Chapter Text
The moon hung low over the ruins of Brockton Bay, casting long shadows across the city. The smell of saltwater from the nearby docks mixed with the scent of decay from the city's fractured heart. What was once a symbol of order and strength—the Protectorate headquarters—was now a derelict shell, barely holding itself together.
Skitter stood at the edge of the cracked pavement, her swarm buzzing around her like a living, breathing shadow. To her left, Foil held her crossbow with steady hands, her sharp eyes scanning the remnants of the Protectorate standing before them. To her right, Cipher’s posture was relaxed but alert, his presence calm, yet dangerous. The three of them had become a powerful unit, their chemistry undeniable.
Before them stood Miss Militia, the last bastion of the Brockton Bay Protectorate. The flag-wielding hero had dark circles under her eyes, her fatigue barely hidden behind her steely gaze. To her left were the last remaining Wards: Clockblocker, Vista, Kid Win. And Shadow Stalker, but she wasn’t truly theirs anymore. Regent’s control over her was absolute, and she stood there as a puppet, her muscles twitching involuntarily now and then.
Miss Militia raised her chin, her grip tightening on the rifle she had manifested from thin air. “You’ve pushed your luck far enough, Skitter. This city will never be yours.”
Taylor—Skitter—smiled beneath her mask, the soft hum of her insects filling the air with a faint whisper. “Really? You’re still holding on to that fantasy? This city was mine the moment your so-called heroes started defecting.”
She gestured toward Foil and Cipher. Foil, the former Ward who had chosen the Undersiders over her old team, stood with her crossbow ready. Cipher, once an ambitious Ward himself, had also chosen to align with Skitter. The irony wasn’t lost on any of them.
“You talk about the heroes being strong,” Skitter continued, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “But tell me, where are your best and brightest now? Gone. Defected. And what’s left?” She let her gaze pass over the tired faces of the remaining heroes. “A few children playing soldier and an exhausted leader who knows she’s lost.”
Clockblocker bristled, taking a step forward. “You don’t get to act like you’ve already won! You’ve pushed people into this. You manipulate and twist everything—”
Skitter’s smile widened. “You mean the way your own teammate, Shadow Stalker, manipulated people?” Her eyes flicked to the rigid form of Shadow Stalker, who stood still beside the heroes, Regent’s control over her making her stand like a soldier awaiting orders. “Isn’t it funny how those who claim to be heroes are the ones who’ve done the most harm?”
Vista’s expression hardened, but she said nothing. It was clear they were all barely holding it together. The Protectorate had fallen apart, and even the youngest heroes like Vista could feel the weight of their failure pressing down on them.
“You’re all clinging to a dream that’s already dead,” Skitter continued, stepping forward. “Look at this city. It’s already mine. The Undersiders control more territory than you ever did. You have no support, no reinforcements coming. You’re finished.”
Miss Militia’s grip on her rifle tightened, her knuckles going white. “You think because you’ve taken some ground, that means you’ve won? This city will never belong to villains like you.”
Skitter raised a hand, and her swarm swirled around her, forming a dark, buzzing mass. “I’ve already won, Miss Militia. You just haven’t realized it yet.”
The air between them crackled with tension, each side waiting for the other to make the first move. Miss Militia and the remaining Wards stood their ground, but the desperation in their eyes was palpable.
Skitter’s voice softened, but it held a sharp edge. “I’m giving you one final chance. Surrender now, and I’ll make sure you’re treated fairly. Keep fighting, and it won’t end well for you.”
Miss Militia straightened, her expression hardening. “We’ll never surrender.”
Clockblocker raised his hand, activating his power. Vista took a defensive stance, her eyes scanning the battlefield, ready to manipulate the space around them. Kid Win tightened his grip on his makeshift weapon. The heroes were ready for a fight, even if they knew the odds weren’t in their favor.
“Fine,” Skitter said, her tone dropping into something colder, more final. “You made your choice.”
In a flash, the battle erupted. Miss Militia fired her rifle, the bullets sailing toward Skitter with lethal precision, but Taylor was already moving, her swarm forming a thick barrier between her and the incoming fire. Foil loosed an arrow from her crossbow, the bolt flying straight at Vista, forcing her to warp the ground beneath her to dodge the attack.
Cipher moved with practiced precision, his own energy crackling around him as he advanced toward Kid Win, dismantling his defensive setup with brutal efficiency.
Clockblocker managed to freeze a portion of the ground near Skitter, his power buying them precious seconds, but it wasn’t enough to tip the scale in their favor. Skitter’s swarm moved like a tidal wave, pushing forward, overwhelming the heroes bit by bit.
But the real turn of the tide came when Shadow Stalker, seemingly standing at the side of the Protectorate, moved.
With a quick, fluid motion, she turned on her own teammates. Vista gasped as Shadow Stalker tackled her from behind, pinning her to the ground. Kid Win whirled around, only to be disarmed by the same person he thought was his ally.
The look on Miss Militia’s face was one of horror and disbelief. “No...”
Regent’s laughter echoed through Shadow Stalker’s vocal cords as he puppeted her body with perfect control. “Surprise,” he taunted, using her voice with a sneer.
The betrayal was complete. The heroes, already exhausted and outnumbered, couldn’t recover from the shock. With Shadow Stalker turning on them, the fight was over before it even truly began.
Skitter stepped forward, watching as the last of the resistance crumbled. Vista lay pinned beneath Shadow Stalker’s weight, struggling but unable to break free. Kid Win had dropped his weapon, his face pale as he realized they had been outplayed. Clockblocker’s frozen patches of ground did nothing to halt the swarm now surrounding him.
Miss Militia was the last to fall. Her rifle disappeared, replaced by a sword, but even she couldn’t hold her ground against the tide of enemies. With a final, desperate strike, she swung at Skitter, but her blade was caught mid-air by Foil’s precision shot. The blade shattered.
“Yield,” Skitter said, her voice calm and commanding.
Miss Militia stared at her for a long moment, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The proud hero’s eyes were full of defiance, but even she knew when the fight was lost. Slowly, reluctantly, she lowered her hands.
Skitter’s smile was cold. “Smart choice.”
She turned her gaze to the remnants of the Wards, their defeated forms scattered across the battlefield. “You all could have made a different choice. But now, this city belongs to me.”
As the heroes slumped in defeat, Skitter looked out over what remained of the Protectorate. With this victory, Brockton Bay was truly hers.