"Sorry, but I need to go," I tell Glory Girl and Laser Show. "We have a critical situation."
"Where are you going?" Victoria frowns. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. You'll cause trouble again, and I'll have to answer for it."
"What critical situation? Take me with you, okay?" Crystal joins the conversation. "I promise I won't get in the way. I always knew Amy was awesome."
"Girls!" Aunt Sarah's voice comes from downstairs. "Amy and Victoria! Some PRT people are here! They say they're calling for you!"
"I'm not going there," I say. "I'd rather escape through the window."
"You did do something!" Victoria points an accusing finger at me. "What did you do?!"
"Yeah, I'm curious too," Crystal blinks. "I mean, I disapprove and all that, but it's interesting!"
"Uh... nothing much. I just need to go. In the city..." I don't get to finish as some incomprehensible commotion starts downstairs, something falls, crashes, and indistinct cursing can be heard. I fly out of the room and down the stairs, followed by Victoria and Crystal. In the Pelham house living room, I see four agents in PRT assault gear—two of them are on the floor, one holding his head. The remaining two have grabbed their weapons but haven't raised them yet. Behind the PRT agents stands Carol, hands on her hips. Uncle Neil stands blocking the stairway.
"This is my house," he says firmly. "Get out of here! Until you have a warrant, you won't set foot on the threshold!"
"Neil! These are my daughters! I have the right to take them anytime!" she says, looks up and sees us standing on the stairs.
"Victoria Dallon! Amy! Come home immediately!" she commands, and Victoria even jerks in place as if deciding to obey, but overcomes the first impulse and stays put.
"Carol, you're being unreasonable," Aunt Sarah says. "Please stop. And... you called the PRT? I didn't expect that from you."
"The PRT is only here to document the circumstances," Carol snaps. "That you and your husband won't give me back my own children. This is kidnapping!"
"Vicky and Amy aren't children anymore," Aunt Sarah tilts her head. "They're already grown young women capable of making their own decisions about their fate. Carol, can't you see..."
"I don't see and I don't intend to. Victoria Dallon—you're coming with me. Amy... or whoever you are—we'll have a different conversation with you," Carol says, narrowing her pupils and drilling me with her gaze. "You'll be spoken to differently. I heard Alexandria flew into the city. For your soul. And I don't want my daughter involved in anything like that. Victoria!"
"Alexandria?!" Glory Girl licks her lips and looks at me. "Seriously? That's... but that's wrong! Amy didn't do anything..."
"Stop calling her by that name! Your sister is dead, killed by this... spawn of a vile nightmare! Butcher Fifteen! Poison Ivy! Administrator! Killer and criminal! So you better step away from her—quickly. Sarah—even if you're wrong, you're close to me and I recommend you all stay away from this monster!"
"The Fifteenth?" Aunt Sarah turns a thoughtful gaze to me. "And I wondered why Amy changed so much... Amy—is this true?"
"Aunt Sarah! It's not true! I mean, it's true, but only partially!" Victoria jumps into the conversation. "Taylor... she didn't kill anyone! I mean..." she shoots me a quick glance. "She did, but only bad people!"
"Taylor?!" Sarah Pelham squints, ceasing to be Aunt Sarah and becoming Lady Photon, her eyes flashing with white light, she raises her hands and...
"Mom! Amy attacked Taylor and killed her! That's the only way to become the Butcher, you know!" Crystal rushes forward. "Amy's alive, just in the subconscious. She's resting now because she's tired. But... sometimes she comes out. And Vicky just can't tell stories properly."
"What's the difference! Victoria—get ready! And you..." Carol Dallon measures me with her gaze. "Get out of here and don't you dare approach my family!"
"I was actually just about to," I shrug. "Since things turned out this way..."
"Wait a minute," Aunt Sarah raises her hand, becoming a housewife again. She's settled on the floor and her eyes stopped burning with white light. She raises her hand like a schoolgirl wanting to ask a question.
"Amy... or Taylor? So, it turns out, you... healed Neil and Eric?"
"Well yes! She always had such power, imagine that!" Crystal pops up again. "Cool, right?! She can do everything because she's a biotinker! A little later I'll ask her for a unicorn! A pink one..."
"Crystal! Be quiet," Aunt Sarah says and turns to me. "So Amy could. But didn't. Why?"
"She was afraid Aunt Carol would yell at her," Crystal can't calm down. "Well, and in general..."
"I see," Sarah Pelham looks at me with an unreadable expression. "Clear."
"If everything's clear to you—tell Victoria to get ready and kick this... creature out of your house," Carol says. "Victoria Dallon! Are you deaf? We're packing up and leaving!"
"Carol..." Aunt Sarah says quietly. "Please leave."
"What?!"
"Leave and take the PRT agents with you. Neil and I know our rights. You have no warrant, no authority, no rights. Not in my house. Leave peacefully."
"Sarah! What are you doing?!"
"Carol. Your girls... your girl is already old enough to decide for herself. But the doors of this house will always be open to both of them. Here we know how to be grateful. And... it's simply human, after all. So—leave. If Victoria decides to return home—we won't hold her back. But we won't kick her out either. She's free to stay as long as she wants. As for Amy... rather Taylor..." she looks at me. "You gave me back my husband and son, girl. Even if the whole world is against you, know that there will always be a corner for you in this house."
"Sarah! You've lost your mind! This is... no longer Amy! This isn't your niece! This is a monster! A killer, a criminal! A poisoned tree bears poisoned fruit! You don't understand what you're doing!"
"Oh, I understand what I'm doing," Aunt Sarah shakes her head and her eyes fill with white light again, she rises into the air and her hair flies up and floats around her head, the air begins to crackle with excess energy.
"Carol Dallon—I strongly ask you to leave," she says and her voice sounds somehow special now. Calm. Confident. Uncompromising.
"You'll regret this, Sarah..." Carol squints in response. "Are you ready to raise your hand against me? Against me?! Because of... this creature?!"
"Get out!" Aunt Sarah raises her voice, no longer Aunt Sarah but Lady Photon in all her formidable beauty. Her body is surrounded by a force barrier, she hovers in the air and her eyes are flooded with white light. Carol grumbles something incoherent and turns toward the door. The PRT agents have long since gone to the hallway, realizing nothing good will come of this. I could suggest that taking Victoria from somewhere she doesn't want to leave really would need Alexandria. Or me. But Big A is dead, and I'm not going to drag Vicky anywhere against her will. And the idea of arresting me... even Big A couldn't pull that off.
I watch the door close behind Carol Dallon and sigh. I can't stay here. Despite the Pelham family's hospitality and the fact that Aunt Sarah, Lady Photon, just stood up for me—not for her niece Amy, but for me, Taylor, Administrator. And I'd be cramped here anyway, two bodies are better than one, I have so many projects stalled at base, and it's time to deal with Noelle seriously... I promised. Right now, Taylor-me is storming PRT headquarters... well, storming... just walking in there. Armsmaster did well, anticipated everything. The PRT building is practically devoid of insects, some clever aerosol kills them all inside, and outside the building they're repelled by a strong electromagnetic field. I could have ordered my people to storm the building classically, all that "see a hole—throw a grenade." But... why? If I were the old, good Taylor with insect control power, then the system of spraying lethal-to-insects aerosol and electromagnetic fields could have stopped me. But... with Panacea's power, it's nothing to breed insects that can hold their breath for a while. Or be resistant to aerosol... though I did something even simpler—I installed direct control modules in rats, and the rats destroyed the aerosol sprayer, disabled the system. And turned off the electromagnetic field. I could have sent people on such a task, but why risk it unnecessarily?
And as soon as the aerosol sprayer and field generator were disabled—my insects rushed like an avalanche into the PRT building's ventilation shafts. Ten minutes and all PRT operatives in the building are disabled by tranquilizers. Again, old good Taylor would have had to sting to death, but here—everyone's sleeping. Everyone gets a healthy eight-hour sleep from Panacea!
PRT operatives sleep in their armored suits with foam sprayers and tasers, office clerks sleep in their suits, clutching folders of documents to their chests, the formidable Director Piggot sleeps, her deputy Renick sleeps, a short man with a funny hairstyle—hair slicked back. In the rooms allocated for the Wards—Vista sleeps, sleeps hugging a teddy bear... and if I weren't so cynical, I would definitely be touched by such a picture. But I'm cynical and besides—my insects have excellent hearing and I hear her squeezing the plush toy and whispering the name "Dean." Dean Stansfield—ugh. Though maybe he's not to blame, he's just a teenage girl's dream. But still ugh.
At the console in the dispatch room—Sophia Hess sleeps, Shadow Stalker, head on her arms, drooling from the corner of her mouth. Strange, but I feel no hatred toward her. As if that time washed away everything between us and I can calmly watch her sleep. And even note that Sophia has a nice figure. An ebony statuette—if you stripped her naked and put her on a pedestal. Similar ones are sold in souvenir shops, made from black wood. Sensual black women with full lips and slanted eyes... Sophia Hess won the genetic lottery... and she's lucky in life too. After all, I didn't kill her.
And... the only one not sleeping is Clockblocker. He froze his suit so no insect could penetrate inside... an interesting move, not obvious... but stupid. If only because now he couldn't move, and when the effect wears off—welcome to a healthy eight-hour sleep, Dennis.
So no resistance awaits me in the PRT and Protectorate building. I in my old body walk inside, my people follow me, take control of the checkpoint, begin disarming the sleepers and carefully arranging them along the walls. I briefly think we should have brought mattresses—after all, sleeping on the floor for eight hours will make your body stiff.
"I guess I'll go after all," I-Amy say aloud. "I apologize, Mrs. Pelham, but I've already caused you enough trouble."
"Nonsense," she snorts, folding her arms across her chest. "You haven't caused me any trouble. And call me Aunt Sarah... even if you're not Amy, you're still too young."
"Yes, indeed," Uncle Neil speaks up. "You can stay at our house as long as you want."
"Thank you for the hospitality," I reply. "But I have somewhere to live. Besides, I have my projects running there, my work, so it would be more convenient if I lived there. I'd like to stay, but it would be better for everyone this way."
"If you're sure about this—of course. We can't keep you here," Aunt Sarah smiles.
"Like you could keep her..." Crystal says. "You know how Vicky stands up for her? How she grabbed me by the scruff and stuck my face in a pillow! I still have the taste of feathers in my mouth! Amy-Taylor, can I come with you? I'll just take a peek!"
"I... guess I'll go too," Victoria says. "Taylor has a whole base, I'll be more comfortable there. And... so as not to anger mom unnecessarily, you already quarreled today."
"Oh, don't pay attention, Vicky," Sarah Pelham waves her hand. "Your mother was always stubborn. She'll grumble and cool off. It was always like that. She has very inflexible thinking. And... if you've decided—of course go. But if anything—come back."
"Yes, of course." We go down the stairs and Aunt Sarah—without hesitation—embraces me. Hugs me and kisses my forehead. I freeze in place from surprise. Does she even understand what she's doing?! I'm a mass murderer, a villain, and also a biotinker... hugging me is like sticking your head in a shark's mouth. What's wrong with her?
"Thank you again," she says. "I... don't know what I would have done... thank you."
"Yeah... well..." I don't know what to say in response. "You're welcome?" sounds stupid, obviously there is something to thank for. "Please?" sounds even stupider.
"Take care of yourself and look after Vicky, okay?" She pulls away from me and looks directly into my eyes. "And if my restless one tags along with you—keep an eye on her too. Chris can be... annoying."
"Oh mom!" Crystal exclaims. "Enough!"
"Eric isn't here now, he ran off to his girlfriend, but believe me, he's grateful to you too," Aunt Sarah says and finally releases me. "Well, go on. And remember that the doors of this house are always open to you."
"Thank you," I bow my head. After me, Victoria undergoes the hugging procedure. She assures that everything's fine and that she'll definitely return when there's time and that Crystal is to blame herself, and she didn't stick her head in a pillow, she fell that way herself and she's very uncomfortable now in front of Aunt Sarah. Aunt Sarah said that if Vicky stuck Crystal's head in a pillow—then she finally got what she was asking for. Crystal is indignant and says that if anyone, mom should be on her daughter's side, and not allow... things to happen to her beloved daughter.
"Mom! You could at least pretend to condemn her!" she says. "After all, I'm your daughter!"
"Precisely because I know what you're like..." Aunt Sarah smiles. "Sometimes you're completely unbearable, Crystal. I always tell you—you'll get what's coming to you. Be a little more delicate. And don't bother Vicky and Amy. I mean Taylor."
"I never bothered them!" Crystal objects hotly. "And besides, if you don't bother them—it'll be boring! Ma, do you know that Vicky and Taylor..."
"Okay, we have to go!" Victoria grabs Crystal's hand and literally drags her out of the room. "Aunt Sarah, we're off! Taylor!"
"Take care of yourselves, girls!" Aunt Sarah manages to shout after us and now we're already racing through the air—Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl, with me and Crystal under her arms.
"Let me go, I can fly myself!" Crystal struggles on the other side, but Victoria silently presses her tighter and she quiets down. Sighs and extracts her phone from somewhere. I look at her and am amazed. Crystal shows miracles of adaptability, it seems she can get used to any situation. She's being carried through the air, and she's opened her phone and scrolls through the news feed with a bored look. So what? She can't break free anyway, why waste time. I shake my head. Victoria's cousin appeals to me more and more. Reckless, desperate, and cheerful. It seems she doesn't take anything seriously, but I clearly remember her eyes during the battle with Leviathan, hers and her mother's, at the moment when they already knew that Uncle Neil and Eric had died. And her face—a lifeless mask. I think that right after capturing the PRT—I need to capture the morgue, defrost and raise everyone I can. Now that the PRT won't put obstacles in my way—I can really get going.
"Holy shit!" Crystal suddenly exclaims and raises her head, cranes it to look at me, squeezed under Victoria's other arm. "Amy! Taylor! You... took over the city?! That's so cool! Can I be commander of your Death Squads?"