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Chapter 8
As the dust settled from the final demonstration, the tension in the room reached an all-time high. The reinforced testing area, designed to withstand superhuman forces, now bore the unmistakable marks of destruction.
Cracks spider-webbed across the reinforced flooring where Izuku and Homelander's combined attack had landed, the air still faintly humming from the sheer amount of power displayed.
Taylor, standing amongst her summoned companions, felt a deep sense of exhaustion—not from the physical exertion, but from the sheer weight of what had just happened.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Miss Militia finally broke it after fully processing what she just saw, speaking carefully.
"That concludes the testing."
Armsmaster still looked like he was struggling to process the results. The analysts whispered frantically amongst themselves, some of them looking distinctly pale. The PRT soldiers, though disciplined, were clearly tense.
Sukuna smirked, leaning back with an amused expression, holding his hand up for a high five.
"Damn right, it is."
Homelander exhaled through his nose, slapping his hand, nodding his head in agreement.
"So? Are we done here, or are we supposed to keep breaking your expensive equipment?" Sukuna's tone was mocking.
Miss Militia turned to Taylor. "For now, you're free to go."
Taylor blinked, looking at the hero in disbelief. "…That's it?"
Armsmaster finally spoke, his voice tight. "For now, but we will be keeping an eye on you, in case your 'summons' act out of line, and we have to detain them."
"Ha!"The overlord barely held back a laugh before he got a look from Taylor and held up his hand in mock surrender.
Sukuna scoffed, finding the mere idea of them even trying amusing. "Like you could stop us if you wanted to."
Armsmaster didn't respond, but the tightening of his grip on his halberd spoke volumes.
Izuku, ever the optimist of the group, gave a bright, nervous smile.
"T-Thank you for the opportunity! I hope this helps prove that we can get along!"
Miss Militia gave him a long look before nodding. "…It helps."
Taylor sighed, already done with the entire day.
Without another word, the group made their way out of the testing area and through the PRT building.
The tension was still thick, PRT personnel eyeing them warily, some outright staring. Taylor caught a few whispers—words like dangerous, catastrophic, uncontrollable.
She swallowed and pressed forward.
When they finally stepped outside, the fresh air felt like a blessing.
Sukuna stretched with a satisfied groan. "Finally! Thought we'd be stuck in there all day."
Homelander floated lazily a few inches off the ground, gazing down at the city like he was sizing it up. "So, what now?"
Before Taylor could answer, another voice spoke.
"That's what I'd like to know as well."
Taylor turned to see Miss Militia standing behind them, arms crossed, watching her carefully.
"Now that you have powers…" she continued, her tone neutral, but laced with something deeper—concern, curiosity, maybe even caution. "What are you going to do next, Taylor?"
Taylor froze.
The air around them shifted ever so slightly. She could feel the weight of the question—both from Miss Militia and from the unseen eyes watching from inside the PRT building.
It was an important question.
She looked at her companions.
John was watching her with an amused smirk as if he already knew her answer but was waiting for her to say it.
Sukuna's grin widened ever so slightly. "Yeah, Pipsqueak. What's the plan?"
"I would like to know as well my dear, now that you saw what we are capable of. What would you do?"Alastor chuckled, using the sorcerer's head as an armrest, eyeing her with a raised brow.
"Oi! Get off me!"
Izuku, standing closest to her, was staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "Taylor…?"
Taylor inhaled deeply, then slowly let it out.
This was it.
The moment she was dreading.
She had been thinking about what she would do if she ever actually got powers… but the reality felt infinitely different than the fantasy.
She looked back at Miss Militia, then at her capes standing before her.
A day ago, she had been nothing, nothing but a bullied and friendless girl struggling to survive in a city that didn't care about her.
Now, she had power, she had…
She looked at the capes she summoned once again as if looking at them for the very first time. The few moments she spent with them were the happiest moments of her life in years ever since Emma left her, ever since her mom…
…friends, she had friends now.
She could do anything now that she was a cape.
Anything…
And that meant she had to decide.
…
…
…
Finally, she spoke after a long tense moment of thinking.
"I…" She hesitated, words caught in her throat. "I want to make a difference."
Miss Militia tensed, ready for what she was going to choose.
She didn't notice her own shadow pulsing, waiting for her to make a move.
"I'm going to be a hero."
The moment the words left her mouth, Taylor swore she heard the entire PRT building exhale at once.
Miss Militia studied her for a long, unreadable moment, then nodded with a clear smile despite her mask.
Izuku beamed, fists clenched in excitement.
Alastor cackled; he could practicallytastethe stress being released from the PRT building.
"Good luck with that, not exactly going to be easy in a place like this." Sukuna snorted, already feeling a headache coming from the future.
Homelander's smirk widened ever so slightly.
"A hero, huh?" He hovered beside her, voice filled with amusement. "Guess we'll see how that goes."
Taylor felt the weight of their attention, the gravity of her declaration settling within her like a rock. The exhilaration faded a touch, replaced by the nagging sense of uncertainty that came with stepping into the unknown.
"I— I know it won't be easy..." she stammered, her voice gaining strength, "but I have the power to help, and if I can help even one person with it..."
Izuku nodded vigorously beside her, he stepped closer to her, his excitement palpable.
"Speak for yourself," Sukuna interjected, crossing his arms with a bored expression. "I'm in this for the chaos and fun… But I guess if you're all playing at being heroes, someone has to keep things interesting."
Taylor shot him a wary glance but couldn't help cracking a faint smile at his irreverent approach.
She was slowly getting a read on the sorcerer, and she could tell he actually didn't mind all that much.
"So, what do you think we should do first? We could patrol, help people—"
Before the green-haired boy could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the floating hero.
"Whoa there!" John interjected, floating effortlessly beside them with crossed arms and an amused glint in his eyes. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, we still have a few things to figure out before we even start thinking about heroing."
He didn't have to say it for them to understand that they still had the leash to worry about.
Alastor leaned close to Taylor; his smile ever present.
"One does wonder how you'll juggle school and saving the world at the same time,"he said with a grin.
They started walking, completely ignoring the PRT, lost in conversion between themselves.
Taylor looked away and ignored him.
"Izuku! Does your notebook have anything to fix you know what?"
That got a laugh out of John and Sukuna, much to Alastor's twitching smile.
They started walking, completely forgetting about the PRT, lost in conversion between themselves.
Miss Militia stood at the entrance of the PRT headquarters as she watched Taylor and her "summons" walk away.
It was surreal watching a timid teenage girl casually interact with what could only be described as four walking apocalypses, all while discussing hero work like they were planning a school project.
She exhaled slowly.
This just became so much more complicated.
Taylor had made her choice, and thankfully it was the right one.
That was good.
An independent hero was easier to work with than a rogue or God forbid a villain, but that didn't mean they could relax. Not when the girl's "team" consisted of four powerful parahumans that could very well rival the Triumvirate.
Miss Militia turned on her heel and re-entered the PRT building, stepping into the reinforced halls. The moment she passed through the main security doors, she found herself in the middle of a storm.
Inside, the PRT was a frenzy of activity. Analysts were frantically reviewing the data from the tests, scientists were practically tearing their hair out trying to make sense of the readings, and the troopers, many of whom had been watching from the observation rooms, were muttering amongst themselves in clear disbelief.
In the command center, a large screen displayed the footage from the testing chamber, with side monitors analyzing power outputs and capability estimations.
Armsmaster was already there, his helmet placed on the table in front of him, revealing his tense expression. Director Piggot stood beside him, her face pale but composed.
She was holding a report in one hand, her fingers gripping it just a little too tightly.
The moment Miss Militia entered, Piggot wasted no time.
"How bad is it?" she asked bluntly.
Miss Militia sighed. "Bad."
Piggot's lips pressed into a thin line. "Elaborate."
Miss Militia glanced at the monitors, where a replay of the test results looped on screen. She pointed at the screen where Izuku had effortlessly lifted a platform that should have been impossible for a human to move.
"The boy alone is already a threat," she began. "Even if this was him holding back, he's stronger than anyone in the Wards, possibly stronger than most Protectorate members. And he's just a kid, he definitely hasn't even fully pushed his limits yet."
She shifted her gaze to the next screen, showing Alastor's eerie demonstration.
"…We don't even know what category he falls under. The equipment couldn't detect any measurable force when he lifted the weight, which means we don't know how the hell he managed to do that. His movement is undetectable, his powers are undefined, and worst of all, he enjoys making people uncomfortable. We can't get a proper read on him at all."
She then gestured at the footage of Sukuna shredding the reinforced dummy with a casual wave of his hand.
"Precise, calculated destruction. His powers, while similar to Jack Slash, are far superior, if he wanted to, he could have killed an entire squad of troopers before they even realized what happened. As you can see, he was skipping on the machine, we clearly haven't seen what he can actually do when he actually tries."
Finally, her gaze settled on the footage of Homelander. The room seemed to tense at his very mention.
"And him…" She exhaled. "Physically, he's on pair with Alexandria and seemed to share similar abilities as far as we could tell. He lifted the maximum weight our sensors could handle without breaking a sweat. He moves faster than our tracking systems can register. His durability is unknown, but if it's anything like what the reports suggest from our first confrontation, our regular weapons will have no effect on him."
She met Piggot's gaze.
"And the worst part? We have nothing on Taylor besides the bare basics. I could tell they were not at all comfortable with us testing her, so I made the call to focus on them instead of her. Which thankfully managed to calm them down."
Piggot's expression darkened further.
"So, we have four potential Triumvirate tier threats and a girl we don't know what she's fully capable of besides summoning world-ending threats? That's justdelightful," she said drily, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Miss Militia nodded, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. "They're not inherently dangerous, besides a two, but we have to establish boundaries and quick. She's young and doesn't fully grasp their powers or the implications behind them. Taylor believes she can do good... but there's an underlying uncertainty that could spiral quickly if we're not careful."
Armsmaster leaned forward, his brow furrowing as he processed the information. "We'll have to employ containment protocols, in case that happens. We put them under observation, and monitor their activities closely."
Miss Militia shook her head, her eyes narrowed.
"If Taylor believes she can be a hero, then we should guide her, give her a framework, a way to harness their abilities for good. You know as well as I do that power corrupts, and she's still a child too easily influenced by those around her. If we can create an environment where she feels safe and supported, we can prevent any potential mishaps."
Armsmaster nodded reluctantly, his mind ticking through scenarios.
"That will require a shift to a new school, her current school is less than satisfactory."
"We can't keep her there," Miss Militia agreed, her voice firm. "Shadow Stalker is in danger if we leave Taylor there, what do you think will happen now that a victim of bully now has four very dangerous capes protecting her? Or God forbid she finds out she's been abused by a PRT ward? They already have a negative view of us…"
A heavy silence fell over the room.
No one wanted to voice the real concern, but it was obvious.
Taylor Hebert, a bullied, unknown teenager, had somehow been granted an ability that made her the effective summoner of four of the most dangerous beings comparable to the Triumvirate.
If she could summon more.
If she could summon stronger…
Miss Militia's voice was grave. "If she ever turns against us because of Sophia… there's nothing we can do to stop her."
"Containment isn't much of an option," he muttered, fingers drumming on the table. "Even if we did neutralize her, which we can't without significant casualties, her summons wouldn't allow it."
"Then we keep her happy." Piggot clenched her jaw, having enough of this parahuman bullshit. "We will follow your lead of this Militia, support her hero work, and make sure she wants to be on our side. She already has one foot in the door as a hero. We make sure it stays that way."
"…And if she doesn't?"
No one answered.
Because the truth was if Taylor Hebert ever stopped being a hero…
The PRT wouldn't just be dealing with a regular rogue or villian cape.
They'd be dealing with four unstoppable monsters that only the Triumvirate could deal with.
Director Piggot scowled, remembering the previous meeting.
Fucking Shadow Stalker, she knew she should've jailed the girl the moment they caught her.
But she didn't and now here she is dealing with the girl's fuck up.
The girl should be fucking thankful that she didn't throw her ass at her now parahuman victim.
Meanwhile…
"Put that back, Sukuna! We don't need twenty frozen pizzas!" Taylor ordered the pink-haired sorcerer, glaring at him like a disapproving mother.
Sukuna grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming under the fluorescent lights of their makeshift base.
Taylor crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the sorcerer, and spoke again this time firmer.
"We don't need twenty frozen pizzas, Sukuna."
"We don'tnotneed twenty frozen pizzas," Sukuna countered, tossing the stack into the cart anyway with a smirk.
Taylor groaned, rubbing her temples. "We arenotblowing my grocery budget on junk food."
Homelander, floating lazily above the aisle, laughed. "Oh, come on, let him have some fun. It's not like we're strapped for cash."
"We are strapped for cash," Taylor shot back. "Unlike you, I can't just extort corporations for money, in fact, I don't think your money is even accepted here."
She remembered him telling her that's how he got most of his money in his home dimension when he said he had money on him.
It was called Vought something.
"I don't extort," Homelander said, feigning offense. "I negotiate."
"Like hell you do," Taylor muttered before spinning around to check the cart that Izuku was pushing for her.
Her eye twitched.
"Alastor, why are there thirty bags of shrimp in here?"
The demon gave her his signature grin, lifting a bag and shaking it lightly."Why, my dear, shrimp are an essential part of any well-balanced diet!"
"…I'm not sure if that's right or not, but we don't needthirty bagsof them!" Taylor snapped, feeling a headache coming on at dealing with them.
"As your most charming summon, I believe my dietary preferences should be taken into consideration!"Alastor let out an exaggerated gasp, grasping his chest."And how else will I make my hell-famous jambalaya~?"
Taylor stared at him dead in the eye.
"I don't like jambalaya."
"Grk!"
Alastor's smile faltered while he physically recoiled from the blow, the jovial air surrounding him dissipating like smoke in the wind.
The weight of her words hit him harder than any spell or incantation ever could, each syllable piercing through the vibrant hues of his existence.
"Alastor? A-Are you alright?" Izuku asked seeing the overlord now actually grasping his heart as if he was in actual pain.
"I-I'll be fine. I just need a moment to recover my dear boy."
Turning away from the overdramatic demon, she turned just in time to see Homelander idly tossing an entire raw steak into the cart.
Taylor grabbed the pack of meat and held it up. "...This thing costs seventy dollars, John."
He gave her an innocent look. "Yeah? And?"
"And we are not spending seventy dollars on one steak!" Taylor hissed.
"But it's good quality," Homelander replied as if that explained everything. "I have standards."
Taylor let out an exasperated groan. "Then lower them!"
Sukuna snickered, nudging Homelander. "Told ya, she's a buzzkill."
Taylor whipped around. "And you! I see you trying to sneak that case of beer into the cart, Sukuna!"
The sorcerer smirked, arms crossed. "What, you gonna card me? I promise you I am more than I'm old enough."
Taylor grabbed the case out of the cart and put it back on the shelf. "No alcohol. Period. You're enough of a problem sober."
Sukuna shrugged, undeterred. "Fine. Then I'll take this."
He grabbed a pack of Red Bull instead.
Taylor ripped it from his hands before he could even blink. "Absolutely not! You on an energy drink is a horrifying thought."
"Oh, come on, Pipsqueak! Live a little!"
"I will live! By making sure you don't cause a caffeine-induced catastrophe!"
Izuku tried again, stepping between them. "U-Um, maybe we should just focus on the essentials? Like fruits and vegetables—"
"BORING/BORING/BORING," Sukuna, Homelander, and Alastor all said in unison.
Taylor buried her face in her hands.
Taylor sighed in frustration, rubbing her temples as she stared at the three troublemakers; Sukuna, Homelander, and Alastor. Who were each making her shopping trip an absolute headache.
She needed a way to punish them, something that would actually make them listen.
But what?
Her first thought was to simply refuse to buy any of the ridiculous junk they were tossing into the cart, but that clearly wasn't enough. They were chaos incarnate and seemed to thrive on testing her patience. Taking away privileges? They didn't really have any. Lecturing them? They'd just laugh at her for even trying.
She needed something immediate.
Something effective.
Then, an idea struck her like a bolt of lightning.
A devious smile crept onto her face as she turned to Izuku, who was nervously smiling at his fellow capes.
She leaned in slightly, whispering, "Pst, I need you to do something for me."
Izuku blinked, glancing between her and the three troublemakers who were now watching with suspicion.
"Uh… what is it?"
Taylor's smile widened. "I need you to pick me up and run."
Izuku's eyes went wide. "W-What?!"
"Run," she repeated. "As fast as you can. Just go."
Izuku hesitated, glancing at the others. "B-But—"
"Izuku," Taylor said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "Trust me."
Izuku swallowed, his nervousness clear, but after a moment, he slowly nodded. "O-Okay…"
Meanwhile, Homelander, Sukuna, and Alastor exchanged glances, their interest piqued.
"What are you two whispering about?" Homelander asked, his blue eyes narrowing, for some reason his enhanced hearing couldn't pick up what she said.
"Yeah, I don't like it when she gets that look," Sukuna muttered, cracking his neck.
Alastor tilted his head, smile unwavering but slightly curious."My dear, you wouldn't happen to be plotting something now, would you?"
Taylor smirked.
Then, in a blink, Izuku grabbed her, picking her up with shocking ease before—BOOM—he took off at full speed.
The effect was instantaneous.
The invisible leash binding the three capes to Taylor snapped taut, yanking them off their feet and violently dragging them forward at breakneck speed.
John, caught mid-hover, was jerked out of the air like a ragdoll. "WHAT THE—?!"
Sukuna barely had time to register what was happening before he was whipped forward. "OH, YOU LITTLE—!"
Alastor had no words to shout, slamming face-first into a shelf full of cake.
Shoppers and store employees gasped as three powerful, terrifying beings were suddenly flung across the store like they were nothing more than misbehaving pets on too-short leashes.
Sukuna collided with a shelf of canned goods, sending them flying.
Homelander crashed through a display of cereal boxes, landing in a colorful explosion of shredded cardboard.
Alastor somehow managed to spin in mid-air, laughing maniacally as he tumbled straight into the milk aisle.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the store, Izuku skidded to a stop, carefully setting Taylor down as they both turned to watch the carnage.
Taylor, catching her breath, burst out laughing.
"Oh my god," she wheezed, doubling over. "Th-that was perfect!"
Izuku, still looking guilty, mumbled, "I-I feel kinda bad…"
Back in the chaos, Sukuna pulled himself out of the pile of canned goods, rubbing his head and glaring at her.
"Oh, you're so dead, Pipsqueak."
Homelander, still half-buried in a sea of cereal, narrowed his eyes at Taylor. "Real cute."
Alastor, still inside the freezer, simply chuckled.
Taylor, still laughing, crossed her arms with a smug grin. "That's what you get for not listening."
Sukuna cracked his knuckles, an amused yet deadly grin forming, busy getting off tomato sauce on his eyes. "You won't be laughing when I stuff tomato sauce in your hai—!"
Taylor's smile vanished. "Izuku run."
Izuku grabbed her again and bolted.
This time John and Alastor were ready.
…Sukuna? Not so much.
"DAMN I—!" Sukuna shouted as the leash yanked them forward again, sending him crashing through another section of the store.
Although she had to apologize for the damage, which was all she had to thankfully, thanks to Alastor being able to just magically fix what was broken after a bit of begging from her.
She could happily say it was worth it.