Prologue: Prelude to Power
-Amatsu-
"Fifteen minutes," Taylor Hebert, the one and future savior of mankind called out, "We won't be here any longer than that. Stay put, stay quiet, we'll be gone before fifteen minutes are up. You'll be free to give your statement to the police and then go about your day as usual. This isn't a TV show, this isn't a movie. If you're thinking about being a hero, don't. You'll only get yourself or someone else hurt."
I rolled my eyes, seeing how hard she was trying to act brave, when I could literally hear her heart hammering in her chest.
Taylor Hebert—Skitter, Weaver, Khepri—the girl who would one day rise to heights even she couldn't yet imagine. But right now? Right now she was just a scared, desperate girl with too much on her shoulders and no clue how to handle it.
Should she deal with her bullies now that she had had powers? She didn't know. Should she tell her father about her identity? She didn't know.
It was almost pitiful, watching her struggle, almost, after all, who told her to make foolish choices, especially in a world like Earth Bet?
"If you are thinking about running, making a phone call or getting in our way, this is a good reason to reconsider. This little creature and her one hundred sisters that I just brought into this room are under my complete control."
"She's a black widow spider. A single bite has been known to kill a full grown human, or put them into a coma. You move, talk, try to find or kill the spiders I just put on your bodies, in your clothes, in your hair? I'll know in a split second, and I'll tell them to bite you several times."
Though she isn't the only one who has problems, I stare at the glass, taking in the reflection of a face both familiar and alien. It reminds me of a certain Quirk stealing villain. Crimson eyes gaze back at me, framed by a cascade of silk-white hair that flows down my back. My previous flat body was replaced with a figure full of curves and contours.
"Hm~ This will take a while to get used to." I mutter softly, my voice—a smooth, melodious tone that feels foreign and strange in my ears.
Who could have guessed that switching genders did this to you?
I turn my focus back to the Undersiders, who were completely oblivious to my presence, a power of mine, Blindspot, prohibiting them - and the civilians - from looking, aiming, or touching me.
I can't help but smile amusedly as I see a teenager with freckles and brown curls glaring at the Queen of Escalation.
The Strongest Biokinetic in the world, no, in Worm.
Amy -Panacea- Dallon, a person who is as disappointing as Taylor, if not more.
Her very existence goes against the philosophy I live by;
Fear does not stop death, it stops life.
Why fear what the sheep thinks when she's a wolf? I know it's a Shadow Stalker-ish way to think, but in this case, it is the truth.
What is PRT going to do? Arrest her? Bah! All she would need to do is remind them who's saving lives during Endbringer attacks, and they'll have no choice but to fold.
Then again, this is Earth Bet we're talking about—a dustball filled with as many idiots as there are smart people. And worst of all, it has people like...Piggot.
Anyway, now that the stage is set, it's time I stop bashing on angsty teens and make my move.
First comes Shaper.
XXX
-Taylor Hebert (Bug)-
Taylor was having mixed feelings as she watched herteam take down one Ward after another.
On one hand, she was happy that she wouldn't be captured, but on the other, she was scared.
Would Armaster think that she fully turned villain now that she committed a crime, and threatened to kill civilians?
No! She had told him she was going undercover. She even informed him about today's operation, which was why more heroes showed up than Lisa had anticipated—something Taylor hoped Lisa wouldn't realize was due to her tipping them off.
"—!" She quickly dropped, seeing a flash bang in Aegis' hand, but the expected flash of light didn't come.
Taylor moved to see what happened, only to stumble back to the ground, and her connection to her bugs glitching.
She didn't have a chance to even figure out what happened, before everything went dark, only hearing a feminine voice whose words would come to haunt her in the following days.
"Shadow Stalker—Sophia, will get her due too, rest well, little worm."
XXX
-Thomas Calvert (Coil)-
"Well done, and don't forget to make some turns before returning." Hearing his subordinates' affirmation, Coil ends the call, pleased that the mission was completed smoothly.
Everything was proceeding according to plan. With his new pet securely under his thumb, it was only a matter of time before Brockton Bay bent to his will.
Ring Ring!
"Ah, Tattletale, I take it the mission is complete?" Thomas asked, his voice calm, betraying none of the excitement he felt, even if he knew that Tattletale would probably notice it with her power.
[Tattletale is currently indisposed.] An unknown, female voice purred on the other end, the words dripping with an elegant disdain that instantly put Coil on edge.
It reminded him of a certain fedora lady.
[I recommend that you don't—actually, use your power, I'm rather curious about whether it works on me or not.]
The supervillain froze at her words, and out of instinct, he used his power, and—
Nothing.
In both timelines, the result was the same: the phone was silent, dead air on the other end. No voice, no mocking tone.
Nothing.
[So? I take it that it didn't work? To be honest, I would be surprised if it did, I had to risk encountering Contessa just to make sure your power wouldn't affect me.]
What? Did he hear that rig-
[You did.] Thomas straightened in his seat, instantly realising that this was a woman who understood power and control—both how to wield and how to project it.
His grip tightened around the armrest of the chair, he was at a disadvantage—a precarious one that threatened to unravel years of meticulous planning. Not just a setback, but a potential catastrophe that could topple everything he had built.
"What do you want?" He demanded, abandoning any pretense of cordiality against this…devil that more than likely knew his civilian identity, while also being a higher rating Thinker than him
[Dinah.] The smugness in her voice as she demanded his pet made Thomas' stomach churn with rage, but before he could give a reply, she continued, [No need to lose your marbles, I only need to ask her a question.]
The PRT consultant would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a surge of relief at her words, "Just a question?"
[Tell your men to come to the Trainyard, and I'll ask my question there.] The woman didn't even answer his question, ordering him before she hung up.
"Bitch!" In a fit of anger, Coil threw the flower pot on the corner of his table.
CRACK!
The outburst did little to ease the fury building inside him. Whoever this woman was, she had managed to outmaneuver him—him, Thomas Calvert, the man with a plan for every contingency.
"I need more information," Coil murmured, as he - much to his annoyance - replayed the previous conversation, noting the lack of a name, and…Contessa.
What were the chances that this lady was part of Cauldron?
"No, if that was the case, she wouldn't try to avoid-" He paused, as realization of what the woman said finally sank in.
Risking an encounter with Contessa.
"A blindspot?" Thomas said aloud, a chill of fear running down his spine.
This…This was above his pay grade, buthe, as always, had a plan.
"Door Me-" Coil didn't have the chance to finish his words as a portal appeared in the corner of his office.
Out of the portal stepped a woman. Pale-skinned, with black hair that hovered somewhere between wavy and curly, worn a little longer than shoulder-length.
She was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, complete with a white dress shirt and a black tie, all topped off with a fedora.
The supervillain's heart skipped a beat.
It was the boogeylady herself, Contessa.
"I-" He was interrupted before he could speak, again.
"Tell me about the anomaly." This was not part of the plan.
+++
A/N: Another Worm snippet…what can I say other than, unlike Coil, it's all part of the plan. Also I only read Worm up to the part where Coil starts chasing down Taylor, before taking a break. Cause reading Taylor is suffering, so my knowledge is from fanfics and fandom diving.
Spider-Man CYOA:
World: Worm +2 Pts
AU Changes: Kaiju +2 Pts, Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man
You:
Alignment: Villain
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Height: Tall
Body: Fit
Archetype: Aristocratic/Feminine
Insertion:
Era: Undersiders Bank Robbery
Method: Drop-In
Location: Brockton Bay
Situation: Captured +1 Pts
Drawbacks: Bad Press +2 Pts, Crime +2 Pts, Uncanny (Case-53) +2 Pts, Challengers +1 Pts +1 Bronze, Heavy Eater +2 Pts, Governmental Attention +2 Pts
Super-suit: Tailored (Suit) Free, Domino Mask Free, Exotic Material (Self-Power Negation) Free, Thermal Protection Free, Bulletproof Fiber Free, Shroud Wardrobe -5 Coins
Gear: Muramasa Blade Free, POD Free, Ghost Bot (Fused with POD)Free, Motorcycle Free, Hoverbike Free
Base: Warehouse; Basic Amenities Free, Luxury Free, Dorms Free
Talents: Stunt Driver Free, Martial Arts Free, Armed Combat Free, Stealth -1 Pts, Parkour -1 Pts, Medical -1 Pts
Powers:
Source: Innate (Unsuppressed/Unremovable)
Bronze Powers (17): Drain, Redundancy, Healing Factor, Pain Tolerance, Peak Physique, Primal, Danger Sense, Vigor, Mental Clarity, Kinetic Dampening, Pheromones, Hyper Reflex, Hyper Vision, Auditory, Awareness, Olfaction, Auditory Frequency
Silver Powers (6): Spider Sense -1 Pts Teleport -1 Pts, Blindspot - 1 Pts, Jumper -2 Pts, Empower -1 Pts, Tweak -1 Pts
Gold Powers: Power Thief, Time Stop -1 pts
Boons: Power Protection -1 Pts, Mind Shield -1 Pts, Fortunes Favour -1 Pts, Heightened Potential -1 Pts, DNA Lock -1 Pts, Power Training -1 Pts, Martial Mastery -1 Pts, Armed Combat Mastery -1 Pts, Sharp Wit -1 Pts, Iron Will -1 Pts, Adaptive Power -1 Pts, Template (Shredder) -1 Pts, Arcane -1 Pts, Prodigy (Medical, Stealth, Parkour), Charisma -1 Pts