Adapt and Counter (WORM AU)

It was December, right around the time mom left a year ago. Dad had been drinking, and decided to assert his dominance again. Said a bunch of nasty things, I couldn't take him on, and so on. I took my fists at him- it was how he communicated. How I communicated with him when he was drunk. He responded in kind. Really bad fight, didn't end well. I tried to fight back, but never had a chance. He was taller, longer arms, and had more weight on me.

I looked in the mirror afterwards. Bloody nose, swollen eyes and mouth where he hit me. Bruised cheeks and arms. He really was strong. The fight wasn't worth going to the police for, I lost. I wasn't strong enough, and I hated myself. I couldn't go to school like that. No, I couldn't let Sophia see this. I'd never hear the end of it.

When I woke up in the morning though, I should have had a black eye and dark bruises everywhere. My nose was still tender, but the swelling had gone down, a lot. I should have had a black eye for the next couple days, but now it was just a little bit of red. In fact, I was feeling pretty good after the last night. I would probably be able to take him on the next time he wanted to fight.

I felt good like I could even go to school. Winslow High. I held no attachment to it really, but Sophia was there, which was a plus. Nah. I'm not going to school. I'll probably go to school tomorrow.

Dad was passed out on the couch, probably hung over from the night before. I poured some water all over him, waking him up. Stumbling down the hallway, he went to the shower. He'd probably be fine by the time work started. If not, he'd deal.


Meh, not going to school felt good. I wanted to get out. I had about ten dollars. Not really enough to buy anything, honestly, but I knew where I could get some more. A little dogfighting ring up town had just started up. I had heard about it from some of my friends, decided today would be a good day to check it out. I put on my winter coat and pants, leaving the house with only ten dollars. I'd be back with more.

The Dogfighting ring was in a particularly seedy portion of town, but it didn't matter to me. I'd been on these streets since I was a kid. I knew how to navigate on my own. I hopped on the bus and headed to the northern side of town, out by some tracks.

I walked into the building. For being a Monday, it was surprisingly full of people. Not a ton, but fifteen or so, about three of which were clearly running the ring. Most were gathered around the rink. Terrible security, if I do say so myself, letting just anybody walk through the front doors.

I looked around at the people there. Ah. A couple of buzzcuts. This place was run by some E88 goons. Must have someone powerful manning shop if they didn't bother having a bouncer or nothing at the front door. Guy with a wolf mask looked at me. Quite large, torn sleeves. Swastika tattoo with a wolf on top of it on the one bicep that I could see.

He walked up to me before I could get any closer to the ring, leaning into the wall. I felt miniscule in his presence. I know I wasn't the strongest out there, but this man was something else.

"What's a bitch like you doing in a part of town like this?"

Good question, I thought to myself. I kept my hands in my pocket, looked at the man in the mask and decided to play strong. E88 weren't known for raping women or entering into the child slavery trade, so I figured short of getting into a fight with this guy, it would be okay.

"Just lookin for some entertainment." I told him.

"Oh yeah? Come to put some money down on some dogs? Or to participate in the bitch fights?"

He must have thought he was so clever with that comment.

"I'm just looking to make some cash."

"How much did you bring? You wanna bet on some dogs?"

"Enough for my needs."

He looked back at one of the skinhead behind him gave him a commanding nod.

"All right kid, we'll let you in. If you cause trouble, the last thing you'll ever see is the bottom of the boat as you sink into the bay."

"I don't plan on causing any problems."

"And one more thing, Same deal if you're a cape."

He was looking at me funny.

"Not a cape. No powers."

"All right. You're welcome to watch the fights. If you want to bet, just tell James over there which dog and give him your money. Normally we charge fees for just walking in the door, but today I think we'll just waive it for you." He motioned to the skinhead he'd nodded at.

Man this place was both more mundane and more exciting than I thought it would be. The building had the layout of an old gym for kids or something. It wasn't very large, but there were a couple of small, fenced off rings in the center as the room I was in opened up to the larger area. I had been in the a small lobby portion or something. The building wasn't anything crazy. Still had a low-ish ceiling and dim lights. Whatever.

I walked up to James, and looked at the roster. Huh. Only a couple of dogfights scheduled for the day. There'd be more on Friday. Guess Hookwolf was the owner and just had his day job off right now? Assuming he even had a day job.

Like I said before, whatever. About eight or so guys standing around the ring, the rest kind of just milling about, a couple, a guy and a girl just sitting down along the wall. Huh. Well that's nice to know more than just one woman is here today. Though I was highly aware of my lack of 'assets' in that regard, so I probably barely qualified. Whatever. I wasn't here to stare.

Refocusing on the initial goal, I had ten dollars. Didn't really matter what. Only a couple of fights, not even the top dogs either. I'd have to put all ten on one fight and see what happened. The dog's names were Queen and Gunner. A couple of pits. Actually, almost all the dogs were pits. Whatever.

I didn't have enough money to earn much, and the favorite was Queen. I put all ten on her. She won. Earned five off that fight. A couple more dogs, lost once, won the last, betting on the underdog. Netted about 20 quid. All in all, it was a pretty uneventful. Walked in with ten, came out with 30. Not complaining. I'd have to try again on friday. There would be more people there then, more chances for more cash. I didn't do much. As I walked out, I was looking at the character known as Hookwolf. He walked up to me.

"I heard you got some good luck there, little lady."

I mean, I was still pretty tall for other women… Whatever.

"Not a bad turnout for a first time I s'pose."

"I was hoping to take you aside and chat."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me aside,

"Hey what are you-"

He dragged me to a room off to the side, shutting the door. I was no match for him, clearly.

Slamming my head into the table in the room, at least twice as hard as dad ever hit me, the world went black.

Some time later, who knows how long, I came to. My head was throbbing, a black bag or something over my head. I couldn't see where I was. We were in a car though.

"Look at what we have here. Miss undercover cape has woken up. I was worried I used too much force. Last time I did that, the person died. You're a trooper, little bitch missy."

"Hey, don't call her that, Hook it's rude." I heard a girl say.

"Doesn't matter- she won't be alive much longer. I don't know how you found our ring so fast, but we are going to send a message, unwritten rules be damned."

What are they even talking about? Me? A cape? Yeah, whatever.

"Only capes allowed are E88. We've told everyone multiple times. If we find someone not E88 and they're a cape, they go down. That's the rules. You're the first to break it. Who are you with? The Merchants? Some unknown low-lifes? Don't matter."

"Drowning in the ocean? Yeah, that's on you."

I tried to speak. I was gagged. Couldn't fight, either. Hands tied behind my back. No knife or sharp object. I shook my head. The car stopped moving. They got out. We near the boat graveyard, out on some derelict docks in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere.

"Sorry little bitch, but I'm not taking chances. Them's the rules and I ain't changin' them. We'll make this a little more.. Fun for you. Othala?"

He took a step out, yanking the bag off my head and began tying a rope between the knots in my feet.

"You're not my boss. And damn girl, you look like you've got some serious shit on your forehead going on. You sure you want to kill her? She could be useful to Kaiser."

He growled. "Them's the rules."

"I'm not doing it. This is wrong." She said.

He cut the rope from my hands.

"Whatever. Bye." Hookwolf said, pushing me into the water, then kicking a couple of cinder blocks. The water was cold, but I managed to grab hold of the dock, still gagged, and hold on. The cinderblocks sunk, pulling me down. But I was stronger than that.

"Nuh-uh." He stepped his boot on my fingers, crushing them. A hook protruded from the man's arm, which he used to slice off both hands in one motion. Tried to scream, but it was muffled. I let go, sinking into the bay, the salt stinging my eyes. The water filling through my gags. I tried to close my mouth, but couldn't do it entirely.

It took a long time to hit the bottom of the ocean. 15-20 seconds. I tried to swallow the water and just die faster. This sucked. I wasn't breathing, I held my breath for as long as I could. The water numbing the pain.

Notes to readers:

The bay at this time of year is hovering about 35 degrees in temperature. The water is really cold.

They are going unconscious from the temperature, would die. Your regeneration and healing has already kicked into gear. The brain is starving of oxygen. You had begun securing the brain somewhat last time they were knocked out, but hadn't accounted for Oxygen loss. Luckily, their processes have slowed down a lot. This allows you to do some more stuff, as your regeneration is barely able to keep the mind alive as you account for their damage.

You just started with this kid! Time to show her how awesome you are.

Example vote:

Lungs: 1 - they'll probably evolve out of the need for lungs eventually anyway.
Hands: 4 Tentacles. Octopus.

Other:
1. A tail. Expand out of the spine and give them a freaking tail. Strong enough to lift the cinder-blocks.
3. Give them frog-style eyes so they can see while under salt water.

Options considered:

Lungs/Respiration:

Hands:

Other:

Additional help swimming:

New Ears:

New Eyes:

Hypothermia Counter:

In summation:

I slammed my eyes open, but they stung for a second, then a quick blur and the stinging was gone. Dark. I could barely see. I could feel the pressure and water around me though. It was cold, but not uncomfortable. I looked around, a faint light on the surface, probably a hundred feet above me, if not more.

I took a long, slow breath. I felt good. A feeling of success. The water was slow, but it felt nice. Wait. Water? O-Oh. I was at the bottom of the graveyard. I couldn't see, it was completely dark, except for the faint light way above. The last thing I remember was freezing to death as I was dragged under the waves...

How is this even possible? I should be dead.

I tried struggling, swimming, but I was tied down. My feet were locked together by some rope, above my shoes. I couldn't really move much but my arms and hands. It was too dark to see. I must have become a cape somehow? I tried swimming with my hands. A good thrust, but it wasn't enough. I just sunk right back into the water. The rope was wrapped around my feet. My shirt and coat felt tight. I mean, I usually liked tighter shirts but this was really, really tight. Ugh.

Oh right, the gag. I couldn't see my hands very well in this darkness. Too far down I suppose. Wait. My hands didn't sting? Not at all? I.. I could feel my fingers? Holy fuck I'm pretty sure that was the last thing I remember, were my hands floating down with me. I have hands again! Awesome.

Huh. All right then. Another second of contemplation. I felt fine. Great, even. Just like after a fight and winning. I was, however, still pissed at that guy in the wolf mask, Hookwolf. I wasn't a cape! How did he know and not me? Bullshit! Wait. I must have gained powers last night. Regeneration? Invincibility maybe? No, it hurt like a mofo without any hands and the salt stinging as I sunk. How would he even have known? I couldn't tell anything about myself having powers until just now... Ugh. Oh, right, I was breathing water. Adaptation? Perhaps I'm like that guy from X-Men first class who could adapt gills and stuff?

How long was I been passed out down here anyway?

Well, if I have powers, once I figure them out, I'm paying that bastard and those neo-nazis a visit. They couldn't put me down permanently then, they can't do it now. Just need to get untied. A small sliver of me hoped that I'd still be normal looking at least, or able to return to it. Rejoining the girls at school would be nice.

I gripped the gag behind from my head. It was tried pretty tight. My wrist felt a little stiff, but I was sure it was the water around me. All right, I got the gag off. My mouth felt weird. Tight, even, I suppose. I could still open and shut my jaw though, that was nice. I tried popping my eardrums. They popped just fine. If I regrew hands and could breathe underwater, I was happy to know I could at least pop them. We'll find out if they're permanently damaged later.

Next up, was freeing myself from the cinder blocks tied to my feet. It was some rope. All right. I crouched myself into a fetal position and reached down, grabbing the rope. It slipped through one of my fingers fell away pretty easily. I felt three knife-like protrusion between each of my fingers. That was interesting. Did my body make some knives for me?

Well, now I was free, and floating pretty easily in the water. Not really rising, but not sinking either. Mom had taught me how to swim when I was a kid. I didn't swim much any more, but it was good to have, being in the Bay during late summer when the ocean was warmer.

Tried swimming again, but I still had my jacket on. It restricted my movement a lot. After a second of struggling to get my hands out of the sleeves I had it off and was ready to swim. My shirt felt tight, but It was short sleeved under the Jacket and wouldn't impede my movement as much. I swam towards the surface- man this felt awesome! I got awesome distance with each thrust of my arms. I wondered how fast I could go in this. My shoes and pants were getting in the way though.

I reached down and pulled them off too. How fast could I go? I wondered. The answer? Pretty damn fast. I was up to the surface in seconds. I tried taking a breath but couldn't. Oh, right, I was full of water. Damn it. Was I restricted to water now? Well, whatever, even if I was, this is awesome. Fuck Dad and fuck Winslow. I was now part mermaid-person.

Now that I was on the surface I found I was staying afloat with ease. Huh. Well that's nice. It was kind of weird though, my mouth being full of saltwater and not being bothered by it. And cycling through water as though I were breathing. Well, fuck. Now what should I do? A half-naked girl running through the streets? Should I even bother calling the police? I don't even know if I can talk any more. I needed to try to get out of the water first. I wanted to stay as far from civilization as possible until I could find clothes so I swam to the north of the graveyard.

Man my legs were getting stronger. I could feel it. Each kick and motion with my arm went farther and faster with single strokes. I was tired a couple of times and had to rest, but a quick rest and I was good to go. It was pretty awesome, not having to worry about drowning. I would have to grab some lights and check out the under-water stuff when I could.

It took a while, but I found a really good rhythm just waving each arm in sync with my legs. My hands had a lot more resistance to the water than I'd ever thought they would. About thirty minutes of swimming I came to a part of shore in the darkness. I came up on to some land. It took some guts and worry, but I decided to fuck it, my power let me breathe under water it would help me on land again.

I crawled out of the water on my arms and knees. It was a really strange feeling, being back on land. Scraped my knees and arms on some sharp rocks crawling out. No one was nearby which was both a sad and a good thing. I needed clothes, and I needed to get home. Then again I didn't want to be seen half-naked. Luckily I wasn't too far from a road back into town. Figured I'd try to hitchhike once I got some pants. That was the plan, at least. I'd clean myself up once I got home.

Anyway, once I was fully out of the water i tried spitting out all the water I could. It was… slow, to say the least, but my lungs did end up filling with air. Didn't feel like it took much air to fill up though. Oh well, I was back on land, and not dead. And I am now a cape. Guess those E88 goons actually saw something that I didn't.

I stood up. All I had on was a tshirt with small sleeves and my underwear, having dropped my pants to help swim faster. No shoes or socks either. The rocks as I walked barefoot hurt, but it felt good. Felt nice to be alive. Feeling pain was a symbol a symbol of living. When it stopped, that was death. I headed directly west. I was pretty far north in the bay, even north of the graveyard and docks. I'd make it to a road if I kept heading away from the shoreline.

In fact, I saw some street lights ahead, up the hill. My eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness. I could see some cars in the distance. Not too far from the interstate. I was still concerned about hypothermia, so I broke out into a jog. I heard the saying a wet person was a cold person. Well out here in the bay, I'm pretty sure that's a wet person is a dead one being even more true. There's a chance that I'm just going insane from hypothermia. It makes you go numb/not feel pain when it really sets in.

To make a long story short I finally came to a light, where I had a chance to inspect myself. My hands looked normal, but there was a light, veiny webbing between my fingers on both hands, not going away. I had to stop walking just to observe it. It wasn't really frightening as it was mystifying. My body had webbing to help me swim! I looked down at my feet in the light. My legs were a bit thicker. More muscly calves, and I'm pretty sure my shirt was barely holding itself together. My breasts didn't look or feel the pressure my shirt displayed. I'd inspect that later in private.

My feet were a bit wider, presumably to help with the swimming. Though my hands were still the most fascinating part- I could feel that there were three digits inside, when i extended my hand in a certain way, the extended into being almost parallel between each knuckle. I could really use those in a fight, as they looked sharp as fuck. Though their shape was straight and seemed somewhat unwieldy.

Ah, well, whatever. I needed a new shirt and new pants. First job: get some. If I even still had that money in my pockets, it was gone now. Didn't even think about it. Damn. No buying anything for me. Then I remembered, that girl said my forehead was looking pretty jacked. Oh, crap. Didn't even think about it. I need a mirror. Next stop: someone's attention. I need some help.

I don't care if people stare, I don't care. I'm a cape now. My limbs look way different, but I'm still human, or at least look like I'm human. I think. My skin looked about the same except around the wrists and on my fingers it was visibly thicker.

As I was walking along, searching for a close road where I can hitch a ride, I realized something as the wind picked up. I'm literally walking about in the freezing cold, and it's only mildly annoying. Still, I had always heard that a 'wet person is a cold person' and tried to dry off. I'm not walking about in just my underwear, so I just tried to squeeze some of the water out of my hair and shirt.

There weren't any stores nearby really, but there were some run-down houses in the area near the shoreline. They'd probably be nicer but with the tracks and the boat graveyard so close, there really wasn't anything there. I knocked on the door of one home without any lights. They probably didn't even have a security system.

After no one answered, I just entered the home. I don't think I was seen because of how dark it was and that this place was in the middle of nowhere. Taking a hand, I decided I'd see if I couldn't find some clothes. With my hands the way they were I was pretty certain i'd be outed as a cape to the whole town. It would be nice to try and keep my identity secret for the time being, so getting some new clothes from someone would probably be best. It was hard to see, but the house was small. Opening the door, I stepped inside and listened. Couldn't hear any movement. If I could just grab a pair of winter pants, some shoes and a new jacket I'd be golden.

The shirt I had was not just tight, but stiff. It must have frosted up a bit from the cold. There were stairs and a living area directly in front of me. No closet. I tried to yell our.

"Hello? Anyone home?" My voice came out raspy and little deeper. Considering the fact I'm not dead, not a huge deal, for now at least. I could probably get checked out by a doctor once my body returned to normal. I could feel the exhaustion coming, but I needed clothes.

Silence. Forcing myself to keep going, I looked around downstairs. A coat rack by the door, nothing on it or around except for some kid's shoes, far too small for me. A couch, a tv in the living room, but nothing really lying about that was useful. A blanket, but not useful really. I'd have to go upstairs. A pantry. No closet.

I tiptoed upstairs, trying to be quiet. A small hallway with doors on either side. About four. No lights on except for a nightlight in one room, which was nice. First door, a bathroom. Clothes all over the floor, toothpaste all over the sink. A mirror. I stepped inside, shutting the door just in case. God, I was exhausted, but I kept going sleep was inconvenient.

I turned on the light to try and get a good look at myself. The first thing I noticed, was my face. I wasn't sure what I expected, but not…. This. It.. My.. face was barely recognizable. Something that looked like scales were growing onto my face from my forehead. Not small ones, really, but fairly large ones. I brushed my hand over them. They weren't hard, more… soft like there was a level of padding between them and my skull.

I still had hair though. If I didn't cut my bangs so short, they'd probably cover most of the scales. My nose was somewhat larger than it had been before. I could also take slightly larger breaths. Must have helped me breath. Around my left eye and nose were scales of a similar fashion. I brushed my hand over them. Leathery, same properties as the ones on my forehead. My mouth. About the same, but there was a kind of… Glasgow grin on my cheeks made up of scales. Smaller than the forehead scales, but tracing the outline of the gag.

I hoped, prayed that the transformations wouldn't last forever, but how long had it been since I'd been out of water? Twenty minutes? Half hour? I mean, my power was useful for recovering after a fight, but if I was stuck like this forever? I may as well be a case 53. I thought back to when my head was slammed into the table, then being thrown into the bay, and having my hands cut off. I felt like vomiting, but instead I was filled with rage. And a tinge of excitement.

Rage at Hookwolf, for judging me. Fuck him. Fuck that Othala girl for not helping me. I'll get my revenge on them, I decided. I'd never heard of either of them, but they couldn't kill me. I'm going to go hunt them down. Or at least the Empire, until Hookwolf shows up. I felt anger. Fuck his stupid rules. I would hunt him down. He made me like this. The only way he lives is if he leaves the city like a coward. A small smirk on my face as I imagined getting into a drawn out fight with him, standing over his broken, bloody body as my body evolved and changed to counter each and every attack of his. Yes. I would show him who was on top. His body would be at the bottom of the bay. I'd ensure that.

"Hookwolf, I'm going to fuck you up!"

I declared into the mirror, not quite showing. My smile grew. I was so ready to go take him down I never noticed I wasn't alone upstairs. I was focused on how i'd defeat Hookwolf. Well, first, I had to find him again. And for that, I needed clothes. I take off my soaking shirt, dropping it. Continuing my search I opened a door in a hallway closet, finding some useful things. A light winter jacket. Larger than I was used to, but it seemed to fit fine, and my hands didn't have any trouble going through. In retrospect, I suppose I should have been more shocked at the state of my body, having barely noticed anything other than my face being marred and hardly recognizable. But what was I to do? Cry about it? I wasn't a pussy. No, this was my chance. A new parahuman, my chance to show the world who I am, and that I should not be fucked with.

I didn't find any pants in the closet, the one thing I needed most. I moved to the third door, at the end of the hallway. It had what I needed, a pair of pants. Not tight-fitting, but a belt and I was good to go. In the same closet were a pair of tennis shoes. Actually just my size. Convenient.

All right, I was ready to go home without drawing everyone's attention. I left the house and walked off down the street, heading home. Nothing too crazy happened - I made it home then collapsed in bed.

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