Drider-Girl and the Head-Cannon of DOOM (Worm SI SV!CYOA)

So this is based on the more interesting, imho, and slightly less broken CYOAv3 from Sufficient Velocity. Frankly I'm a going to forgo the stylistic first person that pervades Worm fics because I'm tired of it. This will all be third-person limited.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Name: Samantha Doe/Thayer

Standard +5
Start Date: 3/20/09

Complications:
Geas (The First Rule of Wildbow is you don't talk about the Wildbow.) +2
Pint-Sized (9) (+1) (Also inflicts mental state Childish making it hard to act like the mature adult you really are.)
Case 53 (Drider Appearance: New-World Tarantula) (+0)

Powers:
Gamer: (-4)
Apprentice (Psyren Psychics): (-2)

Advantages:
Companion: (-1)
Margo Thayer is an amazingly wealthy, old-money widow who owns a chain of eight ice-cream stores. When Samantha first showed up at one of the stores she was visiting she resolved right away to adopt the girl. She loves Samantha as though she were her own. Resources (2)
Woman of Mystery: (-1)
Due to the vagueries of her geas and Gamer Mind/Body nobody can tell Samantha is lying about not remembering anything. She also seems to occasionally know more than she should or acts like she knows more than she lets on. Any attempt to divine what she knows or how fails, including simply asking her.

Chapter 1.1: Vhwee Ahr Gi-ahnt Spy-dahr!

Miss Militia pressed her lips in concern and gunned the engine of her tinker-modified Triumph America. It was, more often than not, the first appearance of a new cape that was the most dangerous. New triggers were inherently unstable and Case 53s were both disoriented and frightening to those around them. Thus why she couldn't help but expect the worst when called in to handle the sudden appearance of an unknown cape.

The address was unfamiliar but right off the boardwalk which made it even worse. If anything went wrong there would be masses of civilians around and it could potentially disrupt tourism, one of the few remaining revenue sources keeping the city afloat. For the sake of everyone she hoped they were something approaching reasonable.

She had to slow to what felt like a crawl as she approached the boardwalk due to the press of pedestrians and traffic. Most recognized her well enough to open a way but she still couldn't afford to just speed through the area. A few minutes later she finally arrived at the address to discover it was actually a locally famous ice cream parlor and coffee shop, Cream & Creamer.

One of the employees, a teenage boy with a skinny frame, was waiting outside and approached her as soon as she got off the motorcycle. "What's the situation?" She asked the kid.

"We set up one of the TVs to show cartoons and gave her some ice cream. Since then she's been more or less parked in front of the TV with Mrs. Thayer. There were a few people with camera phones running before Mrs. Thayer had us close for the day and kick everyone out, so I don't think it's a secret she's here anymore." He sounded more nervous about that last part.

Miss Militia blinked in surprise. 'Cartoons?' She thought to herself. In any case she nodded and let the boy lead her into the store.

As soon as she entered she saw a young platinum blond girl in a Death Cab for Cutie t-shirt sitting on one of the booth tables and facing away from her, staring up at a TV which was playing a cartoon she barely recognized about winged pixies and witches. Beside her sat a middle aged woman in an expensive looking suit. The woman had an arm around the girl's waist but resting on top of a blanket that covered the table for some reason.

Miss Militia approached the pair and cleared her throat. Both of them turned to look at her at the interruption and she had to work not to jump. While the woman was completely normal the girl had an extra, smaller, set of eyes just above and to the outside of her main pair as well as a full mouth of needle sharp teeth. It was also only now that she realized the girl was holding a small tub of ice cream with a spoon in it that was stirring of its own volition. 'Telekinetic,' she made a note to herself.

"Hello, I'm Miss Militia from the Protectorate. It's nice to meet you." She said and held her hand out.

"Margo Thayer, I own the entire chain. I just happened to be visiting this location when I caught Sam looking in the window. I couldn't just leave the poor dear out in the cold like that so I invited her in and have been looking after her since." The older woman said as she shook her hand. Noticing that Sam's body language was somewhat bashful Margo spoke to the girl, "Sam this woman's a real Hero. You can trust her with your life."

Sam looked at the older woman for a moment and then nodded. When she moved to shake hands the entire table seemed to move under the blanket. "Hi." The girl said quietly as she gently shook the older heroine's hand.

Miss Militia braced herself and asked the main question on her mind. "Sam, do you have any strange tattoos or marks anywhere on your body?" The girl hesitated and then nodded. "May I see it?" She blushed and looked at the older woman who hesitated a moment and then nodded. Margo quickly slid out of the booth and several feet away to Miss Militia's momentary confusion. Then Sam moved.

Eight fuzzy spider legs unfolded from beneath the blanket and found purchase on either the back of the seats or the seats themselves. With surprising fluidity she slid out of the booth, allowing the blanket to slide away and reveal a fuzzy spider abdomen, and onto the floor facing Miss Militia. To the heroine's surprise the girl's spider half was huge enough that standing comfortably the girl was eye to upper eye set with Miss Militia. Then the girl lifted the hem of the oversized shirt until it was high enough to reveal her belly button as well as the familiar stylized omega symbol tattooed on her inner left hip.

"Alright, you can cover up again. Thank you for trusting me enough to show me that. Now, do you remember anything before coming into this store?" Miss Militia continued her interview.

Sam nodded, "I remember being in an alleyway over there." The girl pointed off to the northeast.

"And before that?" Miss Militia asked. This time the girl shook her head sadly. "That's okay. It's unfortunate but we do get a few cases like yours from time to time. The Protectorate sponsors a program for younger capes, people with more than human abilities and attributes, to get both the protection and training they need. It's called the Wards. I was a part of the very first group in the Wards and I can tell you it's incredibly useful. They'll also have resources to help you settle in to life and adjust to your... changes."

"Can.." Sam started and then trailed off. "If I wanted to sign up would I have to go somewhere or just do it here?"

"We'd have to catch the ferry to Protectorate HQ." Miss Militia replied.

The girl turned to Mrs. Thayer with a slightly pleading look, "Would you... come with me?"

"Of course, Sam. In fact I quite insist. You'll need someone to represent your interests anyways." Mrs. Thayer beamed, "No matter how good the people, government is government. You should always have a trained eye on the paperwork."

"One of the van's should be here in a few minutes. We can get you situated in one of them for the ride there." Miss Militia offered and received polite thanks in return.

---

"So what are we looking at in terms of powers?" Armsmaster asked as he looked at the pair visiting his workshop. Miss Militia immediately deferred to Triumph, allowing the young leader to get some experience.

"Well, she seems to be a bit of a grab-bag cape, but a lot of that is her unique biology at play. For instance she gets a brute two just because those spider legs have a mean stomp. They're strong enough to cave a man's chest in if she really tried." Triumph started, his lion themed helmet bobbing slightly as he spoke. "While most of the fur on her body is decorative there are a few longer strands scattered throughout that become rigid and needle-like when she feels threatened and can even be shot. That's earned her a blaster one since their still only about as dangerous as our dart guns and not in any way poisonous."

"Mover one because, in defiance of all physics, she can climb up walls. Strangely this doesn't apply to ceilings which she'll fall off of if she doesn't anchor herself just like anyone else. And lastly Shaker four. She has telekinesis and can effect anything within her sight. Unfortunately it isn't particularly strong, at best she'll be tripping people in combat. The high number is because it isn't manton limited. Right now she just can't imagine trying to affect someone's insides, but if pushed she could be pretty dangerous if not necessarily very powerful." Triumph continued.

"Personality?" Armsmaster asked.

"Shy, but very calm. Even when confronted with a surprise sparring match she didn't get upset or particularly react. She followed orders to the spirit when she properly understood them, but has a bad habit of not asking for clarification when she doesn't." Triumph reported.

"And this, Margo Thayer... is going to be her new guardian?" Armsmaster asked. This time Triumph had to pass it back to Miss Militia.

"Yes. Despite living alone she has plenty of resources and can easily accommodate the needs of a child as special as Sam is. I think it's also important for a child Sam's age to interact with her peers and Mrs. Thayer agrees so she'll be starting classes at Clarke Anderson Elementary in a few weeks." Miss Militia reported. "I'll be contacting them tomorrow so we can get the ball rolling on any remodeling they may require."

Armsmaster nodded. "Alright, I'll get this all bundled into a single report and send it off to Director Piggot and PR. They're just going to love this one, I can already tell." While he couldn't see either of their mouths he could tell they'd both smiled at the joke. "Dismissed for now. Keep me updated on her progress for the next few weeks. She's now our youngest ward and the Youth Guard will be watching us closely for a while, especially since we already have Vista."

Edit:
Did some reading and found age nine is more like 4th grade so I rolled up an OC school for her to attend.

 

Chapter 1.2: Morning Doldrums.

Dawn light filtered through pastel curtains and drew geometric shapes on the cream carpeted floor. Off-white walls looked vaguely green from the light reflecting off the forest green accent wall. That wall was home to the king-sized bed with its dark green and gold comforter which currently covered a lump large enough to pass for a bear.

A shrill chirping filled the air and caused the lump shift. It swayed slightly as the owner turned beneath the covers to face a bedside table. The arm of a young girl, skin soft and unblemished, reached out from the pile of covers and grabbed the chirping smart phone. It brought the phone closer while a mop of blond hair poked out to look at it. With a frustrated sigh the girl brought out her other hand and swiped the unlock feature and then finally pressed the button to deactivate the alarm. Girl and phone disappeared back under the pile of covers as she checked her messages and the alerts she'd tied in to the PHO forums.

Finally the lump began to move in earnest and slid out from the covers onto the floor with a semi-drunken sway. For a brief moment she looked disheveled with a wild mop of platinum hair covering her face down to her chin and poofing out with random bouts of waviness. Then Gamer's Body took control and suddenly she was wide awake with her hair slicked back into a pair of low sitting pig-tails, even her night shirt suddenly looked as though it had come straight from a drawer rather than been slept in all night. A moment later and she'd equipped the wearable portions of her new school uniform, thankfully it included a skirt that fully covered where her hips connected to the spider's thorax. She waved her hand at the bed, mentally activating her telekinesis with a program to make the bed.

Sam smiled as she sat down in front of the TV and next to a stack of teach-yourself books. "Four eyes!" She joked with herself as she caught sight of her reflection in the TV and giggled. Those extra eyes were entirely too useful. With another thought the TV activated and turned to the news. Her top eyes watched the announcers carefully while her main eyes were occupied flipping through the small stack of books. So long as she at least looked at every page the book would disappear and give her a few starting points in a particular skill. So far she'd been able to determine that it was a scale to one-hundred with ten being conversational, fifty being average professional, seventy five being master-level, and one hundred for living legend. The Childish status effect, though, reduced her usable points by five percent per year below twenty, so she was at a fifty-five percent disadvantage.

A series of optional side-quests popped up from the news. Some of them were obvious like 'Beat down Empire aggressors' while others were intriguing like 'investigate cause of car accident on 9th.' Unfortunately, most of them were ear-marked for the level she would be without 'Childish' or higher. The only quest for her level was 'Go to county book-fair Saturday Morning on Captain's Hill.' Not that she'd turn it down, but it was frustrating to be locked out of so much possible advancement.

A knock at the door startled her slightly. "Come in!"

Margo opened the door dressed in comfortable capris pants and a t-shirt but barefoot as she usually was indoors. "Hey Sammie, you all ready to go?"

"Totally!" Sam replied putting down the book she was reading and turning to completely face her new guardian. Behind her the TV turned off on its own. "I even got a look at my thread over on PHO. Some of the people were pretty cool, but there were some real creeps as well. I hope my classmates are more like the first ones, you know?"

Margo chuckled, "That's the internet. I'm sure you'll find plenty of great kids in class. Just give them a chance to adjust, okay, people aren't always how they first seem, kids especially." Smiled and nodded. "Now come down and get some breakfast. If we've got extra time you can even play the piano for me."

Sam followed her down the stairs for three flights. She was given the top floor suite for herself and Margo lived on the third floor, their live in maid Angela and her baby daughter, Rachel, lived on the second floor. Their destination was the breakfast nook connected to the kitchen. As they arrived Angela smiled at them from the kitchen and quickly moved to serve the food she'd prepared. "Omelet with all of the fixings and extra tomatoes, ma'am." Angela reported as she set a mid-sized omelet in front of the millionaire, then she set a much fuller plate in front of Sam. "Blood sausage, bacon and a small breakfast steak." Sam's mouth watered at the smell of blood and meat, her new body craved it often even through the malaise of Gamer's Body.

"Thank you Angela." Margo said, and Sam sheepishly echoed her.

Angela just smiled and set down a green colored drink. "My own special blend of herbs and vegetables based on your nutritionists recommendations. Make sure you drink it all."

Sam nodded, "Thank you, very much, Angela." She eyed the drink suspiciously but tasted it first. The texture would take some getting used to, but the zest was actually rather good. With a slight smile she dug in, though she worked hard to made sure to keep her eating tidy. Honestly she was still somewhat adjusting to her teeth, it was strange not having any flat teeth to grind with.

"Well, I think we've got a few minutes before you have to leave," Margo said after they'd both finished eating. "Go ahead and brush your teeth, then I would very much like it if you'd play something for me."

"Aye aye, boss lady!" Sam replied and scuttled off. A few moments later she was situated in front of the piano in the sitting room while Margo had draped herself across a love seat.

The girl thought for a moment and then smiled wide and started to play. Through daily and concerted practice she'd managed to get her adjusted skill level with the piano up to twenty-eight, the only one above her 'Psychic Programming' skill which was at twenty-two. While it wasn't enough to bring her up to the level of a professional, it let her at least play without any outstanding errors and only minor timing stumbles.

When she finished Margo walked over to her and gave her a hug. "That was beautiful. Now come on, the van's going to be here in a few minutes and we need to get you off to school."

A/N:

Spoiler: Gamer Character Sheet

Samantha Doe
Age: 9 (25)
Level: 5 (11)
Class: Psychic
HP: 20/20 (200/200)

Strength: F+ (E+)
Intelligence: F (E)
Dexterity: F+ (E+)
Constitution: F+ (E+)
Charisma: E (D)
Luck: D (C)
PSY: E (D)

Skills:
Psychic Burst: 18 (40)
Psychic Rise: 2 (5)
Psychic Trance: 6 (14)
Psychic Programing: 22 (48)
Psychic Specialty: Not Unlocked

Performance: 8 (18)
Piano: 28 (63)
Singing: 12 (27)
Dancing: 14 (31)
Drawing: 20 (45)
Poetry: 13 (29)
Creative Writing: 19 (43)
Cooking: 10 (23)

Athletics: 10 (23)
Martial Arts: 5 (12) - Growth reduced 50% by lack of applicable martial style for body type.
Combat Tactics: 12 (27)
Combat Strategy: 14 (32)
Logistics: 18 (40)
Combat Communication: 2 (5)

Social: 12 (27)
Oration: 21 (47)
Expression: 13 (29)
Listening: 11 (25)
Reading Comprehension: 17 (38)
Posting Discipline: 10 (23)

Maths: 16 (36)
Algebra: 19 (43)
Calculus: 6 (14)
Trigonometry: 14 (32)
Geometry: 13 (29)
Logic: 18 (40)

Geography: 18 (40)
Geology: 12 (27)
Physics: 17 (38)
Cosmology: 16 (36)
Particle Physics: 11 (25)
Quantum Physics: 6 (14)
String Theory: 2 (5)

Computers: 20 (45)
Electrical Engineering: 8 (18)
Electronic Components: 10 (23)
Computer Programming: 19 (43)
Algorithms: 12 (27)
Encryption: 9 (20)

Skillbooks:
Carpentry: 2 (5)
Metal Working: 2 (5)
Leather Working: 2 (5)
Survivalism: 2 (5)
Dog Training: 4 (9) (Skills below this point had at least minor prior experience.)
Vehicle Repair: 7 (16)
Whittling: 7 (16)
Animal Husbandry: 11 (25)
Coded Hand Signals: 6 (14)
Morse Code: 15 (34)

Perks:
Hero: (Gained by joining Wards)
Your reputation as a crusader for good precedes you. The more lawful elements of the world will give you greater deference and attention. On the other hand villains will more likely choose to brain you first and ask questions later. %10 bonus to reputation checks for civilian, law enforcement and heroes. %10 penalty to reputation checks for criminals, outsiders, gangs and villains.

Gamer Mind/Gamer Body: (Gained from the Gamer Powerset)
You are both unnaturally calm and focused even when you should be under enormous amounts of duress. Skills and abilities are gained based on an experience system and possibly from perks, not from training as others understand it. With this your power will tend to plateau for a while between explosive growth spurts rather than build steadily over time.

Split Attention: (Gained from Drider Body)
Having two sets of eyes is immensely helpful for watching two things at once. Your brain is also wired slightly differently to allow you to properly multitask with both focuses.

Spiders Climb Walls: (Gained from Drider Body)
It's obvious to anybody who thinks about it that spiders are creatures that can climb vertical surfaces like walls. So obviously having the lower body of a spider means you can too. Its just what you do.

Nimble Fingers: (Gained from achieving over 50 points with an instrument.)
Your hands are especially dexterous and quick from all your music practice. This now carries over to any other use of your hands. From origami to lock-picking to surgery so long as it uses your hands you gain a bonus to your dexterity rank for the duration of the attempt.

Fuzzy Existence: (Gained from the Woman of Mystery perk.)
Your existence is a mystery and for better or worse it's pretty much going to stay that way. Even Panacea won't be able to get a proper read on you and thinkers like Tattletale or Contessa will just come up blank.

Childish: (Gained from Pint-Sized complication)
Having been an adult, you are well aware of how much being a child sucks. However some higher being has decided to piss on you and now you're stuck. You'll be acting more like a child with the same short attention span and high energy. You'll also take a %5 penalty to skills for every year below 20 and lose an entire rank in all stats until the same.

Geas: (Gained from the Geas complication)
You are not allowed to speak of your past life or the information about Worm you learned from it. Nor can you in any way imply that it exists. Lying to perpetuate this will automatically register as truth to all thinkers and lie detectors.

Abilities:
Telekinesis: (Psychic Burst/Psychic Programming)
You can manipulate objects you can see or have recently seen in the world around you with your mind. Pushing, pulling, lifting, crushing it's all technically possible. However in order to affect the world exactly as intended it needs to be Programmed. When using Telekinesis, consider Psychic Burst to be your required check for strength and Psychic Programming as an analogue to dexterity.

I just realized I forgot to include the contents of the skill books and a cooking skill... I'll fix that later, too hungry right now.

 

Chapter 1.3: Lights Dancing in the Distant Skies.

"We're very pleased to have a member of the Wards joining our school. It sets a great example for our students and many of the parents find it reassuring," Principle Stockham said as he led Sam and her PRT liaison through the walls of Clarke Anderson Elementary. Unlike whoever had gotten Shadow Stalker's case in canon her PRT liaison, Agent Don Henderson, was the kind of grim-faced man that took his job very seriously. Of course since she wasn't on probation his job was more to ensure compliance with regulations, on both her part and the school's, and make sure everything stayed above board.

Classes had already started but the layout of the school rooms meant that some of them had open doors allowing the students within to gawk at her as they passed. The teachers regained their focus easily enough, but she could just hear the susurrus of whispers lingering in those classes. Even with an additional decade and a half experience it still got her nerves itching, but not enough to disrupt her constant smile.

"Now, with the scores from your aptitude tests we've bumped you up into our most advanced fifth grade class. We felt it gave the best mix of preventing classroom boredom and still allowing for interactions within your age group," He continued while giving Sam a friendly smile. 'And it gives them a de-facto probationary period,' she realized. Since both Clarke Anderson and Arcadia Middle had sixth grade they could quietly transfer her out after the few months left of this year if they found her a problem. Or they could let her continue attending and appear to have never had any doubts. 'Clever.'

"I'll work hard so you won't regret your decision," Sam says with a formality that sounds practiced. The Principle just gives her another smile. Finally the group stops outside a double-door that smells strongly of lacquer and fresh paint and too pristine to be anything but brand new. The principle knocked quietly on the door. There was a brief moment of collective silence before it opened from within.

The teacher was a younger woman, maybe thirty or so, with auburn hair and a gentle smile. "Principle Stockham, Agent Henderson, good to see you. This must be our newest classmate, Samantha. I'm Mrs. Lamareaux. It's very nice to meet you. Would you prefer to be called Sam or Samantha?"

"It's nice to meet you too, and I prefer to go by Sam," the girl responded shyly.

The teacher smiled brightly and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well, Sam, why don't you come in and meet your classmates?"

They walked into the classroom and Sam had to fight down her nerves to keep smiling as she surveyed the room. The class was arranged around several long tables with seven seats at each, since the head of the table was empty. Her eyes roved over the children looking at her, most with barely contained interest, and a few with outright disgust, a couple were even looking with concern. "Class, we have a new student today. Her name's Samantha Doe, but as a member of our class you should call her Sam. Say hello, dear."

She nodded and quickly gathered her thoughts, "Hi, uh, I'm Sam. I like reading and video games, and Margo, my guardian. They haven't announced it yet, but I'm allowed to tell you that I'm a member of the Wards, so I might have to leave class for that sometimes." Whispers of 'cool' and 'I wonder if she knows Vista/Gallant/Triumph' filled the room for a moment until Mrs. Lamareaux got their attention.

"Now, let's go around the room and all say our names so Sam can get to know us. Mary, why don't you start," She instructed. Sam mentally called up the status bars she usually kept turned off. As each child said their name the bar above their head updated from child to 'Mary' or 'Gordon' or whatever. With this she wouldn't have to trip over trying to remember twenty-odd names. "Great, now there's an opening at the Meagan's table, Sam. If you'll get set we can get class started for the day." The spider-girl nodded and moved to the foot of the table indicated, it was obviously left empty for her since she couldn't really fit in the aisle's between tables.

"Hey, are you really going to be a Ward?" Meagan, a brunette who was a bit tall for her age whispered to her once she had properly folded her legs underneath her to sit down.

"Well, I'm not going on patrols yet, but I have training with them every day after school." Sam whispered back, careful to keep in unobtrusive.

"Cool! Do you think you could get me Vista's autograph?" Meagan asked. The girl across from her, Amy, shushed her and Meagan managed to at least look slightly sheepish. Sam just nodded and turned her primary attention to the teacher as the lesson started.

As much as being back in elementary school was a bit boring it was also a surprisingly novel experience for Sam. The material and classroom discipline was much much better than the elementary schools she'd attended in Arizona. Whether that was a product of being on the East Coast or in a more exclusive school she couldn't really say. Most of the day passed from there with surprising ease. A girl named Amanda talked crap about her behind her back, but she easily ignored it. At lunch she sat with Meagan, Amy, and a quiet boy named Mark who sat at one of the other tables in class. There were the expected questions like whether they could rub her legs, she was careful to keep her spines down so they only felt the silky fur, can she climb on walls, 'of course!', why was she drinking her lunch, 'because I need more protein than usual' was the out loud answer but really she just didn't want to freak anyone out with her carnivorous eating habits.

An hour later she found herself back in class and with a pair of eyes staring out over the sprawl of Brockton Bay while her main pair focused on class. Since the school was a bit up Captain's Hill the windows in their classroom looked out over almost the entire city. Far in the distant North side of the city a mote of bright white light floated up into the sky. A few seconds later it started raining down seemingly tiny pulses of light on the dilapidated districts below, sometimes leaving tiny black scars in their wake. Several minutes later more light sources, lesser and usually some neon color joined her in the sky. Blue flashes were followed by white flashes which elicited tiny purple pinpricks of light in response. Finally the bright white light dropped down among the buildings and zipped across half the city before disappearing.

This seemed to signal the end and the neon lights faded away as well. Only a few pinpricks of yellow and scars of black remained in their wake. A few more flashes of neon and the yellow pinpricks were gone.

Without anything else to keep her attention it returned to the room. This time she she started doodling on a piece of scrap paper without touching the pencil. She had a feeling her drawing and psychic programming skills were going to level significantly during class time.

----

A/N:
Ah, the banality of war.

Ryune:
Is it appropriate? Don't know. Appropriateness isn't always something my brain computes, and in this case all I see is a minor anatomical detail that I may want to use later. It's not strictly speaking necessary, but since I haven't faced popular or mod backlash it's staying as is for now. (I also tend to view character over body, so to me it's a 25 year old that has a camel toe, they just look like a nine-year old to outside observers.)

Nervaqus hit on the main points of Psyren psychics I'd just add one more thing. Every Psychic in Psyren had a particular 'flavor' based on their self and personality. The categories are still the same, but their expression is not. Frederika for instance was a burst focused master who only ever used pyrokinetics, while her adopted sister Marie was the same but with telekinetics. On the other hand Kyle also used burst, creating hyper dense cubes, but mixed it with a focus in rise to create a mixed style of dense projectiles and strong CQC. Then there are the more exotic ones like Amemiya perfecting trance, with rise support, to the point where she can double-team people with her split personality or Miroku's Sephiroth tree that is a burst construct that consumes life energy to fuel himself or the construct in question. So think of the three categories more like PRT ratings. A high burst user is going to hit you from a distance, but that could be anything from a beam of doom to telekinetically ripping off your arm and beating you with it.

In this AU, Psychics can be taught but it requires a very high skill in trance to do so and highly skilled medical care on hand. All humans, even in Earth Bet, are psychic but it's a vestigal property like tits on a male. Technically there and possibly functional, but the important parts behind it are entirely undeveloped. The trance user has to trick the brain into releasing the necessary hormone cocktails to kickstart the development of that portion of the brain.

With Gamer the biggest thing is that it highly accelerates and better yet creates good metrics for skill gain. However the real value of the system are the perks and ranks. At skill level 50/75/100, base not adjusted, you receive a perk giving you a permanent bonus in something. Eventually she'll figure out how to interrogate a skill tree for it's perks and plan ahead better, for now she just knows they exist because she got one for getting Piano to 50. At certain skill levels, adjusted this time, you also gain access to certain abilities or new skills. When a skill both base and adjusted reaches 100 it's changed to Rank E. Rank E means your better than any human alive could be at the given skill. From there it can only be increased through special quests which are given exceedingly rarely and always involve going beyond the norms of human ability, like hacking Dragon without using Richter's backdoors or beating Jack Slash in a social-fu contest for control of Bonesaw. Every rank above E is an order of magnitude above the capabilities possible for a human.

 

Chapter 1.4: Waiting for a Supergirl

Sam stood next to the van as they waited for the ferry to reach The Rig. She couldn't stand to stay cooped up in the vehicle while they were on the water but wasn't particularly comfortable closer to the railings either.As much as she tried to put on a smile and enjoy the ride seeing the kids with the latest tour group hanging over the railings had her jaw clenching painfully tight.

It was the smell, she'd eventually decided. There was nothing truly familiar in the sound of waves or the occasional spray of sea water. But as soon as she got close enough to really smell the water it always came back.

Waves rolling over her head. Current tugging at her feet. Slipping. Flailing. Can't breath. Can't breath. Strong arms pulling her out. Her grandfather's voice reassuring her as she chocked and coughed.

They weren't flashbacks or some sort of PTSD. It was just that living in a desert she'd been able to forget the details and let the memory fade into the background. She had even gotten over her childish phobia of having water on her face... Eventually. The smell of the sea, though, brought it back in full glorious color and left her chest tight with pointless apprehension.

She finally resolved to find out if she could take swimming lessons. It wasn't exactly her forte before and now she needed real help to figure out how to make it work with her new body. Hopefully it would at least ease her tension by giving back her feeling of control over the situation.

Her thoughts were disrupted by their arrival. She rode with her escort as they drove to the vehicle lift. After that they split up to take the van back to the garage while she took the elevator to the back entrance of the Wards level. The lift opened to an empty lobby with a door leading off to the right and straight on. The door to the right led to mission control, Protectorate members could wander through there whenever they wanted but Wards were only allowed in when it was their shift at the console. So she walked up to the door leading straight and reached into her bag to disguise the act of pulling her ID out of her inventory. The card had to be slid into the slot lengthwise and it still took a few seconds before the reader lit up green and the door clicked open.

"De-livery for you!" Missy, cape name Vista, sang out as soon as she caught sight of Sam. She'd joined the Wards only a few months ago just before her eleventh birthday. For children their age it was quite the age gap, two years, but among the older teens that usually made up the Wards it pushed them together. She grabbed Sam's hand and dragged her an unnaturally short distance to the rec room. It always amazed Sam how casual she was about just twisting space to her whim, then again it certainly was convenient.

"What name was it addressed to?" Sam asked. Since she was under thirteen they didn't really let her have any input on her cape name or costume, though she did get sent a short-list of possibilities a few days ago.

"Octette," Missy replied.

"Damn, I was holding out hope for Subdueller," Robert, cape name Scramble, said from his seat on the couch watching something on MTV or some equivalent. When the sixteen year old felt like moving he could very nearly give Velocity a run for his money, and better he randomly surged electricity behind him frying nearby electronics and often tasing people if he bothered to touch them. Also meant they were a lot stricter about his use of powers around the base than they were with Vista. "That would have been an awesome name to call over the radio. 'Take him down Subdueller'."

"Where are the big guys?" Sam asked after a quick look around. Rory 'Triumph', Carlos 'Aegis', and Dean 'Gallant' were seventeen, sixteen and fifteen respectively and had all been part of the team since before Vista making them the all around senior Wards of the group. Robert was in their age range but had only joined a month before Sam.

Missy grabbed a medium sized packing box and shoved it into Sam's arms. "Here. Go try it on. And the big guys are in a briefing about the recent attacks by E88."

Nearly giddy with excitement the young half spider hurried to one of the bathrooms and practically ripped open the box. All four eyes were completely focused on the first garment as she drew it out of the box... And more of it out of the box... And more. "What the shit?" She asked herself out loud as she finally got a fair idea of what she'd been given. Frowning she glared at the mass of cloth hoping beyond hope that she would manifest a gift for pyrokinesis and cause it to burn to ashes. Instead she gained a single skill point in Trance, confusingly enough.

Finally she gave up and put it into her inventory. No way she was going through the effort to put that on manually. Underneath it was a domino mask with all four eye holes and a golden tiara with decorative metalwork meant to line the sides of her face. They also went into the inventory and were equipped immediately. Looking in the mirror she couldn't help but admit they did make her look more mature and perhaps mysterious or otherworldly. The last bits out of the box were a pair of elbow length velvet gloves in dark purple and a small stack of pages giving instructions on how to put things on and how to wear her hair and what to do for make-up and the like. Actually the last few pages were an entire treatise on comportment and acceptable poses to make in battle. Those disappeared to give her five free points in Combat Aesthetics and Command Presence.

No longer able to put it off, Sam unequipped her school uniform and hesitated very briefly before double tapping on the costume's icon in her inventory. In an instant she was wearing a primary blue dress that looked like someone had straight up stolen it off a courtier in Versailles. The train had been modified and thinned out along her thorax only to grow out large enough to act as barding for her spider-half's abdomen. A trail of three dark purple bows went down the front and ended right where the dress turned into ruffles.

She looked at herself in the mirror and had to fight the urge to scream in frustration. Not that it didn't look nice, but it covered the spines on her abdomen and made her look utterly adorable. How was she going to convince gangsters to give up fighting with her mere presence when all they saw was a little girl playing princess dress-up.

After several long minutes to work up her courage she finally opened the door and walked back out into the main room. Unexpectedly it was a lot fuller than when she'd left. The big guys were all back and Assault and Battery as well. Missy took one look at her and froze with wide eyes. Robert looked like he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing but he managed it. The rest of the Wards looked more flummoxed than anything. "It... It wasn't what I was expecting." Sam said, trying to put a good face on the ball of embarrassment and shame roiling in her stomach.

"Hey, it looks good on you." Assault tried to break the mood, "Looks like the Wards have a new mascot!" Despite his intent the words cut deep. Mostly because they were pretty clearly true. That was obviously how the PRT thought of her, their new mascot to play dress up with, and not a serious member of the team who might have to face someone like Hookwolf in a fight for their life.

"I... Need to go. Go train. Get used to moving in all... This..." She managed to break away from the group and head towards the training room just as the first tears started to fall. It did make her smile slightly to hear the sound of someone getting head-slapped in the distance.

---

Robert Neally was a skilled artist and a dab hand at the sewing machine as well. Only three of his designs had actually made it onto a member of the Protectorate or Wards, but each one got him a small commission on each use of their image and it was slowly adding up to a decent retirement fund. Now his fourth was sent off and if the market research was true there would be nothing slow about the growth rate of that retirement fund soon enough.

His very first work was a gladiator theme with a helmet designed to look like a lion roaring. He'd always imagined it would look quite intimidating to the crooks on the street when it's wearer showed up. What he'd imagined was nothing compared to the reality of facing it down now as it's owner scowled at him in open rage.

"You're going to explain this to me. Very. Slowly." A very, very angry Triumph growled out as he pointed at the large sketch of Octette's new costume that hung on the wall.

Robert swallowed heavily, "We-well, we had a few different designs. Like always, I mean. We sent them out for market research and it was the top by an overwhelming margin."

"And it didn't occur to you that someone had to actually wear that? I've got a little girl; A little girl that volunteered to be a hero and has been training her ass off every day to be just that little bit more useful to the team, in tears because she's convinced that all this organization sees her as is a walking Barbie doll advertisement!" Triumph all but roared.

"Look, it wasn't just me okay. It got sent off to the thinkers, standard protocol, and they predicted a five percent increase in Wards recruitment nationwide! Five percent! Do you know how huge that is for an organization this size!? Director Costa-Brown signed off on this herself!" Robert replied.

"Well why didn't you at least give us some warning!? Send someone to ease her into it!" Triumph shot back.

"What little girl doesn't want to be a princess?" Robert asked, then paled at the glare he received in reply.

For several long moments the young Wards leader just glared at him. Finally Triumph sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "Look, email me all of that market data and ANYTHING you got directly from the Chief Director by tomorrow. It'll at least give me something to show her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a teammate that needs to be reassured that we see her as a valuable member of the team."

---

Rory still hadn't completely calmed down by the time he made it to the training rooms. Missy was near the transparent aluminum windows watching their newest recruit but giving her space in a manner slightly less literal than her norm. "How's she doing?" He asked as he stopped to watch as well.

"Well she was literally climbing the walls there for a while. Then some shadow boxing. I have to admit, the dress doesn't slow her down as much as I thought it would," Missy told him.

"That's good. She may have to get used to it," Rory told her regretfully. "They got Costa-Brown's signature on it."

"Shit!" Missy swore and then blushed as Rory chuckled. "I don't see how we can fight that."

"Me neither. But in any case, she needs to know we don't see her as a mascot." Rory pronounced and Missy nodded solemnly in agreement. "After she stops shooting sharp objects at moving targets." This time she grinned at him.

They both watched quietly as the girl in question shot a few spines from her front legs up into the air and then did something to change their trajectory and drop them down on some human shaped targets moving along a track. Rory figured it was telekinesis, but he wasn't sure how she grabbed the airborne spines without robbing them of their momentum. Then the girl did something slightly different and he could just see a slight green glow around the next spines. The needle-like projectiles shot up into the air like normal, but what came down was a rain of dozens of spines.

He ran to get into the room and check out the damage himself, but when he got there the only spines still in the dummies were the ones from her earlier attempts. "How did you do that?" He asked coming up beside Sam, "That was awesome."

The shy half-spider blinked and blushed slightly, "I'm not sure. I just tried to 'mark' the spines with my telekinesis before I actually fired them. It wasn't something I thought would work, and then that happened."

Rory thought for a moment and then walked over to the equipment depot and picked up a bag of baseballs. First he held the baseball himself out in front of her. "Alright, try it again with this ball." Sam nodded and concentrated hard on the ball for a moment, but nothing happened. "That's fine," Rory assured her and then handed her the ball. "Now try."

Sam concentrated again and this time it almost instantly pulsed green. She smiled and threw the ball across the room, halfway there it broke into a dozen or so different balls all traveling in slightly different directions. The balls hit the opposite wall or one of the still moving targets and made reassuringly solid thumps, but as soon as they came to a rest on the floor they disappeared. Even the supposed original.

"Great," Rory encouraged her and handed her another ball. "Now can you aim each one separately?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sam agreed and again the ball pulsed green. This time when it split apart each of the balls was on a slightly curved arc away from each other. Then they each changed trajectory slightly. Out of the twenty or so balls Rory had counted, only two didn't strike one of the human shaped targets this time. "Great, this looks like something you'll need to practice though. What do you think?"

"Practice, definitely. Although... It feels like I'm missing something... Like this is too simple and there's more going on here than what I can see right now." Sam told him. "I... Can't really explain it."

"Hey, that's fine. Take your time, practice." Rory told her with a smile. Then he sighed as he got to what he'd really come down here for, "I want you to know I'm on your side here, but... I don't think I can get them to change the costume."

"It's... It's fine really. I mean, it's not as hard to move in as I thought it would be. It's just... Well, if it can't be changed then I just need to get used to it and make it work for me." Sam stated.

"That's the spirit. Trust me, we're all behind you here. If you have to be dressed up as a Barbie doll, then we'll just have to make it so the gangs around here piss themselves at the sight of a Barbie doll." Rory grinned down at her.

She smiled up at him conspiratorially and, for just a moment, he could already see the face that would haunt the nightmares of Brockton Bay's underworld. Some day.

---

Psychic Specialty: Belphagor Unlocked.

A/N:
Got distracted by feels and didn't make it to patrol schedules and what not.

I'm honestly not sure why this wound up being such a bad afternoon for Sam. I swear I had this whole bad-ass blue and yellow long coat with armored pieces and shit all planned out when I started this chapter. Then suddenly I saw a Visual Kei picture in with the coats and the whole 'we shall make her every girl's dream of becoming a princess!' thing smacked me out of nowhere and dragged me along for the ride. And honestly... It is kind of the best they can do. Focusing on her cute pretty princess looks rather than the fuck-huge spider she happens to be part of.

Also someone will mention this in the story at some point but Sam does have spinnerets and can produce a quite respectable amount of silk, especially while using rise. It's just that while her human part has been changed in some ways to be more spider, two more eyes for instance, parts of her spider have changed to be more human. So... She kind of needs to wait for puberty for her spinnerets to come in, just like certain other assets.

 

Chapter 1.5: 'Gainst the Wicked Stand the Good... And That Scares Me.

Sam sat in the center of her room surrounded by a small storm of books and stuffed animals. She figured they would suffer least from being dropped. A cord invisible to normal senses also stretched from her forehead and into the cell-phone sitting in front of her. Thanks to the 'Multitasking' perk she got from getting her programming over fifty she could now easily handle twice as many individual tasks with her power. She'd already been levitating six objects before and a single trance connection was actually less work than levitating an object, so it came to eleven regularly sized objects alongside her connection.

Her trance was also clearly specialized in technopathy. At the moment she wasn't automatically gaining root, so it was more like just hijacking a user's session. But it was much easier than the few times she'd tried to connect with an object or with Margo. The wealthy widow had taken the news that Sam might be able to use telepathy with remarkable aplomb. Of course when asked how she could be so calm the answer was, "You're a wonderful girl, Sam, I fully trust you not to misuse such a gift."

In any case despite the necessity of her training, Sam was feeling rather bored. As one of the books passed by she snatched it out of the air. It was a beginner's book for playing the piano. Child's stuff, even by her standards. Nonetheless it was better than staring at empty space or trying to wrap her head around the stupid that infested PHO... Clearly Miss Milita was not going out with Armsmaster, what at terrible match; She was clearly waiting for Laserdream to become legal before engaging in a torrid affair with the girl, duh. In any case she flipped through the book with only partial interest. When she reached the last page the book disappeared and she got five more points to piano.

She paused for a long moment in surprise. "Wait, you can use the beginner books at any time!" Dropping the items hovering around her on the bed she walked over to a nearby wall and began beating her head against it. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." After twenty repetitions she finally leaned back, "Note to self: Use skill books for the LAST five points, not the first." With the way skills scaled, that could save her weeks, maybe months, of training someday... At least on those skills she hadn't already used one on.

A knock at the door interrupted her from her thoughts. "You decent in there, Sammie?" Margo called through the door.

"Come on in," Sam replied.

Margo entered and took a discrete look around, pausing at the debris covered bed and the slight red mark on Sam's forehead. "You know, most people wait until their thirties before they feel the need to bash their head against something... And that's usually because of things they did in their twenties..."

Sam chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, I was just playing this game and I missed something really obvious. Only now its too late to go back and fix all the times I did it wrong."

Margo nodded while humming understanding. "You like the kind of games that require an investment don't you? When I was in college we used to play war games. I was the only woman in the group so the guys had a tendency to flock around me." She chuckled at a fond memory. "That's where I met Harry, come to think about it. It wasn't until a few years later that we actually started dating. Got myself a job at his father's company that way though, he challenged the whole group to a game of Management with the winner getting a position as assistant manager of the store he'd just been given to run. I'd never played so hard in my life, nor do I think I ever enjoyed winning so much."

The woman reached out and started rubbing the top of Sam's head. "I guess I'm trying to say I don't dislike those kinds of thing, but don't go beating yourself up over them either. You've got a long while to look forward to. These things are frustrating in the moment, but give it time and they'll just wash away to leave you with the good things." She let the words sink in for a few moments before continuing, "Now you got everything ready for tomorrow?"

"My school bag is empty so I can carry things home, I've already called Meagan and Amy and they'll meet me at the bus-stop by the park in the morning." Sam reported.

"Good." Margo smiled and reached into one of her pockets pulling out a roll of bills. "Here's a hundred on me. Just promise me you won't spend it on anything technical."

Sam blushed but accepted the money, slipping it into her pocket just before it disappeared into her inventory. "Don't worry, this trip will be all about relaxation reading!"

"Glad to hear. Now I do believe it's time for bed." Margo reminded her.

Sam pouted but only got a raised eyebrow from her guardian. Mumbling something about lost charisma ranks, she sidled into her attached bathroom and closed the door behind her. For a few moments she just waited, knowing it was supposed to take some time to change out clothes. Finally she opened her inventory switched her normal clothes for her nightshirt.

"Remember to brush your teeth. Before bed is the most important time to do so." Margo called through the door.

'Is she psychic?' Sam wondered to herself jokingly. She shook it off and brushed her teeth, careful to get around all of the sharp points and her tongue. It was kind of pointless with Gamer's body, but it also felt a lot nicer than it used to. Maybe sharp teeth were just higher maintenance?

When she got out of the bathroom she noticed her bed had been cleaned off. The books stacked neatly on the table and the stuffed animals back by the headboard. She managed to wiggle her way onto the bed just fine without help, a feat she hadn't been capable of her first few nights in this world, but she still needed Margo's help to get tucked in under the covers. Well, she could have used her telekinesis, but the older woman had clearly wanted to help tucking her in and Sam wasn't going to take that away from her.

"Goodnight, Sammie. Happy dreams." Margo said as she kissed Sam on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Margo," Sam replied. She doubted she'd ever have dreams again, but she didn't say it out loud. Margo would probably just find it depressing.

Margo turned the lights off as she left, leaving Sam alone in the darkness. She was okay with that. For some reason, the darkness always felt safer to her. Like things were always hiding in the light, just out sight or in the harsher shadows, but in the dark there the lies and distortions of the eyes faded away. It was the world of sound that felt most honest to her, and she let it lull her into sleep.

---

"Pounce!" Meagan shouted as she jumped on Sam's back, straddling her thorax like she was riding a horse. "On pony!"

Amy rolled her eyes, "Meagan, she's not a horse."

Sam shrugged, "It's fine."

"Yeah Amy, we need to hurry. Mischa Murray is going to be there after all. Didn't you want your book signed?" Meagan teased making Amy blush.

"What, it's a good book. You liked it too!" Amy replied.

"I know, just easing ya. I brought my copy too. How about you Sam?" Meagan asked.

Sam reached into her bag and then searched her inventory for the item in question. "Yeah. I thought it was pretty good." The book had been a somewhat surprising gem about a group of teens that get drawn into working for a mysterious thinker to stop a local conspiracy. Of course before the end there were plenty of twists and off-the-wall turns that leave that description woefully inadequate but still technically true. It reminded her of the second and third books in Harry Potter, more complicated and detailed but still written to a level that your average sixth grader could at least comprehend all of the words if not always all of the implications.

"It's too bad they aren't releasing the next book today. That would have made this really awesome!" Meagan crowed.

"Except then we'd all be wanting to go home and read it, not hang out at a fair." Sam pointed out. Amy blushed a bit as the words hit home while Meagan just chuckled awkwardly.

When they finally made it to the fair it was a surprisingly upbeat affair. Due to the open air setting most of the books were arranged on long tables and shelves under awnings. Around them a number of group discussions had formed and there were even a few street performers setting up to cash in on the event. A number of booths dotted the area as well, these represented individual publishers and usually had stacks of copies of only one or two of their latest releases. The point of those was really to get connected to an author's social media accounts.

The mothers of her two friends were also around, having come as chaperons, and seemed to have found a group of other wealthy professionals to mingle with.

"Anything you two are looking for in particular?" Sam asks her friends.

"I need book three in the Tamberlin Saga. The library has books four through seven, and I already own books one and two. I just need this one to cover the gap." Amy replied shyly.

"Well, lead the way!" Meagan shouts and hops off Sam and grab's Amy by the shoulders. The shy girl sighs but sets off for one of the awnings without comment.

The next couple hours were uneventful for the trio as they browsed. Occasionally they would be interrupted by someone wanting pictures of or with Sam, and she'd play along though she was always careful Meagan and Amy were out of the shots. Each time she also did her part to advertise for her upcoming debut, frankly she found it annoying and a little exhausting but it was a game she at least understood the purpose of if not all the rules.

"Umm, excuse me," A quiet voice interrupted Sam as she was flipping through pages in a romance novel. She turned to see a freckled brunette at least five years older than her almost folded in on herself. "Do you mind if... That's the only copy and I..." The girl tried to articulate but obviously found the situation too embarrassing. Sam could relate. She hated asking other people for things they were holding, especially strangers, it made everything way more awkward than necessary.

"Sure. I wasn't really getting hooked by it." Sam handed the novel over, not noticing their hands brush for a slight moment or the way the girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't get me wrong it's not bad or anything. I mean I once read a novel that was twenty-two pages of exposition dump just trying to introduce their heroine." She noticed the way the girl was actually staring at her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, sorry, yeah. Umm, this is going to sound weird but can I touch you? Just on the hand, I mean." The brunette asked.

"Uh, okay. It's not that weird, I've had people requesting to pet me, after all," Sam replied and held her hand back out. This time she actually felt it a small tug similar to a trance attempting to make connection but weaker and way more exotic. Of course her own psychic power was no-selling the attempt.

"That's... Very strange... I'm sorry I didn't mean-- I'm Amy Dallon, Panacea. It's just that I can't actually get a read on your biology and this is the first time that's happened for me," the brunette, Amy, Other Amy, Amy D, explained as she let go.

"Oh okay. Yeah, we're still trying to figure out everything my power can do down at Protectorate HQ, since I'm a bit of a grab bag. I'm sure they'll love to add this to the list. Actually, Amy, err, well I have friend named Amy mind if I call you Amy D?" The brunette shook her head in agreement. "Well, want to try that again. I felt something, and I think I can let you in."

Amy nodded and grabbed Sam's hand once more. This time she had a trance connection ready and let it connect through it like a port. In an instant she felt the power's scan washing over her and the trace 'port' expanding double to keep up with the real-time flow of information passing through it. Once again Amy was staring at her with wide eyes, though this time they were almost comically wide and Sam was pretty sure the older girl was forgetting to breath. "You're not a para-" Was as far as the brunette got before something else hit her psychic defenses like a tidal wave and used their connection to force its way in.

Adrenaline pumped through Sam's body at levels fatal to mere humans and the fear centers of her brain instinctively shut down as her inhuman fighting instincts took control. The noises of the park that had been barely audible a moment ago were now pounding through her head at the volume of a rock concert, but without overlapping. All four eyes had the pupils and irises reduced down to the size of near-pinpricks and her head involuntarily snapped around to stare at a frowning blond girl several yards away.

With a target her instincts automatically moved her body, rearing back so that her head was several feet above the crowd and her first two legs were raised in a threatening posture. The retractable claws she'd carefully kept out of sight for weeks, two per foot, were out and digging into the sod underfoot or clicking together menacingly from her raised legs. Formerly silk-soft hairs all over her body were standing on end with longer spikes wickedly jutting out across her legs and spider abdomen.

Last of all she detected the distinctly sweet scent of sexual pheromones and it was getting stronger. 'Amy' Her hyper-active mind supplied the source. In an instant it processed a thousand factors to determine her status as friend or foe. Potential friend, it finally supplied, cultivation required but potentially useful. Options for cutting the link were discarded from her mental work-space and a plan for defending both their minds was winnowed out and selected.

She reversed their connection and for just a second she found herself standing on a vast and empty world staring at an enormous machine, parts organic, parts mechanical, and so arcane in make and construction she couldn't identify any of what she was looking at. When seen from one angle the parts looked mechanical, from another clockwork, and yet another crystalline. Then it was gone and she was staring at Amy Dallon's surface thoughts.

She carefully kept herself from sending any thoughts through the connection as she worked. She briefly caught sight of the adult-matinee that a section of the girl's mind had become mired in but she forcefully ignored it. Instead she focused on forming a proper psychic barrier, reducing the tsunami down to a trickle. Then she attached it to the girl's nascent psychic gifts, the strange interaction with her passenger had actually developed her psychic potential at least a little... Or perhaps it was the other way around, that would require research at a later point. In any case it was enough to anchor the shield, though it would degrade continuously over the next year or so until it broke altogether.

When she returned to herself Amy had just dropped her countenance of worship in favor of bemusement. Without the back door into her head Sam's own mind was downshifting from its particular method of handling what should have been absolute terror. The first sign of that was her tunnel vision on the blond finally dropping and allowing her to actually see people around her and how they were reacting. Closer to the blond they were mostly looking at the girl in surprise and worship, it was generally those out past me that were staring at Sam with shock and in some cases outright terror. And then she saw Meagan, staring at her with wide eyes as the girl was subconsciously backing into a table a few meters away. The hurt cleansed the rest of the anger from her body in an instant and once again her body looked to have silken fur and not a single spine in sight.

The worst part was if she moved towards those already freaking out it would only get worse, so her only exit was passed the blond. It didn't slow her down, though, she just kept her eyes on the ground to avoid having to see the face of the girl who'd probably just utterly demolished weeks of hard-won PR over a fit of pique. If the bitch was smiling she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to stop herself from giving them an embolism.

It was only after she'd found as semi-secluded place that she realized she had skill gain warnings. Psychic Rise +12, Psychic Trance + 8, Achievement: I Ain't Afeared, Perk Unlocked: Berserker (Gained from Drider Body and I Ain't Afeared). The realization that she must have been subconsciously using Rise came when she heard a familiar voice and focused on that discussion.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself, Victoria. It takes a real hero to publicly humiliate a little girl almost half her age, and a fellow Hero at that. They're announcing her membership in the Wards tomorrow. I recommend you not show up." He said. Sam couldn't help a slight smile to herself or listening as he walked over to her.

She took a quick glance at Assa-- no Ethan as he stood next to her but not crowding. "Thanks," She quietly managed.

"You heard that? We may need to add good ears to your power set," Ethan replied.

"It's the hairs, they're really sensitive. But I have to be... In the zone? Something like that to really use them. It's already fading." She told him.

He hummed in agreement. "Look... I'm sorry about the other day. Sometimes... Well all the time, really, I just say what's on my mind. I don't necessarily think it all the way through."

Sam shook her head, "It's okay. I wasn't mad at you or anything. You didn't do anything, just... Gave voice to why it hurt so much, I guess. That's not on you."

"Well I'm glad you think so. Puppy's been ignoring me for a week now," He whined in a pitiful tone.

She snorted, "And let me guess you want me to tell her that we're okay now and you've been properly chastised?"

"Would you?" He replies hopefully.

"Of course. I'm not heartless you know," Sam chuckles.

"Great! You see I'd just talked her into our first date that Saturday and it went really well. She doesn't know it yet, but puppy and I, we belong together," Ethan stated with a big grin.

Sam smiled back at him, "Yeah, maybe you do."

"And there's a smile, those look the best on you. Seriously you have these dimples, it's like a beam of pure cuteness... Hey maybe you and Dean could work together. You hit em with the cute beam, stunning them, then he hits 'em with the guilt and shame beams!" Ethan exclaimed making her giggle. "Anyways it looks like the Dallons have decided to call it a day. No need to lose the rest of yours."

"Will you..." Sam trailed off embarrassed to be actually asking for a chaperon.

"Sure. What were you thinking of doing next?" Ethan asked.

"Well, my friends wanted signatures from Mischa Murray. I figured I'd at least listen to what her speech was about then get in line for that," Sam told him.

"Right, I saw the sign for that. Alright, crew, mush!" Ethan joked as they walked back towards the tents.

She didn't see Meagan for the rest of the fair. In spite of that she still got an extra copy of the book signed, figuring if she left early then she'd probably missed that part.

---

Spoiler: Quest Completion Notice

Quest: Go to county book-fair Saturday Morning on Captain's Hill. - COMPLETE
Reading Comprehension: +10
Psychic Trance: +10
Social: +5

Achievements Unlocked:
Sisters From Another Mother - Met the Dallon Sisters, for certain values of met.
Signed, Sealed and Let's Deliver - Still got a book signed for Meagan.
My Lawyers Will Call Your Mother - Victoria's actions will have consequences, to what extent remains to be seen.

Contacts Added:
Mischa Murray - Is it just you or does her book contain subtle hints to the truth of certain events in Brockton Bay's future.
Panacea/Amy D - Perhaps letting the worlds top biotinker see the inner workings of your cranium wasn't such a good idea. Or maybe it was.
Assault/Ethan - A bit of a goof, but a good friend nonetheless. Just be ready with the telekinetic head slaps, he'll earn em.

New Quests:
Spreading the Good News: First, Do Not Flatline
Mending The Rifts: Girlfriends

---

A/N:
/me sets head on desk and sighs.
This was the chapter that refused to get started. And now it's over. Ufufu.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Samantha Doe
Age: 9 (25)
Level: 5 (12)
Class: Psychic
HP: 20/20 (200/200)


Strength: F+ (E+)
Intelligence: F (E)
Dexterity: F+ (E+)
Constitution: F+ (E+)
Charisma: E (D)
Luck: D (C)
PSY: E (D)


Skills:
Psychic Burst: 21 (48)
Psychic Rise: 7 (17)
Psychic Trance: 13 (30)
Psychic Programing: 29 (66)
Belphagor: 9 (22)


Performance: 10 (22)
Piano: 31 (70)
Singing: 13 (30)
Dancing: 14 (31)
Drawing: 20 (45)
Poetry: 13 (29)
Creative Writing: 19 (43)
Cooking: 10 (23)


Athletics: 12 (28)
Martial Arts: 8 (18) - Growth reduced 50% by lack of applicable martial style for body type.
Combat Tactics: 21 (48)
Combat Strategy: 17 (38)
Logistics: 18 (42)
Combat Communication: 6 (15)


Social: 14 (33)
Oration: 21 (48)
Expression: 13 (29)
Listening: 13 (30)
Reading Comprehension: 21 (48)
Posting Discipline: 12 (28)


Maths: 16 (36)
Algebra: 19 (43)
Calculus: 6 (14)
Trigonometry: 14 (32)
Geometry: 13 (29)
Logic: 18 (40)


Geography: 18 (40)
Geology: 12 (27)
Physics: 17 (38)
Cosmology: 16 (36)
Particle Physics: 11 (25)
Quantum Physics: 6 (14)
String Theory: 2 (5)


Computers: 22 (49)
Electrical Engineering: 8 (18)
Electronic Components: 10 (23)
Computer Programming: 19 (43)
Algorithms: 12 (27)
Encryption: 9 (20)


Carpentry: 2 (5)
Metal Working: 2 (5)
Leather Working: 2 (5)
Survivalism: 2 (5)
Dog Training: 4 (9) (Skills below this point had at least minor prior experience.)
Vehicle Repair: 7 (16)
Whittling: 7 (16)
Animal Husbandry: 11 (25)
Coded Hand Signals: 9 (20)
Morse Code: 15 (34)


Achievements:
Sisters From Another Mother - Met the Dallon Sisters
Signed, Sealed and Let's Deliver - Still got a book signed for Meagan.
My Lawyers Will Call Your Mother - Victoria's actions will have consequences, to what extent remains to be seen.
I Ain't Afeared - Maybe it's the viking blood or maybe its the history of bullying, but when struck by terror your first instinct was to act by activating Rise for the first time.

Perks:
Hero: (Gained by joining Wards)
Your reputation as a crusader for good precedes you. The more lawful elements of the world will give you greater deference and attention. On the other hand villains will more likely choose to brain you first and ask questions later. %10 bonus to reputation checks for civilian, law enforcement and heroes. %10 penalty to reputation checks for criminals, outsiders, gangs and villains.


Gamer Mind/Gamer Body: (Gained from the Gamer Powerset)
You are both unnaturally calm and focused even when you should be under enormous amounts of duress. Skills and abilities are gained based on an experience system and possibly from perks, not from training as others understand it. With this your power will tend to plateau for a while between explosive growth spurts rather than build steadily over time.


Split Attention: (Gained from Drider Body)
Having two sets of eyes is immensely helpful for watching two things at once. Your brain is also wired slightly differently to allow you to properly multitask with both focuses.


Spiders Climb Walls: (Gained from Drider Body)
It's obvious to anybody who thinks about it that spiders are creatures that can climb vertical surfaces like walls. So obviously having the lower body of a spider means you can too. Its just what you do.


Berserker: (Gained from Drider Body and I Ain't Afeared)
The Tarantula is not the kind of nervous spider to scurry off when the lights come on. When faced with an unknown adversary like a cat or a dog or a half ton pick-up truck their first instinct is to rear back and assert dominance. Since your human part seems to be in agreement you have been rendered completely functionally immune to Fear effects, instead you have your hackles raised and a brief moment of hyper-lucidity during which others can still break you out of the effect entirely. If you get past that moment of hyper-lucidity, rather than being afflicted with Fear you are afflicted with Rage.


Nimble Fingers: (Gained from achieving over 50 points with an instrument.)
Your hands are especially dexterous and quick from all your music practice. This now carries over to any other use of your hands. From origami to lock-picking to surgery so long as it uses your hands you gain a bonus to your dexterity rank for the duration of the attempt.


Multitasking: (Gained from achieving over 50 points with Psychic Programming.)
You've moved past the fumbling and experimentation phase of psychic programming and into the optimization phase. While you can still only perform programs of a maximum complexity equal to your available skill level in Psychic Programming, you may now execute up to double your Psychic Programming skill worth of programs.


Fuzzy Existence: (Gained from the Woman of Mystery.)
Your existence is a mystery and for better or worse it's pretty much going to stay that way. Even Panacea won't be able to get a proper read on you and thinkers like Tattletale or Contessa will just come up blank.


Childish: (Gained from Pint-Sized complication)
Having been an adult, you are well aware of how much being a child sucks. However some higher being has decided to piss on you and now you're stuck. You'll be acting more like a child with the same short attention span and high energy. You'll also take a %5 penalty to skills for every year below 20 and lose an entire rank in all stats until the same.


Geas: (Gained from the Geas complication)
You are not allowed to speak of your past life or the information about Worm you learned from it. Nor can you in any way imply that it exists. Lying to perpetuate this will automatically register as truth to all thinkers and lie detectors.


Abilities:
Telekinesis: (Psychic Burst/Psychic Programming)
You can manipulate objects you can see or have recently seen in the world around you with your mind. Pushing, pulling, lifting, crushing it's all technically possible. However in order to affect the world exactly as intended it needs to be Programmed. When using Telekinesis, consider Psychic Burst to be your required check for strength and Psychic Programming as an analogue to dexterity.


Matter Rain: (Psychic Burst/Psychic Programming/Belphagor)
Activate Belphagor's Consumption on an object in touch range up to your Burst's maximum weight threshold. Create a multi-step program for using Telekinesis on that object. After step one Belphagor's Propagation will activate creating unique copies of the object up to your limit in Psychic Programming. Ten seconds after the program ends all copies of the object, including the 'original', will cease to exist.

 

Chapter 1.6 Coronation

On Sunday, Sam didn't have time to worry about the possible loss of her new friend. Instead she was up at the crack of dawn and bundled down to the PRT Headquarters.

On her way from the Van to the building's entrance she looked out at the horizon and barely noticed the first rays of the sun. Her attention was brought back to her surroundings when a tall woman in a dark business suit walked up to her and shoved a small stack of note cards into her hands.

"Those contain your speech and the PR approved answers to various questions. Memorize them and don't lose them. We've vetted the reporters and they know the allowed questions. If anyone goes wildly off script Piggot or Miss Militia will step in. If the cards don't cover it and they haven't that means they trust you not to embarrass yourself with the answer so stay calm and stick with your established persona." The woman told her. "Any questions?"

"Just one, ma'am," Sam tried to stay respectful, "I don't think we've been introduced..."

"Grace Volti, Wards Public Relations, Senior Event Management North-East. That means I organize most shindigs like this east of Minnesota and north of the Carolinas. I've introduced a lot of wards. Stick to the cards, smile whenever possible and I guarantee you'll make a great first impression," Grace rattled off as they walked. "Now, we need to get you to make-up. The morning will be a photo shoot for the press release and your first wave of promotionals. After that you'll get a break for lunch then your team will arrive and we'll start the dress rehearsals."

Sam was ushered off to a room with gym equipment lining one side, and the acrid scent of stale sweat barely detectable beneath the pungent odors of cleaning alcohols and too many perfumes. They'd apparently set up some sort of portable salon station in the middle of the room and were taking advantage of the mirrors coating the back wall. Oddly though it didn't have a seat, well less oddly when she realized it was entirely meant for her.

As the make-up artist led her over she dropped the note cards into her inventory for safe keeping. Instead of simply sitting in a slot, though, they disappeared and a new hud box with text from the cards that she could flip through appeared. 'Well that's convenient,' she thought to herself.

"Ugh, let's not go too heavy but a bit of blue around the eyes. Hazel is too plain for a princess, make those sapphire flecks dominate, and don't forget the top ones the audience certainly won't! Georgie, do something with that hair. It's adorable, love, but we're going for confident princess not lost little girl." The apparently senior stylist directed their team as they worked. She almost jumped at the hand that unexpectedly pressed into her abdomen. "The fur is lovely, so well maintained. Give her a basic brush down anyways, the camera always loves a bit of extra care."

After about an hour of everything from lipstick to hairspray to skin creme to an almost full body fur brushing she couldn't help but admit she looked devastatingly pretty in her reflection. She also felt manhandled, abused and ready to start mind-spanking the next person to hold an open bottle of chemical solution within three feet of her face. As it was she almost had to resort to that in order to get the alone time necessary to put on her dress.

Finally fully equipped she was marched into a darkly walled room with a few large sections of white canvas hanging down from the ceiling, one so long it rolled out across the floor creating an entirely separate aesthetic space within the room. The photographer was a reedy man with bags under his overly intense eyes, and again he seemed to have a whole team of people at his beck and call.

"Remember, you're a princess. You have the power to break everyone you look at, and the class not to. When you smile it is a gift to the masses, and when you deign to show your displeasure an emotionless snub is more cutting than any sneer. Feel that confidence and project it with everything you can give me." The photographer demanded.

The photo shoot was long and hot. Only Gamer's Body kept Sam from devolving into a living swamp of sweat. Six bottles of water had been sacrificed to slaking her thirst and Gamer's Body was again proving its worth just in keeping her from having to disappear into a bathroom for the next hour.

"They been working you hard?" Battery, or rather her 'civilian' ID of Agent Rebecca Barker, said as she walked up with a bag of heavenly smelling Chinese food.

"Yeah, but I can handle it," Sam replied, "That lunch?"

"Yep," Rebecca replied, "Let's get somewhere we can sit and eat. You know, I remember my introduction. I didn't handle it nearly as well. They actually had to get Legend himself to come down and explain to me what all this had to do with fighting crime... I had a bit of a one track mind back then."

"Wait, Legend was brought in to talk to a brand new Ward?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah. Legend's big on the Wards program. He's personally mentored a number of the Wards in New York. I was fortunate to catch his attention like that. He's backed off a bit for the last couple years but I hear he's worked with a few that caught his interest," Rebecca told her as they quickly found a break room to eat in.

Sam started into her meal but soon found a moment between bites to bring up her thoughts, "So, I saw Ethan yesterday."

"You did? And let me guess he wants you to put in a good word with me?" Rebecca asked suspiciously.

Sam just shrugged, "Well, to at least tell you he's forgiven in my books. Which honestly was never really a problem, his timing sucked but he wasn't wrong. Triumph got me the PR reports on my costume. If the Protectorate needs me to be a mascot for a new generation... I don't necessarily like it, but I'll give it my best anyways."

"Look, you're not a mascot. That's not... The Wards are supposed to face less violence, and hopefully you'll get to the Protectorate level without running into anything too terrible. Fact is, though, we're Parahumans. If you don't look for a fight, a fight is still going to come looking for you. And you're going to have it worse. Anyone looking to embarrass the Protectorate or just ruin a good thing is going to come gunning for you. But that's true for Vista, and everyone else too. You're part of a team now and you'll be watching each other's backs. Trust me, in the eyes of your teammates, you'll never be just a mascot," She replied. Sam actually found herself misting up at the woman's show of support. "As for Ethan... He came to the Protectorate from... Another angle. He doesn't always get the sense of camaraderie a few years on the same team builds."

"But in that case it clearly isn't his fault he wouldn't understand, unless you explained it to him..." Sam pointed out.

Rebecca sighed, "Yeah, it isn't... I just... So often he makes me want to scream. Then there are those times where he's just so... And then the next day he's back to making me want to tear my hair out." She poked her food a bit.

"Sounds rough. But at least know that I never held it against him. So you can't be mad at him on my behalf anymore! Now you need your own reason," Sam declared.

Rebecca chuckled, "Alright. I'll keep that in mind."

A few minutes later Vista appeared to drag Sam out of the room and off to Rehearsals. Rebecca followed them out into the hall and watched them go. Finally she took out her phone and dialed a number from memory.

"Hey! Yeah, I know it's been a while. No... No... Look, Gabs, I need some advice. You were always the one who got relationships... Ugh... Yes. Yes, I'm calling you about men. Well if you'll stop squealing for a few seconds I'd tell you..."

---

"And now to our main order of business tonight. It's my honor to introduce Brockton Bay's newest Ward, Octette," Miss Militia announced giving Octette her cue. With a deep breath she put on a regal smile and did her best approximation of a gliding step out onto the stage. The supportive smiles of the other Wards helped her get the last bit of mettle into her spine and she made the rest of the trip flawlessly.

"Thank you for your introduction, Miss Militia. However I must insist that it is my honor to be here and to be accepted as part of the Wards," Octette stated graciously. "I arrived in this city without even the memories one should hold most safe. Nevertheless I have been, from the first moment, accepted as a friend. Almost every day I am delighted to find even more friends and allies, more acceptance. This city has quickly grown to become somewhere I will cherish. That I hold gifts that may yet help keep her citizens safe is a blessing most dear."

"And what gifts do you bring to the team exactly?" Miss Militia asked for the sake of the audience.

"Well, I can somewhat unsurprisingly climb any vertical surface without worrying about falling. I also have the gift of telekinesis, that is the capacity to move objects with my mind, though the weight limit on that is dreadfully low. Recently we've also discovered an interesting twist. It seems that with a touch I can charge an object small enough to move with my powers and cause it to multiply as I cast it about. The copies are temporary though and even the original item is consumed," Octette replied.

"Hmm, that last one sounds a bit hard to wrap the mind around. Could you give us a demonstration?" Miss Militia asked.

"Certainly," Octette agreed. She held out her hand and a wine glass from one of the server's lifted and sailed smoothly into her hand. The young heroine dipped a finger in the glass and a slight green sheen momentarily enveloped the liquid. Then she quickly flicked the glass upwards causing the liquid inside to spray out. Instead of the red liquid splashing down on the ground between two tables it instead lifted up as a galaxy of floating droplets. She'd discovered on accident that liquid droplets rounded down to 0 programming to control allowing her to game the system and control a technically infinite number so long as she could break them up in the first place. The galaxy multiplied as it ascended until a dozen liquid galaxies orbited the first.

The lights from overhead hit the wine and sparkled while creating a dappled effect on the crowd below as they watched, many in awe. Finally the droplets faded from existence, including the glass' original contents.

"That was quite a beautiful demonstration," Miss Militia praised.

"I believe that bringing beauty into the world and into the hearts of others is a high and worthy calling. If I can do so with my gifts as well as talents, then all the better," Octette replied.

"An excellent philosophy, Octette." Miss Militia said then turned to the audience. "Now if you'll all join me in giving Octette a round of applause and our warm welcome to the Brockton Bay Wards!"

The crowd roared with applause, as did the stage behind her.

 

Chapter 2.1 Optimism

Margo smiled indulgently as Sam lead her over to the piano. The woman sipped her morning coffee as the spider girl, already in her school uniform and fresh from breakfast, smoothly slid in front of the piano and then leaned slightly backward while relaxing her legs so that her abdomen drooped to nearly touching the ground. It was the closest the girl could come to truly sitting like an ordinary person.

"What are you going to play for me today, Sam?" Margo asked.

Sam grinned, "I had the best idea! I'll tell you what it's called afterward though."

Margo shook her head at the girl's antics but smiled and found a seat of her own all the same.

The girl placed her hands on the keys in preparation and whispered, "this one's for Iz." Then she began to play.



---

"Hey, you hear about the new Ward?"

"The monster cape? Yeah. Fuckin' freaky man."

"Should have just shot her and put her out of their misery when they first found her."

"I know. Ain't even enough to walk around like a human being like the nips and the chinks. Total fucking subhuman."

"We ought to do 'em a favor and just make her disappear. Not like even the weak ass shits over at the PRT would miss 'er."

"Nah man. Kaiser says we leave her alone. I mean I get it and you get it, but we don't want them thinking we'd target any of the real Wards, ya know."

"Fuck. Yeah, I get it. So much bullshit man."

"Always is. Anyways here's the goods, you got Archer corner down by Winslow. Should be well over four hundred for the day."

"White gold, man. White gold."

---

"Another one?"

"Third one this month."

"Shit."

"Captain's been trying to get patrols increased. This many initiations this quick, ABBs gotta be up to something."

"I didn't see shit on the patrol schedule, when's the new one gonna get posted."

"It's not. The PRT are taking jurisdiction. Their usual crap about not wanting us fumbling donut eaters to poke around their dragon."

"Man, fuck 'em. Their idea of being subtle is doing jack all and showing up late just to tell us the obvious, 'yep a fuckin' cape did this shit'."

"I hear ya."

"The fuck of it is, they ain't even all that much more effective than us when it comes down to it. Most these capes go down to a nine mil as easy as anyone. The rest are the fuckin' Protectorate's business anyways, I figure."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. Situation fucked? Situation normal."

"Oh hey, you got the patrol schedule for the Wards? My little girl wants a signature from the new one... Oct-something. The spider kid, you know."

"Really? I'd have thought she'd be put off by, you know..."

"Connie? Nah, she begged us to buy her a snake for Christmas last year. Hell no we didn't, you know, but she's still into poisonous animals and shit. Thinks the new kid is, and I quote 'Badass'."

"Hah! True that!"

---

"But she's my friend!"

"You are not to go anywhere near that freak, do you understand me!"

"She's not a freak!"

"LOOK AT THIS! Just look at that and tell me she's not a freak!"

"She's not! So she looks different, big fucking-"

"Language! And for that you. are. grounded! You will come straight home after school this week and you will go straight to your room! No TV, no internet!"

"Mom!"

"And I better not hear about spending any more time with that monster! I will be asking your teachers, young woman."

"This is bullshit!"

"You already have one week, are you going for two!?"

---

A tall man in a perfectly tailored suit stood quietly as the sound of the piano filled the room. His mind was already whirling with calculations and equations, but for the moment he could forbear from writing any of them down. For a moment his eyes flicked over the cameras showing the many cells containing his organization's many failures. All of them were looking around in confusion and wonder at the music being filtered into their prison. Sadly none showed any particular recognition. Nothing that stood out as being about their mysterious supposed escapee in any case.

He supposed others might find the sound lovely, optimistic even. Unfortunately, he could no longer feel such ephemeral things. Numbers and calculations were his world, had he known the song in its original form he may be able to make objective judgments as to the length of held notes and the quality of various frequencies of vibration in terms of their relation to the original piece... But he didn't know that piece. Instead, he focused on how the player's lack of hesitation showed a sort of straightforward confidence in their ability. Admittedly supported by their lack of stumbles or obvious errors. It spoke also of a precise but largely intuitive sense of timing. They would need to listen to further sessions, but assuming they chose pieces of higher difficulty it might inform them of the limits of the subjects manual dexterity.

All data that would go to refining his model. Soon... Soon they'd know if the mysterious girl represented a threat... Or an opportunity.

---

Margo watched quietly as her little girl raced down the front steps and down the street. It wasn't long before one of her little friends joined her. The older woman smiled and took a deep breath of morning air. Not perfectly fresh, but not horrible either. Her heart swelled as she saw the children laughing as they walked.

As she turned to walk back in a flash of color caught her eye. Her whole body turned to take in the small rainbow caused by a neighbor's sprinkler system. A small chuckle escaped her as a few words immediately came to mind, "Over the rainbow, indeed..."