17.8

Worm, Chapter 17.8 Summary

Trickster stands at an open window, smoking, overlooking the Boston skyline. He reflects on the subtle differences in this world, the sturdier buildings and larger windows, a world that is both awesome and extreme, a world he finds “sublime” in its extremes. He misses home, but it feels further away each day.

He’s summoned to meet Accord, a supervillain who looks more like a CEO, with an ornate mask being his only concession to the supervillain aesthetic. Trickster has taken care to clean himself up, a ritual when entering a new city. He meets with the local villains, gathers information, and moves on. Accord is not the most influential figure in Boston, which is why Trickster has approached him. He’s been briefed on Accord’s meticulous nature and his need for order.

Trickster offers his hand, which Accord shakes. He’s observing formalities, seeking permission to operate in Accord’s territory. He proposes to pay an upfront fee of ten thousand dollars and a fourteen percent share of their take, an offer meant to flatter Accord. He justifies the higher percentage by noting the longer stay and the weaker hero presence in Accord’s territory.

Accord agrees but counters with a demand for fifteen thousand dollars and a fifteen percent share. He maintains the peace in his territory, and the Travelers’ activities will cost him. He then makes an alternate offer: he wants Trickster’s team to steal specific items from a rival tinker named Blasto. In exchange, Accord will waive the fee for entering his territory and reduce his share to ten percent. He also offers a bonus for destroying any of Blasto’s projects, computers, or blueprints, explaining that tinkers are bothersome, especially “wet” tinkers who build upon past projects and research, getting better and faster. Accord will provide custom-made costumes for the team, a task that appeals to his power-enhanced understanding of groupthink and design. Trickster agrees, noting that only four of them need costumes, as one can make her own. Accord already knows about Noelle, a fact that unsettles Trickster.

Sundancer bursts in, interrupting the meeting, much to Accord’s displeasure. She claims it’s an emergency, but Trickster tells her to wait outside. Accord is furious at the intrusion, and Trickster promises to make amends. Accord reveals he is a simple person who likes order, and Sundancer’s intrusion has disrupted that.

Accord rescinds his earlier generosity, demanding fifteen thousand dollars within twenty-four hours and the favor without recompense. He then states that Sundancer must die for her transgression. Trickster, trying to avoid a fight, argues that Sundancer is an “agent of order” and suggests she prove it. Accord gives him ten minutes.

Trickster rushes out, giving Sundancer his phone and taking hers. He explains the situation and instructs her to perform a perfect ballet routine for Accord within the time limit, apologize, and leave. If anything goes wrong, she should set the place on fire and escape. He then calls Oliver, who reveals that Cody touched Noelle three times.

Trickster, moving through the crowd by swapping places with people, finds a mutated and enraged Cody, now Perdition, attacking civilians. Perdition is stronger now, able to reset people back in time without needing to see them. Trickster tries to distract him, but Perdition can still track him with his power, forcing short time jumps. Perdition is close, and Trickster’s options are dwindling. He swaps himself with a woman Perdition had thrown into a wall, draws his gun, and empties the clip into Perdition’s head and chest. He then commandeers a car from a bystander.

Back at their hideout, Oliver helps Krouse carry the body inside. They find two more of Perdition’s bodies, each differently mutated. Ballistic confirms that Noelle is upset and needs calming. They discuss the damage, with at least three dead, but it’s not as bad as a previous incident. They resolve to prevent this from happening again.

Krouse, needing a smoke, steps outside. Marissa joins him, revealing that Accord wasn’t satisfied with her apology but acknowledged she was trying. Accord wants to see Krouse tonight and expects him to bring the “real culprit,” Cody. Krouse explains that they need a scapegoat and that Cody tried to enrage or kill Noelle. Marissa is horrified at the idea of giving Cody to Accord, but Krouse argues that Cody doesn’t care about their pact and that innocent people died because of him. He proposes a team consensus.

Marissa, tasked with a food run for Noelle, complains about the strange looks she gets buying large quantities of meat. Krouse suggests a cover story. Marissa also delivers a phone number from Accord, someone trying to contact Krouse.

Krouse calls the number. The person on the other end offers the Travelers a long-term job, claiming to know their circumstances and offering a solution. He knows about their origins, their encounter with Myrddin, and promises that the case won’t be pursued further. He offers them money, a way home through a contact who can create doorways between worlds, and a potential solution for Noelle, though he can’t guarantee it. He leads with a “second-best offer,” promising to close with the best one: hope. The person he just hired can see the future, and there’s a way to help Noelle, with low but maximizable chances.

Krouse, excited, tells Noelle about the offer. He explains that the Simurgh has a weakness: she can’t see the future around those immune to powers, like Scion, or when other precogs interfere. The new employer has a power that messes with precogs, and his precog employee can help circumvent the Simurgh’s influence.

Noelle, from the waist up, is still herself. Below, she’s a massive, ever-growing creature with multiple limbs, heads, and textures. She’s tried to kill herself, but nothing works. She fears becoming an Endbringer, but Krouse is hopeful. He believes this is their best chance.

On a beach, an injured Krouse wakes up. He finds Jess staring at the ocean and Sundancer unconscious nearby. He sees a bloodstain where a body was dragged away. He knows who it was, remembers the scene before he was knocked out, and realizes someone is dead.