Worm/Ward/The extended Parahumans universe & All associated trademarks are property of John C. McCrae aka Wildbow.
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Personnel File: Vox-Irae
Basic details:
Alias:
Vox-Irae
Previous Alias: [REDACTED]
Spec Age: 18-22
Known Affiliations:
Brockton Bay Wards (Formerly)
Charm City Restoration Organization/C-C.R.O
Block-By-Block (Independent Hero network operating in East Baltimore)
Ellwood Park Crew [UNCONFIRMED]
Black Guerrilla Mafia [UNCONFIRMED]
Blue Crab Soup Kitchen
Last Seen:
Bocek Park Basketball Court, seen in company of Block-By-Block members Sango Black and Obeah speaking with known Ellwood Park Crew members leaving Department of Parole and Probation.
Power description and countermeasures:
Rating: Shaker 4/Blaster 4/Master 3
Subject's power is twofold, Shaker rating given as descriptor of interplay between the two aspects by power testing analysts; can be considered superfluous in practice.
Subject can first unleash a sonic/concussive shock-wave, with own body serving as the epicenter. Blast has proven to be non-lethal and of limited effective range (Estimated radius of 40 feet) however subject has proven capable of multiple blasts in quick succession and also using power to limit usefulness of containment foam.
Secondary effect of power is to send any persons caught in effects of shock-wave into a state of uncontrollable rage. Victims will become violent towards anyone trying to harm subject, losing ability to use tools or weapons more sophisticated than knives or blunt objects along with any ability to formulate strategies whilst Subject has been shown to lack any fine control over Mastered Victims. Victims will also ignore any injuries sustained prior to or during their Mastered condition and fight on to their own detriment, though despite otherwise being reduced to a near-feral state victims have been seen to deliberately avoid attacking one another. Effects have been noted to last as long as subject is present in immediate vicinity and up to ten minutes after his departure.
PRT agents subjected to subjects' master power have described a visual impediment at its' onset, with reports of tunnel vision, blurriness and colors appearing exceptionally sharp and outlines appearing overly defined being consistent enough across multiple instances for this to be taken as a standard sign of being affected and prelude to violence. First countermeasure is for all field agents experiencing these symptoms when dealing with subject to use standard issue containment foam to prevent themselves from becoming a risk to themselves or others.
Further countermeasures for consideration:
Modifications to armor, fully enclosed helmets and noise canceling ear protection (Consult Armsmaster of Protectorate East-North-East to discuss workability and prior use of similar equipment).
Mover and Blaster class Heroes capable of either striking from outside of subjects' effective range or delivering and 'Alpha strike' and escaping before subject can retaliate.
Use of drone technology (Consult Tinkers).
Use of agents already the effect of an opposing Master class Heroes' power (Not recommended. Will likely cause legal and public image issues and possible staff retention issues in long run).
Psychological aspect: Exploit prior connections to Brockton Bay Wards if negotiations are possible.
Known History:
IMPORTANT: Due to protections in place for current and former Wards many details pertinent to subject known as Vox-Irae, formerly [REDACTED] are sealed. Full accounts and supporting documents can be obtained at the discretion of regional PRT Director or Protectorate Team Leader.
Subject arrived in Baltimore in mid-2010, exact date unknown though first confirmed sighting was June 17th which corresponds with information obtained from Brockton Bay branch regarding subjects' time of departure from Brockton Bay Wards.
Subject is African American with dark skin and an athletic build with defined muscle, subject stands at 6'01'' though hair styling and costume give the illusion of being slightly taller. Subjects' costume has changed drastically, corresponding with their change in alias and re-inventing themselves since leaving Brockton Bay and the Wards:
As Vox-Irae subject wears costume incorporating the following.
Black knee-high boots, (5 inch platform heel, steel cap, heart-shaped buckles, ladder laced with blue laces on one boot and yellow on the other)
Ripped and faded jeans worn with several belts and pouches, ranging from utilitarian to stylistic choices.
Black knee-pads and body armor (Appears to be outdated surplus PRT issue, prior to mail design).
Jewelry including spiked wristbands, silver 'Gothic' rings and several beaded necklaces.
Mask, homemade incorporating stylized 'Oni' mask for mouth and lower face and full face gas mask including goggles for coverage and functionality.
Coat, apparently two garments combined to give a distinctive appearance incorporating black trench coat with black leather, sleeveless 'Battle Jacket' attached over it. Battle jacket features spiked shoulders, high 'popped' collar and numerous patches referencing anti-racist and anti-fascist slogans, Afro-Futurist and social justice movements. (Jacket also features an upside-down Protectorate logo, current understanding is that it is meant as 'Signal of dire distress' similar to a flag displayed in the same way)
Subject has dreadlocks, usually worn pinned up at top/back of head.
Key details of subjects' actions and motives in Baltimore are unconfirmed. Eye-witness reports have reported seeing subject acting both independently and in tandem with independent Hero group Block-By-Block (See files for: 'Sango Black', 'All-Star', 'Obeah', 'Mothership' and 'Privateer') however they have neither confirmed nor denied subjects' membership. Subject has also been seen speaking and working at events organized by non-profit organization C-C.R.O however no official sponsorship has been established.
Subject has intervened to protect civilians from non-Parahuman members of the Ellwood Park Crew but was unwilling to coordinate with or file reports with police. Subject has also engaged known Villain members of the Black Guerrilla Mafia (G-Lock and C-Monster) but was unable to capture either. However subject has also been seen in public speaking with high-ranking members of both groups (Confirmed sightings of 'Shakedown', 'Section', 'N-Gauge' and 'D-Claw') alongside small-time local Villains such as Bushido Shank, Mixdown and Ea-Nasir.
Arrested members of Ellwood Park Crew have, under questioning alluded to subject seeking to form a 'Coalition' though current success, size or intentions of such an organization remains unknown. It would be prudent to assume subject is aware of PRT and police attention; agents are advised to approach with caution though at present subject is not wanted in connection for any specific crimes and is simply being monitored.
Personal note from Agent Rodriguez:
What are we actually doing here? This kid was a Ward and he's done nothing to suggest that he's not still a hero! Brockton Bay is a cesspit and the PRT are not equipped to deal with it, of course Vox-Irae wanted to leave. Now he's doing community outreach and trying to get members of gangs who've been attacking each other in the streets to sit down and talk it out. It's my personal and professional opinion that instead of dancing around and hiding in bushes with cameras we should just have a couple of our Wards approach the guy and talk like real people to see if there's anything we can do to have a working relationship going forward.
Supplementary Document: A
From: Armsmaster PRT_ENE
Subject: Former Brockton Bay Ward operating in Baltimore Area.
Agent Rodriguez, I am writing in response to your request for information regarding one Clayton Bennett, formerly known as Thrash during his tenure as a member of the Brockton Bay Wards.
I am obligated to insist that the contents of this Email be properly secured in any medium you chose to store them and to remind you of the seriousness with which disclosing the identity or private information of a known Cape, knowingly or otherwise is viewed by the PRT especially in regards to Wards and that any breaches will be reported to Youth Guard as well as be subject to internal investigation and disciplinary procedures and subsequent legal action.
Further to this I am concerned by the necessity of your request. I am of the understanding that the Baltimore branch's own files have been damaged and that neither physical nor digital backups were readily available and that you did not have the capacity to repair the damage without a complete overhaul? Should PRT Baltimore find itself needing technical or logistical support in the future I am happy to compile a list of experts and Parahumans with powers and expertise in the field in order to prevent such losses and maintain overall departmental efficiency.
What follows is not a complete account of Thrash's career as a Ward, rather key details and information I deem pertinent however copies of debriefings and summaries of specific incidents can be supplied upon receipt of relevant information requests through usual channels.
Sincerely
Armsmaster
Section 01: Trigger event and initial contact.
At 10:27pm on Friday August 14th 2009 Protectorate and PRT were made aware of a violent disturbance involving a Parahuman at the Iron Gates Bar, Protectorate members Assault and Battery were dispatched with PRT response van to follow.
Upon arrival Assault and Battery report finding the bar in a state of chaos with several injured and multiple affrays in progress. Confirmation of Parahuman involvement was obtained when members of Villain hate -group 'Empire 88' 'Jotun' and 'Cricket' were seen fighting against one another. Jotun was injured yet displayed resilience outside of his known capabilities, a trait shared several of the non-Parahumans affected. Assault and Battery managed to subdue majority of suspects with minimal injuries, though Cricket gathered those unaffected by Master effects and escaped on foot. On securing the area and searching for civilians in need of assistance several teenage boys were found, all showing signs of being violently attacked; amongst them was Parahuman later identified as Clayton Bennett, clearly in distress.
Ambulances were called and protocol regarding suspected trigger events was followed.
Empire 88 Villain 'Crusader' was intercepted by PRT agents en route to Iron Gates Bar, presumably planning to rendezvous Cricket and provide reinforcements.
Bennett required medical treatment and was not available to give statement for two days, refusing to do so unless mother and legal representative were present. Bennett's story, later confirmed was that he and several friends were members of a band who had tried to perform at an open mic night at the bar after being assured that they would not be turned away despite not being of legal drinking age. Staff at the Iron Gates Bar were not away that several members of the band were of minority groups, likewise neither Bennett nor his friends were aware that the establishment was a money laundering operation and meeting place for Empire 88. Upon their arrival Bennett and his friends were harassed and prevented from leaving then forced to perform on stage whilst being verbally and physically assaulted, all of which was intended to buy time for Empire 88 Capes to arrive and oversee initiation of new members. During the ensuing violence Bennett underwent a Trigger Event and compelled the assailants closest to the stage, including Jotun to attack those who had not been affected.
Standard offer of placement with Wards program complete with transfer to more suitable school environment and financial compensation was offered, Bennett's primary concern however was with the well-being of his friends though upon learning that one of them had lost an eye to a glass fragment both Bennett and his mother agreed that the Wards program was the most suitable place for him.
After roughly two months of recuperation, power testing and consultation with legal and PR departments Brockton Bay Ward 'Thrash' made public debut on October 10th 2009.
Part 02: History with Brockton Bay Wards.
Initially Thrash proved to be an exceptionally promising new Ward. He was by all accounts physically and mentally impressive, charismatic and courageous and his presence was received positively by the press and public. Unfortunately however Thrash's tenure was undermined by circumstances both in and out of his own control.
Master class Heroes are, as you know subject to intense scrutiny in both the court of public opinion and the legal system. In light of this it was deemed prudent to downplay Thrash's abilities and have him rely more heavily on the sonic and concussive aspects of his power, an unforeseen circumstance of which was that his powers overlapped significantly with those of fellow Ward 'Triumph' who was, at the time the leader of the Brockton Bay Wards and created a layer of redundancy which saw Thrash sidelined from several missions and potential opportunities and created a rift within the team, affected overall cohesion and efficiency.
It is clear in hindsight that Thrash took the perceived slights personally and potentially as proof of bigotry and discrimination within the ranks of the PRT and Protectorate, leading to several instances wherein he chose to take matters into his own hands whilst on patrols, often engaging known or suspected Villains or pursuing suspects when instructed to maintain position and was subsequently reprimanded for insubordination though these reprimands seemed to only exacerbate the situation.
These instances, coupled with a clear and understandable desire to see Empire 88 face more immediate and tangible consequences for their actions within Brockton Bay culminated in an altercation on Tuesday April 6th 2010 wherein Thrash, accompanied by fellow Wards 'Aegis' and 'Vista' engaged known Empire 88 member 'Hookwolf' contravening prior warnings and disobeying direct orders from Director Piggot. Hookwolf escaped unharmed however both Thrash and Vista suffered lacerations and broken bones which required attentions of local Healer. In debriefing Thrash accepted full responsibility and admitted to being the one to push for a confrontation, forcing his team mates to support him and consequently he was placed on probation pending formal investigation.
Investigation has since been postponed as it was at this time Thrash's mother rescinded her permission for him to participate in the Wards program; stating that he was being sent to live with relatives in the Baltimore area in order to, quote "Get him out of this city full of skinhead thugs and suit-wearing devils who send kids to fight wars, like I should have done the moment he was born"
Thrash's official exit from Wards program was April 30th 2010.
Part 03: Final notes.
The circumstances surrounded Thrash's departure from the Wards are some I consider a personal failure.
Thrash or according to your requests Vox-Irae is, to the best of my knowledge a young man with a desire to help those in need, foster a sense of community and build a better world with the tools at his disposal; I only wish that his effectiveness had not been so unduly curbed however I do see the need from a legal perspective for some restraints to be placed on his abilities when acting in an official capacity. Whilst it can be argued that he suffers from personal flaws I would argue that his anger issues are justified given the situations he found himself in, though his actions were admittedly unacceptable he showed the strength of character to accept the consequences of those actions without complaint or any effort to redirect blame.
It is also of note that Vox_Irae is an active account on PHO that I have confirmation from reliable sources is run solely by Vox-Irae himself. If possible I recommend making contact through this profile to establish a working relationship with an end goal of his rejoining the Protectorate as a fully-fledged member in the near future if he is willing.
Perhaps being removed from a stressful environment so close to his Trigger Event and the opportunity to grow and mature with age will be of benefit to him.
In short I do not believe Vox-Irae to be an immediate threat, quite the opposite and I wish him well in his future endeavors.
Supplementary Document: B
What follows is a summary of the case file produced by Doctor Jessica Yamada during initial mandated therapy session. Due to PRT's policy of rotation Doctor Yamada did not have subsequent meetings with Thrash however this information may still prove valuable:
Patients' initial response to mandated therapy session was outwardly positive, greeting me politely and inquiring as to how I was finding Brockton Bay despite his own obvious agitation at other matters, answering question "Is there anything I can get you?" by producing his own water bottle and candy and offering me some in return, though I was required to ask patient to remain seated on more than one instance. Patient was aware of mandatory therapy sessions, claiming to have been 'warned' (Emphasis his) by fellow Wards but was previously unaware of standard practice of rotating therapists to prevent forming bonds; when this was explained patient expressed several concerns regarding logic and efficacy of such practices.
My own thoughts on the matter have been made clear, please refer to previous formal requests and requests.
Patient consented to use of legal name in place of official Wards Alias and will henceforth be referred to as Clayton.
Opening question regarding Clayton's general feelings about being a Ward, now that he has experienced patrols and publicity were unexpected. After pacing until being asked to sit and fidgeting, with body language becoming notably more tense Clayton admitted feelings of wanting to do more to help people and tackle the problems facing Brockton Bay; when asked if he believes that he is alone in these beliefs or that if other Protectorate members and Wards share his views Clayton expanded further and admitted to feeling as though he is being deliberately overlooked and that he feels both trapped, in a physical and metaphorical sense and betrayed.
Naturally the latter comment warranted further discussion, in Clayton's own words he joined the Wards in an effort to hit back at far-right Cape group within Brockton Bay who injured his friends and were, if I understand correctly responsible for his Trigger Event. That he has been stopped from doing so is a point of contention, Clayton's response to suggestions that it might be a task suited to more experienced individuals was, verbatim: "I wouldn't mind hanging back and training if I thought someone else was stepping up but nobody is, Empire have more people now than they did before!" at this point session was briefly paused as Clayton required several moments to collect himself before apologizing for his outburst and declaring himself ready to continue.
Subject of hurt friends allowed topic of social life and healthy coping mechanisms to be broached wherein Clayton stated that he works out regularly, beyond the mandated training hours for Wards, that he made an effort to join school basketball team but was unable to do so after transferring partway though the season and that he plays guitar in his spare time but is no longer a member of a band. Much less positive is the admission that Clayton no longer speaks to many, if any of his previous friends due to scheduling conflicts, need for secrecy and the feeling of a lack of common ground; with the latter forming a barrier to forming new friendship at new high-school especially since Wards are advised against interacting with one another too frequently in public life to prevent risk of identities being revealed.
Suggestion that Clayton find productive means of dealing with frustration to keep potential anger issues in check was met with amusement, verbatim: "In this city? Doc if you're not angry either you're not listening or you're the problem….But I spar with some of the PRT guys in the gym, I've picked up some tricks that way"
Note: What are regulations and protocol regarding unsupervised sparring between Wards and PRT Agents?
Upon noting that Clayton had mentioned training with PRT and that limitations on interacting Wards was affecting his ability so socialize discussion turned to opinions regarding team-mates. Clayton considers Aegis a friend, though expressed opinions about Triumph that will not be repeated here before accepting, without prompting that he was being unfair to his team leader however maintaining that Triumph and by extension the majority of the Wards simply do not and cannot understand his perspectives as a young black man in Brockton Bay.
When asked for clarification Clayton recounted a recent incident where he was harassed by police who claimed that he looked suspicious finding it, verbatim: "Funny in a messed up way that the money the Wards pay out is exactly the amount of money it takes to make me look like just another black kid selling drugs on a street corner, 'cos we all look the same really right?".
Further to this Clayton is aware of a lone vigilante operating in Brockton Bay under the name 'Shadow Stalker' who has taken a more aggressive and proactive approach to tackling crime and has expressed regret that he agreed to Join the Wards, stating that if he'd known about Shadow Stalker sooner he might have approached her instead. When I attempted to dissuade him from this course of action for his own safety Clayton became visibly irate, once again leaving his seat and pacing whilst implying that I was another individual who failed to understand. Verbatim: "You don't get it Doc, but trust me you will….You're Asian, in this city that means you're ABB by default and if the Cops aint bothering you then Empire sure as fuck will be!"
At this point session was ended as I do not believe it would be constructive for us to have to continued at that time.
Connections between Parahuman Trigger Events and resulting powers and psychological affects are well documented (e.g. Parahuman feeling trapped in unstable home environment developing ability to physically warp and shape said environment without tackling root cause) and I believe that Clayton is another clear example of this phenomena, that an urge to help and protect people from violence has manifested itself as an ability to control and cause more violence and fight fire with fire.
It was also well documented and understood that placing a Parahuman in a situation reminiscent of their Trigger Event is traumatic and may produce volatile results; it is reasonable to extrapolate therefore that Clayton is suffering from a prolonged case of this condition.
What cannot be ignored however is that Clayton's concerns are largely justified and that he is, by virtue of Brockton Bays' particular criminal organizations at personal risk beyond those experienced by other Wards.
My recommendation would be to transfer Clayton to another city at the earliest possible opportunity and I urge Director Piggot to arrange a possible trade between Wards teams given that Brockton Bay is in need of every available Hero.
Doctor J. Yamada, PHD.
Supplementary Document: C
What follows is a transcript of Exit interview conducted in line with standard procedures as outlined by PRT internal regulations documentation and training.
Interviewer: Deputy Director Renick (Acting on behalf of Director Piggot)
Interviewee: Clayton Bennett, former Ward alias 'Thrash'
Witness: Commander T. Calvert.
Date of interview: 04/26/2010.
Time of interview: 17.45
Renick: This interview will be recorded for the sake of official records, Commander Calvert will not be actively participating and is simply here as an official witness. Do you understand?
Bennett: Yes sir.
Renick: There's no need to call me sir today.
Bennett: Okay cool. First time for everything though right?
*Laughter heard on recording, source unidentifiable*
Renick: Do you have any questions before we begin?
Bennett: Aint it supposed to be Piggy that handles these interviews.
Renick: Director Piggot felt, in light of your most recent interactions that it would be in the interest of impartiality and professionalism to have another senior member of staff conduct the interview.
Bennett: Cool.
Renick: Is your request to leave the Wards a sincere request being made of your own volition and without outside influence, be that threats, coercion or promises of rewards be they monetary or otherwise?
Bennett: My Mom pulled my permission slip after I got into with Hookwolf, you know that already. Matter of fact, in that case shouldn't she be here now?
Renick: We don't typically require parental involvement for an exit interview, but if you would like us to call your Mom we can do that.
*Brief silence*
Renick: I need a verbal response Clayton. Let the record show that interviewee is shaking his head.
Bennett: Nah, we're good let's do this.
Renick: Am I to understand that it was your Mothers' decision for you to tender your resignation? In that case, with your approval it may be possible-
Bennett: Don't do that. You've been on my case about shit before but you've always been honest with me, as much as the rules we've gotta play by let you. Don't ruin it now by offering to do something underhanded, not where my Mom's concerned man.
Renick: My apologies, it was a suggestion and not meant to make implications. That being said, the next question is are you aware that the PRT retains the right to use your former alias and costumed likeness at their discretion, though a percentage of profits from merchandise sales will still be made available along with money previously allocated to your trust fund as part of your severance package?
Bennett: Yeah I heard that. Honestly it's better than I expected, I was guessing that the PRT was gonna hang me out to dry; you've docked my pay enough times as it is.
Renick: Are you are of the ongoing official investigation regarding events for which you were implicated and have since accepted culpability? Are you aware that choosing to tender your resignation from the Wards at this time may affect your ability to rejoin the Wards or the Protectorate at a later date if you so choose and may affect your ability to obtain professional references from the PRT?
*Laughter identified as Bennett*
Bennett: You're a funny guy, y'know that right? Nobody cares for references anymore and since we've gotta protect identifies and all that a reference from you is gonna be just as fake as getting a friend to do it. As for getting rehired, nah I'm good. I'm not coming back.
Renick: I see. It's unfortunate but it's your decision to make. Beyond previously stated revoking of parental permission, what prompted your wish to leave the Wards?
Bennett: Can you honestly tell me that you feel like you're achieving anything here? Really?
Renick: It's not my place to say.
Bennett: Then just write down what I said and whoever reads, if anyone reads it can figure it out. They don't even let me use my powers properly here and then piss and cry about overlap and redundancies when that makes it look like me and Triumph have the same damn powers.
Renick: How would you describe the leadership and mentoring you have received during your tenure?
*Laughter identified as Bennett*
Bennett: What mentoring? What leadership? My guy, I have tried to deal with Triumph I really have but the guy's a politician, he's not gonna stay in the Protectorate he's gonna treat it as a business opportunity and everyone knows it. Every decision here feels like it comes down to PR and not fixing the fact that we've got actual Nazis walking around and Capes selling drugs to kids. The leadership doesn't lead and they don't follow when someone willing to lead steps up!
Renick: Your concerns are duly noted and for what it's worth you are not the only person to raise them.
Bennett: That kinda makes it worse, how many people have to point out the fact that Nazis are biggest gang in the city before something gets done about it, did you seriously think the red armbands half the white boys are wearing now were just fashion?
Renick: I understand your frustration Clay-
*Unintelligible snorting sound identified as Bennett*
Renick: Do you feel you were given adequate training prior to being placed on active duty and patrols?
Bennett: Training? Yeah I can't complain about that. Thanks for the off the clock sparring sessions and coaching by the way, you didn't get in trouble for that right? The problem was the missions and patrols 'cos active duty feels like false advertising.
Renick: Can you identify any positives of being a member of the Wards?
Bennett: The time out of school is cool and I guess some of my team-mates are alright. It's Aegis who takes charge after Triumph right? Tell him I said good luck, he's gonna need it.
Renick: Can you identify any negatives of being a member of the Wards?
Bennett: How much tape do you have to record it with? Fuck it I'll keep it simple, I signed up to fight Empire, Empire are still here and it feels like nobody wants to put the effort in and change that. The worst part of being a Ward is feeling a diversity hire, because you clearly just wanted a black face as part of the ad campaign and lied to get me to join. Calvert man how do you deal with this shit? Don't you-
Renick: Commander Calvert's presence here is as a witness and not a participant. I have to ask you to refrain from involving him in the interview.
Bennett: You don't want those uppity black folk getting ideas and talking to each other.
Renick: Not at all what I said and you know me better than that.
Bennett: Sure. Fuck sorry Sir.
Renick: No offense taken. I feel that this next question is redundant at this point but nonetheless; are there any specific changes to procedures and regulations you believe would improve the performance of the Wards and PRT as a whole?
Bennett: Long story short and as politely as I can manage? Either take the kid gloves off or stop bullshitting and just admit you want the Wards to be mascots for the real Heroes.
Renick: And our final question, do you have any future plans that the PRT should be made aware of or that might impeded the PRT's ability to carry out their role effectively?
Bennett: Has anyone ever said that they're planning on blowing up an orphanage or something? If I was gonna go nuts you think I'd admit it now?
*Long sigh identified as Deputy Director Renick*
Renick: Please just answer the question.
Bennett: You don't need to worry about me. I've got family in Baltimore and Mom's sending me out of town. I don't know what the scene is like over there but I'm not planning on causing any problems, I'd rather help solve some.
Renick: I'm glad to here it. And personally for what it's worth I understand your decisions and I'm sorry to see you leave Clayton. You've got the get up and go this place needs and you could have made one hell of a Hero. Good luck and stay safe out there.
Bennett: You too sir.
Author's Notes:
Okay firstly this work was, unlike the rest of my writing, originally intended to be posted somewhere else first.
This was supposed to be my contribution to the Parahumanzine Worm OC event on Tumblr and was going to be posted here at a later date just for the sake of my own record-keeping and having all of my Fan-fiction available in one place; however I was told that my submission was too large and would need to be pared down to something more bare-bones which I was not willing to do, so here we are.
I have no ill-will towards the people running the Worm OC event and wish them and everyone taking part in it the best of luck with the project.
This is intended to be viewed in the format of a collection of official documents forming a case file and I've tried to format it in such a way that it comes across here as well though I don't know how successfully I've achieved that.
Secondly I want to thank ModestStar for her artwork of Vox-Irae.
This was honestly an interesting challenge for me to take on, anyone who follows my Tumblr has seen that I will semi-regularly (And usually whilst varying degrees of drunk) take submissions from followers where they give me a power-set and I build an OC around it however I never really had an OC for Worm that I consider 'Mine', so when I saw the initial interest check for this project it felt natural.
It's also a completely different style of writing to my usual third person prose and narrative and it's been fun to experiment.
This would normally be the point where I write my 'Summary' which is actually me effectively live-blogging my reactions to my own writing as I proof-read it. That doesn't seem like it would here but I'll make a few notes/observations as I go:
So the PRT obviously know Vox-Irae's exact age but they're not putting it in the case file, for the same reason his Ward Alias has been redacted.
I did actually use google to find supposedly dangerous areas of Baltimore and then google maps for street names.
I picked Baltimore because there is canonically a Protectorate team there but we know absolutely nothing about it or its' membership….And also because of the Wire.
Sonic boom that sends everyone who hears into a berserk rage is actually based on two different ideas from Transformers, in the 80s cartoon there was the 'Hate Plague', basically Transformers 28 Days Later and in the IDW comics there an instance of someone using a sound based delivery system for Cosmic Rust, basically "If you heard it then you're infected".
I think the countermeasures I came up with are the sort of things the PRT would try.
A big part of the reason for the redacted info and moving stuff onto another page is actually the limitations of the template I was given, which I then built more of the character around.
One of the big inspirations for Vox/Clayton was actually seeing an acquaintance of mine posting pictures of his band performing, he's black and that made think of "How many black capes Triggered in Brockton Bay then left town" and "Can you imagine being a black metal-head in a city like that?" and from there the ball was rolling. Although there is undoubtedly some Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk influence.
Armsmaster would absolutely be passive aggressive in professional emails.
Crusader would actually be a good counter, so would Bitch or Parian in theory.
Of course the PRT was its' own worst enemy and lost a good cape due to regulations and PR based restrictions.
Okay so I know that the PRT cycle out therapists, I made a note of it here but my argument, solely to avoid creating a new shrink is that this was the last time Jessica was in the Bay before the interlude in Worm, because the only Ward who would have been on the team both times was Vista and I'm sure you can bullshit a reason in your own head for why she missed that meeting.
But yeah, Clayton has/had some definite problems that have definite solutions however the PRT like any other business id more inclined to making them an individuals' problem rather than accepting there is a systemic issue to be tackle.
I made the Shadow Stalker comment, then I realized that if Vox was still in Brockton Bay after Leviathan there's a good chance he would have joined up with Skitter.
There was originally going to be another document, a mission debriefing between Piggot and Triumph but I couldn't really find an angle for it.
I had to google 'Exit interview questions' and try and repurpose them for this.
Of course Coil slithered his way into the room.
When writing Vox/Clayton I was struggling to find a 'Voice' for him without actually getting into his head and seeing his perspective too much; hopefully I've managed to convey a pissed off teenager with legitimate grievances without making him seem like a caricature or deliberately mean.
If Renick sounds stiff and robotic it's because he's reading pre-written questions.
So obviously Clayton didn't want to lose face by having his Mum called in because who would, but also he was right to put a stop to what Renick was trying (I managed to remind myself of a line in 'Mixed Feelings' by Kithri about how the PRT usually manages to strong-arm and get what it wants).
The keeping the rights to former Wards alias's is canon, it happened to Foil.
Triumph in canon was one of the people against the idea of breaking the rules and going after Taylor, but given who he is and how he got his powers I feel confident in saying younger Triumph was a typical rich kid.
Vista definitely looked up to Clayton.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favorite and review.