Fanfic #91 Implacable by billymorph(Worm)

This fanfic is an au of worm following Taylor. I really like this fanfic because it explores the path Taylor could have taken with the wards in a reallly interesting way I've never seen before. It's also setting up a lot of elements that look like they'll be interesting when they develop.

Synopsis: After triggering with a far more obvious power and getting into a knock down fight with Sophia in the halls of Winslow, Taylor is press-ganged into the Wards. It might have been tolerable, she was only on probation for six months, but she'd rather burn the whole organisation to the ground than spend one full minute on a team with Shadow Stalker.

Rated: M

words: 43k

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/implacable-worm.840956/reader/

Here's the first chapter:

Danny's eyes itched as he pored over yet another page on the labyrinthine paperwork.

There was a comforting familiarity in the work. A pad of notes sat to one side; most concerned mere queries and syntax oddities marked in black, the red pen was reserved for the truly outrageous requests of which there were an alarming number. The things Wards were required to do were… disquieting. The loss of identity, personal property and the controls built in were more extreme than he'd ever seen in a contract before. If it hadn't been for the fact that the Protectorate stood apart from nearly everything, he'd have expected the thing to spark a dozen lawsuits.

Instead, it merely existed. A mass of contradictions, conflicting responsibility and the occasional insane stipulation. Added to the contract the Code of Conduct also sat open in front of him, Rules and Regulations and the understated Engagement Guidelines sitting next to it so far untouched but due to be read before the end of the night.

Danny pushed his glasses up on his nose and let out a long sigh.

There was a rule in business, what the business was it didn't matter, which was never to sign anything before reading, understanding and rereading the contract. He'd told hundreds of people just the same and offered to help them when the legalese became overwhelming. It was ironic he'd fallen for the same trap in the end. 'Don't worry.' 'We'll take care of things.' 'Sign and the problems will go away.'

All bullcrap, and all so tempting in the moment.

There was a creak on the stair.

"Taylor?" he called out. The house was dark, his desk-lamp cast a weak pool of illumination around him and the rest of the living room was consumed by gloom.

Silence reigned for a long moment. Then the soft tread of Taylor's footsteps resumed as she picked her way down the stairs. She pointedly did not look at Danny.

"Taylor," he repeated, with a weary sigh.

"Not talking to you," she muttered. Turning, she made her way to the kitchen. A flurry of tiny shields bobbed in her wake. The silver disks flittered like wasps around a nest, and more seemed to flick into existence every moment.

"Taylor, I'm sorry," Danny pressed. She ignored him. Flicking the light on in the kitchen she began to rummage in the refrigerator. "If I'd known…"

"As if you'd ever ask," came the hissed reply. Danny winced, things had been rough since Annette died but it hadn't been—

He cut the thought off halfway. If Taylor had reached the point she'd Triggered, then it had been that bad. He'd thought the bullying had just been a passing phase, but it hadn't gone away; instead it'd escalated again and again.

"I never thought things would get this bad," he said, hanging his head. The words sounded contemptible even to his own ears.

Taylor scoffed, appearing in the doorway with a box of cookies. "Yeah, well neither did I," she snarled. "But I'm a Ward now, aren't I? I have to work with the bitch Sophia and her god damned hero friends. All because I took a god damned swing and her smug face when I didn't even know I had powers!"

"I—" The words caught in Danny's throat. "You shouldn't eat those after eleven. You'll be up all night."

"I don't care!"

Danny closed his eyes. Somewhere in his pile of notes was a way to fix things. To fix everything. He just needed to figure out how.

"Taylor. This is all going to work out. It'll be fine."

She scoffed. "How? They've got me on probation for six months. Six months with her -- I'd rather go villain."

"Please don't go villain," Danny said in a rush. "We can…" He glanced down at his notes. It was a fantastic trap, really. Taylor couldn't break the contract without being charged with assault on a Ward. A charge that Danny did not even begin to have the money to fight. But then, there were two people who break a contract.

"Taylor. Have I ever told you about malicious compliance?"

She arched an eyebrow but didn't stop him and Danny launched into the beginnings of a plan.

Gallant wasn't really sure what to make of the new girl. Pisces hadn't bothered with a costume, even a homemade one. Given her power always seemed to be on it may have been a deliberate choice, the swirl of tiny shields around her went a long way to obscure her form and a slim domino mask kept her face covered. Gallant wasn't sure the name was going to stick, it sounded too heroic for the girl underneath the mask.

Pisces, whenever he got a glimpse beneath the swirl of surface emotions, was utterly furious. It was not a good sign.

Wards tended to come in two types. There were those like Missy who loved every minute of being a hero, and spent their off time practising with their powers or planning their next patrol. Then there were those that hated it. They had either been forced into the job by parents or, in Shadow Stalker's case, the law and couldn't wait to get away.

Pisces felt like she fell into the second category. Rage surged around her in vivid crimsons and it only intensified every time he brought up patrolling or other Ward duties. It wasn't the smoky kind, the kind that hung around Shadow Stalker in angry whirls, it was more like staring at a blowtorch. The flame rarely showed much life, but one shouldn't underestimate the heat for that reason alone.

"You'll be assigned a room in this corridor," he continued. The tour had been remarkably fast, but then he'd expected Pisces to ask questions and the girl had done little more than watch impassively. "You're free to use it at any time, though they can be a bit barebones. Still, it's good to have a bit of private space on the base, right?"

Pisces snorted. A whirl of derision tinged her aura before being subsumed by the anger.

"I know, I know," Gallant pressed on with the one-sided conversation. He'd grown used to both asking and answering the questions. "It's not home, but you can decorate. Ask Vista to show you her poster collection sometime. She's got the signatures of over a dozen out of town capes." And more Gallant promotional shots than he liked to think about.

Rolling her eyes, Pisces crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't get a private room," she informed him.

Gallant came up short, and shot her a confused look. "No, all Wards do."

"I'm probationary." She spat the word. "'Probationary Wards may have their designated living spaces searched for contraband at any time'. Section thirty one of the Rules and Regulations handbook."

"Oh…" Gallant fought down the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd quoted chapter and verse. He had an alarming suspicion that she knew the book better than he did. "Well, it'll be a private space in a few months."

It was the wrong thing to say and Pisces' aura darkened dramatically. Gallant couldn't bring himself to care. He considered himself a fairly easygoing guy, but Pisces was rapidly going through his reserve of patience.

"Okay, next on our list is the costuming area." He began to lead her away. "For simple outfits you can get dressed in your own room, but people like me—" He rapped his knuckles on his cuirass. "—Require a little more assistance."

A sudden beeping sounded from Pisces' wrist. Glancing down, she switched off the alarm. "Well, that's my two hours," she said, calmly. "I'll be going home now."

Gallant froze, then stared at the girl in open disbelief. "We've got at least half an hour left on the tour," he said, slowly. "And you've still got more orientation after that."

Pisces shrugged. "It doesn't matter. 'Wards in costume are not expected to exceed two working hours a day without express permission from their immediate superiors.' I'm going home unless you have that."

Frowning, Gallant struggled to remember that part of the regulations. Even Shadow Stalker didn't clock watch to that degree. "You're allowed to voluntarily extend those to six," he said, after a long moment.

A burst of vindictiveness welled up in Pisces. "I chose not too," she said with a vicious smile.

"In that case, I'm ordering you to stay until the end of orientation," Gallant said, sighing. Next time, he was going to let Clockblocker welcome the newbie.

"You're not authorised to give me orders."

Gallant winced. "I am a full Ward and you're Probationary," he shot back, unable to keep the frustration from his voice.

"Which doesn't actually give you any authority over me," Pisces continued impassionately. "My immediate superiors are either Aegis, Armsmaster or Director Piggot."

Gallant stared at her for a beat but Pisces didn't blink, and he sighed, rubbing his eyes with a gloved hand. "Okay, I'll call Armsmaster. He's not a man that likes being interrupted, though." Aegis would have been far easier to deal with, but he was in class and there were rules about potential secret identity breaches.

Pulling his phone out he quickly dialled a number. He paused a moment, shooting a questioning look Pisces way before he connected the call. The girl didn't blink.

Armsmaster picked up on the first ring.

"Gallant, I'm a little busy," Armsmaster snapped. A deep boom echoed through the line, followed by the staccato rattle of light arms fire.

Gallant winced and shot an imploring look at Pisces. She checked her watch. "Sorry, sir, but the new Ward, Pisces has reached her mandatory two hours and—"

"Skidmark! Stand down or I'll be forced to use deadly forargh!" A roar consumed the call and a moment later Gallant was left listening to a dial tone.

Sighing, he turned back to Pisces. "He's a little busy."

"I'll just head home then."

Gallant didn't want to imagine what Piggot would say if he let the new Ward just wander off. "No, just… follow me, Pisces, you needed to meet the director anyway."

It took only a few minutes to leave the comfortable confines of the Wards room and reach the far more sterile administration floor. Director Piggot's office was just one of many crowded in the centre of the building, marked only by a slim plaque and the wary distance people gave it.

Gallant paused before it. "Last chance," he said. Pisces met his gaze cooly, trepidation and excitement whirling around her.

Sighing, he rapped his knuckles on the door. "Director Piggot, Pisces to see you."

A beat passed. "Enter."

Director Piggot was a large woman, if Gallant were to be uncharitable he would say corpulent. She wore a suit that strained to contain her bulk and fixed the Wards with an ugly glower as they entered.

"I'm pretty sure we're booked for three," she said, icily.

"Yes, ma'am." Gallant took a steadying breath. "Pisces has reached her mandatory two hours and needed to be explicitly told to stay longer."

Piggot's eyes narrowed. "Extension can be made voluntarily," she informed Pisces, fixing the girl with the full force of her displeasure. Gallant took a half step out of the firing line as the emotions in the two women surged. Both, in their own way, were spoiling for a fight. Pisces filled by rage and Piggot by indignation.

"I chose not to," Pisces said simply, keeping her face blank. The number of shields around her swelled, but she seemed not to notice.

For a few moments the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock. "We expect a level of dedication from our Wards that goes beyond punch-clock heroism," Piggot said at last.

Pisces shrugged. "You can expect it, but I'm not required to give it."

If Piggot was ever to develop laser vision, Gallant expected it would be in that moment. Pisces remained unimmolated, however, and Director Piggot snarled something unintelligible. "Very well, I order you to stay on base until orientation is done. Gallant can decide when that is. Is that agreeable, Pisces?"

"It's within regulations. I'd like it in writing."

"Fine. Now get out of my office. I need to speak to Gallant." She waved Pisces away and she quickly left the room, head held high. The elation in her aura was a worrying note.

"What the hell was that about?" Piggot snarled, rounding on Gallant.

"Sorry, ma'am. Armsmaster was busy and—"

She held up a hand to silence him. "That's not what I meant. What is the matter with her?"

Gallant spread his palms. "No idea, ma'am, she's barely spoken since she got her. She's quite hung up on being probationary, though. How did it happen?"

"The same way it always does; teenagers acting stupid and childish." Piggot shook her head and turned to her computer, her fingers rattling on the keyboard. A moment later her printer burst into life, and she handed Gallant a sheet of A4. "Here, her orders. Let me know if she tries to quote the manual at you. She's not the first to try and weasel her way out of her duties by being obtuse. Now, I believe you have a meeting with PR to get to."

Gallant glanced down at the orders. They were simple and unambiguous, yet there was a still a knot of tension in his stomach. "Ma'am," he began. "You should know that she's furious. With you. With us. With the PRT… Is she someone we really want on the team?"

"Want?" Piggot scoffed. "No, but we need every warm body we can get. We'll break her of her bad habits soon enough. Dismissed."

Gallant nodded and left the room.

Outside, Pisces was setting another timer on her watch. She caught Gallant's expression. "'A Ward can only be ordered to serve six hours in costume a day, unless a parental waiver is given on a case by case basis or a state of emergency has been declared.'"

Sighing, Gallant shook his head and handed Pisces her orders. It was going to be a long six months.