(AV) KHEPRI

Khepri.

That was the name she’d settled on.

It hadn’t been her first choice. Or her second. Honestly, it hadn't even been a serious contender. She’d added it to her shortlist more as filler than anything else. Too obscure, she’d thought. A little dramatic even. And, okay, maybe it did carry more than a hint of ‘ancient villain resurrected to bring about a thousand years of darkness’ vibes.

But it stuck.

Over the past few days, she’d caught herself whispering it aloud in idle moments. While brushing her teeth. Under her breath in school hallways or during classes. Post-exercise, lying on her bedroom bed, sweat cooling and her limbs trembling from adrenaline. The name circled her thoughts like her bugs around a threat, impossible to ignore. 

Khepri.

The ancient Egyptian god who pushed the sun across the sky each day. The scarab-faced god of rebirth, transformation, and resurrection. 

Thematically, it made some sort of sense.

She was starting over. Reinventing herself, not just as a cape, but as a person. Taylor Hebert, awkward, bullied, and invisible, had died somewhere between that first swarm and Lung’s final breath. What came next had to be someone new. Someone who didn't make the same mistakes.

Khepri fit that.

Maybe the name was a little obscure. Maybe people would roll their eyes or mispronounce it or assume she was trying too hard. Maybe someone on PHO would type up an angry thread about cultural appropriation. Or maybe they'd whisper about gods and death and come to the wrong conclusions about her intentions. 

But she wasn’t trying to be edgy or disrespectful. She wanted to be a hero, but she didn’t want to be larger than life. She just wanted a chance to do good. To prove that the person behind the swarm wasn’t a villain, but a girl who’d panicked, who’d made a mistake, and who was still trying to do the right thing, even if it was too late in the eyes of the PRT.

And now, with the name chosen and the costume complete, it felt like—for the first time in weeks now—she had something close to direction.

The costume had taken some real effort to change. The base was still the same—spider silk and insect shells, layered for breathability and modest protection—but she’d added the full extent of the armour paneling she had initially planned. Nothing bulky, just reinforcements for the back of her head and spine, but they helped her feel less vulnerable.

She’d also added lighter accents, subtle greens and hints of dark bronze, to soften the harshness of the grey-black body. It was a subtle contrast to lift the design out of ‘villain’ territory, and though it wasn't exactly bright and cheerful, it wasn't immediate nightmare fuel either.

Her mask was too menacing, with sections of armor designed to imitate a bug’s mandibles, so it needed the biggest change. The new one she made still nodded toward her theme, but with far more restraint. With softened edges and white lenses instead of yellow, even if they didn’t filter light as well. It looked better.

And then there was the symbol.

That, she was quietly proud of. A simplified and stylized scarab, inked in dark bronze across her chest and stitched smaller onto a patch on the upper arm of her sleeve. Still bug-themed, sure, themed, but not in a way that would make children scream.

Hopefully.

Her gear was still a work-in-progress. The backpack now held protein bars, chalk dust, zip ties, a small first aid kit, and an extra can of pepper spray. Things she could use in the field, or offer to someone who needed help. But her checklist wasn’t finished. She still needed a utility knife, smelling salts, and EpiPens. Items that would be useful in emergencies. 

Weapons were still a question mark. Her power was useful—tactically overwhelming, even—but she didn’t want to rely on it the way she had before. Not after Lung.

Never again like that.

She flexed her fingers and drew in a slow breath, trying to calm her heartbeat. She needed to be focused.

Tonight was the night.

The costume was ready. Her name was chosen. She had a plan, or at least, the beginnings of one.

Now all she needed was her first good deed.

It didn’t have to be flashy. She also wasn't trying to go viral with her deeds, though that would be great for her cause. She just needed to do something undeniably heroic. Something that would make someone pause, and maybe go, “Wait. That’s the bug girl who took down Lung? Huh. Doesn’t seem like a villain.”

A nameless bug-themed parahuman was responsible for Lung’s death and was wanted by the PRT. 

But Khepri?

Khepri could still be something else.

Taylor stood in front of her bathroom mirror, costume on, and shoulders straight. Her hands trembled only a little as she held the mask.

“Okay,” she whispered to her reflection. “Let’s do this.”

And then she slipped it on.