Dragon's Progeny: Chapter 74

With Great Power will update later today!

It was a bit strange, how quickly Tattletale had become a near constant in my life, or at least the Parahuman side of things. I used to wonder what I might do if I ever got my hands on any of the Undersiders, but now I regularly chat with one at least three times a week.

That was just how things in this line of business worked, of course, but it still came as a bit of a shock every time I looked back on it.

“Okay, so I just got confirmation from Bitch.” The voice rolled in my ear through the phone, slightly tinny from the fraying connection. “She's in as long as you give her some proof that you'll keep your promise.” 

I fought back a smile at the news. “I already have a suitable location picked out. I'll have one of my people clean it up and then she can take a look for herself. I'm sure she'll like it. It's one of the properties we took from the Empire.”

I could hear Tattletale’s smirk “Poetic justice, huh? I'm not sure she'll get it but I'll let her know. She'll appreciate the reminder that they're gone either way.”

“I’ll admit, I'm a little surprised she's willing to join. I imagined she would rather step to the side like Regent instead of actively conspiring against her employer.”

“Regent's just lazy. You gave him an option to do nothing and get paid for it and he took it. Bitch is a little harder to read, but I think she's doing what she thinks is best for her dogs.”

Well either way, she would be useful in the upcoming operation. Bitch’s power may be simple, but I wouldn't say no to another bruiser to secure my plan.

“Have you heard anything from Grue?” 

Since our meeting last week, Tattletale professed that the man had been completely ignoring her calls and texts. Apparently he was more than a little annoyed at her perceived betrayal when it came to speaking to me and had cut off contact.

“Nothing yet. I know he's been getting my texts but he’s leaving me on read like I’m his ex or something.” She huffed and I frowned in slight concern. 

“Do you think he’ll warn Coil of our plans?”

“Him? No. He might be pissed at me, but he knows I’m right. Coil was never going to give him custody of his sister; that was just a carrot on an extremely long stick. He’ll probably turn up after everything’s over.”

As long as he stayed out of my way, I was more than happy to play nice with him and even put in a good word with the heroes – for as little good as my word would do. That being said, I was certainly going to put some feelers out and see if any of my men could find him. Having a rogue element wandering around right now was the last thing I needed.

“Please let me know if you hear anything from him.”

“Will do.” She said, followed by a click in the background of the call. “Are you still keeping the heroes in the dark about this? It’s gonna make things a whole lot harder to spring it on them last minute, you know?”

“Considering Coil’s position it only seems prudent that we remain as tight-lipped about this as possible, at least in regards to the PRT. I’ve informed Piggot of our plans and she seems amenable.”

“I guess that’s one way to put it. I bet she was spitting fire over this.”

I recalled my meeting with the woman, and the borderline blasphemous cursed that followed my revelations. “Indeed.”

“Wish I could’ve been there to record it.” Tattletale laughed. “Anyway, it’s been nice chatting but I’ve gotta go. Tabs to open, wires to tap, people to annoy. You know how it is. I’ll give you a shout if anything big comes up.”

“Stay safe, Tattletale.”

Tattletale hung up and I tossed the phone on my bed, replacing it with a small framed photo sitting on the nightstand nearby.

“It’s almost over.” I said aloud, staring down at the photo pensively.

While the fire that nearly burned down my house was thankfully stopped before that future could come to pass, my office and bedroom didn't quite manage to survive the blaze. Much of my memorabilia was destroyed, including most of my paintings and quite a few more precious items, but luckily, the most important things I owned were kept in a fire resistance safe embedded in the wall, including the photo I held in my hand.

It was worn, with fraying edges and slight discoloration from years of traveling alongside me, but the picture itself was still clear as day. It was a black and white photo of a young man and woman, taken just before my birth. The woman was in her mid-twenties, with a short stature and long, straight hair. Her stomach swelled with pregnancy, and the beaming smile on her face told all how she felt about her soon-to-be child. The man on the other hand, had a stoic look on his face that could be mistaken displeased, if not for the arm wrapped around the woman's waist, one hand placed possessively on her stomach.

This was one of the only photos I had of my mother and held a special place in my collection of momentos. It was taken well before Leviathan or even Lung himself. My father was still a normal human in this picture, though his immense stature suggested otherwise. There were no capes in this picture. No Leviathan. No ABB. It was just a photo of an expecting mother and her husband. A happy family that would never exist.

I ran a finger along the photograph, gently tracing my mother’s face and then my father’s. Though my heart grieved the loss of many of the memories held within my home, I was happy to have this little piece of history.

I raised my head as a knock came to my door. It opened softly and a shock of blonde hair slid in through the cracks, followed by a smiling face. “What’s up, babe? Are you free?”

“Yes. Feel free to come in, Tammi.” I smiled as she walked inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. “How was your patrol?”

“I finished up an hour ago. All of today’s shipments are out and things are pretty quiet now that most of the Fallen are locked up.” She said as she took a seat right next to me, glancing over. “What’s that?”

I tilted the photo so she could get a better look. “My parents. Back before Kyushu was destroyed.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait, that’s Lung?”

“Not in this picture.” I shook my head. “He’s completely human. It was taken over twenty years ago.”

“Damn.” She stared at the picture. ”I never thought Lung was a family man. I mean, I knew he loved you and all that, but I just can’t see someone like him ever settling down, you know.”

“I don’t believe settling down was ever part of his plan, but my mother nearly made him change his mind. If he hadn’t triggered… well, no point in dwelling on that now.” I shook my head, putting the photo away and giving her my attention instead. ”Anyway, what brings you here? Did you need something?”

“Just wanted to check up on you.” Tammi said. “You’ve been on the phone for a while. Is everything alright?”

“I was going over some of the finer aspects of the plan with my contacts. We can’t afford to make mistakes this late in the game.” I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. “I’m ready for this all to be over.”

“I think we all are.” Tammi agreed.

“I can’t help but wonder what things would be like if Coil simply didn’t exist. He’s been manipulating things in his favor from the very start, changing the flow of things and making them worse for just about everyone but himself. If he never reared his head, would we still be in this position? Any of us?”

Tami was silent for a long moment. “Do you wish things were different?”

“Some of them.” I admitted. “I wish my father was still here. Kon as well. I wish I was never forced to become head of the ABB.”

I glanced at her, smiling softly. “That being said, I’m happy with things as they are now.”

Smiling, Tammi leaned over and pecked me on the lips. “That’s good, because I have a surprise for you.”

She grabbed my hand and pulled me off of my bed, leading me out of my bedroom. I followed willingly, curious to what she had cooked up. My description turned out to be apt as the moment I walked through the threshold of the living room, a delicious scent flowed into my nose, rousing my hunger and only increasing my curiosity.

We walked into the kitchen and she stepped to the side, opening her hands as she presented her surprise to my wide-eyed stare. “Ta-da! It took me a while to whip up but I think I did a pretty good job.”

“Tammi this is…” I stared at the delicious dinner that had spread across my kitchen table. Two plates had been set up with a candle between them. A spread of vegetables and meat had been prepared, delicately seasoned and still steaming, spreading the delicious aroma into the air.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?” Tammi said as she pulled out a chair for me. “It's pretty much impossible to get steak these days but I grabbed this stuff from the house and whipped this up for us. I’m not a chef, but I figured since we never got to have that date, we might as well do it now before something else goes wrong.”

I nodded, still a bit dumbstruck as I took my seat. “It looks amazing, but how did you make all this without me noticing.”

“I couldn’t tell you.” She shrugged as she sat down across from me. “You should’ve heard me cussing out the food. This place was filled with smoke like ten minutes ago.”

Tammi picked up her fork and looked at me expectantly. “Well dig in. I’m pretty sure I didn’t completely fuck this up.”

We tucked in, and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors that danced over my tongue as I took that first bite. The meal was simple, but delicious. Some kind of beef and a variety of veggies, all covered in a creamy sauce that didn’t take away from the seasoning covering the actual food. From the first bite, I could tell that there wouldn’t be a bite left, and I took a second with enthusiasm/

“Well, how is it?” Tammi asked eagerly. She’d already started her own plate, but clearly she wanted my opinion as well.

“It’s fantastic, Tammi.” I said honestly, making her beam.

There was a small pause in the conversation as we focused on eating before the food got cold. Though Tammi said she wasn’t a skilled cook, this was easily one of the better meals I’d been served in a while. The meat was tender and the vegetables were cooked through yet not to the point of being mushy. Perhaps she had a hidden talent for this sort of thing.

“I talked to my parents recently.” Tammi broke the silence. I paused with my fork halfway to my lips, looking at her in surprise. She smirked at my expression. “Yeah, that’s about how I felt when I got the call.”

“Are they alright?”

She shrugged. “They’re fine. Our house didn’t survive but I already knew that. They’re in Boston right now, in some of the refugee camps they have set up there. Apparently things aren’t so good over there, so that’s why they called me.”

I frowned. “Did they ask you for something? Money?”

“Nah, nothing like that. They were just letting me know that they’re gonna be heading out soon. I think they said they’re heading out west towards Colorado. I have an uncle out there who’s doing pretty well. Enough to keep them for a little while, at least.”

“I’m surprised they told you ahead of time.”

“Mhmm. Me too. I figured they didn’t want anything to do with me, but I guess they haven’t completely disowned me if they aren't willing to just up and leave.”

She seemed conflicted, though I wasn’t sure about what. “Do you want to join them?”

Tammi blinked before snorting. “Pfft, hell no. I was just telling you because I might go visit them after all this shit is over.”

That was a surprise. “Really? I thought you were happy to be out from under their roof even if it didn’t end the way you would have liked.”

“Yeah but like… they’re still my parents, you know? I don’t hate them. I just hated how they treated me.” She stabbed her food. “I guess I’m realizing that I also deserved some of it. I went behind their backs and talked to Agnes, joined the Empire, and all that other shit. Of course they’d want to ship me off to juvie. I was a terrible person.”

“You changed though.”

“Because of you. And Kon too, but mostly you. If you never sat down at my table that day, I’d probably be in prison or dead, and definitely still a bigoted bitch who thought Hitler had a point.” She smiled at me. “You pretty much changed the trajectory of my life. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for that, so I’m gonna do it now. Thanks for being my friend. And, you know, my girlfriend.”

My cheeks were warm as I returned her smile. “I should be the one thanking you, Tammi. You’ve been a stabilizing presence for me, one that I struggle to imagine myself without. If you weren’t there for me when I needed you, I shudder to think where I’d be today.”

We finished the rest of the dinner in a comfortable silence, just basking in each others’ presence in the way that only we could. Once our plates were clean and our glasses were empty, I stood, gathering the plates and taking to the sink. Tammi made to follow me, but I stalled her with a gesture and a smile.

“I’ll take care of the dishes. You deserve to relax after doing all of this for me.” I said, only to pause as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me away from the sink. “Tammi?”

“Save that for later.” She said, turning me around in her arms so I was facing her. Her cheeks were tinged pink and her expression was nervous. “There’s still another surprise.”

“Another surprise?” I asked wryly, wrapping my arms around her neck as she drew closer. “The dinner was already wonderful and you want to add a cherry on top? You’re spoiling me, Tammi.”

“Spoiling both of us, hopefully.” She muttered under her breath, causing me to raise an eyebrow. “The surprise is upstairs. In my room.”

In her room? I studied her, trying to glean what this surprise could possibly be. Her face was steadily growing pinker and her expression was decidedly nervous. It was like she was worried I’d decline or something, which was absolutely preposterous. Tonight had already been wonderful, what could she possibly have in store that might make me want to–

“Oh.” I said as my mind connected the dots. “You mean…?”

“If you want to.” She said, looking so embarrassed that she might die. “You can say no. I know we’ve only been dating for like two months but I figured that’s long enough, right?”

I swallowed, feeling my own face heat up at what she was suggesting. I took her in, this girl who was handing her heart to me on a silver platter, and spoke softly. “Nothing would please me more.”

Practically all of the tension melted out of her shoulders as I agreed to her proposal. A wide smile bloomed on her face which grew even brighter as her blush spread to her ears, and she leaned closer, tenderness in her gaze. “Awesome… I love you.”

My lips met hers in response and our eyes drifted shut as we embraced tightly. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest and feel her thoughts in the way her lips moved against my own. She was nervous, excited, and everything in between. The arms around my waist held me tighter as she tried to convey the emotions that her mouth couldn’t, the worry and anxiety when it came to Coil and Agnes, and I tried to reassure her with my touch alone.

There was one more battle left, the most important one yet. The future of the ABB, of Brockton Bay itself, hinged on the outcome of this operation. Whether we won or lost would determine the fate of us all. The stakes had never been higher. 

But right now, I wasn’t worried about any of that. As Tammi and I broke apart and she grabbed my hand with an uncharacteristic softness so she could lead me to her bed, nothing mattered except for this moment.