Too many story ideas, not enough patience to work on just one. Hey, you guys can help! Have a good vote!
Bronze Moose's Coppered Meese [Snips, Snaps, Shorts, and Starts, Mostly Worm]
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Introduction
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
Hi! I've got too many story ideas, and I don't want any of them to languish like Mask of the Sea Witch is. So, I'm putting them all in one thread, until they have enough chapters to justify their own threads! I'm calling it five chapters per story, so it might take a bit for them to break out. Also, voting! I'm going to make a list of all the stories I've got, my metaphorical 'irons in the fire', and you can vote for which one I post next! The first story is already selected, so the voting will come after that. See you there!
Taylor Gets Train'd 1.1
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
25 January, 2011
I was so glad I'd decided not to go back to Winslow. When Dad had pressed me about it after-a shiver went down my back-in the hospital-there, that's better. Anyway, I hadn't told anybody the who, but I'd certainly made it clear that going back to Winslow was not an option. The feelings of dread and terror had gone down drastically when he agreed not to send me back there. When we'd finally gotten back home from the hospital, I'd even had a slight spring in my step.
Even better was, when I saw him again after that, he'd told me how he was fighting for me. It had surprised me that that, of all things, was what caused me to break down into a helpless mess of emotions. Since then, we've been closer. I even had a plan-had set a date-to tell him about my powers.
My powers. Now wasn't that a thing. When I first realized it, I wasn't very impressed. I mean, bug control? I mean, sure, it included things like crabs and lobsters (and I think worms too?). But my power didn't seem all that useful.
That's why I was where I was. That is to say, I was in the trainyard, wearing warm clothes, seeing what I could do with my bugs. I had this level of proprioception that let me know where they were in relation to me very precisely. They were like little lights in my mind's eye. I could sense even the smallest of them, skin mites and the like. I felt like, if I focused on it, I might even be able to get tardigrades. That would have been useful.
Right now I was practicing using them to get a rough map of the surrounding area. I was actually doing pretty well, in my estimation, though the 'resolution', as it were, was pretty low. I thought that might have been due to the low number of bugs I had to work with in the cold weather. Everything was either in hibernation or waiting for spring to hatch, according to my research.
I was drawn from my thoughts when I realized the topography I was sensing was familiar. I was getting close to the historic train station, though something seemed off and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. My path wound past locomotives, around shunting engines, under box cars, over flatbed cars, and even through one passenger car.
When the train station finally came into view, I knew why things felt off: the whole roof had collapsed inward! I could only see a little bit of the problem with my eyes, but my swarm was telling me that it really was the whole thing that had collapsed. It looked like it had been that way for a few months.
It was at that moment that a bad idea popped into my head. I knew it was a bad idea, it felt like a bad idea. And yet, I still wanted to do it. I mean, I was out here to test my mapping skills with my swarm, right? And a collapsed old building like this was perfect practice for search and rescue in a dangerous environment. Especially considering that the vast majority of unstable debris had likely fully settled by now.
I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat and went inside.
The place was barely recognizable since the last time I'd been here. I remembered that it was one of the last places that Mom had taken me 'adventuring' before she died. Even though thinking of it transformed the lump of fear into a lump of sorrow, I kept going.
The front desk was completely crushed under a heavy wooden beam, and there was what looked like rotted paper all over the floor. I couldn't see past the section of roof that had fallen on the desk, so I sent a few hundred bugs around to see if I could find a way through.
I swallowed a new lump of fear when the only way through was a hole that I'd barely fit through. 'I can't let this keep me from helping people', I thought. Once again taking account of my topographic bug map, I nodded and squeezed through to see what was on the other side.
What I saw was about what my bugs were showing me: it was a bit of a tunnel that went on for a few yards. I kept crawling on my belly, and came to a fork in the path that I was expecting. Thinking on it, I used my bugs to see if I could get any idea of what was down either path.
To the left seemed to end in a dry room with what seemed like filing cabinets, the type I'd seen at dad's office to store blueprints for ships that were being repaired, back before the riots. I decided to go back there when I was ready to leave, to see if there was anything interesting to salvage and donate to the library.
To the right seemed like where the trains were stored. It was mostly collapsed but I could feel a relatively small dry pocket where it seemed like one of the older locomotives was stored. It was a bit further, but I was curious which one it was.
Decision made, I contorted my way to the right and began crawling. I didn't know how long it was, but it was not short by any means. My hood got caught a few times, until I learned to map the top of the tunnel more thoroughly with my bugs and to use another bug to hold my hood down when I thought it was about to get caught.
By the time I got there, I was really wishing that I'd been holding my flashlight, which I'd had in my backpack, and therefore couldn't reach. When I finally stood and turned my light on, the first thing I saw caused me to gasp and nearly lose my footing.
Right in front of me was Merry Rose, a steam locomotive that Mom had told me was built by one of her ancestors, and therefore one of my ancestors, back in the times of The Old West. She'd told me stories about the history of her family and this train, how it had simultaneously made and broken the family fortune multiple times.
And here it was, about as well preserved as one could hope in a humid climate with nobody to perform maintenance. There was a light patina of rust showing through under most of the blue paint, dust and debris had collected all over on top of it, and it looked like some sort of rodents had made a home somewhere within. The upside-down bell shaped smoke stack was dented from something falling onto it from above, and the… snow plough? Cowcatcher? Cage thing up front had the most damage. The wooden slats were completely destroyed by what looked like mold and being chewed on by whatever pest had taken residence inside the locomotive. The wheels, though, looked good to me.
If I remembered rightly, the arrangement of wheels had something to do with the classification conventions used for the train. Mom had told me that Merry Rose was a 2-6-0. That number seemed right, but I didn't see that many wheels. I could only see one small wheel and three big ones with the linkages. Confused by the discrepancy, I moved as many of my bugs over the train as I could muster in the room (which wasn't many) to see if I could find… 'Oh. Now I feel silly,' I thought. I was just glad that nobody could see me blushing as I found the missing wheels on the other side, where they belonged.
I remembered more and more of what Mom had told me as I explored the decaying locomotive, poking my head in spaces that I had been curious about back then, but had been blocked by the signs that said 'Do Not Touch'. I snuck underneath to see the deceptively simple axles (seriously, what else did I expect?), scrambled over the edge of the coal tender (discovering, to my disappointment, that the coal was fake), and clambered atop the boiler to peek down the smoke stack (where a puff of breeze blew very real soot into my face).
Coughing as I made my way down off the boiler, I decided to check out the engineer's cabin. I was just toying around with the knobs, levers, and dials, when I heard a scratching noise. Looking around, I said, "hello?"
I heard it again, and saw where it was coming from. There was something inside the… boiler? Firebox? Another part of the train I didn't know the name of. Curious, I bent over and opened it… and let out a squeal of surprise, losing my balance and landing on my butt, as a large rat came scurrying out right at my face! It squealed right back at me, and ran off somewhere under the train.
Panting from the jump scare, I shook my head and made up my mind. I hated rats! Looking back at the place where the coal went, I thought of a plan while I listened. There were, indeed, more rats inside. I didn't know how they got in and out normally, but that didn't matter. I called upon my swarm. Even the few bugs I had should be enough for this.
...I still had to wait a few minutes for them all to get to me. While I waited, I was able to get a count of how many I had. I'd started off counting them by hand, but that started getting too slow as more and more showed up. It was then that I facepalmed. I could have just been using my power to count them all! Which I did. My eyebrows shot up when I got the count.
I had 436,554 total bugs in my range, with 322 different species! Holy cow! I mean, this was winter, right? Weren't there supposed to be fewer bugs at the moment? ...That was when I realized that most of them were in the sheltered area of the collapsed building. Once again, I felt silly for not realizing the obvious.
I smiled viciously when I realized how badly outnumbered the rats were. There couldn't be more than a few dozen. When my swarm got here-and holy moley, was it ever a swarm!-I opened the door to the burning hole again, letting them all in.
I set my swarm upon the nest of rats, biting, stinging, filling them with venom. Oh, that's not to say the rats didn't fight back. They did. A few of my bugs died, eaten by the rats. But they were helpless before the oncoming swarm. As they died, they were torn apart, literally. I wasn't willing to handle dead vermin barehanded, after all. I used my bugs to clean up everything inside.
Within minutes, all that remained of the rats were skeletons, and I used the larger bugs to remove those. After that, I began cleaning up the mess that the rats had made inside. When I was done, I looked inside, shining my flashlight to inspect a job well done.
Squeaky clean! Er, no, bad pun! What I meant was, there was a coat of what looked like… not fresh paint, but paint in relatively good condition. I didn't think the rats had been in there for very long, otherwise there would have been more damage from moisture.
As I backed away, feeling satisfied about my accomplishment, I heard a puff noise coming from the smokestack again. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Where was the puff of breeze that was causing that? Moreover, how was there a puff of breeze at all when there were rats inside before? My face was still covered in soot!
I climbed out of the cab, looking around and wondering. What was going on here?
I waved the light where I was looking, trying to find the source of the breeze. Looking around, using my swarm to try to find the air source, my gaze fell upon the front of the train.
It really was still in good condition. 'Is it still usable, though?' I wondered as I wandered around to the front. I took a quick look at the museum plaque, and saw that the thing at the front was, in fact, called a cowcatcher. Huh! It also had various other parts labeled on a cut away diagram, as well as a crank operated animatronic steam piston, showing how they work. I smiled in amusement as I turned it a few times, remembering good times.
I looked back up at the smoke box door, and blinked. 'Did that always look like a sleeping face?' I peered closer at the circular plate. It's eyes opened. I blinked. It blinked. I screamed. It screamed, causing me to scream more, stumbling backwards until I tripped, fell backwards and somehow rolled all the way over until I was backed up against the opposite wall.
"How did you get in here?!?" it demanded in a surprisingly feminine voice.
"Whaaat are you?!?" I demanded in return, almost, but not quite yelling. Sue me, I was terrified.
It huffed, seemingly calming itself down, and said "I'm Merry Rose, the train whose firebox you just cleaned out. I'm thankful, but you still haven't answered my question."
I felt like my brain was still rebooting after that scare. It took me a moment to calm down myself, but I managed it. I looked Merry Rose in the... eye... and said to it (her?) "I-I'm Taylor Hebert." I gulped, and continued, "I came in by that hole in the rubble, over there." I pointed at the hole in question.
She (and I'm pretty sure it was a she by now) looked over at the hole, and said "oh, you brave thing! You came in by such a tiny hole? Well, I guess I should be thanking you doubly!" Her smile was warm, and I felt good at the praise.
I slowly stood up, feeling more confident, and asked, "so, how are you talking, anyway? I've never heard of trains doing that." I looked down in thought. "Or any other vehicles, for that matter." I looked back up at her. "Do you know?"
Merry Rose looked mildly concerned as she answered, "I'm not entirely sure, really. This is the first time I've ever been able to do so. How are you able to control the bugs you used to clean out my firebox?"
My heart skipped a beat when she asked that. She knew that I was the one who'd been controlling the swarm. I couldn't breathe, even though I kept trying to take a breath, she was going to tell everybody about my powers and I'd never get to be a hero, the walls were closing in around me-
My panic attack was interrupted by Merry blowing her whistle for a second. "Taylor," she shouted, "Calm down!" I looked up at her. "Good," she said more softly, "now please, tell me what's wrong. I promise I won't hurt you."
I took another couple of slow, deep breaths before I felt like I could speak correctly. I was still fidgeting in place as I said, "it's a superpower I have." I swallowed, trying to whet my throat. "I, um, got it less than a month ago, and I've been trying to find ways to use it to help people."
"That's a wonderful thing to aspire to!" She smiled as she said this. "How did you come to possess this ability?"
I blinked as my heart leapt into my throat. I curled in on myself a little, and said, "I'd… rather not talk about that. Let's just say it was bad, and leave it at that."
Merry gasped, and I felt like she'd be covering her mouth with her hand if she had any. "Oh, and to still be aspiring to heroism! My, you are such a strong young woman!"
I just stood there, not knowing what to say. I felt like she was a kind old grandmother, like she might have been my grandmother.
I slowly walked up to her, put my hand on her face, and leaned in. Before I knew it, I was crying. Here was the first person outside my family who openly cared about me, and she was a steam locomotive. I wasn't even sure that I wasn't hallucinating. Was this the result of another parahuman?
I didn't know how long I stood there like that, but I eventually came up for air. I looked up at Merry, and she had only warmth and concern in her expression. Once again, I felt like she might have been my grandmother, had she been human. But she was a steam locomotive, and she couldn't come home to help out… wait a minute.
Still sniffling a little bit, I backed away from her, looking at her wheels. "Taylor? Is something the matter?" she asked. I gently put up one finger to indicate that I needed a moment, and she respected that. Beneath her wheels were… rails! I looked behind her, to see only the collapsed roof and a steel water tank holding it up, creating the void we were in. I looked in front of her to see a double door.
I put my fingers on my chin, thinking. I examined the doors, comparing them to Merry. I looked back and forth a couple of times. Then I noticed it: the doors were jammed shut by the steel girder that spanned across to the water tank, and if the doors were to be opened, then the rest of the roof would collapse.
I sighed, turned to Merry, and said, "I was hoping to get you out of here, to a place where it might be safer. I don't want the roof falling on you…" I pointed up, at the sagging girder above her.
Merry looked up, and said, "oh. I see." She looked unhappy at that revelation. "Um, perhaps we could ram our way out of here? The wood may be rotted, but the steel frame of my cowcatcher is still strong." She gulped, and laughed nervously. "It could work?"
"It might, but I have no idea how to get you to go," I said, frowning in regret. "Not to mention, I don't know where to find coal or how to get water into your tank."
Merry blinked, and smiled. "Well, if that's the problem, then there's no problem! I'm wood fired, not coal, the water tank behind me should be full of good, clean water, and I'm sure the archive survived the collapse! It's an old bank vault, after all! All my manuals and schematics should be in there." Then her smile shifted to a smirk. "As for problems of air availability, which I'm sure you thought of, I'm already at half working pressure with nitrogen for preservation purposes. Adding the proper amount of water will just bring that up to working pressure. So, no need for burning up the air quite yet!"
I blushed; I hadn't thought of that. She was right, though. If we could build up enough speed, I could get her to safety! Excited at the prospect of saving my family's heritage, and something (someone?) my mom loved so much, I said, "I'll go get the documents!" and suited action to word.
I remembered my flashlight, this time, and quickly crawled through the tunnel. It didn't seem so claustrophobic on the way back, but I still didn't like it. I wasn't sure I'd ever be okay with tight spaces again.
I got through to the other side just fine, and saw lots of filing cabinets, both horizontal file and flat file, and even an old kardex file! Each drawer was labeled by purpose, and then alphabetically, so I found the drawer for manuals under 'M' for 'Merry Rose', and the drawer for schematics under the same. I didn't know which ones I'd need, so I just grabbed them all, made sure all the steel cabinets were closed to keep further rodents out, and went back to Merry.
I crawled out of the tunnel, and dashed right up to her, my excitement bubbling up to a head. "I got the documents!" I said, skipping to a stop right next to her cowcatcher. "I'll start studying them right away, so's I can get you out!"
Merry smiled kindly, and said, "Thank you so much, Taylor! You have no idea how much I appreciate the idea of moving under my own power once again." She furrowed her brow for a moment, frowning. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?"
I blinked at the question, and quickly looked down at my wrist watch. My heart sank when I saw how late it was. "It's… 6:45 PM," I said. I looked back up at her, saying, "I have to get back home, or my dad will be worried about me."
Merry smiled gently, and said, "it's okay. I can wait another day to see daylight." She glanced at the door, then back to me. "Maybe you can take the time to really study the documentation? I'd really feel better if you knew what you were doing." A stern scowl appeared on her face, then. "And you had better tell your father where you are! I don't want him worrying about you!"
I meeped out an okay, nodding, and we said our goodbyes as I left, documents safely secured in my backpack.
Once I was out of the building, I began walking the circuitous route home, nervous, excited, and deep in thought. Merry Rose was being nice to me, even after she found out about my creepy powers! Just for that, I already liked her. Not enough to think of her as a friend! Just… I didn't want to feel lonely. I mean, having my dad back was nice and all, but he was my dad. He was supposed to be there for me.
And she wanted me to tell him. I didn't know how I was going to do that. I mean, really, my pocket calendar had a gold star sticker on the date! ...which was tomorrow. I really needed to work on my planning skills.
I tried to think of ways to tell dad. Should I show him first? I snorted as I imagined standing at the kitchen table, a literal flea circus running in the middle of it. No, I'd have to ease him into the idea. Did he know where powers came from? I knew where I got mine, but I didn't know if it was the same for all capes.
My thoughts eventually ran to my excitement and planning of how to get Merry Rose out of the ruined train station cum museum. There was very little room between her and the door, which I was pretty sure opened outward. I didn't remember if there was any room on the rails behind her. If there was, we could take advantage of that for more space to build up speed. I didn't know what I'd do if it turned out she couldn't accelerate fast enough.
Before I knew it, I was home. I absentmindedly made my way to the kitchen table, pulling a couple of the manuals out of my backpack for quick perusal. As a learning game, I decided to 'simulate' the parts the manual was covering with my bugs, making outlines that moved in real time. Sure, not all of them were really real time, but it was close enough. I was actually having some fun with it! I felt like I was really understanding the mechanics behind how Merry Rose worked. Proper operating temperatures, safety measures, tips about what inexperienced engineers might do wrong, and so forth.
I was startled when I heard a coughing from behind me.
I was so glad I'd decided not to go back to Winslow. When Dad had pressed me about it after-a shiver went down my back-in the hospital-there, that's better. Anyway, I hadn't told anybody the who, but I'd certainly made it clear that going back to Winslow was not an option. The feelings of dread and terror had gone down drastically when he agreed not to send me back there. When we'd finally gotten back home from the hospital, I'd even had a slight spring in my step.
Even better was, when I saw him again after that, he'd told me how he was fighting for me. It had surprised me that that, of all things, was what caused me to break down into a helpless mess of emotions. Since then, we've been closer. I even had a plan-had set a date-to tell him about my powers.
My powers. Now wasn't that a thing. When I first realized it, I wasn't very impressed. I mean, bug control? I mean, sure, it included things like crabs and lobsters (and I think worms too?). But my power didn't seem all that useful.
That's why I was where I was. That is to say, I was in the trainyard, wearing warm clothes, seeing what I could do with my bugs. I had this level of proprioception that let me know where they were in relation to me very precisely. They were like little lights in my mind's eye. I could sense even the smallest of them, skin mites and the like. I felt like, if I focused on it, I might even be able to get tardigrades. That would have been useful.
Right now I was practicing using them to get a rough map of the surrounding area. I was actually doing pretty well, in my estimation, though the 'resolution', as it were, was pretty low. I thought that might have been due to the low number of bugs I had to work with in the cold weather. Everything was either in hibernation or waiting for spring to hatch, according to my research.
I was drawn from my thoughts when I realized the topography I was sensing was familiar. I was getting close to the historic train station, though something seemed off and I couldn't put my finger on what it was. My path wound past locomotives, around shunting engines, under box cars, over flatbed cars, and even through one passenger car.
When the train station finally came into view, I knew why things felt off: the whole roof had collapsed inward! I could only see a little bit of the problem with my eyes, but my swarm was telling me that it really was the whole thing that had collapsed. It looked like it had been that way for a few months.
It was at that moment that a bad idea popped into my head. I knew it was a bad idea, it felt like a bad idea. And yet, I still wanted to do it. I mean, I was out here to test my mapping skills with my swarm, right? And a collapsed old building like this was perfect practice for search and rescue in a dangerous environment. Especially considering that the vast majority of unstable debris had likely fully settled by now.
I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat and went inside.
The place was barely recognizable since the last time I'd been here. I remembered that it was one of the last places that Mom had taken me 'adventuring' before she died. Even though thinking of it transformed the lump of fear into a lump of sorrow, I kept going.
The front desk was completely crushed under a heavy wooden beam, and there was what looked like rotted paper all over the floor. I couldn't see past the section of roof that had fallen on the desk, so I sent a few hundred bugs around to see if I could find a way through.
I swallowed a new lump of fear when the only way through was a hole that I'd barely fit through. 'I can't let this keep me from helping people', I thought. Once again taking account of my topographic bug map, I nodded and squeezed through to see what was on the other side.
What I saw was about what my bugs were showing me: it was a bit of a tunnel that went on for a few yards. I kept crawling on my belly, and came to a fork in the path that I was expecting. Thinking on it, I used my bugs to see if I could get any idea of what was down either path.
To the left seemed to end in a dry room with what seemed like filing cabinets, the type I'd seen at dad's office to store blueprints for ships that were being repaired, back before the riots. I decided to go back there when I was ready to leave, to see if there was anything interesting to salvage and donate to the library.
To the right seemed like where the trains were stored. It was mostly collapsed but I could feel a relatively small dry pocket where it seemed like one of the older locomotives was stored. It was a bit further, but I was curious which one it was.
Decision made, I contorted my way to the right and began crawling. I didn't know how long it was, but it was not short by any means. My hood got caught a few times, until I learned to map the top of the tunnel more thoroughly with my bugs and to use another bug to hold my hood down when I thought it was about to get caught.
By the time I got there, I was really wishing that I'd been holding my flashlight, which I'd had in my backpack, and therefore couldn't reach. When I finally stood and turned my light on, the first thing I saw caused me to gasp and nearly lose my footing.
Right in front of me was Merry Rose, a steam locomotive that Mom had told me was built by one of her ancestors, and therefore one of my ancestors, back in the times of The Old West. She'd told me stories about the history of her family and this train, how it had simultaneously made and broken the family fortune multiple times.
And here it was, about as well preserved as one could hope in a humid climate with nobody to perform maintenance. There was a light patina of rust showing through under most of the blue paint, dust and debris had collected all over on top of it, and it looked like some sort of rodents had made a home somewhere within. The upside-down bell shaped smoke stack was dented from something falling onto it from above, and the… snow plough? Cowcatcher? Cage thing up front had the most damage. The wooden slats were completely destroyed by what looked like mold and being chewed on by whatever pest had taken residence inside the locomotive. The wheels, though, looked good to me.
If I remembered rightly, the arrangement of wheels had something to do with the classification conventions used for the train. Mom had told me that Merry Rose was a 2-6-0. That number seemed right, but I didn't see that many wheels. I could only see one small wheel and three big ones with the linkages. Confused by the discrepancy, I moved as many of my bugs over the train as I could muster in the room (which wasn't many) to see if I could find… 'Oh. Now I feel silly,' I thought. I was just glad that nobody could see me blushing as I found the missing wheels on the other side, where they belonged.
I remembered more and more of what Mom had told me as I explored the decaying locomotive, poking my head in spaces that I had been curious about back then, but had been blocked by the signs that said 'Do Not Touch'. I snuck underneath to see the deceptively simple axles (seriously, what else did I expect?), scrambled over the edge of the coal tender (discovering, to my disappointment, that the coal was fake), and clambered atop the boiler to peek down the smoke stack (where a puff of breeze blew very real soot into my face).
Coughing as I made my way down off the boiler, I decided to check out the engineer's cabin. I was just toying around with the knobs, levers, and dials, when I heard a scratching noise. Looking around, I said, "hello?"
I heard it again, and saw where it was coming from. There was something inside the… boiler? Firebox? Another part of the train I didn't know the name of. Curious, I bent over and opened it… and let out a squeal of surprise, losing my balance and landing on my butt, as a large rat came scurrying out right at my face! It squealed right back at me, and ran off somewhere under the train.
Panting from the jump scare, I shook my head and made up my mind. I hated rats! Looking back at the place where the coal went, I thought of a plan while I listened. There were, indeed, more rats inside. I didn't know how they got in and out normally, but that didn't matter. I called upon my swarm. Even the few bugs I had should be enough for this.
...I still had to wait a few minutes for them all to get to me. While I waited, I was able to get a count of how many I had. I'd started off counting them by hand, but that started getting too slow as more and more showed up. It was then that I facepalmed. I could have just been using my power to count them all! Which I did. My eyebrows shot up when I got the count.
I had 436,554 total bugs in my range, with 322 different species! Holy cow! I mean, this was winter, right? Weren't there supposed to be fewer bugs at the moment? ...That was when I realized that most of them were in the sheltered area of the collapsed building. Once again, I felt silly for not realizing the obvious.
I smiled viciously when I realized how badly outnumbered the rats were. There couldn't be more than a few dozen. When my swarm got here-and holy moley, was it ever a swarm!-I opened the door to the burning hole again, letting them all in.
I set my swarm upon the nest of rats, biting, stinging, filling them with venom. Oh, that's not to say the rats didn't fight back. They did. A few of my bugs died, eaten by the rats. But they were helpless before the oncoming swarm. As they died, they were torn apart, literally. I wasn't willing to handle dead vermin barehanded, after all. I used my bugs to clean up everything inside.
Within minutes, all that remained of the rats were skeletons, and I used the larger bugs to remove those. After that, I began cleaning up the mess that the rats had made inside. When I was done, I looked inside, shining my flashlight to inspect a job well done.
Squeaky clean! Er, no, bad pun! What I meant was, there was a coat of what looked like… not fresh paint, but paint in relatively good condition. I didn't think the rats had been in there for very long, otherwise there would have been more damage from moisture.
As I backed away, feeling satisfied about my accomplishment, I heard a puff noise coming from the smokestack again. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Where was the puff of breeze that was causing that? Moreover, how was there a puff of breeze at all when there were rats inside before? My face was still covered in soot!
I climbed out of the cab, looking around and wondering. What was going on here?
I waved the light where I was looking, trying to find the source of the breeze. Looking around, using my swarm to try to find the air source, my gaze fell upon the front of the train.
It really was still in good condition. 'Is it still usable, though?' I wondered as I wandered around to the front. I took a quick look at the museum plaque, and saw that the thing at the front was, in fact, called a cowcatcher. Huh! It also had various other parts labeled on a cut away diagram, as well as a crank operated animatronic steam piston, showing how they work. I smiled in amusement as I turned it a few times, remembering good times.
I looked back up at the smoke box door, and blinked. 'Did that always look like a sleeping face?' I peered closer at the circular plate. It's eyes opened. I blinked. It blinked. I screamed. It screamed, causing me to scream more, stumbling backwards until I tripped, fell backwards and somehow rolled all the way over until I was backed up against the opposite wall.
"How did you get in here?!?" it demanded in a surprisingly feminine voice.
"Whaaat are you?!?" I demanded in return, almost, but not quite yelling. Sue me, I was terrified.
It huffed, seemingly calming itself down, and said "I'm Merry Rose, the train whose firebox you just cleaned out. I'm thankful, but you still haven't answered my question."
I felt like my brain was still rebooting after that scare. It took me a moment to calm down myself, but I managed it. I looked Merry Rose in the... eye... and said to it (her?) "I-I'm Taylor Hebert." I gulped, and continued, "I came in by that hole in the rubble, over there." I pointed at the hole in question.
She (and I'm pretty sure it was a she by now) looked over at the hole, and said "oh, you brave thing! You came in by such a tiny hole? Well, I guess I should be thanking you doubly!" Her smile was warm, and I felt good at the praise.
I slowly stood up, feeling more confident, and asked, "so, how are you talking, anyway? I've never heard of trains doing that." I looked down in thought. "Or any other vehicles, for that matter." I looked back up at her. "Do you know?"
Merry Rose looked mildly concerned as she answered, "I'm not entirely sure, really. This is the first time I've ever been able to do so. How are you able to control the bugs you used to clean out my firebox?"
My heart skipped a beat when she asked that. She knew that I was the one who'd been controlling the swarm. I couldn't breathe, even though I kept trying to take a breath, she was going to tell everybody about my powers and I'd never get to be a hero, the walls were closing in around me-
My panic attack was interrupted by Merry blowing her whistle for a second. "Taylor," she shouted, "Calm down!" I looked up at her. "Good," she said more softly, "now please, tell me what's wrong. I promise I won't hurt you."
I took another couple of slow, deep breaths before I felt like I could speak correctly. I was still fidgeting in place as I said, "it's a superpower I have." I swallowed, trying to whet my throat. "I, um, got it less than a month ago, and I've been trying to find ways to use it to help people."
"That's a wonderful thing to aspire to!" She smiled as she said this. "How did you come to possess this ability?"
I blinked as my heart leapt into my throat. I curled in on myself a little, and said, "I'd… rather not talk about that. Let's just say it was bad, and leave it at that."
Merry gasped, and I felt like she'd be covering her mouth with her hand if she had any. "Oh, and to still be aspiring to heroism! My, you are such a strong young woman!"
I just stood there, not knowing what to say. I felt like she was a kind old grandmother, like she might have been my grandmother.
I slowly walked up to her, put my hand on her face, and leaned in. Before I knew it, I was crying. Here was the first person outside my family who openly cared about me, and she was a steam locomotive. I wasn't even sure that I wasn't hallucinating. Was this the result of another parahuman?
I didn't know how long I stood there like that, but I eventually came up for air. I looked up at Merry, and she had only warmth and concern in her expression. Once again, I felt like she might have been my grandmother, had she been human. But she was a steam locomotive, and she couldn't come home to help out… wait a minute.
Still sniffling a little bit, I backed away from her, looking at her wheels. "Taylor? Is something the matter?" she asked. I gently put up one finger to indicate that I needed a moment, and she respected that. Beneath her wheels were… rails! I looked behind her, to see only the collapsed roof and a steel water tank holding it up, creating the void we were in. I looked in front of her to see a double door.
I put my fingers on my chin, thinking. I examined the doors, comparing them to Merry. I looked back and forth a couple of times. Then I noticed it: the doors were jammed shut by the steel girder that spanned across to the water tank, and if the doors were to be opened, then the rest of the roof would collapse.
I sighed, turned to Merry, and said, "I was hoping to get you out of here, to a place where it might be safer. I don't want the roof falling on you…" I pointed up, at the sagging girder above her.
Merry looked up, and said, "oh. I see." She looked unhappy at that revelation. "Um, perhaps we could ram our way out of here? The wood may be rotted, but the steel frame of my cowcatcher is still strong." She gulped, and laughed nervously. "It could work?"
"It might, but I have no idea how to get you to go," I said, frowning in regret. "Not to mention, I don't know where to find coal or how to get water into your tank."
Merry blinked, and smiled. "Well, if that's the problem, then there's no problem! I'm wood fired, not coal, the water tank behind me should be full of good, clean water, and I'm sure the archive survived the collapse! It's an old bank vault, after all! All my manuals and schematics should be in there." Then her smile shifted to a smirk. "As for problems of air availability, which I'm sure you thought of, I'm already at half working pressure with nitrogen for preservation purposes. Adding the proper amount of water will just bring that up to working pressure. So, no need for burning up the air quite yet!"
I blushed; I hadn't thought of that. She was right, though. If we could build up enough speed, I could get her to safety! Excited at the prospect of saving my family's heritage, and something (someone?) my mom loved so much, I said, "I'll go get the documents!" and suited action to word.
I remembered my flashlight, this time, and quickly crawled through the tunnel. It didn't seem so claustrophobic on the way back, but I still didn't like it. I wasn't sure I'd ever be okay with tight spaces again.
I got through to the other side just fine, and saw lots of filing cabinets, both horizontal file and flat file, and even an old kardex file! Each drawer was labeled by purpose, and then alphabetically, so I found the drawer for manuals under 'M' for 'Merry Rose', and the drawer for schematics under the same. I didn't know which ones I'd need, so I just grabbed them all, made sure all the steel cabinets were closed to keep further rodents out, and went back to Merry.
I crawled out of the tunnel, and dashed right up to her, my excitement bubbling up to a head. "I got the documents!" I said, skipping to a stop right next to her cowcatcher. "I'll start studying them right away, so's I can get you out!"
Merry smiled kindly, and said, "Thank you so much, Taylor! You have no idea how much I appreciate the idea of moving under my own power once again." She furrowed her brow for a moment, frowning. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?"
I blinked at the question, and quickly looked down at my wrist watch. My heart sank when I saw how late it was. "It's… 6:45 PM," I said. I looked back up at her, saying, "I have to get back home, or my dad will be worried about me."
Merry smiled gently, and said, "it's okay. I can wait another day to see daylight." She glanced at the door, then back to me. "Maybe you can take the time to really study the documentation? I'd really feel better if you knew what you were doing." A stern scowl appeared on her face, then. "And you had better tell your father where you are! I don't want him worrying about you!"
I meeped out an okay, nodding, and we said our goodbyes as I left, documents safely secured in my backpack.
Once I was out of the building, I began walking the circuitous route home, nervous, excited, and deep in thought. Merry Rose was being nice to me, even after she found out about my creepy powers! Just for that, I already liked her. Not enough to think of her as a friend! Just… I didn't want to feel lonely. I mean, having my dad back was nice and all, but he was my dad. He was supposed to be there for me.
And she wanted me to tell him. I didn't know how I was going to do that. I mean, really, my pocket calendar had a gold star sticker on the date! ...which was tomorrow. I really needed to work on my planning skills.
I tried to think of ways to tell dad. Should I show him first? I snorted as I imagined standing at the kitchen table, a literal flea circus running in the middle of it. No, I'd have to ease him into the idea. Did he know where powers came from? I knew where I got mine, but I didn't know if it was the same for all capes.
My thoughts eventually ran to my excitement and planning of how to get Merry Rose out of the ruined train station cum museum. There was very little room between her and the door, which I was pretty sure opened outward. I didn't remember if there was any room on the rails behind her. If there was, we could take advantage of that for more space to build up speed. I didn't know what I'd do if it turned out she couldn't accelerate fast enough.
Before I knew it, I was home. I absentmindedly made my way to the kitchen table, pulling a couple of the manuals out of my backpack for quick perusal. As a learning game, I decided to 'simulate' the parts the manual was covering with my bugs, making outlines that moved in real time. Sure, not all of them were really real time, but it was close enough. I was actually having some fun with it! I felt like I was really understanding the mechanics behind how Merry Rose worked. Proper operating temperatures, safety measures, tips about what inexperienced engineers might do wrong, and so forth.
I was startled when I heard a coughing from behind me.
[Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
First Chapter Vote!
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
What chapter should I write next?
[X] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
You just read the first chapter! I hope you liked it!
[X] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
In which I find myself on Earth Bet as a Centaur. Good thing my self identity has little to do with my gender!
[X] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
Things get weird for Taylor when her camp councilor gives her a drug that makes her halucinate a mentor.
[X] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
When the Abyss attacks, Taylor fights back.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
Explorers from the Star Empire of Mantacore come across a strange space object that they believe was once alive. One thing leads to another, and Taylor Hebert finds herself with a Treecat companion!
[X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
Something weird causes Taylor to trigger not from pain, but from the joy of learning that her mother survived the accident.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
Annette didn't quite die in the car crash. Instead, she's the first dungeon on Earth Bet! Inspired by Aku-dono's I Woke Up As a Dungeon, Now What?
[X] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
When a squad of Dwarves pull her out of her Locker, Taylor finds that she has the power of the goddess Ianite, and that the mines of her people must run deep.
[X] Sisters [Taylor has a Sister]
Taylor Anne Hebert has a younger sister, Evelin Rose Hebert. They're as cose as sisters can be, which actually makes Taylor's trigger that much more tragic.
[X] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
There two islands in the Bay: the one that the Protectorate Headquarters is moored to, and Tale Island, a National Park and Wildlife Preservation area. Summer Camp for Taylor goes there.
[X] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
Annette was one of the last Padawans, before Order 66 destroyed the Jedi Order. She, her Master, and several others flee their impending doom, and find themselves on Earth Bet. Decades later, Taylor is born to a very different Brockton Bay.
[X] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
Windblade was sent to scout for places that the Autobots could safely regroup after a massive defeat at the hands of Megatron and the Decepticons. When she crash lands on Earth Bet, she inadvertantly injured a young girl who was hiking in the mountains. The only way to save the girl is to sacrifice her own life, taking advantage of a strange phoenomenon detected in the girls brain, and give the girl her Spark.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
When Taylor finds the egg of a White Dragon, things on Earth Bet start getting better. It's a slow and painful process, but Taylor and Ardith really make a great pair.
[X] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
Grounded and bored, ten year old Taylor somehow discovers her Linker Core! Now she just has to figure out what she can do with it...
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
When sugar, spice, and everything nice gets mixed with Chemical X, Professor Utonium didn't think to take any measurements. A small, leftover amount ended up falling through a portal and into Taylor's breakfast cereal. The same day as the Locker.
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
When Mouse Protector gets a copy of a book to read over her holiday vacation, she gets really into it. Upon finishing, she realizes that events from the book are happening. She makes the executive decision that she'd make the perfect mentor for Brockton Bay's newest bug controlling hero!
[X] Marathon [Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
Tattletale, Panacea, and Kid Win all walk into a hospital room. Something's funny.
[X] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
One of Leet's first inventions was a device to 'get him to safety'. He didn't get a chance to use it before meeting Uber, and they had so much fun together that he forgot it even existed. Now, Contessa has her hands on it, and is working to use it to save all of Humanity (and perhaps Parahumanity, too).
[X] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
You just read the first chapter! I hope you liked it!
[X] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
In which I find myself on Earth Bet as a Centaur. Good thing my self identity has little to do with my gender!
[X] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
Things get weird for Taylor when her camp councilor gives her a drug that makes her halucinate a mentor.
[X] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
When the Abyss attacks, Taylor fights back.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
Explorers from the Star Empire of Mantacore come across a strange space object that they believe was once alive. One thing leads to another, and Taylor Hebert finds herself with a Treecat companion!
[X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
Something weird causes Taylor to trigger not from pain, but from the joy of learning that her mother survived the accident.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
Annette didn't quite die in the car crash. Instead, she's the first dungeon on Earth Bet! Inspired by Aku-dono's I Woke Up As a Dungeon, Now What?
[X] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
When a squad of Dwarves pull her out of her Locker, Taylor finds that she has the power of the goddess Ianite, and that the mines of her people must run deep.
[X] Sisters [Taylor has a Sister]
Taylor Anne Hebert has a younger sister, Evelin Rose Hebert. They're as cose as sisters can be, which actually makes Taylor's trigger that much more tragic.
[X] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
There two islands in the Bay: the one that the Protectorate Headquarters is moored to, and Tale Island, a National Park and Wildlife Preservation area. Summer Camp for Taylor goes there.
[X] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
Annette was one of the last Padawans, before Order 66 destroyed the Jedi Order. She, her Master, and several others flee their impending doom, and find themselves on Earth Bet. Decades later, Taylor is born to a very different Brockton Bay.
[X] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
Windblade was sent to scout for places that the Autobots could safely regroup after a massive defeat at the hands of Megatron and the Decepticons. When she crash lands on Earth Bet, she inadvertantly injured a young girl who was hiking in the mountains. The only way to save the girl is to sacrifice her own life, taking advantage of a strange phoenomenon detected in the girls brain, and give the girl her Spark.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
When Taylor finds the egg of a White Dragon, things on Earth Bet start getting better. It's a slow and painful process, but Taylor and Ardith really make a great pair.
[X] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
Grounded and bored, ten year old Taylor somehow discovers her Linker Core! Now she just has to figure out what she can do with it...
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
When sugar, spice, and everything nice gets mixed with Chemical X, Professor Utonium didn't think to take any measurements. A small, leftover amount ended up falling through a portal and into Taylor's breakfast cereal. The same day as the Locker.
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
When Mouse Protector gets a copy of a book to read over her holiday vacation, she gets really into it. Upon finishing, she realizes that events from the book are happening. She makes the executive decision that she'd make the perfect mentor for Brockton Bay's newest bug controlling hero!
[X] Marathon [Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
Tattletale, Panacea, and Kid Win all walk into a hospital room. Something's funny.
[X] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
One of Leet's first inventions was a device to 'get him to safety'. He didn't get a chance to use it before meeting Uber, and they had so much fun together that he forgot it even existed. Now, Contessa has her hands on it, and is working to use it to save all of Humanity (and perhaps Parahumanity, too).
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Confound it, I wanted to vote for Taylor Gets Train'd, because BLESSED THAT IS UNIQUE!!!
But then you put up Starcommand... *Vigorously mashes vote button*
Edit: Since I'm not seeing/finding the actual vote button... [X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/ Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
But then you put up Starcommand... *Vigorously mashes vote button*
Edit: Since I'm not seeing/finding the actual vote button... [X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/ Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
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Voting System
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
I'm using the same voting system that's used over in the Quests subforum. Cast your vote as you would over there.
- Location
- America
[x] (A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command])
TMTM™
Your New Waifu
- Location
- In Your Mind-Fuzz
Well this is probably one of the more unexpected crossovers I've seen, up there with care bears. Its not bad though, I'd definitely read more of it. As for the vote...
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
The premise sounds too amusing not to choose it.
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
The premise sounds too amusing not to choose it.
- Location
- Canada
When I select the "Vote" option, I'm only given two choices. The Powerpuff girls and Buzz Lightyear crossovers. Since I'm not interested in those ones currently, I just did Write-In votes for my choices.
EDIT: Okay, so I guess choices only show up under the button once someone has written them in, since my two are now showing up, good to know for the future.
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
EDIT: Okay, so I guess choices only show up under the button once someone has written them in, since my two are now showing up, good to know for the future.
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
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[X] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
- Absurd, but entertainingly so. Seems like it'd lead less into heroics and more into repairing the bay - which is not a bad direction.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
- Treecats are awesome, and make excellent friends.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
- Annette still around? Yes, this should be fun.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
- Dragons!
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
- Mice!
Well, you've got a whole pile of interesting ideas... so here, have a whole pile of votes. I'm sure whatever gets picked will be fine.
- Absurd, but entertainingly so. Seems like it'd lead less into heroics and more into repairing the bay - which is not a bad direction.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
- Treecats are awesome, and make excellent friends.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
- Annette still around? Yes, this should be fun.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
- Dragons!
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
- Mice!
Well, you've got a whole pile of interesting ideas... so here, have a whole pile of votes. I'm sure whatever gets picked will be fine.
Some Mechanical Changes
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
Just needed to change the 'ballot box' from 'Informational' to 'Threadmarks'. From what I'm seeing, the final vote tally wouldn't have worked correctly if I'd left it be.
Also, voting ends Saturday at noon, Pacific Standard Time! That's when I'll take the final vote count from both SufficientVelocity and SpaceBattles! I don't know what's going to win, but it's looking close!
Also, voting ends Saturday at noon, Pacific Standard Time! That's when I'll take the final vote count from both SufficientVelocity and SpaceBattles! I don't know what's going to win, but it's looking close!
Vote 2
Bronze_Moose
Okay at Omake
- Location
- Port Angeles, Washington
Hey, all! So, the vote has ended, and the winner is Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm], with 2 votes on SufficientVelocity and 13 votes on SpaceBattles! I'll have the chapter up by noon, next Saturday! In the meantime, it's time for another vote! What chapter do you want me to write next? Make sure you use the button shown in the picture for easy voting! Have fun!
[X] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
You just read the first chapter! I hope you liked it!
[X] Cataphract [Worm SI as a Centaur]
In which I find myself on Earth Bet as a Centaur. Good thing my self identity has little to do with my gender!
[X] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
Things get weird for Taylor when her camp councilor gives her a drug that makes her halucinate a mentor.
[X] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
When the Abyss attacks, Taylor fights back.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
Explorers from the Star Empire of Mantacore come across a strange space object that they believe was once alive. One thing leads to another, and Taylor Hebert finds herself with a Treecat companion!
[X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
Something weird causes Taylor to trigger not from pain, but from the joy of learning that her mother survived the accident.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
Annette didn't quite die in the car crash. Instead, she's the first dungeon on Earth Bet! Inspired by Aku-dono's I Woke Up As a Dungeon, Now What?
[X] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
When a squad of Dwarves pull her out of her Locker, Taylor finds that she has the power of the goddess Ianite, and that the mines of her people must run deep.
[X] Sisters [Worm,Taylor has a Sister]
Taylor Anne Hebert has a younger sister, Evelin Rose Hebert. They're as cose as sisters can be, which actually makes Taylor's trigger that much more tragic.
[X] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
There two islands in the Bay: the one that the Protectorate Headquarters is moored to, and Tale Island, a National Park and Wildlife Preservation area. Summer Camp for Taylor goes there.
[X] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
Annette was one of the last Padawans, before Order 66 destroyed the Jedi Order. She, her Master, and several others flee their impending doom, and find themselves on Earth Bet. Decades later, Taylor is born to a very different Brockton Bay.
[X] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
Windblade was sent to scout for places that the Autobots could safely regroup after a massive defeat at the hands of Megatron and the Decepticons. When she crash lands on Earth Bet, she inadvertantly injured a young girl who was hiking in the mountains. The only way to save the girl is to sacrifice her own life, taking advantage of a strange phoenomenon detected in the girls brain, and give the girl her Spark.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
When Taylor finds the egg of a White Dragon, things on Earth Bet start getting better. It's a slow and painful process, but Taylor and Ardith really make a great pair.
[X] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
Grounded and bored, ten year old Taylor somehow discovers her Linker Core! Now she just has to figure out what she can do with it...
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
When sugar, spice, and everything nice gets mixed with Chemical X, Professor Utonium didn't think to take any measurements. A small, leftover amount ended up falling through a portal and into Taylor's breakfast cereal. The same day as the Locker.
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
When Mouse Protector gets a copy of a book to read over her holiday vacation, she gets really into it. Upon finishing, she realizes that events from the book are happening. She makes the executive decision that she'd make the perfect mentor for Brockton Bay's newest bug controlling hero!
[X] Marathon [Worm Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
Tattletale, Panacea, and Kid Win all walk into a hospital room. Something's funny.
[X] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
One of Leet's first inventions was a device to 'get him to safety'. He didn't get a chance to use it before meeting Uber, and they had so much fun together that he forgot it even existed. Now, Contessa has her hands on it, and is working to use it to save all of Humanity (and perhaps Parahumanity, too).
[X] Broken but Not Beaten [Kantai Collection/Shipgirls]
"The S.S. Schenectady was a very big deal for Oregon, back when it was first launched on New Year's Eve in 1942." -Finn J.D. John — June 19, 2016, offbeatoregon.com. When she was the first of her class to be summoned during the Abyssal war, the admiralty was pleased with themselves, believing that she'd be the perfect ship to help feed the fleet of Shipgirls. And then, she screamed out in pain, and collapsed on the summoning room floor.
[X] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
You just read the first chapter! I hope you liked it!
[X] Cataphract [Worm SI as a Centaur]
In which I find myself on Earth Bet as a Centaur. Good thing my self identity has little to do with my gender!
[X] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
Things get weird for Taylor when her camp councilor gives her a drug that makes her halucinate a mentor.
[X] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
When the Abyss attacks, Taylor fights back.
[X] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
Explorers from the Star Empire of Mantacore come across a strange space object that they believe was once alive. One thing leads to another, and Taylor Hebert finds herself with a Treecat companion!
[X] A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]
Something weird causes Taylor to trigger not from pain, but from the joy of learning that her mother survived the accident.
[X] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
Annette didn't quite die in the car crash. Instead, she's the first dungeon on Earth Bet! Inspired by Aku-dono's I Woke Up As a Dungeon, Now What?
[X] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
When a squad of Dwarves pull her out of her Locker, Taylor finds that she has the power of the goddess Ianite, and that the mines of her people must run deep.
[X] Sisters [Worm,Taylor has a Sister]
Taylor Anne Hebert has a younger sister, Evelin Rose Hebert. They're as cose as sisters can be, which actually makes Taylor's trigger that much more tragic.
[X] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
There two islands in the Bay: the one that the Protectorate Headquarters is moored to, and Tale Island, a National Park and Wildlife Preservation area. Summer Camp for Taylor goes there.
[X] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
Annette was one of the last Padawans, before Order 66 destroyed the Jedi Order. She, her Master, and several others flee their impending doom, and find themselves on Earth Bet. Decades later, Taylor is born to a very different Brockton Bay.
[X] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
Windblade was sent to scout for places that the Autobots could safely regroup after a massive defeat at the hands of Megatron and the Decepticons. When she crash lands on Earth Bet, she inadvertantly injured a young girl who was hiking in the mountains. The only way to save the girl is to sacrifice her own life, taking advantage of a strange phoenomenon detected in the girls brain, and give the girl her Spark.
[X] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
When Taylor finds the egg of a White Dragon, things on Earth Bet start getting better. It's a slow and painful process, but Taylor and Ardith really make a great pair.
[X] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
Grounded and bored, ten year old Taylor somehow discovers her Linker Core! Now she just has to figure out what she can do with it...
[X] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
When sugar, spice, and everything nice gets mixed with Chemical X, Professor Utonium didn't think to take any measurements. A small, leftover amount ended up falling through a portal and into Taylor's breakfast cereal. The same day as the Locker.
[X] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
When Mouse Protector gets a copy of a book to read over her holiday vacation, she gets really into it. Upon finishing, she realizes that events from the book are happening. She makes the executive decision that she'd make the perfect mentor for Brockton Bay's newest bug controlling hero!
[X] Marathon [Worm Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
Tattletale, Panacea, and Kid Win all walk into a hospital room. Something's funny.
[X] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
One of Leet's first inventions was a device to 'get him to safety'. He didn't get a chance to use it before meeting Uber, and they had so much fun together that he forgot it even existed. Now, Contessa has her hands on it, and is working to use it to save all of Humanity (and perhaps Parahumanity, too).
[X] Broken but Not Beaten [Kantai Collection/Shipgirls]
"The S.S. Schenectady was a very big deal for Oregon, back when it was first launched on New Year's Eve in 1942." -Finn J.D. John — June 19, 2016, offbeatoregon.com. When she was the first of her class to be summoned during the Abyssal war, the admiralty was pleased with themselves, believing that she'd be the perfect ship to help feed the fleet of Shipgirls. And then, she screamed out in pain, and collapsed on the summoning room floor.
So many good story options I can't help but vote for most of them
[x] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
[x] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
[x] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
[x] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
[x] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
[x] Sisters [Worm,Taylor has a Sister]
[x] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
[x] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
[x] Broken but Not Beaten [Kantai Collection/Shipgirls]
[x] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
[x] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
[x] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
[x] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
[x] (A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command])
[x] Star Worm [Worm/Star Wars]
[x] Whole New World [Every person is taken to a new planet]
[x] Beginner's Luck [Worm/Nanoha]
[x] The Sky is the Limit [Worm/Transformers]
[x] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
[x] Sisters [Worm,Taylor has a Sister]
[x] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
[x] Blood in the Water [Worm/Kantai Collection/Other Shipgirls]
[x] Broken but Not Beaten [Kantai Collection/Shipgirls]
[x] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
[x] Bug [Worm/Batman: The Animated Series]
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
[x] Honor of the Bay [Worm/Honor Harrington]
[x] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
[x] (A Stellar Hero [Worm/Buzz Lightyear of Star Command])
[x] Mermaids of the Bay [Worm/H2O: Just Add Water]
Idk what H2O is but it's intresting to see how you will use water in this one.
[x] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
Wonder what you will do with this one.
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
Sweet first chapter, dont mine reading more.
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
Fun seeing Mouse Protector, so you have my vote for this one.
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
Will she have stubby hands? Will her head be bigger then her body? Will her eyes be so big people wonder where her brain is? And most inportantly, what will be her flying color?
Idk what H2O is but it's intresting to see how you will use water in this one.
[x] Cataphract [SI as a Centaur]
Wonder what you will do with this one.
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
Sweet first chapter, dont mine reading more.
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
Fun seeing Mouse Protector, so you have my vote for this one.
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
Will she have stubby hands? Will her head be bigger then her body? Will her eyes be so big people wonder where her brain is? And most inportantly, what will be her flying color?
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[x] Marathon [Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
[x] Taylor Gets Train'd [Worm/Thomas the Tank Engine]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Here to Save the Bay! [Worm/Powerpuff Girls]
- Pronouns
- He
[x] Risen Kingdom [Worm/Minecraft/Ianite]
[x] Sisters [Worm,Taylor has a Sister]
[x] Marathon [Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
[x] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]
[x] Marathon [Altered Power, NOT Alternate Power]
[x] Rosette University [Worm/Dungeon/Gamer/litRPG]
[x] Mouse Protects [Worm/Worm]
[x] Fragile Wings [Worm/Pern]