19.7

Worm, Chapter 19.7 Summary:

Echidna continued to be attacked, the lack of teamwork amongst the heroes apparent. Skitter, to prevent accidents, marked the frozen threads with a thick cluster of bugs. Clockblocker, though looking worse for wear, was in fighting shape and asked if Skitter needed help. She declined, explaining the danger and the difficulty of using his power in the current situation.

Clockblocker questioned why Skitter hadn’t told him her plan, suspecting she distrusted him. Skitter admitted to wanting to avoid any tells that Eidolon might notice, unsure herself of the exact reason. She acknowledged the heroes’ shared suspicion, a sentiment amplified by the recent revelations.

Eidolon dispatched an Alexandria-clone with a green energy blast. Echidna released more clones, quickly neutralized by the heroes. Clockblocker pressed Skitter about her knowledge of his powers, suggesting the Undersiders knew more than they let on. Tattletale exited a van, accompanied by Faultline, Labyrinth, and four Travelers: Sundancer, Ballistic, Genesis, and a blond boy.

Clockblocker teased Skitter, adopting a high-society persona, earning a glare from a nearby cape, Astrologer. He was coping, Skitter realized, letting his guard down—a sign of trust, perhaps, given his uncertain future. Another energy blast signaled the end of the second Alexandria-clone. Legend and Eidolon descended, cautious.

Tattletale approached Skitter, confirming the thread-slicing was Skitter’s doing. She warned Skitter about the dramatic sacrifice, its impact on Grue, who relied on her. Clockblocker, overhearing, offered to leave, ready to help if needed.

Alexandria, carrying a scorched girder, strode forward, swinging it at Echidna, knocking her into a building. She impaled Echidna with the girder, then flew up to join Legend and Eidolon. The gesture seemed symbolic, a message perhaps.

Echidna, though pinned, was healing faster than they could inflict damage. The heroes were disorganized, tiring, and burning resources. Tattletale mentioned needing Sundancer’s help, and that Scrub was on his way to open a dimensional portal. Labyrinth began creating a structure, aided by Faultline, to facilitate Scrub’s power.

Tattletale explained they’d trust luck and an educated guess to reach the right dimension, a plan Skitter found unsettling. Skitter questioned Tattletale’s recent recklessness, her provoking the Triumvirate, the costly use of Faultline’s crew. Tattletale, evasive, claimed it was her way of operating.

Weld freed two more capes from Echidna, leaving five trapped. Tattletale led Skitter away from the fight, guiding capes with her bugs. She admitted to feeling aimless after Coil’s defeat, suggesting Skitter had found focus through talking to the heroes, while she hadn’t.

Tattletale dismissed the idea of needing therapy, stating she was part of Skitter’s problem, part of what she needed to work through. She hinted at secrets, including her trigger event, but wanted to postpone the discussion until after they’d dealt with Echidna and the portal.

They reached the van, Labyrinth’s structure growing. Scrub, with Gregor the Snail, Newter, Shamrock, and Spitfire, looked worse for wear, possibly pulled from another job. Faultline expressed doubts but acknowledged the urgency, demanding an explanation.

Tattletale instructed Labyrinth to clear the area. Faultline led Labyrinth away as Skitter confronted Tattletale again about her certainty. Tattletale revealed a theory about powers, suggesting many were more versatile than their owners realized.

Scrub detonated an explosion, creating a white void where the structure had been, a doorway. Alexandria confronted them, demanding they close it. Tattletale refused, suggesting it could be used to trap Echidna or something even more useful, involving Labyrinth.

A cape warned Alexandria, referencing Eidolon-clone’s words. Alexandria asserted her authority as Chief Director, but the cape dismissed it. Tattletale taunted her, stating her authority was meaningless if unaccepted. Alexandria threatened Tattletale, who proposed using the portal to dispose of Echidna or for Labyrinth to work with.

Labyrinth confirmed the portal’s depth, revealing multiple worlds. Tattletale directed her to find a “path” that felt well-trodden, close to the surface. Labyrinth found two. Echidna attacked the barrier. Alexandria reacted to Labyrinth’s words, a detail Skitter noticed.

Labyrinth presented two worlds: a pre-settlement Brockton Bay and another, intact version of the city. Tattletale identified the latter as Earth Aleph, the Travelers’ world. Alexandria warned of interdimensional war, but Tattletale dismissed it as a zero-sum game, suggesting the portal could save Brockton Bay from being scrapped.

Some capes listened, intrigued. Alexandria accused Tattletale of recklessness. “Traitor!” someone shouted. Alexandria, searching for the insulter, was joined by more capes. Faultline agreed with Alexandria’s concerns, suggesting a safer alternative.

Tattletale countered, revealing Eidolon-clone’s confession about Cauldron’s crimes: kidnapping, experimentation, their connection to the Nine. Faultline, though skeptical, acknowledged it might be true but remained concerned about the portal’s risks.

Chevalier intervened, prioritizing Echidna’s removal. Tattletale asked the Travelers if they wanted to go home. Sundancer refused, citing her changed self and the impossibility of returning to her old life. Tattletale urged her to kill Noelle and then go home, pretending it never happened. Sundancer was hesitant, calling Noelle her friend. Skitter corrected her: “was.”

Sundancer, after confirming no one remained inside Echidna (a lie by Skitter), began to create a miniature sun. Capes retreated as Sundancer grew the sun, melting ice and forcing Echidna against her prison. Alexandria helped hold Echidna in place.

“Marissa!” Echidna screamed, “Mars! It’s too soon! I want to kill them! Kill this world! Destroy this universe that did this to me! Not yet, Mars!”

The sun engulfed Echidna, Alexandria, and the prison. After nearly a minute, it vanished. Echidna was gone, only charred remnants of her feet remaining. Alexandria survived, badly burned, her costume mostly destroyed.

Sundancer, removing her costume, walked into the portal, confused, then disappeared. The other Travelers followed, Ballistic confirming Trickster’s imprisonment. Faultline asked if Labyrinth could close the portal. Labyrinth said no, but could find a world without people.

Tattletale suggested it could be even more useful, making Brockton Bay a hub for interdimensional travel. Faultline, still wary, agreed to find an empty world, not for Tattletale, but to protect a defenseless world from an Endbringer.

Weld, with the red-skinned boy and Gully, approached Faultline’s crew. Their conversation was unheard, but it was clear the “monsters” couldn’t stay with the Protectorate. Faultline was a known quantity, a protector of the Cauldron-made.

Alexandria, covered by Eidolon with her cape, declared that nobody could know about the clones. A cape scoffed, questioning her right to demand secrecy. Alexandria, unfazed, admitted their actions were ugly but done for the right reasons. Someone spat in her face; she didn’t react. She warned that revealing the truth about clones would shatter the Protectorate’s image, turning the world against them.

Miss Militia questioned the Protectorate’s involvement with Cauldron. Alexandria insisted it had to stand, for the sake of the world. She offered to resign, and suggested Eidolon would do the same. Legend, she claimed, only knew the basics about Cauldron. Miss Militia accused Legend of lying, of being untrustworthy. Alexandria acknowledged this but said Legend’s actions were his own.

A cape demanded justice, a trial. Alexandria warned it would lead to scrutiny of all capes, dissolving teams, and likely their defeat in the next Endbringer attacks. Capes murmured angrily. Miss Militia asked about the captives from other worlds. Alexandria claimed they’d stopped experimenting, a statement Tattletale didn’t dispute.

Alexandria asserted their necessity, for fighting Class-S threats and for maintaining the image of heroism. She trusted their reason would prevail over pursuing them, which wouldn’t be worth it. She claimed Cauldron was now out of everyone’s reach.

Skitter, feeling numb, stepped forward, her swarm buzzing, silencing the angry voices. “She’s right,” she said, her voice amplified by her swarm. She urged caution, advising against rash decisions, suggesting team discussions and a unanimous decision from leaders.

A cape, Jouster, questioned her, pointing out she wasn’t PRT and wouldn’t face the same consequences. Skitter conceded, thanking them and departing on Atlas.

Later, on her balcony, Skitter reflected. Kids from her territory distributed treats she’d ordered. She’d return home soon, but her territory felt more peaceful.

Tattletale joined her. She revealed she owned the land with the portal, through Coil’s alias. The heroes were still talking when she left. Tattletale then spoke of her brother, Reggie, nicknamed Rex, a popular athlete, her opposite. They were estranged, their interactions forced.

She noticed him struggling, faking smiles, growing angry. He eventually took his own life. Her family blamed her for not speaking up, though they were grieving. She had her trigger event, gaining powers, figuring things out, but suffering migraines. Her father exploited her power, leading her to run away.

Coil found her, then she found Skitter, recognizing a similar darkness in her. Helping Skitter was a way to atone for failing her brother. After Skitter killed Coil, Tattletale felt finished, having saved Skitter from a similar trap. Her recklessness was a subconscious upping of the stakes, a need to prove herself the smartest person in the room.

Skitter asked if she felt like the smartest. Tattletale envisioned a future with interdimensional trade, with them at the top. They hugged. Skitter crumpled the papers in her hands, their contents unrevealed.