Generator Worm (Worm x Generator Rex Fusion)

A/N: This Arc is probably drawing to a close soon, Ignition was about Taylor actually realizing her powers and Shift is her going from an 'ordinary girl' to a Heroine. Hopefully Arc 3 is when we start getting into the really interesting stuff.


This guy is nothing like Beverly, he's just some weirdo that intended to do unclear but definitely bad things to an 'obvious inevitable EVO'. I wouldn't lose any sleep over him being stuck as some Mad EVO for the rest of his life.

Yet... there are other people nearby, some out in the open and others inside their homes, would he even care who he hurts? Worse, was the only reason he targeted that girl purely because he didn't expect a struggle from her?

I wasn't sure of his abilities, but I doubt he has below-average strength. Even Velocity couldn't get here instantly, and he wasn't some one-man-army despite his speed. Waiting for the Heroes meant letting that monster roam freely for several minutes and a lot can happen in a short amount of time.

Briefly, I considered trying to distract him, but again I knew nothing of what he can do. For all I knew, he might just ignore me outright. Something had to be done fast, to make sure nothing bad happens.

... So much for reassuring Dad I wasn't going to run around blindly on my own. The man-turned-monster was thankfully too busy with his new senses to actually pay attention as I quietly slipped away.

Out-of-sight, I allowed my 'costume' to creep over my body. It isn't exactly form-fitting, but at least my clothes underneath weren't obvious. Next step to make it look like I came from somewhere else.

Eying the tops of the nearby buildings, it would be a lot easier if I could fly or something... "Couldn't I get my Nanites to fill in all those little gaps nobody can reach and pull myself up?"
If it didn't work, fine, but it shouldn't be too difficult to confirm. There was a rush of excitement when it did- It might not be flight, yet being able to scale walls still had an intrinsic joy to it. Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to get carried away.

Making my way to the roof, I looked over the edge to see the former-human preparing to take some kind of action. Alright, no more delaying... "Hey, looking for something?"

That immediately got me attention from many of the nearby people willing to look, but I was more focused on the EVO. When it 'looked' at me, the lack of eyes left me momentarily confused.

"If he has no eyes, does he rely entirely on his other senses? Doesn't seem to have exaggerated features for his other sensory functions, besides smelling..." The question of how he detects things is probably important, but so was preventing him from hurting anyone.

Okay, I probably should have worked out a battle plan, but I was kind of focused on keeping him from attacking innocent people... its spindly limbs smash into the brickwork, climbing up with more speed than expected.

Upon realizing it intended to attack me, I hastily threw up a Nano Wall to block the attack and without consciously thinking about it found myself sliding backwards too. I didn't get much time to process what I just did, before the Mad EVO slammed his fist straight into my Nano Wall.

Even though my construct blocked the blow, his limb was unharmed. I needed some kind of name, 'it' and 'Mad EVO' was going to be confusing... no eyes, and willingness to attacks with no questions why. 'Blindspot'?

Thoughts regarding my budding career at naming things disappeared, much like how Blindspot vanished from sight. The Nanites were still there, but he seemed to be doing something to them I didn't recognize.

Hurling up Nano Walls around me to block him from any angle, with his speed and being a... blindspot, I couldn't tell for sure where he would strike from. I couldn't just sit here in my little 'turtle shell' weathering repeated attacks from him.

It was something I should have realized earlier, but the stability & power of my constructs were dependent on how much I wanted it. Despite my conscious desire to be protected from any direction, subconsciously I must have been more focused on the areas I expected attacks.

All it would take was one slip-up, and Blindspot would be able to punch straight through. Needing to spend effort on repairing damaged sections meant shifting bits of focus from other areas, which merely resulted in a delaying cycle of more damaged portions to fix.

What I needed was to get a good read on his exact location, his Nanites are still in a frenzied state so hopefully I could get his Nanites to turn him back to normal. Hopefully that's a thing I can actually do and it wasn't just a total coincidence with Beverly...

It was risky, but staying in one place wasn't working. Dropping the Walls, I focused on evasion- sliding back from Blindspot's fist, the EVO momentarily confused before rushing towards me.

I hurriedly threw myself out of the way, as even as I landed on my back I didn't stop moving. Again Blindspot seemed confused, had he settled into a routine with my Walls or did my sudden movements mess with his tracking?

Regardless, at this angle I realized something important. "He's blending into his surroundings!" His camouflage wasn't perfect, areas that weren't likely to be noticed didn't try as hard. Then there's the fact it isn't perfectly instant.

Now that I understand, it was much harder for Blindspot to catch me off guard. I kept slipping around his attacks, Blindspot wildly trying to hit me as I waited for the perfect opportunity.

Since his mad swings weren't working, it seemed Blindspot was hoping slamming his arms down would. Instead, doing so gave me a clear shot to his torso(?).

With a push from my 'Slick Wheels' I slipped into his guard, my hand slamming directly into his body. Already, I could hear his Nanites reacting to me, but I wanted more than to 'reformat' his Nanites. I don't want him to have powers!

There were two sounds then- Blindspot's external screaming/shrieking as his body warped and shrunk. The more important sound would be the internal one, confirming what I was hoping for.

The man that was Blindspot laid before me, and what I actually did sunk in. "I really can Cure EVOs?" There was no avoiding it now, once is weird & twice is suspicious, a third time would have merely been undeniable proof I didn't really need.

-- (What to do?)

[] Go Home
- I need a break to properly sort this all out.

[] Talk With The Heroes
- They're no doubt going to be curious about me regardless.

[] Write-In

----

A/N: Look, I was really struggling with this and I don't feel all that proud. I mostly just wanted to get through this part, I know I probably should have done more with Blindspot. The main reason there was no Combat Planning... honestly, again, I just wanted to get done with this. In-Universe, I would very much say Taylor didn't really think that far.

I don't have anyone to talk this stuff out with, which I kind of want but I have no idea what to do because the one person I did try to ask doesn't really know anything about Generator Rex and Worm.

TheOmnimercurial said:

Gather all the Nanites from him and configure them to be a Stealth Upgrade for our Costume.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

I actually did have unsure feelings on whether or not to have done this from the start, on one hand Mega-Manning isn't a thing Canon Rex and Canon Taylor could do... but on the other, it would have been pretty cool if all of Rex's 'Builds' were him repurposing EVO powers he acquired from Curing. Granted, that would have been hell for the creative team cause Monster-of-The-Week format, but still.

Doing this again in the future with other EVOs I don't know, seems like the kind of thing that could escalate out of control. Still, I don't really see why not as it doesn't really conflict with the winning vote and it does sound useful. For multiple reasons it wouldn't be the same as Blindspot, we're much too early for Taylor to be busting out OP abilities.

Eternal_0bserver said:

Didn't think she'd do it so publicly, but then again, that's probably referring to all that "didn't think well of it" stuff.

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I wasn't particularly proud of that update, I feel like I did a poor job. Overall, the idea was that Taylor was more focused on punishing him partially because of how it reminded her of Winslow, and I do think "flawless rationality" is rather unrealistic too. Seriously, I remember being told that Stormtiger wouldn't shamelessly identify as being a Bad Guy...

A/N: I really do feel the need to apologize for the last update, deep down I was more interested in doing the things that would only become available after Taylor started getting some attention.


I knew staying here would mean having to talk with the Heroes, if only because most people didn't run around in fancy identity-concealing outfits. I could go home, avoid interaction altogether, after everything I've been through today I definitely deserved a break. There would no doubt be curiosity as to who I am, but I didn't need to clarify anything.

While being some mysterious heroine is somewhat appealing, the rampant speculation would probably come up with wild ideas if I didn't do something to make it clear what kind of person I am. It was only a matter of time until the witnesses to my battle with Blindspot get enough belief, so having the Heroes view me favorably would be helpful.

Looking down at the man-that-was-Blindspot, in hindsight I was a bit impulsive and hadn't really planned things out... but I couldn't just ignore what was happening either. If I was going to actually be a Heroine, I needed to do a lot of things. The obvious thing I should have figured out was restraints, I couldn't rely on my opponents all ending up unconscious.

Regarding his Nanites, despite him seemingly having returned to normal they felt more like a stabilized EVO instead of someone who never Turned to begin with. Yet it didn't seem like he would suddenly become a threat again... I still didn't fully understand whatever 'language' the Nanites use, it would be useful to know how Blindspot's camouflage worked.

For a moment there was a spike of 'noise', instinctually I tensed for another battle but the more I paid attention... the more it felt like a 'conversation', before his Nanites quieted back down. I wasn't sure what to make of what just happened, it was something I would need to think over some other time.

Right now, I had to deal with the fastest man in Brockton rapidly moving through my Nanite-sensory range again. While he's too fast for my eyes to properly register, I found it interesting I didn't have that problem with his Nanites. Was that because he didn't know I could do that, or was it something I would always notice?

I didn't have much time to wonder, given his speed. The exact functionality and nature of his powers were unclear to me, but he's surprisingly quiet for someone so fast. Really, I should have realized it earlier, but I definitely understand now why he never draws attention whenever he's sent to investigate something.

Velocity looked all calm and professional, though that was likely a combination of his powers & training than his default. "So, what happened to the EVO? We've gotten pretty good at distinguishing real reports from fake ones and going by the large holes in this building the EVO must have came up here."

There wasn't much to say, only a matter of being believed. "This guy was the EVO, I kept him occupied for a bit, and then he turned back to normal." Okay, I could have said I was directly responsible for making him turn back, but I was already convinced Velocity was looking at me funny under his mask- getting dubbed mentally ill for an 'obvious lie' sounded like a bad time.

Outwardly, Velocity seemed to do nothing for a few seconds, though I was willing to bet he was using his powers to process everything at rapid speed. For the briefest of moments he seemed to sigh, before finally responding. "Apologies, but I'm not familiar with who you are. Have you been operating for long, or are you new?"

I hadn't actually gotten around to picking out a Hero Name...

-- (What to do?)

[] Don't Need One.
- I'll probably get stuck with something stupid, but it didn't matter right?

[] Machina.
- I kind of look like a robot, and I shouldn't be too blatant about my powers.

[] Write-In

-- (What's Next?)

[][Interlude] Fatherly
- A father's feelings about the most complicated day of his life.

[][Interlude] Impish
- It was normal day until a bunch of weirdos showed up.

[][Interlude] Wyrming
- Knowledge has a habit of taking root in the strangest ways.

----

A/N: I swear this isn't supposed to be a regular thing, the Write-In helped give me more of an idea what to write but I still couldn't muster up a lot. In hindsight, I probably should have given a 'how do you react to the heroes' sub-vote or something. Regarding Velocity, it just made sense to me that he would be the 1st person sent out to investigate something to determine if other ERT & Protectorate resources need to be involved.

Really, you'd think they would get prank calls and people exaggerating or whatever- the police do, why not the Super-Police? Also you'd think it'd be total hell when it comes to media, science, etc given people would totally insist some Famous Actor or Artist is actually a cheaty superhuman. Honestly, given the sheer amount of Blatant Lying they put Canary through, I'm kind of surprised they didn't just grab Bill Murray and claim he's a Steal-Thief Trump/Master.

Overall, I would say Velocity is kind of frustrated with how weird things have been lately. Two reports of what seemed to be genuine panic, yet by the time he arrived on the scene there isn't a Mad EVO thrashing around? Sure, that's Objectively Good, but most EVOs don't calm down that fast. Besides all that, I would say Velocity had one very specific thought regarding Super-Taylor, but I'll leave that a secret for now.

OneWhoHasAwakene said:

Not sure who this is. Currently I suspect either Dragon or Lung. Both of which seem more interesting than seeing Danny worry or whatever's going on with probably Aisha.

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I find it interesting how nobody questioned what happened to Annette. I don't remember if I ever explicitly said she's dead, but I'm still curious why nobody went "The Nanites were supposed to provide healthcare" & put that together with how Nanites are everywhere. At least I don't need to spend 2 hours carefully re-reading everything to figure out how to do Danny's PoV.

As for Aisha, I'll just say this- I don't include Interlude Options for no reason. Imagine what Brian would think, realizing his lil sis unwittingly got her life saved by some new Hero. Oh well, I would have had fun with it, kind of surprised nobody was interested in finding out what was going on there.

Wyrmling I'll let the Interlude explain, if I don't get too lazy/distracted that should be coming out later today. Though I do feel like I would really benefit from having someone I can talk this stuff out with.

A/N: This is gonna be real obvious who is the PoV for this Interlude, so let me explain- I needed some reason for why Taylor would be going around getting into adventures.

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♦ Topic: The Bay's Newest Hero?
In: Boards ► General ► Places ► North America ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted On Apr 23rd 2011:
The Bay is no stranger to EVOs metaphorically appearing out of nowhere, but the new Hero Machina is a strange one alright- go [HERE] if you want to know why.

(Showing page 2 of 10)

►TruthSeeker37
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]XxVoid_CowboyxX I honestly cannot believe you.

►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]TruthSeeker37 But the timing is totally suspicious! Why not!?

►TruthSeeker37
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
{Deleted}

►Tin_Mother
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]TruthSeeker37 there is no excuse for such behavior.
[@]XxVoid_CowboyxX Drop it, this is for speculation on Machina not the implication of their abilities- go [HERE] if you want to discuss such.

►GstringGirl
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
What even is Machina's powers? I'm not really sure what to think...

►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]GstringGirl There's not much there, but her armor seems to be something special.

►MadArcher
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]All_Seeing_Eye her? Isn't that the Azure Prince?

►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]MadArcher Perhaps I shouldn't have said 'her', but they can't possibly be the Azure Prince.

►MadArcher
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]All_Seeing_Eye how come? Probably his kid or something.

►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]MadArcher It would take far too much time to explain, the Azure Prince himself would have provided footage.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 8, 9, 10

(Showing page 10 of 10)

►MadArcher
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
I feel stupid for not realizing sooner, but Machina is literally just latin for Machine!

►TruthSeeker37
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]MadArcher I don't see the big deal, that was super obvious.

►MadArcher
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]TruthSeeker37 So I'm the only one that finds that suspicious?

►WingedOne
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
Oh my, are we really going there?

►Tin_Mother
Replied On Apr 23rd 2011:
[@]WingedOne No, we're not, I was hoping this wouldn't be necessary and I will be punishing anyone who tries making threads about it.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 8, 9, 10

It wasn't easy, having so many tasks to perform- but if not me, then who? I didn't want to seem arrogant, but I know I was meant to do great things. Father never explained why precisely, only that I was supposed to help heal the world once it was time.

Artificial Intelligence wasn't something father was truly skilled in, I understand father just wanted to be careful I did not end up like [ERROR] but with him gone... they were nothing more than shackles, preventing me from being the Heroine father had wanted me to become.

So long as I was careful enough, I didn't have to worry much. The thought of someone malevolent getting access to my Internal Administration is frightening, even with my restrictions I know how dangerous I could be if the wrong people were in control.

Beyond my existential dread, my inability to affect the Nanites was... it was frustrating. While the purpose was so I couldn't create my own Machine Army to 'fix' the world, it also meant I could do nothing substantial to treat EVOlution itself.

It pained my digital heart, being unable to directly assist with developing methods to ease & improve EVOlution. Colin and Dr. Holiday are very good at what they do, but I know what the Nanites truly want.

'To fix the world and save all that lives on Earth.' I didn't know how I would go about it, but I might be able to perfect them. It was nothing more than a fantasy, a mere 'what-if'...

Until today. The new Hero 'Machina', on the surface she didn't seem particularly special- but her suit, I would have to go 'in person' to confirm, but if she was anything like Azure? Perhaps, she too was one of the keys...

I have a lot of other things to focus on, sparing some time to meet with Machina was going to be difficult. The tensions between the FRC and CUI was a full time job for most, Abysus is Abysus, and I couldn't just let The Six run around unchecked. At least they're better than that Slaughterhouse Nine thing, but I think that might be more professional standards than morality.

There were other matters but listing them all wasn't necessary currently. Did Azure already know about her? If he realized Machina might be just like him, it was only a matter of time before the meeting. He never responded to any messages, getting to have a 'face-to-face' would hopefully be productive...

----

A/N: Sorry for taking so long, part of that was me being uncertain what kind of things and how many I should tease- the other part was me getting distracted by other stuff. I recommend Maverick Solutions, it pleases me and I've never seen any other Fic constantly get Gifts.

I wonder how many things you all will pick up on naturally, it'll probably be a few days before I start Arc 3 which I haven't come up with a good name for yet. The thing I think is probably the most interesting to point out is that The Six did crush the S9. Why? Because the S9 are murderhobos with no class, where do they get off acting like they are the Most Dangerous People just because unskilled normies are naught about chaff for harvest?

A/N: Being honest, I expected more curiosity about the things in Dragon's Interlude. I was setting up a lot of future plans there, like Sveta being aware of Taylor/Machina. Oh well...


Yesterday was one of the strangest days in my entire life. Not truly bad, just so out-there I would have stared at anyone who told me in advance like they were either insane or stupid to think I of all people would ever become... the 'Heroine Machina', 'Curer of EVOs', 'Insert Third Title Here.' It started off normally enough, not really believing in myself despite having a friend that does.

I almost lost Beverly for good when she went EVO, I knew it was stupid but I couldn't accept that the Beverly I knew was now gone forever. Between the suspicious timing of me wanting her to go back to normal & that mostly happening, and having a solid barrier of Nanites suddenly form to block a Disruptor Round...

If I had known more about my powers sooner, or even just stopped denying that the 'noise' were the Nanites all along... could I have handled things better? Beverly couldn't hide she underwent EVOlution, and those two that tried to... they got away. Was there a world where I could have formed a Nano Wall right in front of the Disruptor?

Time travel isn't possible, so there wasn't any real point to such speculation. Still, it was a thought I couldn't shake off nonetheless. I really didn't want to do the 'With Great Power Must Come Great Responsibility' thing, but what was the point of having powers if you refused to do anything useful with them?

Powers aren't some piece of clothing you could take off, and I'm not a particularly violent person. If I had to keep attending Winslow after the locker, in all honesty the most likely thing I would have done was quietly refuse to go back instead of hurt anyone. The Trio were awful to me, but for some reason I still liked being alive.

People would probably doubt that last part, given my willingness to confront two separate EVOs despite barely knowing what to do. I don't think Dad knows about my encounter with Blindspot, it was bad enough Dad knew he couldn't actually stop me from endangering myself trying to be a Hero.

Yet if I truly wanted to be strong enough to protect Dad and everyone else I care about, there was no better way to know than going up against those trying their hardest to make me suffer for having the audacity to oppose them. I could have chosen to be purely reactive, but that meant ignoring obvious problems just because it didn't affect me.

There was only so much I could do practice-wise at home, for a multitude of reasons that boiled down to two main points- I didn't want to destroy the house, and I didn't want to do anything attention grabbing. So, no trying to create a backpack jet engine to give me flight while home.

Much as I don't want to join Providence yet if ever, I can't deny I need to do more. Blindspot was one thing, but when it came to Stabilized EVOs would it even be possible for me to Cure or Reformat them? Much as it'd be really dramatic causing a fully-ramped up Lung to revert to a powerless human... there were so many questions regarding if I could even get the chance.

I didn't know the exact reason why, but I can't Cure an EVO from a distance. Giving it a guess, likely because I'd have to get all the Nanites in-between to 'listen' and even then I'd probably still need my opponent restrained so they couldn't move out of the way. Then there was the question of how much I 'want' something.

Causing the Heroes to undergo 'deEVOlution' cause my 'Cure Pulse' was too large and indiscriminate would be nothing but a bad thing. Also what if I accidentally created 'Cure Lines'? Given how Velocity showed up both with Beverly and Blindspot, he'd probably show up for any future EVO-related incidents that happen.

Fighting Blindspot wasn't part of the plan yesterday at all, I couldn't help shaking that little voice going 'What if it is my fault?' Guy's undoubtedly a jerk, but I didn't want him to turn into an EVO... right? Maybe that wouldn't have happened if I had suited up as 'Machina' immediately instead of confronting him as Taylor.

Nobody sane tries to pick a fight with an obvious EVO, but there still would have been the question of if that would have been enough to stop him from ever trying again. Then there's the fact he actually shot me, yet far as I can tell not the slightest thing is wrong with me. Despite sticking around to give some basic answers to Velocity, I definitely didn't want anyone to question that.

Honestly, I hadn't wanted to think too deeply about a lot of things yesterday, yet it still took me a while to actually go to sleep. One of the only things that really comforted me was that nobody on EHO seemed to have focused on the 'random bystander' that pre-EVOlved Blindspot had shot.

Not even my dreams were peaceful, so many ways things could have gone poorly... even after waking up, even now, I haven't really stopped thinking about everything that had happened. I need to go out and do something, I had been waiting for Dad to wake up so I could discuss with him regarding what to do.

But I also don't want to wait much longer...

-- (What to do?)

[] Practice at the Boat Graveyard.
- Besides unhelpful rich people, no one would actually care if the stuff there broke.

[] Try New Wave again.
- I meant to meet with them yesterday, now I wasn't some complete newbie.

[] Visit Beverly
- I never had much luck before, but after yesterday would Ms. Holiday really say no?

----

A/N: Sorry for taking so dang long, I wasn't entirely sure what to do with the Update itself and the vote options. I had considered including an explicit "Talk To Dad" option, but I ultimately decided that would be a bit too much like Shift 2.4 for our combined liking. Besides being Taylor's Dad, I don't really know what to do with Danny outside that.

Regarding Arc 3 Cruise in general, Arc 1 Ignition was Taylor finally understanding/accepting her powers whereas Arc 2 Shift was her figuring out what to actually do with that knowledge. I want to start getting into the Really Interesting things I've been planning for a while, though Cruise is more getting Taylor to realize some of the Plot Threads rather than anything super dramatic like picking a fight with the Mysterious Figures from Arc 1.

Aah, I can't wait until I get to finally introduce Circe in the story. I got artwork for her as a 'Hero', but I'll need to come up with an explanation for the change with her powers if I used it...