AN: Lil' disclaimer for anybody not familiar with Prototype. Basically think Niblog on steroids, with a hint of Panacea. Easiest way to put it without going in-depth.
He watched the crowds walk by, as he stood on the roof of the mall roughly above the food court, heard their idle conversations between one another. Talking of what they would do later as a family, eating out or bowling. Complaining about not having the latest iteration of a smart-phone, or not having enough money to pay the bills. Lovers walking together hands clasped together, a son riding atop his father's shoulder with glee, a depressed brother being comforted by his sister, a gaggle of teens going to the newest movie. It was almost like home, minus a few conversations.
Whispers about Niblog, the madman that killed an entire town with his creations, between two grown men. An argument between two kids about who was stronger, Legend the flying man who could shoot lasers, or Alexandria this world's version of Superman. Teenagers discussing what they'd do with superpowers of their choosing, one talking about how fun it'd be to be a villain and the other as a hero. This planet was so different compared to his, where he had been one of seven individuals to have powers and as of three months ago, been one of two with powers, the others having either died by his hands or by Blackwatch. Even then they had had all the same types of powers, compared to this one where people had so many random powers.
His sister had wanted him to help with the superpowered villains and so after her insistence he did. Sort of. He mainly kept updated on where they were and let the natives handle it, inserting himself every now and then so she wouldn't nag him. And today he was going to update himself on where the villains were, the biomass in his fist being enough to make a sizeable swarm, the mall allowing for an easy central location to start his swarm from.
They filtered out of his body at a steady and non-noticeable rate, to those below, letting him see through their eyes as they left the mall and started to go through the city, more conversations coming into focus. He sent them out to the locations he last knew of, an underground base, a warehouse, another warehouse, one of the local skyscrapers, the rundown docks full of nothing but beggars and mistakes of villains, the basement of someone's house. All locations of the local supervillians, the last of which just being a failure of a pair of villains, all the former having a potential to be dangerous to locals. At the steady stream he was going it would take at most twenty minutes to cover the city.
He noted one person who paid attention to the swarm that was slowly filtering from the top of the rooftop, idly wondering if she was either really perceptive or had powers. The funny thing about it all was the fact he didn't keep track of their secret identities, the only reason he knew was because he accidentally found their bases when they weren't in costume. Their identities weren't much of a concern to him, for all but maybe one person would be unable to kill him. Hurt him yes, but he'd gone through worse before, and he always kept a few bugs near the one person who could seriously hurt him.
The underground base, home to a sizeable amount of mercenaries and a vault that he'd as of yet had gotten into, most likely housing their money and documents, it seeming to have doubled in size since he last scouted. More soldiers around this time, new weaponry too. Otherwise it seemed the same, along with several parahumans staying inside it. Nothing of real note so he moved on from it, having the portion of his swarm that was there leaving and joining the rest that was slowly covering the city.
The next location was one belonging to the Tinker video game enthusiast Leet, his power being able to build anything but only once otherwise it would blow up. He was working on another project, this time's game theme seeming to be related to Mario. Again nothing of note. He let the swarm leave the house and join the main one to help search.
His attention to the majority of the swarm was diverted when a portion of them stopped obeying him, he was still able to see and feel through them, but he couldn't move them anymore. Furrowing his brows he focused on them, all of his directions being blatantly ignored, yet nothing seeming off with the signals they were transmitting back to him. Backing up in his view of the swarm he found that the area where they stopped responding was near the downtown high school. Gathering the rest of the swarm he directed it around the said high school to see how large the sphere was that they stopped responding in.
Irregardless of what the reason for his swarm not responding it wasn't comforting, so he broke into a full sprint, directing part of the swarm to congregate together so he could construct a few birds, ravens to be exact, and give himself a bird's eye view. Reaching the edge of the roof he launched clear off of it, an eruption of biomass to help propel himself faster and higher than his already considerable speed and height. Several of the bugs inside the deadzone changed direction and headed towards the center of it, flitting through the hallways and past students, the rest of them going to gather on a tree outside the school. His birds finally formed out of the bugs and he sent them above the school to give himself as much information to work with as possible.
The last time he was unable to control biomass like this had been in New York, when Mother was still alive and infecting millions of people. So it wasn't a comforting thought as to what this development could entail. Landing on another roof, his feet punched into the roof and sent him shooting forward, faster than a speeding car could go. Looking through the affected bugs' eyes he couldn't pinpoint who was responsible for it, but did see several being directed with a human like intelligence, again not being re-assuring. The birds made a lazy circle around the school, while his bugs stayed at ground level around the dead-zone, him finally having figured out that it was more or less three blocks in size.
When he reached about halfway to the school the several bugs that were being directed stopped on the wall outside of the room, only one slipping through the crack in the door. It hovered to the ceiling and stayed there and judging by the location compared to the rest of the unaffected swarm, it was at the epicenter and someone in that room was responsible for hijacking control of his swarm. Yet from where it was located he couldn't make out the individual features of the people, much less tell who it was, with the inferior sense of the bug. THere was a reason he used a swarm of them and not just one after all.
It would be worth it to send in a bird, see if whoever or whatever it is, directs said bird to them and he could ID them. As such one bird dive-bombed into the dead-zone where the swarm had stopped obeying him, he fully expecting it to do the same, in fact he had calculated for that. Except it didn't. It remained a part of him, as directable as one of his fingers, unlike the bugs he had sent in. Slowing in his sprint, now three fourths of the way there, with people screaming and lunging to get out of his way, he experimented with the bird. It landed on the roof of the school and he moved its legs, furling and unfurling its wings, even letting out a caw.
Completely under his control.
So why were the bugs not controllable? Hmmm… take into account the types of powers going around, one of the residential villains having the mentality of a dog and ability to infuse dogs with biomass, a person on the other side of the planet being able to talk to fish… maybe something to do specifically with bugs? Sending down another two birds onto the roof to watch the one already there he split it into two, a smaller bird, one reminiscent of a robin, and a shapeless mass. The three birds watched the mass as he turned it into a bug like creature, not quite exactly, but enough like one that it would convince most people.
And he lost control just like that again. With a thought the three birds ripped into the insect to recover its biomass and add it to their own, confirming his thought of somebody in that room having powers relating to bugs. Skidding to a stop in the middle of the road, just a block away from the school he walked into a side-alley, away from the stares of several people on the road, a wave of biomass rolling over him to change his appearance. He was going into that school to see who was able to hijack control of his swarm, so he needed to look the part of a high-school student.
The red tendrils wrapped over his form, removing a whole foot of his height along with the appearance of sixty pounds as he turned into a teenage boy, clothes changed into a buttoned up T-Shirt and ripped jeans. Distasteful but it worked wonderfully for blending in. Stepping out the other end of the alley he hurried forward, directing one of the birds to fly by the window of the room that the Controller was in. It was by the window for only a second, but it was more than enough time to see who was in the room, along with the four at the epicenter. One caucasian girl, brown curly hair, rail-thin with glasses. One dark-skinned, close shaved, heavyset male. Caucasian blonde with braces, a girl with an average build. Then finally a latino with a small beard growing in, making it seem he had been held behind a grade.
One of them was the Controller judging by the sphere's position and the bird's sight. Crossing the street he sent the birds back up into the sky to do a lazy circle around the school once more, sending one across the street to stare into the window from a safe distance, but allowing him to keep watching those four individuals.
He could feel the bell ring through the bugs inside the school and the majority of the class got up, the caucasian girl wearing glasses stopping before going to the door then remaining behind with the teacher. The sphere barely moved even when everyone but her left the classroom, marking her as the Controller. The person he needed to confront.
Shoving the front doors open he made a beeline for the area she was in, watching through the bird's eyes as she and the teacher talked. Then she left the room, the bug on the ceiling and those that had been waiting outside the room moving to gather on her, probably for her to inspect. He waded through the flood of students, shoving some of them out of his way and into the green lockers lining the walls.
The sphere stopped moving and he focused on the bugs once more to see what she was doing. Their eyes picked up a encirclement of girls around the Controller, the look of it being either bullies or friends. Most likely the former than the latter considering the state of the planet he was stuck on, humans were oh so quick to pick on the weak. Through the bug's eyes he could see a window to her left and so he directed a bird over to give him a view of what was happening.
Nine girls in total surrounded her, three in the rear with six in the front. The Controller frowned with a weary look in her eyes as the girls around her started talking, his bugs picking up every word with clarity.. "Nobody likes her. Nobody wants her here." That confirmed they were bullies and he rolled his eyes with a frown, things on the planet would be so much easier if they worked together, it'd be so much more efficient, so stupid things like this just grated on his nerves.
""Such a loser. She didn't even turn in the major project for art, last Friday," Another added, a sadistic smile on her face. Turning another corner he thought that they probably had something to do with said project, judging by her tone and the smile that grew when she said that.
Insults started to appear, many of them contradictory in what they said. One would call her so ugly nobody wanted her, another called her a slut, one called her a retard, another called her an outcast. Each time they was a pause and it seemed like the Controller was going to say something another girl would hammer in with an insult, the general message of nobody liked her easily apparent. Finally turning the corner and into the hall where they were he kept his bee-line going, looking over each of the girls in turn. Analyzing them, taking note of how each held themselves, the way each shifted as another insult was thrown.
A door behind them opened and the teacher that she'd been talking to walked out and he slowed his pace for a moment to see what would happen. They locked eyes for a moment, until the teacher turned away, locked the door and started walking, the Controller's mouth going agape just the slightest bit. She probably had been expecting him to say something, which would be understandable because he was a teacher, a person that was supposed to guide her through life. Ahhh how he had hated school when he was her age.
The teacher gave him a smile as he walked by and he didn't so much as bat an eye, continuing to walk up until the point he was standing behind the circle of girls that had trapped the Controller in a corner. How to get rid of them? He could be blunt and toss them to the side but that'd attract notice not to mention he'd just find it tedious. Use his intimate understanding of people and how they act to undermine the bullies' confidence and have some fun manipulating them? That sounded nowhere near as noticeable and it'd be fun, it had been awhile since he scared or intimidated somebody with nothing but words. "If you girls want to insult yourselves you should go look at the mirrors instead of staring at the windows like idiots." The girls all either turned or half-turned towards him. "I mean you obviously see those are windows not mirrors right?"
The most athletic of them was the first to respond her dark-skinned lips sneering at him. "Who the fuck are you?"
He shrugged with a knowing smirk, digging his hands into his pockets. "The guy pointing out that these are windows and not mirrors for you to degrade yourselfs with." He paused to lift a finger and pointed at the right-most one, who looked more confused than anything. "I'm going to guess she's the one practicing calling herself a slut right?"
She gasped and the closest one to the girl that had been insulted frowned. "Oh what are you her boyfriend? Eugh she's got such horrible taste."
That girl just raised a point that it made it seem he cared about the Controller and as such depending on whether or not she could be used as an asset, it'd be best to separate himself from her too. Make it seem like he just wanted to ruin their fun rather than being a knight in shining armor. "Not as bad a taste as I get when I look at all of you and can feel the bile rising in my throat. Including you too girl," He said to the Controller, craning around the athletic one who was now clenching her fists, to look at her. "I couldn't really care less about who it is you're screwing with." He looked the athletic one in the eyes. "I just find it pathetic when you obviously pick on a weakling to make yourself feel strong."
She growled at him. "You should be careful what you say."
He shrugged with a chuckle. "People with inferiority complexes often pick on others, but I'm sure a bitch like you can find other outlets. Plenty of others have." He patted her on the cheek with a grin knowing what he just did would make her do. She took a step back with a twitch of her eye and brought the clenched fist rocketing into the side of his face. He didn't give an inch and it could be said with accuracy that her bones would snap before he did move.
She screamed out, in more surprise than in pain, "Fuck!" She cradled her fist and took a step back, glaring at him, while her gang all looking scared now.
He just laughed at her. "Wow, you are weaker than I thought. Now how about you scram, little piggie?" He said with a jerk of his thumb, still laughing a little. "Or if you want I can show you why unlike you bitches, I don't have to gang up on somebody like her over there." The athletic one kept glaring at him but did as he suggested, with the other following behind her.
"You're going to fucking regret this." She said as she passed by and he shrugged again.
"Sure I'll watch out for the gaggle of girls that can't handle one nerd trapped in a corner." He said with a laugh at the death glare she was giving him. As they walked by he waved at them, watching through the bird's eyes as the Controller seemed to be even more tense as the girls left, leaving her alone with him. Maybe she knew that it wasn't a coincidence he came here the same day she got control of some new type of bug she'd never seen before. Once the last of them turned the corner he looked back to the Controller with a level face, crossing his arms, eyes briefly flickering to the walls as the number of bugs around them increasing in size. He wouldn't have noticed if he were human but alas, with the ability to see the heat through walls and feel his own bugs joining her swarm around her, he could see the potential she had behind it, as long as she wasn't dumb that was. "So your power has to do with bugs huh?"
She narrowed her eyes and the swarm came closer to them, so much that he could hear the tens of thousands of insects surrounding them. She truly did have potential in her power. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said half-heartedly, to which he cocked a brow.
"Those new bugs you have on you are mine and I'd appreciate if you either handed them over to me or remove them from your sphere of influence." He stated matter-of-factly with an outstretched hand.
She frowned and crossed her own arms, the swarm stopping in its movements. "Why should I? You obviously didn't help me out of the good of your heart and if your power is just bugs then I win." Of course she'd be difficult, since when were people any different? Moving one of his ravens over to the window, where her back was turned, he rolled his eyes at the fact she was assuming his only power would have to do with bugs.
Lifting up a hand he counted off the reasons why she should. "For one I just got punched full force by that girl earlier and I didn't so much as blink. Two I immediately located you in the middle of your school, outside of your costume without any effort. Three, you have no idea what I'm capable of and you're being a dumbass for assuming anything. And four." He made the raven outside the window caw, making jump in surprise and whirl around towards it. "Who said my power is just bugs?" She turned back to him, just the slightest hint of fear on her features. "Before you decide to try and swamp me with poisonous bugs or the like I can tell you right now, that it'll just piss me the fuck off, and perhaps more importantly to you, reveal your identity."
Sighing she nodded and he could feel his bugs leaving her swarm around them, coming out of the cracks of the school to leave the sphere she had around her. He could feel her controlling every individual movement of his bugs, with an inhuman precision and ability to multitask that actually surprised him. She wasn't a hivemind, but yet she was almost like one with how she was operating. Interesting. He was curious as to how it worked, what were the extents, was she limited to just bugs because she was familiar with bugs? "There is that all?"
He shook his head, deciding on what exactly he should give her in terms of bugs. It'd be the best way to keep an eye on somebody who could hijack control of his insectoid creations and let him figure out what her limits could possibly be. The first modification would obviously be to not be infectious, wouldn't do for him to let her walk around with bio-weapons in her pockets. "No, I'm rather curious about the person who managed to hijack control of my bugs. I haven't seen you around as either a hero or a villain so are you a rouge or the like?"
She narrowed her eyes but answered nonetheless. "I haven't made a costume yet."
"Oh so you're one of those that decided to make their own costume huh?" From what he could tell those type of people were either imaginative or worried about the fact someone might recognize them from their costume. She seemed able to control every part and motion of her bugs, including his, what was the limit on that? Could she make his bugs shapeshift if he let her have some? "Decide on a name yet?."
"No." She was so tense, even having bent her knees slightly in case she wanted to start running. Her swarm was buzzing still but they remained where they were.
He could give her some standard bugs, with the ability to shapeshift and see if she could learn to control that, he'd be able to sense whatever she did any moment she used them. He would restrict it to a bug's standard way of eating, letting anything have the ability to consume would be too dangerous in somebody else's hands. "You really don't like me do you?"
"You insulted me, know my power and are threatening me. What do you think?"
He shrugged as he finally decided on what type of bugs he'd give her, having spent the last few seconds wondering what type of species he'd make it resemble, before deciding on Bullet Ants. Dangerous, numerable and working together to overcome much larger animals and people, it seemed appropriate considering what she would have to do with her bugs if she wanted to become a hero or a villain. It would also make for an easy first test if she decided to take the bugs in terms of figuring out how to make them more mobile like the majority of the swarm she had around them. "I threatened you because I'd rather not be covered in annoying bugs."
He finished modifying a few of the bugs that she had just evacuated and moved them onto one of his birds, twenty in total climbing onto the pseudo bird's back. They moved back into the sphere and made a beeline towards them and she turned in that direction, immediately noticing the bugs entering her radius. "Didn't you just ask me to give back all your bugs?"
The bird landed on the windowsill beside the other one and he had the one that was already there start picking them off with its beak and putting them on the sill. "Because if you're going to have any of my creations you aren't going to have those ones. These ones though you can consider yours, I do wonder if you can figure out what they can do."
Again she narrowed her eyes but he could feel her marching his bugs towards her. Maybe she was as curious as to what she could do with his bugs as he was. "Why?"
He shrugged. "I'm curious as to what you can do with my special brand of bugs and it's not like you're going to be a danger to me if I give you them. So I have nothing to lose by seeing what you can do."
She didn't say anything for a moment, lowering herself into a crouch to pick up his ants. "So who are you?"
That marked the end of the discussion. She seemed to accept his gift and he could keep an eye on her through this way, not to mention he needed to resume scouting the city. He turned around and started walking away. "Just call me Alex. Oh and for your cape name, may I suggest Myrmidon? It's the name for Greek soldiers that were made from ants, seems appropriate for you."
She didn't say anything as he walked away, choosing to remain silent the whole time while me made his swarm resume its search through the city, dissolving the birds back into bugs the moment they exited her control radius. The halls were empty of students, apparently having already gone to their classes. After a minute of walking she finally started moving his bugs once more, moving them to her hand and raising the hand up to her face to look at the bugs. "What am I going to do with these?"