Before long the gate before us opened and Dad drove on through.
As we passed the gate; that same feeling of relief washed over me, like I was literally passing a threshold.
It felt like the new beginning I so desperately wanted it to be. I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach, a strange cocktail of dread and hope bubble inside as I tried to tamp down my expectations with the brutal pragmatism Winslow had drilled into me.
We got out and made our way to the front door, waiting for us already was a dark skinned woman with straight obsidian hair. She seemed middle eastern. At least I guessed so. She was dressed in blue business clothes carrying a tablet. Blouse, skirt, glasses, high heels and all. She looked happy to meet us as we walked up.
"Miss Washington I presume?" Asked Dad as he offered his hand and she shook it.
"Hannah Washington. Protectorate assistant to Superheroine Miss Militia. It's a pleasure to meet you two." She looked at me next. "Taylor Hebert?"
I nodded her way. "Hi" I said softly
"The Protectorate offers its sincere gratitude and thanks to you for joining." She shook my hand. "Any helping hand is needed. Now then, let's go to my desk, we can talk there." She led the way for me and Dad through the white hallways and we placed ourselves at a desk just outside a plain foggy glass door that had the plaque of "Miss Militia" on the front. We took our seats, me and Dad sitting across from Ms. Washington.
"Now then, may I see your application form? Dad nodded, holding out a file he'd brought in from outside. Hannah smiled as she took it.
"Alright." She leafed through the pages making sure everything was filled out. "Now just to make certain "Your name is Taylor Hebert correct?"
I nodded, then snapped out a reply fidgeting in my seat. "Yeah."
She smiled. "It's alright hun don't worry. Now, the street address is 38 Lincoln Road, House Four B zip code 00792?"
"Correct." Her dad said.
"No known allergies to medication?"
"None that we know of." My dad answered again. I was more than happy to let him field the questions for now.
"You grant permission for Blood Transfusions, Medical Treatments and the use of the Superheroine Panacea's healing method in the event of emergencies?"
"Of course."
"Taylor's Blood type is Type B positive, correct?"
"Yes."
"You consent to her undergoing a medical examination as part of her admittance into the Wards Program?"
"Yes."
"You have medical insurance that covers Taylor's expenses?"
"As part of my job, yes." He answered, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet and pulled out a card. "Here."
She took the card, jotting down the card and policy number somewhere. "Alright. Quite frankly, our medical coverage is, Mr. Hebert, far more extensive and...well...better than yours to cover any injuries Taylor might receive. Do you consent to us placing her under it?"
"That depends, not to be insulting or anything but do the terms stipulate that she can't be dropped because of some pre-existing condition? My Jobs insurance has that clause but, once she goes under another insurance company they withdraw coverage. I don't want to switch policies only for her to end up getting dropped because she had her tonsils taken out when she was twelve."
"Dad!" I complained. No one needed to know that! I sounded like I had a cold with a runny nose for a month after that.
She was smiling. It didn't seem fake but I couldn't be sure after Dad's words. "No offense taken. I understand completely. And no. Believe me that our insurance doesn't drop its parahumans under any circumstances. Nor do the premiums go up. So Taylor will be covered even if she had a hundred pre-existing conditions."
"If that's the case then yeah...as long as I get to read over it first."
"Of course. I don't have a copy on me but by the end of the day I'm sure I can find you one."
Dad nodded. "Thanks"
"If there are no further concerns that is most of the preliminary questions I had to make sure of. There would only be one thing left to handle." She looked at me, her eyes were kind. "Taylor, hun, if you feel comfortable now I need to take your statement on the bullies now so I can pass it to Miss Militia when she gets back tonight."
I fidgeted in my seat. "I...can I wait for Miss Militia?"
"You can." She assured me. "But she won't be coming in until later tonight. I promise that everything you say will reach her ears as if she was sitting right here. I can even record this conversation for her if you'd like."
Dad's hand rubbed my shoulder "It's okay kiddo."
It didn't feel like it. For so long there'd been nothing I could do. I couldn't fight back, I couldn't complain. I couldn't do anything except sit there and take it.
Miss Militia believed me. She made the promise. Not Miss Washington.
And the fear that this would just be more of the same, another disappointment, another set of nice sounding words that led nowhere, reared back up and almost choked me.
Then I mastered myself, shoved down the fear, shoved down the skepticism.
The Heroes weren't couldn't be like the teachers at Winslow. Like Blackwell.
If I can't trust them to do the right thing… then what was I even doing joining them.
"They...they..."
"You don't have to say exactly what happened if you don't want to." Miss Washington assured me. "We have investigators that can fill in the blanks pretty well if you don't want to talk about it. You just have to give us names and we'll do the rest."
I nodded, shivering as the memory of the locker returned. The smell and the dark and the pain. My cut hands, the heat and the smoke and the screaming….
I don't want to go back there…
"Madison Clements." The first name slipped past my lips and I saw her write it down. I stared at her hands, not trusting myself to look at her face and keep myself from tearing up as I tried to push the locker away. "Sophia Hess."
Her hands didn't move.
"I'm sorry hun could you repeat that?"
"Sophia Hess." I repeated, louder. My heart thumped in my throat.
Please write it down…
She did.
"And Emma Barnes."
"What?"
This time the voice was my Dad's.
"Yeah…" I repeated, looking down. "Don't know what happened. Just came back one day and she was...different. She just changed on me...Hanging out with Sophia and Madison and she…"
Dad placed his arm around me. But he was stiff, tense like a coil ready to snap. I could feel him trembling.
We were still friends with Alan and Zoe… or at least he was. They still talked every once in a blue moon on the phone. Mr. Barnes would call to catch up, Dad would call for some small advice on dealing with the docks that might have some legalities to get around...Hope I didn't just break his friendship like mine had been broken with Emma.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Because you were busy… Because after Mom I didn't want to lay this on you… It was my problem, not yours.
I could have said any of these, instead I shrugged. "I don't know."
It all just seemed so...small now….so stupid.
Miss Washington cleared her throat. "Would these be all of them hun?"
I nodded.
Then, reaching into my pack, I pulled out a fat, leatherbound journal.
"This is…" I swallowed. "Everything I documented… everything that happened."
I held it out to her, and the weight of the book as it was placed on the desk before her made it feel larger than it should have been.
I felt Dad's fingers tense at my shoulder and tried not to notice him staring at the book in front of him as though it was his worst enemy.
Ms. Washington reached forward, taking the journal of my own personal hell -my own shame- in hand.Then quietly, she opened it, her eyes darting over the letters, she read quickly as she leafed through it. Her features grew dark and angry. The intensity of her emotions increasing with every passing moment.
Finally, too soon and yet not soon enough, she closed it, eyes shutting as she breathed.
"Alright…" She said after a moment "Miss Militia and the Director will hear about this the second she gets back I promise. For now, how would you like to meet some of your future teammates?" She smiled; it was a noticeable change of subject. Either to put me at ease again or to dispel the tension. Either way I was grateful.
"Sure." I said putting forward my best smile, weak though it might be.
"Great." She led us away from her desk and down the hall.
"The wards have already heard that there was a chance they would get a new teammate; they've been somewhat excited at the prospect." She said,
"Are they all here?" I asked, suddenly anxious at the thought of meeting all the wards at once.
"No, Vista and Kid Win are on base as far as I know, the others are either on patrol or in school."
I went over their names in my head based on what I've heard in the news and from what I have read on Parahumans Online. Not sure how true it was. PHO was only half right at the best of times.
After leaving Miss Washington's office, we entered the elevator and rode it up to the third floor. We got off and before us was a Tinker-tech door with the word 'Wards' engraved on the side vertically.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hebert-" Ms. Washington said suddenly, "-but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait outside."
Dad raised an eyebrow but he was faster on the uptake than I was. "Oh. Secret identities?"
She nodded. "Yes. While, as their teammate, Taylor is authorized to know should they choose to reveal such, that authorization does not extend to you."
"I understand." Dad nodded, looking down at me with a smile. "I'll just be out here. Go say hi, Kiddo."
I nodded, nerves again blooming across my stomach.
I shoved that down, taking a deep breath.
Miss Washington swiped her keycard next to the door, then seemed to think of something as she looked to me. "Give me just one moment Taylor." She said. "I need to inform the wards of some... sensitive information. Once I do we can proceed with the introductions."
I was curious but I nodded. What else was I going to do. I was going to be on the team but I'm not on it yet. If she said there was something she had to talk about I was hardly going to argue.
She nodded, grateful at my understanding. I saw the door open for a moment before she stepped in.
I waited; eyes panning over the white walls of the hallway in quiet examination.
It couldn't have been much more than thirty seconds since she entered and opened the door, but somehow it felt longer.
"Alright." She said, holding the door open.
I tried to smile back, stepping past her and into the Wards room; the door clicking shut behind me.
Two of them are there, I recognize their masks. That's all their wearing of their costumes; the rest is basic civilian clothes.
"Vista and Kid Win?" I hedged a guess. In Vista's case it wasn't exactly a difficult guess but there were two Wards who used the color red on the team.
Vista seemed to almost beam in her smile, looking to Miss Washington. "This is her right!?"
"Yes Vista, this is our new recruit." Miss Washington looked at me with a smile.
Vista pulled off her mask and helmet, placing it on the table next to her as she marched up to me, hand held out. "Nice to meetcha!"
I smiled back and shook her hand as she held it out.
"Hi...ummm." I hesitated. I was never any good at this sort of thing.
Miss Washington took pity on me it seems, clearing her throat. "Taylor, I would like to introduce you to Missy Biron, hero name: Vista."
Next to Missy; Kid Win smiled, pulling off his own helmet and reaching for me as I held out my hand . "Chris Gale. Cape name Kid Win."
"Taylor Hebert. Cape name...no idea." I felt my blush heating my cheeks. Embarrassment and mortification cut through me.
I took a moment to look around the room.
There was a kitchen with not one but two fridges. A nice circular couch with a coffee table in the center. A giant TV. And a stairway leading up to a second level overlooking the common areas. I noticed how several doors looked different from each other due to stickers and various posters or artwork.
"Don't sweat it. Took Vista weeks to get her cape name set in stone. And it can still pass for a normal name to boot." Chris said, drawing me back to the conversation.
"Can't wait to see what you can do." Missy's enthusiastic words brought my attention back to her. She smiled. "I got a good feeling about you. You'll be a great addition to the team."
I heard Kid Wi-Chris mutter something under his breath. I got the feeling it was definitely not intended for my ears. He looked to the side. "That's what you said last time and, look how that turned out."
"I'm sorry, Christopher, what was that?" Hannah spoke up suddenly with a smile...that...didn't seem kind.
"Oh! Uh, nothing. So, want me to introduce ya to your new room and stuff?" Chris gestured for me to follow. We walked over to the room farthest on the right. I noticed the keycard lock
Vista apparently caught my eye. "Not coded yet. Any of our cards can open it but, that'll change once you get processed." She said, pulling free her own key card and swiping it.
The door wooshed open. It was spartan, for now, but I saw the nice Queen size bed. The desk with what looked like the latest in line of computers. A mirror closet and cabinet drawer and-
"Personal bathroom!" Okay, I looked stupid but thank God and Scion combined, I won't be sharing bathrooms. I have heard horror stories of shared bathrooms in dorms…
"Did you think we shared one?" Missy asked beside me.
I found myself shrugging. "I don't know… this is… new all round for me."
Behind us, Hannah cleared her throat. "Now then, I believe we can put off some things until we can finish moving in Taylor properly. With that in mind I believe it's time we head back to Mr. Hebert to finalize things."
I nodded, turning and starting to march out. "It was nice meeting you." I called.
Vista and Kid Win nodded, both smiling. "Nice meeting you Tay." Vista said, "We'll chat more when you're settled."
Chris offered a wave, picking up his helmet and tools before turning to march back up the stairs.
I walked out of the Wards dorm beside Ms. Washington, finding Dad leaning against the wall. He straightened as he caught sight of us, an expression that may have passed for a smile.
"You good kiddo?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "We'll have to pack a lot of my things."
Ms. Washington cleared her throat. "I will call for a moving company to come by your residence when Mr. Hebert gives the go ahead."
"How bout...Monday morning?" He asked. I was almost stupid. I almost asked why; it wouldn't take that long to pack but I managed to stick my foot in my mouth in a good way by shutting up.
This was all happening just as fast for him...faster even. The least I could do was give my dad a few more nights before I took half my stuff out...
"Of course. I understand completely." The woman nodded with her usual smile.
"Uhh, how much for the van if I may ask?" He ventured, clearing his throat.
"It's on us of course. Don't worry about anything Mr Hebert." Hannah said softly. "We'll do all we can to help Taylor feel at home here. She's one of ours now and we take care of our own."
I felt warm inside at that statement.
"In any case, I will make the appropriate calls and-" She felt her phone ring and she answered. "This is Washington."
She seemed...very intent on the phone call. "Okay. Got it. Have her meet me by my office immediately." She hung up; her face set in hard lines.
What just happened?
"Miss Washington?" I asked curiously. She smiled back at me.
"Just a surprise appointment I need to tend to for Miss Militia ASAP. I'm sorry that I need to cut this short but I'm afraid it can't wait."
"You've done more than enough for us. You just handle your business. It was a pleasure meeting you." Dad smiled, holding out his hand.
She shook it..
"I'll be done with my appointment and other matters before long. If you need me, call me on my number. The men will arrive Monday morning Mr. Hebert. Would nine-thirty be alright for you?"
Dad's nod didn't come for a moment and when it did, it was a stiff, jerking motion. Like he had to pry his head loose enough with a crowbar to make it happen.
Hannah nodded "Alright-" She gestured "Down the hall, take a right, it will lead you to the public elevators as opposed to the private ones, that'll lead you straight to the lobby, again I apologize for the abruptness.
Dad waved her off. "Don't worry Ms. Washington; it's fine." She gave another nod and another smile' and then marched down the opposite hall.
I looked up at dad. "Well, better head home." We turned, going down the elevator and marching out the front door. Before long, we were in the parking lot and walking towards the car.
I got inside.
Dad turned on the car and then we were gone.
I turned my head away and looked out towards the city as we rode along the bridge. I felt a hand clasp with my own.
"Thanks for understanding kiddo…" Dad said softly as we looked at each other.
"Of course dad." I said, smiling as best I could.
He breathed. "And as long as you promise to call me every night before bed. I think I'll be able to refrain from driving my car through the front door of PHQ."
"Dad!" I laughed.
"I'm serious." He grinned. "Every night. And I reserve the right to drive my car through the front door of PHQ anyway if I hear you sprained your ankle or get a cut or something on one of those patrols."
"Can you at least rent a pickup, or a semi? If you're gonna drive a car through a door might as well make it a big car. Leave an impression. Our car just isn't Front door material." I snarked, a smile tugging at my lips. This… this was good, a reminder of how things were before, so long ago I'd nearly forgotten.
His smile got a little wider. "And no dating superheros."
"Oh my god." I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. Was he going there? Really?
"I'm serious. You're entering a job. Keep things professional. You're not allowed to date til after you're married."
I chortled, a laugh choked in my throat as I swallowed at exactly the wrong time.
"And you just remember I'm a phone call away no matter what happens. Armsmaster himself won't get in my way."
"I'd like to see him try to take on that Hebert dockworker rampage." That made the two of us laugh.
I wonder how mom would feel if she was still alive. Would she approve of me being a hero?
"Wanna do something tonight?" He asked rhetorically.
I smiled back. "Board games? Movie?"
"Let's live dangerously!" He said with absolute seriousness. "We'll do both! And have unhealthy ice cream while doing it. Cookies too!"
(X)
1.2
The next day
I waited on the couch, watching the news. Apparently, today was the day I went out to the Power Testing Center, or PTC, to learn what exactly my powers are under the supervision of Protectorate Heroes. Just last night, I managed to meet my other new teammates as well.
Carlos Mendez, Aegis, was the leader of the Wards and looked the part. He seemed like a nice guy, though I'd only seen him for a little bit before heading off to bed.
Dennis Cook was Clockblocker. I'm… not really sure if I liked him. I was trying to keep Winslow from influencing my interactions here, but if he's gonna start out making fun of me by saying "Hi there, pretty lady" as an introduction, he's gonna find himself on my personal shit list right next to the trio pretty fast.
Dean Stansfield, Gallant. Now, he looks like the typical handsome pretty boy jock you'd see in high school rom-com. Kinda straight lace though..
Brendan Gutierez, cape name Browbeat. Unlike the other Wards,, he was very quiet. Shy even. He said only a few words and only spoke when spoken to.
When some of the wards were channel surfing, looking for something we could all agree on, they stumbled on an anatomy documentary, and he just went off.
He vividly explained how the human brain would react to different stimuli as if he was an eccentric college professor. Then he went quiet again. Weird, but I don't have much room to talk in the strange department.
There was one ward I didn't get to meet, though. Shadow Stalker. Many of the Wards didn't seem broken up that she wasn't there, almost relieved, really. Dean tried to throw in a kind word or two but even I, with my abysmal social skills could tell it was kinda forced.
Dennis cracked jokes about her going off to stalk children to give them nightmares.
From that alone, I was more than aware that she was not exactly loved by her teammates.
Tolerated in most instances and respected in a select few. But that was about it.
I talked to Miss Militia about it on my phone before I went to sleep, and she said that Shadow Stalker was 'under review' of some kind. Couldn't say what else.
Anyways, today was the day I would be tested on my powers. And hopefully, (finally) come up with a cape name for myself!
The sound of the door opening made me turn my head and there standing in dark green army fatigues and her American Flag scarf is Miss Militia.
"Good morning Taylor." Miss Militia waved. I stood up and walked over to her before he could say anything else.
"I'm ready to go!" I said, trying to smile past the flutter of nervousness in my stomach.
"Right then." She chuckled. "Come on. Some of the others should be there by now." She turned.
"Bye Taylor!" Missy called out; a backpack slung over her shoulder. She'd be heading out to school soon.
I waved back smiling before hurrying to follow Miss Militia.
Soon enough, we were on a helicopter.
And I'm not gonna lie… I kinda freaked out. In my head at least. I was getting on a helicopter!!!
After I was done doing little dances in my head and pinching myself for the umpteenth time to make sure it was real, we were strapped in, flying out across the bay towards the repurposed oil rig that was the Protectorate Headquarters here.
A hand waved in front of my face, drawing my eyes away from the ocean below towards Miss Militia.
"Here." I heard her shout before she handed me a tablet she was carrying. "Go to the pictures. It's pictures we collected from Winslow when you triggered. It should give you an understanding of your power in some respects."
I took it and held it, going to the pictures and going to the album labeled: "Winslow Fire Trigger". I saw pics and zoomed in on one as we slowly began to land on the platform. My eyes widened. What is that?
"Wait-" I had to shout to be heard over the sound of the engine. "What is-"
"A statue of ash apparently." Miss Militia commented. "Do you recall making that at all?"
"Not really. I just wanted to get out… I… don't really know what I was doing." I admitted, guilty and apologetic in equal measure.
If any place deserved to be burnt down it was Winslow, but if I'd been anywhere else… if anyone outside the bitches three would have gotten hurt
She nodded. "I understand but, it does give us some input to your power." The helicopter blades began to slow down, and she didn't need to yell. "If I were to guess right, you are probably a Master given that the statue remained or a Shaker with a lingering effect. Also due to the fire that erupted, a Blaster as well. But we'll know for sure soon." She smiled.
A Master and a Blaster.., so I can cause massive collateral damage and summon freaky looking gangly-armed statues of ash.
Not exactly heroic.
The helicopter started to touch down before I looked up from the tablet and the pictures therein.
Waiting for us were a few PRT personnel, doctors, soldiers, technicians, but the one that made me gasp was kind of unmistakable.
He was dressed in navy blue armor and a halberd strapped to his back, his helmet blocking the top half of his face.
We stepped off. Miss Militia grabbed my head and kept me ducked down to avoid the rotor blades.
"Miss Hebert?" Armsmaster asked as we got to speaking distance. looking down at me with an expression that could have been neutral or stern; I couldn't tell.
"T-That's me!" Oh god.
I had him on my underwear when I was a kid!!!
"Right. Do you need anything to drink before we begin?" He asked as he turned, walking beside me and Miss Militia to step off the helipad and deeper into the rigg.
"No, I'm oka-"
"Good. Then we can begin immediately. Miss Militia, escort her to the test site."
Well, that was abrupt! I looked up at the dark-skinned woman.
"He's always like that. Don't mind him." Miss Militia patted my shoulder in assurance. "... Not exactly how you imagined him eh?"
"Not really…" I thought he would be more like Miss Militia.
"It's no big deal hun. Just the fact that you managed to drag him out of his Lab shows that he's... taken an interest in you already." She assured me with her smile.
"Really?"
She nodded, completely sure of her answer. "Last Ward he came out to see for himself was Kid Win. Come on, let's head to the site." We began walking a separate route from the direction Armsmaster and several men in white lab coats walked. We were heading down via stairs. I sort of felt...alienated in a sense. It was strange to feel that just because I wasn't gonna be able to show my power to Armsmaster in person. Then again, my power did burn down an entire school so they're taking precautions. After several long hallways and turns, we were standing infront of a large steel door.
"The testing area is right there. I'll be up with Armsmaster and the analytics. The testing area is fully mic'ed, so just say anything and we can answer through the intercom."
I nodded and took a deep breath. "Got it." Miss Militia gave me another shoulder squeeze before she walked off, heading to a nearby stairs.
I turned towards the door and took a deep slow breath; feeling my chest expand and stretch before releasing it slowly.
No pressure. Take it easy.
The door opened, and I walked through.
The testing area was a mix of metal floors and dirt, along with several boulders and scarecrows and humanoid mannequins scattered throughout. I noticed cameras at every corner of the room, along with speakers.
I kept walking till I got to the center of the room, turning around and seeing a long window above and behind me overlooking the room. Must be an observation area.
"Whenever you're ready." Miss Militia's voice came over the speaker. I took another deep breath and turned my face towards them.
Let's see, how to summon statues and make a lot of fire
"Question?" I raised my hand.
"Yes?" Miss Militia replied over the speaker.
"Ummm- How does a Parahuman use their powers? Like, do they just mentally-"
"A parahuman is capable of bringing out their power in various ways." Armsmaster interrupted. "You can either remember emotions relating to your trigger event or mentally conjure a picture. Miss Militia for example, started out by recalling the weapon she was most familiar with and then integrating others. Her power works off of memory. Vista, however, works as simply as if she were picking up a hammer, or any tool. She simply has other means available to her brain that lets her spread or shorten the distance. Velocity, at first, worked off of emotion. The need to be faster, to escape even. With practice, he no longer needs such an emotion. But it was his key to open the door if you will."
I heard papers shuffling.
"Hmm...according to Miss Militia's report, you have a high probability to fall under a Master or Shaker and Blaster categories. Try to imagine that or utilize your emotions."
Utilize. He was talking as if my emotions were just things I could turn on and off at a whim. I frowned a bit and held my hands out.
How to summon those statues
"Umm- Arise statues!" I snapped my fingers. Nothing. I keep imagining the image of those things. Long gangly inhuman arms, wiry hair, no face, upper body only
Okay, nothing still. Oh god, this was so embarrassing!
"Hun, relax." I heard her laugh before she spoke again. "Everyone does something silly during the test. You're not the first and certainly not the last."
I looked up at the window and nodded. Having her around is a major help for this.
"Use your emotions. It's clear your other methods are inefficient." Armsmaster droned over the speaker.
Gee thanks.
I winced a bit at my uncharitable thoughts. This was Armsmaster. And he sure didn't need to take time out of his day to be here if I was gonna be useless and waste time.
I took a breath.
Remember.
Use emotions…
Half of me -most of me really- didn't want to remember, but I pushed on anyway.
It didn't take much effort to recall it really… the stares and hushed whispers of students talking behind my back. The hurtful words, the smiles of satisfaction as barb after barb was thrown in my face.
I remembered the faces of the trio.
The smell of my locker. The impact of someone slamming into me, shoving me into that- that filth!
"Taylor, your hands!" Miss Militia's voice came, and I snapped my eyes open.
My hands were glowing orange.
I stared at them wide eyed, mouth agog..
"Uhh- I, Umm- Help?" I could feel a light heat radiating from them.
"Keep doing whatever it is you're doing." Armsmaster demanded. There was a grunt, and I could imagine someone said something when he spoke again. "Don't worry we're right here ready to step in should it be necessary.
Right, keep going. Use emotions.
Ok Taylor time to feel… or something.
I closed my eyes, trying to think.
Madison's words...
Sophia throwing me to the ground…
Emma's fucking smile...
"Taylor!" My eyes snapped open at Miss Militia's bark, and I looked down at my hands again.
I jumped and tried to shake out my hands in pure reflex seeing as they were now very much on fire.
But…
No pain! I didn't feel the scalding burn of fire on my hands, even as I heard the crackle of the flames. Seemed like the others took notice too.
"I'm okay!" I called out, waving towards the window with flame wreathed fingers
"We're aware." Armsmaster answered flatly
I gave the window a look and looked at the floor.
I remembered the school again, felt the pain and the anger and the sadness bubble up inside.
And the sound of fire cracking made me look at my hands, and in my hands were two small balls of fire.
I could even grab it and feel it. The fire felt like nothing, as if I was grabbing a balloon or touching a thin soap bubble. I turned to see one of the training dummies and tossed.
My two fireballs sped out and struck the scarecrow with the speed of a thrown baseball! The fireballs exploded in an orb of flame, blooming across the outer shell of the scarecrow dummy like it'd been soaked in gasoline
"I'm a Blaster!" I said in joy looking at my hands still wreathed in flames.
"Our innitial assesment was correct then." I heard Armsmaster say.
"Can I keep on testing?" I asked, looking at the window. "I wanna see what else I can do with these!."
"That's what we're here for." Miss Militia spoke.
I gave them a nod and took another deep breath, looking at my flaming hands. Can I make that fireball bigger? I held out my hands in front of me and tried to do it again, this time focussing on size and power.
I heard a cackle of flames and I saw the fireball appear in my hands, much much bigger than the one before. Where the previous fireballs were the size of baseballs or softballs, this was somewhere between a basketball and a small beach ball. I had to move my arms apart to grab hold of it. It was almost weightless, like before.
I twisted my hands and aimed them at another set of dummies.
It made an even larger explosion this time, the blast radius easily catching the other two dummies beside the center target.
What I noticed was that while it felt 'weightless' to me, it didn't actually seem to be weightless. It arced in the air like an actual ball fighting against gravity
I stopped, starting to think.
I ignited flame on my hands and waved a flame-hand in front of me. I can make fireballs to throw at targets, but what about when they got close and were right in front of me? I could grab them I guess but that might not be a good idea against strikers like Clock. If they were right in front of me I needed something other than exploding fireballs. The fire might not hurt me but I'd felt the shockwave from those explosions. The last thing I needed was a grenade going off in my face.
Hmm-
My hand rippled with flame as I held it out in front of me, and combustion of fire bloomed out of my fingertips about an inch away from my hand to cover an area about as tall and wide as my upper torso.
The important difference was that, unlike the fireballs, there was no 'blast' here. Just fire. And my fire couldn't hurt me so that was definitely a viable alternative for anyone who got close.
I hadn't realized I was grinning until I felt my cheeks start to hurt.
"You're doing good Taylor.."
"Indeed." Armsmaster chimed in. "That begs the question. How do you conjure those ash statues? According to Miss Militia's report, they were made of ash and crumpled only after dedicated efforts from the PRT cleanup crews who were assigned to remove them"
I looked up. "I don't know how exactly."
"Think of something. We've set aside most of the morning. Use the ash formed by remains of the immolated training props. It should suffice for testing purposes.."
I shrugged, then walked over towards the burning dummy.
It was still standing, mostly, but it was, burning and ashes were gathering at the foot of it, some still smoldering like cinders.
Staring at the flakes of grey and blackened char, I felt something. Like a… static at the back of my mind.
Squinting, I felt a sharp sudden stab of pain that cut straight across my brain.
Then I knew what to do.
I reached for lack of a better term.
The ashes swirl, whirling through the air, small nudges of my will send them dancing around me.
I smiled.
Like discovering another limb, my mind moved the ash like it would my own arm, and as I focused I realized the static in my mind was the individual flakes of ash, now under my control.
Reaching I plucked one from the mass and brought it closer, seeing the small grey remains spinning quietly before me.
"I see. Perhaps not a Master effect but a Shaker then." I heard Armsmaster muse drawing my eyes up to the viewing screen. "Are you certain you cannot summon those statues?"
I shrugged. "Right now I'm not certain of anything about my-"
Suddenly I heard a crack, the static of ash in my mind moved and I felt something hit my elbow. Sheer weight tripped me up before I felt the static of ash move again and my foot catch my tumbling steps with enough strength to stop me outright.
The burning dummy I'd been standing next to had just toppled over to land on me. It hit the ground with a crack, the flames quickly devouring the remains.
I heard Armsmaster make a sound. "Interesting"
I blinked, staring up at the window. "What is?"
"Look at your arm Taylor." Miss Militia called.
I looked at my arm where it'd hit me,
My right arm was covered in ash, almost like a second skin.
"And your left foot."
Obediently, my head swiveled around.
Over my ankle, bracing down to my heel, more ash.
My mind went over the last few seconds, blinking as I thought.
Had it… protected me?
Over the speaker, I could hear a shuffling of chairs.
"Miss Militia?" I called in hesitant concern. "What does this mean?"
"Well-" Miss Militia sounded puzzled. "-your ash moved before you were aware of the danger and acted in a way that helped even if you were unaware it would. Some kind of automatic defense mechanism perhaps? It wouldn't be the first power that behaves as such."
"That dummy is made of wood and cast iron. Meant for low-level Brutes. The weight is approximately two hundred pounds." Armsmaster said. "Its weight and momentum should have caused damage, if not knocked you over. How is your arm, Ms. Hebert?"
"It's fine I guess." I didn't even feel a thing. Just as if a twig had fallen on it
"Brute rating?" Someone asked, I'm guessing towards Miss Militia or Armsmaster. Didn't sound like he was talking to me.
"If it is; it's a subset to her shaker ability controlling ash." The Tinker answered. "More testing will be needed."
"Hmm. Well for now we can settle on Shaker four, threat levels increasing with more ash of course- Brute two, for now, and a Blaster four." Miss Militia assessed.
"Hold a moment. Ms. Hebert. How precise is your the control over the ash?"
"I guess it's pretty precise?" I hedged with a shrug. "Sorry. I don't really know what I can compare it to."
"Yes; my mistake. Alright Ms. Hebert, a small test. The dummies still standing, Try smothering the flames on the middle one without affecting the other two; It's a crude test, but review of the recordings should let me calculate your level of control more easily without needing to spend time here."
I shrugged. "Sure." Turning towards the ash, I focused on it. And then, with a nudge of thought, like a hand guiding a paintbrush, I moved the ash as I willed.
The grey debris moved through the air like a school of fish and descended onto the burning middle dummy like a frenzy of piranha.
The dummy's leg gave out under the pressure, just like the one that bumped into me, it toppled over, brushing next to one of his buddies in the fall but the ash only smothered the flames around its body, neither of the others.
I grinned.
"Shaker 5." I heard Armsmaster comment to someone.
Gathering up the ashes from all the dummies so far, I now had a fairly sizable blob.
"Taylor?" Miss Militia called.
"I want to try something," I said.
"Go on then. It's what you're here for." She said kindly.
I nodded.
Another thought, another brush stroke, and the ash was now wrapped around me. Arms, shoulders, chest.
I stepped over towards the nearest "low rate brute" dummy that was not on fire.
The dummy was, as Armsmaster said, a wooden body with a cast-iron skeleton.
Punching it with my full strength, if I was wrong, was going to hurt.
Hopefully, I'm not wrong.
Cocking back a fist I threw my best punch.
I expected an impact and for my ash to, hopefully, take the brunt of the impact and thus keep me from hurting myself.
What I didn't expect was for the wood to give off tremendous crack; splinters exploding out of its face before the dummy wobbled and toppled over with a deafening bang.
…
Wait what?
"Hmmm. That is certainly a subset Brute rating based on shaker manipulation." Armsmaster droned on like he wasn't surprised.
He should be.
I sure as hell was!
"Tentative rating Shaker six" He updated. "Brute three."
I should probably pay attention. Though I was a little too busy looking at my fist in shock.
Ms. Hebert"
"O-Oh. Right. Yeah! What's up?"
"We will have to test your Brute rating durability Please gather as much ash as you can from the practice opponents."
I nodded, letting the flames do their work for a while longer until each of the dummies and their iron remains were nothing more than grey dust motes.
I gathered it all to myself.
"Place as much as you can along your right arm then march towards the seat and harness by the right of the room.
I turned, looked, and found what he was talking about.
Gathering up as much ash as I could I placed it over my flesh, most of it was easy, but I noticed after a point it became… harder. Like my arm was struggling to move. Maybe the mass of ash was getting in the way and preventing movement? Like I had a thick rope tied around my limb or something?
Probably.
"Place your arm into the harness, Ms. Hebert"
Sitting down I did as he asked. The harness was little more than a small slab where my arm was to rest with some straps I could tighten. Like I was gonna take my blood pressure. It held my arm straight outwards.
"We will begin the standard Brute rating test. Please inform us immediately of any sensation you experience, it is not limited to pain. Any discomfort you experience at all must be informed to prevent your injury."
I nodded.
Without another word, a small gun of some kind fired a single pellet.
The pellet was small, and it moved slow enough my eyes could almost track it, hitting what may have been my palm beneath the blob of ash.
"Hey," I said with a raised hand.
"Yes?"
"Should I maybe drop some of this ash? Like this is as much as I can have on my arm but I can barely move. Maybe I should use a level that might be… I dunno more practical? Something I'd use in the field?"
They didn't answer for a moment, I'm fairly sure they were discussing it.
"Very well. Drop the ash you find excessive, and we will proceed testing a level you are able to move in and scale upwards once that reaches its natural limit."
Makes sense I guess.
The Ash sloughed off, like sand cascading down a mountainside, individual grains hissing as they fell.
I flexed my fingers.
"Alright. Let's keep going."
(X)
We stayed in that testing center for what felt like hours.
I'd been shot at, asked to burn down a lot more things, and got hit really hard by a robot.
Though I did get to tear through a concrete wall.
That was pretty fun.
Right now Armsmsater stood in front of me.
"You have perhaps the most versatile powerset I have seen in our current Wards, maybe even amongst the majority of Protectorate Heroes proper along the eastern seaboard not counting Tinkers." He grunted. His eyes moved towards a pad held in his hand. "Preliminary findings place you as a Shaker seven, liable to increase dependent on the quantity of ash around you, a subset of Brute five, linked directly to your shaker ability, Blaster four. You were unable to summon those ashen statues. So your Master rating is as of yet unconfirmed. Unless further evidence comes to light it may simply be a byproduct of your state of mind during your trigger rather than a true facet of your power."
I nodded, it made sense.
Still I really did get a bit of a power lottery, didn't I?
I'm not really sure what to say in this situation. I was blushing; shuffling nervously from foot to foot. It wasn't every day I got praise from one of my childhood heroes.
"Now, only a few parahuman heroes have such a versatile power set. As such, we will need to begin a training plan as soon as possible in order to familiarize yourself with the various potential applications you might- Yes?
My hand was raised. "Question! Is it possible for those stats of mine to go up? Like, if I train more or gain more experience?"
"It's possible." Armsmaster crossed his arms. "Tinkers can increase their rating via more experimentation and resources to work with. For others, it depends on experience. Power is only as good as the person wielding it. More than training or practice, experience and creativity are key. The PRT rating system isn't a measure of raw power. It is a threat rating first and foremost. Therefore the greater your skill the higher your threat thus the higher your rating."
"Oh…" I blinked. "So… you're saying Get Good?"
He grunted and I noticed Miss Militia try to hide a laugh behind a cough.
Then the woman turned to me, eyes crinkling in a smile. "Are you hurt at all Taylor? Once the adrenaline starts wearing off it's not uncommon for potential Brutes to give signs of discomfort or lingering injury they hadn't noticed during the testing."
I rubbed at my hand, the one that had been used to get shot to test durability.
"I… ahhh." I hesitated. "Maybe took a hit or two extra I shouldn't have." I admitted, letting the ash fall away to reveal a mottled sort of yellowing bruise on my palm."
Armsmaster reached into a compartment, either to give me something or pull a radio to call it in-
Whatever it was that was about to happen was cut off by a cracking sound, like bones breaking. It made everyone, myself included, jump in fright. I whirled around turning to look over my shoulder
Two arms were sprouting out of the ground, like a freakish night of the living dead parody, the arms clawed and tore at the steel floors, gouging the metal as it pulled more and more of itself upwards.
I saw my off-color, black flames first; then a twisted, mangled upper body of… something.
I recognized it
The ash statue from the pictures.
But it was… different.
The whisper came in the back of my mind and I knew what the difference was.
It was alive.
What they'd seen at the school was dead, an empty husk. Bone white ash. Pale like a corpse.
This one was not. Black and red like charred flesh. It had no face. Only fire churning within like a furnace, its spindly, too long, too jointed limbs coil around its body as it pulls itself higher.
I hear the whispers.
"Step away from the construct!" Armsmaster barked, and his voice made me jump, scuttling back a step to stand beside him and Militia.
He looked to Militia. "Do you hear that as well?"
She nodded, eyes narrowed. "Yes I…" She paused, squinting. "I can't understand it though."
I looked back at the monstrous construct, nervously watching the two Heroes beside me for what they'd do.
Then a flash of yellow can be seen as a ripple of air.
The statue began to glow orange, almost gold, and a low whine could be heard. The orange glow washed over me.
I breathed.
It was like soaking into a deep warmth. Beautiful and comforting. Every muscle felt relaxed, every ache and pain I hadn't even known I had cascaded away from me like warm water washing away the grime of the day.
My palm tingled.
I looked at it. Then stared in something akin to disbelief.
"Guys?" I called out bringing their attention to me.
I held up my hand toward Miss Militia.
"My bruise is gone," I commented, holding out my arms. Miss Militia walked over eyes wide
"Healing?" Armsmaster whispered. For the first time, he sounded something other than bored.
Healing capes were rare. I knew that for a fact. It's why Panacea was so famous.
If I could do something similar- even if it was from a freaky statue…
I looked over at it. It was still there. Still glowing and still very very disquieting looking like a hacked-up burn victim in a Lovecraft novel.
I took a breath.
It's my power. I'm safe from my power.
Walking over, I reached up, hesitating before I pulled up the last of my courage and touched in.
It was ash but… It didn't feel like it. I felt like I was actually touching flesh.
Freaky.
Armsmaster drew a knife, I looked towards him, watching as the man drew a quick, clean cut with his tinker tech pocket knife across the flesh of his exposed pinky finger.
Blood welled up.
Then with another pulse, he wiped his finger and the cut was gone.
"Incredible." He breathed. Then looked at me. "What did you feel when you were healed, Ms. Hebert? Is it perhaps similar to what I'm feeling?"
I shrugged. "Dunno what you're feeling, I kinda got a… warm bath. Or maybe warm by the fireplace' feel?"
He nodded "I- yes. Yes, that sounds fairly similar. He turned to look at the statue again.
"It appears." He pressed a button on his armor again, probably a recording. "That you have some rudimentary healing capabilities. But, this statue is your only way of healing, and it seems to activate in your vicinity when you yourself are aware that you require healing. Though it evidently can affect others.."
"So my ash statues can only come out when I feel like I need them?"
"Or with practice." He nodded. "If you can learn how to summon them at will, or even better, from a distance, it would make you an invaluable support asset."
He paused, seemingly thinking.
"I believe it's appropriate to label you a Master 2." He finally said. "You can conjure the statues at times of need, but we have no clue on other capabilities they have aside from healing and causing flames."
Wait what? "Wait, these things can make fires?" I asked in surprise. That caught me by surprise.
"Eyewitnesses at your trigger event claimed that these statues spouted the flames that started the Winslow fire. I was getting ready to destroy the statue before it began to heal you. This is making more sense." Armsmaster put a hand on his chin. "When you triggered, you had to get out of your locker. So the statues appeared, made the flames as a result of you trying to get out. On that same token, you might have been lashing out at your tormentors, using the flames as a weapon for defense. In this situation, you needed to be healed and thus, the ash statue was conjured and sustained. And as a byproduct this, light, that repairs the body's cells and relieves fatigue might be what kept you alive"
I nodded. I'd been… avoiding the reports from Winslow. I never wanted to think about Winslow or that locker again.
"Makes sense," I said diplomatically before quickly moving to change the subject. "Is there anything else we should test for now?"
(X)
That night
"Whoa!" Dennis was leaning forward, eyes and mouth wide. "That thing looks freaky!"
"You can summon those?" Asked Carlos, or Aegis, looking at the video on the TV screen with a neutral face, but I can tell his eyes looked surprised. "Is it still there?"
"Fell apart into ash when I was away from it. I had to go back and summon another statue, then walk away for the scientists to see how far my range can go. Which was about a quarter of a mile according to them. " I shrugged as I sat on the couch with my future teammates. "So it's just a statue of burnt stuff. Not a living breathing thing."
"Honestly-" Chris mumbled behind me somewhere. "-I kinda want to test the ash that's making up these statues vs the regular stuff. Maybe when you head out for another test or something I'll head out with you?".
Before I could say anything. Dennis, Clockblocker as I knew him, decided to butt in.
"Chris, please. Show some dignity. Trying to get a date with the new girl first day on the job. Shame on you." He then used his right index finger to rub it against his left index. "Shame shame shame."
Chris sputtered, and I could almost hear him blushing from his neck to his ears. Either that or I was projecting because I was probably no better.
Missy laughed while Carlos reached over and smacked Dennis upside the head.
"Hey." I heard Dennis laugh. "You need to be stricter about this sort of fraternization, oh fearless leader. It's how Dean and Glory Girl met after all"
"Actually it was at school," Dean spoke up, sipping a protein shake. "And then we met each other out in the field in costume, not knowing each other until we recognized each other's voice. THEN we tested together." He smirked a bit. "And then we got hooked up."
"More like she just said 'Okay. Mine now.' Browbeat mumbled.
"Ohhhhh." Dennis laughed. "And the Browbeat boy comes in to show how it's done!"
"That didn't happen that way," Dean protested. "I asked her out."
"Noooo." Carlos drawled, joining in. "You stuttered and stumbled all over yourself until she 'suggested' you take her out to dinner and shopping. And demanded that next time you think of something fun. You acted like a lovesick puppy that first week."
I smiled, though it was a little strained, unsure if this was crossing a line. I don't want to become my bullies just to fit in.
"Whipped!" Chris said somewhere behind me.
"Like runaway cattle," Dennis laughed.
"I am not!"
Dennis gave out a "Pffffttt" and sniggered.
"At least I have a girlfriend!" Dean defended himself with a huff as he went back to drinking and now sulking.
"Well, I think your powers are cool" Missy, who was sitting next to me, declared. "Besides, the good guys could use a heavy hitter!"
"In all seriousness though, just be careful about your power," Dean added, looking at me square in the eye. "You can't really control the flames you emit. Be sure to use the Ash to put out any unnecessary fires in the field. We don't want to hurt others or cause unnecessary collateral damage."
"I'll keep the fires to a minimum. Maybe even try to carry some ash on me to use." I replied. "Speaking of, there was a reason, I asked Miss Militia to lend me that video of the test." I stood up "I want your input on what my cape name should be." I looked at Dennis and Chris. "And nothing stupid. This is serious."
With a step and some bent space, Missy was across the room, slipping into her own little cubby hole dorm, and stepping back with a laptop and a beaming smile. "Ready to look up all the used names online!" She grinned.
I smiled and took a deep breath. "Suggestions?"
"Firestarter!" Dennis called
"Taken." Vista said after a few clicks.
"Okay then...Warlock!" Dennis continued.
"Taken."
"Burnside," I suggested.
"Taken by a villain based in Portland, Oregon."
"Mars!" The call brought my eyes to Brendan with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged. "I went after Mars because of the 'god of war' angle and 'red planet'. Can you use flaming ash?" He asked.
I was about to answer but Chris saved me the need. "Taken by a parahuman Hero in Greece. Dead as of three years ago. So maybe you can roll with it?" Chris asked.
"Maybe," I said with a nod. "Okay moving on. Blackfire?" I suggested.
"Villain in Australia. Confirmed alive."
"Firemancer?" Carlos put in.
"Hero based in Puerto Rico, or whatever its Spanish equivalent is?"
"Doesn't have a Spanish equivalent. Must have been a media-given name." Carlos answered.
"Ashmonger?" I asked
"Too villainy." Missy put in sticking out her tongue. Dean nodded in agreement.
I huffed "Ashbringer?"
"You're making up way too many villain names Taylor." Dean commented with a quirked eye.
"Taken by a villain based in Germany. Neo-Nazi chick too." Missy added.
"Sorry sorry, I don't know. I'm just coming up with stuff off the top of my head." I took another deep breath.
"Emberscar?" Brendan.
"And then Taylor was Burnscar's long-lost twin sister." Dennis snarked.
Chris sniggered, covering his mouth.
"Right. That one's off the list." I mumbled.
"Firestorm?" Chris added.
"Taken. Twice actually. Once by a hero and then by his daughter. Daughter's alive, Hero's dead."
"Okay...how about…" I pondered on it, thinking of the right names that go with my fire-making and my ash control.
"Ashburn," I said, and everyone perked up as Missy typed in her laptop. There was a pause.
"Not taken." She grinned, looking up at me.
"It does have a nice ring to it" Carlos had a hand around his chin. "I like it."
"Same here. Makes sense considering your powers of ash and fire." Dean commented. Brendan just nodded.
I smiled brightly.
My cape name.
"Ashburn it is."
(X)(X)(X)
Hey there boys and girls. My thanks go out to Xegzy for his work on this batch of chapters.
So onto the Changelog: