Taylor collapsed onto the sofa in the Toybox break room. Her limbs trembled and she wasn’t sure which body she was reacting with. It could have been both for all she knew. Her shell had settled on the couch at Toybox, while her old flesh and blood body was on the Undersiders’ couch with Lisa watching Princess Bride, right.
She curled in on herself, unsure of why killing a Nazi was hitting her so hard and why it hadn’t set in until she was away from it all. They had planned to do so, Taylor knew what lines she would need to cross to accomplish her goals. She needed the Nazis on edge, to make mistakes. Changing the game was how she would accomplish it, and Coil offering a bonus for a dead Nazi was the tipping point.
She needed him to trust the Major, and she had numerous kills on her record with the military. The Major wasn’t Taylor, she was a face she wore, a mask in all but name. How Taylor wished she could have a portion of that strength at that same moment.
The door opened, and the Major had her pistol in hand in a blink, part of her programmed combat reflexes that were already bleeding over into her mind. Melissa stood there, hands up with palms out and an expression that twisted her stomach even further.
It was soft, and more than a bit of understanding as she entered the room. She lowered her gun, letting it drop beside her where it was returned to her holster. She then curled back up on herself. Melissa was someone she wouldn’t put on a front for, she had earned that much just as Lisa had.
“I saw the announcement,” Melissa said softly. “You killed someone.” All she could do was nod as Melissa took a seat next to her on the sofa. “Was that your first?”
Taylor nodded, curling up tighter. She wasn’t the Major right now, she was just Taylor, she had to be. That’s all she ever was really, no matter the mask she affected, she needed to remember that truth. Strong arms pulled her up and soon her head was in Melissa’s lap as fingers ran through her purple hair.
“You don’t need to be strong for me,” Melissa said softly. “I’ve been there, I know what it feels like when you take that first life.”
“Does it get easier?” Taylor asked.
“Unfortunately,” Melissa said. “Oh, I could lie, tell you it’s always going to eat at you, but like anything, it gets easier the more you do it. That is the sad truth of being a killer.”
Melissa had spoken with a level of conviction that surprised her, because she hadn’t thought of her as a hardened combatant. Experienced, yes. Someone who understood what it meant to be a killer? That she hadn’t expected.
Taylor knew that her path wasn’t going to be pleasant, anyone trying to change how things worked rarely found it to be an easy task. The Empire had been around for over twenty years, it was deeply rooted in the city, far more so than even the Protectorate. Getting her hands dirty had been unavoidable, so she decided to get it out of the way as quickly as possible in a way she could accept.
It was funny, she almost wished her shell was with Lisa at the moment, so she could be physically closer to her girlfriend. At least her mentor had come to check on her. She didn’t truly trust any instance of herself to be alone at the moment.
“Where’s your other half?” Melissa asked softly.
“With Lisa,” she answered. “We’re watching Princess Bride.”
Melissa chuckled, her hand still running through Taylor’s hair. “Sync up the movie on the TV over there, I’ll watch it with you.”
Taylor smiled softly, linking into Toybox’s extensive media server and found the movie file. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the Tinker collective actually handled all the imports from Aleph with how much was on offer. The movie came up, and she synced the playback, ending up where Westley was climbing the cliff.
“It’s amazing, you know,” Melissa said. At Taylor’s inquisitive side eye, she chuckled. “This is one of the few movies from the eighties that is identical to its Aleph import. Not a scene was changed despite Scion’s appearance some years before.”
Taylor blinked at the trivia, even as Westley caught his breath. The appearance of Scion was often speculated to be the dividing point that split Aleph and Bet, but there was more to it, as differences dating back as far as 1979 were sometimes found. Perhaps it was just a universal truth that the movie was perfect across all realities.
So, in two places, Taylor watched one of the greatest movies of all time with the two most important people in her life. Lisa had taken to massaging her scalp along the hidden seams that hid the brain case housing the communication suite which allowed her to maintain both lives. And the other, Melissa had taken to humming a tune that was so achingly familiar.
Her mother had once hummed that very tune to lull her to sleep whenever she had a nightmare, or she and Emma had been arguing… She wanted to ask about that song, but found herself far too relaxed to do so. Her eyes closed and she luxuriated in the moment, because despite everything, she was doing alright.
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Taylor awoke in an unfamiliar bed, both in her shell and her old body. She sat up quickly, the Major looking around while her old body was trapped in a pair of arms. She looked over, finding Lisa still asleep beside her frowning at the sudden motion.
“Go back ‘sleep,” Lisa muttered, curling up closer.
Taylor smiled, feathering a kiss on her girlfriend’s brow before doing just that. It was a perk of having two bodies, as her shell was under no such restrictions. Taylor didn’t recognize the room, but there were some personal affects here and there. She didn’t want to snoop, but there were a few pictures along the wall that drew her eyes.
None of the groups in them looked connected in any way. She did spot Melissa in one, a picture near a university with four others grinning with diplomas in hand. The next picture was another woman, passed out on a couch with a bong in hand and various things drawn on her face.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The next picture gave her pause, as she recognized the picture. The exact same image was among her mother’s journals, all of Lustrum’s capes, without their costumes. She was certain that no other copies survived, given how few managed to escape before the PRT dropped the hammer.
She wanted answers, but at the same time, Melissa must have known who she was all this time. It certainly explained her protectiveness of Taylor early on, as well as the reactions that hadn’t gone unnoticed. Melissa was linked to Lustrum’s movement in some way, that much was clear.
Given her mentor wasn’t present, it was likely she would need to find the woman first. Logging into Toybox’s systems, she checked on Damascian’s location, finding her in the now familiar break room. Taylor wasted little time letting herself out, making sure the door had locked behind her and made her way through the winding halls full of death traps and bland tile until she arrived at the small lounge.
Inside, she found Melissa and Harry discussing something over a plate of donuts and some coffee. Melissa grinned when she saw Taylor’s shell and waved her over.
“Morning Major, help yourself. Harry and I were just discussing some theories.”
She couldn’t help but return the smile. “Sure thing.”
The fresh pot of coffee smelled better than the usual fare that was on offer so she decided to be bold and try whatever brew was on offer. Taking a sip, she appreciated the bold flavor but added a scoop of sugar to take some of the bitterness out of it. She might have preferred tea, but sometimes coffee was what the day called for.
“I’m surprised your shell’s sense of taste is that accurate to your original,” Harry said. “How did you manage that?”
“Cranial and I did extensive mapping of my mind and nerves ahead of things,” Taylor said, grabbing a basic glazed donut. “We wanted to get things right, and they found it to be an interesting challenge for their equipment. I think we ended up doing several upgrades to their own systems as a result.”
“The joys of a good collaboration,” Harry said wistfully. “I should let you poke at my own stuff, see if there’s anything you can contribute.”
“Sure,” she said easily. “I actually had a favor to ask, but I’ll need a few days before I’m ready.”
Melissa’s face shed its emotions like water as she looked at Taylor. “Please tell me you aren’t already planning another strike.”
“I promised Regent,” she said softly, looking away from the woman who had proven to care about her in a way she hadn’t ever expected to experience again. “His father is Heartbreaker and his deal with Coil included protection from the man.”
“You want to go after a human Master?” Harry asked with a frown. “I know your cyber brain throws some effects off, but that is one hell of a risk.”
“I could see you sending your original body, or swapping the controller with your brain for it,” Melissa admitted. “Did you have a plan for this or were you still going half baked?”
“Tinkertech rifle from three to five miles out,” she answered. “He’s in a manor near Montreal. There’s a skyscraper with a perfect line of sight to his balcony.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow, and Taylor realized Melissa hadn’t thought that much planning had been done. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to end another life, but who really was? The feelings from Crusader were fresh, and as much of a monster as he was, Heartbreaker was the worst of the worst. Someone she could easily justify that wouldn’t trouble her conscience nearly as much as some of the others she considered.
A perfect second step, really.
“You’ve given this some thought,” Melissa said after a moment. “You’re determined to see this path through, aren’t you?”
“I need someone I won’t lose sleep over this time,” Taylor said softly. “Then the third won’t hit as hard. I’ll be able to take whatever steps I need from there.”
Taylor wanted to shrink back from the way Melissa was looking at her, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emotion behind her eyes. Next thing she knew, she was wrapped in a hug and fighting to keep the tears at bay. Taylor didn’t want to become a monster, but she knew that to fight monsters, it took one. Nobody else had stepped up to save her home, so she would do it.
Brockton Bay would be safe, no matter how many bodies it took.
“I’ll see about getting you a rifle capable of that shot,” Harry said after letting the moment linger. “Then I’ll get you an exit point onto that rooftop. That the man still lives is something that should have been rectified decades ago.”
Taylor nodded, still held tight in Melissa’s arms. It looked like she would be dealing with that problem sooner than she expected.
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Lisa finally stirred after nearly an hour, allowing Taylor to wiggle free. Her body might be remotely piloted, but it did still have needs. While Lisa shook off the dregs of sleep, Taylor slipped off to the bathroom.
Emerging some minutes later, she found her girlfriend glaring at the coffee pot, wishing it would brew faster. Laughing, Taylor flipped the switch to actually turn it on. Lisa nearly jumped, looking between the offending device and Taylor before finding the nearest chair and parking herself upon it with a heavy sigh.
“How long did you stay up after I passed out,” Taylor asked.
“A few hours,” Lisa answered, her face hidden in her arms on the table. “Brian had a few more questions and I had to tell him that the Major was a customer of yours from before she became active in the Bay.
Taylor chortled. “Ah, technically correct, the best kind of correct.”
“Right?” Lisa said cheerfully only for her face to fall a moment later. “I also tried to find more leads on Coil, but didn’t have any luck.”
Taylor grimaced, but didn’t say anything. The loft was of course bugged, but Taylor had taken several steps to prevent them from picking up anything incriminating. Whoever was the brains behind the man was a slippery bastard. They had three names now, all likely pawns of someone else. They could cripple Coil’s empire, but leaving the snake at the heart of it alive was just asking for trouble down the road.
“What about you? I get the feeling something interesting happened on the other side.”
Taylor looked back towards the hall, finding no movement. “I think Regent’s problem will be solved within the week.”
Lisa perked up, just as the coffee pot finished. “I thought the rifle would take longer to source.”
“Harry seemed keen on ending the man,” Taylor said, getting a cup poured for her girlfriend who accepted it as if it were a holy offering before she made one for herself, even if she did prefer tea. “Melissa was concerned, but seemed to accept my reasoning.”
“You’re really going to continue then?”
Smiling softly, Taylor leaned back in her chair. “This has gone on for too long, Lise. Something is rotten in Brockton Bay, and I’m determined to smoke it out.”
Lisa raised her cup in a toast before draining half of it. “Here’s to a better tomorrow.”
“It won’t be easy, but no path worth treading truly is.” Taylor smiled, lifting her own cup to Lisa’s. “Here’s to the friends we’ll make along the road to hell.”