Part 36:

I stepped out of the RV and stretched. Alabaster, Tattletale, and Grue were behind me.

"You know, even with my power, I still slept once in a while," Alabaster said.

"Seems like a waste of time to me..." I said.

"Taylor, you need to take a while, wind down," Tattletale said. "Maybe spend some time with your dad."

I shook my head. "No, too much to do. Too many..."

I could see Tattletale shift, looking around. "Could you send Grue away? I think..."

"Hey, I wanna keep an eye on Aisha. I know this isn't easy on Taylor, but she was out there too."

"Grue, you're affecting her mentality. You're great and everything, but..."

"Quiet. Please," I said. "I'm not going to relax. I can't. I need to keep moving forward. I'd feel that way regardless of Grue being out."

Tattletale made a noise. She didn't believe me.

I didn't care.

"Nice city, huh?" I turned and saw Aisha stepping out of the RV. She was grinning. "Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt? I know how you like to chat with yourself."

"Funny."

"I thought so," Aisha said. "So, who you chatting with?"

"Your brother, Tattletale, and Alabaster."

Aisha nodded. "The usual crew, then. Sick of your new friends already?"

I groaned and took a few steps.

"What's the plan?"

I held up my phone. "Got a message a while ago. Some details from our shadowy friends at Cauldron. Info on the major powers villainous powers here."

"Ooh, anyone good?"

"Three major forces here. Accord is the largest and most organized. Runs his gang like a business, more or less. And he has ties to Cauldron. Buys powers from them for people he finds deserving."

"So, he's on the level? More or less?"

"Who knows. They set me up with an appointment so that I can meet him and decide that for myself."

Aisha raised her eyebrows. "Really? They're letting you make that call."

"They're on thin ice with me and they know it. Guess they're willing to make these calls. And they may be confident enough in him to let me meet him."

"What about the others?"

"A tinker, Blasto. He makes creatures from plants. Not terribly aggressive, but strong enough to hold his territory. And the last gang is the Teeth."

"Hmm, should I have heard of them? You say that like I should have heard of them," Aisha said.

"They were one of the big gangs in Brockton Bay back in the day," Emma said, her projection walking out of the RV. Aisha looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged. "I have a lot of time to look into this stuff. They're led by the Butcher."

Aisha nodded. "Now that is a name I've heard of. Crazy guy with a bunch of...voices...in his head..."

I grimaced at her. "It's her, now. Butcher XIV, formerly known as Quarrel. She killed the previous Butcher a while back in New York."

"So she's outta town? Her gang should be easy to deal with..." Aisha started.

I shook my head. "First, every member of the Teeth is a psycho. Secondly, she's back. Once gangs in Brockton Bay started dropping, she hauled it back here and started planning how to reclaim their old turf. At least that's what Cauldron says."

"Oh. Problem then. So we taking them out?"

"Maybe. Gonna check in with Accord first. See what he thinks. Maybe I'll give him a chance to clean up the mess."

"You think he will?" Emma asked.

"Hard to know. Maybe?" I turned back to the door and saw the rest of our little group stepping out. Noelle, then Krouse, then Theo and Dinah.

"Ooh, field trip time?" Aisha asked.

"We were gonna take Dinah out, get her some clothes and stuff," Noelle said. "I need some stuff too, so...you know, two birds one stone."

"Makes sense," I said. "Just try to keep a low profile. And...I'm gonna send you a picture. It's a map of the city. The blue section is Accord's territory. Stick to that for now." I pulled my phone out and started sending the image.

"Not sure that's a great idea..." Krouse said.

I narrowed my eyes, then nodded. "A history there, right?"

"Something they're not proud of." Tattletale said, sighing.

"They were villains. Maybe they worked for him?" Grue suggested.

"Mm. Something like that," Tattletale said.

"Would you rather have a run in with the Butcher or one of Blasto's monsters? If you run into anyone from Accord's group, just mention my name. They'll leave you alone."

Krouse still looked uncomfortable. Noelle just nodded.

"How long until your meeting?" Theo asked.

"A couple hours."

"Mind if I tag along? I...my dad kind of tried to pass down how to act in these situations, so I won't mess things up, I don't think..."

"Oh God, you're gonna bring the kid aren't you?" Alabaster asked. "He's so pathetic..."

"Oh, come on. He's trying..." Tattletale said.

"Yeah, he can try all he wants. He's still pathetic. Not a tenth of the man his father was, and never will be."

"Yeah, you can come along Theo."

He nodded, then headed back inside.

"Want us along too?" Aisha asked.

I shook my head. "I think the fewer the better. Though...if you could get some recon on the others..."

"I can look into the Teeth," Aisha said.

"I...guess I can look around Blasto's territory."

I nodded. "Okay."

I turned and headed back into the RV.

I tried to ignore the mental exhaustion that I was feeling.

I wanted to be up to speed on Accord and his people.