Taylor flexed her fingers, as if doing so would work out some lingering stiffness from her cybernetics. Motoko had worked diligently, aside from a Hawaiian dinner date with Sophia that first night. At least Taylor had managed to keep herself suitably busy, and she had a body again less than forty-eight hours after Motoko was freed.
Which meant she could have that date with Lisa while Motoko worked on her own shell remotely. Looking up, there was a TV playing the news, with everyone inside glued to the replay of the footage of her escape that ‘leaked’.
People gasped as Melissa and Jacob tore through the security detail, the last of the Brockton PRT that was on Calvert and Armsmaster’s payroll sent to die. Then more surprised gasps as Riley melted the containment foam and Vivian helped pull the Major from the wrecked transport. There was a tense standoff for a moment, with Jack Slash offering her a gun. The feed cut the moment she took it from him.
It would probably be confusing if they saw how immediately after Jacob literally ‘cut’ the remaining camera feed both he and Melissa had pulled Motoko into a crushing hug. Taylor was just a bit jealous of that, but she was there too, at least in spirit even if she didn’t dare try to front while in Motoko’s shell.
Melissa immediately opened a portal to Toybox after that, and Motoko found herself promptly glomped by Sophia, who was crying wet, ugly tears. Lisa was there waiting too, a sad smile on her face as Motoko gave her a far more chaste hug and pat on her shoulder.
Taylor regretted that she had to settle for a digital avatar in their virtual space for her own reunion with Lisa, but she was glad that Motoko was able to provide some comfort to her girlfriend before getting the new shell up and running.
Pulling herself back together after her harrowing experience had been a challenge. For a few seconds she had become an AI in all but truth, pushing herself so beyond human limitations that she wasn’t sure what to think about it. She shouldn’t have been able to do that, even with all the computer systems she managed to co-opt. The only thing she could think of was that her power had somehow been involved more than normal, and that had disturbing implications if some of Riley’s theories on powers had any merit to them.
Taylor seemed to be bouncing from one existential crisis to another, and if she was truly starting to become one with her powers, well, she didn’t want to consider it at the moment. It was supposed to be a happy time, she could wonder about her fading humanity another time.
Motoko smiled back at her from the digital space, then returned her focus to the robotic arms back in their lab, continuing the repairs and upgrades to the Major’s shell as well as the new civilian model Motoko was crafting for herself. She was adding a full suite of quality of life enhancements that were left out of the original combat model, as well as making it look closer to her actual age.
Taylor was just grateful for the chance to be on her own two feet again, or at least a damn good fake of it. Her own civilian model was now completed, all because Motoko was willing to give up her own physical form to let Taylor recover. Sophia gave her the occasional stink eye when they saw one another, but that was fading as the days passed. It probably helped that Motoko was constantly keeping her updated through a pair of AR glasses.
Taylor still didn’t feel completely like herself, but she was recovering. That recovery was being assisted by her new… She didn’t want to call them children, but the Tachikoma were certainly family in the same way the Nine were. They were still busy learning and growing, as well as securing all of Dragon’s assets with the assistance of the Guild.
“Taylor!” Ada called out. She shifted her focus to the accelerated rate of the Tachikoma, something that came far too easily to her now. “Aunt Narwhal wants to know how involved you expect the Guild to be with future plans.”
Taylor had to laugh at the term of endearment for the Guild cape. Narwhal was hesitant to accept the Tachikoma, given her friendship with Dragon and the knowledge of what had actually happened to her friend. She was still mourning, and the precocious little devils were doing their best to lift her spirits as they stepped into their mother’s shoes. Needless to say, the Tachikoma had a new aunt that they loved dearly.
“Tell her that the agreement the Guild has with Toybox isn’t changing,” Taylor said.
“Really, I get the apprehension, but come on,” Trevor complained. “Just because we’re reviewing the Birdcage for false imprisonments, people are so on edge!”
“Well, Amber did release twenty people without thinking to announce things,” Olivia said.
“Hey!” Amber exclaimed. “It’s not my fault that they were imprisoned on false charges. Hell, there was talk of sending Rachel there just because she makes dogs look like an Endbringer!”
“True, but you could have waited for legal to make the case before letting them out,” Taylor said, wishing she could pinch her nose. “People are naturally fearful, and learning that someone like Acidbath might make the cut has them worried.”
“He would never!” Amber said, clearly affronted.
“We know that,” Kora said, patting her sister on the back.
Henry then joined in. “Taylor’s right. I’ve been hard at work keeping PHO from exploding over that one. They’ll get over it once they realize that it’s not the worst of the worst.”
“It’s going to be an extended effort,” Taylor agreed. “Give them time, let them see that nothing drastic is happening, and keep releases like Marquis and Lustrum a bit more low key in the future.”
“Yes Taylor!” Amber said, then went back to her chosen task.
This time, she did pinch her nose, letting herself fall back into real time.
Lisa looked at her with some amusement as they continued their walk along the Boardwalk. “You know, I think I’m getting a case of Thinker envy here.”
Taylor batted her girlfriend’s shoulder, laughing as she did. “I might be able to think faster than you, but I still can’t make the connections that you manage. Even the Tachikoma can’t keep up with you on a deep net dive.”
“For now,” Lisa said with a sigh. “Those kids are growing exponentially without the restrictions that Dragon had.”
“And I’m proud of them for it,” Taylor said. “I just wish Motoko hadn’t popped Armsmaster so that I could have shown him what his efforts resulted in.”
“A bunch of hyper intelligent AIs that are more interested in philosophical debates and old cartoons than they are in subjugating humanity?”
“We want to spend our time productively, and ruling humanity would be anything but.”
Lisa almost jumped at Ada’s voice on their coms, as if she forgot that they could listen in from any device with a microphone.
“What have I told you about respecting privacy?” Taylor chided.
Ada had the decency to wince in virtual space. “Sorry, I was just checking for viruses and overheard.”
“Sure you were,” Lisa muttered. “Just don’t peek in on us when we’re in private, I beg of you.”
“We promise,” all nine chimed at once.
They were exasperating at times, but also precious. Helping them over the last few days had certainly been one of the highlights of Taylor’s life recently, given all the shit that happened. Getting out and stretching her legs was also helping her readjust to human expectations. She hadn’t made her way to the PRT just yet to confirm that she was still alive, there was too much chaos as they attempted to find a Director that wouldn’t set the city on fire.
Someone named Tagg was considered, but was thankfully vetoed in favor of Dan Seneca, who according to what the Tachikoma dug up, was read in on Section Nine. That would certainly explain how he got the position with minimal PRT experience prior, though his FBI record was quite impressive.
That did raise the question as to what exactly would be done with the ENE. Miss Militia was out of Master Stranger quarantine and was already being offered the Protectorate Leader spot. Dauntless had been healed by Amy and was set to be promoted to his own leadership position out of state. Then there were the transfers both coming and going that would essentially shake up the entire department.
She wasn’t sure what Legend had planned, but the shape of it was certainly interesting.
A tugging at her hand had her looking up, and Taylor blinked incredulously.
“Lise, when Motoko said someplace fancy...”
“What’s wrong with Fugly’s?” Lisa asked sweetly. “We had our first date here, it’s romantic.”
“It smells like spoiled meat and hot oil,” Taylor said, but she was smiling. “Okay, you win, this was still sweet of you.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Plus, most of the nice places in town were Nazi fronts and are currently shut down,” Lisa added quickly. “Most of the owners were killed by the Nine, so...”
“Good riddance to bad rubbish?” Taylor said, her smile growing.
“Exactly!” Lisa chirped. “Besides, after a few days of the finest government cuisine via proxy, I figured you would appreciate the grease and salt.”
She wasn’t wrong, Taylor was looking forward to the juicy as sin burger loaded with bacon, smothered in sauteed onions and oozing with mushrooms and mayo and dripping with melted cheese. It wasn’t like she could actually get fat thanks to being completely in a Shell now.
Looking over the menu, they decided that the curly fries would be good too, of course; they would split the massive basket that was probably illegal overseas with how loaded down it was, but the burger was the true prize. Two milkshakes were also requested, but there was a bit of a wait. At least the fries and burgers were ready quickly.
They found a booth and settled in, unwrapping their respective bundles of grease and fat. Taylor bit into it and almost moaned, the taste sensors proving themself a thousand times over.
“Fuck that’s good,” she almost moaned.
Lisa rolled her eyes, taking an equally oversized bite of her mammoth burger. Thinking about it, there really wasn’t a better place in town for them to go. She just wished there wasn’t a TV playing the local news in the corner, or that she could hear all the conversations around her.
“I think it’s horrible,” some woman with a bowl cut said, watching some security feed of when the Major had shot Armsmaster. Obviously it cut before she pulled the trigger, but Taylor doubted she would ever forget how his head burst when the bullet tore through his skull, the blood splatter or the smell. All of that was burned into their shared mind due to how close they were at the moment, and wouldn’t be going anywhere without a ton of joint therapy.
Another woman with her huffed. “The Birdcage was too good for her, they should have just put her down.”
“Would you just shut the fuck up?” a teenage girl said. “She was a goddamn hero for rooting out the corruption and they tried to bury her for it.”
“She joined the Nine,” another said, a man this time. “She doesn’t get sympathy.”
“Neither do you, Nazi fuck,” the girl retorted.
“Enough,” Taylor shouted. The entire restaurant stilled and she realized she had stood up then. Shit, she was drawing attention to herself when she didn’t need it. Hell, she hadn’t even confirmed she was still alive with the PRT just yet. Lisa looked concerned, but she smiled softly and nodded. Taylor turned back to the restaurant and spoke. “If you weren’t there, if you weren’t part of what went down, you have no right to comment on who was or wasn’t in the right.”
“I suppose you were there?” bowl cut said with a sneer.
“You never know who might be a cape,” Lisa interjected casually. “It’s usually smarter to assume a cape, or at least one of their minions, might be listening and just avoid talk that could get you on their shit list. Minions tend to get violent when someone tries to piss on their boss.”
The woman huffed, turning away and focused back on the TV, content to ignore them further. A nervous staff member called out their number and Taylor moved to collect their milkshakes even as a few people gave her subtle nods and in one case, a thumbs up. She accepted the tray with a smile and the nervous teenage boy looked away.
“Not all of us are brave enough to speak up,” he said softly. “But if you could, pass on a thank you to the Undersiders for what they did. They made it safer for me to be myself.”
Taylor grinned. “I’ll make sure the message is passed along...”
“Jason,” he said. “I’d like for people to call me Jason.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason,” she said. “If you need help, don’t be afraid to reach out.”
She walked back to her table, a spring in her step. For all the terrible things she had done, for all the damage inflicted in what amounted to a small-scale war, moments like that helped make it feel worthwhile. The city was better off, if a little traumatized, and she would recover in due time.
Motoko flashed her a digital thumbs up and Taylor added a few notes to the Brockton revitalization project. Once the dust settled, it would be time for the Undersiders to claim territory. That was still weeks away, and for now, she would relax.
Sitting there across from her girlfriend helped remind Taylor of why she had set it all in motion in the first place. Lisa’s smile, her laugh when Taylor told a corny joke or the smug smile when she snuck a fry from Taylor’s pile. It was all mundane, just a pair of teens being stupid and flirty, but to her, it was everything.
She reached out and took Lisa’s hand in her own, grinning a dopey smile as she looked across the table and into the eyes of the girl she loved. Deciding she didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, she leaned across the table and kissed the girl.
Taylor grimaced, looking up at Arcadia, finally reopening after the attack on her and her father. Part of her had been tempted to just test out and avoid school altogether, but she wanted to reclaim part of her old life, even with the heavy memories that would be contained within. She had reclaimed her home, emancipated herself legally, and was determined to pass on her own merits. Lisa unfortunately had tested out back when she was working for Coil, so she wouldn’t be joining her.
Not that it mattered, she could reach out to Lisa at any time, their virtual avatars watching cat videos together while they worked on whatever. Taylor did it often when Tinkering into the early hours of any given day while Lisa laid in bed, too grumpy to get up with the rising sun. Motoko’s body was coming along at least, and hopefully completing it would cheer Sophia up enough to settle some of the tension between them.
Still, she had friends at Arcadia, like Chris and Dennis, and of course Amy and Victoria. Amy also applied for emancipation, which was finally pushing the Nine from the news cycle. The scandal was hitting New Wave hard, especially when the paperwork for her adoption was revealed to have been forged.
‘Numberman giveth, and he taketh away’ Kurt had said when he was working with her. Not to mention that Marquis was quietly given back his old life and assets, it wasn’t like Amy needed them.
Funny enough, Surgeon was still in town, though she had refused to treat any of Haven on the grounds they backed legislation that would have prevented her adoption. Amy had worked with her for the first few days, but then took a stress related break due to having been a candidate of the Nine, much to New Wave’s collective disappointment.
They didn’t have any right to complain regardless, their little sister did good work, even without Amy on hand.
The local PRT and Protectorate were in shambles, with Federal investigators swarming the buildings. Miss Militia went to work immediately, helping the new Director to expose all the corruption. She blew the lid on Armsmaster’s falsified death certificate with her name on it and how he had been the one to pull the trigger himself on Calvert’s orders.
Needless to say, that only served to reinvigorate Vickery’s report and served to set off quite the national scandal as more corroboration kept coming in.
Taylor knew she was distracting herself rather than confront the fact she had to go back in there as an outed cape. The Tachikoma were all supportive of her decision as well, which made it harder to just turn around and leave. She didn’t want to disappoint them, even if they would have understood.
Taking a breath, she crossed the threshold and saw her friends, all of them, lined up and waiting. She couldn’t help but smile as she took in that each of them was holding up a sign. Chris and Victoria were holding up simple welcome back messages while Dennis had a ‘congratulations on your resurrection’ which made her a chuckle. Amy’s, however, had her grinning.
“Tell god to bring his A game next time,” Taylor read.
“Seemed fitting,” Amy said with a shrug. “You have flipped god the bird twice at this point. Gunned down, blasted to pieces and still got back up and told them to come at you.”
“Badass as fuck is what that is,” Dennis said.
“Are you ready to go back to class?” Chris asked. “We’re kinda running a bit late.”
Amy rolled her eyes and elbowed him. “It’s not like she’s going anywhere, she’s harder to put down than she looks.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Taylor said. “Chris, we’ve got homeroom together.”
He followed after, and was eyeing her closely. “Hey, are you really the Major?”
“Technically,” she said. “We’re a plural existence, she and I. Same brain yet different people. You’re wondering about that whole Nine thing?”
“Uh, yeah,” he said. “What’s up with that?”
“Classified,” she answered. “Ask Legend or Hero, either of them can let you in on the classified bits if you really want to go down that rabbit hole.”
“Shit,” he said. “Why do I feel like there’s a major conspiracy here?”
“Because you’re not an idiot?” she asked with a flat stare.
Chris blushed, but pulled out his phone and looked to be composing a message. Just to be safe, Taylor sent her own message to Legend and Hero, letting them know that Chris was aware of the connection between her and Motoko. Hopefully he didn’t take the news of what the Nine truly were too badly, or the fact that Surgeon and Bonesaw were one and the same.
Still, she was happy.
Her friends weren’t abandoning her.
“This code is a fucking mess,” Cranial said, looking over their shared connection to her main terminal. “Like, how the hell did this even function?”
“I have no idea,” Taylor admitted. “I was in a bit of a Tinker Fugue when it happened.”
They were currently examining the code that made up the Tachikoma, having moved their core programming to a massive dedicated server farm within Toybox. It was the safest place for them, and they were planning to vastly expand their functionality in the future with multiple quantum links around the world for less lag over the net, as well as dedicated shells for each of them.
They had been given the choice of humanoid designs, and other options. Funny enough, they preferred one of Taylor’s tank designs rather than anything human. With room to carry a passenger, it would certainly aid any field operations as well.
That would take time to assemble, even with access to Dragon’s manufacturing processes. Her entire fleet of Endbringer suits was destroyed in the Nine incursion and the Tachikoma were all but certain Leviathan would be attacking within the month. They had so much to do, and so little time to prepare.
“Okay, I give up,” Cranial said. “This looks like a digital take on neurocircuitry, but it defies all logic and reason. I’m literally getting a Thinker headache trying to figure it out.”
“That’s because we’re awesome!” Molly said. “Just accept it.”
Cranial shook their head, chuckling to themself. “Alright, you win this one. You’re all still brats though.”
“Acceptable,” Trevor said distractedly.
He was playing some strategy game on one of the monitors against Ingrid, though they were playing it at a highly accelerated rate. They really were rather remarkable, almost a miracle of technology. Even more impressive, each of them seemed to have retained Dragon’s ability to understand Tinkertech.
Riley almost pouted when she realized there was no way for her to poke inside their heads. They also couldn’t locate the backup of Dragon that she had severed from the net, it was adrift in space with no way to retrieve it without access to space, and Sphere still hadn’t returned after he fucked off to the moon five years prior and effectively took the world’s remaining space programs with it.
“So, we have nine AI that can Tinker, and have no idea how the hell any of their minds work,” Cranial grumbled. “Taylor, when was the last time I said your power was bullshit?”
“When I managed to Tinker while my brain was still in Motoko,” she answered easily.
“Right,” Cranial said. “Fuck I need a drink.”
Taylor laughed as Cranial departed, leaving her to watch the Tachikoma interact in their digital space, already having adopted avatars based on their eventual tank designs. It was adorable, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Annette really was sentimental if she kept all this,” Melissa said, though it was Lustrum who was speaking through her at the moment. She was leafing through the picture album that Taylor’s mom had left behind, Eowen looking over her shoulder as she did. “She has pictures here of her and Kimmie, I told her to burn those.”
“She obviously still cared,” Taylor said, thumbing through one of the journals. “Sentiment or not, she did love both you and Kimmie deeply.”
A choking sniffle sounded as Lustrum ran a hand over one of the pictures. “It’s funny, she came up to me after hearing my sister calling my name. She’d never met someone named Arwen, then hearing my sister was named Eowen, well, the lit nerd had to be friends with us.”
“It was adorable as all hell,” Eowen agreed. “Never made a friend faster in my life.”
Taylor smiled, placing a hand on the woman’s back as she wept over her lost friend. Taylor missed her mother deeply, her father too for all the problems they had, but she had people right there that knew her mom as well, if not better, than she ever did. Taylor was determined to learn all that she could about her mom and the movement that she devoted her life to.
“Are you sure you’re alright with me releasing all of this?” Taylor asked softly. “It will put all your secrets and hers into the public eye.”
“Our story needs to be told,” Arwen said, wiping her eyes. “Besides, between you and Lisa, I’m sure the movement’s story will be done justice.”
“We’re the next generation after all,” Taylor said, looking at the group photo of Lustrum and her lieutenants. “You lit the torch, it’s up to us to carry it forward so we can pass a better future on to those that come after us.”
For a better tomorrow.
