I had been reading Fanfiction and happened upon Worm. It leads me to read the original serial novel, which I liked. Writing something for it seemed an interesting challenge.
Meanwhile, I had been running an RPG in the all-new Onyx Path edition of Trinity Aberrant. I like the cleaned-up lore and less overly edgy world-building. A plan for this story started to come together.
I know many will not be familiar with the lore of the Trinity system's Earth. After each chapter will be a mini-chapter with lore from an in-world source about Earth Trinity. I have plenty of room for more minis so any questions about that world can be answered by my writing up a chapter for it.
I know the fandom for Worm is very vocal but I welcome the feedback. I am ready to do extensive rewrites if needed in response to any critiques I feel have valid points. I have many chapters, written and mini-chapters between them. The plan is to release a full chapter every two weeks and a mini on the weeks in between
Brockton Bay
November 8th, 2010
2 AM
A thirteen-year-old young man stood on the curb. He was wearing round dark wrap-around sunglasses. A black three-piece suit, a vibrantly gold button-up shirt, and a black tie formed into an immaculate Full Windsor knot. His hair was the fading blonde of one born with light hair that was darkening with age. It was cut in a longish but neat right side part. He carried a briefcase and umbrella. While there was a watch on his wrist, he did not look at it. Despite this, his body language conveyed that he was waiting for someone.
A limousine rounded the corner and pulled to a halt. The door opened from within. Without a pause, the waiting boy entered.
Inside was a tall thin man wearing a black full bodysuit. It was emblazoned with a white serpent coiling around the leg up the body and around the back of the neck to the head.
"You are Danger then?"
"Justinius P Danger. I take it you are not the stickler for formality mister Accord is, so I will not mention my laureate's honorifics and titles. Quite refreshing as the exactness of mister Accords' preferred interactions does become trying."
"So they do. He told me you were looking for a business partnership. He also informed me you would be well worth working with despite my normal policy of insisting on Capes working under me not beside."
"Yes, I have plenty to sweeten the pot with. Accord said your plan was a city takeover from the shadows. If this is correct we should have no problem. My goals are planetary in scope."
"Are they?"
A moment passed and the boy looked at his wrist watch then back. "Don't. First, don't patronize me. I have worked too long for far too hard. Second, don't go through with whatever power you used. If you attempt to edit this time stream one of my associates will panic and violence will start."
"You know how my power works?" Coil replied in a dangerous tone.
"Specifically? No, I did detect a Flux scatter when you pulled up. You are manipulating probability, narrowing the potential futures that come from the current moment onward. Space-time mechanics is the field I have spent the most time studying. Which brings me to how we came to be here."
"I take it you don't mean Brockton. You're not from Earth Bet?"
"Not even remotely. I have access to technology that is fifty years ahead of the general tech base here. Much of this was specialized in analyzing the energies behind superhuman powers. Do you want to rule this city? Picture someone from 1960 being offered not just the plans for the technology you have now but the science behind them. I have step-by-step guides for kick-starting them into full production. You could dominate markets in a fashion that hasn't been seen since Standard Oil."
"Why me?"
"I laid out all the reasons I don't trust any Government body to Accord. He was from my searches the best path to the information I needed. Using statistical models to eliminate the strategies with a lower probability of success left me with two viable paths. I help you take over Brockton and use its security to build the infrastructure needed to push the world out of its downward spiral. Or go join the Guild and help Dragon do the same."
"If you can do what you say the Guild would give you extreme freedom."
"A precognition was able to determine if I did that I would be dead in ten months as would Dragon. Earth Bet would fall soon after as her projects ground to a halt."
"So I'm your only option."
"The only viable option. There's always despair or hedonism reveling in the time left while waiting out the clock. However, that is for lesser men. Men of our caliber know life is struggle. Odds are something to overcome that we might grasp what others only dream of."
Coil nodded and passed a package.
The boy looked in and shook his head.
"A cellular phone? No no no."
He lifted the briefcase and popped it open to reveal a laptop.
"This has sixty-four times the processing power of the top-of-the-line models. Its encryption impressed both Accord and Numberman when it was setting up accounts. I sold a few to them. Number man liked that he couldn't break its encryption.
"Numberman can break any mathematical encryption."
"It doesn't use math. It abuses the observer effect in a very creative fashion. Not my work so explaining it is not on the tip of my tongue. It has a quantum-entangled particle communicator that can't be intercepted. I distributed nodes about the net that break your stream in a fashion similar to a Tor. This is data security" finishing the spiel he handed the device over
"Price?"
"Think of it as a preview of things to come"
"Then, so I shall. I will be in touch."
The limo came to a stop and Coil opened the door releasing the young man back into the night. With only a nod he walked off into the dark. Coil closed the door and the Limo rolled on. After a few miles, he dropped the timeline where his body double took the limo. The boy had a script both conversations were nearly identical. He split the timeline again and in one ordered a slight change to his route that would put him a few minutes behind. The limo passed out of Brockton proper and into the fringe of what passed for an exurb
This line arrived a few minutes early at an abandoned building stepping inside he found Numberman and Accord waiting.
"He gave me this."
Numberman lifted the offered laptop and examined it "Exactly like the ones he gave Accord and me. You will find they are excellent devices we checked them thoroughly there is no spyware or traps. Upon contacting them even Cauldron could find nothing. They believe they could break the encryption but such methods would only work once and be of limited use. It would also be highly noticeable."
Accord was eyeing the room with distaste "Every sample of technology he had proved to meet or exceed his claims. He will likely contact Faultlines Crew he was very interested in Case 53's in specific and physically altered Capes in general. He claimed a strong knowledge of the mechanics of how powers function. He also admitted the powers here on Bet do not match the mechanics of how they worked in his home world. He also claims it was the year 2062 when he left his world."
"I do not wish to accept a child working alongside me," Coil said folding his arms
"He has paid me for the services I provided him with blueprints that I can patent for billions. I have acquired favors owed to me from Cauldron for what I know of him back. They do not want to approach the boy directly." Accord countered.
"They suspect he is dangerous?"
"I only know he has some sort of inconsistent shielding that can block their normal precognitives and thinkers. They do not consider him a danger or they'd have eliminated him. He is a thus far an unpredictable windfall." Accord explained
"From my interaction with Cauldron, they want as much information about him as possible. I was told to extend a line of credit and make you the offer. A sufficient amount of information on him would count toward repaying favors owed." Numberman revealed.
"Then I suppose he is an annoyance that I will have to put up with."
Coil finished his business in both timelines. In the second he attempted to needle more information out of the pair before dropping it. On the way back to base he leafed through the preliminary plan Accord had devised. It would make Brockton Bay a major industrial hub as well as the wealthiest city in the world.
There were upsides to this plan.
Bodie California
January 6th
/ERROR!/
Three figures in enclosed suits walked from house to house in the abandoned ghost town. The one in power armor remained outside and watchful. The others wore lighter but still protective suits. They would head in and check out what was inside. Occasionally they had to be careful everything was brittle. The place was eerie there was an unnatural stillness in the air. The ground was a dusty powder the Geiger counters were blessedly silent but something had wiped this place clean of life
The group turned from their explorations. They hid a few sensors in unobtrusive locations. Then walked back to the mine. Once in the depths, they came to the room they needed. Within it was a Ring of blue-tinted metal. Its outer edge was smooth aside from one flaw. A section had been pried away exposing complex bundles of fiber. The fibers had been spliced into and the Cable ran to a tablet resting on a cheap folding table. They stepped over the ring of metal and once all were inside the lead figure taped the screen and slid his finger in a simple pattern.
For a second they all experienced vertigo and double vision. It cleared to reveal the same room but the bulk of the area outside of the ring was filled with computers and scanning equipment. They walked into the hall and through a set of arches. the arches sprayed them with liquids that were whisked away by drains installed in the floor. once out of the room the team cracked their Helmets and started to peel off the suits
"I hope some of these readings were useful." the taller man stated.
"Relax Geof we are piecing together quite a clear picture." the woman replied.
The other man finally exited his power armor. "It makes me wonder if our world will face such a crisis and if so will we do as well? It is the year 2068 Mags we have seen the future."
"Not our future Dob. The timeline split so far back we can't even be sure how long ago it was. There are major changes even back to the twenties." Mags replied
"Let's stay focused on our mission. Caldron is paying us big money and future favors to explore this place for them." Geof reminded them.
"Just a few more pieces the global networks and infrastructure is a mess. Having to stay passive in our data collection isn't helping. We can infer there were weak powers even back in the twenties. That changed little of history. It stays generally the same till it catches up with us. Then in the late twenty-teens, a space station doing energy research exploded." Mags recited
"That started their Golden Age of Capes or Novas as they called them. They called the trigger events eruptions and they all seem to have been social media darlings. They leveraged the powers they had to make fortunes and advance technology at a feverish pace. Then they all started to go mad. First the insane were targeted for destruction. Then they were all declared walking time bombs and targeted for annihilation. the ensuing war was a grind that was destroying the ecosphere." Dob continued
"Then the Chinese managed to wrest control over an orbital superweapon and gave an ultimatum that all Novas had to evacuate. Any further attacks after that point would be met with the total annihilation of all life on Earth. An event even they would not survive. The ringleaders gathered their forces and they all vanish either into space or across dimensions. The few who were left that lacked patrons able to perform such works were all slain. But we are only seeing the propaganda of one side." Mags finished.
"This might shed some light on things and give us a better report to give to Cauldron," Geof said holding up a small plastic stick
"Ahh, you found another storage drive. Let's see if one of the salvaged computers can run it"
"I'm going to get a shower while you check it for traps" Mags declared.
The two men waved her on. Dob cleared his throat "There is a good chance this is just going to be porn again."
"Meh if so we tell her it was unrecoverable" Geof joked.
Clean and refreshed Mags returned to find her two friends engrossed in the computer screen. She really hoped they weren't ogling porn again.
"Anything useful?" She loudly asked.
"More than we could have hoped for," Geof said.
"Here I'll show you the first one" Dob declared closing the tab he was one and opening a fresh one
Mags watched the video confused "This is a children's show like Bill Nye or Professor Proton."
"Hello everyone! I am Doctor Justinius P. Danger Ph.D. ! I am going to be your guide on an amazing adventure. Together we'll discover the exciting worlds of science, superpowers, and the incredible universe we live in!" declared a boy in a labcoat who looked to be six or seven.
Mags gave Geof a doubting look but he just waved back to the screen
"But before we go anywhere we should know a bit about each other. A few of you might know me as the inventor of the Dynamic Matrix Crystals. When people ask if your computer has a DMC that's one of my processors they put in there! It started last year as a project to help the police here in Detroit to make VAI robot assistants. I wanted to help clean up the streets. Now it's blossomed into a major industry and partnership with our sponsor Hightower Industries.
I'll bet a lot more of you will recognize these two. This is my mom and dad Ethan Danger and Melinda Danger. They were formerly known as the Heros Captain Danger and Iron Maiden"
"More Iron Mom nowadays huh Justin," the raven-haired curvacious woman said coming into the camera.
A very tall blond man who had the build of someone who had been very fit but put on a bit of fat over it from reduced activity came up. He stood right behind her. Being a head taller her kissed the top of his wife's short side bob. He looked into the camera with pride to announce. "We've had Corporal and even Colonel Dangers in the family but Justin here is the first Doctor Danger."
The kid gave a small laugh "here is Grandpa Jay no powers but he was in the army. My sister Jean who you likely would recognize if she was wearing her costume. She was voted most popular teen Nova this year by Teen N!ova magazine."
A skinny old twig with overly slicked back thinning hair came out. A girl who looked like an over-developed twelve-year-old followed. She gave the camera a shy smile.
"I'm Eos Dawnbringer of the young Titians" Her face fell as she turned to look off-camera.
"Oh for god sake John stop being a baby" The Mother Melinda stated stalking off the screen. She had a 'you're in trouble now' mom walk.
"He can't help it he IS the baby" Justin added giving a smile.
"Give him here Papa Bo. No, I said give him here." The mother's voice came from off to the side. Father Ethan looked like he was about to bust out in laughter. the Grandfather was pinching his nose, and the girl Jean seemed to want to sink into the floor. Only Justin seemed to take enjoyment in his off-camera siblings suffering the attention of an angry mother. A thin old man with ludicrously thick glasses leaned into the panel
"Sorry friends looks like we're experiencing technical difficulties. We'll be back after these messages."
"And someone's Time out" Justin crowed.
Dob paused the playback
"Why is this important?" Mag asked the two.
Geof "Don't you remember the other message?"
Mags turned and open up another computer. She found the file she wanted and played it.
She's seen this before it was hard to make out the man's features he was very dark-skinned and the lighting was not good.
"Melinda, Ethan... I'm sorry we had to launch the Othrys there were too many coming for us I had to close the wormhole network. Jean jumped ship she wouldn't listen. Her flight is space-rated She might make it back to Earth if she avoids the Abberants coming after us."
He ran his fingers through his short hair "I wish I could have stopped her I wish. Well, I wish for a lot of things but I can't risk the ship. We are the last hope for humans and Novas who want to live together in peace. I had to weigh their lives against yours. I hope you can understand even if you can't forgive. Justin, you helped design the portal systems. You know better than anyone else how the wormholes can be modified. You remember the old stories the worlds which never were. Alternative worlds might be reachable. Look for pocket dimensions and space folds you can hide in."
"I have to end this message the crew needs me. It's a slim chance but we'll keep trying to improve the wormholes. If we can boost the range maybe we can come back and look for you. If not first left at Alpha Centauri keep going straight till dawn. Marcus Hightower signing off."
"Melinda Ethan and Jean" Mags rubbed her mouth looking back at the other record. Now there were faces to go with the names.
"They were left behind in an evacuation of their friends. We know the Othrys was thought to be a processing plant for asteroid mining. That Hightower fellow had been modifying it for years into a deep space generation ship. It held thousands. They can still watch it. The thing is burning an antimatter torch and has a space warp that lets it travel at just under the speed of light. It's still headed toward Alpha Centauri." Dobs confirmed.
Mags nodded "Hightower the records we have don't seem to know what to make of him. A man who was figuring out how to use Nova technology without the involvement of Novas. It seems he rubbed elbows with some of the most visibly anti-Nova figures." Mags pondered.
"Meanwhile he was hiding Novas and their human families away and slowly exfiltrating them to a colony ship bound away from earth. He wasn't in it for the money. He had no intention of betraying them. Being close to his enemies allowed him to know when to make his move. His was the only escape to launch before the Chinese ultimatum. They avoided the panicked rush and escaped clean. The only question is was he a secret Nova or just a clever sympathizer" Geof pondered.
"I think we have enough information to send a packet to Cauldron. Also, I think knowing those Robots are not true AI I can fix some up to help us clear out more of the ruins. Depending on how much risk we are willing to take it sounds like there is plenty of places to salvage. A lot of the world was torn up by the Abberant War. Hell with the networks being such a mess we might even be able to slip in fake identities." Dob opined.
"Before we do anything we check with Cauldron first I'm not going to get on their bad side. They seem pretty insistent this job be done without Parahumans being involved so this is a rare opportunity for us."
Cauldron Base
January 8th
Rebecca Costa Brown was the leader of the Parahuman Response Team. The civilian government agency was devoted to policing parahumans and parahuman-enabled crimes. They worked closely and monitored both of their sister organizations. The Protectorate organized parahuman teams to assist the government with criminal parahumans. The Guild a similar body that was formed that focused nearly exclusively on catastrophic scale threats over petty crime.
While the PRT and Protectorate were originally American organizations, both had grown. Via invites to establish branches or spin-off organizations that were branches in all but name through the globe. (The Guild was Canadian but had similarly grown.)
It would come as a shock to most to learn how deeply the formation of these groups was influenced by the mysterious seldom-heard-of Cauldron. It would shock them more to learn the chief director of the PRT was a member of Cauldron. It would break the organization to find she was one of the founders of the Protectorate, Alexandria.
She had already read the Dragonslayers report she sat waiting for Doctor Mother to finish reading the same.
"We ran the data by Numberman. The existence of this portal proves the Entities do not have a complete picture of multiversal mechanics. We've never encountered a world that was out of chronological step with our own. This seems to prove there is at least one exponential they have not discovered. There are potentially infinite universes in total." Doctor Mother surmised.
"If a Parahuman goes through that portal either we will lose access to our powers or the Entities will learn how to access potentially endless new resources." Alexandria speculated.
"The specialized Shards that do deep Quantum scanning are so far able to keep up with the interaction at a rate well below any crisis point. It's all being handled under general error checking. That could change but is indicative that they can and would adapt. We dare not risk it. An unknown of this magnitude would snap our adversary out of his listless state and focus him on solving the mystery. We could well be crushed like ants unnoticed in his focused state." Doctor Mother deduced.
"A complete unknown this is the sort of unexpected advantage we could use to stop him. Even if it is dangerous think of the opportunities." Alexandria countered.
"Oh you misunderstand me we should seek to exploit this but carefully ever so cautiously. We know this boy and some form of a guardian has come through. The Dragonslayer data shows a second spike of power two weeks before they set up operations. Something else followed them through that portal. Something we will have to keep an eye out for."
"None of them are seriously disrupting the path. There is something or someone the boy possesses that I have to path around. It's quite minor compared to the major threats. I suspect it's what keeps blocking the Clairvoyant." Contessa spoke. She had been leaning in a corner almost unnoticed.
Alexandria nodded "Channeling them into Brockton further limits the interference. We already have taken a hands-off approach there"
"With his frequent interaction with Numberman, Accord, and now Coil our bases are covered. We have a plenitude of information gathering settled on this. We will watch and see if anything useful comes up. Saint can continue carefully taping that portal for information and resources."
"Under the supervision of course," Alexandra asked for clarity.
"Of course always that" the Doctor agreed.
Palanquin
Brockton Bay
April 9th, 2011
There was noise coming from the Bar area. It was early the club was closed the mundane staff would not be coming in for a couple of hours. Faultline drew her pistol and headed into the open. Dashing forward she took cover behind one of the support columns that held up the upper level of the club.
Peering around the side she looked first at Newter who was quietly climbing across the wall. Then toward Spitfire who was dashing for a different pillar. She motioned for Gregor to start forward as she rounded the pole and pointed her gun at the figure behind the bar.
Ice rattling in a cocktail shaker. That was the sound. Behind the bar was a kid in a white double-breasted suit and white shirt with a gold vest and tie. He had dirty blonde hair and round sunglasses with a gold tint that had side guards to make them wrap around.
"Faultline good to see you I took the liberty of mixing my own. Don't worry I will take it out of your tab once our consultation is over."
"You said you were coming at nine. Also, aren't you a little young to drink?"
He poured the drink into a champagne flute and garnished it with a strawberry. "It is nine fifteen I got bored waiting around. I'm an aged-up child prodigy genius, former TV celebrity, and war survivor. Any of the three is cause to drink. Besides, it's a frozen peach bellini it's one step from a mimosa add in some poached eggs and it's almost a respectable breakfast." he said before taking a long pull
"I don't serve minors," Faultline said putting away the gun. She stepped closer and motioned for her fellow mercenaries to step out.
"I never dug a hole a day in my life and you didn't serve me I served myself." He rebutted draining the glass
"I hope you get brain freeze"
"Ahh, that was good. But then I made it. Now shall we get down to business or shall I show off my dance moves on your stage?"
"You start dancing and I'll have Gregor heave you out. Show up before noon again and I will shoot you."
The boy shrugged.
"Alright do your work" Faultline relented.
Danger lifted a briefcase from the floor and slapped it on the bar then popped it open. He pulled out instruments with odd blinking lights and began to work. He waved them around the various members of Faultlines mercenary company. At times he pressed objects into flesh or took more normal-seeming medical readings. He finally stopped and nodded.
"Was all of that necessary?" Faultline asked.
"Yes. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do for now so I won't charge anything at this time. The mindwipe was good beyond anything my tech can do or undo. The scans gave me very confusing data I am going to have to go over them with a fine toothcomb."
"I knew it was a hoax" Newter spoke up.
"I said there wasn't much I could do not that there was nothing I could do. Spitfire, raise your right hand, and focus on the center of your palm. Visualize a mouth opening and a tongue of flame coming out."
"I don't think that is going to work," she said taking the action to no effect.
Faultline choked her head sideways obviously staring at the disruptive influence in her morning.
"My fault I didn't think I'd have to explain. Sort of like I didn't think you'd mistake the Ante Meridiem for the Post Meridiem. Take the glove off spitfire and please don't look directly into your palm I doubt you want to regrow your hair."
Despite the full face mask, Spitfire's body language did plenty to convey her annoyance. Seconds later however a sudden gout of flame elicited a shocked cry.
"How did you do that!" Faultline exclaimed
Gregor called up his own power to release a foam that covered the girl's hand and the floor under it
"Realignment of mind-body attunement. Don't thank me that was easy. Gregor, Newter, and Laybrynth are all going to be much harder. I will have to come up with whole new diagnostic tools just to find out what is going on with their powers. I can't promise anything only that I will put in the effort to figure it out. I do however wish to buy something from you."
"Besides repaying the stolen Mimosa?"
"Yes, I need anything you have found out about Case 53's, history, membership, who is suspected to be behind them, the lot. And it was a Bellini."
"Why?"
"Because you own a bar woman you should know these things. Confusing cocktails is disgraceful."
"Why the extra data you have your scans."
"Sometimes when you want to lay a trap you have to have the right bait.
"That's dangerous"
"Well yes, but Danger is the family business. Besides, I might be able to kill two birds with one stone."