13.10

Worm, Arc 13, Chapter 10 Summary

Skitter woke up at dusk in Brian’s headquarters, exhausted after escaping the Nine. She found herself unable to sleep, burdened by worries about Dinah, Coil, and especially Brian. Checking her surroundings with her swarm, she sensed Brian’s altered darkness and decided to check on him in person.

Brian, awake on the couch, invited Skitter to join him. An awkward conversation ensued, with Skitter unsure how to approach him. Brian revealed his power had changed, now affecting other capes’ abilities more significantly. He demonstrated how he could tap into these powers, healing the team using Othala’s and Crawler’s abilities. He also created a strange duplicate of himself, but couldn’t explain its origin, only that it felt different from borrowing Genesis’s power.

Skitter, forgetting to remove her contacts, complained about her sore eyes. After removing them, she noticed the change in Brian’s appearance, making him seem less tense. She asked Brian if he’d slept, he said he didn’t need or want to. She recalls him getting onto her for not sleeping enough before. They fell into an awkward silence, the conversation turning to their shared past, mostly centered around their cape lives.

Brian then confronted Skitter, accusing her of being reckless and manipulative, always pushing for dangerous plans that made the team dependent on her. Skitter, hurt and angry, defended herself, claiming she had valid reasons for her actions. She even offered to leave the team, believing she was causing everyone misery.

Brian backtracked, explaining his fear and insecurity despite his increased power. He confessed to thinking about Skitter during his trigger event, admitting respect for her but also worry and frustration over her recklessness. He apologized for his earlier outburst, attributing it to stress and fear. He asks Skitter to stay with him, because he doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts.

Skitter, needing a break, went to the kitchen to make tea. She contacted Cranston, a woman assigned by Coil, requesting new glasses and asking her to relay a message to the Protectorate, informing them about Burnscar’s death, Bonesaw’s injury, and an opportunity to strike the weakened Nine.

Returning to Brian, they sat together in comfortable silence, watching TV. Despite their shared feelings and vulnerabilities, Skitter couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment, wishing their connection hadn’t emerged from such a dark and difficult situation.