Worm with an extra player involved, one inserted by an outside entity.
Forged In Fire (A Worm Quest)
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Omake: Bird Flying High
- Location
- Fifth Dimension
He sits back in his isolated room, spine against an uncomfortable government-issued chair, head in his hands, and mind still a bit jumbled and wandering from all the...ongoings as of late. The past few days have been...odd to say the least. First, his well-meaning experiment, the one where simply wishes to...converse with his family once more, his brothers and his sisters, to possibly see them again, goes wrong. And by 'goes wrong', he means that it explodes, landing him...here in Brockton Bay, on Earth Bet apparently.
From just a glance he can tell: where he came from, his Earth, is not associated with the events of this multiverse in any way, and he's honestly confused as to how he got here. Again he runs through the experiment, his latest creation, one meant to traverse dimensions, so that he can contact his deceased brethren (and sister) and make things right again, exploded. Somehow, that explosion transferred him to another universe instead, and one outside of his own...metaverse for lack of better term.
Now he admits to being somewhat greedy, and a bit careless, jumping from lightning and hypnosis to dimensional travel, but it was for a good cause. It still is, matter of fact. He...and Ghost had lost everything on their journey to running the streets, and while he knew it was a possible inevitability, Ghost knew no such thing, and in fact refused to believe it. It's obvious to anyone who thinks for a living: if you fight and kill and use 'better violence' to combat the violence, then of course some of your allies will perish. You might even perish, and it is to be expected, as nothing great comes without sacrifice. Ghost did not consider this.
No matter how many books he read or how many anime he watched, all of which people close to the main character were killed along the way of accomplishing their goal, it just didn't click for him. And it likely never would. As for himself, he had...'gotten over it' as best he could, as he had prepared himself for this long ago. He still missed his people, and would forever love them, but he can move on and continue with living. Ghost, on the other hand, had changed drastically from the loss. True to his name, Ghost is now silent: never speaking to anyone besides...well him. And he's become much more serious, much more focused on gaining strength. Strength which they likely will never need.
And he has thought, many times about trying to alleviate that internal hurt that Ghost is going through, trying to cheer him up multiple times, and even dabbling in the thought of possibly reviving their KBG brothers, but...he can't do that to them. While not necessarily his personal belief, he knows how much life after death means to Priest, meant to him, and to try to take that from him, to remove him from paradise, is inexcusable. And he's not sure what Khan thinks, and he knows Thriller wouldn't mind, but he also has his own qualms about it, as he's almost certain the Afterlife exists and again, that would be cruel to bring them back to the living if it is.
Thus, he compromised, tried to simply communicate with the dead, maybe visit them on occasion, and it brought him...here. Upon waking up, he made sure to do his due diligence: stripping off his clothes and other belongings and isolating them, isolating the particles from his home world, to preserve some hope about him returning home. He can't leave Ghost to rot by himself after all. He then 'borrowed' some new clothes, used a few days to make a new sword, some KBGs, and even a new uniform, and researched where he was and how it worked.
Luckily the world was very much like his own in technological make up and even...well being the same Earth with the proper atmosphere. He prepared for the possibility of the other dimensions not having much for him to live on, but all of that had been destroyed in the explosion. With his research, one thing became clear: Earth Bet is a shithole, and the existence of parahumans is detrimental to society. However, they do provide him an opportunity, one he will take full advantage of to make his way home.
While he'd love to somehow contact Cauldron, the conspiracy-theorist's idea of a secret society group that almost certainly exists, he's well aware that those type of people are not...the best to work with. And given his need of resources (he can make swords, KBGs, and other tech with scraps, but dimensional travel takes some backing), it only leaves him with one choice: the PRT.
That is why he sits here, in a holding room, likely an interrogation room, despite giving himself up to the so-called authorities. He and the authorities did not mesh well in his own world, but it'd be unfair to assume all authorities are as incompetent and corrupt, even if it is incredibly likely. After a few hours of waiting, in which he meditated and cleared his mind of his trouble, he opens his eyes to one Director Piggot opening the door, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, and Dauntless all flanking her. It's a show of force, which means they're cautious or that they see him as an enemy. Neither is ideal, but either way it shouldn't matter.
"If you would, Armsmaster, get everyone up to speed on our...guest." The Director speaks in an authoritative tone, not taking her eyes off of him. Armsmaster nods subtly and speaks clearly.
"This man is Subject-XHJ7291, otherwise known as John Doe. He has refused to give us a name, and claims to want an alliance with us, to "make a favorable deal" with the PRT and ENE Protectorate. He has not said he is a parahuman, but has self-identified with the following ratings." The bearded tinker clears his throat. "Tinker 12, Thinker 10, Mover 10, Brute 1, Blaster 7, Shaker 7, Striker 7".
Master 10. He missed one, or rather, it was decided by the 'guest', Mr. John Doe to not disclose such information. A powerful ally or enemy is one thing, but a person who can control minds? An entirely different ordeal altogether. The parahumans in the room all exchange looks, mostly looks of skepticism, but they remain quiet, a miracle in Assault's case. Armsmaster goes on to speak, but the Director cuts him off, looking at their guest to shed some light.
"Care to explain these ratings in detail? It will...help us to make this deal, that you wish to establish." She says carefully, unsure of what to make of the man sitting before her. The man himself is...unimpressive: standing no more than 5ft, 10 inches in height, with a skinny build. He has brown skin and a wide nose with big nostrils, clearly African American, as well as...a large head and forehead (though not supernaturally large), black facial hair with a sideburns and beard combination, a mini fro, and slanted eyes that don't open much. While he doesn't seem to be far outside the norm, certain parahumans, powerful parahumans, looked just as normal.
"That is...my modest assessment of my abilities. Going into detail is unnecessary. I only wanted to show you what you'd get from this deal. Or what you can...potentially get." He explains. The Director narrows her eyes. He essentially explained nothing.
"And what is it that we get? What are the terms, preliminary terms at least, of this offered deal?" She probes once more. The man, John Doe, smiles softly.
"My services in exchange for your support. I have...a project I need to complete, and for that I need your resources. In return, I will aid you in your fight against parahuman crime, and provide you with gear." He sits upright for a moment. "And my gear is unlike other tinker gear, it lasts and needs no maintenance."
That...is pleasantly surprising. If he's telling the truth that is.
"I see, and would you be willing to tell us what kind of gear you will provide, and what type of resources you'll need?" She questions politely. He smiles again.
"Of course. As soon as you agree. In writing." So he's one of those...
"And you want us to agree to this, before you've provided anything tangible? Surely you realize-" He holds up a hand to interrupt her.
"I do. That's why I want this deal to be signed, but it will be contingent on an evaluation, of me, and of my tech, in a real live combat situation. And don't worry, I promise not to cause any permanent injury. That too, will be in writing."
"I see..." She stalls to think about it. This can go very, very good, or be terribly bad, with seemingly no in betweens. She might need to kick this up to her superiors, if nothing else, due to his self-evaluated ratings.
"We will...think about your deal Mister..."
"I never gave my name. Purposely. Is John Doe, not sufficient?"
"No." With a look and a word, he gets his answer.
He sighs and seemingly resigns himself to talking. "My name...my friends call me Free." He stops to lick his lips. "My family, my allies, and my enemies...they call me Crane. Short for Cranium."
From just a glance he can tell: where he came from, his Earth, is not associated with the events of this multiverse in any way, and he's honestly confused as to how he got here. Again he runs through the experiment, his latest creation, one meant to traverse dimensions, so that he can contact his deceased brethren (and sister) and make things right again, exploded. Somehow, that explosion transferred him to another universe instead, and one outside of his own...metaverse for lack of better term.
Now he admits to being somewhat greedy, and a bit careless, jumping from lightning and hypnosis to dimensional travel, but it was for a good cause. It still is, matter of fact. He...and Ghost had lost everything on their journey to running the streets, and while he knew it was a possible inevitability, Ghost knew no such thing, and in fact refused to believe it. It's obvious to anyone who thinks for a living: if you fight and kill and use 'better violence' to combat the violence, then of course some of your allies will perish. You might even perish, and it is to be expected, as nothing great comes without sacrifice. Ghost did not consider this.
No matter how many books he read or how many anime he watched, all of which people close to the main character were killed along the way of accomplishing their goal, it just didn't click for him. And it likely never would. As for himself, he had...'gotten over it' as best he could, as he had prepared himself for this long ago. He still missed his people, and would forever love them, but he can move on and continue with living. Ghost, on the other hand, had changed drastically from the loss. True to his name, Ghost is now silent: never speaking to anyone besides...well him. And he's become much more serious, much more focused on gaining strength. Strength which they likely will never need.
And he has thought, many times about trying to alleviate that internal hurt that Ghost is going through, trying to cheer him up multiple times, and even dabbling in the thought of possibly reviving their KBG brothers, but...he can't do that to them. While not necessarily his personal belief, he knows how much life after death means to Priest, meant to him, and to try to take that from him, to remove him from paradise, is inexcusable. And he's not sure what Khan thinks, and he knows Thriller wouldn't mind, but he also has his own qualms about it, as he's almost certain the Afterlife exists and again, that would be cruel to bring them back to the living if it is.
Thus, he compromised, tried to simply communicate with the dead, maybe visit them on occasion, and it brought him...here. Upon waking up, he made sure to do his due diligence: stripping off his clothes and other belongings and isolating them, isolating the particles from his home world, to preserve some hope about him returning home. He can't leave Ghost to rot by himself after all. He then 'borrowed' some new clothes, used a few days to make a new sword, some KBGs, and even a new uniform, and researched where he was and how it worked.
Luckily the world was very much like his own in technological make up and even...well being the same Earth with the proper atmosphere. He prepared for the possibility of the other dimensions not having much for him to live on, but all of that had been destroyed in the explosion. With his research, one thing became clear: Earth Bet is a shithole, and the existence of parahumans is detrimental to society. However, they do provide him an opportunity, one he will take full advantage of to make his way home.
While he'd love to somehow contact Cauldron, the conspiracy-theorist's idea of a secret society group that almost certainly exists, he's well aware that those type of people are not...the best to work with. And given his need of resources (he can make swords, KBGs, and other tech with scraps, but dimensional travel takes some backing), it only leaves him with one choice: the PRT.
That is why he sits here, in a holding room, likely an interrogation room, despite giving himself up to the so-called authorities. He and the authorities did not mesh well in his own world, but it'd be unfair to assume all authorities are as incompetent and corrupt, even if it is incredibly likely. After a few hours of waiting, in which he meditated and cleared his mind of his trouble, he opens his eyes to one Director Piggot opening the door, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, and Dauntless all flanking her. It's a show of force, which means they're cautious or that they see him as an enemy. Neither is ideal, but either way it shouldn't matter.
"If you would, Armsmaster, get everyone up to speed on our...guest." The Director speaks in an authoritative tone, not taking her eyes off of him. Armsmaster nods subtly and speaks clearly.
"This man is Subject-XHJ7291, otherwise known as John Doe. He has refused to give us a name, and claims to want an alliance with us, to "make a favorable deal" with the PRT and ENE Protectorate. He has not said he is a parahuman, but has self-identified with the following ratings." The bearded tinker clears his throat. "Tinker 12, Thinker 10, Mover 10, Brute 1, Blaster 7, Shaker 7, Striker 7".
Master 10. He missed one, or rather, it was decided by the 'guest', Mr. John Doe to not disclose such information. A powerful ally or enemy is one thing, but a person who can control minds? An entirely different ordeal altogether. The parahumans in the room all exchange looks, mostly looks of skepticism, but they remain quiet, a miracle in Assault's case. Armsmaster goes on to speak, but the Director cuts him off, looking at their guest to shed some light.
"Care to explain these ratings in detail? It will...help us to make this deal, that you wish to establish." She says carefully, unsure of what to make of the man sitting before her. The man himself is...unimpressive: standing no more than 5ft, 10 inches in height, with a skinny build. He has brown skin and a wide nose with big nostrils, clearly African American, as well as...a large head and forehead (though not supernaturally large), black facial hair with a sideburns and beard combination, a mini fro, and slanted eyes that don't open much. While he doesn't seem to be far outside the norm, certain parahumans, powerful parahumans, looked just as normal.
"That is...my modest assessment of my abilities. Going into detail is unnecessary. I only wanted to show you what you'd get from this deal. Or what you can...potentially get." He explains. The Director narrows her eyes. He essentially explained nothing.
"And what is it that we get? What are the terms, preliminary terms at least, of this offered deal?" She probes once more. The man, John Doe, smiles softly.
"My services in exchange for your support. I have...a project I need to complete, and for that I need your resources. In return, I will aid you in your fight against parahuman crime, and provide you with gear." He sits upright for a moment. "And my gear is unlike other tinker gear, it lasts and needs no maintenance."
That...is pleasantly surprising. If he's telling the truth that is.
"I see, and would you be willing to tell us what kind of gear you will provide, and what type of resources you'll need?" She questions politely. He smiles again.
"Of course. As soon as you agree. In writing." So he's one of those...
"And you want us to agree to this, before you've provided anything tangible? Surely you realize-" He holds up a hand to interrupt her.
"I do. That's why I want this deal to be signed, but it will be contingent on an evaluation, of me, and of my tech, in a real live combat situation. And don't worry, I promise not to cause any permanent injury. That too, will be in writing."
"I see..." She stalls to think about it. This can go very, very good, or be terribly bad, with seemingly no in betweens. She might need to kick this up to her superiors, if nothing else, due to his self-evaluated ratings.
"We will...think about your deal Mister..."
"I never gave my name. Purposely. Is John Doe, not sufficient?"
"No." With a look and a word, he gets his answer.
He sighs and seemingly resigns himself to talking. "My name...my friends call me Free." He stops to lick his lips. "My family, my allies, and my enemies...they call me Crane. Short for Cranium."
Omake: Bird Watching
- Location
- Fifth Dimension
It wasn't hard for Crane to ingratiate himself with the PRT. His technology far surpasses their own, even as he waters down his blueprints by 60%, and he had made good on his promises: supplying their Wards, their heroes, and even their troopers with proper tranquilizer darts, stun grenades (reminiscent of the KBG he and his crew carried), EMP grenades, and sleep gas grenades. His work was quick, efficient, and high quality, so for the moment they had nothing to complain about. In fact, somewhere along the way, someone had apparently done some sort of evaluation of his intelligence and deemed him "worthy" to aid on other issues unrelated to technology. Normally he'd refuse, and he did, immediately at first, but when faced with the promise of getting an advance on two of his much-needed supplies for returning home...it was an offer he couldn't refuse.
Because of this, Crane finds himself laid back in the Wards lobby, looking up his first assignment: The Demon AKA The Demon King. A new fire-wielding parahuman had begun making a name for himself, targeting Lung of all people, dismantling the ABB and taking his spot on top of the super-powered food chain. Naturally, to understand the gravity of the situation, one must know who Lung is, what he represents, and why this is impressive, and this sets Crane off on a side tangent, where he must do hours worth of research in order to receive proper context. The basics are all there and he finds them quickly: big bad dragon, the entire Protectorate ENE lost to him, high level brute with regeneration, fire, and an escalation power that makes him the tough fight that he is. Something more obscure he manages to uncover, something the PRT themselves might even know, is the fact that Lung had fought Leviathan, an Endbringer, to a standstill during the destruction of some Japanese island, something deemed so impressive that it's practically myth.
Lung himself seems...easy to deal with, if Crane himself ever had to fight the ABB leader, as it's mentioned multiple times that his durability isn't all that...high, at least until he's several minutes in and transformed several times. From what been written, a simple high caliber round could do him in, if the shot is taken almost immediately, and that's more than enough for him to conclude that his sword would easily behead the self-proclaimed dragon. Another point against Lung is that Armsmaster appears to have some confidence in his "anti-brute" tranquillizers working against firebreather, and if an inferior product such as Armsmaster's have even a 1% chance at working, then Crane is confident that his own brand will turn Lung into a sleeping dragon fairly quickly.
Another detour is taken, this one researching the Endbringers for further scaling and context, and Crane soon has the entire story. Finally, he is ready to press play on the compilation video that the PRT has provided him as 'evidence', and properly analyze whatever it is they're asking him to look for. The video starts out choppy at first, low quality, and Crane immediately swears at himself for agreeing to this stupid deal, but then... Wait. What? Crane stops the video on the mark, as he observes the still shot and sees something eerily close to...no it can't be. He presses play, and waits for further observation. He watches Lung barrage the Demon with fire that turns into plasma, and watches as the mightiest parahuman in Brockton Bay carries off his foe, bringing him into deep waters, only literally in this case, and...through it all he can see just a glimmer of a grin, a slight familiarity in the body language of the Demon and...
42.56 seconds is the grand total time that the Demon appears on film, and Crane watches it back only twice, despite it seeming like an eternity. 42.56 seconds and about 30 seconds in, Crane has all but confirmed his suspicions.
It...it doesn't make sense, not really. He can see the Demon and he looks nothing like...but then the mannerisms, the body language, the grin, the matching motivations and actions...it has to be him. Crane lets out a sigh as turns away from his phone and a smile threatens to show on his face. This...it can make sense he supposes, given his own presence here, but the how still remains a mystery, at least until he has a conversation with the Demon. A part of him hopes he's wrong, as rare as that is, because...because it just complicates things, especially with the PRT, with his most convenient way home. There is no way he can just work with the PRT on this, if it is what he suspects and...he may need to abandon them altogether. And yet...if it is true then a miracle has occurred and hope has been born anew, as he might one day find the others and bring them in as he plans to do with the so-called Demon King, formerly known as the Terror Demon.
Crane spends far too much time trying to figure out how to get a hold of more footage, how to put his hand deeper into this project, without garnering suspicion and worsening his position. His main issue is conflating the logical need to maintain his positive relationship and procure his easiest way home, with the emotional need of possibly coming face to face with someone he thought was lost to him long ago. And despite all his genius, he doesn't come up with a way within the hour. Luckily, the PRT does it for him, as they drop new papers in front of him, and opt to bring him into an emergency meeting: one on the Demon and a supposed situation, involving villain alliances, environmentally damaging attacks, a handful of casualties, and an urgency to get everything under their control.
Perfect.
Because of this, Crane finds himself laid back in the Wards lobby, looking up his first assignment: The Demon AKA The Demon King. A new fire-wielding parahuman had begun making a name for himself, targeting Lung of all people, dismantling the ABB and taking his spot on top of the super-powered food chain. Naturally, to understand the gravity of the situation, one must know who Lung is, what he represents, and why this is impressive, and this sets Crane off on a side tangent, where he must do hours worth of research in order to receive proper context. The basics are all there and he finds them quickly: big bad dragon, the entire Protectorate ENE lost to him, high level brute with regeneration, fire, and an escalation power that makes him the tough fight that he is. Something more obscure he manages to uncover, something the PRT themselves might even know, is the fact that Lung had fought Leviathan, an Endbringer, to a standstill during the destruction of some Japanese island, something deemed so impressive that it's practically myth.
Lung himself seems...easy to deal with, if Crane himself ever had to fight the ABB leader, as it's mentioned multiple times that his durability isn't all that...high, at least until he's several minutes in and transformed several times. From what been written, a simple high caliber round could do him in, if the shot is taken almost immediately, and that's more than enough for him to conclude that his sword would easily behead the self-proclaimed dragon. Another point against Lung is that Armsmaster appears to have some confidence in his "anti-brute" tranquillizers working against firebreather, and if an inferior product such as Armsmaster's have even a 1% chance at working, then Crane is confident that his own brand will turn Lung into a sleeping dragon fairly quickly.
Another detour is taken, this one researching the Endbringers for further scaling and context, and Crane soon has the entire story. Finally, he is ready to press play on the compilation video that the PRT has provided him as 'evidence', and properly analyze whatever it is they're asking him to look for. The video starts out choppy at first, low quality, and Crane immediately swears at himself for agreeing to this stupid deal, but then... Wait. What? Crane stops the video on the mark, as he observes the still shot and sees something eerily close to...no it can't be. He presses play, and waits for further observation. He watches Lung barrage the Demon with fire that turns into plasma, and watches as the mightiest parahuman in Brockton Bay carries off his foe, bringing him into deep waters, only literally in this case, and...through it all he can see just a glimmer of a grin, a slight familiarity in the body language of the Demon and...
42.56 seconds is the grand total time that the Demon appears on film, and Crane watches it back only twice, despite it seeming like an eternity. 42.56 seconds and about 30 seconds in, Crane has all but confirmed his suspicions.
It...it doesn't make sense, not really. He can see the Demon and he looks nothing like...but then the mannerisms, the body language, the grin, the matching motivations and actions...it has to be him. Crane lets out a sigh as turns away from his phone and a smile threatens to show on his face. This...it can make sense he supposes, given his own presence here, but the how still remains a mystery, at least until he has a conversation with the Demon. A part of him hopes he's wrong, as rare as that is, because...because it just complicates things, especially with the PRT, with his most convenient way home. There is no way he can just work with the PRT on this, if it is what he suspects and...he may need to abandon them altogether. And yet...if it is true then a miracle has occurred and hope has been born anew, as he might one day find the others and bring them in as he plans to do with the so-called Demon King, formerly known as the Terror Demon.
Crane spends far too much time trying to figure out how to get a hold of more footage, how to put his hand deeper into this project, without garnering suspicion and worsening his position. His main issue is conflating the logical need to maintain his positive relationship and procure his easiest way home, with the emotional need of possibly coming face to face with someone he thought was lost to him long ago. And despite all his genius, he doesn't come up with a way within the hour. Luckily, the PRT does it for him, as they drop new papers in front of him, and opt to bring him into an emergency meeting: one on the Demon and a supposed situation, involving villain alliances, environmentally damaging attacks, a handful of casualties, and an urgency to get everything under their control.
Perfect.