OnAHiatus
patreon
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: MARKED FOR DEATH
🕑 Added 2025-02-24 08:53:17 +0000 UTCTaylor had always been good at observation. Reading patterns, mapping territories, learning how people moved and why. It was how she survived Brockton Bay, how she adapted to Gotham. But even with her growing understanding of the city’s criminal underbelly, there were still players she hadn’t accounted for.
Tonight, that changed.
She crouched beside Spoiler on the rooftop, overlooking an abandoned warehouse on Gotham’s east side. The structure had long since been gutted, its windows shattered, walls covered in layers of graffiti, rust eating through the metal supports. But tonight, it was alive with movement. Armed men patrolled the perimeter, their tech weapons gleaming under dim floodlights.
The real threat, however, was inside.
Mark Richards. The Tattooed Man.
Ex-military. Metahuman. His tattoos weren’t just ink—they were weapons, shifting across his skin to form blades, shields, even creatures that acted on his command. He was dangerous, and Black Mask had him overseeing this weapons shipment.
That wouldn’t stand.
Spoiler adjusted the grip on her grapple gun. “You sure about this?”
Taylor kept her eyes on the warehouse floor. “We agreed he’s a problem.”
“Yeah, but your idea of solving problems tends to be a little… intense.”
Taylor didn’t react.
Spoiler sighed. “Look, I’m just saying—this guy isn’t a two-bit thug. You don’t get to be one of Black Mask’s top enforcers without serious bite.”
Taylor already knew that. Richards was a veteran, disciplined, brutal, and worst of all, experienced, and his powers made him even worse. But he had one weakness—he wasn’t untouchable. Almost, yes. But not. He could be overwhelmed, outmanoeuvred.
That was the plan.
Taylor watched as Richards stood near the center of the warehouse floor, his arms crossed while Black Mask’s men offloaded crates from a truck.
“We take out Richards first,” Taylor said. “Cut off the head of the operation.”
Spoiler blew out a breath. “I really hope you have a plan that’s more than just ‘hit him really hard.’”
Taylor did.
. . . . .
They moved swiftly, using the rusted beams of the warehouse to descend unseen. The shadows swallowed them whole, the sounds of machinery masking their approach. Below, Richards stood near the shipment, inspecting the weapons while his men continued unloading crates.
Taylor signaled Spoiler with a sharp nod. Now.
Spoiler made the first move, flinging a flashbang into the center of the group. The warehouse erupted in blinding white light, the deafening crack sending Black Mask’s thugs into disarray. Men shouted, stumbling blindly, their weapons clattering to the ground, and others were sent fleeing in panic.
Taylor was already moving.
She dropped from the beams, boots hitting the concrete with a muffled thud. Her elbow drove into the nearest thug’s temple before he could react, and he crumpled without a sound. Another turned toward her, raising his rifle—she swept his legs out from under him and struck his jaw in one brutal motion.
Spoiler joined the fray, her movements a blur of purple and black. She fought with a wild, almost reckless energy, her fists and legs cracking against torsos and heads as she danced through the warehouse.
But the real fight was just beginning.
Richards recovered fast. His tattoos writhed, shifting into jagged blades that gleamed along his forearms. He didn’t hesitate—he charged.
Taylor barely dodged the first strike, twisting away as a black-inked sword slashed through the air where her head had been. She retaliated with a low kick, aiming to destabilize him, but the tattoos shifted again—this time forming a layer of armor that absorbed the blow.
He was fast. Faster than she’d anticipated.
“Yeah, so this is worse than I thought,” Spoiler called out, flipping over a goon and landing beside Taylor, her tone light despite the strain that edged it.
Richards flexed his fingers, and the tattoos shifted once more. A massive spiked chain uncoiled from his arm, snapping toward them like a whip.
Taylor and Spoiler split. The chain cracked against the floor, leaving deep gouges in the concrete.
Taylor’s mind raced. Richards’ powers had a limit—they needed time to morph between shapes. She had to exploit that window.
She feinted left, drawing his attention, then lunged right, aiming a strike at his ribs. The armor reshaped itself just in time, absorbing the impact.
Richards smirked. “Gotta be quicker than that.”
Spoiler moved in from behind, flicking her wrist. With a sharp click, her staff extended to its full length. She spun it once, adjusting her grip, then stepped in fast, aiming for his head.
Richards barely ducked in time—the weapon skimmed past his ear, forcing him to stumble.
That was their opening.
Taylor struck low, aiming for his knee, while Spoiler followed up high. The combination forced him off balance.
But before they could capitalize, his tattoos exploded outward, forming a jagged mass of spikes that forced them to back off.
Richards exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Alright. You two really wanna do this?”
Taylor’s stance remained steady. “Yes.”
He grinned. “Good. Me too.”
The tattoos moved.
A hound surged from his chest, an inked beast with burning red eyes, sprinting toward Taylor.
She reacted on instinct, sidestepping as its jaws snapped shut inches from her face. The ink twisted midair, reforming into a jagged spear that shot toward her.
She ducked. The spear embedded itself into a crate behind her, splintering wood.
Spoiler flung a handful of flashbangs, forcing Richards to shield his eyes. Her staff came up again as she reversed its swing and jabbed toward his knee instead. He staggered, and she pressed the advantage, using the staff’s reach to keep him off balance.
Taylor moved in from the opposite angle, fists striking at every exposed region, forcing him to split his attention.
When Mark lashed out with an inky tendril, Spoiler adjusted smoothly, collapsing her staff just enough to pivot under the strike before snapping it back open to crack him across the jaw.
And Taylor took the opportunity—she moved fast, closing the distance and driving a hard strike into his sternum.
Richards was sent reeling.
Spoiler followed up with a swift kick to his ribs. The inked armor absorbed most of it, but he still stumbled.
“Little pests,” Richards growled. His tattoos twisted, forming thick chains that lashed out in all directions.
Taylor rolled under the attack, coming up behind him. Spoiler flipped backward, avoiding the strike.
Taylor had seen enough. Richards’ powers were strong—but they weren’t perfect. He had to think about his shapes. He had to see his target.
And he wasn’t fast enough.
She darted forward, striking at his elbow this time—a joint, a weak point. He grunted as the limb buckled slightly.
Spoiler caught on immediately. “Joint strikes. Got it.”
They pressed the advantage, hitting weak points, forcing him onto the defensive.
His tattoos lashed wildly, but the more he defended, the less he could attack.
Finally, Taylor swept his leg out from under him, and Spoiler cracked her staff against the back of his head.
Richards collapsed.
His tattoos flickered—unstable, seemingly disoriented.
Taylor wasted no time. She pulled a pair of high-tensile zip ties from her belt, snapping them around his wrists before he could recover.
Richards groaned, his body tensing. The tattoos twitched—but the restraints held.
Spoiler huffed, out of breath. “Okay. That was not fun.”
Taylor stood, staring down at Richards. He was strong. Really strong. But, in the end, still beatable.
Spoiler nudged her. “C’mon. Cops are inbound. Let’s quickly search this place.”
Taylor nodded.
As they vanished further into the warehouse, she spared one last glance at Richards.
One enforcer down.
Now, they had to find out where those weapons were coming from.
Comments
Disorder
Thanks.
OnAHiatus
I'll have to take a screenshot of this to remember later because it makes so much sense
Disorder
You know, this made me think on how Batman could accidently make Taylor realize that her method to help Brockton Bay may not have been as good as she thought it was. For example, Batman and Taylor are talking about the situation in Gotham and Bruce eventually talks about how different crime was before he came. Back then, it was less crazy, no men and women putting on masks, getting advanced gear and putting on a show to take over Gotham or prove some twisted point. It's because of this that many people in Gotham believe the old days, the old crime lords, were better compared to this, and Taylor would agree. Those crime lords are kinda like her, controlling crime and making it so that it doesn't ruin everything around them. Except that in Batman's eyes, it was still bad, and while those old crime lords weren't as crazy as his current rogue gallery, he saw exactly how they hurt people. The exploitation, the corruption, the victims and how no one was getting justice. You can't just let criminals get away with this, otherwise how can Batman call himself a hero by letting even a single person get hurt.
OnAHiatus
And a lot of plot armour too, can't forget that. But yeah, they aren't good people and though most writer understands that, they still bend the narrative in a way that absolves them of any crime. It gets annoying, fast.
Disorder
Indeed. Things got bad enough that even Pariah and Foil were becoming uncomfortable with how the Undersiders did things, how Taylor was making calls that were entirely unnecessary. In fact, another reason I liked that fic was because it showed why the Undersiders aren't good people. Too many fics gloss over that fact, and act like the Undersiders methods are better than the heroes attempts to help people. Pshh, yeah right. The heroes have their flaws, not going to deny that, but the way the Undersiders got to power and became a stabilizing force for Brockton Bay required a lot of terrible things to happen for them to get there.
OnAHiatus
Nah, it’s calm. I shouldn’t shy away from reading things I don't necessarily agree with. And I do admit that it was a somewhat realistic take on an “Undersiders in Gotham” fic. I especially liked the fact that they weren't treated with kid’s gloves (again, somewhat) like most Worm authors are fond of doing
Disorder
Hmm, don't force yourself if you don't want to. We all have our tastes and some just don't work for us. For me, it was nice seeing the family take on criminals that were good enough to put them in their place, all of them having powers and being good at teamwork really put them above most criminals the family deals with. For the Undersiders, they just kept making mistakes, thinking they could get away with crime in a world that was very much different from their own, only to play a role in getting one of Batman's enemies a chance to threaten all of Gotham. Despite saying they shouldn't be on Batman's radar, it was made clear that they couldn't let the Undersiders get away with their crimes, even if they weren't as vile as most criminals.
OnAHiatus
I actually tried it some time ago but didn't like how they portrayed the Bat-family and DC in general. I might give it another chance though.
Disorder
Taylor has a tendency of getting tunnel vision in her quest to do good. Her friends didn't really help matters as they were a toxic influence on each other. Spending time with real heroes should help that matter, once she starts working with them, not just Spoiler. Hmm, this story kinda reminds me of that fanfic I once read, the Underside of Gotham. It was a nice read, you should try it OnAHiatus.
OnAHiatus
A blunt assessment of Taylor: Taylor is wrong; she just doesn't know it yet. And she's too confident in her wrong to take the truth at face value. Because she thinks she knows best.
Disorder
Whether it's Batman or Nightwing, they'll probably give out a good reason on why Spoiler did the right thing and why Taylor should be glad that Spoiler ignored Taylor's demands to not get the Bats involved. Taylor can try to argue back, but quite frankly, the Bats are used to people trying to justify themselves and how they are supposedly failing Gotham city. In a battle of words, Batman and his family have more experience than Taylor does. There are advantages to being a hero for decades, though it helps that Bruce has friends and family to help him from coming off as a complete jerk. Armsmaster wishes he had people to help him with his words.
OnAHiatus
Yup, probably Spoiler. She will prob request backup regardless of Taylor’s wishes
Disorder
Stakes are getting higher as Taylor and her new partner start facing off against more powerful foes. It'll be interesting to see the challengers that await them and if Taylor or Spoiler (probably Spoiler) will eventually put their foot down and say yes to backup if they meet someone that's above their pay grade.
