73

Chapter 73

A Darker Path

Part Seventy-Three: Tempting the Fates

[A/N: This chapter beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]

Friday Afternoon, March 4

Theo Anders

"Okay, we're here." Mr Crandall pulled the car over and stopped the engine. "Can you handle your stuff?"

"Yeah." Theo climbed out of the car, then opened the back door and reached in for the single suitcase he'd packed.

In his wardrobe had been a vast array of snappy clothing and carefully fitted three-piece suits (cut to conceal his less than slimline body shape) that his father had foisted on him. He preferred to wear less attention-attracting garb, usually jeans with a loose T-shirt. These shared the suitcase with a toiletry kit grabbed at random from the bathroom, a few battered science fiction novels that he'd managed to hide from his father, and the one item from his old life that he actually prized: a spelling award from the fifth grade. He'd won it fair and square, with zero interference from his family.

As he was hauling the case out of the car, a woman approached them. "Mr Crandall?" she asked. "I'm Marjorie Brown."

"Hello, Marjorie." Mr Crandall shook her hand. "Call me Lester. This is Theo Anders."

"H'lo," mumbled Theo, suddenly self-conscious. He'd been fine doing gopher work in the Betterment Committee offices, where nobody seemed to care who his father had been, but nobody there had used his last name. Rubbing his hand over the seat of his pants, he gave her a tentative handshake.

"Hi, Theo." Ms Brown gave him a sympathetic look, which didn't garner her much credit from him. All he'd gotten from people who actually knew who he was were sympathetic looks (when he could see them) and sometimes glares (when they thought he couldn't). He totally understood the latter, but was comfortable with neither. "Ready to meet the Laborns?"

"I guess." He picked up his suitcase. At least he'd be out of that house.

Ms Brown led the way into a fairly nondescript-looking building, and they rode up a couple of floors in an elevator. Theo was glad of that, at least; while the suitcase wasn't impossibly heavy, carrying it upstairs would be a pain. Exiting the elevator, they went down the corridor a little way until Ms Brown stopped at a particular door.

"Well, here we are," she said brightly, giving Theo a hopeful smile. He tried not to grimace too obviously in return. Reaching out, she knocked on the door.

Theo wasn't short for his age; in that, he took after his father. But the young man who opened the door—the young black man—was at least six and a half feet tall, maybe taller. To Theo, he seemed to tower overhead.

Is this a test to see if I'm like Max was? To see if I'm a racist?

"Hi, Ms Brown. Theo." A large hand was held out toward him. "I'm Brian. Pleased to meet you."

Theo suddenly realised that Brian was actually smiling, and offering his hand to shake. He took it, painfully aware that he was doing something he'd never done before in his life. Brian's grip was firm enough to make it clear that he could crush Theo's hand to pulp without much effort, but he didn't pull the bullshit knuckle-cruncher that Hookwolf loved—had loved—to do.

"Uh, hi," Theo managed, as Brian let go his hand. "Same here, I guess."

"Lester Crandall, CPS. How are you doing, Brian?" Mr Crandall shook hands with Brian next, and Theo was pretty sure there was a little bit of how-tough-are-you going on there, but the smile never shifted off Brian's face.

"I'm doing fine, Mr Crandall. Come in, please, all of you. Aisha and Riley will be out in just a moment." Brian stepped back, gesturing for them all to enter.

The apartment was nice. There were pictures on the wall, including a photo of Brian with two younger girls, apparently clowning around down at the Boardwalk. Everything was neat and tidy; Theo noted the coasters that had been placed on most surfaces, something he personally approved of.

"Heyyy!" A tornado in teenager form bolted out of a back room; she looked about thirteen with a purple streak in her hair, and was wearing a T-shirt with a screen-print of Alexandria on it, and jeans. Another, younger, girl followed along behind, somewhat more demurely. "It's great to meet you, Theo! I'm Aisha, and this here's cousin Riley, and you would've met my boring big bro Brian." Lowering her voice to a stage whisper, she added, "Ignore him. I run the show around here, and don't let him tell you otherwise."

While Theo was still blinking at that and wondering how he should react, Riley came straight up to him and gave him a hug, her head resting on his chest. "Hi."

"Um … hi?" The last time Theo had gotten a hug was so long ago that he couldn't even remember the occasion. Putting his suitcase down, he slowly put his arms around her and returned the hug. The human contact nearly broke through his reserve then and there, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"Hello, Aisha." Ms Brown was smiling as she said it. "You're looking well. How's your schoolwork going?"

"Kickin' butt and takin' names, Ms B." Aisha grinned widely. "Got an A-minus on English comprehension the other day."

"That's really good to hear." The tone of approval in her voice was evident.

"Just checking, Theo, do you have any allergies, or dietary or religious requirements?" If Brian found it amiss that his cousin was hugging Theo, his voice didn't show it. "If we know about it, we can work around it."

"Uh, no." Theo found himself being released from the hug, so he turned to face Brian. "None that I know of. Is there anything I need to know about, for any of you guys?" Peanut allergies (as an example) came to mind, but Mr Crandall hadn't spoken on the subject.

"Nah." Aisha answered for the both of them. "Anything I find on my dinner plate's fair game."

"What pizza toppings do you prefer?" asked Riley. "I like seafood, and Brian prefers meat lovers, and like Aisha said, she just attacks anything."

"Nah, nah." Aisha shook her head. "I'll have you know that I'm a gourmet with a wide range of eclectic tastes."

Brian snorted. "Someone's been browsing the dictionary, alright."

Mr Crandall cleared his throat. "Ah … if I can just see where Theo will be sleeping, I'll be able to get out of your hair."

"We put a second bed in my bedroom," Brian offered. "Through here." He led the way down the short corridor. Mr Crandall followed, as did Theo.

The room wasn't huge, but there was just about enough space for two beds, and room to move between them. As Brian had noted, there was a second bed there, but with a bare mattress. An equally bare pillow and linens were folded at the foot of it.

Mr Crandall looked around. "Closet space?" he asked.

"Built-in." Brian moved a sliding door to display hanging space as well as some shelves. "I'll be shifting my stuff to make room." He grinned at Theo. "I know it's going to be a lot more cramped than what you're used to, but we'll make do."

"I'll, uh," Theo cleared his throat. "I'll be fine." He had barely used any of the ample closet space in his old room. What he was used to was having his father's opinions pressing down on his every thought process in an attempt to shape him into a good little Anders clone. Brian's vaguely big-brother air, Aisha's snark, and Riley's spontaneous hug were things he simply had no metric for. "I like Hawaiian, but meat lovers is good for me too." He'd ordered pizzas occasionally from Kayden's place, and those two had been his go-to.

"Nice." Brian held up his hand. It took Theo a moment to realise he was supposed to give Brian a high-five. Feeling more and more surreal by the second, he did it.

I think I'm going to like it here.

Friday Evening

Taylor

"Well, what do you think?" Despite her earlier bravado, Cherie looked at Dad and me anxiously after our initial bites of the second lasagne that she'd prepped on her own.

I briefly considered pretending to choke, but that would be mean. "It's nice," I said, and meant it. "Not quite the same as the way we usually have it, but definitely very nice. What did you do differently?"

She flushed slightly. "Went online and looked up recipes and suggestions. Tried a few things. You really like it?" It showed just how invested she was in knowing the truth that she was asking, even as her power was telling her what she wanted to know anyway.

Dad nodded, taking another bite. "It's good," he said once he'd swallowed. "I can taste the difference in the seasonings. Very edible indeed."

"Yeah," I added. "We're definitely going to have to have this again."

She beamed at us, then I saw her eyes glisten. I knew what was coming next, so I got up at the same time as she did.

"You guys …" Her voice was choked up as I wrapped her in a hug. "You guys are the best. You know that?"

It wasn't just the food, or the praise, I knew that much. It was the acceptance we'd given her, and the freedom to make her own way in the household.

One day at a time, she was building her own life, her own identity. And we'd be there to support her every step of the way.

Relevant Side Story: PHO Reacts by Nerdman3000

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Topic: Official 2011 Cape Gossip Thread XLII

In: Boards ► General Discussion

Princessa (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (Cape Groupie)

Posted On Mar 2nd 2011:

Welcome, fellow cape enthusiasts, to the notorious Cape Gossip thread! Here, we delve into the depths of parahuman intrigue, dissecting the latest gossip with unparalleled fervor. Brace yourselves for riveting discussions, heated analyses, and debates that could rival the most intense cape battles.

A word of caution: This hallowed ground is not for the faint of heart. As proud troublemakers of PHO, we wear our penchant for mischief like a badge of honor. The thin line between banter and banishment is a dance we navigate with finesse. Enter at your own risk, and remember, the juiciest gossip often comes with a side of controversy.

Now, setting that cautionary tone aside, let me extend a friendly plea to our passionate contributors – let's try to aim for smooth sailing this time. We've witnessed the thread-locking dance before (yes, SpecificProtagonist and SilentWhispers, we're side-eyeing you), so let's keep the conversations flowing without tripping over any forum rules. It's only March, and we've already unleashed 42 threads into the wild. Can we resist the temptation to make it 43 so soon?

So, now that the warnings and pleas of good behavior are out of the way, it's time to buckle up cape enthusiasts! This is where rumors take flight, speculations run rampant, and the pulse of the parahuman world beats louder than ever. Share your insights, stir the pot, but above all, revel in the chaos that is the Cape Gossip thread.

(Showing page 92 of 93)

►secretor

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

So I don't know if anyone has talked about this yet, but Laserdream got caught sleeping with two random chicks.

For proof, here's a link to some video someone took of Brandish and Photon Mom scolding Laserdream while a brunette talks with the parents of the redhead girl.

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Lol, good for Laserdream.

►BrocktonDymamite (Atropos Groupie)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

You know it says something about how genuinely quiet and well… boring things have gotten since Atropos cleaned up the city that this is maybe the most newsworthy thing I can think of to happen lately.

►VanuSher64

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Nah, New Wave has always been pretty newsworthy, at least in terms of the cape gossip department.

Though usually it tends to be Glory Girl who's the center of the gossip, what with her possible love triangle with Dean Stansfield and Gallant, rather than Laserdream.

On a bit of separate news, I saw someone mention this morning that they saw Faultline (or at least a woman in a mask claiming to be Faultline) entering her old club this morning. You think Atropos let her into the city?

►Furry One (Madison Refugee)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Wait, isn't Faultline dead?

►SilentWhispers

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Haha! Totally bookmarking this.

VanuSher64 No way she'd still be alive if she wasn't allowed in.

Furry One Nah, they were (I must very begrudgingly admit) smart enough to get out while they could.

►Furry One (Madison Refugee)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

SilentWhispers Sorry, I just kind of assumed she killed all the Brockton Bay villains.

►MrNewtonian (Faultline's Crew) (Verified Cape) (Case 53)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

►JazYMin568 (LGBT Queen) (Cape Groupie)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

So happy to see another hero be confirmed as a member of the LBGT community!

►Amma (Cape Groupie) (Atropos Groupie)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Good thing she waited until the Nazis all died out to come out. Though having a relationship with two women? So scandalous!

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 90, 91, 92

(Showing page 93 of 93)

►SilentWhispers

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

MrNewtonian Someone's in a good mood.

Furry One Nope! A couple of villains got out while they could. If your curious, here's everything I could find on the fates of some of the cities surviving villains:

- The Undersiders: Intelligently fled after Coil died, but lost a member to the vile clutches of the PRT's Ward program.

- Purity: Flew south, reportedly holding onto a baby? Last sighted in St. Augustine, Florida attacking a group of black criminals (so back to her racial profiling "hero" ways).

- Victor and Othala: Ran away with Rune back to the infamous Herren Clan (hey Atropos, you ever going to do something about them? They've been getting worriedly stronger ever since the E88 died). Got seemingly kicked out of the Herren Clan, fled to New York, abandoned Rune, and haven't been seen since.

- Rune: Same as above up until the other two abandoned her when they got attacked by the PRT in New York. Ended up in PRT custody and is possibly (see, I'm not saying she is this time!) that new Ward that premiered in New York the other day, Scribe.

- Fenja and Menja: Blown up by Badaboom in an explosive debut.

- Alabaster: Some kid beat him up. Not even a parahuman! Assault arrested him soon after.

- Faultline's Crew: Already mentioned. Probably about to return to Brockton Bay if Faultline being possibly let back in there is any indication.

- Squealer and Mush: No doubt still going through a hell of a withdraw period while in PRT custody.

- Uber and Leet: Last sighted last night in New York in a Flying Delorean (please don't tell me Leet built a time machine?) alongside Circus getting chased by the New York Wards.

►Goliath

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Damn it SilentWhispers! Calling a Ward a former Nazi is exactly what got the last thread locked!

►SilentWhispers

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

I said possibly!

►Antigone

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Hey wait a minute, I recognize that redhead girl. Not the one who slept with Laserdream but the younger one dressed in all black.

Isn't she that Atropos cult leader?

►Coyote-C

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Huh, I think your right. You don't think Atropos planned for Laserdream to get exposed right?

►Atropos (Banned) (You Wish) (UnVerified Cape) (Can Actually Kill Anything) (Yes, Really) (Watch Me) (Verified Dethpicable)

Replied On Mar 5th 2011:

Nope, for once I'm just as surprised by this outcome as you are. Really wasn't expecting Laserdream or Barnes to have it in them.

VanuSher64 Yeah, I let her and her crew in the city in exchange for her helping the Betterment Committee. Same deal Damsel and Accord got basically.

SilentWhispers Trying to sic me on the Herren Clan after you pissed them off Tats? How very bold of you. I should probably give you a warning for that, but your not exactly wrong. Hmmm… they're not exactly messing with Brockton Bay at the moment, but they are Nazis and they're only getting so much support and resources because I took out the other major white supremacist gang in the country. It does feel wrong to allow that to stand.

Choices, choices.

Also Leet if you ever build a time machine I am absolutely coming after you. Consider that a unofficial warning.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 91, 92, 93

Back to the Story ...

Saturday Morning, March 5

Emma

The Boardwalk was nice at this time of morning, Emma decided. There was a brisk onshore breeze, and the weekend crowd had yet to make it feel cluttered. She glanced sideways at Anne, who was walking alongside her.

"So, sister of mine." she ventured.

"So," Anne replied. "You asked if we could meet, and here we are. We're on your dime now. What's on your mind?"

"I merely wished to ask some questions." She paused, thinking about her next words. "Clear something up for me."

"Go ahead and ask, but be warned." Anne sounded serious. "If you ask anything along the lines of 'what's it like' or 'how long have you been into girls', I am seriously just going to walk away."

"That's not what I was going to ask." If pressed, Emma would've admitted to some natural curiosity on both counts, but she took the warning in her stride. "I had thought that Our Lady in Darkness had forbidden Faultline from entering the city again, on pain of death. Was it truly her?"

"Officially, I have no idea what you're talking about. Realistically?" Anne glanced around, then nodded. "That's what she said, and I've got no reason to disbelieve her. She did say Atropos invited her back, remember. She's going to be working for the Betterment Committee."

"Ah. So it was Our Lady in Darkness who was responsible for her being at the College, then." Emma nodded wisely. "I had wondered."

"Wait." Anne stopped and stared at her. "Are you saying Atropos set us up together? That she meant that to happen?"

"Obscure are her ways, and long is her reach." Emma turned her hands palm upward, as a way of showing that she was hiding nothing. "If she did, it was for the good of all. Thus is her purpose."

"No, no." Anne shook her head. "I need to know. Did she do that deliberately? Because if she did, it changes everything."

"I will consult with her, and put your mind at ease." Emma took out her phone and accessed PHO. If Atropos was indeed behind it, she would say so. She never lied or deceived.

Flowery language would waste time, so she opened a private message and typed in, Why did you get my sister laid?

Less than ten second later, the phone pinged with a reply. Opening it, she read: What are you talking about?

"Well, this is interesting," she murmured. "Our Lady in Darkness wishes me to clarify. Give me a moment." Atropos preferred directness, so she'd be direct, no matter how much she wanted otherwise. Faultline and Laserdream, she typed. She got drunk and in bed with them. You can't tell me you didn't have something to do with that.

Again, the answer came back quickly. Huh, that's a surprise. I did invite Faultline back into the city to work for the committee, but I didn't think she'd do anything else.

Anne looked at the messages, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "So, she wasn't behind it? It just happened naturally?"

"Our Lady in Darkness does not stoop to lying about such matters," Emma chided her gently. "If she says she had no part in it, then she had no part in it."

"Okay, gotcha." Anne shook her head. "From the way you've been talking her up, she knows all and sees all. Seems like your goddess has feet of clay, after all."

"She is no goddess." Emma was indeed taken aback, but she had her Lady in Darkness' words to fall back on. "She has said that many times. But I see this as a test of faith."

"You do you, sis." Anne smiled. "I got stuff to think about, too."

Leaving her to stroll along the Boardwalk, Emma went to the nearest bus stop and boarded the next bus that was heading in her direction. She settled down in her seat, her mind still churning over the implications of Atropos' words. Finally, going back to the phone, she typed another message. You seriously didn't plan this?

The answer popped up almost immediately. Nope.

"Huh," she murmured. She was still faithful, but that one admission was forcing her to re-evaluate everything she'd thought she knew about her Lady in Darkness. After a moment of thought, she typed that word in and sent it.

The conversation progressed as the bus ride went on. Sometimes Atropos answered immediately, while other answers took minutes to come through. She learned that Faultline was in the city as part of a 'path' to get her, Emma, to stop worshipping Atropos. This suggested to Emma that Atropos didn't know every step of whatever 'path' she was following to get something done.

She paused after coming in the front door to type out a longer post, trying to put her thoughts and realisations into coherent form. The conversation had given her a new perspective on her own state of mind, and she wanted to convey this before she lost it again. I'm swinging back toward normal, she ended the post. But I don't know if I'll stop there.

Atropos seemed to take it in her stride, as she did everything else. But then, after Emma had gotten a snack and headed upstairs to her room, a bombshell dropped into the conversation. Anyway, you're going to be kidnapped in, like, five minutes. Thought I should warn you.

Just for a moment, she thought of trying to hide, or get help, but then she realised she already had the best help available. If Atropos knew of the kidnap ahead of time, she would also have plans to thwart it. A few quick comments back and forth confirmed this, then they ended the conversation.

Whatever was going on with the 'royal brat' (as Atropos put it) who was trying to get at her Lady in Darkness, she was sure Atropos had it well in hand. All that was left for Emma was to be kidnapped in style.

Atropos

I was down in the basement, reshaping a bullet prior to replacing it in the cartridge case, when Emma sent me a private message about Anne. I had no idea what she was talking about, and told her so. Her response was enlightening, but I still had to explain to her that whatever had happened (as entertaining as the aftermath might be) I'd had nothing to do with it.

The conversation went on, with occasional pauses as I worked on one cartridge or another, but Emma seemed willing to wait and see what I had to say. In fact, as I tapped the last bullet back into place, I realised that this was the longest (and most civil) conversation I'd had with her in literally years. I grinned as I sent back the message, Well, welcome back to sanity. Hope you enjoy your stay, however long you stick around.

A moment after that, some interesting information popped into my head, informing me that there were abductions lined up for Aisha and Emma. It had something to do with the text I'd sent Aisha the previous night, suggesting that she and Brian buy Theo a welcoming gift of some kind, though I wasn't quite sure what the connection was yet.

I already knew there was something going on with me, but I didn't have all the details about that either. My power seemed to be chuckling to itself in the background. It could be a real troll on occasion, but that was fine; so could I.

I passed the relevant information on to Emma, and she acknowledged it with a damn sight more aplomb than she would've before I'd gotten my powers. Whether this was because she was more scared of me than of the kidnappers, because I'd told her she was going to be okay, or just because she was still nuts, I didn't know and didn't care. We signed off the conversation, and I set to work refilling the last of the magazines with the altered bullets. One went into the pistol, while the others ended up in my pockets.

A timer was ticking down in my mind as I slipped Riley's canister into a pocket inside the crown of my hat. Emma and Aisha were supposed to be kidnapped in three minutes, which gave me just enough time to do what I needed to do. A ballpoint pen went into the pocket of my shirt under the vest; I wasn't at all sure what I'd need that for, but I was sure I would find out.

Taking the teleporter off charge, I slipped my left forearm into it, then clicked it into place. I set the teleport coordinates to Emma's house, and hit the go button.

An immense hand closed around me and yanked me sideways, right out of the world.

The Supreme World, A Few Moments Before

Goddess

"Is the diverter ready?" Bianca scanned each of the technicians for the slightest hint of betrayal. She would reward such with the most excruciatingly painful death, but all appeared to be loyal.

"It appears so, Highness." Tori gestured at the banks of gauges and dials. "We have a full lock on the teleporter she uses. It does not accept wireless input from outside, but when she teleports, we can use brute force to redirect her to where we need her to go."

"Highness?" One of the techs put his hand up hesitantly. "A word, if you will?"

"Yes?" Her eyes narrowed. His tone suggested that there was bad news following. She did not like bad news. Bad news was something she did to those who refused her right and proper guidance.

"The, uh, the diverter will work, but the power we'll be needing to pull someone across the dimensional barrier, to repurpose the portal, will overload it quite badly. There will be extensive stress on critical systems. We'll only be able to do this once." He wilted under her glare. "Apologies, Highness. I-I thought you needed to know."

"Hmm." Bianca wanted to crush his body into paste as an example to those who thought they might be able to fail her with impunity, but she chose to stay her hand. After all, she only needed to do this once. And it wasn't like she intended to allow Atropos to go back to Earth Bet. "Understood. Carry on."

A buzzer sounded, and a yellow light flashed. One of the techs raised their hand. "The teleporter has gone off standby! It's in operating mode!"

"This is it, people!" The tech who had approached Bianca moved to a control panel and started flicking switches. "Generators online! Bring to full power!"

"Generators running at one hundred ten percent rated power!" another tech called out. "Cutting in power … now!" What had been a background hum rose to an almost unbearable shriek. The smell of ozone permeated the air inside the vast building.

"Activating diverter!" Grabbing a large blade switch, the tech pulled it over. The shriek became a thunder, actively painful to the ears. One at a time, the techs fumbled earplugs into place. Bianca merely powered up her force field, keeping Tori inside. The sound was reduced to an acceptable level, and she kept watching.

A red light began to strobe on top of the main part of the device. "She's teleporting," Tori said, her voice raised to a half-shout.

Lights flashed crazily across the machines. Gauges exploded, dials popping out of their mountings. An electrical arc crackled between two of the consoles, frying a tech. One of the consoles exploded, pieces of shrapnel bouncing off the force field. Sparks flew as fuses blew, one after the other.

The noise gradually abated, winding back from thunder to shriek to hum. Flames crackled on several of the consoles, until fire-control sprays hissed and put them out. Lying on his back, clawing at the sky, the dead tech had smoke drifting upward from his clothing.

Barely any of the blinking lights or dials had survived; it was clear that the tech had not overstated the amount of damage that the diverter would suffer. But Bianca didn't care about any of that. "Did it work?" she shouted, dropping the force field now that the danger was past. "Has Atropos been captured?"

The main tech staggered to his feet. He had a cut on his forehead and a piece of jagged metal sticking out of his arm, but he looked over what remained of his prized machines. "Y-yes, Highness," he managed. "All readouts indicate success."

"Good." Bianca turned to Tori. "Send the signal. Take the hostages."

Tori inclined her head respectfully. "Yes, Highness."

Relevant Side Story: Indy Xanatos Ploy Gambit by Masterweaver

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: What was that all about?

Why did you get my sister laid?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: What was that all about?

What are you talking about?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Faultline and Laserdream. She got drunk and in bed with them. You can't tell me you didn't have something to do with that.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Huh, that's a surprise. I did invite Faultline back into the city to work for the committee, but I didn't think she'd do anything else.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

You seriously didn't plan this?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Nope.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Huh.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

What's wrong?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Just... having to reevaluate my beliefs, is all. I mean, if you can get my sister two girlfriends on accident...

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Weeeeeeeeell... I will let you in on a little secret.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Yeah?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Inviting Faultline back into the city was one of the steps on the path to ending your worship of me.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

What.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Emma, given our extremely complicated history together, is it really any surprise that you in particular founding a cult made me uncomfortable?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Well, no, but... huh. So this was a step on ending my worship?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Yep.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

And not, to be specific, ending the cult? Cause, well, the ball's already rolling on that one.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

...dang it.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

I'd laugh, but I am still kind of terrified of you. But... This is going to sound weird.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

This is Brockton Bay, weird's everywhere.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Okay. So... after I got attacked in that alleyway, I kinda went nuts. I can see that now, the whole 'strong dominate the weak' shit Sophia pumped into me... yeah. And then Sophia died and I... started swinging back toward normal... but not completely, because I was totally terrified of you. Then you killed the Simurgh and I swung into a different flavor of crazy, and now this...? I'm swinging back toward normal, but I don't know if I'll stop there.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

You're a pendulum, is what you're saying.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Yeah! Well, maybe. I think it's... not as big a swing now. I... might actually be going back to sanity.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Because I got your sister laid?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Because you didn't plan that. And... well, I'm starting to realize that I don't... have to let the world define me? Not in a positive or negative sense. I can just be me.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Well, welcome back to sanity. Hope you enjoy your stay, however long you stick around.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Hah. So... about the cult... I'm still going to have to run it, because, you know, it's already started.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

No that's fair. Totally get that. Aaaaaand now my power's trolling me.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Oh?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

There are very few people who are important enough for it to watch out for. Dad's one, obviously, and the head of my fan club's another, and now for some reason you qualify.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Oh. I'm... flattered? I'd probably be a little more enthused if you hadn't just admitted to not being all-knowing.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Yeah, not being all-knowing is the reason your cult surprised me in the first place. Anyway, you're going to be kidnapped in, like, five minutes. Thought I should warn you.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Wait, why would I-it's because I'm the head of the cult, isn't it.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Yeah, some royal brat is making an attempt to get at me. They're going after the head of the fan club too. Don't worry, you won't get hurt and I'll get you out of it.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

That is surprisingly much more reassuring than it should be. Five minutes, you said?

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Four minutes and thirteen seconds, now.

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: Atropos

From: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Alright, I'll put on something nice. Gotta look my best when I'm getting kidnapped. Talk to you later!

PRIVATE MESSAGE

To: EmmaTheTwiceWarned

From: Atropos

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What was that all about?

Toodles!

Emma shrugged, putting down her phone and quickly putting on her most elegant dress and jewelry, accentuating her gothic makeup. Years of modelling experience had her gussied up in two minutes and walking down the road a minute later. When the strange car drove up, she turned her most beatific smile upon the people who opened the door. "Hello, gentlemen. I understand your employer seeks an audience with Our Lady In Darkness?"

"...Girl, I'm just getting paid to kidnap you," the man admitted. "Wait, shit, is Atropos here?!"

"She sees all, and knows all," Emma intoned with all the frevor she would have felt not three days ago.

"Oh, she's a cultist..." The other man shook his head. "Yeah, we can ignore her mad ramblings. Come on, kid, get in the van and we won't hurt you."

"By all means, gentlemen," Emma smiled, stepping in. "I am in your care."

And probably swinging into another form of insanity, but at least this time I'm self-aware about it.

Returning to another type of insanity ...

Theo

"Hey."

Theo looked up from the cartoon channel—for some reason, Riley found Li'l Protectorate Pals to be hilarious, and it was starting to grow on him too—to see Brian and Aisha standing near the door.

"What's up?" he asked, already feeling easier about just asking the question than he would've been twelve hours before. Brian, he'd found, was very straightforward and direct, and preferred the same from others. There were no trick questions, no 'gotcha' comments. What you saw was what you got.

"I'm taking Aisha to do the shopping. Anything either of you need?"

Theo shrugged; there wasn't anything he desperately wanted. He wasn't even hungry; the bacon and eggs he'd had earlier had filled him up nicely. "Not really, but thanks anyway."

"I got a list," Riley piped up. "I'll text it to Aisha."

"Sounds good." Brian put his hand on the door and opened it. "We'll be back in half an hour. You've both got my number in case of emergencies."

"Don't worry," Riley interjected in a passable imitation of Aisha's snark. "I'll make sure nothing happens to him."

Brian nodded. "Works for me." He nodded to them both and left, Aisha following behind. The door closed behind them with a definitive click.

As Riley started to fiddle with her phone, Theo frowned. "Aisha didn't argue with him about going shopping. I thought she liked cartoons as much as you do."

"She does." Riley gave him a sideways duh look. "They're buying you a welcome-to-the-apartment present, silly. He's taking her along to make sure they get something you can use."

"What? They are? He is?" Theo was startled. So far, he'd found the company pleasant and the entire lack of oppressive judgement thoroughly enjoyable, but for all he knew, they were just tolerating him because they had to.

"Well, yeah." Riley kept tapping on her phone while she talked. "Me and Aisha talked it over last night after we went to bed, and Aisha talked to Brian this morning. You're a nice guy who's been dealt a really shit hand, which kind of describes everyone in the apartment. But you haven't let it make you into an asshole, which is kind of impressive, so we like you. Aisha had the idea of getting you a present, and Brian agreed."

Theo frowned. "What sort of present?" He'd never been gifted with anything that didn't involve an ulterior motive before.

"No idea." Riley finished her texting and put the phone down, then gave him a severe look. "Just make sure you pretend to be surprised when we give it to you. I don't want to get in trouble for blabbing."

If there was one thing Theo knew all about, it was keeping his mouth shut. Max Anders had expounded to him at length on the subject of strength of character, then ruthlessly crushed any signs of it that Theo might have shown. Keeping his head down and being as invisible as possible had been his go-to for literally years.

Besides, he liked Riley too. There was compassion inside her, linked to a pain that Theo didn't want to delve too deeply into. Her earlier remark suggested that she too was someone who had been 'dealt a shit hand', though he was not going to ask.

The hug she'd greeted him with hadn't been a once-off. She was cheerful and demonstrative and capable of both humour and seriousness, sometimes both in the same sentence. He respected Brian and thought Aisha's antics and occasionally crass humour were quite funny, but Riley was someone he hoped that Aster would grow up to be like, someday.

That random thought led to a place he didn't want to go, reminding him of the Empire Eighty-Eight and the way they'd fled Brockton Bay following the death of Max Anders. The last he'd heard, the gang had broken up and gone their separate ways, some being captured by heroes and some still at large.

He wondered if anyone left on the loose even remembered him. It wasn't something he was anxious to explore. The idea of some section or other of the Empire Eighty-Eight grabbing him to hold up as the heir of the white-supremacy movement was positively nauseating, not least because he fervently disagreed with everything that they stood for.

He was still musing over that when, with a shattering crash, the front door was kicked in. Two burly men burst into the apartment, pointing what he easily recognised as suppressed firearms. Theo didn't know who they were, but he certainly understood what they were. Thugs were thugs, the world over.

Well, fuck. They found me anyway.

Wearily, he stood up from the sofa. "Okay, you got me. Don't hurt the girl, and I'll come quietly."

He was wholly unprepared for the punch to the gut that left him gasping on the floor while one man stood over him, gun aimed downward. "Aisha Laborn?" asked the other one.

"Yeah, I'm Aisha," Riley said immediately. "Please don't hurt him. He didn't do anything."

"Witness," the one who'd hit him grunted. "Seen our faces, and he can call the cops." He aimed the pistol at Theo's face; the muzzle aperture looked enormous.

"You don't want to do that in this city," Riley warned. "Atropos is the only one allowed to kill anyone. She's got a murder sense, and she can teleport." She said it with such surety that even Theo was almost convinced, though he was fairly sure he hadn't heard about any such 'murder sense' before now.

"Atropos?" The thug's voice had real fear in it. "Fuck. Okay. We'll take him with."

As Theo was manhandled to his feet and forced to walk out the door, his jumbled thoughts spun in all directions.

Who are these guys?

Why did Riley say she was Aisha?

God, I hope she knows what she's doing.

Because there was no way in hell he was going to be able to get them out of this.

Tori Heflin

Following Goddess into the main control centre and standing out of the way of the emergency workers who were dealing with the injured techs, Tori looked over the playback equipment. It seemed to be in good condition; nothing had fallen on it from the ceiling, and the power lights still glowed.

"Show me," Goddess ordered.

"At once, Highness." Tori hit the replay on the main recorder, and the large screen lit up. "The recording automatically began when we turned on the diverter."

The image on the screen was a cell, ten feet by ten, with a heavy metal door on one side and lights glaring down from each corner to rid every inch of the cell of darkness. A cockroach would have been visible, no matter how it slunk about. There were no furnishings, no amenities; it was an empty concrete box. The only thing that broke the monotony of the walls were regularly spaced grilles, four inches square.

"The walls are six feet thick, the door one foot, barred from the other side." Goddess hadn't asked, but Tori felt the need to explain anyway. "Knockout gas is being pumped in via the grilles."

The lights flickered briefly, then Atropos appeared in the middle of the cell. She turned faster than Tori would've given her credit, produced a shotgun from apparently out of nowhere, and fired six shots into the cell door; three down the left side and three down the right. Then she hammered her heel into the middle of the door hard enough to raise an echo in the camera audio.

It didn't give, of course, but any normal door would've certainly been hard put to take that sort of treatment. Tori noted distantly that Atropos had placed the shots precisely where the hinges and lock of a normal door would've been.

Reholstering the shotgun, Atropos pulled back her sleeve to reveal a sleek black mechanism wrapped around her left forearm. Flicking open a small panel, she tapped in a series of numbers, her fingers blurring over the tiny keypad. She flickered slightly, then reformed. Again she tried it, and again. Each time, she flickered but did not go anywhere.

"What is she doing?" demanded Goddess. "Surely she cannot be trying to leave the building. She does not know where there is a safe space!"

"She must be trying to teleport to the other side of the door, Highness." It was Tori's only guess. "When she shot the door and kicked it, it would've given her an idea of how thick it was."

After the eighth attempt at teleporting out, Atropos slumped to the floor, but not before Tori spotted her left hand moving stealthily. When she moved the recording back slightly, it was possible to see that Atropos had stashed her shears in her waistband, behind her back. Then she fell unconscious, or apparently so.

"What's the longest anyone has withstood that gas?" Goddess asked.

"Five minutes," Tori replied. She'd looked that statistic up herself. As it was, she knew that the damage in the other room had been due to the multiple escape attempts. Once more, and Atropos may have overwhelmed the diverter altogether, and been free to teleport wherever she wished.

"Wait for ten minutes, then go in wearing armour." Goddess glared at the girl on the screen. "I've poured far too many resources into getting her under my power. Take no chances with her."

"I won't, Highness." Tori looked at the screen again, where the black-clad girl was still slumped on the floor. She tried to feel satisfaction at a job well done, but instead all she felt was a creeping disquiet.

I truly hope this will not blow up in our faces.

End of Part Seventy-Three

[A/N: Evil cliffhanger is evil. Mwahahaha.]