15.z (Bonus Interlude #3; Alexandria)

Worm, Interlude 15.z (Alexandria) Summary

August 20th, 1986: Rebecca Costa-Brown, a young girl ravaged by cancer, is dying in a Los Angeles hospital. She hates the fake smiles and pitying looks from her family and the hospital staff. She pretends to be asleep when her mother visits, unable to face the lies and the false hope. Her mother, unaware, laments Rebecca’s bravery, unwittingly confirming her daughter’s suspicions of her impending death. Rebecca cries, not for the loss of life, but for the trivial things she’ll never experience.

A mysterious doctor and a silent teenage girl appear in her room. The doctor, a researcher, offers Rebecca a chance to become a superhero, part of a risky experiment that has produced monstrous failures. Only one in seven subjects survives without severe physical changes. However, a modified formula could potentially heal Rebecca’s cancer. Rebecca, already feeling like a monster, accepts without hesitation, seeing it as a chance to live, even if it means becoming a monster herself.

August 21st, 1986: The experiment is a success. Rebecca is healed and empowered, her body restored and her mind sharper than ever. She discovers she can fly and possesses superhuman strength. The Doctor, planning to continue her experiments, invites Rebecca to join her as a bodyguard, promising a two-year trial period. Rebecca, now something more than human, agrees, leaving her old life behind.

May 1st, 1988: Two years later, Rebecca, now known as Alexandria, meets with the Doctor, Legend, Hero, Eidolon, and others. The Doctor introduces her as one of her most successful creations, boasting of Alexandria’s strength, speed, and enhanced cognitive abilities. Legend questions her dark costume, but Alexandria defends it as practical and effective.

Alexandria proposes a plan to the gathered heroes: unite, regulate, and work with the government to control the growing parahuman population. She argues that trigger events produce more villains than heroes and that, without intervention, society will be overrun. The Doctor supports her, revealing her own limitations in producing heroes and the projected explosion of the parahuman population.

Alexandria outlines her plan: the group will become the public face of government-regulated superhero teams, attracting others to join and creating a system to incorporate parahumans into society. She proposes an eight-stage integration plan and suggests that her civilian identity will eventually lead the government’s superhero initiatives, ensuring their interests are protected. The heroes are skeptical but agree to consider the proposal.

The Doctor then reveals Doormaker, a parahuman with the ability to create portals to other dimensions, and her plan to relocate her operations to another Earth. She hands out booklets detailing Alexandria’s plan and sends the heroes home. Alone with the Doctor, Alexandria learns of their long-term goals, which are not yet shared with the others. The Doctor asks if Alexandria will return to her family after her two-year commitment ends. Alexandria hesitates, realizing her memories of home are tainted with despair, while the Doctor offers hope.

December 13th, 1992: The Protectorate and the Mythics face a new threat: the Behemoth, an enormous, powerful creature. The Behemoth effortlessly kills Kaveh, a member of the Mythics, and proves immune to their attacks. Alexandria realizes the Behemoth is a dynakinetic, able to manipulate energy, making him incredibly dangerous. The heroes struggle to contain him, aware that nearby oil fields could make the situation catastrophic.

January 18th, 1993: Alexandria, Eidolon, and Legend are sworn in as the founding members of the Protectorate, a government-sanctioned superhero team. Alexandria reflects on the sacrifices made to reach this point.

September 15th, 2000: The Protectorate corners the Siberian, a seemingly invincible villain, in a hotel room. They discover she has brutally murdered a victim. Siberian easily defeats Alexandria, tearing off her visor and part of her face. Legend contains her with foam, but not before she kills Hero. They discover Siberian’s true identity: William Manton, a former colleague, driven mad by his experiments on his daughter. The Doctor suggests leaving Manton free to encourage Protectorate recruitment, but Alexandria vehemently rejects the idea.

April 10th, 2008: Alexandria, in a war-torn country, rescues a dying young man and brings him to Cauldron’s testing facility. She administers a formula, saving his life but subjecting him to a painful transformation. She tells him he’s okay, that he’s alive, forcing a reassuring smile.

June 18th, 2011: Eidolon warns the Doctor and Alexandria about an impending apocalypse, using his powers to reveal hidden truths. He expresses concern about his waning powers, jeopardizing his ability to help in the end-of-the-world scenario. The Doctor reassures him, while Alexandria notes Legend’s growing suspicion of their lies. They discuss the failure of the Protectorate to address the fundamental problems and the importance of Coil’s success for their plans. Everything now rests on his shoulders, unknowingly to him. The situation is dire, and their carefully laid plans are crumbling in the face of an uncertain future.