A/N: Whew, this is a long one! This chapter started out as a joke, an omake that wasn't meant to be part of canon. I needed to get this out of my system, and an omake seemed like the best way to do it (this is what happens when you stay up too late and swap crack-fic ideas with your friends). It got to a point where it sort of took on a life of it's own. So, before you read, four quick things:

* This is an AU Worm-verse chapter (mostly) and there are some other crossovers I won't spoil for you.

* It isn't strictly canon, so if you're not familiar with Worm, or not interested, it can be skipped. Future references, if any, will be anecdotal.

* It has been years since I read Worm. My recollections have been refreshed by fanfics and wiki browsing. I'm super nervous about Wormfan reactions, so please be polite if you see something wrong/off.

* I have no plans to write a full DF/RWBY/Worm crossover any time soon. At best, I might do another not-Omake chapter at some point.



We traversed the barrier at the speed of lope, and though the pressure it exerted had yet to lift, neither did it get any worse. The mist had thickened as we went, slowly creeping up to knee-height. The final passage felt like the pop you get in your ears when a plane gets to a certain altitude. The only difference was, it wasn't just the ears – it was like our whole bodies just sort of, expanded fractionally in a split-second. All three of us made some sort of noise. Yang made a kind of whuffing cough, and Karrin reverse-squeaked. I, on the other hand, let out a stuttering gurgle.

And just like that, we were through. The clouds of vapor trailed out behind us, and after a brief, vertigo-inducing look down, I swore not to do it again. "Welcome to the Dominion of Shadow," Ulsharavas said. "We will now make haste." And holy shit, did we ever. Not that any of us could tell, physically at least. There was no wind. I tried not to think too hard about that, for obvious reasons. Clearly this wasn't outer space, so- no, no, NO. I got a firm grip on that before it went the wrong way. The little bit I knew about this place suggested a mentiferous effect, and Ulsharavas had basically confirmed that. I took nice, deep breaths and firmly believed it like gospel.

I fixed my gaze firmly on her backside and swishing tail, and did my best to quiet my mind. That didn't stop me from noticing, distantly, things that passed us by. Buildings that rose up out of nothing, ships that sailed or rocketed by in the distance. Whole planets, tiny cities, even a body of water with no apparent bottom. For all the distractions, this was going surprisingly well.

And then I had to go and think something like that. Yang had stretched out into a prone position at my left shoulder. Her arms were ramrod straight in front of her, and she was making a whooshing sound. "Yang, quit screwing ar-" and then, suddenly, she wasn't there. "God damn it."

Taylor Hebert was not having a good day, which was par for the course. As soon as she'd left the classroom, several girls had pushed and shoved her into a corner. Most of them she didn't really know, but three of them were painfully familiar to her. Sophia, Madison, and her former best friend, Emma, were at the front of the cage of bodies. She had given up trying to escape, and was forced to listen to their cruel taunts. They overlapped, but she could make most of them out.

The jibes were childish, but still managed to be cruel. The dished on everything from her looks to her intelligence, and then one of them said something positively vile. "If I were her, I'd kill myself." Mr. Gladly had stepped out of the nearest classroom moments before. He stood and shuffled folders, but there was no way he hadn't heard any of that - he was less than three yards away.

Taylor stared in disbelief as the so-called authority figure rushed away from the knot of torment she was trapped inside of, and then her eyes were drawn to her backpack. She'd been forced to let it slide to the floor; a foot had slipped into one of the straps, and then dragged it away. As she followed the leg up, she saw that it belonged to Sophia. Taylor was about to shout over the insults to demand the bag back when another, very, very loud girl's voice said four heavenly words.

"Get away from her!"

Silence reigned for about three seconds, which was apparently two seconds too many for the owner of the voice. Two girls shrieked and just, sort of disappeared from the group. Taylor caught a glimpse of a giant mane of blonde hair – and what the fuck? Was it glowing? There were expressions of shock or fear on most faces, including Emma's – especially Emma's – as two more girls were grabbed by angry, pale hands and then flung down the hallway. The latter half of the group's fight or fight response kicked in and they turned to run pell-mell down the hallway.

Sophia, on the other hand, was made of sterner stuff. Even in the face of Taylor's apparent savior.

She was, as Taylor had seen, blonde, and a couple of inches taller than her. She wore a pair of black short-shorts and a matching half-jacket over a yellow tank top that was… amply filled out. Tall biker boots wrapped around her legs, and orange knee-high socks peeked out the tops of those. Her wrists sported two large, shiny golden bracers. There was a purple scarf tied around one knee, and another orange one around her neck.

What was startling about the girl wasn't her clothing or accessories. She looked like a cartoon – anime, Taylor corrected herself – an anime character. Her facial features were exaggerated, her hair was a veritable cascade of flowing, waist-length golden – and glowing – locks. The most startling thing about her, though, were her eyes. They were much too large for a normal person. And they were blood red.

"Who the fuck are you?" Taylor had been so taken in by the girl that she'd completely forgotten Sophia was still there. Belatedly, she wondered if the newcomer was a cape - she had to be, with those looks.

The nameless girl smiled sweetly. "Fuck you, that's who. Beat it or get beat." For a moment, Sophia was taken aback, but that lasted less than a second, which was followed by Sophia's foot flashing up toward the girl's face. Taylor had just enough presence of mind to duck and try to scoot out of the way. The blonde bobbed back and her arm blurred forward. Her fist connected with the back of Sophia's ankle, and there was a sickening pop that made Taylor cringe. Her tormentor, to her credit, grunted and hopped forward, pressing the attack.

The two traded blows, but where Sophia was fast and brutal, the other girl parried effortlessly. Every third or fourth block, she'd reach out and jab a finger into Sophia's unprotected flesh, which elicited growls of pure hatred and colorful adjectives.

"Wow, you really suck at this," the girl taunted. "What the hell kind of combat school is this, anyway?" It was immediately apparent, to Taylor at least, that Sophia was stupidly outclassed. The more touches the blonde made, the angrier Sophia got. Her attacks grew wilder, and were just as useless: It was amazing. The blonde, however, had grown bored, and wasn't even bothering to use both hands by that point. "You know-" Block, block, tap, "With a lot of work-" Block, tap, block, "You might-" Block, dodge, feint, poke, "Actually fit in at a kids-combat school."

"Shut the fuck up and fight me!" Sophia growled.

The other girl shrugged and kept up her one-armed defense. "Okay, I mean, I guess if you call this 'fighting'," she said scornfully as her free hand came up into a lazy finger quote. Sophia let out a wordless scream and lunged forward. The blonde smirked and grabbed the leading fist that was aimed at her face.

Her red eyes sparkled with glee, and the entire outline of her body became suffused with a golden glow.

"Gotcha!" She twisted and flipped and spun in a complicated maneuver that Taylor could hardly follow. It jerked Sophia first one way, then the other. At the end of the sequence, the other girl leaped into a corkscrew motion that landed a boot straight across Sophia's forehead. The whole thing was all very lucha-libre, and Taylor's jaw dropped as her tormentor crashed into the tile floor with a hard, meaty smack. "Loser," said the blonde girl. The insult was lost on her opponent – who was out like a light. "I guess you shoulda' spent more time training and less time leading a goon squad."

She turned to face Taylor with a huge grin, and her eyes changed to a light shade of purple. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Uh…" She wasn't quite sure how to respond. The blonde held out her hand, and she took it. She was easily pulled to her feet, and her brain started working again. "Wow, I… Uh… Hi?" Okay, it was mostly working. She looked down to the prone form of Sophia, then back to the girl that had come to her rescue.

The girl bounced her palm against her forehead, "Oh, right, where are my manners? I'm Yang!" Their hands were still clasped together, so Yang pumped it up and down enthusiastically.

Taylor tried not to wince at the strong grip. "I'm Taylor. Nice to meet you, Yang." Sophia moaned, which caused the pair of them to look down. "So, uh, not that I'm ungrateful, but we should probably get out of here."

Yang's face screwed up in confusion. "Oh, okay, but why?"

Taylor stared at her, dumbfounded. She shook her head to clear it and put on her best smile, which probably failed miserably. "Well, like I said, I really appreciate it. But as epic as that beating was, I'd rather not stick around for the fallout, y'know?" She let go of Yang's hand and stooped down to grab her backpack. "I haven't seen you around – are you a transfer student or something?"

Yang's face shifted from perplexed to embarrassment. "Oh, uh, yeah… About that…"

Taylor winced again, and started toward the nearest exit. "Oh my god, we really need to get going then." When Yang didn't move, Taylor came back and reached out for her arm. "Come on, before someone decides to call the cops? Please?" Taylor might not know Yang at all, but she wasn't about to let her savior get hauled off to jail because she stuck up for someone.

Yang, at least, seemed to catch on and allowed herself to be pulled along. "Oh, The Fuzz frown on fighting in combat school?"

Taylor did a double-take. Who the hell even calls police 'the fuzz' in this day and age? "Well, Yang, for one, Winslow isn't a combat school – it's a plain old, regular high school," a comment which was met with a muted 'oh'. "And two, now that I think about it, capes picking fights in said school would probably be more the PRT's jurisdiction." She pushed through a stairwell door and jogged down the stairs. "I mean, obviously you were trying to help – but it's still gonna be not good, for either of us."

She was reviewing her mental list of capes to see if she knew who this was as she jogged and talked. She was nearly down to the first floor when she realized that she was alone. She stopped and turned to look back up. Yang had stopped at the landing, and she was – was she tearing up? Taylor mentally kicked herself and walked back up to Yang.

She got within arm's-length and dropped her backpack down to her hip, and then to the floor. "Hey," she began, not sure what to say. Yang just looked so sad, and it didn't fit her face at all. Instead, Taylor stepped forward and put her arms around the girl and hugged her. Yang's arms came up woodenly, and Taylor leaned her cheek against the taller girl's shoulder. "I mean it, really, thank you. This last year and a half has sucked a lot. You're the first person to help me at all since this crap started."

Yang squeezed gently and then patted her on the back a few times, "Any time, Taylor."

They pulled apart, and Taylor brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. "But it could still get you in trouble, and I don't want that to happen, okay?" Yang nodded, and they got moving as soon as Taylor retrieved her backpack. Taylor only had a moment's hesitation when they came to the exterior door. This would be the second day in a row that she'd ditched afternoon classes, but she would really rather not deal with the mountain of crap likely waiting for her in Principal Blackwell's office – or downtown, for that matter. Screw it.

They walked off campus and, for lack of a better destination, just kept going through the neighborhood. After a few blocks passed between them and Winslow, they quit looking over their shoulders for pursuit, and they never heard any sirens. Taylor declared them most likely in the clear a couple of blocks beyond that.

"So," Yang drawled. "What did you mean by cape?"

I was honest to god trying not to stare. Ulsharavas had merely snarled and veered us in a different direction when Yang vanished, while muttering something about 'that damned parasite'. We hadn't gone very far before a bizarre wall sprang up in front of us. It had looked vaguely familiar to me with its multi-hued rectangular, not-quite-connected lines. It rippled and stretched out in all directions as far as the eye could see.

It wasn't until John DeLancie showed up in a Starfleet Uniform that I realized how much trouble we were in. Ulsharavas gave me a withering look as soon as he appeared. How the hell was this my fault?

Q crossed his arms and looked down his nose at us imperiously. "And what makes you think I'll let you pass any more than those fools on the Enterprise, hmm?" I could feel the tension from Karrin. Whether it was from trying not to have an aneurysm or burst out in gales of laughter, I couldn't say. It was probably both. I took a deep breath as I very carefully crafted a response to that loaded question.

Taylor had taken Yang to the public library to while away the afternoon until school let out. During those few hours, it hadn't taken her long to figure out why Yang knew basically nothing about the world: She wasn't from Earth Bet. In fact, she wasn't from any Earth at all. Taylor had been fascinated by her story. It was so ludicrous that, as her father had once said, there was no way she could have made this shit up.

Yang hadn't been terribly clear on how she ended up on another Earth, but Taylor had taken advantage of the internet connection to look up a couple of things. There was indeed a Harry Dresden, Private Investigator based in Chicago, and a listing for the woman named Karrin Murphy as well. Yang had reasoned that maybe it might be prudent to give one or both of them a call to see if they could help.

Once the clock read 3:30, they had left to catch a bus back to Taylor's neighborhood. "I'm sorry about all the trouble, Tay," Yang repeated for the second time as they stepped off the bus. "I didn't mean for you to ditch school again."

Taylor shook her head and looked around to make sure nobody was nearby. "It's fine, Yang, honest. I've given some serious thought to joining the Wards once I get my name out there." They walked as she explained. "Being a Ward means I'd probably get transferred to Arcadia, which is much nicer than Winslow. Failing that, I could just get my GED and leave anyway."

Yang nodded amiably. "So it's pretty cool that your sembla- er- your power is controlling bugs. Is there a lot you can do with that?"

"Well," Taylor began, "I've only had my powers for a few months, so I haven't had a lot of time to figure out what all I can do." They turned the last corner, and her house was at the end of the block. "But I've already done quite a bit of testing, and even made a suit. You'll see in a few minutes."

She had been careful to avoid mention of the locker incident, but not for the usual reason of protecting her identity. Yang was a cape, or near enough, but she also very much wore her heart on her sleeve. Taylor was worried that she'd try to hunt down Sophia, Emma, and Madison so she could tie them all into human pretzels – broken bones non-optional. As vindicated as that might make her feel, there was a line she wasn't willing to cross.

They reached the end of the block and turned up the sidewalk leading to her house, and she pointed out the rotted step. Her dad's pickup wasn't in the driveway, but it had still been better to be safe than sorry. "Come on in!" Taylor dumped her backpack on the couch and fished out the scrap of paper from her pocket.

Yang closed the door behind her and looked around while Taylor went over to the phone and dialed the first number. It rang a few times, and a pleasant baritone voice answered a moment later. "Dresden Investigations, Harry Dresden speaking."

Taylor cleared her throat and did her best to sound serious. "Hello, Mister Dresden, my name is Taylor Hebert. Is this a good time to talk?"

She could hear the polite smile in his reply. "Why yes, Miss Hebert, this is a perfect time. What can I help you with?" He sounded as if he might be humoring her, and given the yellow pages advertisement, he probably took a lot of crank calls. She didn't know what the man would have expected, advertising as a wizard, but Myrrdin was in Chicago, so maybe it was just a copy-cat gimmick.

She had considered what to say, and chose to heed Yang's advice by just diving right in. "I'm a student at Winslow High in Brockton Bay. The reason I'm calling is, well, uh, do you know a cape named Yang Xiao Long?"

"Hmm," he mused, "I can't say that I do. Why do you ask?"

Taylor nodded as she continued. "Well, she knows you, and she helped me out of a bad situation at school today." She paused, wondering how much to elaborate, and opted to minimize the chatter. "I'll spare you the details, but we had to leave right after."

"Uh-huh," he intoned. There was silence for a moment, and Taylor really wished they could have done this face to face. "I think I understand, but what does that have to do with me?" His tone was rightfully confused. She just had to hope that he wouldn't hang up on her after she explained.

"So we were talking-"

"While you were at school, or after you… left?"

She frowned at his clear disapproval, but ignored it and carried on. "After. She had quite a story to tell, and some of it didn't really make sense. Something about being from another world and trying to get back there with another version of you-" Yang had started to giggle, and Taylor glared at her while she drew a finger sharply to her lips.

"Kid," he said sternly, "I don't have time for juvenile pranks-"

Taylor was already sick of the interruptions, and raised her voice. "You're White Council, right? This is not a joke."

His voice lost its displeasure, but it remained guarded. "Alright, Miss Hebert, you have my attention. Cape named Yang Xiao Long, trying to get back to her world – alternate Earth? Aleph?" She could hear quiet scratching in the background as he started taking notes.

"No. She said something about going to the Nevernever and getting separated from you- the other you and Karrin Murphy after they crossed into someplace called 'The Dreamlands', whatever the hell those are."

There was a pause, followed by a long sigh, which included a hushed 'god dammit'. "You said Brockton Bay, right?"

"Yes sir, that's right."

"And I suppose you're a cape, too?" When Taylor didn't respond right away, he grunted. "That's what I thought. Protectorate?"

She shook her head and then realized that he couldn't see her. "No, I'm new – less than three months ago. I'd appreciate it if you kept that to yourself."

Harry harrumphed like a genuine grumpy wizard. "Miss Hebert, I consult with the PRT regularly, so I'm aware of the Rules. I don't make a habit of outing any capes. The fact that you're new to the scene – and also that I don't know what you look like – I think your secret is safe." She let out the breath she'd been holding in. "Okay, so here's the problem: I'm up to my eyeballs in a case and can't leave town right now."

Taylor's shoulders sagged, but only a little. "Yeah, okay." It was a stretch to hope that he would be able to do anything right away.

"Furthermore, The Dreamlands are… a little outside my area of expertise. Can I talk to Yang, please?"

She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. "Yeah, sure, hang on," she replied, and she waved Yang over.

The blonde crossed the room and awkwardly held the handset to her ear. "Hey, Harry!" she said cheerily. Taylor decided that now was a good time to get a drink of water, so she went to the kitchen to fill two glasses at the sink. Yang's half of the phone conversation was muffled, but most of her responses amounted to 'yeah' and 'uh-huh'.

When she came back to the living room, Yang was saying something about a guide and how 'she' was kind of a jerk, and she gave a name that Taylor didn't quite catch. "Okay, Harry, sure." Pause. "Oh, let me find out." She pulled the handle away from her ear and asked, "He wants to know where would be a good place to meet?"

Taylor held out one of the glasses, and she took the phone back when Yang accepted it. "Mr. Dresden, did you want us to meet somewhere?"

"That's the idea, but like I said, I won't be able to get away. I'll be calling Myrddin as soon as I get off the phone with you to try and arrange it. Why don't you call me back in, say, an hour?" Taylor's jaw dropped open in shock. This guy had that kind of pull? "Miss Hebert, are you still there?"

"Oh! I was just…" she trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Shocked that I might be important enough to ask the leader of the Chicago Protectorate for a favor?" He sounded somewhat amused, but it still stung a little.

Taylor's cheeks warmed in embarrassment. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds kind of rude."

The chuckle that rolled out of the earpiece was a friendly one. "It's alright, Miss Hebert. That's been something of a running joke around these parts for a long while. Call back in an hour, 'kay?"

Taylor promised that she would, and hung up the phone. "So, Yang, wanna see what I've been up to while we wait?"

Yang grinned impishly. "Lead the way!"

I tried not to grind my teeth to powder. There had been a long, drawn out conversation on the bridge of the Enterprise D. There had also been a lot of frustration to go around, and more than my fair share of 'don't look at me' complaints. We spent most of our time in the brig, which isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. Forget even trying to keep Karrin from chortling every two godforsaken minutes.

When we finally got clear of that obstacle, we got underway. Not five minutes after that, we found ourselves in a forest. It had taken no time to figure out where we had wound up.

The tree – excuse me, the Ent – was talking to us. "Now, don't be hasty, Wizard Dresden." Karrin snickered, and I elbowed her. Ulsharavas bared her teeth at a duplicate copy of herself: Q had decided to 'observe us for a spell', and she wasn't taking it well.

Treebeard rumbled and wheezed and groaned on. "We must find the time to speak properly." Two hobbits stood off to his left. One – Pippen – was cheerfully vacuous, while the other - Merry - was trying not to pull out his hair. I felt his pain.

God dammit, Yang…

Yang had been genuinely impressed with Taylor's ingenuity. She had also been un-fazed by the many dozens of spiders that had gathered on the workbench, at least once she'd demonstrated her control. She had set them to lay out long lines and begin weaving them together into thin strands.

Yang had been mesmerized with the work being done, but eventually her curiosity overcame the spell. "Okay, so what good are the lines, Tay? I mean, sure, having rope is good, but this looks kind of thin." She wasn't wrong, and Taylor had to remind herself that she wasn't from here. She supposed Remnant must not have black widows.

Taylor had the spiders keep weaving, because she wanted this one to be a few dozen feet long. "Spider silk is extremely strong," she said as she pulled a shorter strand from the gym bag. It was one of several dozen that she had made, and held it out to her. "Go on, try to break it by pulling it apart." Yang took it with some hesitation, so Taylor waved a hand at her. "Don't worry, I've got plenty, and as you can see, I can always make more."

Yang relaxed, and then she looped each end around her fists a couple of times. She pulled it taut, and was surprised when it didn't budge. She growled and got better leverage, which didn't help at all. She strained so hard that her breath started to hiss between her teeth, and her arms bulged and shook. "Gah! You weren't kidding!" She relaxed, exhaled, and closed her eyes. "Now for the real test."

"Oh, um…" Taylor started to object, but when Yang opened her eyes, they'd changed from lilac to red, and that same golden glow lit up around her. Taylor was unnerved, but she was also curious to see just how strong her lines truly were. She hadn't doubted they would hold her own weight, but she had concerns about anything heavier.

She watched with sick fascination as the blonde's hands slowly inched apart. There was a popping sound, and the line finally snapped under the strain. Yang's grin of triumph was instant as her hands flew apart. Taylor clapped and gave a little cheer to show that she wasn't upset, and Yang gave her a little bow as the light faded away. "Can you still use these?" she asked, holding up the two strands.

Taylor took hold of each strand to examine them. "Hmm," she mused. The broken ends had fused and hardened, which surprised her. She had expected them to fray or even puff out instead of that. The stiffened portions were maybe an inch long, and jagged. There must be a heat factor to Yang's power, or maybe some kind of exothermic reaction; it was something else to research when she had the time.

When she stabbed one into the flat surface of the wooden bench, it sank in about halfway. Getting it out again proved to be too difficult, and Yang had to help her. Even then it didn't come loose so much as it took a small chunk of wood with it. "Huh. I bet you could use it as a grappling hook or something."

Taylor shrugged, but her mind already raced along the same lines. "Maybe? I'll have to fiddle with it and see what's possible." She set them aside for the time being and went to the space underneath the stairs. "Give me a hand with this, will you?" She dragged an old plastic tub out with a grunt of effort. It was heavy because of the bottles of black dye, gallon water jugs, and white vinegar.

"Sure thing, Tay!" Yang joined her and took up one end with considerably less effort that Taylor, who had to use both hands. She was too busy heaving to scowl at the obviously much stronger girl, and they walked it over to the rest of her gear. "So what's all this stuff for?"

Taylor grinned while Yang poked around at the contents. "It's for my costume," she answered. She dipped her hand into the bag and pulled it out with a little flourish. "Ta-daa!" She was surprised at how infectious Yang's good humor was making her feel, but she had to admit that she felt a little pride. Her handiwork was going to make for a bad ass getup.

Yang looked at the dark grey fabric with aplomb. "Nice! You made this by yourself?" She poked at it and rubbed a fold between her fingers. "Ooh, I bet it's gonna be comfy to wear, too."

Taylor couldn't help herself and she giggled. "That's not even the best part. I'll give you three guesses what material it's made from."

Yang was not stupid. She looked from the suit to the spiders at work on the table, and then to Taylor with a slack jaw. "You're shitting me! This is the same stuff?" Taylor beamed, and realized how much she had missed this. Having a friend she could share secrets with and be excited about it almost made her forget about all the horrible crap the trio had put her through. "That must have taken ages!"

"Not counting the leg I screwed up and had to shear off with wire cutters, yes, almost two months." She had already given it three dye sessions. "I just need to do one more soak, I think. It's a bit more resistant than the stuff made by silkworms." She draped it over the bag and started to pull out bottles and jugs, and Yang bent down to help her.

Once the tub was emptied out, they started pouring the water back into it, and she kept up a running commentary as they did so. "It took me a while to figure out how to work without a pattern of any kind, because spiders weaving aren't anything like sewing machines."

"Whoa, hold on! That's all one piece?" Yang marveled.

"Everything except the zipper on the back," she said. "I tried to figure out how to make one of those with bug shells and drag-line, but it was just easier to go buy one from a fabric store." She was reasonably sure that she could have managed it with enough time and effort, though. It wasn't worth it in the end.

"Damn, girl, you rock!"

Taylor's face was starting to hurt from all the smiles she'd had today, and she didn't mind one bit. "Putting together a costume is tricky – capes that buy theirs either leave themselves open to being tracked or they wind up with a crappy costume, usually both."

That part of the explanation didn't really make sense to Yang. "So why do you have to hide who you are? Where I come from, huntsmen and huntresses are mostly pretty open about it."

Taylor started to push the suit down into the water, and she looked over at Yang. "That's a complicated question – one that has sparked days and days of debate on the PHO boards more than once." It had also been the source of more than a few temp-bans. When Yang tilted her head in askance, Taylor elaborated. "PHO is an online message board for talking about Parahumans – capes. Anyway, the short answer is the unwritten rules."

She paused to wring out the suit, which Yang helped her with. "Basically there are things that almost everyone unofficially agrees to, hero or villain: Nobody outs secret identities, and nobody goes after civilian friends or loved ones if they know a secret identity."

Yang looked unconvinced. "Almost everyone, huh?"

One corner of Taylor's mouth curled up in disgust. "Yeah, there are some who don't play along. If they get caught doing it, they open themselves up to a boatload of trouble from all the other capes. And if they do it often enough, they could get sent to the Birdcage, or even have a kill order issued."

"Wow," Yang breathed. "So are there more of these unwritten rules?" Then she gasped. "Did I break any of them when I got into it with whatshername?"

Taylor shook her head. "No way – you were trying to disperse a mob holding me against my will. And Sophia attacked you first." It was probably mostly accurate, but the PRT would have still been very displeased with Yang.

Yang relaxed, fractionally, but then her eyes narrowed. "Then why is it that you were so quick to hustle us outta there, hmm?"

Taylor sighed and started to mix in the dye and vinegar with a broken yard stick. "She's really popular –Sophia, that is. Even with your word, mine hasn't counted for anything at all. At the very least, it would have been way more trouble than I want to put up with right now, or ever, for that matter. I mean, I know I've said I'm grateful, and I really, really am, but you just don't know how-"

Yang reached across the tub and placed gentle hands on either shoulder. "Easy there, Taylor, take a breath." Taylor hadn't realized that she had started to stir the bath a little too vigorously, so she stopped to do like Yang suggested. "You said this has been going on a long while?" Taylor nodded mutely. "What about your dad?"

Taylor grimaced and shook her head hard. "He's got enough to worry about, and since Mom died…" She couldn't bring herself to say it, but they had drifted apart. "I really don't want to talk about it right now." The mood had been so good up until a few minutes ago, and all this heavy talk was killing it.

Yang took the hint and gave her a gentle shake. "Okay, I'll let it go for now – which I should point out is super hard for me – but you really should talk to someone. Bottling things up like this isn't good for you." Taylor gave her a pained look, and Yang returned it with a reproachful one. "Trust me, Taylor, I know." She wilted under that steady gaze, but she nodded and started to stir again.

Yang took her assent for what it was and bounced right back to happy mode. "So, if we're gonna have to wait a couple of days, you might as well tell me about the rest of these unwritten rules, yeah?" Taylor's eyes squinted; she had a growing suspicion about the blonde's motivation behind the question. "I mean, if we're gonna go out and fight bad guys, I probably oughta' know what I'm in for."

There were explosions and laser beams flying all over the place outside the giant windows. The giant windows that looked into space gave us a clear view of the battle. The fight was between two factions whose names I barely remembered, and could give less than one shit about. This was the stupidest of all six movies anyway.

"Twice the pride, double the fall." Karrin was having a hard time breathing. It was everything I could do to keep mine even. Ulsharavas was pointedly ignoring everyone; she sat passively and stared out the window. Q-bacca, on the other hand, could not shut the hell up, and I was ignoring him. To hear a Wookiee speak English was just plain wrong on so many levels.

I knew it was a bad idea to let the girls stay up way past their bedtime. Karrin was tugging my arm and pointing at the Jedi duel in progress on the main deck below us. I knew Dooku was going to jump up here in a minute, and I really, really just wanted to bash in his skull with my staff. Maybe they would let me keep his light saber.

So help me, Yang, when I find you…

Taylor fidgeted as she sat at the dinner table. Yang sat on the right, and her father sat directly across from her. She was uncomfortable because she couldn't tell if it was worry, anger, or frustration that caused the creases in his forehead. "So," he began with a degree of hesitation, "you have powers?" Taylor nodded patiently. "And Myrddin is coming to meet with you this weekend?"

That was the part he was having trouble coming to grips with. "Yes, but not so much for me as for Yang, here." Taylor waved a hand at the blonde, whom she tried not to favor with a sullen glower. Yang had been insistent that Taylor have this talk that they were now suffering through.

"Because she's from another world – Remnant, was it?"

Yang gave him a sunny smile. "That's right, Danny."

He frowned. "And you're sort of a cape, but not really?"

"The technical term is Huntress-in-training where I come from, but I don't really see much difference between the two." Yang shrugged, but she maintained a pleasant demeanor.

Danny leaned back into his chair and took a cleansing breath. "Alright, I think I have a handle on this now. What sort of powers did you get, Taylor?"

Taylor had been waiting for that, and she demonstrated by directing a stream of ants to crawl in a line from underneath the table. "I can control bugs and spiders," she said as she pointed at them. They scurried into a formation of circles, and Danny watched in horrified fascination. "I also seem to have a much greater capacity for multi-tasking," she said. She went on to describe the work her spiders were doing in the basement at that moment, weather conditions in the general vicinity, and how many people were outdoors. "I know it doesn't seem like a very good power-"

Danny cut her off. "I dunno about that, kiddo. How many can you control, and how far out?"

Taylor smiled at his tacit approval. "It's about four or five blocks, but that seems to be growing at a steady pace, if a little slower than I'd like. As for how many, I'm not sure I've found an upper limit yet." She decided that it might be better not to tell them exactly how many there were. "Just what's in reach now is in the millions." He scoffed in disbelief, and Yang shared the sentiment. It wasn't like she was exactly lying, but she didn't want to scare them.

After the novelty of the ant parade wore off, Danny frowned. "You plan on being a hero." It wasn't a question, but Taylor nodded anyway. "I don't suppose I could convince you to let me drive you to the PRT building and sign you up for the Wards?"

Taylor had mulled over the decision before. It held a certain appeal, but there were considerations. "I had hoped to keep my options open, at least until I get a better sense of how to use this. I haven't even gone out yet."

"But you plan to. Is that such a good idea?" He held up a finger when Taylor started to answer him. "Hear me out, Taylor. I'm under no illusion that I'd be able to stop you, but what will you do about your identity?"

Yang, who had elected to keep quiet took the opportunity to stand up, and Taylor shot her a conspiratorial glance. "Got that covered," she said as she got up from her chair. "Let me show you what I've been up to." She beckoned him as she started toward the basement door.

Danny followed them down the stairs and joined them at the work bench. He eyed the black widows nervously as they continued to weave the cord she'd had them start earlier. "And you're sure this is safe?"

Taylor snorted and patted him on the shoulder. "Spiders are a little spooky, but they're easy to lock into a pattern," she said. She pulled out a few of the shorter cords and handed one to him. He gingerly took it between his fingers, and she had him try the same thing Yang had. He put some muscle behind it, but didn't try as hard as she had.

"I had Yang do the same thing, and she had to use her power to manage it," she held up one of the torn pieces, which he examined. "I can't be completely sure, but if I had to guess, she's a Striker-Brute 5 or 6."

Danny tilted his head. "I'm not sure what that means beyond - a strength rating, is it?"

"Melee, and general toughness, too." Taylor had given Yang a crash course in PRT ratings, so she turned to the girl. "Can you give dad an example?"

Yang made a show of rubbing her chin in thought, and she snapped her fingers. "I punched a car about fifty or sixty feet away, once. Does that help?" For a change, Taylor was just as surprised as her father. "I can also fall from a long way up and shrug it off – far enough to reach terminal velocity. Tables don't take it too well, though," she finished impishly.

Taylor blew out a breath, and Danny whistled. "Easy six, probably a seven," Taylor amended. "Leviathan is a nine, according to PHO. Anyway, it let her break the cord easily enough." She moved to stand by the damp suit that hung from one of her lines and some clothespins. "The suit is made of the same material, and I made armor plates to go with it," she said, pointing to the layered carapace panels on the far side of the bench.

She went on to explain the research she'd done, as well as meticulous tests she had performed. "That explains the sudden interest in your morning runs," he realized. "Alright, I don't like it, but I have to admit that you seem to have thought this through. What's your plan?"

Taylor fingered the sleeve of her suit, and shook her head minutely. "Originally I was going to wait another month, but Yang's offered to go out with me before she leaves."

Danny bobbed his head at the other girl. "That's very kind of you, Yang. Have you been-" he paused and looked around. "Maybe we should continue this upstairs?" They all agreed and returned to the dining room table. When they were all seated again, Danny turned his attention to Yang. "Have you been doing this for very long?"

Yang waggled her hand. "It's not quite the same thing, but I've been training since I was eight, and fighting since I was ten. Seven or nine years, depending on how you want to look at it." She took their expressions of shock in stride. "Remnant is filled to the brim with literal fear-sensing monsters. We have combat schools and training academies for those that want to do it professionally."

Taylor was just as stunned as Danny. "Nine years…" she breathed. She could hardly imagine such a place. "And you want to go back there?"

Yang affirmed without hesitation. "I've got family, friends – people I care about. I don't know how I left in the first place, but Harry went to a lot of trouble to help me get back." She ducked her head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to show up here. Don't get me wrong, you've all been nice, and I'm glad I can help out, but…"

Danny reached over and patted her hand. "That's perfectly understandable. You're sure this fellow will be able to find you?"

"Absolutely: He's a genuine wizard, and even though he'll probably be irritated with this little detour, he gave his word. He's really big on keeping his promises."

Danny accepted her statement at face value, even if Taylor rolled her eyes at the word 'wizard'. "Okay then, so at the very least you'll be around for a couple days." He gave Taylor a serious look. "I'm on board with this, but," he said as he held up a finger. "If you're not going straight to the PRT, and if Yang is reunited with her friends, I'd like to offer a suggestion backup plan."

Taylor slouched and moaned, "Dad…"

He blew a raspberry at her. "Oh, don't be like that. You haven't even heard my idea yet." He paused and waited for her to surrender. "I think it might be worth your time to have a sit down with Carol Dallon."

Taylor's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. "Who's that?" Yang asked.

Danny filled in the blanks. "Right, you're not from around here. Mrs. Dallon is a member of the independent cape team, New Wave, and also a damned good lawyer." He turned back to Taylor. "What do you think, kiddo? I can give Alan a call and-"

"Dad, no!" Taylor clapped a hand over her mouth, and then calmed down. "If you ask him to put you in touch with her, Emma might find out. It wouldn't be hard for them to put the pieces together…" she trailed off, and her expression grew mortified.

Danny squinted at her suspiciously. "Why would that be a prob-" he stopped talking and a mixture of anger and sadness crossed his face. "Oh, Taylor…" She sighed heavily and looked down at her lap. "Is she the reason you've been…" He couldn't bring himself to finish whatever he had been about to say.

Taylor took advantage of the pause. "Can we not talk about that right now, please? I've been talking to Yang about it, and I don't think it will be an issue for much longer." Danny looked as if he had been wounded deeply, but couldn't muster the will to say anything. "I like your idea, but lawyers are expensive, aren't they?"

He regained some of his composure, and suddenly remembered their guest. "This is not what I was expecting to come home to when I left the office today." He frowned and glanced at Taylor again

Yang leaned back and waved her hands in a warding gesture. "I totally understand what you mean, Danny." She grinned widely. "If it makes you feel any better, some of those jerkface girls got a taste of their own medicine this morning. Especially whatshername – Sophia?"

Taylor winced, but managed to giggle a little. "It was pretty awesome, dad. And before you ask, I'm reasonably sure the only person who got a good look was Sophia." She rushed on before he could object. "So tell me your idea about Brandish?"

Danny looked back and forth between the two girls and clicked his teeth shut. "I don't want you going back to that school. They've broken their promise to look out for you after –" Taylor gave a minute shake of her head. "We'll figure something out."

"You won't get any argument from me," she said firmly. "If I join the Wards, I'll probably get transferred to Arcadia. If not, I can always get my GED or homeschool." She relaxed and folded her hands together. "I bet if you explained the situation, Mrs. Dallon would probably be willing to give a consult."

He considered her words. "I think we can break open the piggy bank if it comes down to it. You'll have to let her in on your identity, but you'd have legal confidentiality. Plus the obvious." He stood up and made his way over to the phone. "Let's see what she says, first."

Taylor sat back as he looked up the phone number and started to dial. Yang noticed a palpable sense of relief coming off her. "I'll give that a seven out of ten, Tay. You realize you gotta do the other three at some point, right?" Taylor grumbled something indistinct. "Hey, cheer up: The hard part is over."

Taylor gave the sunshine girl a flat stare. "I guess so. Don't think I'm going to forget that this is all your fault, though."

Yang just grinned wider. "Any time you wanna come get some, bug-girl, I'm right here."

"I know it's a bit unusual, yes," Danny said. After a pause, he resumed. "Normally I would go to Alan for this, but there are… concerns. Yes? No, that would be just fine, ma'am. Thank you. I will. You as well, goodbye." He set the phone down in the cradle and glanced at his watch. He made a show of tapping it and placed it to his ear.

"Oh my god, dad, you're killing us," Taylor said. "What did she say?"

He dusted his hands together and gave the girls a big wink. "She's agreed to meet with us over dinner this evening." Taylor sagged and let out the breath she'd been holding. "She would have rather we made an appointment for next week, but she understood that time is of the essence. I don't suppose you know whether or not she likes spaghetti, do you?"

Taylor shrugged. "PHO doesn't really do that deep a dive on capes that I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a picture of New Wave eating at Fugly Bob's, though. I doubt she's a vegetarian."

Yang was bewildered by the name. "Fug-ly Bob's? What the heck kind of name is that?"

I was slowly going mad. We were in a cartoon. The landscape reminded me of the American Southwest. The desert was dotted with the occasional towering cactus, mesas, and rock formations. I now stood squarely in front of Wile E. Coyote, and had begun to shake him by the shoulders violently. He looked at Karrin plaintively while he held a simple cardboard sign that read 'HELP'.

Q, now in the guise of Marvin the Martian, was gesturing wildly at Ulsharavas. She had long since stopped aiming dirty looks at us, and gave off a resigned air. Karrin was the picture of concentration and restraint, if you overlooked the pinched face, shuddering suppressed laughter, and the fingers she pressed to her temples.

"MEEP MEEP!"

Yang was definitely lacking in the patience category. "What's the big deal, Threnody?" The name she'd ultimately chosen had seemed odd at first, but there weren't many good choices for a bug-themed cape. They had cycled through plenty, but most sounded ridiculous, stupid, or terrifying. "He doesn't look so tough."

Taylor sighed. Right, she wasn't a Brocktonite. "This is Lung. He regenerates, gets bigger, and literally turns into a fuck-all huge dragon." The girl crossed her arms. "I'm serious, Yang, he routinely clobbers cape teams." Yang looked skeptical, so she tried meeting her impromptu partner halfway. "Let's see if we can find out what they're planning and call it in."

Yang tilted her head. "Alright, we'll play it your way." Her tone clearly indicated a 'for now' attitude. She really liked Yang's style, but this was her first night out, and they had promised her dad that they wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. Of course, they had every intention to look for muggers and the like. This was different; there was such a thing as biting off more than she could chew. Taylor had begun to wonder if maybe she should have taken Brandish up on her offer of backup.

They were up on the roof of a two-story building, listening as Lung began to issue harsh orders to his gang. It didn't take long to figure out what their goal was. There was a lot of swearing, but they both heard him casually tell the others not to bother screwing around and just kill the kids. Taylor and Yang looked at one another in horror and disgust. "Thren, we can't wait." Taylor nodded in agreement.

"Think you can take out both of those vans?" Taylor pointed at the vehicles parked near the gang members. "If we can slow them down, maybe we can get backup here in time." Yang gave her a thumbs-up and expanded her bracers as Taylor started to direct her swarm. She pulled out the pre-paid cell phone – to her surprise, her dad had insisted on it. They had programmed it with several phone numbers.

She splayed out the fingers of her right hand as she pulled up the PRT contact, and then she started a silent countdown. When she clenched her fist, panicked shouts and a couple of girly screams erupted from the group below. Yang literally blasted off the roof as soon as the chaos erupted, which caused Taylor to flinch sideways.

"PRT HQ, Officer Waller, how may we-" The man's voice cut off as a thunderous explosion and shrieking metal interrupted him.

Taylor winced and covered her free ear. "To Console: This is Threnody. Lung and ABB preparing assault on minors, attempting to delay, send backup to 38th and Corsica." Quick, concise, location provided. Most of the gang members had either fled or were writhing on the ground in agony. "Correction, most ABB members dispersed." She quickly added, "Working with Yang Xiao Long, blonde brute – currently engaged in melee."

Officer Waller took the pandemonium in stride. "Threnody and Yang, new independent capes?" Taylor gave an affirmative. "Understood, Lung and small number of gang members at 38th and Corsica-" Crash! Roar! BOOM! "Hang in there, help is on the way. Disengage if possible." Taylor had focused most of her swarm on Lung, who was duking it out with Yang.

"Yeah, I doubt that last is gonna happen; Threnody out." She flipped the phone shut and stowed it. She did everything to distract, blind, or otherwise hamper Lung. Spiders bit, beetles and ants gnawed, wasps and hornets stung. Considering who they were fighting, she didn't hold back. Eyes, ears, nose and mouth – if there was an opening, she crammed everything she could into them.

Yang kept the pressure on, and Taylor's swarm was helping a little bit. Lung was fast, but she was faster, and he was distracted. The only problem was, her bugs were starting to feel uncomfortably hot. He had begun to grow scales, and the swarm in direct contact with him was now dying off in droves. "AWOO KIWW YOOO!" he roared, and then burst into flame.

Taylor reached into her pack as she watched Yang dance around him. She didn't have much to work with. Her cord probably wouldn't be able to last long enough to trip him up. Her pepper spray wasn't likely do anything to him at this point, assuming she could even get close enough to try. She had one idea, but it was a long shot.

Lung was a raging tower of fury now, almost nine feet tall. Yang was forced to propel herself with shots from her armbands. She rained blows into his torso, and would block whenever he tried to return the favor. Each time his fists impacted, she would flare up in a golden glow.

Yang bobbed and weaved. Lung thrust out with a savage kick, and she punched at his knee. When her fist connected, the bracer fired. The effect was dazzling, and it accomplished two things: Lung was knocked off balance, and the inertia carried her elbow up into his chin. His head had elongated, and stubby wings had started to protrude from his back.

His head snapped back, and even though he tottered, his arms whipped around to snatch Yang up into a bear hug. He went down to one knee with enough force to crack the pavement.

He had to be at least twelve feet tall, because even knelt down, Yang's feet – when they weren't busy kicking – still dangled a good foot off the ground. His neck slowly tilted forward, and he laughed darkly. Yang was firmly in his grasp and swearing up a storm. Her vocabulary was… impressive.

He got a firm grip on one flailing leg and swung Yang like a rag doll. She spun one full rotation and smashed into the ground, and Taylor's stomach sank. Yang was embedded in the pavement, and she looked dazed.

"Hey! Assclown!" Taylor shouted, not knowing what else to do. He growled and whirled to face the building she was on top of. "Up here, dipshit! I hope you're hungry!" She was manic, and a little taken aback as he glared up at her. "That's right, scumbag! I've got a can of whoop ass with your name all over it!"

Lung opened his jaws to roar and gathered himself to leap, and Taylor took a frightened step back. Her suit might have taken a bullet, but it was not fireproof. Or crush-proof. Or pissed-off-dragon-proof. She found herself wondering what step two was supposed to be.

And then her bugs finally delivered their payload. Her can of pepper spray, tied to one of her cords and carried by as many fliers as she could get, landed between his jaws. He snapped at it, and Taylor winced. The stuff her dad made her carry was alcohol-based. Lung was about to have a really bad night.

The canister exploded, and Lung howled. He dropped to hands and knees retching and spewing liquid fire onto the melted asphalt. The stench was horrendous, even from Taylor's vantage point.

And then his bad night got worse. "Hey!" Yang cocked her fist back as he turned furious eyes up at her. She lit up with a glow bright enough to cast shadows, and she lunged forward.

The punch sounded like a hammer of God when it landed. It visibly warped the air around them in a bubble that spread out rapidly. The roof Taylor stood on shook once, and then a second time as all the windows shattered. Taylor flung her arms up over her face more out of reflex than anything else.

When she dared to look again, Yang stood over Lung's unconscious form, which was rapidly reverting to a more human shape. She slapped her hands onto the concrete ledge in open-mouthed shock. "Holy shit, Yang! Are you okay?" She looked no worse for the wear, even though there was a Yang-shaped, foot-deep hole in the road.

She looked up at Taylor with a toss of her hair, and she brushed her hands together. "Piece'a cake! You gonna get your skinny butt down here or what?" Taylor scoffed and pushed away to find the fire escape. As soon as she made it to the ground, she pulled out her phone to call the PRT number again.

"PRT HQ, Officer Waller speaking. Any survivors out there?" The last part came out sounding like he was bracing himself for bad news. Lung had a nasty reputation, and the two of them were complete unknowns.

"Lung is down, no casualties to report." She couldn't keep the grin away when she said it.

"No sh- uh, no kidding? Huh." There was a pause as he typed on a keyboard. "Armsmaster ETA four minutes. Good work, Threnody; hope we get to meet you soon." He sounded impressed, and there was a voice in the background that sounded something like 'holy fuck, really?' She didn't catch the rest as the mic was muffled

Taylor was elated, both for the praise and the fact that he remembered her name. "Thanks, Officer Waller, and we'll see. Holding on location for Armsmaster, out." She waited long enough for him to roger out, and then put the phone away. "That was some punch!" she said. It was one thing to read about it or watch video, but it was an entirely different experience to see it up close and personal. She frowned at all the broken windows, which went halfway up and down the street. "We should probably up your striker rating to 'Fuck you'."

Yang chortled and didn't bother to keep her voice down. "Hah! That was me being nice." Taylor blanched and bent down to look Lung over. He was wheezing, and nothing looked broken, thank God. There were a lot of ugly black streaks around his nose and mouth, though. And he stank of burnt flesh. Blech, she thought, alcohol fires were nasty.

The roar of a motorcycle grew closer, and after a minute, the leader of Protectorate East-North-East pulled to a stop several yards away. He dismounted and pulled his trademark halberd from a rack, and then attached it to his back. His helmet had a dark blue visor that left the lower half of his face exposed. He strode over to them cautiously and surveyed the scene, taking note of the damaged windows and burning vehicles.

Yang gave a low whistle, and Taylor couldn't really blame her. The man was decked out in blue power armor that gleamed with silver highlights. "That's a sweet ride you've got there," she said. Of course Yang only had eyes for the bike. Taylor didn't really see the appeal, but then again, she didn't even have a learner's permit.

Armsmaster looked between the two of them, and then down at Lung, and nodded once. "Good evening, ladies." His fingers wavered between the two before they aimed at Taylor. "Threnody, I presume?"

Taylor reached out a gloved hand. "That's right, sir, and this is Yang." He gripped her hand gently and pumped it once.

"Pleased to meet you both," he said politely. He angled to give Yang the same courtesy, and awkwardly bumped her fist when she offered one. "If you'll give me just a moment to see to Lung, then we can talk." He stepped around and kneeled down to check his pulse, and then he pulled a tube from his belt. When a needle popped out, Taylor cleared her throat. He paused and looked in her direction.

"Is that a tranquilizer?" she asked.

His expression didn't change. "A brute-rated one, yes. Why?"

"He's been stung by a large number of various insects and spiders. His regen will probably handle it fine, but I have no idea how the toxins would interact with that." Armsmaster's lips thinned, and Taylor rushed to explain. "We thought it would be best not to hold back."

The man's head cocked to one side and grunted. "Prudent, if ill-advised. Thank you for letting me know." He retracted the needle and replaced the syringe back on his belt. "I'll need to contain him before we can run through the particulars."

He stood up and went back to the bike, and returned with two sets of thick metal tubes. He used one to bind Lung's arms behind his back, while the other was placed on the man's lower legs. They clunked heavily and whined as he sealed them, and Lung didn't so much as stir. Armsmaster murmured something sub-vocally, probably calling for a heavy-duty transport if Taylor had to guess.

He stood and faced them both. "Before we begin, I must say, Yang, you bear a striking resemblance to a young woman reported in a recent altercation at Winslow High School." Taylor's blood froze in her veins. "The details, however, are unclear. Would you care to comment?"

Yang showed no concern whatsoever. "Yep, that was me. Half a dozen girls had… another girl backed into a corner." She scowled disapprovingly. "It seemed pretty obvious to me what they were doing, what with all the nasty shit they were shouting at her."

Armsmaster frowned. "And so you took it upon yourself to resolve the situation with violence? Using your powers?" He shook his head. "The situation might be understandable, but this is very serious."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Pff. I wouldn't call that 'violence'. A couple of girls went sliding down the hallway, the rest ran, and I gave Sophia the opportunity to walk away." The older man leaned forward intently, and she crossed her arms. "She attacked me first, and she wasn't very good at it. No powers necessary."

Taylor was pointedly not looking at Yang because she couldn't say anything without effectively unmasking herself. If Armsmaster had decided that she'd broken the law… "I see, you're telling the truth." Yang scowled, and he tapped the helmet. "The visor has a lie detector built in."

"Cool," Yang deadpanned. "You gonna haul me in?"

Armsmaster pursed his lips, and then shook his head. "Not based on what you've told me. I would be curious to get a detailed report, as well as an opportunity to speak with the lone victim." He paused and added, "To corroborate your story." Something in his voice was off, but not necessarily directed at Yang.

The blonde turned to look at Taylor, who was at once displeased and very confused. Why would he be interested in … any… of that? "That…" Taylor paused, and an awful suspicion began to twist in her gut. "That could probably be arranged; no promises, though."

He seemed satisfied with that answer, and took a moment to pull a business card from a compartment in his armor, which he handed to Taylor. "My direct line is on there. Please have your friend call me if she feels comfortable doing so, or she can ask for someone else. I recommend Miss Militia, who I admit is better at that sort of discussion." Taylor gave him a polite nod and slipped the card away. He turned and looked over the damage. "Now, why don't you two take me through what happened here."

We were on the escalator that never ends. It just goes on and on, my friends. Spiraling downward, just like my life, and my sanity. The walls were white, the floor was white, the ceiling was – look you get the point. After we'd visited god knows how many iterations of bullshit pop culture theme parks, Q had finally gotten bored and sent us here. I did my best to be patient, probably because I already had gone mad and come out the other side. The muzak was alright, at least.

Karrin wisely kept any comments she had to herself, and Ulsharavas was stoically seated a few steps down from us. It wasn't hard to tell that she was irked. As we descended, I could feel a pulsating energy through the soles of my boots. As we descended, it grew more intense. The featureless escalator shaft gave no indication when it ended abruptly.

One moment we were descending, and the next Ulsharavas stood and padded off along a concourse. It reminded me a little bit of an airport terminal, with many branching hallways. Ulsharavas eventually turned down one of these, which was somewhat smaller than the wide path we had just left behind. The other main differences were that every fifteen feet or so, there were doors. Each was marked with strange symbols, and a closer inspection revealed them to be Greek letters.

My curiosity finally got the better of me. "So what is this, some kind of cosmic shortcut?"

Ulsharavas cast an enigmatic glance over her shoulder. "Apt, if inaccurate. We are fortunate, despite the youngling's lack of discipline." The pulses were now strong enough that it was hard not to flinch. "The Continuum seldom permits any to tread these halls. Q must like you." I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

She angled toward a door that was labeled with a reversed C looking symbol. When she approached, it swung open on its own. We followed her through, and found ourselves in a wide, circular room. The walls were set with recessed marble arches every couple of feet. "Can you sense it, wizard?" I felt an insistent tug to my right, and I followed the oblique trajectory. My feet were buzzing like they had fallen asleep.

As we approached the far wall, the portals revealed a variety of locations. Snow-capped mountains, busy streets, and one that looked like the inside of a janitor's closet were just a few. Some were set in daytime, while others were shrouded in darkness. The important part was the fact that we could see people in some. Signs were also visible in a variety of languages, predominantly in English.

"This is Earth," I said, flatly. Ulsharavas gave me a nod, and I came to a screeching halt, physically and mentally. "If the Enemy were to find their way in here…"

Ulsharavas snorted contemptuously. "Unlikely. However, such a thing may be remotely possible. It could infest the Omniverse." I choked on air, and Karrin inhaled sharply. "The Continuum would not stand for it, but they are not infallible." I'm not sure what freaked me out more – countless versions of Earth (even with limited access) or the fact that nigh-omnipotent beings weren't perfect.

"This game is so rigged," I grumbled. Ulsharavas let out a disgusted noise but made no remark. The archway we stopped at opened up to a sunny park. There were several people nearby, a number of them in some kind of tactical uniform. In front of them was a tall man who looked suspiciously familiar, if a little… ridiculous. For one thing, he wore a brown robe, and his staff was uncarved, gnarled wood. Worse, he had a thick beard and some kind of black mask that covered the upper half of his face.

Murphy snorted. "Quiet, you," I groused.

She snickered. "I would hope that you could come up with a better costume than that." I drew in a long-suffering breath. "How does this work? If we step through, will we get stuck there?"

Ulsharavas sat. "No. We will remain here to hold the attunement. Do not linger." Karrin adjusted the strap for her rifle so it was out of the way, and I thumped my staff on the floor a couple of times, and we stepped through.

Taylor had mixed feelings. Being one of two people to take down one of Brockton Bay's most notorious gang leaders was a monumental achievement – especially for her first night out. Her dad had been both awed and totally furious. However much good it would be for the city, she had definitely painted a target on her back. It was looking more and more likely that Threnody would join the Wards.

There had also been the meeting with Myrddin, which had been tense. The pair of them had been doubted and questioned, a frustrating experience for the older girl. She wasn't accustomed to being thought of as crazy or a liar. More than once 'Threnody' had to work to reign in her partner's temper. That and numerous confirmations from Armsmaster's lie detector.

Once the Chicago Protectorate's leader had been satisfied with Yang's bizarre tale, he had begun to work. Taylor didn't pretend to understand what he was doing, but she refused to believe it was 'magic'. There were some who believed in supernatural forces, but most of them were also the sort of people who believed in conspiracy theories. Still, one did not attain a position of leadership in the Protectorate by being nuts, so she shrugged it off.

They were now gathered on Captain's Hill with a squad of PRT troopers. Taylor had elected to wear her costume, and she stood with Yang, Glory Girl, and Panacea a short distance from the main group. It was exciting to be around the younger members of New Wave, but the thrill was marred by the reason they were gathered in the park: Yang, in all likelihood, was leaving soon, never to return.

Glory Girl and Yang were mock wrestling, and Panacea stood next to her with a bemused expression. "So," Amy began hesitantly, "bugs, huh?" Taylor nodded. "How much can you do with them? I mean, besides the obvious."

Taylor shrugged. "I really couldn't say. Seeing and hearing through them seems like it could be a thing, but every time I've tried, it just gives me a headache. The input is weird and distorted." She and Yang had spent the last two days brainstorming, and there were other ideas. The swarm clones would take some practice, so maybe the remote spying was the same. She ran through some of those ideas with Panacea as a way to pass the time.

She listened patiently, and when Taylor paused, she asked, "Do you have any beetles nearby?"

Taylor gave her an appraising look, and brought a few to her. "What are you thinking?" There had been some discussion about possibly joining the Dallons' team as an affiliate. Flashbang had pointed out that their group could use someone with a reconnaissance skillset. Brandish had been reluctant, but the prospect of Taylor's offer to help outfit them with suits had at least made her open-minded. There were also a number of commercial applications that Taylor had started to consider more seriously.

Panacea knelt down and held out her hand so she could brush several of the bugs into it. "I'd like to try something," she said distantly. They weren't much larger than a thumbnail, but when the girl focused her power on them, Taylor could sense a twisting of some kind. She watched with fascination as they began to merge into one that grew larger.

She watched in amazement as many bugs became one about the size of a half dollar, and it was… strange. It had grown a set of sturdy wings, and the head had a bulbous growth. "Give it a look," the other girl said. Taylor gasped as the extra growth opened to a shiny black orb. She could see through it! The image was grainy, and without color, but it was very easy to see compared to compound eyes.

Taylor stared at Panacea in shock, and the girl gave her a nervous smile. "I know it's not much, but I don't usually do bugs, eve in they are simp-"

Taylor waved her hands frantically. "No, no! This is… This is amazing! Thank you!"

Panacea's shyness was replaced by a toothy smile. "I bet we can figure out other stuff. We should definitely talk, whether you join up with us or not." Taylor was overwhelmed with excitement as she nodded.

She sent the beetle flying up for a higher vantage point. "This is great!" It was clumsy, and it couldn't maneuver very well, but she didn't care. She brought it back down to her shoulder and then turned it so she could see behind her while she looked forward. "This is going to be so handy, in more ways than one. Thank you so much!" The brunette did a little bow. "We will definitely have to get together, soon."

The girl gave her a sly look. "Don't go thinking that I'm being completely unselfish."

Taylor gave her a playful gesture of hands on hips. "Oh, and why is that, Panacea?"

She glanced from side to side. "We'll have to keep it on the down-low, but I think with a lot of work, we could have something big enough to ride."

Her jaw dropped open. "Bullshit, now you're just screwing with me!" She got a wink in reply. "You're not joking, are you?"

Amy Dallon shrugged, but waved her hands. "I figure with you, biomass isn't a problem, but something so big will need a skeletal structure of some kind." She glanced at the two blondes as they talked and laughed. "It would be nice if Vicky didn't have to carry me everywhere." There was a wistful ring to those words.

"Well hey, silver linings and all-" she was cut off as a commotion rose up among the gathered Troopers.

"Heads up, people, we've got incoming!" someone shouted. Yang and Glory Girl stopped their horseplay and the latter floated off the ground. Taylor sent her new Eyewig up for a better view. It was hard to tell what exactly was going on, but a glowing semi-circle had appeared a few feet in front of the group.

Two people emerged; one was a tall man wearing a heavy cowboy duster, and the other was a short, blonde woman who had a complicated looking flak vest and leg holster. She looked a little like a mercenary, but the details were hard to pick out. What was obvious was the reaction of the troopers and handful of heroes at the fore, which was to level containment foam sprayers at them.

The newcomers slowly spread their hands wide and high. The man looked at the assembled firepower and raised his voice, "We come in peace. Take me to your leader!"

I was having trouble taking any of this seriously, especially the not-me with balls so big he chose the 'cape' name Myrddin. If he was as disturbed as I was about meeting another version of himself, he didn't show it. After we managed to calm things down, everyone relaxed enough to talk. I'd never heard of Brockton Bay, or the Protectorate, but from what I could gather, this Earth had real life super-heroes and villains.

If I wasn't so annoyed and spent, it might have even been cool. Okay, it was cool, but still. Karrin was chatting up a storm off to one side, comparing notes with another version of herself, decked out in some pretty impressive looking body armor. "Warden Dresden?"

I shook my head and focused my attention back on the man. "Sorry, this is all a bit weird, even for me." Myrddin gave me a conciliatory smirk. "What were you saying?"

"I was wondering if these gateways you mentioned were something we might be able to make use of," he indicated the portal some distance away.

I shook my head. "I don't think so. There's another… faction that controls the place, and they probably won't take too kindly to trespassers." I decided to leave it at that. "Look, I hate to drop in unannounced with no real answers, but we need to collect Yang and be on our way." As much as I wanted to do like Karrin was, we just didn't have the time. When not-Me started to frown, I decided to show my hold card. "We've got an Outsider problem that needs attending to."

Myrddin's frown thinned into a grimace. "I see. This way." Good, he wasn't a complete idiot. Oh, shut up. He turned and strode through a group of troops, who parted respectfully. Karrin noticed and had a brief final word with her other self. They shook hands and she jogged to catch up with us.

"Get anything useful?" I asked.

Karrin snorted and shook her head. "It's funny how similar things are. Like the fact that even in this universe, Rudolph is still a dick." I barked with laughter, and heads turned. "It's too bad we can't stick around, but maybe that's a good thing too."

I shrugged and kept walking. "Maybe so." With my luck, Mab was probably pretending to be one of these heroes or some crap. Knowing her, she was a supervillain who monologued and god knows what else. I had enough problems as it was, which at this moment included a teenage girl with self-control issues.

We came out the other side of the crowd, and a short distance away, Yang stood talking with three other young girls. A handful of other people in costume stood nearby, and one guy who looked a lot like Robocop coughed into a fist. When Yang's attention shifted to him, he pointed at us.

Yang turned around and whooped when she saw us. "Harry!" she cheered and took a flying leap at me. I grunted and rocked back as she made contact, and I was forced to take a step back. I thumped her on the back a couple of times and wheezed. She broke away after a couple of seconds and repeated her exuberance with Karrin.

The other teenagers approached, but the adults held back. The one in the black suit and layered plate armor looked at us with a tilted head. "Yang," I said sternly. Her head hunched lower between her shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay, but we're way off course here." The girls all grew somber. "I appreciate you all looking out for her, but we need to get her home. Huge mess, gloom and doom to prevent – you all look like you know how that is."

Yang squared her shoulders. "Can we get a minute with Threnody, Harry?"

Well that was a pretty cool name, if a little funereal –sounding. "Alright, Sparky, tick-tock." Yang gave me a little salute and rejoined the reedy girl in black. They hugged tightly.

"I wish you didn't have to go, Yang," she said. The taller girl patted her on the back. "You helped me so much." Her voice was thick with emotion, and it wasn't hard to imagine why. Yang made friends wherever she went.

They pulled apart, but held on to one another's arms. "Hey, what are friends for?" Yang shook her head. "Besides, all I did was help you get off on the right foot." She tipped her head to the other two girls, who were smiling at us. "You three stick together, look out for each other, yeah? You might stumble, but as long as you help each other back up, you'll do fine. Isn't that right, girls?"

The pretty blonde in the white skirt and cape pumped her fist. "You know it!" The other girl in the Red Cross outfit gave a shy nod. Yang leaned in close to Threnody and whispered something that made her stiffen. After a moment, she turned to look back at the man in blue and silver, and she gave a reluctant nod.

I hated to break this up, but we had already lost too much time as it was. I politely cleared my throat, "Sparky, ladies: Much as it pains me to be the party pooper, we need to get going." There were sad looks all around.

Yang gave Threnody another quick hug. "Time to go fight the good fight."

The hug turned into a group hug, and I decided there was time for one more thing. I fished out the scroll that Roman had left for me. "We've got time for a quick shot." The girls shifted around and huddled together. I'd fiddled with the thing a few times, so I was able to get the camera working easily enough. I took a couple of snaps, and then the other blonde girl pulled out a phone and asked me to take one for her too. I hesitated for a second, and Karrin shooed me back. I withdrew a dozen feet or so while Karrin had them ham it up.

Once picture time was over, they all shared a last embrace, and Yang followed Karrin over to where I stood. "So, boss, how much trouble am I in?"

I mockingly growled at her. "Young lady, you are so grounded when we get back." Yang hung her head and mumbled, and Karrin bumped shoulders with the girl to let her know I was probably teasing.

We made our way back to the portal, and Yang paused near Myrddin. She crooked a finger at him, and he bent down closer so she could whisper. I have no idea what she said, but it made the man jerk back in surprise. She slapped him on the shoulder, and he looked at me questioningly. I shrugged. "Don't look at me, I just work here. And don't roll your eyes at me either, or I'll spill the beans on The Branson Incident."

I got the finger and a smirk. "Please, go." Ah, so he had blundered into the same misunderstanding all those years ago. At least I knew I wasn't alone in the Omniverse now. Ebenezar was going to laugh his ass off all over again. At least this time I could join in.

We walked up to the threshold and Yang turned back to give her friends a final wave. They raised their hands and voices in return. And then, farewells done, we stepped over.