23.x (Interlude; Number Thirty-Six)

Worm, Chapter 23.x Summary:

Lightning dances across New Delhi, defying the rules of electricity, scorching the earth. The Yàngbǎn, a group of Chinese parahumans, react with practiced reflexes, their forcefields absorbing the energy. Cody, known as Thirty-Six, is among them, a foreigner integrated into their ranks. Their mission: to demonstrate their strength and offer a solution to the Endbringer threat.

They move with a combination of shallow flight and electromagnetism, navigating through the burning city. Cody feels the rush of being part of a unit, a feeling amplified by the power augmentation shared among them. Yet, he remains isolated, struggling with the language and the subtle punishments for his mispronunciation. The Yàngbǎn are a tight-knit crowd, yet Cody is utterly alone within it.

They encounter a collapsed building, a barrier of fire and smoke in their path. Utilizing a combination of localized vacuums and cutting lasers, they clear the way, demonstrating their seamless coordination. Each member has a fraction of each other’s power, magnified by their proximity, a feedback loop that makes them formidable.

The heat and smoke intensify as they move further into the city. Cody feels his skin prickling, the mask filtering the smoke but not the heat. Behemoth’s strategy seems to be to spread the destruction, creating fires where buildings are closely packed.

They encounter a projectile of magma, demonstrating their ability to deal with abstract threats. They cool the magma with nullification waves and shatter the hardened shell. Each action is a validation of their intense drills, a payoff for the grueling training they undergo.

Cody is aware of the indoctrination, the targeted isolation, the exhaustion meant to make them more amenable to suggestion. He’d always told himself he wouldn’t be a victim, but the crushing social pressure and exhaustion have taken their toll. He craves acceptance, even from this group he hates.

Behemoth’s shockwaves clear the smoke, revealing the monster’s rampage. The Yàngbǎn retreat, realizing he’s spreading irradiated material across the city. Thirty-Two, one of the few English-speaking members, explains their strategy to Cody.

They encounter a group of Western villains, mounted on mutants. Cody recognizes Accord, the man who traded him to the Yàngbǎn. Anger flares within him, a refreshing and unexpected feeling. Thirty-Two calls him back, and they continue their retreat.

They pass injured civilians and heroes, but don’t stop. Their mission is to fight Behemoth, to support the C.U.I. They reach a flattened building where dead and dying Indian capes lie. Three orders them to teleport the injured away using the forty-second path, teleportation. Cody obeys, still stewing with anger.

They reach the makeshift command center, where Chevalier greets them. The Yàngbǎn propose to borrow the powers of willing heroes, teleporting them to safety and returning them after the fight. Chevalier refuses, fearing the potential for conflict if something goes wrong.

Accord arrives with a girl in lavender, Tattletale. Cody feels a surge of hatred for the man who enslaved him. He twitches with a need for revenge.

The Yàngbǎn leave to join the fight, acquiring three new powers from the teleported heroes. Cody sees through surfaces but feels disappointed. He wants an opportunity, a way to make things right.

He holds back as the Yàngbǎn engage Behemoth, teleporting back to the command center. He attacks Chevalier, using his time-reversal power to gain an advantage, eventually cutting through the hero’s armor. He kills Accord, then turns to Tattletale.

She tries to reason with him, offering to help him escape the Yàngbǎn. Cody is unmoved, filled with despair and a sense of futility. He thinks of Thirty-Two and Noelle, his first love and betrayer. He kills Tattletale, feeling nothing but emptiness.

He decides to save Thirty-Two, teleporting her away from the battlefield. He returns to the fight, ready to face the Yàngbǎn, even if it means his death. Tattletale, barely alive, performs a tracheotomy on herself with a pen, a desperate act of survival. She stares at the bodies of Chevalier and Accord, unable to do anything but click her tongue in frustration.