Annette is a good host, far more than Taylor feels she deserves. The woman isn't around much, only living in the apartment temporarily while she acts as an attorney for a large case. She's still fine with Taylor staying there while she's gone, even picking up food while she's out.
When they're both in the suite, she regales Taylor with stories about her job. Never anything about the Current Case (which is sometimes mentioned in vague, subtly concerning ways), but instead different tidbits about strange clients or cases she's had in the past. Conversation is fun and easy; she feels like the mother Taylor never had. Or had at one point, maybe, but those memories seem to grow further by the day.
It's a kindness that makes her a little nauseous, to worry that she'll never repay it in full. Every day it gets a little bit easier to wake up, yet her mind feels more clouded, a mental fog slowly rolling in. At one point, Annette brings her a few over-the-counter pills; despite feeling a little obligated, she doesn't take any. Something about them brings up bad feelings.
"So, what's it like, living around so many parahumans?"
She considers the question. It's hard to form an opinion when she barely remembers what her city looked like. "Dangerous."
"Hm. Not enough heroes?" Annette seems genuinely interested - but then, she always does, always willing to listen to even the most mundane stories.
"It's ... even they pose a danger. Heroes, villains, they're both sort of dangerous to your health as a civilian. The least dangerous ones are probably the mercenaries."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They're not as active, they just do what they're paid for, I guess. Less likely to be blowing up a city block or something like that. There's one group in the city I lived in..." She thinks for a minute, "I think they were called Faultline's Crew. A couple of mercenaries, maybe three or four? But I can't remember them being related to many - if any - civilian deaths. At least, not in my city."
"I see. It sounds like there's not that much control."
Taylor nodded. It was true; from what she could remember, even the city's resident mercenary group had been a sort of rarity, calmer and less active than the norm.
This world was different. There was little fear of your house being leveled by a flying war machine; you were never late to work because a gigantic metal beast was rampaging through the street.
When their conversation veered in that direction, Taylor said she preferred it here. Earth Aleph, where it felt peaceful, less violent. So similar to her home in some ways, yet so different, with its beautiful and modern cities, its kinder and more outgoing people.
What she didn't mention was that she wished every night she could go back. Not to her family; she couldn't remember them. Not to her home; that place was tainted with bad experiences. But she wished she could be back in her home city, so that maybe she could remember something, again.
Of course, finding her family again would probably help with that, as well.
Although Annette seemed to think it had been something else that had brought her to Aleph ("Maybe a villain in your town - some kind of crazy mechanic device?" "What- oh, a tinker?" "Ah, is that what you call them?"), Taylor was starting to wonder if she herself had powers. If she met whatever nebulous requirements powers had, and had somehow lucked into them, they were certainly subtle: she'd tried to 'will' herself back to Bet a few times, but hadn't had any luck.
Maybe one day she'd wake up at home... no, not at home, wherever that was. If she was to go back, now, she wanted a fresh start. Not a totally clean slate, of course, but something half-way. Familiar enough to preserve some semblance of... personality, existence. But new opportunities.
The sun is setting slowly in the background. It's a beautiful day for a walk, still warm as she finds her way back to the apartment building. Light filters through the streets differently here; the large glass-windowed skyscrapers reflect a calm orange.
It's peaceful.
She could see herself staying here. Not in this area, maybe not even in this city. She certainly wouldn't be able to stay with Annette forever, or even much longer; the woman was apparently only staying in the city for a few months, for an important case. But this world was beautiful, harbouring a certain tranquility that she'd never really experienced before.
It was hard to not want it as a new home. A new start, peaceful, fresh.
Home... something about the evening air brings back memories. A better time, when her mother was alive, when she had a father. Ah, family, that distant feeling. Mom and Dad, Annette and Danny. She can see them in her mind, like layers of fog suddenly melted away, and -
Annette?
The woman she sees is familiar, in more ways than one.
Another world... with millions - no, billions of people. And somehow, in some bizarre twist of fate, she'd found her mother?
A mistake, maybe. Her mind coming up with things again. She tugs the groceries tighter, starts running. The building is close; it towers over the road just a few blocks away. A red light, she turns left, into the intersection.
Tires squeal, someone screams.
The impact comes a quarter of a second later.