Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Taylor Pov.
I still remember seeing Sophia break down, screaming and crying in front of the heroes, and I… I felt nothing. I always believed that if the tables were turned and I could see Sophia or Emma suffer even the slightest bit of the abuse I had suffered at their hands, I would feel the joy of Schadenfreude, or some kind of satisfaction, like poetic justice, at seeing one of my main bullies in that state… I felt nothing like that.
I felt an overwhelming sense of worry; something was nagging at the back of my head, telling me something was wrong. I swallowed audibly.
"Everything alright?" Vista asked, approaching me. We were both standing guard outside Medhall while the other PRT heroes and soldiers began taking the villains away. "You seem... lost, more than usual," Vista asked. I grimaced.
"Sophia and Emma caused my... awakening. Because of them, I was sent to Japan. I... really hated them. I thought I would... feel something seeing Sophia in that state." I told Vista with a sigh.
"And isn't it like that?" Vista asked with a hum, I shook my head.
"No, I... even with everything that happened, all I can say is that... my life improved when I went to Japan. I met Izumi, Iori, and all the girls. I don't regret anything. Sophia and Emma are no longer part of my life." I sighed wearily. "Even so... something's wrong. I... call it instinct, but something doesn't add up." I told Vista, still feeling that damned pang.
"Something wrong? An attack by a villain? " Vista asked, tensing up completely.
"Excuse me, Skitter, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, is something wrong?" Dragon immediately asked in my ear, and I grimaced.
"No, none of that," I said immediately. "I... it's nonsense," I said, sighing wearily.
"Even if it's nonsense, you can say it," Dragon said without hesitation. I grimaced.
"I... nothing adds up. The League of Villains doesn't act alone. There should be someone with Sophia, especially Emma. The two of them were together, they're inseparable. Emma, my sister, turned against me because of Sophia. She ran away from our parents to join Sophia, and she's not here?"
"My husband can see the future, and whenever something is about to go wrong, he... gets a feeling of unease. Maybe I'm just paranoid because of it, and I definitely don't have access to Observation Haki, but... I feel like something's wrong, and I can't get it out of my head," I said, shaking my head. Dragon and Vista remained silent.
"Understood, I'll be on the lookout." Dragon finally said, and I just sighed.
"I'm sorry," I said simply.
"Don't worry," Dragon said gently. Even so, I grimaced.
"Do you really think something's going to go wrong?" Vista asked with a grimace.
"I... I have no idea, I really hope I'm wrong and nothing happens." I sighed wearily. "Now... come on, we have work to do." I said gently to Vista, she simply nodded.
Later I would have to ask Izumi if he was able to see any of this.
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Sophia's POV.
I blinked slowly as I regained consciousness before opening my eyes fully alert as I looked around. I blinked several times at the brightness of dawn and then looked around at mountains, forest and a clear sky. I looked around confused.
Finally, I looked ahead. A huge military installation. I could see several turrets, guards posted everywhere, and right in front of me, a massive robot. I tried to move, only to realize I was completely bound and chained. I was in what felt like some kind of metal box, only the front was open. I could feel something metal covering me, the lower half of my face, completely covering my mouth.
I couldn't help but try to touch it, only for the chains and restraints to make noise as I tried to move. I growled loudly, tried to move my jaw, and was able to move it enough to open my mouth a couple of centimeters.
"Sophia, you're awake," a robot said as it approached. Dragon's face appeared on my chest, and I growled loudly. "In case you're wondering, we're in Canada, the mountains of British Columbia. This is the only entrance to the Baumann Containment Center." My eyes snapped open, and I couldn't help but stare at the box I was in. It wasn't a box; it was an elevator. A pang of fear and nervousness shot through me, but I pushed it down.
"Birdcage!?" I growled furiously, my voice coming out robotically through the mask covering my mouth. Tch, it was designed to block the teleportation quirk, not to stop me from speaking. Damn tinkers.
"As you've noticed, the mask you're wearing will prevent the League of Villains' teleportation quirk from being used. It's also designed to discharge a surge of electricity every time you try to phase-change with your quirk. Due to the risk posed by the League of Villains' teleportation quirk, until further notice, the mask will be permanent."
"You won't be able to remove it at any time; it's made to be indestructible. You'll be constantly monitored, and if you find a way to deactivate it, it will explode powerful enough to kill you."
"It won't stop you from speaking, but it will restrict how you eat. Since we can't remove it, the only thing larger that can go in is a straw in a small hole that will open for a few minutes where you'll drink your meals."
"You will be provided with the necessary food, liquefied, until we find a way to block the teleportation quirk or make sure it no longer exists." Dragon said without any emotion, and I scoffed.
"Well, well, they really went all out." I mocked Dragon. "How long was I unconscious?" I grumbled irritably.
"Just a couple of hours," Dragon said, my eyes widening slightly. "You got a kill order, Sophia. The heroes were perfectly within their rights to kill you, but since you were captured, the kill order automatically results in your being held in Birdcage. There was no need to process you before you could be transferred." Dragon said it casually, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, how many Nazis did I kill?" I mocked with a smile. Dragon just sighed and shook her head.
"We have questions for you," Dragon said. I snorted and scoffed.
"An interrogation?" I mocked Dragon. "While I'm in the elevator to go to Birdcage? The PRT really knows how to negotiate." I scoffed dryly. "I'm not talking. It's obvious my sentence won't be reduced. We both know there's no escape from Birdcage. My confinement is permanent, so get me out of here already." I spat dismissively. Dragon stared at me and finally nodded.
"As you wish, Sophia." Dragon sighed. "Once you go down, you will be guided to your cell. You will have everything you need. Essential items will be assigned and replaced periodically. There is a calendar in your cell, so please pay attention."
"The prison has an infirmary, but I wouldn't recommend getting involved in fights. I'm able to monitor the facilities, but my control over your prisoners is limited. Good luck, Sophia," Dragon said calmly.
"Are you done? Just send me to the hole already." I sneered. I heard a snort and my gaze shifted to Vista, who was standing nearby. "Anything to say, shorty?" I mocked her. Vista turned to face me.
"You're pathetic," Vista said dismissively. I froze, feeling a well of fury begin to rise from within me.
"What did you call me, shorty?!" I growled as I thrashed against my restraints.
"Pathetic," Vista repeated, staring at me. "You think you're better than everyone else, stronger, but you're pathetically weak. All you could do when you were a Vigilante was fight bullies and harass teenagers."
"Even now you're pathetic. The only reason you were strong enough to do anything was thanks to other people and the quirk of someone stronger than you. It was never you. You're pathetic. You disgust me." Vista said while making a face of disgust.
"Damn shorty, you know nothing about me!" I growled furiously as I thrashed harder against my restraints. Vista just looked at me before sneering, turning away, and starting to walk away. "Don't walk away from me, you bastard! Come back here! " I screamed as I shook myself, forcing the restraints. I barely started to lose sync when I was electrocuted.
A wave of pain surged through my entire body and I couldn't help but scream in pain. I barely saw the elevator doors close tightly, then the electrocution ended and I could breathe deeply.
"Damn bitch!" I yelled once more, but it was useless, Dragon just looked at me through a small crack.
"See you downstairs, Sophia," Dragon said simply, then the elevator began to descend. I gritted my teeth. How dare that little brat say that about me! She'd regret it, I'd make sure of it.
I groaned in annoyance as the elevator door opened, I could feel the restraints being released, then something carelessly pushed me out of the elevator, I stumbled slightly forward as the elevator doors closed and disappeared from sight.
I clicked my tongue as I straightened up, shook my hands as they felt free, then touched the mask on my face trying to find something on it, only to feel the slight threat as a mild electric shock surged from it. I swiped at one of the cameras as I lowered my hands.
I looked around before noticing several screens displaying arrows. I frowned, but started walking in the direction they indicated. Fine, I'd play along. I cautiously surveyed my surroundings.
I couldn't help but look at everything critically; more than a prison, this looked like a huge hotel, certainly not luxurious, in fact, it was too austere and monotonous, there was hardly any decoration, it was spartan, but there were many more comforts than I expected.
In fact, after walking through several corridors until I finally reached the cells, to my surprise, no one was caged; everyone seemed free to come and go as they pleased. I clicked my tongue.
I suppose the bars wouldn't do any good against these lunatics, and it wouldn't do much good anyway, down here there are only criminals, the worst scum in the world, there's nobody else and even with this freedom, nobody can get out of Birdcage, so they were practically useless.
"Hey, look who it is, the pathetic copy of Moord Nag!" shouted one of the inmates, I glared at her.
"Ha! How does it feel to be the degraded version of a warlord?! Moord Nag stayed free for decades conquering Africa and you, with her quirk, were locked up in less than a month!! Ha!! How pathetic!" shouted a second inmate, the others began to laugh, I glared at them with hatred.
"Oh, how scary." One of the inmates mocked with a smile. I growled before turning around and following the directions. "Coward!" I ignored the shout, gritting my teeth.
I finally reached the cell they indicated and the screens turned off.
The cell was much more comfortable than I expected; I'd almost expected a cot or something cheap, but there was a real bed even though the room was quite austere. I simply grunted, grabbed the first thing I found, and threw it across the room.
"Damn bastards! All of them!" I screamed in fury as I began kicking, punching, and throwing everything I could find around me. Finally, I slammed my fist into the wall hard enough to break the skin on my knuckles. I growled in anger and slammed myself against a wall.
Take a deep breath and throw your head back, rest your head against the cold wall and stare at the clock placed in the room.
After a couple of hours in the same position, I groaned in annoyance, stood up, started rummaging through the few belongings they'd given me, and grabbed a change of my prison clothes, a towel, and some soap. I sneered as I tucked everything under my arm.
There were maps everywhere, so it was easy to find the damn showers in this shithole. I went into the bathroom and saw there were two women inside.
"Out!" I growled furiously at the others.
"What?! What did you say, bitch?!" one of them growled. I just growled back as I summoned Apex. Even though it had been shrunk in size, it was still bigger than my head. Apex appeared like a black mist and wrapped itself around my neck.
"Out." I growled furiously, Apex began to tremble and growl, preparing to launch herself.
"Tch, let's go," one of the women said to the other. They both glared at me, and I just laughed and watched them leave. I laughed, went to the door, grabbed the first thing I found, and blocked it as best I could.
Then I went to the changing room and undressed, grabbed the towel and soap and went into the showers. They were long communal showers, there was no privacy, just 10 showers next to each other. I scoffed, started walking and turned the hot water on all the showers to the maximum.
The steam began to fill the room, covering all vision without any problem. I approached one of the corners, grabbed one of the towels, spread it out, and then placed it over my face, completely wrapping the metal mask while I mocked.
Once I was completely ready, I raised both hands, flexed my hands several times, and slowly two long lines began to form from my palms, then they opened and formed mouths, one on each hand.
Damn disgusting but necessary quirk.
Right at that moment, black mud began to ooze from both hands and spread completely before anyone could get out of it.
Arthur Watts. He just looked around amusedly; I could see him searching for cameras before nodding and looking at me. I just pointed at my face, and he nodded.
From his pockets he took out a small, circular object about the size of a coin, put his hands under the towel, and placed it under my chin. Then he took out a small tablet and began tapping the screen rapidly.
"Well, well, well. Everything's ready, my dear," Arthur said easily. "You can take off your towel; there are no cameras. Place the silencer under your chin so Dragon can't see it from the cameras on the ceiling. Try not to show your chin freely." Arthur mocked. I snorted, but I took off the towel, standing completely naked in front of him, but I didn't care.
"You took your time." I grumbled in annoyance. Arthur shrugged.
"Enough," Arthur said easily. "At least you managed to do it. You actually managed to infiltrate Birdcage. I'm impressed." Arthur said with a sinister smile. I snorted.
"It was stupidly easy, killing so many to get a kill order, faking a psychotic break, growling and barking, and letting them capture me. I know how those idiots think, they wouldn't kill me once they captured me, they're too 'heroic' for that, they'd just lock me up here." I said dismissively, those heroes were so predictable.
"And I see you were right, it was good," Arthur said with a smile. "Garaki isn't really impressed with Trickster and her inability to locate and capture the Dragonslayers," Arthur said, rolling his eyes.
"That idiot won't be able to do it, she can barely keep her group together." I mocked Trickster, Arthur just laughed.
"Alright, you know your orders. You need to stay here for a couple of months. We need someone to act as a coordinate point for Garaki's Nomu to teleport inside Birdcage." Arthur said easily. I clicked my tongue.
"I know, idiot." I growled irritably. "Does the thing you made work?" I snarled, pointing at the metal mask.
"Of course, my dear, I'm offended that you even asked." Arthur scoffed, and I rolled my eyes. "It's quite an interesting piece. As I said, it doesn't have cameras, but it does have a hidden microphone. It will record and transmit everything within range. The transmitter is for muting it; you just have to touch it to turn it on and off. It will also allow you to use your Quirk to become intangible."
"I don't recommend keeping it on for more than a few minutes before Dragon gets suspicious, and you definitely won't be able to take it off. When you're done using your power, put it back on; otherwise, it will alert Dragon without hesitation. So you'll have to keep it on at all times. I'll take it off when it's time to leave here," Arthur said easily. I nodded.
"Fine, I'll manage." I said dryly. Arthur simply nodded. "Remember your part of the deal." I growled at him. Arthur just snorted amusedly.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure that dear Emma Barnes receives the best treatment thanks to your contribution." Arthur said with a smile; I could see his annoying mustache twitching, and I just snorted.
"You'd better." I glared at him. Arthur chuckled slightly before touching his screen.
"Well, it's time for me to go. Try not to die, my dear. We need you to stay alive so we can break Birdcage when the time comes," Arthur said playfully. I smiled broadly.
"Oh, believe me, I will, and I will prosper here," I said sadistically. Arthur smiled sinisterly.
"Then I wish you the best of luck, Sophia," Arthur said, bowing slightly. Black sludge began to ooze from his mouth before vanishing. I sneered. It was time to get back to acting. I glanced at my hands before waving them. The mouths on both hands began to disappear before nothing remained. I touched the circular thing Arthur had created before stepping under the shower. I swore as the hot water burned my skin.
A couple of months in birdcage, I smiled sadistically, yes, I will enjoy being here.
Author's Notes : Should I stop making intelligent villains for once? Maybe, but today's not the day. Sophia finally uses her head.
I'm sorry to those who wanted Sophia to disappear, unfortunately, for now she will remain a little longer.
Alright, that pretty much wraps up this arc. Next week should see the final chapters of Brockton Bay; I definitely couldn't forget Taylor's confrontation with the PRT and the Hunters, and that shouldn't be too long either.
After that, you should start with the different POVs as usual before changing arcs.