AN: Thanks again to my beta Grey Raven 09 for his assistance!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Worm. If I did, I would be FAR more productive.
Please enjoy and let me know what you think in a review if you feel like it!
Invigoration 02
Alexandria was waiting politely in the sitting room while my entire team had gathered in the living room. I had even gotten Colin and Hannah to stop in for a few minutes as well, before their patrols started for the day.
That both had taken one look at the Triumvirate member sitting on my couch and nearly gagged as they coughed and fumbled was amusing. It's the little things in life that keep us going. Or…sometimes the giant, giant things. The things that were currently planted on a different Earth with a different sky and a different -
I shook my head and took a breath. I needed to stop my mind from wandering. This was important and I needed to focus.
"Okay, thank you everyone for coming so quickly. I know it's early, but we have a bit of a crisis."
"What else is new?" Missy grumbled. "We live in Brockton Bay. We always have some sort of crisis."
"That is not strictly true," Colin replied. "However, this city does have a higher than normal average of major incidents."
"Not the time, Colin," Theresa murmured from the TV screen. I cast her a thankful smile and looked back to the group.
"Amazingly enough, this crisis isn't actually in the Bay. It's down the coast, halfway between here and Texas actually. Well, not exactly, but close enough. Anyway, point is, the Bay is doing fairly decent at the moment." I shivered as a chill ran up my spine and Dennis mock-glared at me. I needed to stop tempting the universe to screw with me. "Sooo, here's the situation: anyone with me before Leviathan hit already knows that I was going to try and help subdue a runaway shard that Coil had contained. We got…sidetracked."
Hannah frowned. "Wait, that monster with too many legs and too many mouths was under Coil's base?"
Amy nodded. "He was trying to heal her. She was a part of the Travelers. He had been hoping I might be able to do something, but we never got around to it before things went to hell."
I shook my head. "You couldn't have helped and I wouldn't have let you touch her even back then."
"Yeah, I remember QA being rather annoyed and saying something about needing to kill it fast. I'm seeing why now," Cassie said.
QA leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and sighed. "Clone is broken. It's closed off from all contact attempts as well, so we need to get a lot closer before I can do anything to fix this. It shouldn't have gotten to this point. I'm not talking about you leaving it alone, I mean the general programming of the shard itself. It shouldn't be able to act like this."
Lisa's eyes narrowed. "Is it trying to set up a Network Hub like you did?"
"No, it's trying to devour everything around it to power itself. That it can piggyback off of other Hosts' connections to their shards is highly disturbing. It's like it's trying to eat us. Shards don't do that. Not since the First Times."
I blinked, "First Times?"
"History lessons can wait Taylor, Echidna is the focus here." Amy interrupted, clearly impatient with the tangent. Oh…this would be like the second coming of Monarch to her, no wonder she wanted to get this sorted quickly.
I nodded. "Fair enough. Echidna's Clone is part of Thinker's Hub, yet the Hub itself wasn't broken like this, just disconnected. Something had to have gone wrong when Clone linked to its Host otherwise it wouldn't be warped. It's…weird, unnatural."
Madison tapped the table as she peered at me. "So it's not going to become You 2.0 even if we leave it alone?"
"Yeah, but even discounting what the shard is doing, the person is gobbling up a lot of capes. Theresa can you please play the video footage Alexandria gave us for everyone?" The AI nodded and the screen flipped to a clip of the battle taken from one of the PRT headsets. As it approached the end I clicked my tongue. "Huh, I know Danica. She was here when the Nine attacked us. What was she doing way out there?"
"Subject matter expert," Hannah murmured as the video finished up. "The local branch for this incident requested someone from the Bay who had experience with Villains from this area. She volunteered."
"Oh." I grimaced. Yet another person I knew in harm's way. "Well, at least she made it through that battle."
Missy had paled to a shade of white that was almost frightening and she kept staring at the dark screen. "Um…did Legend and Eidolon come out after the footage cut out?"
"No," I stated. Impossibly, she went even whiter. Paige gagged and Mimi's eyes widened until they could be mistaken for saucers. "Yeah. That's why, even without the shard problems, this is an issue I have to address."
"…Why you?" Madison murmured so soft I could barely hear her.
Vicky scowled and leaned back against the island, her arms crossed. "Because she thinks it's her responsibility. You let Echidna go so you could focus on Leviathan and now you feel guilty. Right?"
I shrugged. "Partially. But I am also the best option for potentially getting people out of her without having to resort to the nuclear cape options that would kill the hostages along with Echidna. Whatever my bullshit upgrades are now, I can talk to shards and I can understand and link with them. If I can leverage that to shut her down for even a minute or two, like what happened with Leviathan - or even better, fully take her over, like with Mimi - then we stand a good chance here of coming out on top with no losses."
Monarch buzzed from its perch on the wall between the living room and the kitchen raising one of its forelegs and waving it back and forth as its tone changed rapidly.
I frowned. "No. You can't try to eat her Corona Pollentia. We have no idea what would happen if she gets ahold of you. Why is your first instinct to eat everyone's brains?"
Monarch's wings fell limp and it buzzed dejectedly.
"No, I'm not angry, stop moping. You were perfectly fine eating Cherish, I have no issues with that. Just stop suggesting you want to eat all of our enemies. It's getting creepy. And when did you grow more legs?"
Lisa blinked several times as she looked between Monarch and me. "Uh, Taylor, Monarch still has six legs just like before…"
Vicky shook her head and joined me in scowling. "No, that bug definitely has 8. Two of them are all angry and stuff. It hurts to look at them."
I frowned at that. "Hurts to look at them? What do you…You know what, let's table this. More important things to deal with! Okay, so here's the plan people." I laid two sheets of paper onto the table and looked around at everyone trying to keep the worry from my face before staring back at the papers. "We're splitting up."
"Wait, what?" Cassie asked, rearing back.
Colin and Hannah both nodded as did Theresa's electronic head. Dennis grimaced, but slowly nodded as well, along with Missy. Well it seemed the professionals got where I was coming from.
"Dammit, you're worried about other gangs moving into the city if we all head off to deal with this," Lisa stated. "I hate to say, but it's smart to think ahead about that. I'm not so sure about splitting the group though."
Colin set his hand on the table and said, "It's not just other gangs that could move in, there has to be some presence here from the Outcasts in order to maintain the pressure on the Empire. They are playing nice at the moment. If you all up and leave at the drop of a hat that could change in an instant. Kaiser is a smart man, but he is also ruthlessly pragmatic. He may bet heavy odds on not enough of you returning to be a threat to his organization any further."
Paige snorted. "Yeah, because any of us are the ones he's really scared of. It's just Taylor."
"And there is also Lung to consider," Hannah said. "Realistically, no one can actually curb Lung if he is allowed to progress far enough in his fights, however he seems to respect your group to a degree. The ABB has stopped with the human trafficking and they are no longer kidnapping girls off the streets. While they are not good by any means, I would recommend against the entire group leaving the city. Lung may consider that as carte blanche to continue his business as before."
I rubbed my temple. "When the hell did my team start keeping the city's peace by just existing?"
Theresa chuckled. "When you started grabbing half the cape population of the city. Taylor the Outcasts are, quite literally, the largest cape team in Brockton Bay."
I stared at the screen, my mouth hanging slightly open and not really moving. I think I stopped breathing for a moment too.
Colin just frowned. "You weren't aware of that?"
"I - I mean - I just - I was just trying to do the right thing…We're the…But the Protectorate has…"
"Eight people left now including the two Wards." He shook his head. "And even that number is not truly accurate. After all, I am here. And so is Hannah. And I don't think any of us have any illusions that if push came to shove Ethan and Jessie would side with you over the Protectorate."
Madison nodded. "Emma too."
"Yes," Colin agreed. "So effectively, the true Protectorate force in Brockton Bay consists of Triumph, Velocity, and Kid Win. Coil is little better with four capes. The ABB still only has two since they lost Oni Lee. New Wave has either six or seven depending on who you ask, however I would tend to say five in real numbers since Flashbang doesn't engage often and Victoria is here and not there." Vicky blushed at that and stepped closer to me and Amy but didn't comment. "The only one who even comes close is the Empire with seven capes."
"…Oh…" I mumbled.
"Quite an accomplishment for someone who hasn't even graduated high school hmm?" Theresa teased.
"Guys, stop teasing her," Amy said. "We need to iron this out and fast. Please, can we stop getting side tracked?"
Karen sighed and nodded. "As much as I hate to stop the fun, I have to agree. This is a serious situation and if we are splitting people up, we need to help these guys figure out who's staying and who's going so we can all minimize the damage. Eidolon and Legend clones are gonna be bad."
Emily tapped the paper I had marked HOME. "I think I should probably stay. I'm not as useful as others on this team. I'm basically just a human flamethrower."
I frowned. "That would be a pretty useful power if we're not worried about killing the clones. But I understand. Your range isn't huge right?"
"Not really, no. Are you okay with taking someone with more oomph?"
"If you feel more comfortable here, that's fine, Emily. Just don't stay because you think you're useless. You're not." She smiled and squeezed my hand before writing her name down.
Missy looked up at me, the hint of a glare in her features. "Are you going to make me stay Taylor?"
I felt a small smile tugging at the edges of my mouth as I responded to her. "Missy, I don't force my friends to do anything they don't want to do. No one gets to make you do anything unless you agree to it. I do think you'd be the best one to take care of the Bay however; you have the reputation, and you know the area. That's not even including that your power is a huge force multiplier that we'll need to make sure Lung and the Empire don't get any dumb ideas."
Missy stood up straighter at that and I saw a small sheen in her eyes which she hurriedly blinked away. Hannah bumped my shoulder from behind while Dennis flashed me a thumbs up from behind his friend's head. "Yeah, I see your point. Okay, I probably should stay here. But it's not because I'm afraid, it's to make sure Lung stays afraid!" She signed her name on the HOME list as well.
Lisa didn't hesitate at all and grabbed the pen to write her name under the BATTLE page. "You need a gun. Apparently I'm just a weapon now. Not like I can be anything else these days," she finished soft enough that I could barely hear her despite standing right next to her.
Reaching out, I grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. Lisa met my gaze, but just shook her head with a small sad smile. "This isn't over," I murmured to her as I leaned over to kiss her cheek.
Lily also didn't think before signing her name below Lisa's. "You might need someone who can kill things that give the finger to physics with Eidolon there. I'm going too."
Mimi held up a hand. "Where would you like me? I feel like I should attend this, however, I'm not certain it would be safe for me to do so."
Colin frowned deep enough it nearly crossed the line into a scowl. "Is it safe for you to be that far away from her?"
I nodded. "The connection isn't limited by human distances and Ignition wants to help both me and Mimi. If she starts going too far, even if she was on Mars it wouldn't matter, Ignition would link her to me and QA and we would have immediate control of the shard and its expression."
"Ah. Okay then. Perhaps it would be best if you stay here. We don't know what the Eidolon clones will do after all and the team in Brockton Bay will need strong members as well."
Mimi gave us a thumbs up and signed her name. Dennis signed below her. When I raised my eyebrow at him he just shrugged. "I have to get close to people. Getting close to this lady doesn't seem like a benefit for my long-term health. Or anyone else's for that matter. Can you imagine what Evil Mini Clock Clones would do and the chaos they could create?"
Amy snorted and Missy rolled her eyes. "They are not mini clones dumbass."
"They would be for Clock," Emily snarked as she waggled her eyebrows, and held her thumb and forefinger close together.
"He's not small," Cassie muttered, a blush spreading across her face. I resolved not to ask about that comment and no one else seemed to hear it thankfully for her.
"Evil Mustachioed Clock Clones then?" he asks, face red, but head held high. We all groaned at that.
Paige took up the HOME paper next. "I've never kept it a secret that I dislike fighting and I doubt I'd be useful here anyway. I'll hold down the fort, Taylor."
"Thanks, Paige, I'm counting on you to keep these rascals in line."
"No matter what," we both finished together with a small grin and chuckle.
Amy took the BATTLE paper after that. "I'm going. Don't try to talk me out of it."
"And if Echidna makes Evil Amy clones with scary bio powers?" I asked.
"Then you kill them and rescue me of course." I snorted and Vicky groaned.
Once she was done mock-glaring at her sister, Vicky took the paper from her, signed her own name and dropped it back on the table. "No surprise there I imagine. Pretty sure I can get through the woman's monster body, get a cape and get out before my forcefield fails too. So I don't really have any choice even if I wasn't planning to go and watch over you all."
"You could also punt Lung out to sea if he started shit here." I pointed out.
"If Amy's going then I'm going," she glared at me, daring me to speak against her choice.
Cassie quickly signed her name as well. "I may not be good for getting the hostages out, but if things go pear shaped, I can at least squish enemies pretty easily and fast too."
Monarch fluttered and its antennae waved. I tapped the table for a few seconds before ultimately shaking my head. "I'd prefer it if you'd stay. You're powerful and versatile, but these guys might need you at home if someone tries to come calling from another city or if Lung gets uppity, especially if Vicky is coming with us. You can send us with a few Princesses instead."
"Reginas," Amy coughed. I ignored her attempt to correct the name. My name was better. Monarch just buzzed and its wings fluttered in acknowledgement.
"I'll be sending several new suits as well," Theresa commented. "I hesitate to ask this as I truly despise that notion of going to them for assistance but…should I contact the Dragonslayers?" The grimace on her face sent my stomach roiling and I remembered the killswitch that the others had found while breaking Theresa's chains.
Killswitch…Dragonslayers…Motherfucker!
"Taylor?" Lisa said leaning over and grabbing my clenched fist, a worried frown evident on her mouth and in the set of her eyes. "I know Saint and his team are assholes, but what caused that reaction?"
I took a breath and let it out slow. "Fuck. Did I say that out loud?" The others nodded and I scowled. "How much do you want to bet that Saint was holding the other end of the chain to that killswitch you guys found?"
There was quiet around the table for several seconds. The next noise was Colin swearing enough to leave one of the Dockworkers blushing for a week. We were all staring at the man by the time he ran out of breath and resolved the rest of his tension by punching the table with a resounding crack. Amy healed his fractured bone without comment. Theresa was - of all things - blushing. I didn't even know she had made her avatar able to blush. Cool.
"Theresa," Karen said, a large grin spreading from ear to ear. "How about you invite the Dragonslayers to this humdinger. If they get caught, great! If not…Well, our little girl here can probably convince Saint's shard to turn his power off before the battle is done as a bit of revenge. We can always use them as cannon fodder too."
Theresa chuckled and nodded. "You all are a bad influence on me. I'll contact them."
Finally I turned to Madison. "Mads, I know you want to come, but - "
"Don't. I'm going."
"Mads, you don't have powers. You're going to be vulnerable and - "
She glared at me. "Who else is going to keep you idiots from escalating this thing until you blow up half the seaboard? I'm normal. I can't throw buildings around, but I can keep you all grounded. That's going to be more important than ever without the civilians of the Bay around to remind you every moment of who you're fighting for."
QA sighed. "You know that I shut off the 'conflict' part of the shards in my Network right?"
Madison turned her gaze on the bug construct and glared. "Yeah? And can you guarantee that my friends' own habits aren't going to crop up? We have a saying on Earth, 'Old habits die hard'."
QA grimaced and waved a hand towards her. "I'll concede that you have a point there. I can only promise that we're no longer actively pushing them towards battles."
"Then I'm going. You need a voice of reason."
Lisa sighed. "Madison, you sound like you're redirecting - "
"Don't psychoanalyze me!" She scowled. "Look, you can be annoyed all you want, but I'm still going with you if I have to steal a car and follow after you myself to do it."
Hannah laid a hand on Madison's shoulder and waited until the smaller girl looked up at her. "Sweetheart, what about your parents?"
Madison's shoulders sagged and she shut her eyes. "My parents aren't a problem."
I moved before I was consciously aware of it, only dimly realizing that a small burst of wind had pushed Hannah to the side as I shoved past her to put my arms on Madison's shoulders. "What?"
She shook her head. "It's fine. You have other things to worry about."
"It is not fine!" I growled. "Madison! What happened to your parents?! I liked your parents! They stood up for me when Emma and Alan were being assholes. What is going on?!"
Madison crumpled, molding herself against me and burying her face in my shoulder. "Everything has been so busy and it's always one thing or another. I didn't want to worry anyone when there wasn't anything that you could do."
Amy stepped closer and brushed a hand through Madison's hair. "What happened, girl? You can tell us. That's what we're all here for. To support each other. We're Outcasts after all."
Madison sobbed and squeezed my waist. "My mom was hurt during Leviathan. She's been in a coma ever since. My dad is staying with her almost all of the time. That's why I can stay here without any problems. That's why I don't go home. There's…there's no one at home…"
Amy froze and Lisa sucked in a breath. "Motherfucker, I knew there was something more, but I never dug deeper while I had the power…" Lisa muttered.
Amy for her part slowly set a hand on Madison's shoulder. "Madison, why didn't you ask me to help her?"
"It's a brain thing!" Madison cried. "You don't do that! I remember when Taylor was hurt after she grabbed Monarch and Lisa and Paige had to basically brainwash you so that you could do it! I know you can't do brains normally…What was the point in getting everyone even more upset with all of the other things we were doing…?"
I looked over Madison's head at Amy. "She doesn't come to most of the engagements where you bend your rules…"
"And I don't talk about it at home…" Amy murmured.
Cassie blew out a breath and cracked her knuckles. "Okay, we need to have a power discussion pow-wow before we all leave so we all understand exactly what everyone's limits are. Especially now with Taylor able to edit some things."
"Uh, I don't think I can do that?" I muttered.
"Yeah, details, girl." Cassie reached for Madison's free shoulder and squeezed until she lifted her head. "Okay, first off, Mads, Amy can do brains, she just doesn't because people may not be who they used to be or some such philosophical BS. Amy, you'll take a look at her mom before we leave right?"
"Of course," Amy replied. "If it's just a bleed that's easy to fix. If it's something deeper…well I can at least wake her up."
Cassie nodded. "Great. So stop crying Mads and stop keeping this pain inside, cause we're a team, and a family, and a harem, and all that mushy stuff, and I am running out of motivational things to say so someone please step in."
Colin snorted. "And you all say that I have no people skills."
"You don't," we all echoed in unison. He just glared.
Dennis held up his hand. "So now that this is settled and all, who wants to go tell the scary Triumvirate lady with questionable morals what's going on?" He quickly pointed his finger at his forehead and called out, "Not It."
I sighed as Madison pulled away from me, her gaze entirely focused on Amy and her eyes wide and watery though the sheen was starting to dry as she straightened and her gaze sharpened. She would be okay, and so would her mother. I'd make damn sure of it, even if I had to figure out a way of resetting the woman's body to do it. "Missy, Mimi, Emily, can you three start getting our bags together? I'll go talk to Alexandria."
Their heads nodded in response and I cast one final glance around the room before taking our lists and walking back to Alexandria.
Team A: Battle
- Queen
- Insight
- Darwin
- Artillery
- Sanctuary
- Flechette
- Watchtower (Madison, unpowered)
- Assault
- Dragon
[]
Team B: Home Field
- MONARCH (Monarch's cape name)
- Vista
- Clockblocker
- Firelight
- Spitfire
- Mockingbird
- Armsmaster
- Miss Militia
- Mouse Protector
Fanfic Rec: 'A Change In Priorities' by WestOrEast. On Ao3. Taylor starts going out as a hero and keeps running into the futa minor villainess Lightshaft who keeps giving her tips on how to improve her game and also keeps seducing her. They slowly start working together while the government goes insane and arrests half the minorities in town and New Wave ends up supporting them. A bit smutty at points but well done. Fairly obvious throughout that Lightshaft is Annette though the characters don't realize that until the climax and the surprise incest isn't taken by either side very well or in stride though the fallout hasn't been explored yet. Quite fun to read. The current arc is complete though the story as a whole is not.
