14.y (Bonus Interlude; Legend)

Worm, Chapter 14.y (Bonus Interlude; Legend) Summary

Legend, a prominent hero, converses with Kid Win, a young Ward, as the latter compresses data for him. He praises Kid Win’s public speaking skills, referencing a past incident where he defused a heckling situation with humor. Kid Win, surprised by the praise, reveals he modeled himself after the deceased hero, Hero, a pioneer tinker. Legend reassures him, suggesting Hero would be flattered, and discusses Hero’s possible specialization in manipulating wavelengths.

Kid Win shares his struggles in finding his own tinkering specialization, initially trying to emulate Hero but now leaning towards modular, adaptable gear. Legend encourages this, highlighting the value of Kid Win’s struggles in understanding and helping future teammates.

After Kid Win finishes his task, Legend departs, reflecting on his relationship with his husband, Arthur, before heading to a crucial meeting. He flies over the Atlantic to an oil rig, where a portal to a hidden facility appears.

Inside, he meets with the Doctor, Alexandria, Eidolon, the Number Man, and an unnamed woman. He reveals that Jack Slash and possibly other members of the Slaughterhouse Nine escaped Brockton Bay. He then drops a bombshell: a precog in Brockton Bay predicts the world’s end in two years, with Jack Slash as a catalyst, potentially causing the deaths of 33-96% of the population.

The Number Man calculates the devastating aftermath of such an event, suggesting a 72% global death toll, with further decline over subsequent decades. Eidolon proposes taking preventative measures, but Alexandria suggests the precog’s vision might already account for their actions. The Doctor reminds them that the Endbringers already posed an existential threat, making these measures vital regardless.

Legend shifts the conversation to the Siberian, revealing he saw the man controlling the projection and that the man had Cauldron’s mark. This contradicts their understanding of William Manton, the presumed controller of Siberian. Legend accuses the Doctor of lying about Manton’s activities and questions who is truly conducting human experiments while using Cauldron’s mark.

The Doctor denies involvement, and Alexandria, using her kinesics training, vouches for her honesty. Legend apologizes, but the mystery of Manton, the experiments, and the impending apocalypse remains.

After the meeting, Legend returns to New York but heads to his office instead of home. He isolates his computer and connects a device from Kid Win to listen to a recording of the meeting. The device identifies lies in the conversation, revealing that the Doctor lied about human experimentation and Manton, and Alexandria lied about the Doctor’s honesty. Even Eidolon’s statement about his powers not helping is flagged as a lie.

The chapter ends with Legend realizing that Cauldron, the organization that gave him his powers and that he has supported, is involved in unethical human experimentation. He recalls the dying words of Battery, a hero who bought her powers from Cauldron and was asked to help Siberian and Shatterbird escape. She died from a toxin engineered by Bonesaw, begging Legend to find the truth. Legend is left with the horrifying realization that the people he trusted most have been lying to him, and the organization he defended is deeply corrupt.