When she finished and stopped talking, Vicky simply looked at her for close to thirty seconds without saying anything at all. It was very impressive and rather unnerving. The insect-woman laughed. They looked at him, making him shrug. But it's still sort of weird and creepy." Whether she can succeed is another matter entirely. A Rogue or Independent, then. No. Assault stared at her. Itll do for the moment. The wings began to flap rapidly as she lifted off. Then, convulsively, he flung the pistol across the room and ran his hands over his face hard enough to hurt. Its more an unwinding story than anything that is likely to go anywhere, as its always good fun to throw a completely OP Taylor at the Wormverse. I should publish it, but Im afraid that most normal mathematicians would take one look at it and either ignore it or have an aneurysm. He looked around once more and when he looked back the moth was gone. "I can see where people might find it a little unusual. Fuck me, this is ridiculous, Assault mumbled, looking at the results so far. A series of thuds told her that her teammates had met the same fate. Fuck, its a trap, she yelled. That's as far as I got with this one. Before I settled on the story that ballooned hopelessly out of control into Taylor Varga I had a number of ideas for Worm stories, three of which I initially wrote one or more chapters of. Using a parahuman weapon in the process. Yes. I know she claimed not to be one, but the ability to understand Tinker-tech to any level rates at least a 3 to 4 rating. Dutifully Dragon added the classification. They were about to attack Panacea so you might like to give them a hard time. Thinker 10+? Does the name Taylor Hebert ring any bells? Assault asked with a certain amount of malicious amusement in his voice. Trap? Were going to have to tell the Director, of course. Yes, I think so. She hesitated. Welcome to Godkiller everyone! I can control them right down to the DNA, you see, not just the behavior. Posted since I came across it while sorting out files and thought some people might find it interesting for one reason or another. Oh, shit, she whimpered, looking around frantically for somewhere to hide. Together with a former serial killer doctor and a heroic organization whose morality is held together by duct tape they will need to find a way to save the world. Not to mention the other various problems I can see could arise from all that. How bad could it have been? he asked, curious to see what she came up with. Assault looked at his phone as it beeped at him, picking it up and seeing he had a text message. The words seemed to mean only what they said. Why were you she began. I could see it could have some uses for reconnaissance, that sort of thing, he ventured. Standing there for a moment he inspected it. Do you have any idea how many that would be, even at this time of year? He shook his head. It was definitely Taylor Hebert, Im afraid. Poor kid, the Director of the ENE PRT muttered. Id expect a Brute rating of some sort, Assault added. Yes. All four arms were wrapped around her, holding her in an unusual yet surprisingly comfortable way. She didn't say and I was a little preoccupied, so I forgot to ask. Queen of Blood is a crossover with Castlevania where Taylor becomes the new Goddess of Darkness. Inevitably, the walls lengthen, the bars thicken, the shackles tighten. I think Id like that. Ive got your number. Guess I'll have to wear the spare one tomorrow. Thats is that normal? Not even slightly. She shook her head a little, a puzzled expression on her face. Mosquitoes are a major food source for a lot of insectivores, which in turn are eaten by other things. It seemed impossible, shed seen the photos of what had been in that locker when the fire was finally put out and there was no way Hebert was still alive. Sorry. I can't change what was. This is pretty fun and lighthearted so far. Who the hell is Hive? she exploded. Hebert? Two of them had metal baseball bats and the other one had a machete. The sole survivor of the Hebert family sat in his chair for another ten minutes, before he quietly got up, retrieved the pistol, carefully unloaded it and locked it in his desk, then went downstairs and out the door of the Dockworkers Association building, locking it behind him. Taylor wakes to find a world abandoned. Thanks. Press J to jump to the feed. And while her passing devastated Taylor, she will do whatever she could to continue her mothers legacy, even if that means she has to discover it first. Ive found something a bit weird and I wanted to run it past you before I told anyone else, Dragon said from the monitor, the camera mounted on top whining very faintly as it repositioned itself under her control to look at what he was doing. Theyre not going to do anything now. Cautious and very suspicious, Amy didnt move. Yes, thanks. Pulling her head back she stifled the whimper she nearly made, wondering what they wanted. Whoever it was seemed to be leaning on an air conditioning unit fairly casually, looking out at the slowly rising sun over the Bay. Which is probably a good thing from your point of view. By the time the meeting ended some while later, Sophia was a nervous wreck. He had managed to get a Tinker-tech firebomb from somewhere and tried using it on the E88 gangers. She looked at him for a moment, then went back to watching the helicopter. Theyve all stopped dead, all at once. Both of them were silent for some time, just staring at each other. It would have been fairly quick, I believe, he added after a moment. Depending on the range and whether the insect senses could be used. Not much of a story where everything gets solved in a couple of days, right? That didnt normally end in anything but a big argument, which was just what her migraine needed. Good idea. What the hell is that? he muttered to himself. They all headed up the stairs, Lisa stopping dead in the doorway and looking around suspiciously. Eventually she moved, shaking her head slowly while still looking at her sister. Hmm. Nothing I can pin down, nothing I can locate specifically, but a lot of it. Theyve managed to somehow fix the problem without causing more than minimal environmental impact. Certainly not on a world-wide basis. Colin raised his eyes from where hed been staring at his hands, thinking, to look at his best friend again. Adding to that, there was just something about her which didn't quite fit that theory. The only witnesses other than the driver of the vehicle were the cockroaches scuttling around a discarded sandwich wrapper a few feet away. Hope Through Overwhelming Forepower (Gunbuster!Taylor) gives her that level of power, but it takes time to get there. Humans. This stopped him for a few seconds. I don't know, like she's been around for a long time. Muse is horrible so here is a dumping ground for whatever snippets it throws at me when i'm trying to write my ongoing fics. Personally Id put it as high as it goes. Dragon added this as well. "Taylor?" "It's you!" Taylor exclaimed. Im probably saner than almost anyone now. Turning to her rescuer, she studied her for a moment, then indicated the house. Shes not my problem any more. Im not interested in telling most people what to do, its very boring. Really, really badly. The sky was completely clear, after a cold mid-March night, with not a cloud to be seen. I share some memories with her from a long time ago, but I'm not really her. Strictly speaking, I didn't. Taylor is the avatar of a Greater Being. That said, without specifically looking for it hed probably never notice. I do. In her case, it was the "vision" that followed. A few minutes later they arrived at their destination, Hives wings changing pitch a little as she descended. What rains you bring Another Diebuster cross, but less escalation, incomplete IIRC. It didn't work, it just made things worse. None of these conclusions, except for the second one, made her feel in any way better. Approaching, Amy squinted at the insect, finding the dimly lit environment annoying. Why were you near a dumpster? Vicky asked, looking puzzled. Incomplete, and I haven't read it in a while, but I remember it being quite good. Anyway, I need something to eat. Taylor knew she didn't have long and tried to write the shortest thing that would point at Sophia. You sure youre OK, Lisa? Brian asked as she spun on the spot, looking for what was making the sound. Rile is a pretty sensible guy; he knows not to mess with the powerhouse and just try to get through the day as he can. Dont worry, Im not going to cause any problems for you guys unless you cause problems for me, she eventually said, turning and walking back towards the edge of the roof. I don't think so, but I'll get back to you on that. He looked up at her. And we have no idea how fast she can fly. Armsmaster looked thoughtful as he inspected the monitor next to the one showing Dragons avatar on which she was summarizing the results of the discussion. Dawn of Worm Taylor is a Primarch from an AU version of Warhammer 40k, complete. Somehow rolling to her feet she kept going, all the while hoping someone would help her. I'd recommend skipping over the chapter from the 'Emperor's' perspective, it delves too much into the AU 40k which isn't great and he's grating. Hive isnt just a name, its a description, the insect woman commented as she stared. A very, very large one. Colin went pale, slumping back in his chair, as the ramifications of her bombshell went through his mind. Tweaked a lot, of course, but it paralyzes most of the voluntary muscles without causing any deeper issues. For nearly two years. Fuck me, Assault said, staring at her. Everywhere. Her antennae moved in a way that seemed to convey amusement. Assault paused, something shiny off to the right catching his eye as he moved over the rooftops of the outskirts of the central business area of Brockton Bay. At first she dismissed it as imagination, but it got louder and louder, suddenly stopping somewhere above her and to the right. The muggers that Hive dealt with, she explained carefully. Her powers affected her a lot in subtle ways but I think she was probably right on the edge in the first place. Well, when my abilities did what they did, I kind of overwrote a lot of normal insect behavior. The real trick is making it work from all angles. Its based loosely on curare, isnt it? Yes. But possibly a good thing, I suppose? Finally, he said, Sorry, I have to ask. Vicky stared. You must log in or register to reply here. OK, then, lets get these guys arrested, then get you home, shall we? Hive said lightly. We haven't been over much lately but we used to come have barbeques with your mom and dad." She winced a little at her own statement but otherwise did an admirable job of pretending that my dad hadn't just been killed in an accident. They were standing on the sidewalk outside her house. Amy paused, then nodded. Well He didn't want to be rude to someone who seemed pretty agreeable to talk to so far. Anyway, this brilliant individual pulls the pin, aims, and throws. Taylor was gone for five years, lost in a fantasy world where she had to fight the gods themselves to survive. Not hostile. The next part was worse. Youd probably know her under a different name, though, Sophia. No cases at all. Its spread by mosquitoes, isnt it? Yes, the Anopheles genus. He thought for a moment. And when Dragon revealed that the best, if not only way to save her, was adoption, well She would just have to learn how to be a good mother, wouldn't she? She shrugged slightly. Whoever did this work is brilliant. Thanks again, Hive commented, sounding like she would be grinning given a more human face. In the aftermath, she starts to realize that no matter how much she tries, a normal life on Earth Bet is impossible, not with what she's become, what she can do. Let me finish this and I'll tell you the story, OK? she suggested. Most of the technology is weird and decades if not centuries away from anything normal. But you can understand it? he wondered out loud, amazed. He twitched quite a lot, the sound taking him by surprise after the silence of the roof broken only by the hum of the air conditioner fans and a faint sound of traffic from the road ten stories below, muted due to the fact it was Sunday. Little is publicly known about it, save that the tremor of its creation rippled around the world. Why was she in a school locker at two am on a Saturday in the first place? Armsmaster paused, then shrugged with another small sigh. Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings. I have no idea how yet, but thats the theory I have currently. She paused, then added, After I found out about the malaria and confirmed it, I did some more checking. Only those dumpsters left, the machete-wielding assailant announced. There are more insects in a square mile of countryside than there are humans alive on the entire planet. Peering around the side of the large metal container she could see in the flickering light given off by a single lamp mounted high on the wall three men, all looking very rough and scruffy, walk slowly into the yard and glance around. Zero. Why? He couldn't think of a good answer for a moment. Assault out. By now he was close enough to see that the shiny reflective surface looked like someone in a somewhat weird looking suit of power armor, not anything he recognized. Taylors mother was different from everyone else. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. No, it's not. That's going to need dry cleaning. Forget the freaking costume, Ames, and go on with the story, Vicky urged her. Too muscled. Would be interesting to see a story around the world after/through Taylors changes. They couldnt do much more than try to stop the remainder of the school going up and the fire spreading to other buildings. The invisibility was very impressive for something that was biologically based. Which adds a Stranger rating as well, of course, Miss Militia put in. Combined with effective invisibility it could be higher. That's what it was meant to be. Turning his head he inspected her from this new vantage point, his eyes widening a little. Not a classical beauty, though. Im not a Tinker, at all, but I can fake it with the best of them. She tapped the side of her head, her claws making a faint click. Taylor in Theogony is a girl with strong powers that make fighting people pretty easy. However, I did recycle a few elements from this one into TV when they seemed to fit. My mother's death came as surprise, as death was far from my mind. The moral, the strong, the pure, and the hedonists. Oh. He couldn't think what to say after that for a little while, during which she went back to looking at the scenery. OK, then, we have a Thinker rating of Run Away. Until she triggered with the biggest ego of all: that of Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. Squealer is going to have to live with having lice for the rest of her life, she said in a tone that made him step back. She saw energy storage glands, full of sugars and enzymes, linked to biochemical pathways that would give a massive power boost when activated. They didn't seem to recognize my costume, or care if they did. If it wasn't for the fact that she's useful she'd be locked up right now. Did anyone else notice the Home Alone reference in Crystals section? Reaching the roof of his target a few seconds later he hopped over the edge and landed behind the figure, which didn't move. Eventually Piggot stirred behind her desk. It was very complicated to come up with and like I said a while ago, it was only today that I finally worked out all the bugs. my guy,Taylor Varga is the definition of power wank. I genuinely thought I'd gone mad. She sighed. Lyme disease? Get to the bottom of this, if at all possible, she replied, looking up at him from her chair. Retinal cells pick up the color and intensity of light at millions of points on my body, then on the opposite side the bioluminescent cells and chromatophores reproduce it. She waited, apparently willing to be patient for as long as it took. Every insect inside a two thousand foot radius attacking anyone involved, or she thought was involved? the woman asked wryly, making him shudder as he contemplated her words. And apparently likes music as well. Again, they both fell silent, staring at each other. Although apparently also with a desire to help, she replied. Seconds later he looked confused before he simply froze in place. Hearing a slap she looked over her shoulder to see Alec rubbing his neck with an annoyed expression. Dart? Wasp. At her puzzled look, Hive held up a hand, which immediately had a small insect land on it. I wouldnt go that far, but Im certainly not a normal parahuman, no. She seemed to find the idea funny. You can come out if you want, a female voice announced out of nowhere, sounding mildly amused. For a moment, leathery wings materialised behind her and with a single beat she launcher herself across the dark waters. How much campione knowledge is required to get this fic? It was obvious this was her doing. My instincts tell me your instincts are probably right, one way or another. What do we tell the father? Armsmaster asked, half-turning to the door as he spoke, then waiting. Adaptation was good up until Taylor got the monkey form, after that she became an unbearable asshole. Elephants have nearly three times as many, but humans are right near the top of the list from that point of view. Your wild guesses tend to be scary good. There was a pause, then the first one replied, Never mind, must have imagined it. Amy looked up towards the position the sound come from before it stopped and thought she saw something move against the stars. Nearly two hundred thousand times as many neural cells. Total ecosystem collapse, no food, everyone dies. Thats why no one else can understand what they do. She didn't reply for a moment, merely stared at him, making him wonder So what did happen? he ended up asking. She found herself wanting to talk to the other cape again, soon. This could be a problem, he eventually said. She Triggers, with the power to copy other powers. Took quite a long time and Im not finished yet but its coming along well. Shaking her head as he stared, she added in an amused tone, I had to invent a whole new kind of mathematics to describe my models. Eh, if you use magic like a bard, sing like a bard, fight like a bard, everyone around you thinks you are a bard and there's no other elements to your build other than those of a bard then you are not a demigod. Reaching a cross alley, she looked both ways, flipped a mental coin, and turned left. It obviously wasnt human in the slightest and never had been. Unluckily, her power isn't the subtlest thing alive, and the Wards are chasing her soon after. But you see the problem. Three gangs and a government walk into a city.They each try to rule, and get forced into a stalemate.Everyone knows whats going on, but everyone pretends theyre winning. tip: lex m/m (mature OR explicit). She closed her eyes. If I had to guess, maybe 10k or 20k words. She hoped. She was lost in admiration of the optical cells covering the exoskeleton when the person she was investigating made an amused sound. Dawn of Worm Taylor is a Primarch from an AU version of Warhammer 40k, complete. Dengue fever cases since the end of January? Usefully, it worked surprisingly well, most of the grime coming off instantly and the remainder being loosened enough that she could now wash it away. Worried, yes, but also curious. While he placed a call to Director Piggot, he admitted to himself he felt the same. It could fit into either or both depending on the insects in question. They were mixed with some sort of metal in a repeating pattern that defied easy analysis. Its a dirty job but someone has to do it. Not a parahuman, a goddess of nature, then, he said with a wondering chuckle. 'Female, I think,' he mused. Holding another hand above it, Hive made the appendage glow a soft green color like a firefly, which Amy realized was almost certainly from the same chemical reaction. I dont know how it works, but the evidence would suggest that the neural interconnects must run at least at the speed of light which would give an enormous speed increase over normal biological brains. Two and a half months ago when Winslow burned down. She got better, he said with a nasty grin. Hive shook her head after a moment. He kept discreetly studying her while she looked back out over the water at the rising sun. She might have started panicking a little, at some point. What happened to you? No. If youll pardon the pun. He couldnt help grinning at her comment. On. After a moment he slowly turned his head to look at the moth that had been flying circles around the light over one of the desks for the last half hour. Which on its own is somewhat suspicious in my opinion. Ive just had the most terrifying conversation of my life with someone who could do things to you that you wouldnt believe, and in my opinion would be fully justified in doing so, but you can thank every deity youve ever heard of that shes a better person than you are. Exactly. Amy was just wondering if she'd meet Hive again. Oh, dear. Work Search: Yep. (Un)Fortunately, Taylor would rather live on the streets than go with them. Lowered because of it being restricted to arthropods but even so, its global and absolute. But thanks anyway. They both fell silent again. If she'd found out that one of the people responsible was a Ward, and decided that it was the Protectorate as well as the school who had let it all go on for so long? She sighed a little. The storage capacity alone is just staggering. Nothing like that has happened. I dont like the implications. No. Piggot sighed in turn. The (un)lucky person turns out to be one Taylor Hebert, having just been stuffed into a school locker by a trio of bullies. I was doing some data mining for a project on global health issues and I found something unusual. Which is? he asked absently, moving another part. The Sun was just clearing the horizon, the lower edge a finger's-breadth above the water, the buttery rays highlighting the east-facing buildings with gold and yellow colors, while in the Bay itself the glittering force-field around the Rig glinted with extra shades from the same source. Subjectively it took years to come up with the right design. She shouldnt really be in the position shes in because of that. The woman sounded sure of her conclusions. People pick up on that sort of thing at a subconscious level, so its important to at least pretend or they start backing away and trying not to make eye contact. He grinned at her. To be honest, he was at a loss for the moment. The burn pattern essentially confirms this theory. And yes, their senses could be used. Anyway, I was tired again, so I decided to go and get a cup of coffee from that shop a block over that does the nice donuts as well, then call you from their payphone. As little as possible, Im afraid. Hey, wait! he called just before she reached the edge. How much more? he asked slowly. Hers is a nascent divinity. Because of the way they worked, it wasn't directly possible, but her powers found a way even so. New information makes it pretty certain that well be able to prove it was you and your little friends who were responsible for her being in that locker in the first place. Dragon and Armsmaster seem to have noticed so youll probably hear about it soon. Let her rest in peace. But they werent fast enough to contain everything that slipped through. Deciding it was probably because everyone knew where New Wave lived she dismissed the thought and enjoyed the flight, which was weirdly different from what her sister did. He looked up from the screen and around the room. BBPD is still running their own investigation into the surrounding circumstances of why young Miss Hebert was in that locker, theyre interviewing the entire student body and the staff, but so far no one is saying anything. You see, once upon a time there was a girl, she grew up over that way somewhere, she began, waving one arm vaguely towards the Docks area in general. Hello, Assault, the figure suddenly said, the voice female and clear.