3,598Taylor let out a yawn as she headed to the bus station after leaving Excelsior's offices, her shift at work finally over.
Things had been very hectic since Harry brought Kyushu back from under the waves. Even more so than after Leviathan's death, incredibly enough, though that was mainly due to the fact that multiple members of the Unbound were now unavailable. Harry himself was still incapacitated even five days later, unconscious in bed. In a way it was nice to know even he couldn't just shrug off doing something as absurd as restoring Kyushu, but she'd still rather have him up and active.
After that Chief, John and Beast Boy had all been pulled to help deal with China's inevitable attempt to claim Kyushu and perhaps the rest of Japan for themselves, the fighting starting barely two days after Harry raised it, leaving the US officially at war. The US Pacific Fleet, several Army Divisions, the JSDF, and multiple Japanese capes were currently involved in fighting the CUI's military, along with the Yàngbǎn and even elements of Red Gauntlet, a Russian parahuman mob organization. The Chinese were being stubborn and relentless despite the beating they were receiving thanks to BB's sea monster act and the various bits of tech Master Chief and Cortana were providing and operating.
It was honestly a bit baffling, how determined they were to seize Kyushu. Taylor would have thought they'd cut their losses, but perhaps it was a sunk cost fallacy sort of thing.
She was briefly brought out of her thoughts when she almost ran into a girl with a red streak in her dark hair. Smiling apologetically she got out of the way, receiving a return smile before the girl continued on her way, leaving Taylor back to her thoughts as she arrived at the bus station, said thoughts turning to how things had been going for her, personally.
She was very busy, both in her cape persona and her civilian one, but overall things seemed to be going pretty well. The days she had to be visible as Lara's assistant, like today, weren't her favorites, but she found herself content with them anyway. Alice had said that the removal of several stressors in her life was probably a big factor, and she agreed.
Those stressors were, of course, Emma and Sophia. After Cortana passed along what she'd been informed had come to be termed the 'CF Report' both girls had immediately disappeared from her life, under arrest for attempted murder and multiple accounts of harassment, and not just of Taylor. The police had even come to interview her, and she'd provided them with one of the copies of the notebook she'd kept detailing the girls' bullying.
Keeping her dad from going out and murdering Alan Barnes after that took a lot of work.
Alice had kept her updated on what was going on with the case during their sessions, and it appeared that Sophia was now in juvie for breaking her probation while both she and Emma were awaiting trial. Emma, for her part, seemed to have had some sort of breakdown when she was arrested, and was currently in a mental institution for evaluation.
Taylor had asked if she could be read in on whatever that situation revealed, wanting the closure of at least knowing what prompted Emma's sudden change into a monster more than anything else, and Alice said that she'd see, though she was going to respect Emma's right to confidentiality, no matter what she'd done. If anything became open to the public, though, she'd let her know. Taylor wasn't exactly happy about that, but she knew Alice took confidentiality seriously, just as she did all her duties and responsibilities as the Unbound's therapist, so she didn't press.
Madison had almost immediately become a non-entity in Taylor's life after the other two were arrested. She'd apparently managed to convince the cops that she wasn't involved with the locker incident, so she wasn't in jail, but she was still in hot water for being a part of Emma and Sophia's bullying campaign, no matter how minorly. Especially considering a large amount of the pettier pranks in Taylor's book were her's. So now she was keeping her head down and looked to be in an almost constant state of panic. Taylor knew she shouldn't, but she found the reversal almost indecently enjoyable. Especially as it had spread to the rest of the school. She was still a pariah, but now it was for very different reasons, and that made a difference.
She frowned at that thought as she got on the bus, considering it. She might need to mention that to Alice in their next session. Schadenfreude was one thing, but there was a point of taking it too far. Then again, she thought she was allowed a bit of pettiness, considering.
Other things were also going well. The money she was bringing in (at least, the pay her dad knew about) was helping out around the house. He'd finally replaced that rotten step, and a few other fixes to the house had been made. They were eating a bit better, too. Nothing absurd, but more variety and better quality made a surprising difference. And the improvements in both their lives meant they were growing closer together again, which was a relief.
Her cape life was also going decently. She and Lisa had become surprisingly fast friends, to the point Taylor had actually asked the blonde if she was using her cold reading power to know how to best get close to her. Lisa had admitted that she had, a bit, mainly to avoid landmines. Something told Taylor that the insufferable know it all had been just as starved for friendship before joining the Unbound as she had.
That wasn't to say she didn't get along with the others. Honestly, there wasn't really anyone among the Unbound she had real trouble with. Alec could be (more than) a bit of an asshole, which wasn't surprising once it was revealed he was one of Heartbreaker's (very fucked up) kids. He'd become more open to complaining about his bastard of a father ever since he'd been confirmed dead and he didn't have to hide from him anymore. Rachel, for her part, wasn't very social, but she kept to herself and spent most of her time with the dogs, including taking care of Pax and Zwei. Taylor just had to remember to project strength around her.
It really was still astonishing to her how much her life had improved in only a couple of months. It made her wonder what her life was like in whatever multiversal strands there were that didn't include the Unbound. As she got off the bus she wished those versions of herself luck.
Stepping into her house to find her father was still at work, as expected, Taylor allowed herself to relax. Perhaps she'd surprise him with some lasagna. Humming, she made her way to the kitchen.
Amy fidgeted as Carol served drinks to their guest, watching as Alice, masked in her persona of Doctor Wonder, picked up the tea and took a sip, letting out an approving hum as she did so.
The entirety of New Wave, along with Alice, were all gathered in the Dallons' living room, there for the meeting the superhuman psychiatrist had requested.
It had taken a lot of discussion, debate and outright arguing before Amy agreed to go along with it, but she couldn't really disagree with Alice when she said that they needed to start dealing with the external stressors in her life, or otherwise most of the progress they made would simply end up being undone. Normally Alice wouldn't push this so hard so soon, but Amy understood that her therapist was concerned that the Unbound would be leaving Earth Bet in the not too distant future, and thus Amy would be left to continue what treatment they set up on her own. If they didn't address things soon, they never would, and that was an unacceptable option to the psychiatrist.
Unfortunately this meant revealing a lot of personal issues to her family before Amy was really truly ready to do so. She did not look forward to their reactions to certain things. Just the thought of confronting the issues she had surrounding Vicky made her want to run and hide somewhere remote. Like Earth Aleph.
But, as stated before, she knew it needed to be done, even if she really hated that fact.
"Thank you, Mrs. Dallon. I appreciate the hospitality." Alice said with a smile, her mask made of butterflies in place but not preventing them from being able to really see her expressions.
Carol nodded somewhat stiffly as she sat down next to her husband, who looked more alert and focused than Amy was used to. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, though she doubted he would have managed to remain completely checked out either way once the fireworks really started.
"You said you wanted to speak with us regarding Amy's treatment." Aunt Sarah prompted from where she sat with Uncle Neil, looking very serious and focused. She was obviously taking this little meeting seriously, considering the subject matter, and Amy did feel some appreciation for that. Aunt Sarah had always tried to be good to her. "Is there a problem?"
Alice finished another sip of her tea before speaking. "Nothing new, if that's what you mean. However, there are several stressors in Amy's life that we need to see about dealing with before I and the rest of the Unbound leave Earth Bet. Otherwise they will simply continue and make things worse for Amy and, likely, everyone around her." She said calmly and professionally.
"So it's true? You really are leaving soon?" Eric asked, focusing on that for the moment.
Alice nodded. "Yes. It won't be within the next week or anything of the sort, but we will be leaving relatively soon, once we've accomplished certain goals we've set ourselves, and that means I will obviously be unable to continue helping Amy. It's not like she will be coming with us, after all. Which is why we're dealing with this now."
Not for the first time, Amy wondered what it would be like if she did leave with the Unbound. No more fame, or people constantly asking for her to clear their skin or make their boobs or dick bigger, no expectations. No mother who struggled to show affection, even if Alice had managed to convince Amy that she did at least care.
No more Vicky, poisoning her mind…
That last thought made her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. The thought of never seeing her sister again made her want to scream, and she knew that wasn't all her power induced infatuation talking.
"Now then." Alice continued. "Before we continue, I will make clear that the topics I will be bringing up are ones I have discussed with Amy in advance. I will not be revealing anything she doesn't want me to. If something we hadn't anticipated needing to discuss comes up, I will take Amy aside to determine what to do in that case. Am I understood?" At the various nods she received, some more grudging than others, Alice smiled. "Good. Now then, the first issue I feel we should address is Amy's unhealthy guilt complex and its source."
Amy squirmed a bit in her seat as Aunt Sarah frowned and spoke. "Is this related to why she was working so many hours at the hospital?" She asked shrewdly.
Alice nodded. "Indeed it is." After another sip of tea she explained. "Ever since she received her powers, Amy has had it pounded into her head that her powers are meant to heal, not hurt. An appropriate outlook, overall. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you, Mrs. Dallon…" She nodded to Carol. "...Went too far due to your own issues regarding Amy's biological father."
Carol had looked increasingly unhappy, especially when she was addressed, but that turned to startlement when Alice mentioned Amy's father, and the other adult members of New Wave also seemed surprised. "I don't…"
"It wasn't that hard to figure out." Amy muttered quietly, though the words still drew the attention of the entire room. "It's not like I needed the Unbound's help to see how my adoption coincided with your capture of Marquis. They just helped confirm it when I asked."
Vicky, Crystal and Eric were all stunned at this revelation. "Wait, what?" Vicky asked, turning to look at her mother, who's face had closed down. "Mom?"
Carol's mouth twisted unpleasantly, but she seemed unable to actually say anything, or more like she couldn't say anything constructive, so Aunt Sarah spoke again, the look on her face saying she considered this part of her duty as leader of New Wave. "It's true. Amy's father is Marquis. During our final fight against him she was almost injured, having been hiding in a closet." She turned to address Amy directly as the other teens all stared at her, still shocked. "He gave himself up in order to keep you from coming to harm, his only demand that we not let you go into the foster system, out of concern about how you might be used. Since my side of the family's finances weren't as secure back then, it was determined that Mark and Carol would be the ones to take you in. It was the best option we had to take care of you."
Amy bit her lip, but she managed to give Aunt Sarah a small smile. Knowing that her father loved her, had given himself up and allowed himself to be sent to the hell on earth that was the Birdcage for her sake… it eased something in her chest. She remembered the spear that she'd found in her mindscape, the comfort she felt as she picked it up, the sensation of strong bone in her hand, and she couldn't help how her smile grew slightly.
Alice took a small sip of her tea, letting that little revelation settle a bit, before she finally spoke. "I will not ask for details, especially in such a public setting, but I'm assuming there is something about Marquis that is… I believe 'triggering', is the appropriate word, to you, Mrs. Dallon?"
Carol had been having obvious trouble during the entire meeting, but she finally managed to speak when her husband put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, something that surprised her. She turned to look at him in shock for a moment, obviously not used to Mark showing concern so voluntarily, before taking a deep breath and turning back to Alice and Amy. "Yes." She said quietly. "I…" She paused. "Amy…" She paused again, mouth twisting, and it looked like she was trying very hard to not say the wrong thing. "I didn't want Amy." She finally said, making Amy's heart sink. "Marquis, he… I didn't want a monster in my house, and there was always a chance she'd be just like him." She wasn't looking at anyone, staring at the floor as her biological daughter stared at her in shock. "I tried. I really did. But then she triggered, and her powers were so much like his, and... And I had to keep her from becoming another Bonesaw."
Amy was looking at Carol so hard she almost missed the way Alice's face twitched at those last words, but before she could consider them further her psychiatrist spoke. "Unfortunately, as I've stated before, you've gone too far in the other direction." She said calmly, showing no judgment of Carol's confession. "As stated before, Amy has been overworking herself at the hospital due to a rather unhealthy guilt complex she's acquired. As far as Amy is concerned, any minute she isn't healing someone is her selfishly allowing people to suffer. Even when I point out that all medical professionals take time off for mental health, that guilt complex keeps eating at her. It doesn't help that, as an unmasked cape, she rarely has a moment even in civilian clothes where someone isn't asking for her to do something like increase their bust size or deal with acne, and thus she has trouble just being herself without any expectations. It's gotten to the point I'm afraid she might do something unfortunate, either to herself or another."
Several of her family members looked pained at that, and Aunt Sarah was massaging her forehead. "Goddammit…" She whispered. "Why did we never consider that…?"
Mark spoke next, voice serious. "We will be addressing all of that." He said firmly, hand on his wife's shoulder as she hung her head. "We can contact the hospital and set a firm limit on hours she's allowed to work a week."
"Shouldn't she already have that?" Crystal asked. "I mean, don't labor laws limit hours worked?"
"Not for volunteers." Carol sighed before looking up. "Mark's right, we'll address this. I believe you said there were other issues we need to speak about as well, though."
Alice nodded. "Indeed, and this one I believe is almost as important to address due to its impact on Amy's mental state." She took another sip of her tea before dropping the bomb Amy knew she was going to, having felt her shoulders tense up. "I must insist that Victoria and Amy's time together is kept to an absolute minimum. If possible, I would recommend she move out of the house, perhaps with you, Mr. and Mrs. Pelham, to keep them separated."
Everyone there was stunned for a moment before Vicky leapt up, hovering near the ceiling as she practically screeched out "Why!?"
Alice turned to Amy, waiting, as they'd agreed that she should be the one to explain this.
Amy looked down and let out a deep, bone weary sigh before mumbling. "...not immune…"
Vicky's brow furrowed. "What?"
Amy took another breath before looking up. "I'm not immune to your aura, Vicky."
Vicky looked at her like she was being obtuse, but Amy could see Crystal seemed to already be grasping the implications, as was Uncle Neil, if the way he paled was any indication. "Yes you are."
Amy glared, jaw setting. It was only Alice's reassuring hand on her back that let her keep going. "No, Vicky, I'm not. I never have been. You've just assumed I am because everyone related to you is, but we're not related by blood." Neil and Crystal weren't the only ones beginning to get a picture of what this meant, now. "And you've been bathing me in it at almost full blast almost every second ever since you triggered. What do you think that's going to do?"
Vicky was suddenly pale as a sheet. "No, nonono. Amy, you can't-"
"I'm in love with you, Vicky!" Amy yelled, and she suddenly realized there were hot, angry tears starting to fall from her eyes as she glared at her sister, who was looking at her in horror. "You forced me to fall in love with you!" She was on her feet, suddenly needing to just get it all off her chest.
"You can't!" Vicky screamed back in horror, and both of them had completely forgotten about their audience. ""You've never showed any-!"
"Never showed!?" Amy yelled in disbelief. "I've been bracing myself for the day you force me to help you get away with murder, and you're saying I've never showed any sign of my, my, addiction!?"
Vicky reeled back as if slapped, but before she could respond Aunt Sarah's voice intervened, deadly serious. "What do you mean, get away with murder?"
That drew both girls up short, and Amy paled as she realized what she'd let slip. She hadn't really even admitted to Alice that the times she'd helped Vicky when she went a bit too far were more severe than simply broken bones.
Slowly she spoke, admitting that there had been a couple of dozen times where Vicky had called her out in the middle of the night to have her heal people Vicky hadn't held back against as much as she should have. When she admitted that some of those people could have been crippled for life, if not killed without her intervention…
The entire family was staring at Vicky in horror at that, especially as it seemed like she was only just starting to comprehend the seriousness of the matter, hearing it laid out that way.
Off to the side, Amy could hear Alice sigh, as this hadn't been part of the plan, and thus discussions were going to become even more fraught. Before anything else could be said, however, a loud, grating alert sound came from Alice's phone, the woman picking it up with obvious concern on her face.
Apprehension coiled in Amy's gut. Something told her whatever Alice was being alerted about, it couldn't be anything good.
Brian parked his new car as he arrived at the place he'd be picking Aisha up from, sitting and relaxing as he waited for his sister to show up.
It was a very nice car, too, not quite a full 'look at me' luxury model, but definitely high end. The fact that it was a prototype model from Excelsior with an engine that ran on water was probably the biggest shock to him when he'd received it as one of the benefits outlined in his contract with the Unbound. He really hadn't been expecting anything near this quality when he was told he'd get a car for joining.
Other benefits were even better. Cortana had immediately gotten to work on all the legal paperwork and the like to give him custody of Aisha. The only reason he didn't already have it was because bureaucracy was very slow, even with money greasing the wheels. He'd been assured he'd have full custody within a couple of more weeks, something that relieved him quite a bit. The sooner he got Aisha away from their junkie mother, the better.
The pay he was getting was also a big help. He'd moved into a better apartment, one with plenty of space for both him and Aisha, and furnished it with much better stuff than he'd originally had. If he was careful with his pay even what he'd already received would go a long way.
Twenty grand was as much as far too many people made in a year, after all, and he got that much per month.
Reaching down and flicking the stereo's controls when a song he didn't like popped up, he almost jumped out of his skin when Aisha suddenly popped up on the driver's side of the car with a 'BOO!' and a shit eating grin that grew when she realized he'd been so startled he almost reacted aggressively, for some reason finding that even more hilarious.
"Jesus Christ, Aisha!" He gasped as he worked to get his heart back under control, quickly letting the darkness that had gathered around him fade.
The thirteen year old laughed, amused at her small prank as she got into the car. "Your fucking face." She said, snickering.
Brian glared, both irritated and just happy she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her own moods and attitudes had also improved since she met the Unbound and started hanging out at the base, though she could still be a brat. He wanted her to start talking to Alice, to see if this upwards trend could be encouraged further, but as expected, she'd dug in her heels at the very idea of seeing a shrink, even one like Alice.
He grumbled lightly as she strapped in. "So, how are things?" He asked as he started the car back up.
The thirteen year old shrugged lightly. "Meh, same as ever. You'd almost think Leviathan didn't fucking die here. I expected more changes with an Endbringer attack."
"If Nevermore hadn't blocked the waves you'd definitely be seeing them." Brian said darkly. "And things have changed, just not in noticeable ways yet. Cortana keeps us up to date during the daily briefings."
He was about to pull out of his parking spot while Aisha opened her mouth to respond, but they were interrupted when Brian's phone, set in a wireless charging dock in the car, suddenly let out a loud alert sound that instantly had Brian's stomach plummeting. That was the emergency alert from the Unbound.
Scrambling to grab it he turned it on to see his notifications, finding simply a link to tap on along with the message 'Report In ASAP'. With Aisha leaning over to watch in curiosity, he tapped on the link and found himself taken to a livestream of one of the local stations, which was showing a breaking news banner. Turning the volume up he and Aisha watched.
"I repeat, WSIB 13 has received a video from the Crowley sect of the Fallen." The anchor on screen said. "We have… been advised to play it as soon as possible. Please be aware that viewer discretion is advised." The man's unease was obvious, but soon enough his image was replaced by one of a female cape in an obviously Leviathan inspired costume, staring at the camera with Brockton Bay's skyline visible in the background.
"Oh fuck." Aisha said, and for once Brian was in full agreement.
"Citizens of Brockton Bay, I am Empusa, priestess of the Lord Leviathan." She stated calmly, yet the undercurrent of mad rage was all too apparent in her voice. "I, and the rest of the Fallen from all other sects have come to punish the one calling himself Nevermore for the crime of Deicide, along with his fellow criminals, the Unbound, and the city that shelters and celebrates such atrocities, Brockton Bay." She paused to let her words sink in. "At this moment, our people are scattered throughout the city, awaiting the signal to begin the hunt. Let us be clear, while our primary focus will be on Nevermore and the Unbound, all the denizens of this den of iniquity are guilty and will be purged. To that end, the Fallen have accepted the aid of others that the Unbound have wronged." She smiled, the action visible through her mask. "The Shattering Song shall mark the beginning of our divine retribution."
Brian didn't even have time to consciously register what that meant before another alert blasted from his phone: 'BRACE!'
Without hesitation the large former villain threw himself over his sister, shielding her with his body as every piece of glass in the entire city suddenly exploded.
Hello everyone, I'm back.
I do apologize profusely for how long this took.
To make a long story short, my original plans fell through when it came to the aftermath of Kyushu's return. Originally I wanted to explore what happened in the way between America and China over Japan, and then when we reached the end of that go back and explore what went on in Brockton Bay over that time.
Unfortunately when I sat down to actually write the war it all fell apart. Months of writer's block, with me only having written like 700 words, before I gave up on that. Instead I decided to focus on Brockton and explore anything that happened during the war through flashbacks and other forms of exposition. Once I made that decision everything flowed well and I was able to get this done in a few weeks.
It would have been sooner, but I'm going through some real life things right now, including moving to another house against my will due to financial issues, so my motivation and time to write has been a bit shot. I promise it won't be another six months till the next chapter, though.
As for the chapter itself, it's a bit of a transition chapter, but the ending shows the arc I have planned. Enjoy a double assault by the Fallen and the S9. The Unbound are going to be busy. Mwahahaha.
Not much else to say, so here's my usual reminders:
As I've stated previously, my best friend and their roommate have a podcast. Yes, I know, everybody and their mother has a podcast these days, but I beg you to hear me out. It's called 'Two Idiots and a Dog', and they talk about pop culture in general with different shows for different topics. So far they've done 'Idiots on Film', talking about classic or important movies, but their main focus is one called 'Idiots Unleashed', where they just take a topic their Discord members vote on and talk/argue/rant about it without a filter. They were recently forced to take a hiatus due to real life issues, but they're back, and their latest episode was on 'The Most Badass Non-Force Users In Star Wars'. So that's 'Two Idiots and a Dog' on all your favorite podcatchers.
Secondly, I am, as always, truly grateful for those of you who are willing to send a buck or two my way out of the kindness of your heart. I relied on all of you when I wasn't working, and it definitely still helps even now that I'm gainfully employed. Thanks to you I have more of a cushion to get things I still need or pay essential bills. Like Final Fantasy XIV. (Speaking of, Ryuma Hyurinmaru on the Coeurl Server, Crystal Datacenter, North America, Astral Dawn FC)
I used to have a poll on what to update there to incentivize donations, but I recently realized that part of the reason I have trouble motivating myself to write is that I've been letting others dictate what I write, so that's no longer a thing. I apologize, but as of now, I don't have anything to really reward patrons with other than my gratitude.
If you'd like to send a few cents my way anyway, I'm at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. However, if you'd rather donate a one-off amount rather than a monthly sub, I also have a Ko-Fi. That's ko-fi dotcom /athanmortis78653 .
That's all for this chapter. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and till next time. Bye.