Web of the Weaver: Interlude: Danny

Danny was working at his desk when the police officer walked in. “Mr. Hebert?”

Danny felt his heart clench. Cops didn’t normally talk to him for—“Is it Taylor?” his voice trembled.

“She’s fine, Mr. Hebert, but she was involved in an issue—it’s cape-related, so I’ve been asked to take you to the PRT building.”

“Right.” Could this be about Sophia? No. She’s gone. Then what… The news hadn’t said anything about a cape-brawl. It was an ordinary day.

Just like the day Annette had died had been ordinary.

Numbly, Danny headed out to join the police officer.

The drive was short, but too long for Danny, and then they were at the PRT HQ. Not the Rig. He walked through the checkpoint, past some of the tourists at the gift shop, then the second checkpoint that you needed to go through before you got to the working part of the building.

“Mr. Hebert? I’m Deputy Director Renick.” The man was taller than Danny, hair graying at the temples. Danny took his hand and nodded.

“What’s happening?” he asked. “Why is Taylor here—is she alright?”

“She is fine,” Renick said. “You know Aisha Laborn, correct?”

“Sure, she’s the student Taylor’s been tutoring. Nice kid.” Once you got under the snark. But lots of Dockworkers were snarky. It helped get you through the day.

“Evidently, the E88 came to the conclusion that she had passed information about them to the PRT. They decided to murder her, and your daughter… Well, Mr. Hebert, your daughter dove into the water after they shoved Aisha in, cut the line they’d attached to a bag of sand and managed to get her out and rescue her. Several capes were involved, which puts it in our circle, but I won’t lie. Without Taylor, Aisha would be in the morgue.”

“Taylor got in a fight with the Empire?”

“She was involved, but she didn’t directly attack any. That was Orb Weaver.”

Danny blinked. There’d been stories about Orb Weaver, especially after the Merchants had been eliminated. Kurt and Lacey had good things to say about the cape, mostly due to his helping Maria. Most of the other stories had to do with people walking into alleys… and never coming out.

But right now—

“She’s in here. This room isn’t monitored, but at your convenience, Director Piggot would like to talk to you.”

And the door was open. It was a normal little conference room. And Taylor was standing at the far end, looking out of the window, wearing a shapeless gray sweater and sweatpants.

“Taylor…”

“Hi Dad,” she said. “My clothes got kinda ruined.”

“I—what happened?”

Taylor frowned for a moment, pausing.

Taylor had always been a chatterbox before Annette, before Emma. Danny missed that, especially since he should have been the one to help her.

“Orb Weaver dropped by, and I had to take a… different identity.” She shrugged. “I had to help save Aisha. The Empire was going after her.”

“I heard about that. But how did you get—“

“I triggered in the locker.” Taylor looked at him. “In the rot and silence, all I could wonder was why. I looked out for something to save me…” Her pose changed, becoming more self-assured. “And eventually, I learned, but I couldn’t do anything about it. My power was insignificant, the school wouldn’t listen until… I thought to use Orb Weaver. I knew Orb Weaver. In a way, I was his creation.”

“He knew you had triggered?”

“Orb Weaver knows… a great deal.” Taylor sighed. “As Sophia learned. But his help doesn’t come without a price. Orb Weaver’s mission demands that this city be made a city people can be proud of again.”

Danny sat down, his legs weak. He knew a little bit about triggers and… “You triggered.”

“Yes.”

“That was why…”

“Too much information,” Taylor said. She shrugged. “So I had to learn how to make use of it, and stop annoying my nurse.” There was an odd reserve to her voice, a slight accent Taylor had never had before.

Like a mask.

“So you are…”

“The Investigator.” She smiled, the expression strange on her face. “I have a minor Thinker power, it helps me learn, observe, and make conclusions, but… I have to do most of the heavy lifting. I spent a lot of time in the library examining books on how to be a PI.” She tilted her head, a strange gesture in Taylor. “Which helps me here. Director Piggot doesn’t want to be seen exerting pressure, but if you were to demand me being in the Wards…”

“Why not?” Danny asked. “They’d protect you!”

“They were also Shadowstalker’s teammates, and while I know they didn’t have anything to do with it…” Taylor shook her head. “The tension would remain, on both sides. Also, The Investigator doesn’t go after parahumans. I’m, well, a problem solver, and most of the Protectorate’s duties don’t allow them to interact with normal crimes.”

Danny frowned. That was true, at least according to some of the people he knew with cops in the family. But…

“A gun can still kill you.”

“Yes, but the same applies to me if I’m a Ward. As the Investigator, I don’t seek out trouble. That’s what people like Orb Weaver do.” She paused. “It might be better for Aisha. The Empire… was cruel to her.”

“How is she?”

“Physically? Okay.” Taylor frowned. “But… I don’t know about mentally. But on the Wards, how about this. Give me a month. I promise that The Investigator won’t get involved in parahuman drama, but at the end, we can decide.”

Danny thought about it. The Wards would grant her protection but…

He hadn’t been much help to Taylor at the school, to the point where she either hadn’t trusted him, or simply believed he couldn’t help.

Now, she was trusting him, and turning right around and telling… no.

“Okay. But if you run into “parahuman drama.” I want you to run straight to the PRT.”

“Even if I just ran Hookwolf over with a truck?” Taylor asked. It wasn’t much of a joke, but it was so much more than she’d said…. Since Annette, that Danny burst into laughter.

“Especially if you just ran Hookwolf over with a truck. Don’t even stop to exchange insurance information.”

“I understand.”

They paused for a moment, and then Danny heard singing. Really loud, off-key singing.

“What the—“Then the door flew open, and a shadowy humanoid figure came charging in.

“Taylor!” it said in Aisha’s voice.

“I—“

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s a bit open now, Dad, Aisha triggered. Aisha, are you where you’re supposed to be?”

“Part of me is!” There was more commotion behind her. “Oops, time for me to…” There was a sudden shiver, and suddenly, Aisha was standing in front of them. “Tadaa! Turns out I’ve got the coolest fucking powers!”

“Right.” Taylor shook her head. “Dad, I—“

Then Brian, Armsmaster, and Piggot followed her in.

“Ms. Laborn, why—“

“Hey, that doctor guy kept asking if my projections were ‘independent’ so it’s totally his fault I decided to find out.”

“We will have to do more in-depth power testing,” Armsmaster said. “But you walked here.”

“Yep!”

“I—“

“Armsmaster, enough,” Piggot said. “Mr. Hebert, my apologies, but I’m going to have to ask you to sign an NDA.”

“Don’t need one,” Aisha said. “Gonna be an open hero.”

“WHAT?” Brian said. “Aisha, do you know how dang—“

“More dangerous than some E88 banger deciding to shoot a random black girl? Aisha rolled her head back, working some kinks out. “They can’t be afraid of what might happen if they don’t know I’m a ward.” Then she paused. “Besides. They think I’m the little black bitch who is hiding under her bed. Who’s gonna be a welfare mom by 17.” She glanced up at Taylor. “So, whatta we say to that?”

Taylor got a faint smile on her face, but it was a real smile, and Danny stared at it, remembering how long it had been since he’d seen that.

Then Taylor put her hand up in a fist, nodding. “We say, we’ll be back for the ten-year reunion with our new car and great home.”

“Damn straight,” Aisha said, bumping Taylor’s fist with her own.

And staring at the energetic girl Danny felt two emotions.

One, pride. Taylor had saved Aisha, had shown her she didn’t have to be afraid.

Second, glancing at Brian, Armsmaster, and Director Piggot, sympathy. Because they were definitely going to have their hands full.

And then he went to sign all the paperwork.