17.7

Worm, Chapter 17.7 Summary

Noelle’s agonizing screams fill the hospital room as Krouse, having just given her half a vial of the strange formula, yanks out her IV and blocks the door with a chair. He’s on edge, anxious, waiting for her transformation to complete, just as his own had some time ago. A jarring vision of a barren, smaller-than-Earth planet with crystalline figures momentarily overtakes him, a sensation he recognizes as a replay, connected to Noelle’s experience.

A uniformed man bursts in, and a violent struggle ensues. Krouse, using his newfound power to teleport objects by swapping their positions, manages to disarm and subdue the officer after a brutal fight. He realizes he’s thinking about his power all wrong – it’s about mass, not shape. He envisions that the Simurgh used this method to move buildings and relocate them to another world. Noelle continues to scream, her transformation taking longer than his own. Krouse finds himself in another vision, this one of two vast, luminous entities intertwining, creating countless others in a cosmic detonation, but forces himself to focus, recognizing it as a sympathetic reaction to Noelle’s power.

After subduing the officer, Krouse drags the unconscious body to further barricade the door. He sees, hears, and feels another vision, finding himself plummeting through the atmosphere of the desolate, lifeless Earth he saw earlier. “How much more, Noelle?” he asks, as she finally stops screaming, exhausted but seemingly healed.

Noelle confirms she feels better, her pain gone. She only got half a dose, so any powers might be weak or non-existent, possibly used up in the healing process. Krouse retrieves the half-empty vial, ready to leave. Noelle describes a strange “fizzing” sensation on her skin, which intensifies when she touches things. He suggests experimenting with it later, as their priority is escape.

Through the window, Krouse sees a gathering of police, rescue personnel, and capes, including Myrddin and his team. He quickly realizes a direct confrontation is a losing proposition. Myrddin, a hero with the ability to manipulate dimensions, shatters the window and enters the room. Krouse tries to stall, using the injured officer as a hostage, but Myrddin banishes the man with a wave of his staff. He reveals that there is two of them, Noelle and Krouse, in one body.

Anomaly, a cape with a black, gravity-distorting sphere, joins the fray. Krouse swaps Noelle with the lantern-bearing cape, causing both to fall outside, buying them a moment. Myrddin unleashes a concussive blast of light, but Krouse sees an opportunity – a newly arrived police car. He swaps Noelle and then himself with people in the crowd, then swaps again with the officers in the car, allowing them to drive away.

They abandon the car and walk back to the house where their friends are waiting. Marissa greets Noelle with relief, but Noelle stops her from hugging, something is wrong. Luke confronts Krouse, angry that he gave Noelle the formula, defying their agreement. Krouse argues that the Simurgh forced his hand and that he chose the lesser of two evils.

Cody appears, revealing he, too, took a vial, the one labeled “Vestige.” He demonstrates his power – a localized time reversal, effectively countering Krouse’s teleportation. He gleefully attacks Krouse, repeatedly reversing time to inflict the same injuries over and over. The others intervene, trying to stop the fight.

Noelle explains to Marissa that she knows a little about their being stuck in another world, they plan on leaving the boys to argue, and Noelle says she is hungry. As they are leaving, Krouse asks the others what is this about stuff. Cody stops using his power on Krouse, to complain about everyone catering to Krouse, and that he should have to deal with consequences for his actions. Luke argues that Cody is making things harder, and is not being a team player. Cody says it is not the same, and Krouse throws him into a bookcase, then keeps throwing Cody as soon as he resets himself. Cody stops using his power after Krouse tells him that the power works against Cody if used to protect himself from an opponent who knows how it works, and he can just keep using the same strategy.

Cody says that he doesn’t have to put Krouse in the same place, he can set him up in a position to hurt him. Jess pleads for them to stop, and Krouse says that since priority number one, saving Noelle, is done, they need to focus on getting home. Krouse says that if Cody wants to establish dominance by kicking Krouse’s ass, that will be counterproductive to getting home. Krouse threatens Cody, saying that he will do whatever it takes to get everyone home, and that the only way he knows how to shut down Cody’s power is by killing him. Cody’s demeanor changes, recognizing Krouse’s resolve.

Krouse asks about the “stuff” Luke mentioned earlier. While Krouse and Noelle were gone, the others gathered supplies, cash, and even a wheelchair for Jess from the abandoned stores in the quarantine zone. Luke also bought cigarettes for Krouse, despite feeling he didn’t deserve them. Krouse is relieved, believing they have what they need to escape and survive.

They discuss using the remaining vials. Luke, despite the risks, advocates for it, suggesting powers could help them earn money and hire someone to get them home. He also points out that it could level the playing field and prevent further conflict. Jess is hesitant, worried about the danger and the difficulty of finding a “tinker” who can create a way home. Luke reminds Jess that the powers might heal her legs, and Jess shows the first sign of interest.

Krouse says that the Simurgh’s plan centers around him, and that she manipulated them all to get him to act, and now he is like a guided missile. Krouse says that maybe he should stay in this world after he gets them home, so he can’t cause any damage. Luke says that there is no way the Simurgh could have planned this far ahead, and for him to be a ticking time bomb in their world. They agree to distribute the remaining three and a half vials, with Oliver volunteering for the half dose, feeling he’s not exceptional in any way but wanting to help. Luke chooses “Robin,” hoping for flight, Jess takes “Deus,” and Marissa gets “Prince.” They decide to administer the doses one at a time, to manage any potential side effects.

Later, they’re driving away from Madison, the city now feeling strangely like a twisted version of home. Cody is in the lead car, a concession Krouse is willing to make for now. The others took their doses: Jess can walk and fly, but only through her projections, her real body remains unchanged; Marissa can create flickers of light; Luke can turn anything he touches into a projectile, but it’s a purely destructive power with limited versatility. Oliver, who took the half-dose, shows no changes, but experienced severe after-effects.

They stop at a rest stop, and Oliver rushes to the bathroom. Krouse steps out for a cigarette. Marissa emerges, pale and frightened. She leads him to the women’s bathroom, where Noelle has collapsed, surrounded by the others. A gruesome, pulsating, eye-like growth has appeared on her thigh, a horrifying side effect of the formula. The eye, a grotesque mockery of life, stares accusingly at Krouse. Noelle, ashamed and terrified, begs him not to look. The chapter ends with the image of the monstrous eye, a stark reminder of the terrible price of their choices.