章 2770: 7.5
Being dropped off home by a black car always felt odd. I wondered if any of my neighbors ever wondered how I went from walking home in ratty old clothes to being chauffeured around by random office workers. If there was a cover story then I hadn't been told about it, at least not yet. That said I was aware that my house was under surveillance so maybe all the neighbors had been replaced by top secret super spies?
What would happen if a Villain turned up to kidnap me? Would an army of PRT ninjas come out of nowhere? I looked around trying to see if I could spot any. Did the PRT even have ninjas? Probably not but it was fun to think about. Realistically, if we did have any ninjas then I wouldn't even know about them on the count of them being well… ninjas.
Was this how people thought about Capes with Stranger powers?
Approaching the house I noted that none of the lights were on. Dad must've gone to sleep by now which felt almost odd. It was still a bit early for bed, at least one or two hours. Did he need to get to work early tomorrow? I used my key to get in before shouting out for him.
"Dad?" I yelled. "Dad? Are you home?" When no reply came I felt my stomach drop. The TV was off but on the coffee table sat an empty pizza box, coincedently from the place that Clockblocker had gotten our dinner. "Dad?" I yelled out drinking one of the Brute potions from my inventory just in case. I was tempted to put on my entire costume and pull out my sword but held off on it. If Dad was actually safe then I wouldn't want to accidently hurt him.
I searched the area downstairs before rushing to the next level. I aimed for his room, intent on finding out what was going on. However before I even got there I noticed a strange glow coming from my own room.
"Dad?" I called out again, softer this time. He was there, sitting in front of my computer, the only light came from it's screen. Next to him was a plate with a slice of half eaten pizza. The cold cheese laid there uneaten, congealed, unappetising and forgotten.
"Taylor?" He replied finally noticing my presence. What was he doing up here? I turned on the lights in my room and for a moment he winced. He got up and instantly hugged me. What? Why?
"Not that I don't like this but…" I hugged him back to show that I wasn't lying. "But…. why?" It was then that I saw what was on the screen. A video, security footage presumably from the Medhall building of me being roasted alive by Lung. I practically felt the blood drain from my face at that.
"I'm so glad you're okay…." He clung to me desperately. "Of course you're okay though…" It was then that I saw the video reset itself to the point where I crashed into the ground surrounded by Empire 88 Capes. He had this on loop? Just watching me? Again and again? If this footage was being played by anyone else like this, I would've thought that they were stalkers! Or at least Ash.
"Dad, it's okay, look!" I told him pushing him away. "I'm perfectly healthy, no burns or anything." He winced as if I had slapped him.
"They sent you at Lung." He told me. "I won't have you a part of an organisation that would do that."
"Wait! They didn't send me at Lung! I… it was…" I was about to say that I jumped on him but I held my tongue. "It was an accident, I didn't even think that I was going to run into him." Didn't expect to run my sword into him. "It just… happened."
"I was promised by you and Colin that this wouldn't even happen in the first place." He told me. It struck me how upset he truly was. All that worry now turning into stubborn rage. He was digging in.
"It was an accident, no way to prevent it!" I told him again.
"Yes there is!" He told me. "To make you safe I can pull you out and… then I'll…." Suddenly he began sobbing. All that anger, just gone. It was always sad to see a grown man cry they said. But what do you do if it's the man who raised you, who protected you when you were small? It wasn't sad, it was heart wrenching. It struck me that he had literal hours to think about this. Had he been watching the video over and over again?
He sat on the bed, seemingly defeated. One hand grabbed at his glasses while the other haphazardly clutched his face.
"You… you can't!" I told him. I joined him on the bed, unsure how to continue this. "I'm…. I'm happy in the Wards!"
"I….I…. I know..." He forced through. "I can't do it…." Can't do it? Wait a second. If he really wanted to pull me out of the Wards then he would've done it already. Armsmaster wouldn't have said that he'd see me later. He would've just said good bye, would've warned me that I was being taken out of the Wards program. That I was no longer Vim.
"Dad?" I didn't know what to say.
"I'm… I'm so weak." He told me. "I know what the right thing to do is…. But….. I can't….." I grabbed his hand.
"This… this is the right thing." I tried to reassure him. "I…." What could I tell him that he hadn't already heard before? He already knew that I had healing potions. He already knew I was a Brute. Hell he'd even seen Lung try and fail to kill me. So what could I do to convince him to not be sad? To stop worrying about me?
I felt useless for the first time in a long time. The sense of hopelessness enveloped me. Even when fighting Lung without Glory Girl's aura of confidence, I was still looking for ways to fight. Still thinking of options. Here though? Talking to Dad?
I didn't know what the next step was. I didn't even know where to go next.
"Dad…. I…."
"I'm…. I'm sorry Taylor… I'm so sorry…." He began brushing his eyes before noticing the cold pizza on the desk, he went to grab it to clean up the mess. "I promised myself never to lose my temper in front of you and I…. I'm…. I'll go now…." He didn't even look at me as he left.
"Dad wait I…." I still didn't know what I would say. He shut the door behind him, the video of me being set on fire continued to play. I just didn't know what to say. What could I do?
=============
School was different again. Not just different from Winslow but also from yesterday. Everyone must've sensed my depressed mood because it seemed like I was being treated like a glass figure by everyone else. Buzz tried to cheer me up of course while Ash refrained from spouting off any long winded conspiracy theories around me. Only Morgan seemed unaffected, oblivious to my inner thoughts as she continued to be Morgan.
It was around lunch time that Dennis approached me. The girls, not just Buzz, Ash or Morgan seemed to create a protective screen around me, shooting him angry looks.
"Hey Taylor!" Dennis greeted me as he tried to ignore the gazes that he was getting. "I uhh.. Are you okay?" He asked, noticing my mood. "Was it something I said last night? All the girls have been giving me the cold shoulder."
Why would they be giving him the cold shoulder? Wait… I supposedly had a date with him last night and I turn back up at school looking down. Of course everyone would come to this sort of conclusion! High School would always be filled with gossip mongers. The looks they gave him, the protective screen? It all made sense now.
"Uhh… guys?" I asked. "Can I have a minute alone with Dennis?"
They all hesitated but began to filter out.
"Give us a shout if you need us." Buzz told me.
"Yeah, we'll be over there." Ash added.
Only Morgan didn't say anything to me but instead approached Dennis. "Watch it bucko." She told him with far more venom then I would've otherwise expected.
With a few more looks of disapproval his way and words of support towards me, the other girls eventually left us alone at the table.
"Please don't say it's not you, it's me." He jokingly replied as soon as everyone was out of earshot. Still, the look of concern in his eyes told me to continue. His attempts at making a joke to cheer me up didn't work. But it was appreciated nonetheless.
"No it's Dad." I told him. "He…." I whispered the next part. "He saw security footage of…. Me getting hurt…"
His eyes widened in realization. "Ouch." He told me. It was a flippant response and only his expression and tone had told me how serious he was. "I mean, that's kinda normal isn't it?"
"I guess but…." He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, hey like I said, it's normal for family to care about each other right?" Such an obvious and simple statement. "You can't hold it against him."
"I don't." I told him. "He's…. He wants to pull me out of the Wards but at the same time he doesn't."
"He doesn't?" Dennis asked. "What do you mean?"
I considered my next words slowly. Wondering how much I should tell him. He was a Hero, someone I even thought about romantically for a brief period but most importantly he was a friend.
"How much… how much do you know about me?" I asked him.
"Well, I know you have kick ass powers, Armsmaster sponsored you directly and-"
"No, I'm not talking about Vim right now….I mean…. What do you know about me?" I tried again.
"I uhh…" He paused for a moment. "Well, you're really nice, happy, fun with a good sense of justice and I guess the best part about you is that you never seem to stop moving?" Never seem to stop moving? "I mean, that's what I love about you I guess? You're always doing something, testing your powers, having fun or you know, stuff? Sorry, I guess I'm not very good at saying uuuh words." Did he just…. Blush? Did he just say he loved that about me? "It's like you never look back and just live in the present?"
Suddenly all those potential romantic feelings came back. I pushed them down as I considered my next words.
"That's… that's not true." I began. "I'm always looking back to the past…. I used to be bullied you know." I told him. "It… it got so bad that I…. that's when…"
"Hey, hey it's… it's okay." I felt him brush my cheek with a napkin. Did I just tear up? "I think I understand what you were going to say." Judging my his understanding tone and the worried look on his face I felt that for once in my life that I had found someone that truly did understand the pain I had gone through.
"It's… it's why I want to be a Ward." I told him. "Because I'm selfish, I didn't become a Hero to help people, I did it to be happy. To get away from my old life."
"Hey…. nothing wrong with that." He continued. "Come on, we can fix this."
"How? If I wasn't so selfish I could just leave the Wards and make my Dad never worry about this again…."
"Hey, come on." He told me. "He loves you and you love him, that should be enough… I mean… he can move past it and get better, like when you moved past the bullying and came here."
I still felt trapped but the fact that Dennis seemed to listen was enough for now. I began to calm down.
"So any ideas on how to get Dad not to worry?"
He leaned back for a moment to consider our options. "He's afraid that he's going to lose you right?" I nodded, I supposed that was right. "Well, maybe you can buy him stuff? Gifts are always a nice way to say you're sorry? Maybe we can start with that?"
I shrugged. It wasn't a bad idea. I had no idea what to get him though. Perhaps I'd sleep on it.
=============
The next day I returned to the Rig where Armsmaster had informed me that the potions would be sent off for Tinker tech review in batches. As much as he wanted to get it all done in one go apparently protocol dictated that I couldn't send so much or even construct so much Tinker tech so quickly. The general idea being that a room with so much untested Tinker Tech in it would be... volatile at worst and a tempting target for thieves at best.
I was an exception of course but the paperwork hadn't been filed to reflect that yet.
"It's not ideal." Armsmaster admitted. "I'll admit, I'm bending a few rules allowing you to have so many untested serums stored on the Rig but I assure you that the necessary parties are aware." Honestly it was the best compromise we had for now. "We should have the mental focus serums sent off by the time of your debut though."
Right, 'mental focus' serums.
Technically they were really magicka potions, fortify magicka and regenerate magicka. I just called them mana potions for short, at least I did mentally. I never spoke the real names out loud though since I didn't want people to think that I was a crazy old lady that had more in common with a bag of marbles than anything else.
It might work for Myrddin but I didn't want that for me.
That said Armsmaster had caught onto my displeasure quickly enough, no doubt aided by his lie detector. "As a fellow Tinker I realize that your technology may not be adequately described with what few words the English language has." He began. "For example, while everyone thinks of me as the miniaturization Tinker it is much more complex than that."
It wasn't exactly what I was worried about but it was nice to have another Tinker try. I wondered if he had any ideas on a gift for Dad.
"Armsmaster…." I called out. "You're old right?" It was at that point that he froze in confusion.
Dragon must've been secretly listening in because moments later the room flooded with feminine laughter.
"Why?" Armsmaster asked. Clearly he had never had someone comment on his age before.
"I uh. I didn't mean it that way!" I told him. "I meant, old like my Dad!"
"You do realize that I'm ten years younger than your father?"
Dragon eventually stopped laughing at us. "I'm…What I'm sure Vim meant is that you're a Male adult, just like her father."
"Uhh yeah." I told them. "I was wondering what kind of present I should get him."
"Present?" He asked. "His Birthday isn't for another month… though I suppose it's never too early to prepare."
"It's just a general present." I told him. "No special occasion."
Armsmaster paused for a moment before answering. "Something practical that he could use at work I'd say."
"Taylor." Dragon began. "I'm sure your father would appreciate anything you got him, regardless of use."
I considered my options as I left the Rig.
=============
The next day after school I found myself running after a thief not as a Hero but rather as Taylor.
For a moment I considered ducking into a alleyway to turn into Vim. However, I didn't want to rely on that all the time and have people connect the dots. No, I had to take this guy out on my own without using any of my super powers. Or at least, without using any obvious super powers.
He was fit, I'd give him that. Just to keep up with him I had to drink a stamina potion already. I couldn't let him get away with Dad's gift, the gift that I paid for with the money I had found in that locker awhile ago! Did that still count as a gift I got him? Semantics later, justice now! I had to do it quickly before Dad began to worry about where I was.
Even with my long legs I couldn't quite match his speed but he was slowing down. He couldn't outrun me completely but it was still a close thing. It was clear that this wasn't his first rodeo, that these streets were his. He probably had a million different getaway routes planned out in his head.
It was at that point that he ran into a dead end. I had him cornered! What was he going to do now?
"Haha, you're brave girly." He gloated, turning around. "Now get lost before I cut ya!" He pulled out a knife and I tensed.
There was no way I could fight him without revealing my power now. I could just run away and preserve my anonymity but I'd also lose Dad's present. It was then I heard another set of footsteps behind me. No, it was more than a set but a dozen. Shit. Did he bring backup? I froze and began to seriously consider using my powers.
"Put the knife away." A gruff older voice called out. I turned to see not another thug but a homeless man. "Put the knife away and give the lady back what you stole." The homeless man and his equally homeless friends didn't look like much, but there were a lot of them and some of them did brandish improvised weapons. The one who spoke looked more confident though and in my mind it was clear that he was in charge.
The thief weighed his options before slowly putting away his knife. He looked at the box in his other hand, Dad's gift. "Pfft, thing probably wouldn't sell for over five bucks anyways."
Bah! I paid thirty for it.
He tossed the box over to me and I quickly caught it.
"So… can I leave?" He asked defensively. The homeless man nodded and they parted, allowing safe passage. The thief took that chance and ran past them with haste.
After a moment the unexpected cavalry began to disperse. Now that the guy with the knife had left it allowed me to notice a few things that I hadn't seen before. Despite all being homeless I would hesitate to call any of the people who helped me dirty. The clothes were second hand but not to the point where they were falling apart as rags yet. They also seemed content, not depressed, not drunk, just content. Not a single one of them looked like they were starving or hungry.
"Uhh, thank you." I called out to them.
"No need for thanks Miss." The leader replied. "Just doing what I can to help."
"You could've been stabbed though."
"But I wasn't….." He paused before looking me over. "You gonna be okay from here? I can wait with you if you need to call a taxi." He told me.
"No, it's uhh okay, you don't need to help." I assured him. "I'm uhh… do you need money?" I asked.
He laughed in response. "No thank you Miss, I have plenty of money…." A twinkle in his eye told me that there was more to his story. "I just use it to help people now, no need to pay me." I tilted my head and began to wonder if he was secretly a Cape. Maybe that's why he wasn't afraid to get stabbed earlier.
"Uhh thanks anyways Mister, I hope everything goes well for you." I didn't know what else to say. "Uhh bye."
"Stay safe!" He shouted after me as I ran off. Such an odd encounter.
=============
I hoped Dad would like his new yellow tie.
I know it looked silly but I wanted the ideal father daughter relationship and all those movies and TV shows about that sort of thing always had said daughter buying a goofy tie. With some trepidation hidden by an overeager smile, I presented it to Dad as I came home.
He smiled of course but he seemed uneasy. The so called talk we had a few days ago was still fresh in our minds but it was clear that he was making an effort to get past it all.
"I…. I love it Taylor." He told me. "I'll… I'll wear it."
=============
The mood at school had steadily improved throughout the week. The girls were still giving Dennis death glares but the bulk of the venom had faded.
Buzz didn't quite know why I had cheered up lately but put it down to me patching things up with my boyfriend while Morgan kept trying to give me dating tips and Ash?
Well, Ash kept typing away at her laptop. No doubt engrossed on my upcoming official media debut. I was honestly surprised that she hadn't pressured any of us with any questions about it yet. This would've been the perfect time for her to get new information about the Hero Vim!
=============
True to his word Dad did indeed wear the tie. In fact he wore it during my debut. It was almost comically easy to see him as well. Standing on his own truck at the back of the crowds the yellow tie stood out against his blue shirt and blue jeans. It was quite frankly an ugly looking combination but considering how tight money was right now, every bit of clothing had to count.
"INTRODUCING VIM!" The PRT speaker had announced. The crowd went wild as I made my way onto the stage. The Wards were lined up behind me alongside the Heroes as I came up clapping me on. Armsmaster looked particularly proud at that moment while Clockblocker broke the mold by simply using the situation as an excuse to make as much sound as possible.
"YEEEAAAAH! VIIIM!" He shouted. No one thought it was necessary to tell him to tone it down. Today was a happy day.
"Hello Brockton Bay!" I called out on my inbuilt microphone. It was rehearsed but the coming words were still honest. "I'm happy to see everyone here!" Especially Dad. He still seemed worried but just like Armsmaster he was clearly proud as well. It struck me that this was the first time that he had seen me as Vim outside of the one time I showed him my leather armor.
Back then I was just a vigilante. Today I was a real Hero, a real Wards member.
"Get ready to-" Before I could finish my introduction something exploded. What happened?
There should've been more security after what happened last time. The entire block was practically sealed off with scanners and checkpoints. If anyone had a bomb they would've found it! We would've been warned!
"RAAAAGHRRRR!" Lung screamed as he barreled through a building. Oh…. there was no bomb. PRT troopers sprang into action, leveling their foam launchers his way. In a flash Oni lee was among them, cutting them all down, using his expendable clones to dive into what projectiles they had managed to launch making the foam useless.
The Heroes reacted even more quickly, diving off the stage.
"Wards!" Aegis called out. "With me! Get these people to safety!" He shouted. "That means you Vim!" It was then that I noticed that I had leapt off the stage myself eager to help my Dad. He was in danger, how could I just leave him?
"Listen to him!" Armsmaster shouted. "Don't worry…." He leaned in and whispered. "I'll look after Danny… he's my friend as well." With that he dashed off.
What the hell was the ABB doing here? This was nowhere near their territory! Then again, the same could've been said about the Medhall building.
"VRIIIMMMM!!!!" Lung cried out. Oh shit… did he just…. Did he just say Vim? Oh god, I hope he was saying vrooom instead. The fact that he was looking my way didn't help.
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