Amy woke up screaming.

  It wasn’t the first time, not in the last month, not even in the last week. This time though, the source wasn’t her usual nightmares. Instead she woke into a nightmare of buzzing insects and cackling villainous laughter. Well, the laughter may have been a carryover from her dream, but the bugs were all too real.

  She knew what it meant, and didn’t hesitate to grip the nearest bug and twist its minuscule neurons into something that would drive a proverbial ice-pick into Skitter’s skull. A sudden, sharp pain made her let it go, and insects dove down, tearing it to shreds. Like that, Amy was left alone, or at least she couldn’t feel the bugs on her anymore.

  She swore violently as she rose from bed. What the fuck was going on that Skitter was inside the PRT building? Surely she wasn’t insane enough to attack them the day she got outed, that would just twist the knife for her, make everyone hate her more. Well, villains were dumb, Amy knew that well enough.

  Had to get dressed, had to help. If Skitter was attacking, that meant Lia was in danger. She seemed to be a magnet for the Undersiders and their bullshit, maybe a consequence of trying to help them when the Slaughterhouse Nine were in town. Amy couldn’t fault her for it, the Nine were far worse than the Undersiders on the grand scale. That didn’t make it sit any easier with her.

  A tshirt and sweats was all Amy bothered with, better to be on the scene than to look good. Carol may have tried to teach her differently, but a couple years in the ER had straightened her out on that. She went to the door, put on her shoes, then pulled it open. With a shriek, she slammed it shut again, heart pounding.

  Fucking spiders. It wasn’t a phobia, everyone was scared of then. Opening the door to find the frame covered in webs, with black widows prowling on its strands, bugs across the hall spelling out the word ‘DON’T’ in block letters. Taking a deep breath, Amy pulled the door open again and suppressed a shiver of revulsion. Couldn’t be a little bitch now…

  She reached out for one of the widows, but it crawled away out of reach. Apparently Skitter wasn’t keen on her getting a hold on her bugs again. The message in bugs was still sitting on the wall across from her, but Amy ignored it and started tearing at the webs blocking the door.

  The feeling made her shiver, and it was slow going. The spiders deftly avoided any attempts to capture them. Amy wasn’t sure how Skitter knew she was trying to get them, but it obviously wouldn’t be so easy. She kept clearing the webbing, surprised at the effort it took. Amy vaguely recalled some lesson about the strength of spider silk from biology class, but she hadn’t seen a web actually stand up to anything before; til now, it seemed.

  It took far too long to clear away enough of the webbing to leave the room, but she finally managed and got out into the hall. Distant screams sent a shudder up her spine. If not for her powers, Amy would be in the same boat as everyone else. Hopefully Lia was okay. Sure these bugs were nothing special, but she’d been fucked up by Skitter lately. It wouldn’t be too surprising if this was getting to her.

  Had to help somehow. People were hurt, Lia could be hurt. Amy began slowly walking up the hall, ignoring how the ever-present fog of swarming insects parted for her. It was eerie, how coordinated they all were. A miniature army commanded a monster pretending to be a normal girl. It would be almost fitting if Amy managed to stop her somehow.

  That was a pipe dream, but she still tried to grab at various bugs around her. However she was doing it, Skitter always managed to dodge around her attempts. It was infuriating how easily the villain played her, and she wasn’t even here to do it! Her cheeks burned, she probably looked like an idiot running around trying to catch bugs.

  A groan of pain made her perk up. She ran towards the noise and found a pile of writhing bugs covering something, or someone, that was weakly moving underneath. Amy hesitated, but took a deep breath and forced herself to kneel beside the lump and reach out her hand. Like before, the bugs moved away from her touch, though they remained on the fallen officer’s body.

  Amy only knew he was a PRT officer because of the hint of lapels that were exposed when she pressed her fingers to his neck. He was in bad shape, covered in hundreds of bug bites, with mountains of venom running through his veins. Well not mountains, in fact there was barely enough to account for a dozen bee stings. It was enough that the officer’s trachea had just started to swell, the first thing she started with.

  The problem she found trying to heal him was Skitter wouldn’t let up. Amy could make her pause her attack, swiping hands wildly at the insects assaulting the officer, but it wasn’t a solution. More venom was being injected as she made antivenins to combat it, more wounds appears as she knitted the skin back together. She let out a frustrated huff and sat back on her haunches.

  What to do… ‘Be creative’. There was no time for dallying, Amy had to save this guy and she couldn’t spend all day sitting here to do it. She pressed her fingers to his throat again, mind racing with ideas. Temporary modifications, these just had to last long enough to wait out Skitter. They weren’t real, permanent changes, which would be bad; she was just...prehealing.

  First was immunity to the litany of insect venom in his body, which was easier done than said. A minor change to how cells reacted to it and bam! His body was fighting the venom far more effectively than even the best antivenin could. She made sure they were programmed to change back on their next division, then moved on to the next issue.

  The welts on his skin healed easily enough, but more appeared every second. The solution was obvious: making his skin harder, impervious to the bites and stings. The change spanned his entire body, or at least the upper dermal layers. His skin stiffened and soon, when Amy healed his wounds again, no more appeared. He’d be like that for maybe a month before his skin returned to normal; not ideal, but it was an emergency. He’d forgive her, probably.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  She rose and kept moving, and the bugs continued to part for her. How was Skitter keeping track of her movements? There weren’t any bugs on her body, she’d know for sure. Amy considered it as she walked, remembering their first encounter. Skitter hadn’t known to keep the bugs off her body then, but even so they hadn’t been on her skin very often. No they were hidden…

  Amy rapidly brushed her hands over her body as she started jogging towards the sounds of battle. There. She grasped the little mote of biology she came into contact with and worked as she started running. The bugs covering the officer shivered as she passed them by, and a few didn’t move out of the way in time for her to fuck them up too.

  A vicious grin split her lips as the entire hallway cleared of insects. Stupid bitch. Trying to come into Amy’s place, fuck with her friends. When she caught up to the villain...well, she wouldn’t do anything that bad. But there was no way Skitter was escaping again, not this time, not with—

  “-fucking piss me off today you fucking cunt.” Lia’s voice came from the lobby as Amy approached. “Can’t believe you decided this was the right move. Hope you’re fucking happy.”

  The sight as she came into the lobby made Amy’s grin grow. Lia had Skitter by the wrist, a gun pressed to the villain’s skull. Her guts flipped a little at the sight of the weapon, but she could see Skitter had one too. Amy wasn’t sure where Lia had gotten it, but given the circumstances she couldn’t really complain.

  “Let me go, Amaranth,” Skitter said flatly. “Your side already lost.”

  “News to me since I have a gun to your head,” Lia growled. “Surrender. I don’t want to have to wash bug-brain bits out of my costume.”

  “You wouldn’t pull the trigger.” Amy couldn’t help but agree.

  A shot rang out.

  “Now that I’ve disproved that theory,” Lia said, moving the muzzle from the ceiling back to Skitter’s head. “Surrender.”

  “Counter offer,” Tattletale drawled. “Let us go and look the other way, you’re pretty good at that aren’t you?” There was a wet ‘crack’ and a muffled grunt of pain from Skitter.

  “Sorry.” Lia sounded almost sheepish as she shifted her grip from Skitter’s wrist to her forearm. “But that should be a good warning to you, Lippy.”

  “Let me go or I start killing your troops,” Skitter grunted. “I’ve been holding back so far.”

  “The only reason I haven’t slotted you is because they’re alive,” Lia countered. “If that changes, my finger slips. The only way you’re leaving here is in a prison transport or a fucking body bag, Skitter. I’ll let you decide.” Seconds of tense silence dragged.

  “You get me,” Skitter replied at last. “Tattletale and Bitch walk.” Lia let out a sharp bark of laughter that sounded almost pained.

  “You really think you’re in a position to bargain?” Lia looked at Tattletale, then back at Skitter. “Sell me.”

  “You got me fair and square,” she said. “But I can still make this an utter defeat for you. Let them go and I’ll come quietly.” Lia stared silently. She couldn’t actually be considering it, right?

  “You know what, fine,” Lia spat. “Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind, Tattletale. Skitter, get your bugs off my people.”

  “Skitter this is—”

  “Shut up Tattletale,” Skitter growled. “Go, I’ll be fine, I can handle this. You know what to do.” Tattletale’s hands balled into fists and she glared at Lia.

  “I won’t forget this, Amaranth,” Tattletale snapped. “You’ll pay.”

  “Take it out of my Shatterbird bounty and fuck off,” Lia retorted. “And hurry before I change my mind.”

  Tattletale whispered something to Skitter, then took off at a sprint out of the building. Once she’d left, the bugs slowly moved off of the dozens of PRT officers laying wounded throughout the room, and the sounds of battle outside grew quiet. Lia turned her head and nodded at Amy, jerking her chin to the nearest of them. Amy nodded back and got to work, leaving the villain to the girl who took her down.

  The damage Skitter had managed before her surrender was ugly. Not life threatening, fortunately, but these men and women were in severe pain. Amy worked quickly, rather than creatively, just making sure everyone was healthy. While she did, the heroes returned, a little worse for wear. After a tense conversation with Miss Militia, Lia turned over her pistol and let them take Skitter into custody. Once she was done, Amy quietly came over to her.

  “Hey” she said. “Are you okay? Did Skitter hurt you at all?”

  “Couple stings,” Lia replied. “Should heal everyone else first, I can wait.”

  “I’m here now, it’ll take thirty seconds.” Lia grimaced, but held out her hand. True to Amy’s word, it barely took time at all. “There, see?”

  “Thanks,” she said flatly. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you at all?” Amy shook her head.

  “Nah, I’m fine,” she said. “I think one bug bit me, but it doesn’t hurt or anything. Not much.” She was guessing, since her wrist was still stinging from earlier.

  “Good.” Lia turned her head as Clockblocker approached. “Clock. Things outside?”

  “Quiet,” he replied. “Undersiders retreated when you grabbed Skitter. You...you actually captured her?”

  “That or I put a gun to the head of the world’s best Skitter impersonator,” she retorted, then sighed. “I...I don’t believe it either, didn’t believe it was possible honestly.” She shook her head.

  “I see why Gallant had a hell of a time with you,” Clockblocker commented. “A disciplinary hearing next week for literally the most effective Ward I’ve met.”

  “Not that effective,” Lia said bitterly. “Didn’t get the rest.”

  “You got their leader Amaranth,” he countered, sounding exasperated. “The buggy head of this really fucking annoying snake. We have more heroes arriving in just a couple days; the rest of them will join her soon.”

  “Believe it when I see it,” she said simply.

  “You need healing, Clockblocker?” He looked past Lia at Amy and shook his head.

  “Nah, showed up after the party was over,” he answered, disappointed. “You?”

  “Got it already.” Lia turned her head. “Amy, you should go help with casualties.” Amy started and blinked.

  “Oh, uh, right.” Amy shuffled back. “Sorry, I’ll just...go.”

  “Amy?” Lia’s voice made her pause. “Thank you. If you hadn’t fucked with her bugs, there’s no way I’d have got her. This is your win too.”

  “Don’t mention it,” she replied bashfully. “And try not to get hurt while I’m healing everyone?” Lia’s giggle followed Amy as she headed down to the infirmary to wait for casualties.

  She let the stupid smile on her face be.