Bet you guys weren't expecting to see this again, huh?

The Rig - May 2003

The door to his lab opened. Colin trusted that his security systems wouldn't have allowed anyone unauthorized to enter, but it was still a minor annoyance not knowing who had entered; whether it was an aide bringing some new diversion from his work in the form of orders from on high, or Taylor, with her latest ideas for a new "Endbringer-Killer". While killing Endbringers seemed a bit of a lofty goal, her designs held clear potential, certainly worth investing effort into.

"We need to talk."

So it was Hannah, then. She sounded unhappy.

"Mm-hm?"

He didn't bother looking up from his work. He was more than capable of holding a conversation while he tinkered, and the sooner these circuit boards were finished, the better.

"Arms-" Hannah sighed, and Colin could hear her costume rustling as she shifted. "Colin. I'm concerned about your… ward. About Taylor."

Taylor. It had been only two weeks since he had been officially approved as her guardian, and she had already made an impressive showing in such a short time. Based on her initial 'Trinity' design (And wasn't that name oddly on-the-nose for a child of her age?), Colin had figured Taylor for some sort of explosive Tinker; but then she had gone and given him the outline of a design for a massive, Gigawatt-grade chemical laser installation. Given the multitude of other ideas she had been all too happy to tell him about, though, he felt safe in discarding his original idea. Her specialty, rather, seemed to be in the scale her creations operated at. Every design she had proposed had been for massive complexes, far larger than anything a single person could ever operate.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're referring to," Colin replied, "I've made sure that she has everything she needs."

Right now, she spent most of her free time in an offshoot room of his lab with a custom CAD software of his own design. The nature of her specialty didn't lend itself well to the typical process of prototyping and improvement, so her testing was primarily restricted to digital simulations, allowing her to forge a complete set of blueprints for her creations without the need to physically build them. It had proven easier to run certain ideas through simulations in the past before committing the resources to building the real thing, allowing him to save significant chunks of his budget on the costs of building, troubleshooting, and rebuilding.

"That's just it, Colin. You've only- Can you at least look at me?"

Looking up and turning in his seat, Colin found himself face to face with Miss Militia; her expression stormy.

"The girl does nothing but sit in your lab all day tinkering; far more than she should be, even discounting the loopholes we both know you've been exploiting for her. She hasn't even tried to interact with any of the other Wards."

His residence situation had been one of the sticking points of his guardianship. While he did have a civilian address, and he technically met all the criteria to become a foster parent, there had been some concerns over his work schedule, and what Taylor was to do when she was 'off duty'. The rules meant to prevent Wards, Tinkers in particular, from overworking themselves on the clock were surprisingly lax about instances outside of their duties as Wards. Part of this likely stemmed from the fact that trying to stop a Tinker once they were focused on their work was an unenviable task; to say nothing of the fact that Wards, hell, most Protectorate Tinkers just didn't have the same resources outside of their labs as inside. Most were content to keep their time within the set restrictions just for the support and work space the Protectorate provided. Taylor was something of an anomaly, given that even off-duty, she had access to his lab. He couldn't very well send her to an empty apartment while he was working, and so she spent most of her time off the clock on the Rig, usually in or around his lab. That she had access to the same equipment as at the Wards HQ was merely a given; he had originally developed the software she was using, after all.

"She isn't obligated to befriend them. You and I both know that not every team clicks easily."

Though, perhaps Hannah had a point… Taylor was entitled to spend her free time as she wished, but even by his standards, she spent an… unusual amount of time on her Tinkering for her age.

"That doesn't mean you can just let her isolate herself from the world!" Hannah nearly shouted. "I've watched her at work. She's obsessed with developing something to kill the Endbringers. She's as bad as you are, and unlike you, she doesn't know when to stop. I'm genuinely concerned that she's going to kill herself with Tinkering at this rate!"

"If her actions get to the point that her health is compromised, then I'll step in, but I've made sure she has at least the necessities she needs to be healthy; her diet is stable and she's getting a minimum eight hours of sleep. I've also made sure she's aware that I'm here and willing to help her with any other issues-"

"That's just it, Colin! All you've done is the bare. Fucking. Minimum!" Hannah's temper was a hair away from boiling over. Colin noticed the way her power shifted as she jabbed at his chest. It flickered back and forth between the Knife form it usually took when not in use, strapped to her belt, and a Kalashnikov rifle, gripped in her off-hand. Back and forth and back and forth it flickered. "That girl. Is not. You. She's not even a Teenager yet; doing nothing with her free time but tinkering and sleeping isn't any way for a girl her age to live, especially not one as obviously traumatized as she is!"

Colin held his hands up defensively, blinking. He wouldn't lie and say that Miss Militia wasn't a terrifying figure when she wanted to be, nor that she was entirely incorrect.

Had he really been doing his duty as Pixy's guardian? In letter, yes; Taylor was healthy and no rules had been broken. In spirit though?

His own parents had typically been content to leave him to his own devices at least as much as he had for Taylor. Then again, he was well aware that they had never been exemplars of great parenting. Likewise, the Youth Guard's rules regarding Pixy's activities were… Complicated, given the situation. Given that her workplace was effectively also her home, much like himself, there were certain rules and regulations that didn't necessarily apply in the same way as they did for other Wards. Furthermore, being her guardian demanded more attention to her than other Wards, who had parents to keep an eye on their children's happiness, and could bring their concerns to the Youth Guard, who then brought them to him if they had merit. Here, he had to play the role of the parent.

A role he had so far overlooked.

He thought back on his own childhood, growing up with parents that may as well have not been there. He wouldn't call his feelings towards them hate, or even dislike. More… Lack of affection. Apathy. He had come to terms with that fact he and they would never be the ideal 'nuclear family' fairly early in life, though it didn't stop him harboring some small shred of hope, however impossibly unlikely, that they could have made something more of their relationship than they had. And then getting that call from the hospital… Being forced to make an impossible choice...

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

He opened his hands; his knuckles white from how hard he had been clenching.

"You're…" He let out an aggravated sigh, more directed at himself than anyone else. "You're right. I've let Taylor isolate herself. And... yes, I agree that if left to her own devices, she might ultimately end up causing harm to herself, even if unintentionally. I suppose I've let myself become... willfully ignorant of the problem."

Hannah seemed at least somewhat satisfied at that, her expression softening a bit.

"I'm glad to see you aren't entirely obtuse. That doesn't mean I don't still have concerns, though."

Leaning in, Hannah set a hand on Colin's shoulder. It wasn't a friendly gesture; rather, it was a firm grip, one that promised worse should he displease her.

"I had reservations about you becoming her guardian the moment I heard about it, but I held my tongue because I trusted that for all your glory chasing tendencies, you had her best interests in mind. Not that her last foster was any better, from what I know of him, but I will not let you take advantage of a child for your own benefit just to leave her emotionally stunted and broken once you've gotten all the use you can wring out of her. I'll give you one more chance, but if you can't shape up, I will do whatever is necessary to make sure that she's safe."

Her ultimatum delivered, Miss Militia stepped back, taking a breath to steady herself before making her way to the door and leaving a stunned and slightly bewildered Colin in his seat.

"I'm not asking you to be the perfect parental figure, Colin, not even a great one." She added, one hand on the button that controlled the doors. "I'm not sure I know anyone who could do that, when it comes to capes, except for maybe one possibility…" For a moment, Colin saw a ghost of a smirk, before she schooled it back into a weary, neutral expression. "All I want you to do is more than you have so far."

With that, she was gone, leaving Colin to consider her words. She had a point, dammit. As much as it pained him to admit, he had been damned near negligent in the past two weeks since Taylor had officially come into his care. Comparing his actions to his parents' only brought up too many uncomfortable similarities. Since that first day, he had introduced her to the other wards, set up the workstation she now spent the majority of her time at, and then promptly left her to her own devices. Some of the blame could be laid on his schedule, certainly; he had several vital duties as a member of the Protectorate and he couldn't-...

No.

Colin took a deep breath, centering his thoughts.

No excuses. You can do better. You have to do better.

He had just as important a duty to Taylor, as her legal guardian. There were other cape parents in the Protectorate, he was well aware. None locally, but they were still there; it wasn't as if he had taken on some sort of impossible task. New Wave had their children, on top of the already unenviable task of living unmasked from day to day and even maintaining jobs in their civilian identities in the case of some of the adult members.

Colin looked to the clock. Two-thirty. A bit late, but not too late to get lunch. A real lunch, rather than the nutrient bars he had, rather foolishly in hindsight, allowed Taylor access to. Standing up, he made his way to the doors at one side of the lab that led to Pixy's room. As he hit the button to open the doors, they slid apart to reveal the girl asleep at the design station, slouched over the interface with her head down as she slept. Colin was about to wake her when he heard her whimpering, her words tiny and quiet as she slept.

"Mommy… Daddy… Where are you…? What's happening?"

Her face was scrunched up, and Colin could tell from the way she shifted uneasily, clutching for something that wasn't there that her dream wasn't a pleasant one.

His heart went out to the girl. Of course this would be the driving force behind her obsession with Tinkering. Internally, he cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. She wasn't the first Tinker to throw herself into her work as an escape from the memories of her trigger, nor would she be the last. He would need to see about arranging a more regular schedule with the in-house therapist for Taylor too; she clearly needed it. And he needed to do his part to help as well.

Stepping forward, Colin carefully nudged Taylor's shoulder, trying to wake her without scaring her any further. She awoke with a start, letting out a small gasp as wakefulness rushed forth. For a tense moment she was silent, the young cape scanning the room as her brain separated dream from reality. Eventually though, she remembered where she was, allowing herself to relax. When she saw him, she jerked up into a more attentive posture.

"M-Mister Armsmaster! I- What are you doing in here?"

Colin tried his best to show Taylor a comforting smile, even if he personally didn't think it looked all that reassuring; he still needed to try, he was certain of that.

"You can call me Colin, Taylor. I'm out of costume right now."

She gulped, her eyes wide with something between awe and respect, and maybe traces of fear still lingering from her nightmare.

"Uh, Y-yes, Mister Colin!" Taylor nodded frantically.

Colin couldn't help but chuckle at her reactions, his smile a bit more genuine. It wasn't uncommon for new Wards to show more than a little open hero worship when they first joined; they were still kids, in the end. It typically wore off after a couple weeks on the job, working side by side with those same heroes and getting to know the men and women under the mask. Colin supposed that Taylor's relative isolation wouldn't have done anything to speed that along, mentally berating himself even further for his own fuckup, and his role in letting it get as far as it had.

"I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come with me to get lunch. I thought you might like to discuss your inventions while we ate."

Taylor's eyes widened with excitement, and she seemed about to say yes, but at the last moment, Colin saw her turn away, looking back down at her workstation.

"But… I'm still working on this project," she murmured, gesturing at the half-finished design laid out in front of her. "I'm so close to a breakthrough…"

Colin set a hand on her shoulder, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

"Your project will still be there when you return. I'm… concerned about how much you've isolated yourself for the past couple of weeks. I think it would help if you took a break."

Taylor looked back to him, obviously conflicted and unsure whether to stay or go.

"It won't be too long, Taylor. I want to make sure you're eating properly. Something besides nutrient bars."

Finally, Taylor relented, sagging as she let out a sigh.

"Okay… Maybe you're right."

She spun in her seat, hopping down from her chair and stretching. As she followed Colin out into the hall, he couldn't help the smile just barely creeping onto his face.

Small steps, Colin; make an effort to improve.

They stepped into the cafeteria; the room filled with the low rumble of private conversations. One or two glances turned their way, but quickly moved on. Most non-powered personnel knew better than to stare when an unmasked hero entered, or had the habit quickly disciplined and-or scared out of them. It was partially a matter of security, but many Protectorate members just enjoyed the semi-anonymity it granted. In the cafeteria, everyone was just another Average Joe taking a break from his job, from the tour guides to the capes. Colin looked down and frowned.

Taylor was biting her lip, her eyes darting around back and forth. Traumatic memories? It wouldn't be a stretch in the slightest to assume she suffered PTSD to some degree; Endbringer survivors frequently did. He extended his hand, making sure it lingered in Taylor's view long enough for her to realize what it was for. She grabbed it, squeezing as tightly as her smaller hands could manage.

Colin guided her over to the line, the two of them shuffling along and selecting their meals. The food provided at the Rig was far from gourmet dining, but it was edible and calories were calories. Making their way to an empty table, Colin sat down next to Taylor, and for a few minutes, the two of them ate silently as he thought about how to go about saying what he needed to say. He looked down at Taylor, watching for a moment as she poked dejectedly at a tray of spaghetti and meatballs. Closing his eyes, he breathed out.

Just try.

"Taylor… I'd like to apologize to you for how absent I've been since I became your guardian."

She froze, looking up to him with wide eyes.

"...I-"

She trailed off, unsure what to say. Colin forged on.

"When I decided to take guardianship of you, I made a promise to look out for you, to make sure that you would be taken care of. These last two weeks, I've let myself ignore your needs, beyond food and sleep."

Taylor's expression went panicked, and she waved her hands in a placating gesture.

"I-it's okay! I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me, Mister A-" She froze, catching herself in just the nick of time. "Uh… Mister Colin. Really."

Colin sighed. He hoped the 'Hero Worship' phase would pass soon.

"Taylor," He set a hand on her shoulder, "I agreed to deal with any problems that might arise when I became your guardian. I don't want you to hide anything you're having difficulty with just because it might be an 'inconvenience'. I'd prefer it if you were as happy and healthy as you can be."

Colin wasn't sure how he felt about doing this. He was speaking to her the same way he did when confronting panicked civilians. It felt dishonest in some way; it didn't sound genuine to him. When he was talking to people that had been injured by gang violence, or innocents cowering in fear, it was to efficiently take control of a situation, to keep anyone from panicking so that he could get them out of harm's way as quickly and efficiently as possible, or so paramedics could do their jobs without getting swarmed by a panicking mob.

But this wasn't a problem that could be solved efficiently. Colin looked down at Taylor, and saw himself at her age; a precocious child forced by their circumstances to grow up long before they should have. Different circumstances, perhaps. Colin certainly wouldn't equate absentee parents to an Endbringer attack, but he knew how it felt to be alone in the world; you either learned to enjoy the isolation or you fell into despair.

"So please, if you've been suffering from any sort of distress, any… issues, don't hesitate to talk to me. I want to help you, but I can't do it if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Taylor looked up at him practically awestruck, her eyes welling with tears. Diving forward, she buried her face in his side. Tentatively, Colin wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She didn't make any noise, but from the way her whole body shook slightly and the growing wet spot on his shirt, he could imagine what she was thinking. Looking around, he saw one or two people giving him a curious look, but a flat glare sent them looking somewhere else.

"If you'll agree to it, I'd like you to see the psychologist at the PRTHQ more often. I also think you would benefit from spending more time outside of the workshop."

He felt taylor pulling back, her eyes rimmed with red as she looked up at him.

"I-I can't stop working yet! I'm so close to a breakthrough, I can't give up right now-"

"It's not giving up, Taylor," He cut her off, "It's just as important that you take care of yourself."

"But… You spend so much time tinkering too."

"And I know my limits, Taylor. I've spent a lot of time measuring them, and then figuring out how to push them. And besides that, you aren't me, Taylor." Colin patted her back as consolingly as he could. "You have a lot of potential. Enough, I think, to become an even more famous Tinker than I am. But you're still young; If you keep going the way you are, I… and others are concerned you might not live to see that day. Do you understand?"

Taylor nodded slowly, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah…" She sighed, her voice watery. "Mister Colin?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Will you go with me? When I go to see the therapist?"

"I will." He didn't pause for a moment to consider his schedule. He'd make the time.

Taylor shifted slightly, leaning her head against his side.

"Thanks."

The two of them sat there in silence for a while; long enough for a majority of the other patrons of the cafeteria to leave, at least. Hannah arrived at one point, grabbing a piece of fruit from the buffet before leaving; unsure how to react and not wanting to disturb Taylor, he merely gave her a quick wave with his free hand. Hannah didn't say anything, though she did nod approvingly before leaving.

It occurred to Colin at least once that he could have spent this time tinkering; that he had circuit boards that needed soldering ASAP and he had essentially wasted at least a half hour with consoling Taylor. But looking down at the young cape who was now his responsibility, who had dozed off at some point and was now sleeping much more soundly than she had been, he pushed it out of his mind. Perhaps… Perhaps Taylor had been a reminder of why he was a hero; one he had long needed. A reminder that it wasn't all about being the most effective fighter.

Colin let out a short huff of a laugh, smiling imperceptibly. He'd figure out how to do this the right way. One step at a time.

So, It's been, what? A year? Just over? I wonder how many people actually remembered this existed? Anyway, I'm sure you guys have a couple questions, so I'll answer them right off.

-"Wait, didn't the last chapter end with the Lung Battle? What's with that?

-I mentioned this, but there'll be some jumping around the timeline. Individual story arcs (assuming inspiration keeps driving me on enough for entire arcs to become an actual thing to consider) will be told relatively linearly, but I may decide to hop around the timeline for each arc. The first chapter was sort of a mini-arc to show how the story starts and where it's going. I'll hammer out a more concrete timeline of events if things get to that point, though.

-What about Cazador? Are you still writing that?

-Yes. Cazador isn't going anywhere, but I've had this chapter sitting semi written for most of the last year and a hankering to tell more of this story for about the same time. I might end up switching between the two as inspiration strikes, if only to help ward off fatigue with locking myself into one story.

So, with those questions out of the way, I wanna ask you guys a few questions of my own.

-Firstly, genuine opinions. Do you guys like this? Would you be interested in seeing more? I do have ideas.

-Secondly, did this feel rushed to you? This is basically the second chapter, and it feels a little rushed to have this sort of emotional event so early from a narrative perspective. Perhaps I could've done a chapter detailing Armsmaster officially gaining guardianship and Taylor's introduction to everything, but I thought that sounded kind of boring to write and read for an entire chapter, especially the first one in over a year. Your thoughts?

-What about characters? Obviously I took a bit of liberties with Armsmaster's character regarding his past before joining the Protectorate, up to and including references to his trigger (at least, the way it went in this story), but making sure I nail down a character's thoughts and actions to be true to their source material is something I take pride in, and this story might very well end up one part character study in that regard. A story like what I have 'planned' (And take that with some generous sarcastic airquotes) is kind of inherently character driven, so if the characters are all wrong, then it's just shit.

Anyway, now that's all off my chest, hope you enjoyed it!

(Edit: Just some minor issues I didn't originally address. At the request/suggestion of readers, I'll be sure to include timestamps for future chapters. I've gone back and edited Ch.1 appropriately.)