Okay so, I kinda... did this?

I don't know Worm lore as well as I'd like, but this has been written with the help of people who do. Even so, I think there are a number of characterizations I got completely wrong.

So, don't hesitate to tell me where all I screw up. Trust me, I'll need it for future chapters, if I do end up continuing this.

So, here it is.

Initiating conversations was never the easiest thing for Taylor.

He sat in front of her, across the cafeteria table. He had headphones on, and his meal just consisted of a juice box and a sandwich. He didn't object to her sitting down in front of him. Taylor knew no one would be joining him, still, it took courage for her to even come to the cafeteria during lunch. It did help that he was a senior, and hence this wasn't her lunch break. She was missing a class just for a chance to speak to him.

That was discounting the number of classes she'd skipped just to observe him.

He sat there, with his logic-defying naturally-blue hair and his uncaring gaze. He sat there every day, ate the same thing, and left much before the bell rang for class. He was an enigma, even amongst the seniors. Taylor had precious few people willing to talk to her either way, and they didn't even know he existed.

Minato Arisato, a boy who had transferred here last year.

He was kind of like Taylor. He avoided crowds, didn't seem to have any friends. There was only one stark difference between the two of them.

No one would dare bully him.

He was different, like a king among sheep. He walked slouched, yet he gave off this aura of un-fuckability, a phrase she didn't believe actually existed, but still applied to him. He didn't care about the opinions of other. He just didn't care.

Yet, he was the one who'd found her, in a locker, surrounded with…

On second thought, she would rather not think about it, especially not now.

"Minato Arisato, right?" She asked, and he finally deigned to grace her with an uncaring gaze. She almost lost her will to continue when faced with those uncaring pools of unmistakable silver. Then, something happened.

His cold eyes gained a little bit of humanity. There was no other way to explain it. He remembered her, there was care in his gaze.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Again, there was genuine concern in his voice. He was a foreigner, but he had no accent.

"Yeah… I just wanted to thank you… for finding me."

The response she got from him wasn't one of benevolence, not any righteous posturing. There was pragmatism, and the pre-established concern.

"You're missing a class. So, the school did nothing about your… situation, did they?"

It wasn't a question, even though it was posed as one. It was no secret that her bullying had continued since. It made sense that the seniors wouldn't know, though. They were on a different floor. They had their own issues. She just shook her head in response.

He was silent for a few seconds, lost in thought. Finally, he looked at her. "I cannot promise you much, but if you need to talk, you can find me here."

Taylor was silent. Minato had just offered her something that people in her class were unwilling to give. It was very likely that he didn't even realize what he'd just offered her. Even if it was one period she'd have to miss per day, having the chance to talk to someone who wasn't her dad would be great.

A bit of her wondered whether this was just Minato's pity. One look at his face was enough to wipe away that blotch of doubt.

So, she offered him her hand.

"Taylor Hebert." She offered. He almost seemed confused by the hand, like he hadn't had human contact for a while. She could relate. He got past his confusion in an instant, and took her hand in his own.

"Minato Arisato." He stated. "Let's be friends."

And without any warning, his face paled.

Thou art I

And I am thou

Thou hast established a new covenant

In a world not your own

May the Fool arcana guide you once more

Minato almost left her hand out of shock. It was only his consideration for her feelings that allowed him to return to his senses without a knee-jerk reaction occurring.

He had given up on the hope of ever gaining new social links. Why would he need them? Even though he had served his purpose as a seal, even though Elizabeth had relieved him of his duty, the bonds he had created with his friends were unbreakable.

Yet, here he was, sitting across someone who he had helped by absolute chance. Someone who it took him time to even recognize, someone whose name he didn't know till mere seconds ago.

She had formed a social link with him.

He cast his mind through the sea of souls, and a myriad of voices answered. He grasped at the power of the Fool, and it answered.

Twice.

Orpheus Telos was there, and with him was a persona he had never fused.

"I am Khepri, the chariot of the sun. Thou art I… and I am thou." The persona answered. It was a simple scarab beetle, but covered in hieroglyphs. As far as persona strength went, it was middle-tier. Yet, this was a persona directly linked to Taylor. Minato had completed Elizabeth's compendium, and there was no such persona to be found in it.

"Are you alright?" Taylor asked, bringing him right back to the present. Just who was she? Why had he just formed a social link with her?

It was at times like this that Minato missed Igor. Sure, the long-nosed bastard was cryptic as fuck, but he had the answers. He always had the answers.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Your hands are just really soft." Smooth, Minato, real fucking smooth.

He noticed the confused look that appeared on Taylor's face. Her light blush wasn't missed either. "Ah, thanks, I guess?"

Minato shook my head and went to apologize, but was interrupted by the bell that signaled class. He was about to continue when Taylor picked up her food and almost ran past him.

"It's my class' lunch break. I'd rather not be here when they get here. Sorry." She spoke, hastily gathering her bag from the table. Minato nodded.

"You know where to find me." He spoke, and she gave him a grateful smile, a genuine smile. It was an expression he didn't expect from her, but he liked it.

"Thanks, I'll catch you later." She spoke as she hurried away, leaving Minato alone with his thoughts.

Thoughts that involved her directly.

Deep inside his mind, he knew this was very creepy.

Minato had followed Taylor home. Followed, implying that she didn't know he was around. Basically, he was blatantly stalking her.

Why? He didn't know. He just felt this need to find out why she – after a year of interacting with people in this world – had been the first person to trigger a social link.

Speaking of 'triggers', he initially found it hard to wrap his head around the concept of capes. Superheroes that got power in weird ways, during different parts of their lives. He'd seen capes. They were unavoidable here in Brockton. As far as he knew, there were hotbeds where capes were more active than other places. Brockton was one of them.

Somehow, he knew that Igor has something to do with the fact that he popped up here, of all places.

His final minutes as the seal had been confusing. After centuries of sleep, he'd been woken up by Elizabeth. She said nothing as she undid the seal. His consciousness rebelled against it, but the Universe accepted her machinations with no complaints. As his existence faded from his own plane, she had smiled at the seal and uttered something ominous, something that still made no sense to him.

"Let the flower of death bloom on the morning of gold."

Elizabeth was known to babble, but the seriousness behind her tone was enough to tell Minato that whatever she said was poignant.

Didn't make it any less cryptic, though.

He blamed Igor. The Longnose couldn't be trusted with someone as pure as Elizabeth.

The leading theory in his mind why Taylor was able to form a social link with him was her being a cape. Minato had never gotten the chance to associate with a cape, considering they hid their personalities well and didn't really interact with civilians like him.

Hence, he decided to trail her, and hence he was sitting outside her house, observing.

He didn't have to wait long.

Half an hour after the house lights went out, someone left through the front door. It had to be Taylor, even though she was dressed in a rather professional-looking cape costume. Well, that was a question easily answered.

Still, Taylor didn't walk out with the confidence one would expect from a seasoned cape. She stepped out and looked around like she had no idea what to do.

Soon, she stepped out of her yard, walking aimlessly downtown. Minato was confused. He did know all the members of the protectorate. Taylor wasn't one of them.

He knew that she couldn't possibly be a villain. She didn't fit the part. The year at Gekkoukan had taught him how to read people pretty well. Taylor wasn't malicious. Jaded, but not malicious.

There was only one other alternative. Taylor was a rogue. It made sense. He hadn't seen a cape with that particular ensemble in the media, or on PHO. Maybe she was new? Getting used to her powers?

She didn't live in a world where she was one of the only handfuls who could fight. She didn't need to jump headfirst into danger like he had.

Still, Minato was worried. He had no idea why. Hence, he followed her.

After an hour of meandering, she finally stopped. Minato had maintained his distance all this while. Taylor's power became apparent soon after he had begun following her.

Bugs, an endless swarm of them.

There was a reason he was maintaining his distance. The fact that Taylor was changing her pathing on whim gave him reason to believe that her swarm worked recon for her. The last thing he wanted to do was to be discovered.

That entire plan went out of the window when Taylor started sprinting towards something, that too in ABB territory. It was at this point that Minato decided to find higher ground. Equipping Thor, he jumped up to the roof of the nearest building.

Three jumps later, he was standing on top of a mid-rise, scouring the area for Taylor. He didn't have to look long as the street below him started to light up like it was midday.

He looked down and saw something genuinely disturbing. Taylor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in the middle of the road stood a creature that could make some of his uglier personae look pretty in comparison. Taylor's bugs surrounded him, leaving stings all over him. Bursts of fire would kill them the moment they settled on his body.

Taylor was not going to win this fight.

He had two options right now. He could let fate take its course. Maybe the PRT would arrive in time to save Taylor, maybe someone from the Wards would be near enough to respond in time. He didn't need to be involved.

Yet, he had formed a social link with Taylor, even though he had no intent to. He felt connected to her, as he was.

Hence, he went for the second option, withdrawing his evoker from his pocket. He lined it up with his head. His thoughts went back to when he did this for the first time, the initial hesitation he'd felt, the terror he'd felt when Orpheus was ripped open by Thanatos.

He felt none of that anymore. As he pulled the trigger, he said that one well-practiced word.

"Persona."

Taylor was out of options.

She hadn't expected Lung to develop superhuman hearing as he continued to evolve. In hindsight, she should have expected it. He was already leaping his way towards her location.

She didn't have enough bugs to block him, for all the good they'd do. There was enough venom in his veins right now to kill a small village, yet he didn't even slow down.

His body was on fire, so any effectiveness her bugs had was completely gone. At this point, her only option was escape. It was the reason why she'd moved out of hiding in the first place.

Big mistake.

As Lung landed on the roof of the building she was on, she had to force herself to hold back a yelp. Her bugs has stung his eyes enough to render him at least partially blind. If she was silent, the noise her swarm made would be enough to cover the sounds of her breathing.

Her only option was to end this fight, so that Lung would start to transform back. The venom would get him at that point… Hopefully.

Too bad for her, Lung seemed to be expecting this.

"You can't escape me forever, little bug!" he yelled, his thick accent making the words sound even more sinister. She moved her swarm to engulf him, adding as many bugs as she could reach. If she could keep the swarm strong, her purpose would be served.

That hope was dashed instantly as Lung decided to - quite literally - explode.

Taylor was sent flying across the floor, the wall she was hiding behind wasn't so lucky. The force of the explosion leveled the roof. Once the dust settled, the only things that remained on the roof were her and Lung.

"There you are!" he spoke, slowly walking towards her. It was at this point when Taylor realized that she had fucked up big time. She had decided - in her infinite wisdom - to engage the man who held his own against Leviathan.

What chance did she have?

"Hey ugly, catch!"

That was all the warning Lung got as something hit him, hard. He was deposited into a wall by the… lance sticking through his shoulder. The dragon-man snarled, a noise too guttural to possibly be human.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked, forcing Taylor to divert her attention to the new arrival on the roof.

It was a tall man with long black hair. He was garbed in white raiments and adorned with armor fitting the color scheme. He looked like a cape, except for one defining difference.

There was no mask on his face.

"Name's Cu Chulainn." he spoke in a mirthful tone. Lung extricated himself from the spear, ripping it out of his shoulder. He threw away the spear, and it disappeared, only to appear again in Cu's hands.

"Why are you interfering?" Was Lung's question as he continued to grow. At this point, it was hard to tell that he'd once been humanoid. His back was scrunched, and scales had covered up all his skin.

"Lung means dragon in chinese." Taylor whispered. Cu was still able to hear her, and his face split wide into a smile.

"I was sent here by master to protect this one." Cu pointed his spear at Taylor, who was left speechless. This person was not afraid of Lung and packed the sheer power to rival a mid-class brute. He'd been sent here to protect her?

By whom?

"I was originally against this, but he is my master, so I obeyed." There was a manic quality in his green eyes, a gaze reserved only for Lung. This man wanted a fight.

"To be able to face off against a bona-fide dragon? I'm glad I came."

Cu simply disappeared from his position, appearing right in front of Lung with his spear poised.

"Torrent shot." he spoke, and his spear blurred. Lung never had the time to react as he was peppered with holes. He backed up, but Cu was in hot pursuit.

"You heal fast and have good movement, even though your body is much heavier than you are used to. That is commendable." The spearman complimented as he left another gash on Lung's chest, cutting through his scales as if they didn't exist.

"Y'er insuffwabre" Lung spoke as his mask started to bulge. He was transforming faster now. Taylor noted that his powers reacted faster to stronger opponents.

"I've heard that one before." Cu spoke as he attacked again. This time, he was the one surprised as his spear didn't pierce through. He was able to jump back before Lung's newly-formed claws bisected him.

"He grows stronger the longer he fights!" Taylor yelled at Cu. The man looked at Taylor, then looked back at Lung, who was menacingly waiting for him to close the distance, to try again.

"That's it? Ah well, Here I was, looking for a good fight." Cu sighed, placing his spear on his shoulder. "I kinda feel bad now, Master's gonna bring out the big guns."

He gave Lung a glare. "Try not to piss him off. I do want to face you again. You get him angry and that isn't going to happen." He then shifted his gaze to Taylor. "You - on the other hand - should just stay absolutely quiet. Hope he doesn't see you. He won't hurt you, he'd never disobey master. He's got a scathing tongue though."

With that, Cu was gone. Simply disappeared.

There was a moment of silence, which was then defiled by the sound of breaking glass, followed by a bright light. Taylor was forced to cover her eyes to avoid being blinded. Lung - on the other hand - could barely see to begin with.

"A mongrel dragon and a pitiful human. How pathetic."

Once the light faded, Taylor finally beheld the new arrival in all his glory. Glory, because there was no other way to describe its sheer presence.

It was many times the size of a human. Generally, its state of complete undress would make Taylor's eyes wander, but its face was what commanded all her attention. It was too perfect to be human. Too beautiful, too regal. Even the horns that jutted from its head couldn't take from its perfection. This was a creature beyond human comprehension.

Its six pairs of wings simply made that fact twice as apparent.

For a mere second, Taylor was reminded of the Simurgh. She'd never seen the endbringer in real life, but she knew that the endbringer couldn't compare to the glory of this creature. No, this was a different beast altogether.

Lung roared. His size had almost doubled in the few scant seconds between Cu's disappearance and the appearance of this entity. It was a roar of defiance, meant to intimidate. All it got from the perfect being was a patronising smirk, like what a cruel man would wear as he kicked a defenseless puppy.

"Did I allow you to speak?" The creature asked with its voice of velvet. There was no emotion in its voice save for mild bemusement. It wasn't scared of Lung, neither did the prospect of fighting the man interest it. Its amusement came from a different source.

Taylor.

"You. He's confused by you. I can see why." The creature spoke, floating closer to Taylor. Its feet touched the ground, and Taylor was surprised that flowers didn't erupt where it tread. It knelt in front of Taylor, its face four times the size of her own.

"You hold much hatred against the world. Yet, there's Naivete." It whispered, its voice impassive. "You're controlled, but barely. A river of hatred held back by a wall of altruism. A walking anomaly."

"You're like how he was. You want to find purpose. You'd give your life for it."

Taylor couldn't deny it, even though she didn't want to accept it. Still, there was a question that superseded her self-doubt.

"W-who is your master?" She asked, her throat unwilling to cooperate in the presence of this creature.

The creature smiled. "You'll know when he wants you to know."

It was at that point that Lung finally gathered the guts to engage the creature. In hindsight, it was a mistake. The creature had at no point shown what it was capable of. It definitely didn't believe Lung was a threat.

So, as Lung leapt, the creature muttered one word.

Morningstar

The world lit up for the second time that night as a pillar of light crashed into the roof of the building, completely engulfing Lung. The light didn't stop as it seared its way through the building. Taylor tried to get up, but found herself unable to move. To her sheer horror, the ground beneath her gave way. She braced for the fall.

The fall never came.

She was floating. The creature gestured with one finger, and she automatically flew over to it.

"It's rare that I meet humans who earn my interest. You, Taylor Hebert, are one of them." it spoke, sparing a glance at Lung, who lay motionless in the crater that was once the abandoned building they'd just been fighting on. He was rapidly devolving into his base form, but he was still breathing.

"He'll live, he's earned it." The creature spoke, an undercurrent of respect in its voice. "Not many can claim to survive that attack, even if it wasn't used at full potency. He has my respect."

"What are you?" Taylor finally scrounged the courage to ask. The creature paused for a second, then chuckled.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. I'm Helel, the first of the fallen." It answered with a smug smile. "As for what I am, well, you wouldn't really understand."

"Try me." Taylor blurted out, making Helel's grin grow.

"I am a shadow of the true self. A persona." It spoke. Suddenly, it's grin disappeared. "It seems I have overstepped my boundaries. Master will not be pleased."

It motioned with its fingers and Taylor started to lower. Helel deposited her on the roof of the next building. "Someone's coming. I must take my leave. Know this, Taylor Hebert, that I acknowledge you."

And with that, Helel was gone, leaving Taylor alone.

Lisa was shaking.

The Undersiders surrounded the blue-haired boy. Once the creature mentioned that he had a 'master', her power had led her directly to this innocuous blue-haired boy. A boy around the same age as her, by the looks of it.

A boy who was staring down Bitch's dogs with no fear on his face.

"Are you sure he's the one, Tattletale?" Regent asked. She nodded. Her power had made it amply clear. Even now, the constant stream of information was telling her more about him. Except, there was a small problem here.

Universe

That was all her power was feeding her. This was more than weird. What did it mean? She didn't have the slightest. Trying to gain specifics from him was even harder. He wasn't asking them anything. The only thing Lisa could go on was his expression.

We pose no threat to him.

The answer was chilling.

"He's the one. There is no doubt." She answered. Grue looked ready to go, to fight the boy.

He doesn't stand a chance.

"Hold, Grue. We don't want to anger someone who can summon something like that creature." Lisa spoke, placing a hand on Grue's shoulder. Such rashness was unlike him.

He feels challenged, fearful. Has always faced challenges and troubles head-on.

Such a simple reason, yet understandable. The Blue haired boy undermined him just by existing. Grue liked to be in control, if only to guarantee the safety of those working with him. Yet here he was, feeling insignificant in front of a scrawny kid going through a punk phase.

"Who are you?" The boy asked. there was no fear in his voice, but there was genuine interest.

He means no harm. never has.

"I'm Tattletale. My companions are Grue, Regent and Bitch… Hellhound if you prefer the PC version." Lisa spoke her practiced introduction. The boy gave her a look of bemusement.

He's heard of Grue.

"Undersiders, correct?" It was posed like a question, but it wasn't one. He was well-informed, probably spent time on PHO.

"That would be us." Grue spoke with a nod. "Who would you be?"

"Minato Arisato." The boy spoke, completely unafraid of revealing his identity. In all fairness, he didn't even have a mask. A Japanese teen with hair that blue wouldn't be too hard to find just from description.

"You'll excuse us if we don't give you our real names." Regent spoke up, still his cocky self. If Minato was affronted, he didn't show it.

"I understand. You're villains. It would be best if we do not associate any further." Minato spoke without missing a beat.

He's giving us a chance to retreat.

Lisa gulped. "We don't want to fight you. We just wanted to thank you."

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Thank me? What for?"

"For taking out Lung. He was coming after us." Grue explained. "I don't know if you were hired by boss to protect us, or whether Lung managed to somehow piss you off. Thanks nonetheless."

"You're welcome." Was his instant response. He didn't ask why the Undersiders were on Lung's shitlist, or inquire further about them, a criminal organization.

He does not judge, he simply accepts.

He simply left at that point, jumping down from the three-story building's roof. No one rushed to the roof's edge to make sure he was safe. They didn't need to check. Someone that powerful couldn't die to something so trivial

It wasn't till a few seconds after that Lisa started to talk.

"My power told me nothing about him, no age, no name, nothing." she spoke, gazing at her teammates.

"That's never happened before, at least not since we've been in operation." Grue didn't ask her straight up, but the question was obvious. He was asking whether this had happened before, whether it would happen again.

"It's never happened before. I can assure you, Minato was simply something else." She solemnly answered. Regent shivered where he stood, as if trying to repress a memory.

"The fact that he's 'something else' was made pretty clear when he summoned a fucking angel to fight Lung." Regent spoke. "I tried to use my power on him, just to feel him out, be ready in case he attacked. It felt like he didn't even exist. Do you know how freaky that felt?"

"He scared Judas and Brutus. Nothing scares them. Nothing." Bitch reasoned with herself. "What was he?"

They turned to Lisa for answers, yet there was nothing she could give them. Her power worked well enough when the circumstances allowed. It would tell her about his actions, his personality, maybe even who he was.

"He's probably a Master, maybe even a Trump. He just jumped off this building like it was no one's business. Mid class brute, maybe?" Lisa tried to reason.

His powers - on the other hand - continued to elude her, just like his history, or anything else about him.

"I'll have to do some old-fashioned digging into him. I know he uses PHO because he knows of Grue, and our group in general." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.

"I'll have to dig into his past. I know how he looks, I know his age group. That should be enough to get me started." She spoke. "I Know his fucking name, ain't a common name either."

"You're going to tell the boss about this?" Grue asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

"Well, I'll have to see about that," Lisa replied with a smile. Already, gears were spinning in her mind. She'd just come into contact with an amicable person her own age who held power enough to shit all over Lung. She could use that power if she tread carefully.

That should be enough to get her out of Coil's grasp, at the very least.

Minato huffed as he threw himself back in his chair, nursing the headache that came with using strong persona skills. A good night of sleep and he'd be fine. If not, he had other methods of recuperation.

His entire inventory, his bank account, his personal details. They were all present and accounted for when Minato appeared in this world. It was some trickery of Igor's, but it made life easier for him. He didn't mind. For all intents and purposes, he had lived the perfectly-normal life of an immigrant orphan with a trust fund… as normal as that got.

It had taken him around an hour to get back home, and he was tired. There were no buses plying that late at night, and he'd never taken the test for a driving license. He needed to do that and get a car, blend in with the Americans.

Speaking of 'blending in', tonight had been an event.

He had expected trouble. Nothing related to him ever went to plan, and Taylor was someone like him. What he didn't expect was to be accosted by the Undersiders. He didn't know how they were able to find him, but he did know that he'd done them a favor, and that they weren't too gracious about it.

Grue was their leader and was quite effective. Tattletale was their spokesperson. Regent was probably a support role of sorts, and Bitch was their heavy-hitter. He didn't know their true names, but they knew his.

Still, he'd made it amply clear to them that he wasn't someone to be fucked with, and they looked like they could take a hint.

They wouldn't fuck with him now.

With that done, he let exhaustion take him. He slept for a good six hours before the notification tone on his laptop woke him up. he scrambled over to the device, quite surprised that someone would message him of all people.

A pop-up was present on his laptop screen. He pulled his chair over to the desk and saw that the message pop-up was from PHO. A message from someone with the handle 'AllSeeingEye'. Ominous.

Orpheus, huh? Didn't know Greek myths were popular in Japan.

Well, fuck.

Who are you and what do you want?

Minato spent no time getting down to it. Nowhere on his posts had he even implied that he was Japanese. His english was damn near impeccable. So, someone had taken time and effort to dig into his ID, and there was only one reason someone would do that.

He was compromised.

Woah! Calm down! It's me, Tattletale! We met last night!

The words had the exact opposite effect on him. Yes, they had met last night. Yes, she knew his name and physical appearance. The Undersiders were a small group as far as the boards were concerned. How did they have the resources needed to track him down that fast?

Listen, I know this has got you upset, but I really need to talk to you. It's urgent.

Minato furrowed his brow. He was totally buying that. What were they going to do to him? Try and blackmail him through his identity? Sell his information to the larger groups in town?

You're treading on thin ice, Tattletale. You saw what I did to Lung, don't make me do that to the Undersiders.

There was no reply to his threat for a good minute. Minato's mind was already making plans to eliminate the Undersiders in the most efficient way possible. In a matter of seconds, his mind had already come up with four, each more destructive than the last.

Listen, I know you gave us fair warning. This involves you, though. We weren't the only ones who saw your identity.

That brought Minato to an effective pause. His fingers froze over his keyboard and his mind went into overdrive.

I assume they too know everything about me?

The answer came instantly.

No. They don't even have a name.

Minato paused, that response begged one question.

You managed to trace me in less than a day. Unless they're Uber and Leet, it can't be a group smaller than yours.

Again, Tattletale's response came instantly.

My power allows me to fill in gaps in my knowledge. You gave me enough to unearth a motherlode of information. They don't have someone who can do that, especially without a name.

Tattletale had established two things with that message. One, the fact that she was willing to divulge information about her own self to placate him, and two, there was only a matter of time before this other group got his name. From there, it would only be a matter of time till they knew everything about him.

Is this your way of getting even for Lung?

There was a pause this time, and it allowed Minato to think. It made sense. Lung was going to murder them, and in saving Taylor, he'd inadvertently lengthened their lives. They were a criminal organisation comprised solely of teens. It made sense for them to possess some honor.

The team doesn't know anything about this.

Okay, he had to admit that was unexpected. It made no sense.

They don't even know we were being watched. My power told me that bit.

Again, why would she warn him without consulting her team? Sure, they'd openly admitted that they owed him a favor, but he'd also openly challenged them to a fight, if they were looking for one.

I was under the impression that Grue was your leader, shouldn't he know about a threat like this?

Again, an instant response.

That's the thing. They're not a threat to us. They're actually our benefactors. It wouldn't be wrong to say that they, no, he owns us.

Minato had no idea what to say, and he made it apparently clear with his next message.

I beg your pardon?

There was a delay again, but this time, 'AllSeeingEye is typing' stayed on the screen. Minato leaned back, expecting a big message. He was not disappointed.

They don't know who they're working for. I was made a part of this group by our 'boss'. We do missions for him, but we have the autonomy to choose what missions to avoid. He's the kind of person who likes to control every variable on the board of power. I think he expected some of us to die in the fight against Lung. That's why he sent someone to watch over us. Then, you appeared. He called me once the mission was over. I told him you didn't provide us a name. Let's just say he's very intrigued.

Minato took a few seconds to digest all that. The Undersiders weren't an independent group? That was news to him. The bigger question was, what did this 'boss' want from him. Reading about him was enough to narrow it down to two options.

Join him or die, isn't it?

This time, he expected the pause.

Pretty much, yes.

Minato sighed. This was exactly what he didn't want. This world was filled with capes, each with powers that defied both logic and the laws of the world. Great as they may be, they weren't as versatile as personas, neither as powerful in most cases.

He'd yet to meet a creature that could survive Armageddon, after all.

Still, he wasn't needed here. This world wasn't ready for his powers. He knew the kind of attention the triumvirate got in the media. Imagine suddenly that a person shows up who can take all three in a fight and not be hurt.

He didn't need that kind of attention, and he didn't care enough about this world or its people to bear the burden of defending them.

He comes after me, he will regret it.

Minato meant that. Be it Eidolon, be it Nilbog, be it Scion himself, he was not afraid. Especially not when it was likely just one of the gang bosses from around Brockton.

He doesn't understand that. He wasn't there when you met us. He's a master strategist, and he's not used to defeat.

Minato sighed. Of course, it had to be that kind of person.

No plan survives contact with the enemy. You know what I'm capable of, your power should tell you what the outcome will be.

An instant reply arrived, and not one he was expecting.

Good. That's exactly what I hoped you'd say.

Again, the girl continued to confuse him. Was she implying that she wanted her own boss incapacitated?

I don't understand.

A gap again, longer than any before. The message that finally came wasn't as long as he'd expected either.

I don't work for him by choice, he won't back down, and if he fights you, it will be his end.

This time, Minato was lost for a reply.

Listen, I messaged you because you're the only person I know who can actually help me. You seem like a nice person, and I can pay you if necessary. He's going to come at you either way, I'm just asking you to be a bit more prejudiced when he does.

Minato read that line over. Of course, it made sense now. She was using her boss' personality against him. For her, Minato was the key to her freedom.

I don't care for money, I will not go out of my way to take a life for someone I don't even know.

Then let's get to know each other. Hello, Minato Arisato. I'm Lisa Wilbourne. My pleasure to meet you!

It hit him at that point just how desperate Tattletale was. She wanted to get rid of this 'boss' so badly that she was willing to expose her identity to a civilian, one that could easily report her. One that she couldn't stop. She had that much faith that he'd help her.

Why would I want to do that?

It was a simple question. The entire deal with Taylor was a special case. He cared because he'd formed a social link with her. Or was it the other way around?

It was at that point that he realized what this held for him. What was going to happen if he went further down the road. He had half a mind to quit the conversation right then.

Sadly, it was too late.

Simple, I would have contacted you even if my boss wasn't an issue.

Why? Because you looked like you need a friend.

Time stopped and glass shattered. Minato simply accepted it at that point, realizing that even after choosing to not be a factor in this world's balance, his damn personality wouldn't let him.

Thou art I

And I am thou

Thou hast established a new covenant

In a world not your own

May the Priestess arcana guide your path.

It was simple in hindsight, now that he could put it into perspective. If he cared enough about someone, and they needed him, he'd form a bond with them.

In his sea of souls, a new persona appeared. It named itself Minerva, the Roman goddess of knowledge. Apt indeed.

You have my support. Just tell me what to do and when.

What else could he say? In a single day, he had formed not one, but two social links. He'd gained an understanding of what led to this formation.

He hated himself for it, but the damage was already done.

Thank you so much, Minato.

He blamed his bleeding heart. The will to help others that SEES had inculcated in him. The fact that he was now involved, even if it was on a small scale.

Just this once. He promised to himself. He'd help these two with their problems, and once he wasn't needed anymore, he'd slink back into obscurity.

One question still plagued his mind, though. He was going to be facing another criminal organization, but which one? Exactly how deep down the rabbit hole was he going to go?

Just out of curiosity, who am I up against?

The answer made Minato's confusion grow.

Coil.

Huh... who's that?.

Lisa put away the laptop and sighed. She was playing with fire here. On one side, she'd told Minato that Coil was eventually going to come for him. On the other side, she'd told Coil that Minato represented a threat to him.

Coil would face Minato and be destroyed. It didn't matter if he hired Faultline or even got the Travellers to fight him.

Minato was anything but weak.

She kept on debating why she was so certain about that fact. Sure, he'd destroyed Lung, but that didn't mean he was invincible. What was it that made her believe in him so much?

Was it the fact that she couldn't read him? That he was as much a mystery to her as he was to Grue, or even Bitch for that matter?

It was a feeling that she had become an absolute stranger to, getting to know someone over time, not instantly like her power allowed her to. He could keep secrets from her, and she'd likely never know.

Something told her that he wouldn't need to do that, but the prospect excited her.

I'm so fucked up was what shot through her head. Then again, she was a villain, it would be surprising if she wasn't fucked up in some way

Minato had to be the same way. Powers were generally related to the circumstances that led to a trigger event. What kind of situation would lead to the acquisition of such power?

She couldn't find out with her power, and that excited her.

Her proposition to get to know Minato wasn't a lie either. She would get to know him, slowly, over time. She'd relish the feeling. Plus, that would make him easier to use. Having a card like him on the table would place her in a position of power. She'd like that.

Her message tone beeped, bringing her out of her thoughts. She brought out her phone and instantly froze.

It was a message from Coil.

Coil never sent messages.

She opened it, there was a link inside, an encrypted file. She downloaded it and linked her phone to her laptop. The file was a document containing a newspaper. It was dated for today.

The headlines caught her attention instantly.

"Lung defeated! Ward gains a new member."

She quickly read the article. In true media fashion, it pointed out the amount of collateral damage while also somehow managing to praise the protectorate. The second paragraph caught her attention.

"Armsmaster was aided in battle by a new cape who has been currently given the classification of a 'Master', while the exact rating is unknown, this cape will be joining the Brockton Bay Wards under the moniker of 'Weaver'."

Accompanying the article was a photo of Armsmaster shaking the hand of a girl in an insect-themed costume which - while a bit rough - looked too professional to belong to an amateur hero. They were still at the abandoned building, or what little was left of it. Photo was probably taken by some of the press that arrived.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

Minato didn't directly interfere with the fight. He stayed away, letting the creatures he summoned to the fighting for him. He seemed reluctant to reveal himself, and yet he fought Lung.

Added to that fact, Lung had already transformed quite a bit by the time the Undersiders had reached the area. So, he'd been fighting someone that forced the transformation.

Which led to Minato interfering.

Whoever this girl was, she was important to Minato. That gave her a plan. The girl was a Ward, Coil wouldn't touch her, so making him use her as a pawn was out of the question.

She was a Ward, though, and that helped Lisa come up with a plan.

She had a pawn now. While this 'Weaver' didn't look all that powerful, or was all that important, she was a pawn on the board.

Sometimes, all that's required to make a king move was a simple pawn, and Lisa was damn good at chess.

Smiling to herself, she formulated two messages. One for Minato, and one for Coil. It would take a while before she could use Weaver to make Minato and Coil face off, but if she was important enough to Minato to make him jeopardize his own anonymity, she'd prove to be useful.

She just hoped she could forgive herself for what she was going to do.

"So, you're going to be late today, aren't you?"

Taylor gave her father a placating smile. "Yes dad, Wards do shifts, and mine is in the evening. I promise I'll be back before midnight."

Danny Hebert grunted. "Still. You're telling me that my daughter, my dear cynical Taylor, decided to join Ward on a whim?"

Taylor shook her head. "Dad, you know what happened last night. I was severely out of my depth. If those two creatures hadn't appeared, I'd be toast. Quite literally too."

Danny's face soured, maybe mentioning her brush with death so casually wasn't the best idea. "So, your answer to facing insurmountable danger was to join Wards, where you'll face danger on a daily basis?"

Taylor sighed. "Dad, the Wards program is all about developing young capes into potential Protectorate material. If anyone's going to teach me how to be tough, I'd rather it be them."

Danny was silent for a few seconds and then became furious. "Taylor, I'm completely disregarding the fact that you hid your powers from me, but you have to realize that controlling bugs isn't that great a power. You could die out there!"

Taylor shook her head. "Dad, you realize that my power is amazing for scouting and gathering information, right? Ward wouldn't be stupid enough to put me in an offensive role."

Danny didn't say a word, instead choosing to stare Taylor down. Taylor didn't flinch. Finally, it was Danny who gave way.

"You're hell-bent on this, aren't you?" He asked.

"You know that this is what I've always wanted. It's in my grasp now. Of course, I'm motivated." She responded. Her conversation with Helel last night had made it obvious to her that she needed to grow. To have a creature that could destroy Lung with two words acknowledge her simply reinforced what little self-worth she'd developed last night.

That wasn't to say she wasn't scared, which was a major reason she joined Ward. The political backing was a powerful tool, and she planned to abuse it to its very limit.

"Just… Be safe, okay? Those… Creatures and their master aren't always going to be around to bail you out."

"I promise to make it back before dinner every night, dad." Taylor reiterated with a smile.

Danny sighed. "I'll take it." he moved in for a hug, Taylor reciprocated. He broke off, ruffling her hair. "Now get going, you don't want to miss your first day at Ward HQ."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Taylor replied as she slung her bag over her shoulder and left for school. For once, the mere thought of school didn't fill her with fear.

She had Minato at school, and she'd meet the rest of Ward afterwards.

So she got on the bus, took the ride, and arrived just in time for her first class. Time went by, the day passed. Madison still gave her a hard time in class, but it was bearable for once. Just the knowledge that she was a Ward now was enough to dull Madison's verbal blows.

When Math period came, she left. It was Minato's lunch break, and she had a lot to tell him. A she put her stuff into her locker, she thought what all she wanted to tell Minato. She hadn't had someone to confide in for so long, she didn't know whether or not to tell him about what she was getting into.

Should she hide it from him? She was definitely going to make enemies. Would they target him if her identity was ever made public? Her enemies definitely would. The chances of her identity ever going public were next to nothing, though. Ward took anonymity seriously.

So, what should she do? That was the question on her mind as she walked into the cafeteria.

She was brought out of her ruminations when someone bumped into her, hard.

"Oh, so this is why you've been missing classes, huh Hebert?" Emma's voice rang out. Flanking her were both Sophia and Madison, and it was then that she realized her folly. None of these three took Math. For them, this was a free period.

"Please, leave me alone." Taylor mouthed, trying to push her way through them. She tried to look past them. Minato wasn't in his usual spot.

"Oh? Was that a demand or a plea? Excuse me, I couldn't tell." Emma retaliated, still blocking her path. Taylor was seconds away from snapping. She'd had a good day so far, and these bitches were hell-bent on ruining that.

She genuinely thought about using her power. Of jeopardizing all that she'd built up. The call of the void was strong indeed.

"Oh, there you are, Taylor."

It all stopped when he walked in. Minato put a hand on her shoulder, and as Taylor looked at him, he gave her a smile, an expression she'd never seen on his face.

"Sorry for being late, I kinda got caught up after class. One of my classmates needed my notes due to an extended absence." He spoke. He then cast his gaze over the trio of bitches. "Are these your friends?"

Emma made to answer, with a fake smile plastered on her face. Taylor slowly realized what was going to happen here. Winslow was much like any other American public school. There was an established hierarchy. If you had seniors as your friends, people wouldn't mess with you.

No one fucked with the seniors.

Emma was going to try and worm her way into Minato's good graces. She wouldn't let that happen.

"They're the ones who did it." She spoke, cutting Emma off, much to the surprise of her cronies. Minato was baffled for a second before his features morphed into pure steel. His eyes lost all emotion as he locked his gaze with Emma.

"I see. Let's go in, then." She spoke, and pressured taylor forward a bit, getting her to move. Emma and Madison made way, Sophia, meanwhile, caught on.

"You think your friendship is going to protect her? Just because you're a senior, you think you can interfere in our business?" She spoke, her tone openly challenging Minato. Minato stopped mid step and locked eyes with Sophia.

Sophia began to sweat.

"If your business is bullying innocent people. Yes, I will interfere." He cooly answered. Taylor herself didn't understand why Sophia was reacting with such fear. What she did know was that it made her feel good. Sure, she knew that Minato wouldn't be there to fight her battles for her all the time, but having someone stand up for her, for once, felt amazing.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm hungry." Minato finished, walking into the cafeteria. Taylor followed, leaving the three bitches behind. It was then that she made up her mind.

She didn't need to tell Minato. He was safer that way. She would fight to protect him as a Ward, as he had promised to protect her at school.

It is best this way.

Minato knew she wasn't going to tell him. It was obvious the moment she sat down and decided to make small talk instead. Little snippets about the day, a lie about how her last night had gone. There was no malice, but neither was there a lack of trust. She didn't want to tell him because she believed she was protecting him.

So painfully obvious. Taylor wasn't very good at keeping secrets.

"So, did you read the newspaper this morning?" He asked.

"Who reads newspapers these days?" She countered. Minato noticed that Taylor had quite a quick tongue when it came to avoiding topics. Still, he wanted to have her opinion on it, to see if she slipped up and said something that wasn't mentioned in the article.

"You know what I'm talking about, Taylor. Lung was a menace beyond any, yet he was taken down by Armsmaster and this new hero. " Minato shot back, trying to keep his smile off his face. Sure, what Taylor had done last night was dumb, just as dumb as Junpei back when he wanted to be the field leader of SEES, but she had done it out of good intentions.

She simply wanted the world to see that she could hold her own, as a person and as a hero.

"Yeah, Weaver, wasn't it? I wonder what her powers are." Taylor spoke, avoiding his gaze.

Ah, so the name wasn't of her own choosing. Minato thought. "Her power must be something pretty good, the area where the fight took place looked like it was hit by a meteor."

Taylor flinched, "Y-yeah, she's probably pretty strong."

That lined up with his theory that the protectorate wanted Cu and Helel to be kept secret. He had no doubt that Taylor had told them everything she knew about his personae. She had no reason to hide it, she didn't know that they were linked to her.

Hopefully, she wouldn't need to know either.

"Well, I for one am happy someone like that is a part of Ward. Imagine if this person was a villain, Lung was bad enough, but someone who can defeat Lung? That would make an even more terrifying villain." Minato finished.

"Guess we're in luck then." Taylor spoke, getting visibly flustered. "Even though it was mostly Armsmaster… probably."

There it was, she stumbled. That was probably her cover story in cape guise, and here she was, telling it to Minato. Too easy. The rushed 'probably' showed that she understood she fucked up.

It was cute, Minato realised that he should stop.

"Well, break's almost over. You going to be okay?" Minato asked, alluding to the fact that it was Taylor's break now. Her class would be coming to the cafeteria.

That was never a good thing for her.

"I'll be fine. I don't think the three of them are going to try anything after being told off by you, at least not today." Taylor spoke as Minato picked up his plate. She followed suit.

"Also, thank you for standing up for me." She quietly added. Minato nodded and gave her a smile.

"There's no 'thank you' between friends, Taylor. We help each other because we want to." Minato replied.

"Even though we met yesterday?" Taylor countered.

"Even so." Minato answered.

"I… I have to go." Taylor hastily spoke, almost running out of the room. The furious pink dusting on her cheeks was a reminder that even after all the mental torture inflicted on her, she was still a teenager, one who yad yet to live life to its fullest.

"Take care of yourself." Minato called after her as she left. At the door, she turned around and gave him a smile and a nod.

"I will."

And with that, she was gone. Time stopped yet again, and glass shattered.

The Fool arcana gained strength, and Minato was surprisingly okay with that.

"You nervous?"

Taylor nodded, Armsmaster had been gracious enough to pick her up from school. No buses really plied to the Ward headquarters,, considering how high-security the area was.

"A little bit. Thanks for the ride, Arms-"

She was cut off by him. "Colin. Call me by my real name while we're not in costume."

Taylor nodded. Another thing was that she now knew who Armsmaster was. By the time the day was over, she'd probably know who all the Wards were.

Conversely, they'd know her. The real her.

It was like the first day of school all over again, except everyone had superpowers.

No pressure, Taylor. Imagine what Minato would do.

The answer to that was simple. He'd simply ignore everyone like they didn't exist.

Okay, don't do that.

"I'd recommend not worrying about it too much. They're all nice kids, even if some of them are more trouble than they are worth." Colin spoke with a grimace on his face.

"I… Don't get along well with people my age." Taylor responded.

"Due to your history, right? Your father was quite vocal about it. Still, I couldn't help but get the feeling that what all he said was incomplete knowledge." Colin spoke.

"I couldn't tell him all of it." Taylor responded, clamming up.

"That bad, huh?" he asked, and Taylor nodded.

"I almost died. Let's leave it a that." Taylor answered, and their conversation devolved into an uncomfortable silence. It was apparent that Colin didn't have the people skills to deal with Taylor. Thankfully, he didn't need to.

"Well, we're here." He finally spoke up as the car pulled into the PRT HQ parking complex. Taylor gathered her stuff as Colin parked.

"If you're not too sure about revealing your identity to them, there's a changing room on the ground floor you can use." Colin provided. Taylor gave it some thought. It was well known that wards were generally friendly with each other. She already knew who Armsmaster was.

Plus, they probably already had a file on her.

"What good would that do?" She spoke as she stepped out of the car. Colin stepped out and gave her a terse nod. They passed through three security checkposts, just like they'd done last night. Not even the people running security were surprised to see her.

Of course, they weren't.

"Don't worry about them. They're under strict NDA and are monitored more than we are. Any of them snitches, they're done for." Colin explained. Still, it didn't take away the apprehension Taylor felt about this whole Ward thing.

It still isn't too late to pull out. Her mind couldn't shake away the stray feeling that this might not be it for her. She steeled herself and forged on, following Colin to a closed door, where the man finally stopped.

"Ward HQ is right past here. I won't be there when you make your introductions. Best of luck, for what it's worth." He spoke, patting her on the shoulder once and then walking off, leaving her alone in front of the closed door.

The thought ran through her mind again, she could turn away right now and leave. She could sign an NDA protecting Colin's identity too. She could live the rest of her life as a rogue.

Was that really what she wanted though? Would that keep Minato safe?

The answer was obvious, and so was her response. She put one hand on the door handle and pushed.

… Only to realize it was a pull door.

She didn't get to pull it as the door opened in her face, knocking her to the ground. She covered her face, thankfully nothing was broken but her fragile ego.

"Oh sorry! I didn't see you there… I mean, the door's solid and all and people don't generally stand on the other side… Unless you're into that, I'm not judging."

The tirade finished as a hand reached out to help her up. She finally got a good look at the person who was helping her.

Aegis, but without his helmet. Behind him stood a flustered Clockblocker, yammering on about doors.

"Forgive Dennis, he's not the most perceptive of us wards." Aegis gave Taylor a smile. "You must be Weaver. We were expecting you."

Taylor nodded, then she realized that she had seen him without his mask. Same for Clockblocker behind him. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was stopped by Aegis' smile.

"Name's Carlos, by the way. I haven't seen you at Arcadia, so that means you must be from Winslow… Unless you're from that catholic school?" Aegis continued, trying to place something.

"Winslow, from Taylor Hebert." Taylor spoke, and instantly realized her error as both Aegis and Clockblocker started to giggle. It wasn't a malicious laugh at her expense, but the kind one felt like joining in. So she did, and the laughter didn't subside for a while.

"Okay Winslow, let's get your introductions done." Clockblocker spoke up, patting her on the shoulder. She nodded. The little laughing fit had taken care of some of her anxiety, and Aegis and Clockblocker were doing one hell of a job at easing her in, door incident aside.

"Oh! She's here?" A young voice spoke up from the side. Taylor turned her gaze and noticed - for lack of a better word - a kid waving at her.

"Hello, I'm Missy. You probably know me as Vista." she spoke. "Heard you took down Lung. Must say, that's pretty impressive for a new hero."

Taylor took no offense to the comment, even though it was coming from a kid. She knew Vista had power over space and dimensions. That was one scary child.

"Well, Armsmaster took care of him for the most part." Taylor answered.

"Yeah, he was able to show up and detain Lung after you'd pumped him full enough of toxins to basically nullify his self-regeneration." Spoke the person on the terminal-thing. "Don't sell yourself short. Dear ol' Piggy hasn't pushed this hard for a recruitment since she found Vista."

"Kid Win, I assume?" Taylor asked, realizing that Armsmaster had probably given them his version of the cover story, where he'd minimized his role.

"Chris, at your service." He gave her a salute and a mock smile. "Stalker's dispatch is finished. She should be coming in soon."

Taylor nodded. "I'm Taylor, nice to meet you all."

"You're rather humble for someone who took down Lung. Shadow Stalker would have boasted about it for weeks on an end."

A handsome teen walked in from the adjoining room, shaking his head. His helmet was cradled in his arms. Gallant, as charming as his name would signify. He offered her a hand.

"As I said before. More Armsmaster, less me." Taylor reiterated, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, and I'm Jack Slash." he countered, shaking her hand with a dashing smile on his face. "Dean Stansfield, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Taylor took a second to put two-and-two together. "Wait, Stansfield as in the Stansfield heir?"

He nodded. "The one and only."

"We're stuck in here with royalty, young Winslow. Maybe he'll shine down some of his prestige unto us one of these days." Clockblocker spoke up from beside Taylor, making Dean scowl.

"You could use some of it, to be honest." Carlos answered for him. He then turned to Taylor. "First, we gotta get Weaver here settled in. You've already gotten your paperwork done, yes?"

Taylor nodded as she handed him her dossier. He forwarded it to Chris, who stored it in a desk under the terminal he was on. "We'll get you a schedule. should be checking in on you after your first shift. You already have a costume, don't you?"

Taylor nodded again. "Good. Chris would probably like to work on that, if his reaction to hearing about it last night was anything to go by."

"Armsmaster said it was made of Spider silk! Imagine the kind of stuff I could do with that!" Chris shot back from his terminal.

"Trust me, he's good with costumes… as long as they catch his attention." Dean spoke up, slowly removing the rest of his armor. If the intricacy of his own suit was something to go by, his endorsement of Kid Win's abilities was something she'd put actual faith into.

"other than that, you'll be given-" He was cut off as the door opened behind them and in walked Shadow Stalker in full costume. Taylor saw her look around the room, scanning the perimeter. Finally, their eyes met.

Shadow Stalker froze.

"Good timing, Sophia. We just learnt that Weaver here's from your school too." Aegis spoke, and this time, it was Taylor who froze.

"You took down Lung?"

"Who the fuck let you become a hero?"

It was a direct challenge. Taylor didn't even know she had it in her, but it was her surroundings that gave her this sudden burst of confidence. She was in a room where people wanted her presence. Where they believed she'd taken down Lung.

Sadly, confidence didn't stop crossbow bolts.

"I don't know how the fuck you hoodwinked Armsmaster, but there's no way a coward like you would pick a fight with Lung." Sophia spoke, leveling one of her crossbows at Taylor. It was a show of strength, just like the daily bullying.

Just like the locker incident.

"Just because you're too gutless to face him doesn't mean I'm in the same boat." Taylor responded as her swarm started to gather. There were less of them than she wanted, but with Sophia, she'd only have to get lucky once.

Shadow Stalker didn't have regeneration, and she needed to be solid in order to shoot.

"Say that again and I'll put a bolt in your head, like I should have ages ago." Sophia spoke. There was no bluff in her voice, but Taylor wasn't backing down.

"Go ahead, you've done everything short of killing me either way." her swarm was everywhere now, hidden above the false ceiling, crawling in the ventilation shafts, everywhere. All it would take is one command and they'd be all over Sophia before she had a chance to react.

"I'd recommend stopping this right now."

Suddenly, Sophia wasn't in front of Taylor anymore. Suddenly, there was a gap between them stretched hundreds of meters and kept on stretching.

Vista.

"Lay down your weapon, Sophia, unless you want a one-way ticket to juvie."

Finally, Sophia's weapon lowered. Taylor dangled a single Black Widow behind her, just as a guarantee that if things soured again, she'd have an edge. The distance between them became normal again, and the new voice finally gained a face.

Emily Piggot, the woman who she'd spoken to last night.

"Unprovoked attempted assault on an unarmed opponent. It's like you want to go to jail." Piggot spoke, glaring Sophia down. "Your shift for the day is over. Go back home and get some rest. When you come in tomorrow, I expect you to have a well-reasoned argument as to why I should let you back on the active roster."

Sophia didn't speak a word. She gave Taylor a look that could have soured milk, turned her back and simply left.

"As for you, Taylor, I'd like to meet you in my office. Also, I'd love an explanation as to why there's enough bugs in the roofing to cause the false roof to vibrate." She spoke, before she turned and left.

"Better follow her, our explanations can wait." Aegis spoke, a genuinely worried expression on his face.

"I'll be back, I think." Taylor spoke as she followed Piggot into her room.

"Messing with both the psycho and Piggy in one day. Damn, Taylor and me are going to get along." Chris spoke, his terminal completely forgotten.

"That's if she decides to stay. Worst case scenario, she decides to not join the Wards, signs an NDA and leaves." Aegis spoke, gritting his teeth.

"I'd rather have her over Sophia. At least she doesn't have a stick up her ass, or that perverted sense of justice that Sophia touts." Dennis spoke up, voicing what was on everyone's mind. It was twice as poignant when coming from him, considering he harboured something of an unrequited crush on Sophia. Went to show that his sense of justice was stronger than teenage hormones.

For now, all they could do was wait.

"Is it too late for me to leave?"

Emily Piggot would be lying if she said she didn't see this coming the moment Sophia and Taylor faced off.

"No, it isn't, but do you really want to?" She asked.

"That bitch has made my life living hell over the last year and a half, and then I find out that she's a fucking Ward? Can you imagine how that feels?" She asked, and Piggot didn't have an answer. She was knowledgeable about Shadow Stalker's history, but this was relatively new.

"Her handler says she's a model student in school. She refused to move to Arcadia when asked, we took that as a sign that she'd settled in quite well in Winslow." She crossed her arms, her gaze tightened. "Are you telling me that's not the case?"

"Settled in? She's a fucking psychopath. Now that I know she's Shadow Stalker, so many things make sense. That's why she never needed to break my locker's door to steal stuff. I just assumed one of them had a master key, probably fucked the janitor for it." Taylor shot back.

"Stealing your personal items? That's a serious offence. Do you have any proof to back this up?" Piggot asked, trying to weasel out more information. Not only did this girl have a mysterious benefactor that could level both Lung and the infrastructure surrounding him in one hit, her powers could fit a role that was generally dedicated to Shadow Stalker.

The girl was a natural scout, one that couldn't be detected. Putting aside her distaste for parahumans, losing this one would mean losing her mysterious benefactor. That would not fly well with the chief director. She needed this job, no matter how much she hated it.

"That was just the beginning, director." Taylor spoke with fire in her eyes. "The bullying didn't stop there. It never did. Guess what, though? It was never enough for them. One day, they decided that it would be an amazing idea to lock me in my own locker for a few days. That didn't sound extreme enough, so they decided to fill the locker up with something. Pretty sure you have a report of it somewhere in my papers. It was what caused my near-death experience."

Piggot's eyes narrowed. "Are you implying that Shadow Stalker tried to kill you?"

"Her and her two cronies." Taylor spoke. "She was the one who dragged me by the hair and shoved me in. No one else in her little group has that kind of strength."

"Her handler reported nothing of the sort. Even your 'accident' was listed as a 'school mishap' in the report." Piggot spoke, passing the document to Taylor. The girl read it for a while before erupting into a fit of broken laughter. There was no mirth in it, only anger.

"Her handler is the principal?" She asked, and Piggot nodded. "The selfsame principal who paid my father to not take my case to the court? Who would rather pay for my medical bill out of her own pocket than see her school's reputation slandered, just because she knew my father couldn't afford it and had no other option?"

"Sophia Hess insisted that she go to Winslow, said she had a friend there. We had to arrange for a handler, and Mrs. Blackwell was readily available and willing." Piggot shot back.

"Of course she'd be willing! Having a Ward in her school is something prestigious, she'd jump at that chance." Taylor shot back. "All she'd need to do was to cover for Sophia, and as this document proves, she did that pretty fucking well."

"If these allegations are true, they could end with Sophia's termination as a Ward, probationary or not," Piggot spoke. "I assume you have proof to back up these claims? Some eyewitnesses maybe?"

Again, Taylor laughed her maniacal laugh. "Sure, go ahead and ask the student body. They won't tell you jack shit. Sophia, Emma and Madison are the three most popular girls in my grade. Everyone either wants to be them or be inside them."

Crass language aside, it made sense. Sadly, this left Piggot at an impasse. She had to negotiate. Had this just been about Taylor, she wouldn't need to. It left her with a bad taste in her mouth, but she couldn't let someone favoured by the person or thing that took out Lung just slip out of her hands.

"We can transfer you to Arcadia. Put you on shifts away from Shadow Stalker." Piggot spoke, but Taylor just shook her head.

"I've spent my entire time in high school avoiding her, unsuccessfully at that." She spoke. "Now, finally, things are even between us. I'm no longer her bitch. Switching to Arcadia would be admitting defeat. Plus, I leave and she'll go after my friend."

Piggot noticed the use of the singular 'friend'. "Is there no compromise that would appease you? You'd be a great asset to us, possibly even protectorate material."

Taylor glowered at her. "I assume that having Shadow Stalker removed from active duty isn't going to work, is it?"

Piggot shook her head. "Unless you can get us some concrete evidence of her actions, I cannot move against her. Not that I'd want to. If you haven't noticed, the villains outnumber us three to one, and she's pretty handy in a fight."

Taylor was silent for a good moment. "Change her retainer. Blackwell's never gonna move against her. The new retainer will have to be someone who she can't influence. Other than that, I'd prefer not being dispatched with her on our rounds."

Piggot nodded. "That can be arranged. It'll take a day or two though."

Taylor nodded back. "...Fine"

Piggot offered her a hand. "Welcome to the Wards, Weaver."

Taylor didn't react for a second. Finally, she took the offered hand and shook it. "Don't prove my distrust of authority right, please. I've had enough of that in my life."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Piggot answered, returning her hand. "Now, why don't you go to Kid Win and get your briefing and schedule? Also, please send in Clockblocker and Aegis, if you don't mind."

Taylor nodded and left, leaving Piggot with some conflicted thoughts. On one end, Shadow Stalker was a definite bonus to the Wards. No only was she a good combatant, but also served as a top-class infiltrator. Her… past record aside, Piggot didn't want to lose her.

On the other hand, Taylor could bring so much to the team, all the while being a force to be reckoned with as a villain. In all likeliness, the girl didn't even realize what her power brought to the table. Sure, it wasn't the greatest power in the case on and Endbringer attack, but it was perfect for fighting criminals.

That was discounting the elephant in the room. The Lungslayer. Lung has fought Leviathan to a standstill, even if for a few moments. Someone who could beat his so effortlessly was not someone the PRT could dare slight. Her hate for parahumans was great, but even she saw them as assets… for the most part.

She wanted them both, she'd make sure she had both.

Another day at school, another thing to dread.

It was the philosophy Taylor had lived by her entire life. Yet today, she felt different. She had stood up for herself yesterday against one of the three girls who had made her high school life living hell. She knew that a new PRT mediator would be joining Winslow, and she knew that she'd have her peaceful lunch break with Minato, even though it meant cutting class.

There were some sacrifices she was willing to make. Algebra was one of them.

As she walked into the school building, though, her mood was ruined instantly as a faculty member she had little interaction with blocked her path.

"Taylor Hebert?" he asked, and she nodded. "Principal Blackwell called you in, says she wants a word."

Of fucking course.

She'd probably been given the news that her position as Sophia's mediator was to be terminated. Served to reason that she'd be angry about it. Taylor hadn't expected Blackwell to directly confront about it though, given the principal's lack of backbone.

Still, Taylor nodded to the faculty member and walked off to Blackwell's office. She did her best to avoid her classmates, as she had been doing for the better part of two years at this point. She looked around for any signs of Minato. The boy was nowhere to be found, though.

As she pushed open the door of the office, her eyes were greeted with a scene she definitely wasn't expecting. Behind the desk sat a very happy Blackwell, and in front of her sat two people she'd gotten to know very recently.

Carlos and Dennis. Aegis and Clockblocker.

"Ah, hello Taylor. I assume you are familiar with our present company?" Blackwell asked, giving Taylor a fake smile that made her blood curdle. The smiles Carlos and Dennis gave her were enough to set her slightly at ease, though.

"Hello, you two," Taylor spoke, giving them a little wave. "When said there would be a change in Sophia's handlers, I wasn't expecting her to send you two."

Carlos shrugged. "Well, she explained the situation to the rest of us when you left. We volunteered."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Really? You'd voluntarily leave Arcadia to come to join me and Sophia in public school hell?"

This time, it was Dennis who answered. "It's not like me and Carlos fit well there. We're from pretty low-class families. Most of our classmates are preppy guys and gals with a lot of money to throw around. I bet most of them already believe we were only in Arcadia because we're Wards."

Taylor spared a glance at Blackwell. "So, she knows who you are?"

Carlos nodded. "Yep, she knows who you are too. Signed an NDA too, quite gladly if I may add."

Blackwell smiled her fake smile. "Since you three know each other, Taylor, would you be so kind as to show them around the school? Take the day off if you'd like. I'll inform your teachers to give you a justified absence."

Taylor smirked. "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"

As Carlos and Dennis got up to follow her, she gave them the most overbearing smile she could muster.

"By the way, welcome to the suck. Trust me, it doesn't get better."

LB

To say that Minato was surprised to see Taylor roaming around campus with two students he'd never seen before was an understatement.

Merely two days ago, the girl had difficulties in even having a direct conversation with him. A day after, she'd become part of Ward. Another day later, here she was, socializing.

Part of him felt quite proud, while part of him felt immensely curious.

"Minato! Over here!" Taylor shouted, or came as close to a shout as one could ever expect from her. Minato noticed the scrutinizing gazes he got from the other two as he walked over to them. They were fighters, there was no doubt about it. Not very experienced fighters, but fighters nonetheless.

How did he know this? Because unlike other students, they weren't just fixated on his odd hair colour. They were sizing him up, just as he was sizing them up.

"Hello Taylor. Good to see you're making new friends." Minato lightly teased as he put his tray on the table and sat down next to the elder of the two guys.

"Ah, well, they're friends from outside school." she spoke, trying to rat out her practised excuse. It was good enough to fool most people, but not Minato. For someone who'd learnt how to read people like a book, it was quite easy to understand who these people were.

He was sitting on a table with three members of Ward.

"Hey, I'm Carlos. I saw you headed to my new class in the morning." the boy sitting next to him spoke up, offering him a handshake. Minato took it and shook, noticing the inherent firmness behind it.

"I'm Dennis. I'm in Taylor's class. Nice hair dye, never seen a blue quite as vibrant." He spoke.

"Thanks, it's natural." Minato answered, sipping from his juice box.

"This is Minato. He's my friend." Taylor spoke, and Minato couldn't help but notice the little gap before the word 'friend'. Then again, their social link was in its infancy. Plus, Taylor didn't seem like the kind of person who trusted others easily.

"I'm Minato Arisato, if Taylor's shout didn't make it obvious." He spoke, leaning back. "So, how did you guys meet?"

"I recently started going to a self-defense class. Met Carlos and Dennis there." Taylor shot back. It was a very believable excuse, and also explained why both the boys were as fit as they looked.

"Yeah, Taylor's a natural at boxing." Dennis spoke up. "Almost gave me a black eye in our very first spar!"

"I dabbled a bit in Boxing back in my old school." Minato lied, even though he had gotten some practice in with Akihiko-senpai. While he wasn't anywhere near a pro boxer, he knew one when he saw one.

"Since when did two people from different weight classes start sparring together?"

That caught both Dennis and Taylor off guard. Carlos - on the other hand - stepped in with confidence. "Well, the instructor was getting Taylor to spar with people larger than herself. Dennis was the only person in a weight-class close to hers, so he was chosen."

Minato nodded. Carlos seemed experienced in dealing with the fuck-ups of others under him. There was no doubt in Minato's mind that Carlos was Aegis. Dennis could be either Clockblocker or Kid Win. He was too short to be Gallant, and Vista and Shadow Stalker were girls. They were locals, else the media would be all over any new additions to the Brockton Bay Wards.

He was tempted to just let their moniker slip in casual conversation, but there was no prerogative. It would bring more attention to him. He did not want that.

"Well, as long as you're all getting along." Minato spoke.

"You sound like an exasperated father, you know?" Taylor spoke up with one of her rare, genuine smiles.

"Can't blame a boy for being worried, can you?" Minato responded. "So, why the sudden change of schools? I'm guessing you two come from Arcadia, right?"

Carlos nodded. "Arcadia was a bit too uppity for us. Plus, moving to WInslow saves our parents a lot of money."

Dennis chimed in. "Plus my dad and Carlos' family know each other well. It was something of a joint decision." He then looked around. "Didn't expect Winslow to be such a shithole, though."

"Didn't you at least scope out the school before you moved in? Taylor can't possibly have told you anything good about this place."

Dennis chuckled. "She never had to. Didn't even know we were transferring here till a couple days back."

Minato sighed. Again, another practised lie. It was more than likely that they'd been sent by the PRT to watch over Taylor. There were ulterior motives, he was damn sure, but they didn't seem malicious. It would definitely do Taylor some good to have a few friends in school.

God knows he knew the value of friends.

Carlos was pretty sure he'd never met a civilian like Minato.

He'd met a lot of his classmates, and he'd made sure to bring up Minato in some roundabout way. The answer was always similar. Other than him being the class topper, having weird blue hair and being of Japanese descent, no one had taken the pains to get to know him. The few that had interacted with him commented on how polite he was, how he had a knack for always staying out of trouble. Hell, the ABB kids hadn't even tried to recruit him, even with his blatant asian descent.

That completely flew in the face of what he'd noticed.

Since the moment he'd sat down on that table, Minato had exhibited the cold control of someone that held onto a position of power. A glare from him, no matter how lighthearted, could make someone erupt in cold sweat. He could compare it to the feeling Director Piggot gave when she was in the mood for some lecturing. Having served under her for the better part of three years, he knew that look very, very well.

That's when he'd switch. Taylor started to talk, and his expression and attitude would morph into one of care. In the thirty minutes of casual conversation they'd shared, he had felt this switch happen over five times, till Minato finally adopted a carefully balanced neutrality for them, bordering on apathy.

It almost felt like Minato reserved different personalities for different people. The ease at which he could switch between them was not normal. He could be a Parahuman, hell, he could be a fucking thinker.

There was evidence that flew in the face of that, of course. Thinker powers were extremely marketable. Plus, the ability to simply switch personalities could very well just be a byproduct of his upbringing.

Carlos knew that he was overthinking things, but something inside him was urging him to dig deeper. Still, he couldn't possibly dig further without Minato's consent. Unwritten rules and whatnot.

He was brought out of his reverie by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find Sophia standing behind him, looking absolutely livid.

"Why the fuck are you in my school?" She seethed.

"Well, Piggy asked around the group if anyone was willing to hop into Winslow. I and Dennis volunteered." Carlos answered, looking around to make sure there was no one around. "Dennis is in your year, did you just miss him during class time?"

"I saw the both of you, with Taylor and that meddlesome senior." She answered. "Still, the principal called me in the morning. Told me that she's no longer my handler. Seemed oddly chipper about it. I can guess why now."

Carlos shrugged. "Piggy offered me and Dennis a raise in our paycheck. Moving here doesn't really concern my parents considering my career path leads to the Protectorate. As for Dennis, well, his family can use the money."

Sophia hissed. "Piggot would go so far to keep Taylor safe? Is she really worth all this?"

Carlos sighed. "That's not up to me to decide. All I can tell you is that she's here to stay. I would also warn you against trying to start any shit."

Sophia frowned. "Is that an order, Aegis?"

Carlos glared back. "As your new retainer, yes. That's a fucking order."

The glare was drawn out for a few seconds till Sophia pulled away. "You seniors are so infuriating. Between you and that blue-headed guy, the wuss found someone to defend her."

Carlos raised an eyebrow. She'd mentioned Minato, not by name though.

"Speaking of Minato, he been protecting her for long?" Carlos asked. It took Sophia a while to connect the name with the person, seeing as Minato had probably never formally introduced himself to her.

"Nope. never seen him before yesterday. Did some asking around, no one knows him amongst my class. Sweet-talked a senior to get to know a bit more. Boy didn't even give me the right name."

"Thought so. Still, he's gotta be strong to keep you from reacting." Carlos commented. To his surprise, Sophia looked almost cowed. She didn't snap back like he expected her to. Instead, she just gave him a pensive gaze.

"He's different, that one. Something about him just rubs me off the wrong way." She spoke. "It's like a fight-or-flight instinct, except it's stuck on flight."

"That's… oddly enough how I feel about him too." Carlos retorted, meeting Sophia's gaze with a worried one of his own. "He's a civilian, at least officially…"

"No civilian has an aura like that, like an apex predator, not a person like him especially." Sophia spoke in a fascinated tone. "Maybe he triggered at some point and doesn't know what his powers can do?"

Carlos thought it over. He remembered his trigger event. Maybe Minato hadn't ever needed to use his powers? If so, what could he do other than intimidate capes?

"I… wouldn't discount that possibility, even if it sounds like something of a reach." Carlos spoke. "Either way, I'd like to learn more about him, maybe even get him over to the PRT for power testing."

"I second that." Sophia spoke. "If he knows what his powers do and is hiding it to preserve his identity, wouldn't we be breaching the unwritten rules?"

Carlos gave her a smile. "Oh? Someone's following the rules for once. You sure you aren't being Mastered?"

Sophia gave him a cruel grin. "No, I just don't want him to get startled and run. I've never been much for the chase, I'd rather he stand and fight instead."

Carlos sighed. "You're really fucked up, aren't you?"

Sophia gave him a smile. "I live in Brockton Bay."

"What's taking them so long? We have thirty minutes to get to the Rig."

Dean Stansfield both loved and hated being a chaperone for the Wards. While it was definitely refreshing to just chill with his peers in a casual setting, he barely ever got the time to. Most of his off time was either spent learning the family business or hanging out with Vicky. So even though Carlos and Dennis were at Winslow now, he'd still show up to give them a ride till at least one of them got a vehicle. The casual banter as he drove them up to the rig was something he prized.

What he didn't prize was how dirty they'd get his car. He had people to clean his car for him, he just didn't like someone else doing his chores. That was kind of a problem when he'd have to spend a good hour every day cleaning up after his friends, especially Dennis.

He also hated waiting. He'd parked his car in the Winslow parking lot, and people were looking at it funny. Well, a bright green sedan did stand out against the beat-down vehicles parked around it.

Winslow truly was quite the shithole.

Dean had never felt the need to make any friends in Winslow, as he and Sophia never really saw eye-to-eye. He'd finally made his pilgrimage to the shithole that was Winslow to pick up his friends.

He cast his powers out as far as they could go. He felt Chris' impatience in the shotgun seat first, then he picked up a number of signatures, students exiting the school. It was a bevvy of information, but Dean knew how to localize. Soon enough, his powers hit two very familiar minds, and one less familiar one.

There was the proud composure of Carlos, there was the tepid yet jolly Denis, and then there was the fearful yet hopeful Taylor. Every person was unique to his powers. Hence, if he ran into a cape and then ran into them in civilian guise, he'd know exactly who the person was. Even without wanting to, he was skirting through the unwritten rules.

He generally kept it to himself though. Repeat offenders of the unwritten rules still got sent to the Birdcage. They were unwritten, not unenforced.

"They're almost here." he pointed out to Chris, who answered him with a yawn.

"Took them long enough. They should start running. I can barely get through my day at Arcadia. Spending a day here would make we want to actively try and escape." He answered as he got his seatbelt on.

Dean nodded as the trio came into view. They were looking around for his car, which was obscured behind a truck. He popped his arm out of the window and waved to them till they noticed.

His wave stopped midway as Carlos stepped aside, revealing a blue-haired boy who his powers did not detect. He tried to concentrate solely on the boy, focussing his power on him.

It gave him absolutely nothing.

It was then that the teen noticed him, noticed the effort that he was putting into his power. Instantly, a chill went over Dean as the boy's gaze narrowed.

He knew.

The chill disappeared instantly as the boy's gaze lightened. At this point, the group of four had reached the car, and Carlos was trying to say something to an irate Chris while Dennis had already slid into the back seat, Taylor was saying her goodbyes to the boy when Bean snapped back.

"-e'll see you tomorrow, alright Minato?" She finished as the boy waved and walked off.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Carlos spoke, closing the distance between himself and Dean. Dean recoiled before nodding.

"I… my power couldn't feel him." Dean answered.

Carlos nodded. "Once we're back at the rig, we need to have a little talk." Carlos spoke.

Dean nodded once, gave Taylor a smile as she closed the door behind him, and that was that.

His questions could wait, but maybe his shift tonight could yield some answers, as long as someone covered for him on the console.

It was a good thing that Carlos was going to man the console tonight.

Aight, pretty sure many of you are angry, pretty sure I messed up a fuckton. Don't spare me your problems, let me know so chapter 2 ain't as broken as this one is.

Big thanks to SneakyDevil , moderate thanks to MaxForce and a little thanks to Lupine Horror for their help with this bitch of a chapter.

-CruelRuin