Recap / Worm – Waterworks

WARNING! SPOILERS UNMARKED! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Bolded names indicate the first appearance of a character.

A recap of the Waterworks fanfic.

Drop (Chapters 1-8)

Drop 1.1:

• Taylor Anne Hebert wakes up in the hospital. She then reflects on the events that got her here, especially focusing on the Trio, Sophia Hess, Emma Barnes, and Madison Clements. Taylor also reflects on how her father, Danny Hebert reacted to the news that Emma, Taylor's former best friend, was bullying her the past year and getting away with everything scot-free.
  • Taylor noted that her father was extremely angry at the news that Winslow overlooked his daughter's bullying and is planning something. He wasn't happy at how the bullies got off scot-free as they did earlier. Taylor may have gotten money for recompense and new books and a second locker (the first was unusable after the prank), but that wasn't enough to assuage Danny's anger and worry. Given that Taylor triggered, his mood is very justified.
• She realizes she is a parahuman and that the locker was when she Triggered when she dropped her cup of water and stopped the water from hitting the floor in the hospital. She connects the dots around the "mysterious" broken plumbing that had been found around Winslow and that her powers are linked with water.
  • Empowered by this revelation, but also aware of the heavy stigma against hydrokinesis due to Leviathan, she decides to become an independent cape.
• After leaving the hospital, Taylor got to work testing her powers, realizing that she has a wide range of water-based powers, but cannot break the Manton Limit, so she can't impact the water in people's bodies. She can't change herself into water, but she is still very versatile in how she can manipulate water, so she can make do. After power testing at home, she bonds with her dad by watching movies together and talking about the future.
  • Danny also proposes the idea of switching from public high school to homeschooling and getting a GED. This was since Kurt and Lacy, coworkers and family friends, proposed taking Taylor out of the unsafe bullying environment of Winslow High School.

Drop 1.2:

• While trying to come up with ideas of how to use her power, Taylor has a flash of a blueprint, making her realize that she may also be a Tinker.
• After seeing Danny off to job and doing some jogging, Taylor continues to experiment. Testing, she learns how to change water viscosity to the point that it becomes solid, purify water, control it and use it as a weapon. She also finds out that the power can be used on other liquids, although it is not as effective.
• During dinner, Danny mentions that the dockworkers have been hired to refurbish an old warehouse, full of goods and tools. Taylor decides to take a few tools for her own use and try to convince her father to claim the rest for the Dockworkers' Union.
• Taylor reviews all the villains living in Brockton Bay. Knowing that she will face them at some point, she begins to plan how to deal with them.
• During the next days, Taylor continues with her routine, while trying to come up with further uses of her power. She finds out how to walk on water as well as fly using her control of water. This gives her an idea to create power armor that can use water to fly and even act as an additional armor layer.
• Two days before Taylor is meant to return to school, Danny finally convinces her to drop out of Winslow and homeschool to get her GED.

Drop 1.3:

• Taylor begins to prepare for her homeschooling by seeking the required materials, but also plans to put her new situation to push forward her plans to become a cape. She has a flashback where she remembers her Trigger Event.
• Taylor draws up an initial sketch of her first power armor. She comes up with the idea of using a dehumidifier to make it easier to recharge the water tank in the armor, but realizes that she won't have easy access to the required materials.
• She goes to Downtown to buy the books for her studying, as well as another on metals to learn more about titanium and other materials. On the way back to the bus stop, a Merchant offers her "candy": before Taylor ends up doing something drastic Glory Girl arrives and punches the Merchant out.
• Taylor writes out a list of the members of the Protectorate, the Wards and New Wave, along with their powers. Checking her book on metals, she learns that she might be able to find titanium in the Boat Graveyard.
• During dinner, Danny tells Taylor that the entire Dockworkers Union has pulled their children from Winslow, ensuring that the Board of Education will pay attention to them. Taylor asks about what the dockworkers do with the stuff they find in the dockside factories they are helping to repair.
• The next day, Taylor mentions to her father that they need new tools before he leaves for work. After studying for the morning and lunch, Taylor develops a new idea: a water repulsor. Apparently, her power wants her to establish a submarine base.

Interlude - Danny's Revenge:

• Danny goes to Winslow High School to meet with Principal Blackwell as he wonders how Emma, Madison and Sophia could arrange for her to turn a blind eye to their actions - figuring it is Sophia due to Blackwell's reaction. He informs Blackwell that not only is he pulling Taylor out of school, but so are all the Dockworkers with children in Winslow, and the dockworkers will formally complaint about all of the school's teachers.

Drop 1.4:

• Taylor continues to train herself as she begins to explore towards the Boat Graveyard, formed due to the collapse of the shipping industry and a group of dockworkers sinking several ships at the mouth of the harbor. One of those ships, the MS Evermore, is the ship Taylor drew when she was planning her base.
  • Flying with her hydrokinesis, Taylor approaches the Evermore and gets in through the hole that was opened to sink it. Exploring, she ends up finding the cargo the ship still carried, multiple containers full of solar panels: due to the worth of solar energy in the current times, she could get some serious money out of it. With a potential source of cash available, she decides to contact Toybox, the Rogue Tinker association, and leaves in a phone number.
• Danny comes in with good news: the Dockworkers Union has been awarded a contract to refurbish all the factories near the Docks. However, this means he will have to work long hours in order to ensure a good job.
• After coming up with a device to change how her voice sounds, Taylor receives a call from Cranial, a Toybox member. She offers them the salvage from the Evermore in exchange of supplies: Cranial reluctantly agrees to send Dodge to meet with Taylor on the ship.
  • Toybox discusses Taylor's offer. Baubles truth detector establishes that Taylor was making a sincere offer, so they consider what they can offer Taylor. Glace asks why they cannot just take the panels for themselves, but the others strongly disagree with the idea, because they don't want to stiff a potential customer.
• That night, Dodge teleports to the bridge of the Evermore to meet with Taylor, who takes him to the hold - surprising the Toybox member with her control over water. Some of the panels are corroded from being underwater, but enough of them are in good condition that Dodge considers them worth enough to make a deal.
  • Taylor shows him a list of what she needs, and Dodge warns her to be careful, as she seems close to a Tinker Explosion, a fugue state where the Tinker begins to build Tinkertech without control. Taylor learns of Dodge's speciality (personal movement), and Dodge tells her about Armsmaster's personality.
  • Dodge informs the rest of Toybox about Taylor's powerset: she's the first person to have both Hydrokinetic Blaster and Shaker powers, and wields them with an ability only surpassed by Leviathan. The group decides to make the deal a sweet one for Taylor, as she could become vital for their group's survival due to her powers and the possibility of her supplying them with a bolthole.

Drop 1.5:

• Sophia Hess became a vigilante for the sake of attacking and hurting people she considers weak, something she also took to her civilian life by turning Emma against Taylor. She cannot wait to become eighteen so she can leave the Wards and return to her "hunting".
• Taylor continues experimenting with her powers along with her normal life. While returning from buying groceries, she comes across the Wards Kid Win and Shadow Stalker. Taylor realizes after hearing the latter insult the former that Shadow Stalker is actually Sophia. This gives her further reason not to join the Protectorate. She also comes up with her cape name: Riptide.
• Her meeting with Dodge goes quite well, as Toybox gives her much more than she expected (although the kevlar for her armor has yet to arrive). Dodge sends the containers to Toybox and gets her their offered goods while he explains the Unwritten Rules. As part of the deal, Taylor gets a portable lab with a Virtual Intelligence she decides to call Amphitrite.

Drop 1.6:

• Taylor quickly works to get her laboratory set up and secured with the aid of Amphitrite before she can even begin to Tinker away.
• After having breakfast with her father, Taylor goes out to buy a few necessities when she bumps on Victoria Dallon (AKA Glory Girl), who is accompanied by her sister Amy Dallon, the famous healer.
  • Victoria and Amy discuss Taylor before Amy asks her sister to take her to the hospital. Victoria worries about the long hours Amy spends healing, and Amy suggests going out to buy smoothies after her shift ends.
• Her studying finished, Taylor makes dinner, which Danny positively compares to her mother's cooking. Danny teases her about her getting together with someone, but she replies she's far off from trusting someone like that again.
• After Danny falls asleep, Taylor quickly rushes to the Evermore, where, after checking in on Amphitrite and getting the ship's blueprints, she begins to tinker.
  • Taylor comes out of her explosion six hours later. During that time, she has developed several ideas, like a chemical compound that will eventually turn all the ship's steel into a new material that is much more resistant, hard light projectors for Amphitrite and to keep the illusion of the Evermore not changing and a wrist-mounted water cannon. She returns home for a well deserved rest.
• The following day, while she is on the way to the Evermore, Taylor finds two E88 thugs trying to attack a woman. Hiding herself, she gets ready to stop the thugs.

Drop 1.7:

• Helen Pierce, the woman being attacked, attempts to get rid of the E88 thugs (who have apparently been sent by one of her bosses, who, unlike her, believes in the E88's propaganda). Before the thugs can try to rape her, though, they begin to feel something cold climbing up their legs. Helen kicks one of them in the groin, and the other one attempts to attack her, but something tightens around his neck, preventing him from doing anything. Helen runs away, mentally thanking whoever saved her.
• Taylor manages to save the woman without being discovered nor leaving any proof of her presence, and arrives to the Evermore. While waiting for Dodge to appear, she develops technology that allows her to store tons of water in can-sized canisters.
  • Dodge brings her most of the kevlar she requested, offering her a discount for her next purchase. He also tells her of other Tinker-related phenomena: Tinker Fugues, where the Tinker concentrates so much on a project that they work on it while ignoring everything else, and Tinker Synergy, where two or more Tinkers instinctively manage to work together on a project by combining their specialities.
  • Taylor shows Dodge some of her inventions, which he finds quite interesting.
• During the next days, Taylor keeps studying and coming up with ideas for her power to use. She also builds a second water-based weapon, this one for short distance, and finishes building her power armor: Riptide is ready to change Brockton Bay for the better.

Ripple (Chapters 9-17)

Ripple 2.1

• Before she goes out on her first patrol, Taylor realizes she needs to keep her workshop secure, and works on building several hard-light projectors as Amphitrite manufactures several remote drones for survelliance. She also finds in her notes a way to create a water-based optical camouflage system and develops a sound dampener, allowing her to use the drones to keep patrol around her base without being detected.
• After working out and doing her schoolwork in the morning, Taylor plans two new projects: a vehicle to go between her base and the city, and a device that will allow her to fly without making it obvious she's a hydrokinetic. Given everything she's made, she knows she isn't yet ready to protect herself from those who are known to attack people that can improve the world, like Mannequin and the Simurgh.
• That night, Taylor installs the hard light emitters, but she realizes that powering them up will not be easy. Amphitrite shows Taylor some of the generators she came up with, and Taylor picks one to begin putting together as soon as she finishes her armor.
• A week later, Taylor (bitching about how long it took) finishes her water-powered generator, and is now ready to begin patroling with her Triton Armor, upgraded with her new developments. After she puts the Armor on, she sets off towards Brockton Bay.
• Her first patrol is initially uneventful, but eventually she finds a group of ABB thugs stealing televisions and DVD players from a shop. After carefully preparation, Taylor attacks the thugs, quickly capturing seven of them while the rest elect to run away. After searching the thugs for weapons and money, Taylor calls the police.
• Two officers (Hernandez and Arabella Blake) come a few minutes later, and after a few moments of awkwardness, they record Taylor's testimony on what happened. With thanks from the officers, Taylor leaves, but hides nearby so she can listen in on the officers. While Blake wonders if Riptide will join the Protectorate, Hernandez points out that her armor and gear are good enough that it's likely she won't, also noting that Riptide was careful enough to keep herself from leaving details about her gear. After Hernandez mentions how the PRT acts towards Tinkers, Taylor leaves.
• Returning to the Evermore, Taylor builds up a new weapon, the Goop Gun, capable of firing Goop (water-based faux-containment foam) bullets, giving her a way to contain people.

Ripple 2.2

• Armsmaster receives a message from Dragon, stating that Director Piggot wants to meet him in person. Lamenting the loss of Tinkering time, Armsmaster rides his bike to the city's PRT Headquarters, where he meets Piggot, Miss Militia and Deputy Director Renick.
  • Piggot introduces the matter at discussion: Riptide. Given the quality of Riptide's gear (at least, judging from what they can gather out of the police report), they know something is amiss, as the Overwatch Initiative meant to catch onto suspected Triggers has not warned about her actions, meaning the new Cape could have outside support, such as from one of the city's gangs. However, since there's no proof, Riptide remains considered a Rogue, and Piggot issues an order for Protectorate members and the Wards to make friendly contact with the Cape.
  • Miss Militia and Armsmaster, after considering the current situation, wonder if Piggot will attempt to force Riptide into the Protectorate the same way Shadow Stalker was, but Miss Militia points out that so far there's nothing that would allow the Director to force the issue. Militia sends Armsmaster back to his workshop, where he brings up a new conversation with Dragon.
• Taylor, after buying groceries and doing schoolwork, tries to come up with a grenade launcher to fire her Goop Grenades. After finding several mass-produced launchers, Taylor draws up a design for a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher, as well as a machine to make Goop.
• That night, after developing her grenade launchers, Amphitrite informs Taylor that Dodge wants to meet her. Taylor agrees to meet him later.
  • Dodge brings an offer for a deal: a commission for a yacht engine that doesn't use fossil fuels - since no one at Toybox has this kind of speciality, they have thought to offer Taylor a chance. While Toybox would take a cut, it would still leave Taylor with $142500, more than enough to finance some of her projects. After talking out the specifics, Taylor decides to take in the commission, and Dodge successfully trades for some of Taylor's Replacium.
• The next day, the Parahuman Villain known as Coil reviews the little information he has found on Riptide, and resolves to forcibly recruit them.

Ripple 2.3

• A week later, Taylor finishes the engine she was hired to build, tweaking it so it will be easy to maintain. She intends to use this as the beginning of a "Waterworks" organization, which will allow her to sell her inventions while hiding her identity. With the work done, she turns to her armors: the Triton Mk II (built with modular technology) and a new armor - one for Amphitrite or another VI to pilot, giving her potential support in the field.
• The following day, Lisa "Tattletale" Wilbourn laments how she was forced by Coil to work for him, and how none of her plans to escape ever work out as expected - the latest getting her whipped by Coil. The villain calls just then to order her to find Riptide's civilian identity. From the scarce details she gathers out of the police reports, Tattletale manages to deduce Riptide is a young female. Knowing she needs first person sighting to get more information, Tattletale heads out for a walk.
• Going out to buy more food, Taylor is distracted enough she runs into a blond girl that presents herself as Lisa Wilbourn. When Lisa asks about nearby cafes, Taylor takes her to one she frequented with her parents when her mother was alive.
  • Lisa returns home after her encounter with Taylor, having deduced most of the latter's troubles through her power. Putting the girl out of her mind, she begins to plan out how to gather information on Riptide.
• That night, Taylor shows Dodge the engine she's built, which Dodge praises for its simplicity and great potential. She also tells him about her plans for "Waterworks", which includes three different identities that will allow her to hide in plain sight for her projects. Dodge gives Taylor a flash drive with a program that will allow her to clone Amphitrite once - a clone that will be able to pilot Taylor's second armor. Dodge gives Taylor a band that will allow her to use Dodge's teleportation devices, and the two teleport to the place where she is to install the engine. The procedure is successful, and Taylor finishes her first commission.
• Two days later, Taylor patrols with her new armor, thinking about the armor for the future VI - which she plans to call Salacia. After another eventless patrol, Taylor is ready to head back to her base when she hears a scream and a roar. Flying in that direction, she finds the Ward Vista being chased by Empire 88's Hookwolf: quickly, she closes in and slams the villain with steel-like water before telling him to fight someone his own size.

Interlude - Vista's Bad Day

• Missy Byron, the teenager behind Vista, has to deal with the misery of her divorced parents' constant screaming at each other and attempts to one-up what the other does: for her, being a Ward is her only escape from this life. One night, fed-up with it all, she decides to go out as a Ward in order to patrol on her own and possibly vent her bottled-up ire.
• The night is calm, though, which gives Vista time to internally ramble about how the Wards are kept from doing anything meaningful. However, her musings are interrupted when she hears dogs barking: following the sound, she finds an Empire's dogfighting ring. Watching the event, she wonders where Hookwolf, who is the one usually known to host the rings, is, only for the villain to jump right behind her.
• Vista quickly uses her power to compress and dilate space to run away, but Hookwolf runs after her, using his greater fighting experience to toy with her. Vista gets hit in the head, making it harder to use her power, but suddenly Hookwolf is hit by something. Vista turns to see Riptide become visible as the latter chides the villain.
• Hookwolf attempts to attack, but Riptide hits him with a blast of water that traps him. As Hookwolf tries to get free, Riptide asks Vista if she wants to team up. Vista agrees.

Ripple 2.4

• Taylor notes that Hookwolf is smarter than he lets out, but she feels capable of defeating him with Vista's help. After trading insults, Hookwolf attempts to tackle Riptide, but Vista increases the distance between them to make the villain fall short. Taylor takes advantage of this and uses her hydrokinesis to grab Hookwolf with water streams and slam him into the ground hard enough to break his jaw. Vista raises the ground around Hookwolf, and Taylor fills the pit with Goop, keeping Hookwolf trapped long enough for her and Vista to leave unscathed.
• Taylor lands on a roof with Vista in her arms and lets her down. Vista thanks Taylor for helping her and mentions that the Protectorate is interested in Riptide. Taylor worries for her and, while she seems somewhat angry that Vista risked her life like she did, she has much praise for the Ward's skills and power.
  • After giving Vista a suggestion for potential gear, Taylor asks the Ward to keep what she can do, particularly her cloaking device, a secret. Vista agrees, as long as Taylor doesn't go villain. After suggesting to keep in touch through PHO, Taylor leaves, letting Vista find her way home on her own.
• Taylor returns to her base, while thinking about how to keep people from detecting her while she is cloaked. Once within, she speaks with Amphitrite about upgrading the Nevermore's defenses, and decides to return home as her tiredness is obvious.
• Kaiser, the leader of the Empire 88 gang, gets the details of Brockton Bay's new Tinker from Hookwolf, before warning him that another false step like that and he'll likely be cut off from the Empire. After discussing other minor matters, Kaiser leaves to carry out the work of his public persona, Max Anders.
• Danny is informed that he has to attend a meeting of Dockworkers' Union Representatives in Boston, which is likely to last at least a week, which he's not happy about. However, when Kurt offers to help take care of Taylor while he's away, Danny reluctantly agrees.

Ripple 2.5

• Taylor is glad for her father being chosen to represent the Dockworkers Union, both for the fact that he's proving his mettle and for the chance to do more work as a Cape. While she'll have to check in twice a day with Kurt and his wife Lacey, she should be able to work without a problem.
• Two nights later, Taylor is working on the android body that will house Salacia, and Dodge comes over: Taylor explains some of Salacia's features, which Dodge approves. When she brings up the issue of Vista, Dodge explains about the importance of PR among heroic teams: arming the Wards would not only be seen by the public as training "child soldiers", it would give the image of the Protectorate being willing to escalate against villains. Dodge also offers to sell her a computer so she and Amphitrite and use Internet without getting tracked, and helps her design Salacia's transport system.
• Four days later, Danny leaves for Boston, and Taylor cleans up the house for Kurt and Lacey's visit later in the day. After dinner, the two adults leave, allowing Taylor to focus on her new project: opening a way from her home to the Bay, so she can go to her base without being seen.
  • Under Amphitrite's control, the drone Taylor makes begins to dig a tunnel, while Taylor herself drives from the Bay through the sewage system in a vehicle, allowing her to install a way to hide the passageway.
  • Taylor ponders on how she seems to get formula that improve with time, unlike other Tinkers.

Ripple 2.6

• Coil calls Tattletale to learn what she has found about Riptide, only for her to reply that she's got nothing due to Riptide's carefulness. Coil also tells her a job they had planned for a while is off, since a series of unexpected issues have made the planning useless. Coil hangs up, leaving Lisa to sullenly bring up her frustrations to herself before telling the rest of the Undersiders about their job being off.
  • Lisa returns to her planning, deducing a few other things related to Riptide: due to the latter's careful approach, Lisa realizes that Riptide's being mentored by someone from outside the city.
• Taylor finishes to build Salacia's body, adding a few extra touches before having Amphitrite clone herself into it. While the process takes place, Taylor works on fixing up the ship's living quarters and other rooms - and realizes her power is showing her how to build weapons in order to fight Leviathan. Salacia is set up and uploaded into the body, and begins to configure herself to work in her new body and test her weaponry. Taylor reveals Salacia carries a weapon capable of hitting Hookwolf hard. After fixing a few issues, Salacia proves to be quite agile.
• Coil plans what to do in the aftermath of the plan for the Undersiders to attack the Ruby Dreams Casino going to dust. He decides to send the Undersiders to attack several jewelry shops in preparation for their attack - which is linked to his intended kidnapping of a recently Triggered girl called Dinah Alcott.

Ripple 2.7

• After making a call to Lacey from the Nevermore, Taylor reflects on her wish to stop being treated like a child, as well as how the dockworkers conference is likely to be extended to a month. Salacia's on her way to full preparation for helping Taylor in her patrols, and meanwhile she aids in the improvement of the ship's defenses. Taylor thinks on her plans to make the ship sea- and air-worthy, which are not made easy by her power's penchant for suggesting weapons to build. Toybox sends another commission: a freshwater submersible that can act as a motorhome. Taylor accepts the offer.
• The Undersiders meet to discuss the new plans to attack jewelry shops all over Brockton Bay. Brian "Grue" LaBorne is skeptical of the plan's feasibility, but decides to do it in order to get the money he needs to get his sister Aisha's custody. The group assaults two shops in quick order, getting away with thousands of dollars in jewels.
• Taylor begins work in the commission, using another ship hull as a workshop: per her own calculations, it'll take several months until she is finished. She also takes advantage of this project as a testbed for all the devices she plans to use in the Nevermore.
• Networker sends a message to Amphitrite and Salacia to check on Taylor's work. The Toybox programmer reveals he does not have much long to live, and that the two VIs may be the only way to achieve his lifelong project: within six months, he will have made his decision in regards to this.

Ripple 2.8

• Taylor finishes the skeleton of the water-going motorhome, and decides to leave on patrol after several days without doing so. Taylor dons her improved Triton armor while planning further improvements, and begins a daylight check over.
• Lisa thinks on Brian's family problems as the Undersiders wait for Rachel "Bitch" Lindt to return from walking her dogs. When she does, Lisa reveals their new job: robbing the Brockton Bay Central Bank. Knowing that Coil is likely banking on some level of failure, Lisa wants to make sure there is nothing left to chance.
• Amy unsuccessfully tries to fend off her health problems, as she realizes her overworking at the hospital is driving her closer to the edge. Vicky is angry with her mother Carol, who is the one pushing Amy to overwork, and even more when Amy reveals she knows her father is the villain Marquis. Knowing that their Aunt Sarah is likely the only person willing to give them answers, Vicky resolves to take Amy to speak with her the next day.
• Coil waits in his base, ready to initiate the plan to kidnap Dinah Alcott, not knowing that Riptide is about to start her daily patrol.

Ripple 2.9

• The Undersiders reach the Brockton Bay Central Bank as planned. Lisa ponders on Brian's unsuitability for high-level villainy before calling Coil. From the call, she deduces that the robbery is meant to be a distraction for another plan, making her glad she planned for potential problems. The four villains (Lisa, Brian, Rachel, and Alec "Regent") assault the bank riding on Rachel's empowered dogs.
• Coil uses his power to split the timeline. In Timeline A, he tells the mercenaries sent to kidnap Dinah to remain on standby.
• The Wards studying at Arcadia are sent to answer to the bank robbery: without at least one Protectorate member, they are limited to establishing a perimeter. Kid Win welcomes the group, and tells them what little he knows of the assault.
• Amy and Vicky arrive to their aunt Sarah "Lady Photon" Pelham. Amy asks Sarah if her father is Marquis, which she unhappily confirms. Vicky and Amy bring up Carol's behavior towards the latter, and Sarah promises to do what she can to fix the problems in the family.
• Dinah Alcott has the power to get an answer to any probability - and today, the probability that she will be kidnapped is nearly 100% by someone working for another Cape. Her attempt to hide is not enough to prevent Coil's mercenaries from kidnapping her, and she is forcefully thrown into a van that quickly escapes - only to be attacked by another Cape while traveling. The unknown Cape manages to wreck the van and get Dinah out of it. Dinah learns from her power that she will be kidnapped again if she returns home and that the other local heroes will be unable to protect her, so she begs the cape - Riptide - not to take her home, before she faints.

Ripple 2.10

• In both timelines, Coil keeps watch on the activities of the mercenaries: while Timeline A Coil has sent them to take Dinah, Timeline B Coil keeps them in reserve. Coil is forced to end Timeline A when the neighbors call 911 and splits Timeline B, telling the mercenaries where Dinah is hiding. Upon successful capture, he drops Timeline C and splits Timeline B into B and D. Suddenly, the mercenaries in both timelines are attacked by Riptide, and the van crashes. One of the mercenaries in Timeline D attempts to take Dinah hostage, only to kill her in a panic, forcing Coil to keep Timeline B, where Riptide successfully gets away with Dinah.
• Taylor takes the laser rifles used by Dinah's kidnappers and flies back to the Nevermore with Dinah in her arms. She decides to keep her safe until she can be certain of what to do.
• Dinah wakes up, and Riptide presents herself. Riptide points out that the circumstances of how Dinah got kidnapped are suspect, and suggests Dinah to pick up the codename "Augury". When Dinah is assured that Riptide will be able to protect her, she gives her name and goes back to sleep.
• Taylor takes apart the weapons, while Amphitrite informs her that Dinah's kidnapping has made the news, although for some reason there is no mention of her intervention. The analysis of the laser attachments reveals they are a Toybox product. Taylor calls Dodge and warns him that someone has been using their products in something that constitutes a violation of the Unwritten Rules. After Taylor gives him the serial number, Dodge confirms it was sold to someone in Brockton Bay, who will now be blacklisted. Taylor reorganizes her work queue to put together the ship's defenses as soon as possible.

Droplet (Chapters 18-)

Droplet 3.1

• With nothing new on the news about Dinah's kidnapping, Taylor deduces the PRT has locked the investigation, leaving her with no way to know what they intend to do. Planning to meet with the Mayor (Dinah's uncle) as soon as possible, she works on the ship's defenses, while Salacia carries out the mundane parts of the submersible commission. Taylor also builds a device capable of filtering gold out of seawater, which would grant her a secondary income source.
• Coil, in his non-Parahuman identity as Thomas Calvert, ensures that the PRT officer whose incompetence allowed the Undersiders to escape is punished, while he pieces together how the escape took place. Coil continues to plot.
• Dinah wakes up, recovered from her Thinker-induced headache, and asks Amphitrite for something to eat, which Salacia provides. Dinah is surprised to learn she has been asleep for thirty-five straight hours, caused by her over-stressing her power. Salacia informs her that Riptide intends to test her power, so they can convince Dinah's family that she's a Parahuman.
• Taylor finishes Dinah's test, which reveals that she would be considered a Thinker 8 at least, which is a very high power rating. However, this ensures that Dinah will be highly sought after by Parahumans on both sides of the law, and Dinah's power tells her that not even joining the Protectorate will ensure her safety. Taylor promises to keep her safe, and suggests designing a costume for Dinah to use in order to distract her.

Droplet 3.2

• Taylor builds a suit for Dinah. As Dinah explores its features, Taylor considers who was behind the kidnapping attempt, concluding that it is likely a Parahuman villain with a Thinker ability that is compatible with Dinah's own foresight. After getting a formula to cleanse a human body from the effects of drugs, Taylor asks what Dinah would want to have as a weapon.
• Dinah watches as Taylor Tinkers up a solution for her defense needs: a staff that can make her invisible, fire water bolts that can bind people and generate a shield, all powered with Taylor's Magic Bottles. Dinah goes to an empty hold to practice using the weapon.
• Roy Christner, Brockton Bay's mayor, attempts to calm down his sister Diana Alcott as he wonders why someone would try to kidnap his niece Dinah and ponders how long it will take before his city dies. Diana angrily leaves the room, slamming the door so hard that the plaster gets cracked. Roy requests to prepare a conference room for his upcoming meeting with Max Anders.

Droplet 3.3

• Taylor asks Dinah about her parents: her father wouldn't mind learning she's a Parahuman but would force her into the Wards, and her mother is firmly anti-Cape, which only supports her point that she's safer with Taylor. As such, she figures they need to meet the Mayor as soon as possible.
• Taylor also prepares her home for any potential eventuality, from connecting her water-powered generator to shields protecting the entrances and windows.
• Two days later, Riptide and Augury travel to City Hall to meet with the Mayor - with the Protectorate distracted by a fight between the Empire 88 and the Merchants, it's a good opportunity to do so without interference.
• Upon arrival, two blatantly bigoted guards threaten to shoot Riptide and Augury just because they're Capes. Riptide uses her shield to stop all shots before she and Augury quickly force them to surrender. The two of them walk up to the office and enter.

Droplet 3.4

• As Riptide and Mayor Christner greet each other, the former activates a device to jam all electronic bugs in the room, finding several of them in the process. That's when Dinah unmasks herself to her uncle's relief.
• When the Mayor asks why she didn't come sooner, Riptide explains the circumstances of Dinah's kidnapping and the fact that she's a Parahuman, as well as how Dinah's power is predicting she won't be safe unless she stays with Riptide.
• After Riptide calls Christner out on his apparent apathy, the Mayor admits it, saying that the city is too far gone to be saved.
• Riptide gives Christner several documents regarding Dinah's kidnapping, asking him to keep them in a safe place - the PRT, being full of moles as it is, isn't exactly the best place to keep things confidential.
• After Riptide and Dinah leave, Christner reflects on the issues he discussed with the heroine and welcomes Armsmaster to his office.