History Recap / Worm

One donation interlude: The Number Man.

With the dust settled from Coil's downfall, Taylor accepts her position as de facto crime lord of Brockton Bay. Meanwhile, Tattletale's portal has attracted new elements to the city, and the confrontation at Arcadia High demands a response. First order of business: strike back, hard, before anyone mistakes Skitter for someone to fuck with.

Closing interlude: Accord.

Taylor goes to high school for the last time.

Closing interlude: Emma Barnes.

Closing interlude follows the newly-christened Echidna.

* Faultline follows the trail of clues about Cauldron into a Simurgh quarantine zone... and into mortal danger.

* Crusader helps reach a turning point in the Pure's ongoing effort to force Theo's trigger event.

* Faultline.

The Undersiders successfully enlist the help of the Protectorate and Wards for the first time, even receiving out-of-town reinforcements to help against Noelle. It's still far from a comfortable alliance.

The Slaughterhouse Nine are gone, but now Taylor is convinced that Coil has no intention of releasing Dinah. The Undersiders agree to back her up when she's ready to move against him. In the meantime, he orders her, Trickster, and Genesis to deliver a message to the mayor. Intimidating a public official at dinner with his family would be uncomfortable enough, but Tattletale also gets a strong impression that Coil intends for Skitter to be killed in action. And then the Protectorate shows up...

The origin of the Travelers- all seven of them. We learn how they met, how they got their powers, the nature of their common goal, and why they came to Brockton Bay.

Donation interlude: Aisha pays a "visit" to her mother before attempting a raid on the Nine.

Closing interlude follows the Wards and other heroes who defended the bank in the immediate aftermath, and introduces PRT Director Piggot.

Initial "apology" interlude introduces us to Purity, the estranged wife of Kaiser, leader of Empire Eighty-Eight. We see her family situation and watch her agree to rejoin Kaiser's organization.

Closing interlude follows Brutus as Bitch takes him on a walk, which becomes eventful when her destination turns out to be a dogfighting arena.

Closing interlude follows Canary, a parahuman who chose not to be a hero or a villain, as she's transported to the Birdcage alongside Lung and Bakuda. We learn more about Canary's alleged criminal offense and the decision to imprison her, and the nature of the most effective parahuman prison.

Closing interlude follows Miss Militia. We see her memories of her trigger event and her childhood and adolescence, and watch from her perspective as Dragon and Armsmaster conclude that an Endbringer attack on Brockton Bay is imminent.

Closing interlude follows Regent as he methodically disassembles Shadow Stalker's out-of-costume life as revenge for what she did to Taylor.

Donation interlude spotlights Dragon, including revealing her origin. She monitors the Birdcage, reveals Panacea's birth identity, and develops a theory about Skitter's secret identity.

* Jack Slash, disappointed by his visit with Oni Lee, pays a visit to Purity's apartment.
** Theo Anders, Kaiser's son, is given a deadline by Jack Slash: kill Jack within two years, or Jack and the Nine will kill a thousand people in Theo's name, ending with Theo and his baby sister.
* Burnscar utterly fails to reconnect with Labyrinth.

Closing interlude centers on Jack Slash as he considers Tattletale's offer. Meanwhile he and the Nine destroy the Merchants' leadership and scatter their followers.

Donation interlude follows Aisha, first "visiting" her mother, then attempting a raid on the Nine.

Closing interlude follows Director Piggot as she plans an attack on the Nine, hoping to capitalize on their losses so far.

The Protectorate's attack on the Nine is a success, eliminating Mannequin and Crawler- but prompts Bonesaw to activate her "penalty" for breaking the rules of the game, a bioweapon that destroys the ability to recognize other people. Severely hampered by the resulting isolation and paranoia, Taylor manages to contact Panacea and get her to release a cure, but in the meantime, Jack learns of Dinah's prophecy. Intrigued by the future it promises, he and his remaining teammates leave Brockton Bay with one new recruit- after a quick stop to punish Cherish's planned betrayal with a fate worse than death.

Closing interlude follows Taylor's employee Sierra on the evening that Taylor returns from the campaign against the Nine.

Donation interlude follows Legend through a meeting with the top tier of the Protectorate regarding what he's learned about the Siberian.

The Slaughterhouse Nine are gone, but now Taylor is convinced that Coil has no intention of releasing Dinah. The Undersiders agree to back her up when she's ready to move against him. In the meantime, he orders her, Trickster, and Genesis to deliver a message to the mayor. Intimidating a public official at dinner with his family would be uncomfortable enough, but Tattletale also gets a strong impression that Coil intends for Skitter to be killed in action. And then the Protectorate show up...

Closing interlude follows Triumph, a member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate. After the encounter with the allied villains at the mayor's house, the local heroes are divided on what measures are appropriate to deal with the current situation, until Dragon and a new partner going by Defiant offer a new option.

The Travelers and Undersiders are on track to have the city under control by Coil's deadline-- until seven of Dragon's suits descend on the city with orders to capture them. Coil volunteers the use of his assembled resources to deal with the problem, and offers additional incentives including a promise to honor the condition Taylor proposed. Now all she has to do is make sure the two teams come out victorious against seven times the firepower ever deployed by the best tinker in the world...

* Marquis.

* Defiant.

The Protectorate's attack on the Nine is a success, eliminating Mannequin and Crawler- but prompts Bonesaw to activate her "penalty" for breaking the rules of the game, a bioweapon that destroys the ability to recognize other people. Severely hampered by the resulting isolation and paranoia, Taylor manages to contact Panacea and get her to release a cure, but in the meantime, Jack learns of Dinah's prophecy. Intrigued by the future it promises, he and his remaining teammates leave Brockton Bay after one stop to punish Cherish's planned betrayal with a fate worse than death.

The Slaughterhouse Nine are gone, but Taylor is convinced that Coil has no intention of freeing Dinah. The Undersiders agree to back her up when she's ready to move against him. In the meantime, he orders her, Trickster, and Genesis to deliver a message to the mayor. Intimidating a public official at dinner with his family would be uncomfortable enough, but Tattletale also gets a strong impression that Coil intends for Skitter to be killed in action. And then the Protectorate show up...

Interlude follows the Wards and other heroes who defended the bank in the immediate aftermath, and introduces PRT Director Piggot.

First interlude introduces us to Purity, the estranged wife of Kaiser, leader of Empire Eighty-Eight. We see her family situation and watch her agree to rejoin Kaiser's organization.

Second interlude follows Brutus as Bitch takes him on a walk, which becomes eventful when her destination turns out to be a dogfighting arena.

Interlude follows Gregor the Snail, a cape with a nonhuman appearance who works with Faultline. We see a day in the off-duty life of a mercenary cape and learn more about the phenomenon the Protectorate calls the Case 53s.

Interlude follows Canary, a parahuman who chose not to be a hero or a villain, as she's transported to the Birdcage alongside Lung and Bakuda. We learn more about Canary's alleged criminal offense and the decision to imprison her, and the nature of the most effective parahuman prison.

Interlude follows Miss Militia. We see her memories of her trigger event and her childhood and adolescence, and watch from her perspective as Dragon and Armsmaster conclude that an Endbringer attack on Brockton Bay is imminent.

The Undersiders capture Shadow Stalker.

First interlude follows Regent as he methodically disassembles Shadow Stalker's out-of-costume life as revenge for what she did to Taylor.

Second interlude spotlights Dragon, including revealing her origin. She monitors the Birdcage, reveals Panacea's birth identity, and develops a theory about Skitter's secret identity.

Taylor claims a territory and begins to establish infrastructure, providing food, shelter, protection, and supplies to the people of her section of the city. Sneaking into a Merchants gathering with Tattletale and four of Coil's mercenaries to retrieve a missing person earns her her first two employees: Sierra, whose brother was taken in by the Merchants, and Charlotte, an abductee they encountered and rescued. Faultline's Crew disrupts the gathering and retrieves a prize of their own: a briefcase with the same symbol as the Case 53s, containing canisters purported to give the user superpowers.

Charlotte recognizes Taylor from high school.

The first interlude centers on Jack Slash as he considers Tattletale's offer. Meanwhile he and the Nine destroy the Merchants' leadership and scatter their followers.

The second interlude recaps the history up to this point of Battery, a local hero who bought her powers from Cauldron, and her encounters with Madcap, the supercriminal that she was determined to capture.

First interlude follows Aisha, first "visiting" her mother, then attempting a raid on the Nine.

Second interlude follows Director Piggot as she plans an attack on the Nine, hoping to capitalize on their losses so far.

First interlude follows Taylor's employee Sierra on the evening that Taylor returns from the campaign against the Nine.

Second interlude follows Legend through a meeting with the top tier of the Protectorate regarding what he's learned about the Siberian.

Three donation interludes.

** Panacea violates her policy against affecting the brain, and runs away from home.

The cape factions of the city meet to discuss the Nine. Mostly ejected from the general meeting by Hookwolf's manipulations, the Undersiders and Travelers strategize in private. After the meeting, they encounter half of the current Nine, who introduce Regent and Bitch to the testing process and announce Shatterbird's usual citywide attack. Tattletale is wounded after revealing Cherish's plan to subvert the Nine, but entices Jack to a deal- if the tests end with more than half the candidates surviving, the Nine take the first volunteer and leave town.

The second interlude recaps the history up to this point of Battery, a local hero who bought her powers from Cauldron, and her encounters with the powered criminal that she was determined to capture.

The Siberian presents Bitch with a gift.
Jack Slash, disappointed by his visit with Oni Lee, pays a visit to Purity's apartment. (Theo Anders, Kaiser's son, is given a deadline by Jack Slash: kill Jack within two years, or Jack and the Nine will kill a thousand people in Theo's name, ending with Theo and his baby sister.)
Burnscar utterly fails to reconnect with Labyrinth.
Mannequin draws a comparison between himself and Armsmaster. (Dragon decides to share her secret with Armsmaster.)
Shatterbird offers an invitation to Hookwolf.
Crawler attempts to contact Noelle of the Travelers. (Dinah Alcott overextends her precognition to save herself and Coil's other employees.)
Cherish draws her estranged brother, Regent, into the Nine's initiation trials out of spite.
Bonesaw attempts to bring out a kindred spirit in Panacea. (Panacea violates her policy against affecting the brain, and runs away from home.)

The Slaughterhouse Nine are in town, and they're recruiting.

Eight interludes cover the Nine's visits to certain parahumans, mostly their chosen recruits. The Siberian presents Bitch with a gift. Jack Slash considers Oni Lee, and then pays a visit to Purity's apartment. Burnscar utterly fails at a friendly reunion with Labyrinth. Mannequin draws a comparison between himself and Armsmaster. Shatterbird offers an invitation to Hookwolf. Crawler fails to reach Noelle of the Travelers. Cherish draws her estranged brother, Regent, into the Nine's initiation trials. Bonesaw attempts to bring out a kindred spirit in Panacea.

Theo Anders, Kaiser's son, is given a deadline by Jack Slash: kill Jack within two years, or Jack and the Nine will kill a thousand people in Theo's name, ending with Theo and his baby sister.

Dragon decides to share her secret with Armsmaster.

Dinah Alcott overextends her precognition to save herself and Coil's other employees.

Panacea runs away from home.

Taylor joins the Undersiders, intending to collect information on them and then turn them in to the Protectorate.

The villains and mercenary capes of Brockton Bay meet to address the problem of the ABB's sudden sustained offensive. They split into interwoven teams to attack and dismantle key ABB operations. Taylor meets several capes from different criminal factions, and encounters Lung for the second time.

Taylor's decision at the end of Arc 8 remains unclear. A series of interludes focuses on the Wards of Brockton Bay in the week following Leviathan, including two new members brought in from other locations. The Slaughterhouse Nine are revealed to be in town.

Taylor and the Undersiders execute a daring heist on PRT headquarters, going up against the Wards to steal classified data. The team has a new member. Regent reveals his new power. Taylor's relationship with her teammates has changed following the end of Arc 8.

The story begins late on a Friday morning in Mr. Gladly's World Issues class on the day that he introduces the subject of [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals parahumans]]. The protagonist, Taylor Hebert, has been looking forward to the class for the whole semester, but struggles to pay attention, noting that Mr. Gladly (or "Mr. G", as he asks his students to call him) is her least favorite teacher.

Lung proceeds to decimate her swarm with his fire powers, eventually simply setting himself on fire in order to kill any bugs that try to approach him. Realizing that she was unable to do anything else against him, and that his gang was scattered enough to disrupt his operation, she begins to retreat towards the fire escape when Lung's instant reaction to her stepping on the gravel roof reveals he has superhuman hearing. He then proceeds to jump most of the way to the top of the building and climb the rest. Taylor quickly checks through the items in the storage compartment in her armor and pulls out a tube of pepper spray her father gave her, as the best she can find that might still affect him. It does, but when she tries to run he is still able to blast her with a gout of flame before she can reach it. She finds herself trapped on the roof and out of options, just waiting for him to heal enough to be able to spot her in the darkness, when a massive animal jumps onto the roof from a nearby rooftop and slams into Lung. The animal and Lung end up in a fight on street level as two others arrive, each bearing two people in costumes -- two male and two female, all high school age.

She remains on the roof as Armsmaster -- the leader of Brockton Bay's Protectorate team -- arrives on a motorcycle and uses his Halberd to quickly reach the roof. He yells a challenge to Taylor, who informs him that she is an (aspiring) hero; which (to her surprise) he believes. When she expresses her surprise that she was not killed by Lung, he reminds her of the Wards (the junior version of the Protectorate); in order to avoid having to discuss her reluctance to join said organization, she asks about Lung (whom Armsmaster had found unconscious, tranquilized, and restrained in a cage), and gives him a full briefing on the fight. Armsmaster then reveals to Taylor that the teenage villains had proved infuriatingly evasive, with both Regent and Tattletale being completely unknown entities.

He then asks Taylor whether she wants credit for helping take down Lung. He warns her that taking credit would be dangerous, as other members of the organization (including Bakuda, whom he informs her was a [[GadgeteerGenius tinker]] specializing in bombs who was recently recruited) would then target her; he advises that she either join the Wards for protection or keep her involvement in the capture of Lung secret. She realizes that the latter gives Armsmaster the opportunity to take the credit himself, but not wanting to join the Wards, reluctantly opts for it anyway. Armsmaster praises her for it, and tells her to call the PHQ if she ever needs help before departing.

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[[AC:Interlude 1 (following Danny Hebert)]]