Novels2Search

Interlude - Lisa

Stepping inside Toybox was a surreal experience for Lisa, her power kept drawing her attention to things, then blanking on explanations for what each device did. It wasn’t the first time Tinkertech had left her with blind spots, Taylor certainly could when it came to her cyber brain bullshittery but otherwise she was perfectly readable.

That alone made her such a tempting target to manipulate, and she had set out to do so at the mall. It was going so well, then that red headed bitch stuck her nose into things and Lisa got a glimpse of what Taylor didn’t normally show others. There was viciousness lurking beneath and after seeing the clues, how Taylor was once betrayed, Lisa resolved to not be another Emma.

So, she set out to befriend her, without the goal of manipulation. It ended up working better than any attempt at manipulation ever could. It scared Lisa a little how easily she found herself in Taylor’s trust, and no matter what angle she approached it from, she couldn’t see any sign that Taylor was out to use her. Just the barest hint that Taylor had asked someone to look into Lisa, but whoever it was proved to be discreet.

Lisa shook off those thoughts and took in the lab that looked like it was ripped right from generic sci-fi series eighteen. Not that she had any other Tinker labs to compare it to, Armsy kept those surprisingly secure. A woman was waiting for them with a smile on her face. Taylor wasted no time stepping up and pulling her into a hug before pulling back and gesturing between them.

“Damascian, this is Tattletale,” Taylor said.

The woman chuckled. “Taylor, none of us have masks today.” Turning to Lisa, the woman continued. “Call me Melissa.”

Friendly with Taylor. Sees her as family. Will kill to protect Taylor. Not Melissa. Split personality. Melissa currently in control but others watching. Power quirk. Plural. Not hostile.

Lisa winced at the influx of information but considered the possibilities. Melissa wasn’t hostile, which was a plus, and Taylor didn’t show any signs of wariness around the woman. She took a breath and plastered a smile on her face while extending her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Melissa. Call me Lisa.”

“A pleasure,” she answered. “Riley is in the prep area, we’re just waiting on Amy now.”

“She has to shake her sister,” Taylor said. “We should be able to run Lisa through most of the preliminary things before we need her regardless.”

“True enough,” Melissa conceded. “Shall we get introductions taken care of then?”

“Sure,” Lisa said, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Stepping into one of the side rooms, her stomach dropped at the sight of the operating table. Several arms surrounded it with various devices attached. She swallowed, even as the occupants turned to greet her. One was a small girl with straight, blonde hair. The other was a taller woman with light brown hair. Her power latched onto the latter first.

Not original body. Switched brain out with help of another cape. Is transgender. Does not identify as male or female. No civilian name. Cape identity fully embraced.

That was an interesting bit of information, and unless she was wrong, the cape in question was Cranial, one of the few Toybox capes known by the general cape geek. Then the chipper blonde bounced forward.

“Hi, I’m Riley but you probably know me as Surgeon,” she said cheerfully.

Genuinely excited for what they are attempting. Has done experiments on brains before. Has altered powers before. Curious as to what she can do with your own power.

Lisa blinked. There was more there than she probably wanted to know, but she didn’t want to pry. She knew that many capes in Toybox had multiple identities or hid their activities with the Rogue conglomerate from common knowledge. It wouldn’t surprise her if other capes had contracted Surgeon for less ethical operations.

Still, Lisa took her hand and shook it. “Lisa. I hope you understand that I’m a bit nervous about all of this.”

“Well, you are a Thinker,” Riley said with a nod, turning back to some device on one of the arms. “We were actually counting on you over thinking things so we could figure out exactly what causes your headaches and neutralize them. Cranial and I have equipment that can do it too, but Amy’s bioscan is way better than what our tech can manage.”

Implying Amy can affect brains. Information a surprise to nobody present. Amy purposefully sandbagging as Panacea. Full biokinetic implied.

Okay, it seemed that Lisa was going to have all kinds of new nightmares about the people around Taylor. She considered just running, disappearing across the country, but if Amy snapped, nowhere would be safe. Toybox as a group would help her manage the worst of her impulses and provide an outlet. Hopefully that would be enough to let her sleep at night.

Taylor had found a place that made her feel like she belonged, perhaps it would do the same for Amy. Maybe Lisa could find a place among them as well once Coil was dealt with. The only reason she had gone along with the idea was that she might be able to solve the mystery of who Coil was with no limits on her power.

Okay, that was part of it. The other half was that she did genuinely trust Taylor to have good intentions about everything. That didn’t mean she trusted the rest of Taylor’s associates, however. Like, why was a Ward working with what was practically a villain group? She wanted to dig into those secrets but she could already feel a migraine forming and they would likely need her to intentionally make it worse to figure out the source and how to prevent it.

Looking over, Taylor was already at work on something, completely unaffected by the dangerous people around her. Taylor, who struggled to trust anyone, felt completely secure among the people currently giving Lisa nightmares.

“Amy’s here,” Taylor said, not having looked up from her own station. “Lisa, if you could go change into the gown over there then lay down on the table?”

She could tell Taylor was already immersed in the technical details of whatever aspect of the project she was going to spearhead, so it was best to just go along with it. By the time she finished changing, Amy was right there alongside Riley, going over something on a tablet.

She could tell Amy was still ticked over the double date and how Vicky had apparently set her up with an Empire sympathizer, but was focusing on the project as a way to avoid doing anything drastic. That threat to give him cancer wasn’t idle after all.

Lisa walked over and hopped up, taking a seat on the table, thankful that shorts had been included with the gown. Amy nodded to Riley then turned to Lisa.

“Okay, lay back please,” Amy said. “We’re going to attach a few monitors to your head, they will provide imaging records to corroborate what my power tells us.”

Doing so, one of the arms swung down with a few suction cup devices which fit snugly to her forehead.

“Any discomfort?” Riley asked.

Lisa shook her head. “Bit cold, but that was expected.”

“The table will be cooled further once the procedure begins,” Cranial said. “Hmm, the area around her Gemma appears inflamed.”

“I see it,” Amy said with a frown. “Lisa, if you could, push your power a bit.”

“I was dreading this,” she muttered but focused on Riley.

What secrets were lurking below that would lead a celebrated Ward to work with an illegal Tinker collective?

Powers more than stated on PRT public and private records. Hiding unsavory aspects. Has performed non-consensual surgery on others. Has done so within the last two weeks. Has secondary identity for such activities.

Lisa winced as a spike was wedged into her skull from that freshly delivered information. She didn’t like the implications, but she was already here and she couldn’t see Taylor allowing Riley to do anything unsavory in such a situation. She had to trust her friend first and foremost, even if she kept finding herself glancing at her for reassurance.

“The inflammation is worse now,” Amy said, Cranial nodded in agreement. “The portion of her mind appears benign other than creating pain. Map the connections, I’ll see what happens if I remove the connection points to her pain centers.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Connections mapped,” Taylor said. “Let’s see what happens.”

Amy nodded and a moment later the pain subsided almost completely.

“Oh wow,” Lisa said, a dopey grin splitting her lips. “Can I get that in a bottle?”

Amy snorted. “Sorry, not my specialty.”

“I might have a micromachine solution,” Taylor said. “Still, working through everything is for the best. Alright, are we good to have her run through more Thinker stuff?”

“Go for it,” Riley said. “I’m eager to get inside her head and this is just keeping me from that.”

Secondary cape identity known to few. Classified by PRT. Extremely classified. Fathers both aware. Fathers both involved with identity. Fathers both active with her. Melissa active with her.

The pressure in her head grew, but there was still no pain to accompany it.

“Interesting,” Amy said. “You seeing this?”

“I am,” Cranial confirmed. “This might be trickier than expected, but I think we can solve it easily enough.”

“Agreed,” Riley said. “We should sedate her soon and get in there to test a few methods.”

“We can’t push her power while she’s not conscious,” Amy said. “We need to see if she can drive herself to hemorrhage or if it remains superficial pain rather than due to actual damage.”

“You heard the girl,” Riley said enthusiastically. “Think a bit more for us and we can really get started.”

Extremely eager to poke at your Corona and Gemma. Has extensive experience doing so. Most experience is under second identity. Part of a team. Team is well known. Team is infamous. Second identity has a public kill order. Only cape her age that fits is Bonesaw. Riley is a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine.

“That should do it,” Riley, no, Bonesaw said with a smile. “Sleep well, Lisa!”

Lisa’s eyes widened and she moved to speak, but felt a pinprick on her neck as cold quickly spread through her body. She wanted to scream, to run in terror, but her entire body was locked in place. The fear spread through her just as swiftly as the sedative, but despite her best efforts, consciousness fled from her.

----------------------------------------

Lisa blinked awake, awareness creeping back slowly from the darkness of unconsciousness. Her thoughts were sluggish, and she felt that there was something important she should know. She lifted a hand to her face, rubbing at her eyes.

“You’re awake,” a chipper voice said.

Lisa’s eyes shot back open, the voice sending a chill through her. She turned and saw a blonde girl sitting on a stool beside her bed. Riley, her mind supplied. Also known as Surgeon, as well as Bonesaw, apparently. Her heart began to hammer in her chest and one of the devices nearby began to beep frantically.

“Hey, don’t panic,” Bonesaw said. “The procedure was a success, nearest we can tell.”

“You’re Bonesaw,” Lisa said with a raspy voice.

Bonesaw sighed. “I was afraid of that. Always a risk when working on a Thinker that they might figure it out. Dad, could you come in?”

A man stepped inside and Lisa turned her head. He had dark hair and was clean-shaven, but given the clues she had gotten prior, it was likely he was also a member of the Nine. Considering the active roster, it didn’t take much to figure out that he was Jack Slash.

“Hello Lisa, my name is Jacob, but I suspect you have figured out my other identity,” he said easily, with what would normally be a comforting smile on his face. “I doubt this will be reassuring, but we aren’t going to hurt you.”

“You’re right, it isn’t reassuring,” Lisa said sitting up. She tried to turn her power on them but found it not answering her mental signal. Lisa turned back to Bonesaw, a snarl on her lips. “The fuck did you do with my power?”

“We gave you an off button,” she answered. “It was Taylor’s idea, now that you’re basically unrestricted. Your Corona and Gemma are now directly wired into your new cyber brain, as is the toggle. Taylor will walk you through things when she gets in here, but this conversation needs to happen first.”

“What conversation is that?” Lisa demanded. “Because you have to admit this is suspicious as all hell.”

“Yes,” Jack Slash said with a smirk. “Quite suspicious that a celebrated Ward also happens to be the most feared member of the Nine. It’s almost like it is a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. Pity your power is currently off, because the conclusions you might come to without pain to hold you back would probably be quite entertaining.”

“Goes to the top,” Lisa said incredulously. “You’re telling me that Legend and the Chief Director know about you?”

“I report directly to Legend. He sanctions most of our deployments,” Jack Slash confirmed. “We have been on their payroll ever since Kurt and I killed King and took over. We figured a deniable force would do the PRT good for removing those they couldn’t eliminate publicly. The higher ups all agreed.”

“That’s insane,” Lisa said, her mind racing as she tried to remember everything she could about the Nine over the years.

“No, what’s insane is the paperwork you’re going to have to fill out,” Riley said with a shiver. “Or you would if you were a hero… Huh, what’s the policy on villains learning again?”

“A threat to kill them if they out us is my go to,” Jack Slash said with a shrug. “I don’t think that will be necessary however, wouldn’t you agree, Lisa?”

“Yeah no, I get it,” Lisa said. “Fuck, this is way too much to take in.”

“Could be worse,” Jack Slash said. “Melissa learned about us when she inherited the Butcher mantle after someone stuck poor Pyro with one of the knives Damascian made for me through Toybox.”

“Mel apparently woke up screaming,” Riley added with a wince. “Decades of memories being dumped in your brain tends to do that.”

“Never mind her predecessors’ attempts to reassure her,” Jack Slash added. “Thankfully Toybox was already familiar with Kurt and Riley, so integrating her properly went a bit smoother than Pyro’s own initiation.”

“Does Taylor know about all this?” Lisa asked.

“Not at all,” Jack Slash said with a shake of his head. “She was someone who needed help at a critical moment in her life and Toybox was able to provide it. She’s a sweet kid and unless something drastic changes, I don’t see a need to inform her that her friends are all hardened killers.”

“Yeah,” Bonesaw said softly. “My power drives me to experiment, and some of the ideas I have just can’t be dealt with in other ways. That’s why Dad took me in. The adoption came later.”

“Her parents were dangerous criminals,” Jack Slash explained. “We killed them, not knowing she was watching. She triggered and tried to help them… We had to put them back down and get her away.”

“It took me years to get over that,” Bonesaw mumbled. “The Bonesaw persona is an act now, but at the start it wasn’t. I didn’t accept that Dad actually wanted to help me for years and tried to play the part I thought he would want.”

“I got my therapy degrees to help her,” Jack Slash said softly. “Now Riley’s my daughter and I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

Lisa desperately wished for her power, which was almost ironic given how long she had dreamed of an off button to the nagging voice in her head. There she was, at the mercy of two of the most feared people in the world, and they both seemed so sympathetic with their stories.

“Why tell me all this?” Lisa asked after a moment.

Jack shrugged. “Taylor trusts you, but not everyone within Toybox does. We’ve looked into you, mostly to ensure that you’ll never hurt her.”

“Taylor is family,” Bonesaw said with an enthusiastic nod. “So, here’s the ultimatum. Hurt her in any way, and I get to play with you. I’m sure you don’t need your power to understand that one.”

Lisa swallowed hard, a cold sweat building across her body as her imagination ran wild. Being the plaything of Bonesaw was considered one of the worst fates a cape could experience in life, and there the little monster was, threatening her with just that.

Yet, it was done in defense of Taylor, the girl who had extended her trust and friendship so willingly when Lisa showed the barest level of kindness and respect. That was all the window Lisa would have needed to have Taylor eating out of her hand, and yet, it felt wrong. She wasn’t sure if it was the way she reminded Lisa of Reggie, or if it was her history of trust and betrayal, but Lisa couldn’t bring herself to do that to her, even if she was useful.

So, she’d taken the friendship route, at least at the start. Taylor just treated her like she was another girl. Never attempted to use her for her powers, never had expectations, just a desire for a friend. It made sense, it wasn’t like Taylor needed Lisa’s powers for anything, she could fake them well enough.

She wasn’t sure when it started, but Lisa found herself starting to imagine the future. Not one where she was doing all she could to avoid becoming Coil’s drugged up Thinker, but one where she was happy. Taylor was always there in those idle fantasies, and she wasn’t sure how to process that. When had Taylor become a part of her life that she never wanted to let go of?

Even with the threats now hanging over her head, Lisa had zero intentions of hurting Taylor in any way, shape, or form. Jack Slash, the Butcher, fucking Bonesaw, none of them mattered. What mattered was keeping that smile on Taylor’s face.

A knock at the door startled Lisa from her thoughts and the door opened a moment later. Taylor stepped in, her grin growing wide as she saw that Lisa was awake. Lisa was struck by the sight, at how genuine the joy appeared.

“All good?” she asked, looking past Lisa to the terrifying girl sitting just feet away.

“Yup!” Bonesaw said cheerfully. “Her powers are off and everything! She just needs you to walk her through the bootup process for her new bits.”

Taylor pulled Bonesaw into a hug. “That’s great news Riley! Just think of what we can do with this knowledge. Maybe we can even figure out a way to help the Case 53s.”

Lisa watched as the pair descended into excited Tinker babble and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jack Slash smiling fondly at the antics. They were monsters, by all rights she should be terrified of them, yet watching Taylor and Riley…

She couldn’t deprive Taylor of that, and if that girl’s influence on Lisa was anything to go by, who knows what effect she could have on the literal Nine?

“Hey Tay!” Lisa called out, tapping the side of her head. “You can talk shop with Riley later. Can you walk me through getting all this stuff set up?”