With Great Power: Origin

It was a day like any other when it happened. When Taylor's life changed forever.

She arrived at Emma's house in the early afternoon, ready and somewhat excited for the trip the two of them had planned for the afternoon. Normally Taylor wouldn't be nearly this excited just to go clothes shopping, even for the beginning of the school year, but the prospect of spending time with her best friend far outweighed the tedium of shopping for new outfits.

Though Emma sure was taking her sweet time getting ready…

“I thought you said you were almost ready to leave?” Taylor called out towards the bathroom her friend had been stuck in for the last hour.

“I am! I'm just fixing my mascara!” Emma called back, and Taylor groaned, falling back on the bed. Emma took forever to do her makeup, always needing to fix one thing or another. She'd be here for at least another half-hour.

Sighing, Taylor sat up and grabbed the backpack that was sitting by the bed, reaching into it to grab the thin notebook inside. She always stashed an extra here in case of situations like this, and it had come in handy more than once.

Opening it to the freshest page, Taylor looked over the equations that were written there and was happy to see that they were pretty up to date. Seemed like she used this notebook more recently than she remembered.

Pulling the pencil out of the spine, Taylor began the task of filling in the missing information, writing down equations with practiced ease from memory alone before moving on to the next part.

Emma would definitely criticize her for doing what basically amounted to self-assigned homework right before they were supposed to hang out, but Taylor had been working on those chemical equations for a while now and she was sure she almost had it.

“If I use this compound alongside this one, together they should work as a binding agent and react when the substance meets air.” She muttered to herself as she wrote down equations, “But that would make it harder to keep as a liquid at room temperature. It has to be a liquid or else it's completely useless… Maybe I could-no, that wouldn't work either.”

Taylor looked up from her notebook as the door to Emma's bathroom opened with a click, “Taylor, I can hear you muttering in here. I swear to god if I see that notebook in your hands…” She threatened as she emerged. Taylor immediately tossed the book back inside the bag alongside the pencil, kicking it underneath the bed with a thump that made her wince.

“I heard that!” Emma's eyes were narrowed as she walked out of the bathroom. She put her hands on her hips as she saw Taylor sitting there, looking guilty, “I thought I told you no homework when we hang out!”

“It's not homework!” Taylor protested loudly.

Emma rolled her eyes, “Right, sorry. What I meant was, I thought I told you no college level chemistry when we hang out! Any time you get stuck on something, you space out all freaking day! It's no fun hanging out with you when you're like that.”

“I don't space out!”

Emma just stared at her, “Tay, you nearly got hit by a car last time we went to the mall because you were going over differential equations in your head. If I didn't pull you out of the way, we wouldn't be having this conversation.”

“The light was red! I had the right of way!” Taylor protested, her cheeks hot at the memory.

Emma sighed, “I'm not having this argument again. I swear, I don't know why you stayed home from summer camp if you're just going to study. Why I had to have a best friend who's a literal freaking genius, I'll never know. Could have just had a normal group of friends but nooo, I had to make friends with the nerdy looking girl on the first day of elementary school.”

Taylor giggled at her monologue, “You know you love me.”

“Reluctantly.” Sighing again, Emma flipped her hair, “Anyway, how do I look? Is my makeup good? I’m using a new brand and I want to know if it looks okay.”

Taylor wasn't an expert in cosmetology, but she knew Emma looked as good as she always did. Being a junior model, she took much better care of her appearance than even some adult women, and she knew that. She was just fishing for compliments.

“You look great, Emma. Can we leave now?”

Emma’s eye twitched in annoyance, “Thanks Tay, you really know how to make a girl feel special.”

Taylor grinned, hopping off of the bed, “I try.”

“Maybe stop trying, you aren't good at it.” Emma sniffed, “And yeah, we can leave now. Let's go to Sephora first. I think they're having a sale.”

Taylor held back a sigh, already knowing she'd have to spend an hour watching her friend deliberate between shades of similarly colored makeup, “Fine, but we're going to the bookstore on the way back. It said online they just got in the book I wishlisted and I want to pick it up before it's gone. It'll only take a minute.”

“Ugh, you are such a nerd.” Emma said as they made their way downstairs, “Who reads during summer break?”

“People who want to enrich their minds?”

“I'd rather enrich my wardrobe. Do you think I could find a cute pair of pants under forty bucks? Daddy gave me my allowance for the rest of the month but I don't want to spend it all in one place.”

“For forty? At a thrift store maybe.”

Emma made a disgusted face, “Eeugh, don't even say that, Taylor. I'm nowhere near desperate enough to wear someone else's clothes.”

“You wear my clothes all the time!”

“Yeah, but I know you have at least basic hygiene.” Emma sniffed, “Though maybe you could use some better body wash. Your clothes smell like your dad.”

“Just for that, I'm taking my sweet time in the bookstore.” Taylor said, and Emma's eyes widened.

“Uhh, what I meant to say was that your body wash is perfect for you and there's no need to change anything! Yeah, that's it…” She laughed nervously.

Taylor pretended like she didn't hear her as they walked out the front door. “I think they just got a shipment of young adult sci-fi novels.” She mused out loud, deliberately teasing her friend, “It shouldn't take me more than an hour or two to pick out one I really like. You know how I like to read the first few chapters of a book to see if it's actually good.

“Taaaay!”

~~~

A few hours of boring yet somehow intense shopping later, Taylor and Emma slowly but steadily made their way home, arms laden with bags full of clothing and one book. It was getting late, the orange and yellow sunset having long been replaced with the cool blue of the slowly darkening sky, and both of them were there but satisfied with their haul.

Taylor's feet hurt from walking all day but she wasn't really focused on that as she chatted happily with her friend.

“So what do you think Winslow's gonna be like?” Taylor asked, wondering about the upcoming school year, “I heard that place is really rough. Like, gangs and stuff. You should have tried to get into Immaculata since you couldn't make Arcadia.”

“I wanted to. Daddy wouldn't let me, remember?” Emma responded, “He and Mom got into a big fight about it.”

Taylor made an ‘ah’ sound, “Oh yeah, I remember that. Didn't Anne get involved too?”

“Yeah. She didn't want me to go to Winslow either, but Dad insisted it was a good school and I should go. I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to lay the admission and transportation fee for Immaculata. Not to mention the uniforms, though I think I dodged a bullet with that one.”

Taylor shrugged, “I think they're kind of cute. In a Catholic school girl sort of way.”

“Of course you do.” Emma rolled her eyes, “Taylor, remind me never to come to you for fashion advice.”

Taylor gave her friend an annoyed look, “You remind yourself of that any time I bring up my clothes.”

“That's because your entire wardrobe is a disaster. I literally almost threw up last time I looked in your closet”

Taylor huffed, “I don't get it! What's wrong with my clothes?”

Emma sniffed, “There's not enough time in the day. I'll write you a list and mail it to you. You're paying the shipping fee though, I think it costs more to mail stuff over a few pounds and that's a lot of paper.”

“...You're mean.”

“It's called tough love, Tay. If I didn't bully you, how would you grow thick enough skin to survive high school?”

“By having a mean best friend to verbally tear down whoever tries to bully me?” Taylor said sarcastically as they took a shortcut through an alley, “If you're like this with me, imagine how mean be to someone you actually didn't like.”

Emma hummed thoughtfully, “That's true. I guess you should be glad I like you then.”

“I'm absolutely glowing with joy.” Taylor said in the dryest voice imaginable, making Emma giggle.

This happy atmosphere came to a screeching halt as someone stepped into their path, blocking their path before they could leave the alley.

“Hey there, neighbors!” A woman suddenly stepped out of the shadows, and both teens immediately tensed at the sight of her and the colors she was openly sporting.

Red and green were on prominent display. From the jacket she was wearing to her shoes and the bracelets on her wrists, those two colors remained constant. Taylor had lived in Brockton Bay all her life and knew what that likely meant. This woman was a member of the ABB.

And yet, that wasn't even the most intimidating thing about her, nor was the too-innocent look on her face. No, what was most unsettling about her, was the scars. They practically covered her face, from her forehead to her neck, the amount of scarred tissue far outweighed the smooth skin on display.

She was wearing a surgical mask, but both of the girls could clearly see the thick, jagged pink scars peeking out from underneath the mask, sliding along her face and jaw, and instantly knew that it was there for a reason.

The woman tilted her head, and Taylor instinctively stepped closer to Emma as she spoke, “And where are you two cuties heading off this time of night? Aren't you a little too young to be out by yourselves?”

Both girls tensed at the word usage, reminded all at once of the trade the ABB was most infamously known for. Sex-trafficking.

They turned around at a noise behind them, and Taylor felt her heart sink into her stomach as two men walked into the alley as well, effectively blocking them in with the woman.

“Taylor…” Emma whispered, and Taylor just nodded, stepping closer to her friend as the scarred woman stepped forward.

“No need to leave so soon. You should know better than to wander the streets at night. Especially in this part of town.” The woman grinned sickly as she looked them both up and down, obviously leering at them in a disgusting fashion, “Two pretty, young girls like you… someone might just snatch you up!”

“Especially the redhead! I wouldn't mind having a go at her myself!” One of the men behind them laughs, and Taylor's fists clenched as Emma shivered in equal parts horror and disgust.

“No using the merchandise before the customer. Virgins pay a premium. We could probably get at least double out of these two.”

Taylor looked at Emma, wondering what they should do. They couldn't run without being caught, but if both of them knew what would happen if they stayed. Their eyes met, and unspoken words passed through their gazes, before Emma's expression suddenly tightened.

Taking a deep breath, the redhead squared her shoulders and walked forward. Shocked by her actions, Taylor reached out to her friend, “Emma, what are you doing?”

Emma ignored her, stepping right up to the scarred woman full of false bravado, “You won't touch us.” She declared.

The woman raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Where's this confidence coming from all of the sudden?”

“It's coming from the fact that we're in public, and it's nowhere near late enough that nobody will hear us.” As if to prove her point, a car drove by on the street behind them, the headlights sliding through the alley and casting long shadows on the wall.

Despite this, the scarred woman looked utterly unconcerned by Emma's words, “You're a brave one, ain't ya? Or maybe you just don't realize what's going on here.”

Something inside of Taylor balked at her tone, and Emma opened her mouth, but in a sudden blur of movement, the masked woman punched her in the stomach. She fell to her knees, clutching her abdomen as the air was forced out of her lungs in one fell swoop.

“Emma!? Taylor screamed as she saw her friend go down. She tried to run to her aid, but the two men behind her grabbed her arms, keeping her restrained. She jerked against their arms fruitlessly, tearing up at the sight of her friend in pain, “Let me go – EMMA!”

The masked woman ignored her screams as she stepped towards the downed redhead, “I love the brave ones. They always think they're hot shit until they get hit, then they're pussies just like everyone else. Now then, let me get you up to speed on how exactly this is going to go down. Here's a hint, nobody's coming to help you.”

Emma attempted to rise, but the woman kicked her in the side, sending her down again, “Ah ah ah, stay down, Red. This'll be much harder if you fight back. Trust me.”

Emma shook but didn't try to rise again as the woman stepped over her, putting on leg on either side of her pitifully shivering body. She reached into her pocket as she knelt down, and Taylor's heart stopped as she pulled out a short metal object. There was a click, and a gleaming blade was unveiled to those present, moments before it was out to Emma's throat.

Emma went stock-still at the feeling of the cold steel pressed against her throat, and the woman grinned, enjoying her fear, “I saw you staring at my scars earlier. Don't you know it's rude to look at people like that? It's okay though, I know you're just curious. Why don't I tell you how I got them?”

Emma whimpered and Taylor grit her teeth pulling against the men holding her even harder. The woman spared her a glance, before turning back to Emma, “I was like you once. Young, stupid, pretty. Well, maybe not as pretty as you. This hair is such a beautiful shade of red. Maybe I should take some for myself.”

She ran her blade along the side of Emma's head and the girl whimpered, “No… After what I'm about to do to you, you'll need it. Girls like you are a luxury these days. Did you know that less than three percent of people are born with red hair? Our clients will pay a lot for a natural redhead. No matter how fucked up your face is.”

The woman shook her head, “Anyway, enough of that. I was about to tell you a story, wasn't I? Let's see… I think it was around two years ago now. I was on the way back home from a friend's house. Figured that even though it was late, I was old enough to make the journey alone, just like you two. And then I was caught, just like you two.”

The woman stared off into the distance, reminiscing, “I wasn't stupid enough to try to fight back, or maybe I was just too scared. Maybe I thought that if I went with what he said, I'd get out alive. It's all a blur by now, except for what he did next.”

She caressed Emma's face with the knife, making her whimper, “The man who caught me climbed on top of me… pinning me to the ground. I thought he was going to rape me right there in that dingy little alley, but what he did instead wasn't nearly as bad as that, and yet so, so much worse. He pulled out a knife, much bigger than this tiny little thing, and asked me a simple question.”

Reaching up to her face, the woman pulled her mask down and Taylor wanted to throw up at the grisly sight that was revealed.

The scars on the edges of the woman's face didn't end just there. Her mouth was a mess of jagged flesh and torn muscle. Scars crisscrosses what little was left of her lips, like a chef had used her mouth as a whetstone to sharpen their knife. A good portion of her teeth were exposed, leaving her with a perpetual smile/grimace as if she were in constant pain.

It was absolutely horrific, and the sight was only made even worse as the woman grinned widely, “Eyes, ears, mouth, or nose?”

The question hung in the air like a noose, and the woman pulled her mask up again, “I'm sure you can tell which one I chose. But I wonder, someone as pretty as you… will your choice be the same?” Her eyes crinkled with her sadistic smile, “Why don't we find out?”

The woman brought the knife closer to Emma's skin, and Taylor screamed, “STOP! Let her go! Please! Y-you can hurt me instead, just let her go!”

“Oh don't worry, you're next. Keep her still, boys.” The woman didn't even look back at Taylor as she begged, “Make sure she sees this. Don't let her look away. She should know what she's in for.”

She leaned in, "I know I said we shouldn't damage the merchandise, but we can always put a bag over your head. Most of that shit's done in the dark anyway. Besides, some of those freaks are into it."

Taylor's struggles renewed as the woman brought the knife down towards her best friend's eye, “Times up, Red. I chose for you. Do me a favor and grit your teeth. This is gonna hurt like a bitch. Trust me.”

Emma met Taylor's eyes, and Taylor could see her silently pleading with her, asking her not to let this happen. Begging her to help her somehow, and something inside Taylor snapped like a frayed rope and everything went black.

Destination…
Agreement

Her vision returned like she had simply blinked, and yet Taylor could tell that she had been out for far longer. One of the men holding her limp body up was slapping her on the face, trying to wake her, and the woman who was about to mutilate her friend was looking at them with annoyance as she said something Taylor couldn't make out over the buzzing in her head.

Glancing down, Taylor met Emma's eyes again. Saw the fear still present there, and all at once her cognizance returned. She didn't care what had just happened to her. Emma was still in danger.

Taylor jerked her arms, hoping that the element of surprise would let her break free and do… something, to help Emma. Only, instead of her slipping from their limp fingers as she took advantage of their surprise, something much stranger happened.

As Taylor pulled her arms back to jerk them forward again, her forearms slammed into both of the men's chests. There was a loud crack, like someone splitting a log of wood in two, and the men went flying several feet away with shouts of pain, falling to the ground and clutching their broken ribs.

There was a long pause as everyone present registered what just happened, and even Taylor was left staring at the downed ABB members in stark surprise, before she slowly looked down at her hands, wondering what in the world had just happened.

“Well… shit. Never thought I'd see that happen in person.” The woman holding Emma down slowly stood up and Taylor's head snapped upwards, and her eyes narrowed.

She squared her shoulders putting as much confidence into her voice as she could despite her confusion, “Let Emma go. Now.”

“Alright, alright. Here, I'm backing away, see?” The woman tossed the knife on the ground, kicking it away, “And I'm unarmed, aren't I nice? I don't want any trouble.”

Taylor's fists clenched, “You don't want trouble!? You were about to carve my friend's face up just because she talked back to you.”

To her immense anger, the woman just shrugged, “Eh, call it a crime of passion. She made me mad and I overreacted, but I'm cool now. Friends?”

Blazing anger pulsed in Taylor’s chest at the woman's non-serious demeanor and she slowly walked forward. The woman held her hands up, actually looking slightly afraid, “Woah, woah! Come on! No need to do something rash!”

Taylor ignored her stepping up to Emma as the woman edged around her along the alley walls. She only had eyes for her friend as she reached down, holding her hand out for Emma to take. “Are you okay, Em?” She asked softly.

Emma stared at her with wide eyes, before she slowly shook her head, placing her hand in Taylor's, “No. I'm… I'm really not.”

Taylor pulled her up, placing a steadying hand on her shoulders as the redhead's legs nearly buckled beneath her, “It's okay. I got you...”

Suddenly, something in the back of Taylor's head screamed at her. It was like the fight-or-flight reaction you would get to bring jump scared time one thousand, and it urged her to move to the side. She found herself obeying automatically, stepping to the left, moment before a deafening bang rang through the alley.

Everything went still all at once, and horror slowly trickled into Taylor's veins as the acrid smell of gunpowder tickled her nose, moments before Emma fell to the ground in a heap, a deep crimson stain blossoming on the stomach of her baby blue shirt.

A second later, time resumed once more, and Taylor stared down at her friend numbly, before her eyes widened in absolute horror.

“EMMA!” She screamed in despair as she stared at her wounded friend. Someone clicked their tongue behind her and Taylor slowly turned around to see the scarred woman pointing a gun in her direction, looking oddly dissatisfied.

“Well aren't you lucky? First you get powers, then you dodge a bullet without even looking.” She adjusted her aim, “Or maybe I just have shit luck. Why don't we try again, eh friend?”

Her finger squeezed the trigger and Taylor's head rang like a bell. Her body tensed as her instincts screamed at her once more, but she didn't need to worry. Just before the woman could fully pull the trigger, a small arrow shot from the darkness above them, finding its home deeply inside of her wrist.

“Fuck!” The woman dropped the gun, clutching at her new wound as blood gushed around the shaft of the arrow. Together, she and Taylor looked towards its origin, and were met with a sight that both infuriated the former and brought a semblance of relief to the latter.

Sitting on the lip of the alley and highlighted by the glow of the rising moon, was a figure clad in dark colors with a stark white hockey mask on her face. She was holding a crossbow between their legs, reloading the weapon with a bolt gathered from her quiver, and Taylor's mind, full of information gathered from cape forums and sub threads, automatically supplied her with the figure’s identity. Shadow Stalker. A hero.

“Oh goddamnit! You dumb clam-jamming bitch!” It seemed the scarred woman recognized her too, as the moment her eyes locked onto the kneeling figure she cursed loudly. Finished reloading Shadow Stalker pointed her crossbow at the woman who cursed again, “Fuck you!”

The woman shot up at Shadow Stalker who shifted states, momentarily becoming a gaseous mass of shadowy vapor which the bullets passed through without an iota of resistance. As she turned back to normal, it was to find that the woman had turned and ran, booming it out of the alley and leaving both of her men to their fates as she rushed to save her own skin.

There was a thwack and the twang of an elastic band releasing its held tension, and a bolt slammed into the ground mere centimeters behind the woman's heel, sinking deep into the concrete like it was made of warm butter. She didn't slow or stop running as the cape above them cursed at her missed shot, disappearing out of the alley and into the night beyond.

Taylor didn't care about any of that though. A whimper sounded through the alley, and she was suddenly reminded of her friend who was lying on the cold, hard ground and possibly bleeding out right this minute.

Taylor rushed to Emma's side and kneeled down, ignoring the way that her knees dug into the concrete below her as she hovered over her best friend with stark concern. Adrenaline pumped through her body and her hands shook as she stared into Emma's eyes, before they trailed down to her wound.

There was so much blood. It had long since ruined Emma's shirt and was making good headway into soaking her pants as well, and Taylor's hands hovered nervously over the wound, unsure of what she should do.

Shadow Stalker landed on the ground behind her with a thud, but Taylor barely spared her a glance as she put pressure on the wound. Emma gasped in agony, lurching upwards as more tears rolled down her face, and Taylor felt herself tear up as Emma's head turned towards her, eyes blow wide with fear

“Tay, I-I can't…” Emma's face was pale and her pupils were dilated. Taylor had never seen her friend so terrified in her life. She put more pressure on her wound, panic setting in as her friend tried to speak, “I can't-”

“Shhhh, it's okay, Emma. I- I’ll use your phone and call an ambulance! Everythings gonna be fine!” Taylor's voice shook, but she tried to keep a brave face in spite of her worry.

Emma shook her head and her eyes filled with even more tears. She gripped Taylor's bicep hard enough to bruise, and spoke six words that shook the brunette to her core

“Taylor, I can't feel my legs!”