28.x (Interlude)

28.x (Interlude): Study, Analysis - A Parahuman Web Novel Summary

The Simurgh, a precognitive entity, meticulously analyzes her targets, their histories, and potential futures. She identifies “fulcrum points”—crises, themes, decisions, fears, and aspirations—to understand and predict their actions. By manipulating situations and inducing stress, she triggers hallucinations and exploits the resulting fight-or-flight response. Her power extends to people, machines, and elements, allowing her to orchestrate events with precision, like a series of billiard balls finding their pockets.

She faces a unique obstacle: an entity she cannot perceive directly, but only through its effects on the surrounding environment. To overcome this, she must gather information and resources while remaining unmolested. The Simurgh communicates with her siblings, the other Endbringers, using subtle manipulations of water and temporal anomalies, ensuring their cooperation and obedience.

She crafts a specialized glass tube, a component of a larger weapon, concealing it from observers. The Simurgh then sings, and Taylor, still awake, asks what she is doing. The song is adjusted to induce rest, and the Simurgh uses her powers to influence Taylor’s dreams, setting the stage for further manipulation.

The narrative shifts to a future city, a metropolis spanning a whole planet. Self-sufficiency is prized, but war rages in other parts of the world. A golden light appears, causing destruction—Scion.

The focus then shifts to Chevalier, recovering in a hospital room after a battle. Ingenue, a parahuman with the power to manipulate emotions and create an “army”, visits him, revealing she has removed her tracker and wants to help. She had read up on Chevalier, and mimicked a prior conversation he had had word for word. Chevalier, aware of her manipulative nature, agrees to let her assist, but sets boundaries. He refuses immediate healing, prioritizing others and staying grounded in reality.

A gathering of Protectorate and Wards members takes place in Chevalier’s hospital room, a mix of familiar and new faces. They share drinks and stories, a blend of humor and mourning. Legend arrives, and he and Chevalier step out for a private conversation. They discuss leadership and the difficult decisions made. Chevalier reveals the final step in their plan, involving a severed wing of the Simurgh and a leg of Behemoth. He asks Legend to be his second-in-command.

The scene shifts to Doctor Mother, regaining her senses after using a combination of powers to gain extensive knowledge. She realizes she has been blindsided by a group of deviants, parahumans experimented on by Cauldron. They have captured Contessa and are seeking answers and revenge. Doctor Mother offers tea, but the deviants, led by Weld, demand an explanation for their suffering. A faction within the group wants violence, while Weld advocates for a more measured approach.

Doctor Mother warns that attacking her will hinder their efforts against Scion, but the deviants are willing to accept the end of the world if it means getting justice. Doormaker is killed, and a fight ensues between the deviants and Weld’s group, who try to protect Doctor Mother. Despite the grim situation, she feels a flicker of hope, a sense of having something to lose.