“No one likes a sore loser,” I spat, raising my fists. She cackled, throwing her head back.
“And who’s losing?” Tattletale retorted. “Haven still recovering? No, I guess they wouldn’t be since you have your girlfriend around.”
“Vista to console we’ve been ambushed by Tattletale, Bitch, and Grue, need backup to—”
“Can it, short stuff,” Tattletale drawled. “They can’t hear you. Cost a small fortune something powerful enough, but what’s money compared to privacy?”
“Only the dog behind us,” Vista murmured. “If you block, we can get out.”
“Wouldn’t try it,” Tattletale said. “Couple pint-sized heroes like you, you just look like snacks to these guys. And I’ve got the feeling Bitch wouldn’t mind giving her dogs a treat, would you?” Bitch just grunted, her eyes locked on me. I straightened up slightly.
“Fine,” I spat, glancing at Vista. “In the immortal words of your idiot ex, you get me. Vista walks, she’s not the one you’ve got a grudge against.” Tattletale chuckled dryly.
“Where’s the fun in that?” she asked, taking a step closer. Grue fell in behind her as she took another, his heavy smoke trailing across the ground. “You outed Taylor, it’s only fair we have an audience for this.” An icy pit formed in my stomach.
“Ah.” Of fucking course. “Except you’re forgetting I didn’t out her, I just got thrown off the roof.”
“Oh then I suppose there was just another precog floating around who could have figured out Skitter’s identity with her power?”
“Di—”
“The only words out of your mouth should be some kind of begging for mercy,” Tattletale growled, apparently forgetting I wasn’t the only game in town.
“Or what?” I snapped. “If we fight, someone’s going to get hurt; I’m not exactly feeling like pulling punches today.”
“You’re kind of an idiot,” Vista commented, crossing her arms. “Threatening to out a Ward? That’s the sort of stuff that gets you the Birdcage.”
“Oh but this one’s important,” she replied with a vicious grin. “After all, I’m not outing a Ward, I’m outing an Empire agent.” Vista’s head slowly turned towards me.
“What’s she talking about?” I shut my eyes at the suspicion in her tone.
“Aww, didn’t Amaranth tell you all about it?”
“My mom worked with them,” I said. “You knew that already.”
“And about your new connections?” I shut my eyes.
“What’s she—”
“Not the time,” I cut her off. “What the fuck do you want, Tattletale?”
“To put a bullet in your head,” she retorted, then forced a tense grin. “But we’re at least better than you, Amaranth. What’s your body count now, six? Hard to believe they still call you a hero.”
“You’re no better,” I countered. “Or was Valefor just an unfortunate accident, like all the capes inside Echidna that Skitter incinerated when she told Sundancer to burn her?”
“Grue?”
The alley flooded with darkness, it poured off Grue like a tsunami. Vista and I were covered in a second, and I stepped over until I bumped against her. We stood back to back, the only way we could realistically defend ourselves without sight or sound. Something grabbed my arm and made me flinch, and I winced as I felt the fabric drag. Another second later, the darkness vanished and I found Grue looming over me, hand firmly gripping my wrist.
“Take a good look Vista,” Tattletale called from across the alley. “This is your new hero.”
I grimaced as she gasped at the ugly sight of my arm. Turning my head, I saw her slowly backing away. Couldn’t fault her for it really, I could only imagine what was going through her head. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pounding of my heart.
“Vista.” She flinched, but met my eyes. “Wait to hate me until I explain, please.”
“Okay.” Her reply was a brittle whisper.
“Don’t tell me you’re okay with a Nazi in your ranks, Vista,” Tattletale said snidely. “How far you’ve fallen.”
“This is some kind of trick,” Vista snapped, her voice shaking. “Not sure how, but I know I can’t trust your word, Tattletale.”
“Aww, sticking by your friends even when they’re unrepentant monsters.” Tattletale looked at me, her grin growing. “You’re setting a bad example for her. How’s Amy doing, by the way?”
“She’s tired from fixing up the damage your monster did,” I spat, twisting and gripping Grue’s arm; the same that held my right wrist. “Right or left handed, Grue?” He let me go and, somehow, broke my grip and backpedaled before I could snag him again. I yanked my sleeve back down. “What the fuck do you want, Tattletale?”
“To get even with the little shitheel who outed my friend,” she barked.
“I didn’t out her!” I shouted back. “You fucking dumbass, I stuck my neck out and warned her to not fucking go to school. Hell I told her I’d handle the problem that got her there and she fucking still showed up!”
“Bullshit.”
“Go fucking talk to Blackbeard, or Forrest or whoever the fuck. He brought me there,” I said bitterly. “Taylor’s a fucking idiot who can’t listen to good advice and it’s finally bit her in the ass. I’m not going to entertain the idea that you being a cunt is justified.” There was a long pause.
“You fucking what?” God dammit.
“Vista, later,” I snapped.
“No please, continue,” Tattletale said, a wicked grin growing. “I can tell this is gonna be good.”
“You helped Skitter?”
“I tried to stop the PRT from outing a kid,” I retorted. “You know, the thing that Tattletale’s trying to do right now?”
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“But she’s a villain,” Vista said plaintively. “She’s a warlord.”
“She’s sixteen. And don’t fucking forget I arrested the bitch.” I knit my brows, glaring at Tattletale as a thought occurred. “Ah.”
“What?” Vista asked.
“This is off,” I said. “Two of Bitch’s dogs, three Undersiders, plus two randos I’ll assume were theirs. If they were going to attack or hurt us, or try and capture us to get Skitter back, they’d do it fast. What gives Tattletale, someone tell you to keep the gloves on?” Her smile shrank just a fraction.
“It’s a shame you don’t use that brain more often,” she sneered. “Believe it or not, we want a mutually prosperous relationship with the heroes. You of all people know there are worse things out there than us.” I sighed.
“So what’s the plan? Sow division in the ranks to keep us weak, break the backs of any villain who isn’t under your thumb, and generally control shit in a way that means you’re out of the line of fire?” I crossed my arms and shook my head. “Won’t work.”
“Au contraire,” Tattletale said smugly, taking a sheaf of papers from a bag on one of the dogs. “We want peace, just like you do; the heroes should be overjoyed to hear. So you, little miss kraut, are going to play delivery girl or else.”
“Or else…?”
“Vista won’t be the only one who knows about your ink.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” she said, shrugging and holding out the papers. “No skin off my back if you decide you want the world knowing what you are.” I eyed the papers.
“You’re not seriously considering this,” Vista hissed.
“Mind if I inspect the goods?” I asked. “I’d rather not bring a bomb, or ricin into the headquarters.” Tattletale smiled and held them up. “Get ready to get me out,” I murmured to Vista, then slowly walked towards the Undersiders.
I carefully thumbed through the papers when Tattletale handed them over. It was an outline for the future of the city, and damned detailed...damned dry. There didn’t seem to be anything in it that would get me shot, nothing exploded and I made sure to touch every page with my bare hands. I had my doubts Tattletale would assassinate someone with contact poison but...I didn’t have that many.
“Give that to Miss Militia,” Tattletale said, voice low. “No one else.” I considered it.
“Fine,” I said. It wasn’t like I was on good terms with anyone else. “You guys took out the Fallen yesterday, right?”
“We did,” Grue answered.
“Planning on doing the same to the Teeth?” He stiffened, but nodded. “Know what you’re going to do about the Butcher?”
“We’ll figure it out.” Tattletale didn’t sound too concerned.
“I’m sure.” I paused, looking over each of them. I didn’t like Tattletale in the slightest but the others...they hadn’t done anything much to me. If they went in without a good plan, they wouldn’t come back. “How about a deal?”
“Oh?”
“I give you a solution to your problem,” I offered. “And you keep your mouth shut, or else.”
“Or else what?”
“I figure out why Miss Militia’s the only one you want seeing this stuff.”
“I could agree to that,” Grue said after a moment. Bitch just glared at me, and Tattletale sighed.
“Go on,” she said sarcastically. “I could use a laugh.”
“Give Cherish some more company,” I said as casually as I could. “She’s probably getting lonely at the bottom of the bay.” Tattletale chuckled, then her grin slipped away.
“That…” She pursed her lips. “You wouldn’t happen to have a way to do that, would you?” I just shrugged. “Fucking precogs,” she scoffed.
“I did try and stop what happened at school,” I said, more to Grue and Bitch than the queen bitch. “Whatever that’s worth, I didn’t want Skitter outed like that, or at all really.”
“Still arrested her,” Bitch spat.
“I’m a hero, you’re the villains, that’s how it works,” I countered. “We’re not friends, not allies except of necessity. Whatever, try not to become Butchers Fifteen through Seventeen.”
I walked backwards to Vista, holding the papers to my chest. She was giving me an odd look, but I ignored it; I could explain everything later. Grue’s darkness covered us again, and the ground rumbled under our feet before it slowly faded into the distance. Not long after, we could see again, left alone in the alley.
“—sole to Amaranth, console to Vista, you’re overdue for your check in, please respond.” I sighed and clicked on my radio.
“Amaranth here,” I replied before Vista could. “We’re okay. Encountered the Undersiders, no casualties, no arrests. We’re on our way back.”
“Say again, the Undersiders?”
“That’s correct,” I said. “Grue, Bi-- Hellhound, and Tattletale. No engagement, Amaranth out.”
“No engagement,” Vista scoffed. “What the hell are you doing, Amaranth? What was she talking about back there? What the fuck is on your arm?”
“Fuck you Tattletale,” I muttered, then sighed. “Start with the last one first, and I’ll tell the others when we get back, okay?” She pursed her lips, but nodded as we started heading back.
“You’re not a Nazi, right?” I hated how her voice shook.
“Fuck no,” I spat. “I...back when I got nominated, the Nine forced us to do a bunch of tests. Mannequin’s...he told us ‘change’ and that was it. It was the Nine so...I did it for the worst.” I swallowed hard. “Victor caught me there, you know? When I was getting the tattoos, he walked in near the end, told me just how bad my mom really was.”
“And...how bad?” I grimaced at her obvious question.
“Kaiser’s best non-cape bad,” I replied flatly.
“Why didn’t you get Amy to fix them?” she asked. “If you’re not actually a Nazi you shouldn’t want to look like one.”
“You think I wanted this?” I demanded, glaring at her. “I...fuck, I don’t know. I felt like I should flag my past up front, that’s why I never asked.”
“That’s fucking stupid.”
“You have a way with words,” I said sarcastically.
“No, I mean that’s really stupid Amaranth.” Vista grabbed my wrist and forced me to halt and face her. Jesus christ she was almost as tall as me… “Whatever stupid deals you cut with villains, you’re still a hero aren’t you? Tell me you’re still a hero.”
“I am,” I said quickly.
“Then get that shit off your arm,” she snapped. “I don’t care what your mom did, at least not when it comes to you. If you’re not like her, then get rid of it.” I sighed and hung my head.
“I...I’ll ask Amy.” Vista let go of my wrist and we kept walking.
“You helped Skitter,” she said half a block onwards, making me groan.
“Please don’t tell people about that,” I practically begged. “I’ll explain it, okay? Just...please.”
“No promises.”
“Fine.” I grit my teeth. “I remembered Skitter getting outed the day before it happened, and Vista? I remembered it going far, far worse than what happened at school. All I did was tell Skitter to stay home, I swear. And...well, fuck her for not listening, she got what was coming.”
“How bad?” There was a long pause. “No Amaranth, you fucking tried to help a villain, a warlord. What could have been so bad you had to go to her to stop it?”
“Bad enough that half the school was on her side if it went down like that.”
We continued in silence. I clutched the bundle of papers to my chest like a security blanket. I’d told Vista everything I dared, things that would nail my career worse than anything else. My future rested in the hands of a twelve-year-old who either thought I was cool or hated my guts, and neither was really justified. My heart began beating faster as we came in sight of the PRT building. Vista stopped a block away, a couple hundred feet beyond the cordon of police and PRT officers.
“What did she give you?” Vista asked. “What’s in the papers?”
“A...proposal,” I said, hesitating to choose a word that felt right. “A peace proposal, of sorts.”
“Right,” Vista scoffed, rolling her eyes.
“I wish I was joking,” I replied, worrying at the edge of the papers with my thumb. “They’ve got outlines for limited engagement, cooperation against Endbringers and other threats, policing the worst of their own...I think she’s serious.”
“No way the heroes will accept,” she said.
“I don’t think so either,” I said, shrugging. “That’s why I’m not worried about giving it to Miss Militia. She’s got better judgment than either of us and we figured out it’s a raw deal.”
“I...guess.” Vista frowned and continued walking with me. “And I guess the Protectorate doesn’t need more bad press about heroes.”
“Agreed.”
“I…” She bit her lip and paused as we passed through the cordon, then continued lower. “I won’t tell, about the Skitter thing. I guess it doesn’t matter, since she’s probably going to jail.”
“Thank you, Vista.” It felt like a knife at my throat had been pulled away. “I’m not going to make a habit of it. Just...what if it had been me, you know?” She stiffened, but nodded.
“Wards,” Miss Militia greeted us in the lobby. “Come with me, we need to talk.”
“Yes ma’am,” we replied in tandem and followed her into the elevator.
I clutched the papers a bit tighter and said a silent prayer to anyone listening that Tattletale hadn’t just fucked me.