11.01

11.1 Summary

Skitter stared at the scene before her. Trickster, Ballistic, and Circus lay defeated, while another cape had fallen off a railing to the concrete floor below. She was in Coil’s base, now deserted except for a handful of capes.

Her target was a reinforced door. Inside, a prison cell held Coil and Dinah. Coil was washing his hands, unconcerned. Dinah lay on a cot, eyes open, unblinking, a bloody froth at the corner of her mouth.

Skitter charged Coil, knife drawn. In one reality, she stabbed him in the chest. In another, he blew a handful of pale dust in her face - diluted scopolamine, also known as Devil’s Breath. It strips imbibers of volition and renders them eminently suggestible, he explained. He had used it on Dinah with tragic results.

Coil ordered her to remove her mask. As she did, tears streamed down her face. He touched her cheek, stroked her hair. The gesture felt familiar, but the way he gripped the back of her neck felt possessive.

“Welcome home, pet,” he spoke, not in Coil’s voice, but her father’s.

Skitter woke with a start, drenched in sweat. It was a nightmare, a disturbing blend of her guilt and fears. It was 5:40 in the morning. She couldn’t go back to sleep. The dream had left her with a sense of urgency. How long could Dinah hold on?

She got up and put in her contact lenses, a necessary discomfort. She hated them, but they were necessary. She was in her new base, a three-story building on the Boardwalk. The top floor was hers, a living space. The second floor was Skitter’s, for her costumed self. It was still under construction, but it had terrariums for spiders and a large, comfortable chair. The ground floor had bunk beds, a bathroom, and a small kitchen.

She called Coil. It was early, but she didn’t care. She needed eight men and a truck. They would be there in an hour.

With time to kill, she decided to go for a run, despite the dangers. She dressed, armed herself with pepper spray and a knife, and called bugs to her. She noticed changes in herself: a tan, some muscle definition, a new way of carrying herself.

She left through a discreet exit in the cellar, a storm drain that led to the beach. The Boardwalk was a skeletal ruin. She saw two wrecked vehicles, marked with the Merchants’ symbol. They were thriving in the chaos, attacking rescue workers and destroying equipment.

“Taylor,” a voice called.

She froze. It was her dad. He was working on the Boardwalk reconstruction. They talked, awkwardly. He told her she could come home anytime. She promised to leave him her contact information. He had to go, but asked about lunch. She said maybe.

She warned him about the Slaughterhouse Nine. He removed his glasses. They parted ways.

Back at her lair, she had thirty minutes. She showered, donned her costume, and modified her mask to accommodate her contact lenses. Coil’s men arrived on time. She put on her mask.

Time to claim her territory.