21.x (Bonus Interlude #1; Number Man)

Worm, Chapter 21.x (Bonus Interlude #1; Number Man) Summary:

The Number Man, a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man, manipulates vast sums of money through a touchscreen, understanding that money’s power lies in collective belief. He reflects on societal constructs like fashion, seeing them as shared delusions that people cling to, enforced by power dynamics. His office, located in a complex on another Earth, is plain, adorned only with images of the Golden Mean and Dali’s Corpus Hypercubus.

He analyzes data from Earth Bet, monitoring groups like the Elite and Gesellschaft. The Elite are expanding too slowly to counter the predicted end of the world, while Gesellschaft is planning a small war, potentially involving nuclear terrorism. Since Gesellschaft hasn’t sought his services, the Number Man sabotages their plans by manipulating their bank accounts, effectively disrupting their arms deal.

He dismisses other minor issues like the C.U.I.’s parahuman purchases and Tattletale’s distancing herself from him. He understands numbers, and through them, everything. A silent alarm alerts him to an intruder, his companion, the Custodian, guiding him through the complex. He realizes the threat isn’t an external invader, but an escapee from within Cauldron’s research facility.

He navigates through the facility, passing cells holding test subjects, including key staff members like Doormaker and a clairvoyant. Reaching the fourth basement level, he confronts the escapee, experiment three-zero-one-six, a man with missing body parts who can manifest powerful attacks.

Using his power to perceive and calculate every detail around him, the Number Man evades the attacks, closing the distance. He recognizes the stages of his opponent’s fear: Deimos (terror) and Phobos (mindless panic). He forces the escapee into a corner, offering him a choice between returning to his cell or a painful death.

Three-zero-one-six, who calls himself Reyner, reveals he’s going mad and longs for his family. The Number Man explains that Reyner died and this is a “purgatory,” a place between life and death. He claims their experiments will help save Reyner’s family from a future threat. Reyner, defeated, admits he can’t return to his cell. The Number Man confirms there was never a chance of escape.

Later, the Number Man meets with the Doctor. They discuss the increasing escape attempts and the need for a new approach. The Doctor suggests stopping damage control and letting the truth about Cauldron be revealed, accepting the loss of control. She also proposes increasing the volatility of their power-granting formulas, accepting a higher rate of deviations in exchange for potentially stronger powers.

The Doctor wants to use the Number Man in the field, a role he hasn’t played in years. He agrees, understanding the necessity. They discuss using him to find the Slaughterhouse Nine, but the Doctor has other plans, considering the Number Man’s absence from behind-the-scenes operations a necessary risk.

The Number Man prepares to return to the field, retrieving his old costume and knife. He reflects on his past, particularly his relationship with Jack Slash. In 1987, he and Jack, then known as Jacob, killed King, a powerful cape. Jack proposed they embrace their newfound power and create a reputation, but the Number Man, then called Harbinger, chose a different path, though he agreed to “play” along.

The Number Man considers Jack his “other number,” his inverse. He believes Jack might be unknowingly drawing on his agent, granting him an uncanny ability to survive and kill. He wonders if this suggests something about the agents’ motives. He muses on the nature of friendship and family, seeing them as constructs, delusions. Yet, he feels a connection to Jack, a shared beginning. He is the Number Man, a killer who seeks to save lives through understanding the very fabric of reality, while Jack is a killer, plain and simple, who he suspects has a deeper connection to the forces that grant powers than anyone realizes.