21.7

Worm, Chapter 21.7 Summary:

The room was dark, dusty, illuminated only by needle-thin rays of light. Taylor made her way to a C-shaped desk, following Tattletale’s instructions from a text message. She carefully typed a password into the nearest keyboard, and a series of beeps echoed through the room. Turning on the monitor, she illuminated half the room, revealing Tattletale’s costume and a heavy metal door leading to her bedroom.

Adjusting a dimmer switch, Taylor could now see the details of the bulletin boards, color-coded by subject and interconnected with threads. The boards on the left, labeled ‘Cauldron’, were filled with images of capes, organized into categories like ‘unconfirmed’, ‘likely’, and ‘confirmed’. The ‘confirmed’ section listed Eidolon, Alexandria, and Legend. Another board detailed ‘confirmed trigger’ capes and ‘Case 53’, each with a brief description of their trigger event and a reference number.

Yarn connected the ‘Cauldron’ board to a ‘PRT’ board, a whiteboard with magnets and index cards. A black yarn linked Alexandria to the recently retired Chief Director, while yellow yarn connected to notes about PRT funds. The whiteboard was filled with questions and musings about Cauldron’s involvement with the PRT.

Moving to red-themed boards, Taylor found information on potential threats in Brockton Bay: the Teeth, Red Handed, Heartbreaker, Lost Garden, Adepts, the Orchard, and The Fallen. Each was labeled with a code and a letter-number combination, which she found referenced in file folders on a bookshelf.

She examined the files on the Adepts and Lost Garden, noting their threat levels, crime rates, engagement levels, and activity levels. The Lost Garden file detailed their leader, Barrow, a powerful shaker similar to Labyrinth, and his collection of young parahumans.

Another blue-lettered whiteboard titled ‘Powers: Source’ was filled with questions and theories about the origin and nature of powers. Tattletale’s stream of consciousness explored the randomness of power distribution, the role of trigger events, and the differences between Cauldron-induced and typical triggers.

The last board, labeled ‘End of the World’, was mostly empty, except for Jack Slash’s picture and notes tracking his movements and interactions. An index card detailed Dinah’s limitations in predicting events involving power-immune capes, precogs, and certain thinkers, using these ‘stoppers’ to narrow down Jack’s possible locations.

Taylor sat at Tattletale’s desk, turning on the remaining monitors and televisions, each displaying news, business updates, and social media feeds. She logged into Parahumans Online, searching for information about herself, Skitter and Taylor Hebert.

Tattletale, Lisa, entered, wearing casual clothes but with her hair down, a mix of her cape and civilian identities. She recoiled from the light and sound, still recovering from her power overload. Taylor turned off the lights and screens, apologizing for not realizing the extent of Lisa’s condition.

Lisa insisted on staying, and Taylor helped her to her chair. They discussed Lisa’s setup, with Taylor suggesting it was too much for her to handle. Lisa explained that tackling everything at once helped her fill in the gaps in her understanding, like a massive game of Sudoku.

Taylor added a note about Accord buying powers from Cauldron to the board. After a period of silence, they acknowledged the reason for Taylor’s visit. Lisa expressed frustration at her inability to help, feeling scared and uncertain.

Taylor mentioned Rachel’s gratitude and expressed her own appreciation for Lisa’s help, despite the uncertain outcome. Lisa offered a weak “Give ’em hell” as advice. Taylor hugged her, a silent gesture of farewell, and left, remembering their rule of “no goodbyes.”

Outside, Taylor walked towards the PRT headquarters, feeling a mix of tension and calm. She entered the building, unnoticed among the crowd of employees and tourists. Standing in the lobby, she was eventually noticed by a PRT officer, who shouted “Villain!” and pointed his gun at her.

Civilians screamed and ran, while PRT officers surrounded Taylor, weapons drawn. Miss Militia and the Wards emerged, watching with concern. Taylor knelt, hands behind her head, and closed her eyes, seeking stillness amidst the chaos.

She thought about her team, her decision to cross a line, and Dinah’s words, “Cut ties.” Her eyes met Miss Militia’s, and she spoke, “I surrender.”