This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Worm universe, which is created and owned by Wildbow, as are Clockblocker and any of the other characters mentioned here and I do not claim any ownership over any of it. The original characters and their powers are mine though. The story I tell here is not canon and I'm not profiting financially from it. I am grateful to Wildbow for the hours untold of delight, awe, and fascination his work has provided me.
I intend to post the next chapter weekly, but if I get reviews I can update sooner. If you do review, thank you so much for spending the time to help me improve.
October 17th, 2011 (Monday)
Chicago
Taylor wasn't sure how long she'd been listening to the alarm chirping, it felt like she'd fallen back to sleep despite the incessant sound. She'd never relied on alarms before she came to Chicago, her various routines had formed natural rhythms she'd attuned to. The lack of synergy and ease was much like everything here. There had been so much potential at the start, Tecton had built a team whose powers complemented each other, Revel was admirably pragmatic, and she still loved her workshop… but every day seemed almost imperceptibly heavier than the last. She breathed in deep, filling her ribcage to bursting. She would just have to try harder.
Theo stepped through the door; shoulders hunched in deference but looking up with an unconscious sweetness when he saw her. Like a puppy. A big, gentle, blond puppy with melting grey eyes and cold-pinched cheeks. Every day he trained, studied, and uncomplainingly worked himself into exhaustion he grew harder, smarter, more beautiful and a little more resentful. It was a mixed blessing that his nature had an overabundance of kindness. He was the person she was closest to here, but it was a shrinking rather than growing friendship. She barely felt like Taylor most days because she always had to project Weaver for him. Relentless Weaver, an invulnerable authority to give Golem hope that they could succeed at his impossible task if they only worked hard. Any distractions were subtly discouraged, he had the rest of the team to be his friends and developing his ability to focus only on the battle at hand was an important part of his growth. But for both, the silence was lonely.
Brockton Bay
"Chris? Everything OK? You looked like you wanted to say something back there and you're rubbing a hole through that blueprint." Vista asked, poking her head into the open door to Kid Win's room.
The thin paper tore and Kid Win hissed a choice curse word as he smoothed out the tear and tried to align the edges.
"I was just surprised we're suddenly going to start training with Skitter's new team."
"Weaver's, I guess we'd better start getting used to her being on our side now. You worried about having to work with her?"
"Well, it's not like we haven't before it's just… something Greg said has been bugging me. Don't interrupt me, I'm just going to blurt the whole thing out because maybe it's stupid and I don't want to think too hard about it. Ok, so Greg went to Winslow High, now he's in my maths class. Remember that day Skitter got outed at Arcadia? Well… he was talking with her and Dennis came over. He pretty much offered to give Taylor a hand shutting him up so he wouldn't uncover her secret identity. According to him she was accusing Greg of inventing the whole thing as revenge for rejecting him. After Dennis showed up the two of them had this whole eyeball-conversation thing and then she thanked him." He picked up a pen and started flicking it between his fingers. "It just sounds a lot like Dennis knew Taylor, maybe knew she was Skitter and that kind of makes some stuff that she was able to pull off make more sense… No, forget I said anything, he would never do that."
"Yeah, he wouldn't. He's not that sort of person, he cares about doing the right thing." She spoke firmly. Unbidden, she remembered watching the video of how Clockblocker had let Taylor get away at the school. He'd been right next to her, an easy tag, but he'd claimed he hadn't recognised her. "And when she'd turned herself in, he protected her from the PRT officers, even offered to go into her cell and stay with her when the higher ups were getting antsy. She was so calm about the whole imprisonment. Do you think it could it have been because they'd planned it together and he had been trying to get into position to protect her or break her out?" he continued. "Come on Vista, remember how he kept pestering the higher ups and looking stuff up about her after she defected? And swapped all those shifts to see her in New York. Come on, please tell me this is all a mistake." He looked at the younger girl, she was intensely loyal to their team and he wondered if she was the right person to sound this out with. But Vista was the one who noticed people's feelings, the one who cared. The one who could probably get closest to Dennis without tripping his alarm. "Has he, I don't know, said anything to you that sounded like he might have actually been on Skitter's side?" Vista looked away. He had, in a roundabout way, been defending Skitter since the Echidna event, and not just to her. And the way he'd tried to explain how Flechette's feelings had caused her to abandon her moral code. Was that just softening her up to drop the bombshell that he had been corrupted too? It made a little too much sense.
She glared at him, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and ground out her reply.
"Well who are you going to tell? She's made some sort of deal with Miss Militia too and murdered Director Tagg. You'd better have real proof before you tell anyone else this because if what you're implying is true that's worse than Flechette leaving to join the Undersiders. At least she was honest."
"Now you see why I didn't say anything earlier?" He forced himself to put the pen down before he broke it. "I hate to ask this, but will you help me gather evidence or grounds for investigation? He's turning eighteen soon, once he joins the Protectorate less people will be watching him, and he'll have more power. Think about it."
"Okay." Vista swallowed, feeling shocked and disloyal by her own knee-jerk agreement. "I'll think about it." Betrayal and suspicion had rotted their team. Nothing but truth was ever going to scour it.
October 18th (Tuesday)
Brockton Bay
Clockblocker sat leaning slightly forward in his chair, hand spread over his knee to keep both from moving. His helmet rested on the table in front of him as Miss Militia finished up with her performance review of his career in the Wards.
"You should be proud of yourself, that's quite the list of achievements for someone so young. We're looking forward to you joining us in the Brockton Bay Protectorate." She smiled, the expression mostly conveyed by her head tilt and crinkles in the corners of her eyes.
"Thank you." He wasn't sure how to phrase this politely, but he hoped she'd understand. "Part of the reason why there was so much on that list is because of the state of the city this past year."
"Yes…" She neatened the printouts of his record and paused, realising he hadn't finished what he was trying to say. "Sorry, carry on."
"I know there's more incentive for villains to attack the city now that the Portal is being built, and that protecting it is important. But ever since the truce it feels like the PRT isn't involved in the cape battles here. We train, we do patrols, we do recon but the Undersiders and their cronies get to the others first because Tattletale's always a step ahead and the only action we see is when we're thrown at the A- and S-Class threats."
"You want to engage in more street-level battles?"
"I became a hero to help people by stopping villains, but we don't seem to do that anymore. I know we're focussing on the big picture here in Brockton Bay instead of spending our strength on squabbles but… I go home after work feeling like my whole shift has been a waste of time."
He knew he was blushing like an instant sunburn, but he didn't look away. "I'm not criticising how things are run, I recognise this is safer for us and probably even the regular citizens but…"
"You want me to find you another team." she said quietly.