
Taylor grunted, somewhat mollified. The First Psyker, as Taylor elected to call her, had been cold and unfeeling, a biological machine devoted only to the victory of humanity. And to do so, Taylor suspected, she had cast aside all else: she had cut away any emotion other than that devotion, any feeling, any weakness.
Any humanity.
Taylor wondered, morbidly, what would drive her to such extents. Nothing good. Perhaps the death of her Dad, she thought, ignoring the shudder of horror that went through her heart at the thought, or perhaps something different. A far future, but one she couldn't discount. And…
'Alexandria threw us into another world. I knew that they existed, Earth Aleph isn't really a secret, but to take us there? Would we even be capable of getting back on our own?'
There was a deep, rumbling hum before the Emperor responded.
"It's a fascinating question. The Ruinous Powers boasted, often, that they were immutable, invincible: they were particularly fond of saying that where there was a Warp, so were they. And many a scientist theorised the existence of a multiverse. As far as I could tell, those who knew about the Warp – Eldar and Human and even Necron - concluded that the most likely way to access another reality would be to pass through the Deep Warp, and back into realspace on the other side, as it were. The Warp connects all things. But…"
'But even the Ruinous Powers fear whatever lies in the Deep Warp.'
"Yes. Whatever lurks in those depths is dangerous, in ways I daresay we can barely comprehend. It might not even be malevolent. Something about it just…is. I wonder if, perhaps, Kairos Fateweaver saw something in the deep Warp when Tzeentch cast him into the Well of Eternity, and it was that that left him as broken as he became."
A Lord of Change with two heads, Taylor remembered, a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch. One head saw the future, one saw the past, and the Daemon was blind to the present. Taylor wondered what could do something like that to a Greater Daemon and shivered a little.
"In theory, the Deep Warp is where all the Warp converges, the very centre of reality," the Emperor continued, "And therefore anyone walking those depths would be in danger of seeing, well, themselves. An endless mirror, reflecting every choice you could ever make. Every thing you could ever be. Even if you could find your home universe again, would you ever be the same?"
'But it's obviously not a problem for Alexandria, so we need to take it into account.'
"If they can do it, we should be able to. We will have to investigate."
Yet another thing to add to her ever expanding list of tasks, but Taylor nodded in agreement. When something could be a matter of life and death, inconvenience unfortunately mattered little.
'Well, seems to me like the best way to investigate will be to cooperate. Or mostly do so. The more they tell us willingly, the less risks we have to take.'
"Agreed. And, more importantly, the Parasite."
'Would be good to find out what Parahuman Feudalism is, too.'
"I suspect Luna is correct, and it is some self-serving way of placing themselves in control. But yes, I suppose that we will see."
Taylor drew in a breath, closing her eyes and forcing herself to relax. She hadn't been quite as cheerful as usual lately, the pressure of her Psyker plan and killing Heartbreaker weighing on her, but unless she wanted to raise suspicions more than she probably already had she'd better act normal: normal, in this case, being irreverent and casual. Well, at least she had practice at it. Taylor stepped off the edge of the roof, spreading her wings to catch the wind and smiled at the air whisked past her, whispering through the edges of her armour. Ah well, perhaps it wasn't too bad and by the time she landed outside the PRT HQ she was smiling genuinely, her stride jaunty.
Not even walking into the reception area and seeing Armsmaster and Miss Militia waiting could destroy her good mood, although it did make her heart thud harder for a moment. The phantom feeling of a buzzing halberd passed over her skin but it was just that, a phantom, and Taylor nodded cordially to Armsmaster.
"Miss Militia," she said cheerfully, "You look well. New limbs working alright?"
Miss Militia's smile was hidden by the bandanna that she wore around the lower half of her face, but Taylor saw her eyes crinkle.
"Very, thank you," she said. Armsmaster nodded.
"It's good work," he said gruffly, "You're here to talk to Alexandria again?"
"For my sins," Taylor said, injecting slightly more melodrama into her voice, "I don't suppose you could escort me?"
Armsmaster and Miss Militia exchanged glances before Armsmaster nodded.
"This way," he said, leading on. In some ways he was Taylor's preferred choice: while he said nothing during their ascent, that was easier. He didn't speak a word until they reached the top floor and he led her to the correct door.
"Through there," he said, before walking away again. Taylor eyed his retreating back thoughtfully.
'Jealous, you think?'
"Quite possibly."
Taylor shook her head, wondering if Armsmaster would be jealous if he knew what she was about to discuss, and walked into the room. Alexandria was standing with her back to the door, hands folded behind her, looking out of the massive wall-window. A pose that couldn't have been anything other than intentional: safely hidden within her helmet, Taylor rolled her eyes.
"Alexandria," she said. Alexandria turned.
"Circaetus," she intoned gravely, "You've made your choice."
So dramatic. Taylor shrugged, wandering over to the desk that Alexandria had claimed as her own.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Taylor said, "I know you did all that recruitment and, don't get me wrong, I'm interested. But I'm not quite invested."
"You're interested," Alexandria repeated, "Enough that you haven't spoken to anyone. Not that you have proof, but that you're here seems to indicate more than interest."
Taylor shrugged, still maintaining her casual attitude.
"Well, I confess. I'm curious. Conspiracies like this don't just come out of nowhere. And I know what they say about curiosity, but luckily I'm not a cat. And there are some questions that, you know, I'd like to ask. In private."
"In private. Very well. Shall we take to the skies, again?"
The two of them, just like last time, left the window and flew up into the air, where they wouldn't be disturbed. Taylor floated opposite Alexandria and, after a moment, began to speak.
"So," Taylor said, "I'm sure that your group, Cauldron, is a whole Illuminati, world domination scheme too. That's obvious. But there has to be something else, too. Parahuman powers."
Alexandria folded her arms, said nothing. Taylor nodded to herself.
"There are all sorts of theories about Parahuman powers," she said, "All sorts. God-given, obviously, but that's boring. The next step in human evolution, that's a good one. Government experiments accidentally giving people the ability to tap into the inherent powers of the universe, excellent conspiracy. And, of course, the old faithful…aliens."
"Aliens," Alexandria said, flatly. Taylor nodded.
"I know, I know, it sounds crazy. But, you know, when I Triggered…that huge mass of inhuman flesh and crystal sure seemed like an alien to me."
There was something so very satisfying in dropping that bombshell so nonchalantly, Taylor thought. Alexandria's full-face helmet ensured that she was outwardly impassive, but Taylor could feel the shock ricochet around her. Taylor luxuriated in the sensation for a moment before continuing.
"I guess some people would start to talk about higher powers, seeing it. But I've never believed in gods and I'm not going to start now: whatever that thing is, it's no god. More like a Parasite, feeding on our species. But that's just what I believe. Question is, what do you believe in?"
"I don't believe in a great deal," Alexandria eventually said, "You say you remember your Trigger vision?"
Taylor shrugged.
"Sure. Doesn't everyone?" she said, the lie coming glibly off her tongue. Technically the Emperor remembered parts of the vision, part seeing the Parasite itself, but if everyone else had forgotten then, conveniently, there was no-one who could contradict her. Alexandria gazed at her.
"Interesting," she said, "I'm sure my compatriots would be interested to hear that. And yes, we do know something about…the Parasite, as you called it. Would you like to see?"
"I've come this far."
Alexandria tilted her head sideways, as though bringing her mouth up for a shout.
"Door me."
The hair rose on the back of Taylor's neck and she fought the urge to bare her teeth as the world split, sundered by some power. A gateway formed before them, shimmering and shining in a way that set Taylors skin crawling. For a moment, she wondered if this was what Parahumans exposed to her Warp portals felt.
"If you want to see more," Alexandria said, "Step through the door."
Well. Taylor had come this far, as she'd said. She ran her tongue along her teeth, thinking, feeling the sharpness of them before she let out a breath through her nose. She'd come this far. It would be a waste to stop now.
Gathering power around herself, just in case, Taylor committed herself to the future and, with a single beat of her wings, passed through the doorway.
The next chapter will probably be in December: I take November off fanfiction to work purely on my original stuff, but maybe there'll be a November update depending on how things go. Otherwise, as usual I hope you enjoyed, reviews are appreciated and, as always, I'll see you in the next chapter.