(TAYLOR HEBERT) INTERLUDE

At first, Taylor did not know how Lady Photon would react to the sight of her.

She stood tense in her alien body, every instinct tuned toward flight or fight, the vibration running through her legs ready to translate thought into motion at a moment’s notice. The woman in white had arrived with confidence and ease, settling into the space beside her as though she belonged there, and Taylor had already learned the hard way that powerful people tended to come with expectations attached. For a brief, uneasy moment, she braced herself for fear or suspicion, or perhaps something worse, an attack born from caution rather than outright malice.

Then reason reasserted itself, cutting through the spike of anxiety as she forced herself to remember what she already knew.

The capes all knew.

Armsmaster and Dragon had told them about the watch, explaining what it could do, or at least what little they understood of it. Lady Photon would not be seeing a monster standing in front of her now, not after everything that had happened. She would be seeing a cape, strange and unsettling perhaps, but still undeniably a person.

The tension eased a little, though it did not disappear entirely. A small, nervous part of her remained alert, ready to run if the situation turned sour.

It did not.

Lady Photon did not raise her hands or shift into a combat stance. She did not gather energy in her palms or take to the air again in a show of superiority or caution. Instead, she simply looked at Taylor, her expression open and thoughtful rather than guarded, as though she were trying to see past the unfamiliar shape to the girl inside it.

“You are Taylor Hebert, right?” she asked.

The question was gentle, almost casual, and it caught Taylor off guard all the same. After a second’s hesitation—where she blinked to regain her composure—she nodded, the motion awkward and slightly stiff with a neck that did not quite move the way a human one should.

Lady Photon smiled.

It was not the polished, public smile of a hero addressing cameras or crowds, but something warmer and more personal, touched with genuine sympathy. It loosened something tight in Taylor’s chest before she could stop herself.

“I’m sorry if this isn’t how you envisioned your first fight as a cape.”

“Oh.” The word slipped out before Taylor could stop it, low and uncertain. She had not expected the apology, had not expected anyone to frame what had happened as something that belonged to her, as a beginning rather than an emergency she had been swept into by circumstance. She did not know how to respond, and so she said nothing.

Lady Photon continued, her voice still sincere. “And I’m also sorry you were outed. I can only imagine how suddenly that must have happened for you.” She paused, giving the weight of the words room to settle, before adding, “While I want heroes to embrace the kind of openness my team and family practice, I also know it isn’t for everyone. It has to be a choice.”

Taylor nodded again, the movement small and slightly jerky. Words hovered just out of reach, tangled up with too many emotions she did not have the time or space to sort through. She settled for listening, for letting the moment be what it was.

“That’s why I looked for you,” Lady Photon said. “I wanted you to hear this directly from me, not through someone else or through assumptions.” Her smile softened further. “You can come to New Wave whenever you need help with anything. Advice, protection, resources, or even just somewhere to breathe. We will be there for you.”

The words hit harder than Taylor had expected, drawing a sharp breath from her chest.

Her vision blurred for a moment, and she bowed her head slightly, claws curling as she fought the sudden pressure behind her eyes. This was what she had expected from the Triumvirate. Reassurance. Support. An acknowledgment that she was still a person, not merely a weapon or a problem to be managed. Receiving it now, from Lady Photon of all people, made the contrast impossible to ignore, and she realized with a dull ache just how badly she had needed to hear something like this spoken aloud.

She swallowed, steadied herself, and managed another nod. It felt like all she could safely give without coming apart right there and then.

Lady Photon seemed to understand the silence. She did not press for a response or try to fill it with platitudes. Instead, she glanced toward the massive shelter doors, her expression shifting from compassion to determination as her brows drew together.

Then she turned back to Taylor and gestured lightly toward the entrance.

“Come on,” she said, her voice warm and reassuring. “Let’s get you to your dad.”

Taylor happily obliged.