If I ever did continue this, it'd probably be some strange shit with Taylor getting her espionage skills going on as CoilCalvert's right hand woman, in more ways than one.
Coil's Limp Snake
(Автор: Ziel)
Timeline B
Coil: This... I swear this doesn't happen a lot.
Taylor: *on top of the table, with Coil straddling her* ...Uh... It... Happens?
Coil: Just give me a minute.
Taylor: Maybe you're out of practice?
Coil: Said the virgin. No. I have plenty of sex. It's just...
Taylor: Are you hard yet? I have people to intimidate today.
Coil: GIVE ME A MINUTE! I— look. Just listen to me. I'm not used to.... this.
Taylor: Supervillain sex?
Coil: No. I'm not used to all this... consent.
Taylor: Oh.
Coil: This timeline is getting deleted for so many reasons. Until then, could you... I don't know... Struggle? Pretend I have a gun to your head?
Taylor: Oh no. Please help. I am being molested by a villain. Ahh. Like that?
Coil: ...good enough. And... Could you try to sound like a ten year old girl?
Taylor: ...
Coil: ...
Taylor: ...
Coil: All in favor of deleting this timeline?
Taylor: Aye.
Coil: Agreed. I look forward to a long and sexless partnership with you.
Taylor: ...do you see why we tried to murder you?
No Obligations
(Автор: Helpless Kittens)
Sarah shambled into her home, exhausted from the day. Her feet were sore, her back ached and her damned bra's wire had been digging into her flesh. With the tired fervor of the truly weary, she peeled off her shirt and unclasped the offending garment. The Super Hero known as Battery sighed contentedly as she tenderly rubbed the sore indentations.
"See, this is why I love being married to you. You work all day to bring home the paycheck, and when you get back, you immediately put on a show!"
Sarah glared at her erstwhile husband as he lay on their couch. "Shut up." She said without the usual umph.
"Not even a 'You jackass!' Or a slap upside the head? Must of been a long day. Tell me about it?"
He gestured for her to lay with him. The couch itself was just large enough for two if they liked each other, and even if she didn't always like to admit it, Sarah liked Ethan very much. She dropped onto her husband without worry for his safety, trusting his powers to redirect the force and her own to blunt any physics based repercussions. The weathered couch groaned under the force and the extra weight but held firm.
"Remember that new gang that robbed Lung?" Sarah asked as she used her husband's broad, firm chest as a pillow. "No hope that they're the 'Robs from villains only' type. Unless you consider moderately successful banks evil."
Ethan chuckled. "Those dastardly bankers! You'll never deny me a loan again!" He mock-cried in his best Cobra Commander voice. Sarah graciously did not tell him that it was utterly terrible.
"What's worse is they hit the bank in broad ass daylight right next to Arcadia."
"So naturally our crack team of Heroes stopped them dead in their tracks and you're tired because you had to spend hours doing processing paperwork, right?"
Sarah lifted her head to give Ethan a confused look.
"You know things never go that well. Your job used to be making sure that things don't go well even after miracles like that happen. Why would you even ask that?"
"I'm an optimist."
"You're a moron."
"Well, a moron like me got a second chance and a smoking hot wife, so I figure lesser miracles might happen too, Puppy."
Sarah put her head back down and sighed. "See, you almost hit it out of the park with that but you used that stupid pet name. You almost tricked me into thinking you were a great husband or something."
Ethan preened. "I am pretty great, aren't I? Could do with less verbal abuse though."
Sarah pressed her body a little harder against his. "Your boner says otherwise." She whispered huskily.
"It couldn't be that my sexy, sexy wife is topless on top of me. Nope. Not at all." His hands moved down her back in gentle patterns. Slowly, lightly, he teased his way down, down, down, until he reached her buttocks. With a firm grip on her ass, he pulled her upwards until they were face to face.
"Did you want something?" Sarah asked, her voice giving no hint to the blush on her face.
"Only what I've always wanted, Puppy." With sure strength, he flipped their positions, putting Sarah with her back to the couch and a lover on top.
"Ethan, I'm tired." Sarah protested, a long buried shadow raising it's ugly head from the mires of memory. "It's been a really long day..." Irrational fear began to fill her. Fear that he wouldn't...
Instantly, Ethan stopped. Relief flooded her as he got up and gave her some space. For a long time, Sarah lay there and let her heart slow down. As the adrenalin began to fade, she sat up on the beaten couch.
"You okay Sarah?" Ethan asked, worry etched on his face and carved in his tone.
"Yeah. I'm good. Sorry I ruined the moment."
"None of that. If you don't feel like having sex, then you don't have to. No obligations here." Ethan stated with complete seriousness.
"Remember that the next time you want me to watch a ballet. No obligations." Ethan stated with complete mock-seriousness.
"You ass." Sarah denounced him with a smile on her face.
Well . . . Shit
(Автор: volantredx)
Impossible. That was the first thing Tattletale thought when the announcement came over the bracelet. Leviathan deceased Shelter A-3. It just seemed so fantastical that her mind could only reject it even as her power told her the truth of the sentiment. Then the reports started to trickle in from the reports she could over hear, and the day went from impossible to fascicle. It wasn't Eidolon, or Scion or any of the other capes people talked about in the same tones people used to use when talking about Zeus or Adonis. It was just two local capes, nobodies really, beat a god. It was odd to see the way people talked about it.
'Not awed,' her power supplied. 'Shadow Stalker, Skitter, too real, too human for awe. Already considering how they might be the next Endbringer killer.'
It was ridiculous. It had to be luck or a fluke. Tattletale cared about Skitter, the poor girl was always one to get in to deep and somehow had just enough to make her attempts not to drown seem like expert swiming, and Shadow Stalker was just another thug with a badge. They weren't the kind to be able to wipe out something that could kill cities.
And yet, they did. Two minor nobodies from some nowhere city did what armies of capes couldn't before them. In that moment Lisa could almost see how the next part would play out. Taylor would go public about trying to be a hero, no way do the PRT not try to jump on her PR. She'll tell them about Dinah, the Undersiders, Coil. The full force of the Triumvirate would come down on him to show the world how much they trusted her. A week maybe two at most and Dinah would be back home, Coil would either be dead or in the 'Cage and the others, if they survive today, will either need to make themselves scarce or be hauled off to one Prison or another. Lisa took pride in being smart, smarter than anyone, and part of that was knowing a losing game before it was too late to fold. She could skip easy enough, in the chaos that follows an Endbringer attack she wouldn't be missed. She had plans, when Coil first brought her in to make a run for it, but as soon as she could she didn't want to, not without making sure Coil wouldn't follow. Now though, she could leave that to the new Endbringer slayer.
Maybe after everything settled down she'd get in touch with Taylor, girl could likely use a hug.
* * *
Armsmaster couldn't help the grunt of pain as the doctors helped to care for the remains of his arm. The worst was over they had assured him, the wound had been cleaned, and the bleeding stopped. Right now it was just a matter of insuring the bandages were in place. One of the healers would be by soon, depending on how bad the other triage tents had gotten. Still even without their diagnosis he knew it was unlikely that any would be able to reattach his arm. Already gears were turning in his mind, coming up with solutions, bionics or something like it. Ways to get him out there as soon as possible. The world had changed, and he wanted, no needed to be there to make sure that it didn't leave him in the dust.
He could at least take solace that he helped to change it. Between his early warning system and his Nanothornes he had a part in killing Leviathan. He needed to make sure that his part was well remembered. Even if he had to share with Sophia and Bug Girl. He would deal. Sophia of course would need to be watched, a moment like this would likely go far too much to her head. He knew nothing was so dangerous in a narcissistic sociopath like her than a boost to the ego. Bug Girl was another problem. He already informed Legend about her undercover scheme. It was likely after this she'd be joining the ranks of the Protectorate. She'd need watching too. Her attack on Lung, the stunt with the Charity Event, the girl's craving for glory often surpassed her ablity to deal with the aftermath. She too would need someone to reign her in. Though in truth Armsmaster doubted it would be needed. The girls were not likely to be let out on anything approaching danger again. The world needed them, and it needed them as symbols. The first priority would be to find out what they did and how they did it, and from there see if it could be done again.
If they were lucky they could create a weapon that would be able to do what those girls did today. Something to turn the tide against the monsters that had nearly driven the world to the brink. Someone would need to analyze all the data and understand all the angles. The girls would need guidance too, their lives were sure to become a quagmire of public opinion and politics. They'd need a mentor, a teacher to show them how the game was played. Luckily Armsmaster knew someone that could do both.
* * *
Taylor hated her life. That was by itself wasn't a new notion. It was almost a comfortable feeling, an assurance that she wouldn't get hurt. She had let herself forget that for awhile. Hanging out with the Undersiders, playing at being a villain, it may have been an act, but it was a fun act. That changed when she saw what they really were, and what they'd be a part of if they could justify it to themselves, and now with what happened today Taylor knew that it wasn't likely to be getting better. For all the pride she had about saving those people, saving all the people when she saw Leviathon fall as she threw the Halberd into his chest, as Shadow Stal-Sophia made it go through the outside of its shell and kill it, somehow, that all vanished when she saw who had helped her. Of all the people in the world that it could have been Taylor couldn't think of anyone worse than Sophia. It was something so awful Taylor almost laughed. Then the PRT started talking about press trips, training, studies. Spending days, or weeks or even months with no one but Sophia as company? Taylor almost thought she had died and this was her punishment for what she had done in the last few weeks.
It was somehow even worse than she thought though. When Sophia got over the shock of seeing Taylor's face Taylor had been expecting a familiar sneer or anger in her eyes. Instead it was something else entirely. Respect. Sophia respected Taylor now, and somehow that made Taylor's skin crawl worse than any of her bugs ever had. Still it wasn't so bad so long as she focused on the positives. She was a hero now. People said she was one of the greatest in the world. Alexandria herself came to Taylor's bedside to tell her how great she was. It was flattering and wonderful, but Taylor didn't feel like a great hero. Anyone could've and would've done what she had done. All she did was throw something because Sophia had dislocated her shoulder. Had the other girl been healthy she'd be the only one anyone would even think about. Taylor would be forgotten, just some footnote of a footnote. Forgotten and freindless as one of the worst people Taylor ever met got called the greatest hero in the world. She...didn't know if she could survive that really.
As it was Taylor didn't know how she was going to last the next few weeks, as she and Sophia were in the same hotels, buses, and had to play the united front for all the cameras. God she was going to be sick.
* * *
Sophia loved her life. She knew a lot of the weaker capes seemed to just fall apart after their trigger, they let it define them and break them. Sophia wasn't weak, and now she knew it for fact. She didn't let her trigger bring her down, didn't let the world try and shape her reality. She was the one that shaped the world. Ever since she dawned the mask her life had been like climbing a mountain. Hard work but every step was worth it. First she got to meet the hottest and coolest girl in town, managed to slip being thrown in the slammer for some stupid mistakes, and now? Now Sophia killed a god. Shit Eidolon couldn't pull that one off. Scion couldn't pull that off. She could though, and now the world was hers. It would bend over backwards to give her anything she wanted. She wanted a nicer house? They'd buy her one. She wanted Piggot out of her hair? They'd send that bitch to the ass end of the world. She could even tell them to send that Prisim girl over to her house in nothing but a silk robe and all they'd ask is what color she wanted the robe to be.
The only downside would be having to share the stage with Hebert and even that Sophia found...temperate? Not half bad. She didn't know where the little rabbit Hebert used to be went, but the wolf that was in its place was a welcome change. She figured it was like when they melted steel down to make it hard, put someone through enough hell and even a weakling has to become stronger or be totally destroyed. She helped break Hebert down until all the weak parts started to burn away. Until the girl could stand in front of a monster and not even flinch. So in a way she earned even more credit for killing Leviathain then, because without her Hebert wouldn't have been there anyway and no one would have killed the thing. Just more proof at how awesome Sophia was deep down. As if the world needed more. So she could deal with sharing the spotlight. They could play nice for the cameras, and if she looked as good as that suit suggested as it clung soaked to her, Sophia might even sound out playing nice away from the cameras too. If she had time.
Just a few months of boring talk shows and then she can go and shove another spear thingy right up Behemoth's ass or she'd get to nail the Simurgh right between the tits. Sophia let out a snort at her joke. She couldn't wait.
