14.10

Worm, Arc 14.10 Summary

Arcadia High, once a prestigious school, now stands decrepit and unsettling, surrounded by faint tendrils of colored mist. Skitter, reciting the names and roles of Panacea, Jack Slash, and Bonesaw, believes this is where she’ll find them. The school is on a hill, relatively safe from the miasma, and the mechanical spiders have lost her trail.

Unable to use her phone due to lack of signal, Skitter contemplates how to signal for help without risking a bomb attack that could kill Panacea, who is crucial for curing the miasma’s effects. She carefully enters the school, using her bugs to map the layout and detect traps, finding areas where her bugs instantly die, marking potential locations of the Nine.

Skitter overhears a conversation between Panacea, Jack Slash, and Bonesaw. Jack discusses Marquis, Panacea’s father, and his unyielding adherence to his rules, suggesting that Panacea’s own rules are her weakness. He reveals that Marquis likely didn’t kill Allfather’s daughter, contradicting the story that led to Panacea discovering her parentage.

Jack manipulates Panacea, exploiting her guilt and desire for a carefree life, offering her a place among the Nine. He proposes a deal: if Panacea agrees to abandon her rules, the Nine will surrender. Skitter, preparing to intervene, realizes an opportunity when she hears someone step on broken glass.

She bursts into the music room, aiming at Jack, but the recoil throws off her aim. Jack is unharmed, protected by subdermal mesh, and Bonesaw escapes. Panacea tries to attack Jack but hesitates when he lashes out. Skitter, feeling a jolt of emotional paralysis, watches as Glory Girl’s living cocoon smashes through the wall, chasing Bonesaw.

Jack reveals that Bonesaw’s smoke protects them from diseases, including Panacea’s altered microbes. Panacea urges Skitter to kill Jack, even if it means her own death. Skitter, however, hesitates, unwilling to kill a bystander.

Jack taunts Skitter, suggesting her guilt drives her, much like Panacea. He attempts to distract her, but Skitter uses her bugs and silk cords to prepare an ambush. Jack, however, leaps through the door’s window, avoiding the trap and attacking Skitter.

A brutal fight ensues, with Jack’s skill and dual knives overwhelming Skitter. She takes numerous cuts, desperately trying to defend herself. Panacea heals Skitter’s wounds but reveals she can’t cure the brain damage caused by the miasma, as it would mean breaking her rules, which she considers worse than death.

Skitter pleads with Panacea, emphasizing the potential consequences of not acting. Panacea relents, explaining she can create a counter-agent to the miasma’s effects, but it will take time and she can’t reverse severe brain damage without direct intervention. Skitter, relieved to regain her memories, learns that the counter-agent will spread through bodily fluids, eventually neutralizing the miasma.

Panacea reveals that Glory Girl’s cocoon is made from animals, not humans, and that she’s working to ensure Glory Girl’s recovery. Skitter, anxious to stop Jack, is finally cleared to leave. She takes to the air with Atlas, finding Glory Girl searching for Bonesaw.

Skitter realizes that Bonesaw has used the mechanical spiders to spread the bug-killing smoke, creating multiple trails and effectively escaping. Skitter’s attempt to follow a trail leads her to a dead end, confirming that the Nine have used a tactic similar to Grue’s darkness to mislead her. She’s lost them, and her ability to track them is severely hampered.