25.3

Worm, Chapter 25.3 Summary:

Weaver’s stuck on a stakeout, bored to death, even with five-minute check-ins from Grace. It’s all so incredibly dull, especially since she can’t even read or listen to music. She’s bundled up in her winter costume, watching a target across the street, part of a plan she pitched to the Director. She knows he wants her to fail, to have something to hold over her. Even visits from Wanton and Annex don’t break the monotony. Revel, who is working reduced hours, steps in, and things start moving. After discussions with the higher-ups, the mission is a go, with the rest of the Wards mobilizing.

Weaver sets her plan in motion, using her bugs to create chaos in the target’s apartment, a black market storehouse run by a villain named Topsy. The goal isn’t just to defeat him, but to break him, to make him an example. She disrupts their communications, sabotages their gear, and forces them to retreat. Annex and Cuff assist, with Tecton and Golem waiting in the wings. It’s a careful, calculated attack, designed to play on the villains’ psychology.

The villains try to escape in vehicles, but Cuff’s spiked chain disables two of the three trucks. Then things get complicated. One of the villains is Watch, a dangerous clairvoyant with short-ranged super speed and the ability to shred people from the inside out. A nasty piece of work. Weaver has to think fast, using her flight pack and quick thinking to keep Cuff safe as they’re attacked. She sends Cuff to stop Mockshow, another villain who animates objects, from getting the vehicles moving, while she deals with Watch and Topsy.

The mission is nearly derailed by the Director’s interference, but Weaver convinces Revel to let them continue. They’re up against not just the villains, but their own superiors. Topsy tries a desperate attack, flinging snow and cars with his gravity powers, but it’s a scattershot approach that buys them time to try and escape. They’re cut off by Tecton and Golem, who create barriers to block their path. It’s a battle of attrition, designed to wear them down.

The villains seek refuge in a restaurant, Wei Shu Wu, which is a front for a group affiliated with the Folk. Weaver, through Revel, contacts the restaurant, applying pressure and making it clear that it’s easier to cooperate with the heroes than to harbor the villains. It works, and Topsy, Watch, and Mockshow are forced back out into the cold. They make one last stand, but it’s futile. They’re tired, cold, and demoralized. Annex uses his powers to further chill the building they’re hiding in, and they finally surrender.

Weaver later talks to Mockshow in an interrogation room, using a swarm-clone to communicate. She explains that the rules are changing, that the world is on edge, preparing for the worst. She tells Mockshow that she’s on the wrong path, that neither the heroes nor the villains will have her back. She suggests joining the Wards or at least helping to save the world, but Mockshow is resistant.

Weaver gets into a tense conversation with the Director, who makes it clear that there’s no room for compromise between them, only a balance of power. He warns her that if she doesn’t play ball, he’ll punish the other Wards. Weaver, however, is determined to push forward, to make big moves and prepare for the end of the world, regardless of the obstacles. She convinces the Mayor and the police chief to back her plans for more operations, much to the Director’s displeasure. Weaver is ready to pick her battles, to use every bit of leverage she can get, to hit big targets in other cities, and to get as many people as possible on the right side of the coming conflict. She’s not just cleaning up Chicago; she’s preparing for something much bigger. The clock is ticking, and she intends to make every second count.