23.1

Worm, Chapter 23.1 Summary:

Taylor Hebert, formerly known as Skitter and now going by Weaver, is serving time in a medium-security prison. Defiant arrives to grant her temporary leave, assuring her it’s not a permanent release. They discuss the challenges of leadership and the sacrifices involved, drawing parallels between Taylor’s imprisonment and Defiant’s “retirement.”

Taylor is assigned to a close-security wing in a medium-security prison, a compromise reached due to her dangerousness and the PRT’s request for leniency. The warden warns Taylor about the prison’s no-tolerance policy on powers and expresses concern about Taylor’s control over the prison’s insect population. Taylor explains her power is always on, and she’s been trying to manage the bugs to avoid discomfort.

Defiant reveals that Taylor’s membership in the Wards is confirmed, but the specifics are still being decided. She’s to meet with several team leaders who will evaluate her for placement. The best-case scenario is joining a team in the thick of action, while the worst is being relegated to a low-risk assignment.

Taylor, in her Weaver costume, meets with the team leaders and captains of various Wards teams, including Prism, Rime, Revel, Dispatch, Jouster, Vantage, Tecton, Hoyden, and Clockblocker. She also meets Glenn Chambers, PRT head of Image, and Mrs. Yamada.

Dispatch suggests a field exercise to assess Taylor’s abilities, proposing they target a group of villains called the Adepts. Despite her reservations about her inadequate equipment and the change in rules, Taylor agrees.

The team discusses the Adepts, a group of “wizards” led by a time traveler named Epoch. They’re organized into tiers, with members competing for higher positions. The team infiltrates one of the Adepts’ properties, where they encounter three capes: Felix Swoop, Paddock, and a yet-unnamed male.

Jouster leads the attack, using his lance to deliver various energy-based attacks. Clockblocker freezes Paddock, while Vantage and Hoyden engage the other two capes. Taylor uses her bugs for reconnaissance and to hamper the enemies, but she feels sidelined as the others quickly subdue the Adepts.

A fourth Adept, Thirteenth Hour, arrives and uses her power to slow down time for the heroes, incapacitating them. Taylor’s bugs, acting on their own, begin to bind the Adepts with silk. Taylor manages to wake herself by triggering her gag reflex with a cockroach, then does the same to Tecton, who shakes the building, waking the others and dispelling Thirteenth Hour’s power.

Hoyden fights off Swoop’s flaming birds, while Taylor uses her taser to incapacitate the remaining Adepts. Jouster wakes Vantage and Clockblocker, and they prepare to assist their reinforcements who are fighting the Adepts’ reinforcements outside.

Defiant informs Taylor that she may have won over some doubters, but Rime was unhappy with her attitude. Taylor returns to prison, injured but having proven herself to some extent. She begins eliminating the prison’s insect population using a bug zapper provided by the warden, while contemplating the challenges of adapting to her new role as a Ward and finding her place within the team.