Just a Phase [Worm]

Taylor only uses the pass out of a combination of habit and the fact that using her power to ignore security is probably something she can get into actual trouble over. If she finds herself locked out and told by the guards to "go home," I can absolutely see her just phasing through the doors with a sarcastic comment to get to her room, firing off a few emails about the issue, and going to sleep.

 

"Why Director, doing what you suggest would be a crime. Several of them now that I think of it. Especially when I was ordered to leave by a duly sworn PRT officer."

Taylor would grab such a 'being thrown into a briar patch' situation with both hands. Malicious Compliance, following the letter of the rules and instructions in the most harmful way possible.

 

Man having cps on the protectorates ass would be funny as hell

 

PPS? Not sure what you mean. Did you misspell CPS (Child Protective Services)?

 

Yes I’ll edit it now

 

Great omake! Though I here I was bit of thinking "And how would you live then, without home, job, non-cape identity (and possibly even documentation)?"

Weld actually leaving is kinda prospect-nuking, and his martyrdom might not accomplish much without ability to put at least PR/media pressure on PRT - ability he, as a minor & amnesiac, is hardly ideally positioned to learn. He is absolutely willing to leave the org with sufficient motivation, 'course - but in canon he ended up just hanging out with other C53s. Can't help but think of how many "resigned in protest" don't really result in changes.

Of course, then the story becomes "And Taylor learns she can totally just run away." Weld may have some advantages there, what with being made of metal, but then so has she.

Well it is now ( & here I was thinking only of onlyfans/cosplay vis-a-vis thirsty men ). 'course, the logistics on learning it might be bit troublesome due regulations, but her appointed legal guardian might be willing to sign any documents necessary for her "venturing out on her own". And then, more reasons for anybody related to Annette to dislike Danny!

You're right, though, Taylor is not likely to use an excuse that implies she is considered attractive, even on government form where the reader will never know what she looks like - it was just handy option to explain infux of cash for tax man.

 

Edit - Dammit, just spotted a missed opportunity: "sometimes heroism means following the orders of duly appointed authority... and sometimes it means throwing a tea party". They're even in the right damn city!

I mean, firstly, Weld is kinda uniquely suited to the vagrant lifestyle.

Secondly, though, IIRC he's enough of a celebrity at this point that someone would be willing to support him as a hero.

Thirdly, IMO, there is no way in hell it'd actually come to that. If Weld walks out on principle - because the Protectorate isn't heroic enough for him - then at least half his Wards team, plus a decent smattering of other heroes from around the country, will likely walk out with him. And that'd be an extinction-level event for the PRT's PR machine.

I'm almost certain that, in this situation, Armstrong would suddenly remember all sorts of sticks and carrots he could apply to Piggot.

It's definitely prospect-nuking as far as his future with the Protectorate is concerned. But the Weld in this omake is one who takes heroism seriously: he places ethics above job prospects, and is unwilling to let bad actors get away with creating facts on the ground.

...I partly wrote it to lampshade how the various Boston "heroes" are failing to live up to that title. Seriously, Nebula was flat-out told that two Wards tried to murder Phase and his response was basically "meh, whatevs". That's... not exactly classic heroic behaviour.

Taylor's presence in the Boston Wards is taking that mismatch between what the Protectorate think they are - heroes - and what they actually are - goons with PR - and cracking it like a Thanksgiving wishbone.

Speaking with my Machiavellian hat on: that's because their resignation was inevitable once the truth came out. If the PRT is going to take it in the shorts regardless of their future actions, there's no incentive to change playbook.

In this case, the resignation threat is by no means unconditional, so there's an actual direct benefit to changing their behaviour.

 

Considering that Taylor also said it was her trigger event and Nebula still had that reaction makes me wonder whether or not he is a natural trigger or a vial cape cus a natural trigger should at the very least be sympathetic to another cape's trigger provided that they aren't a total asshole.

 

I wrote it off as him thinking it was exagurated, or perhaps a near miss by two Wards being reckless in the line of duty. Not them torturing her in cold blood.

Basically a mental mismatch on his part, "We are the good guys." So there "must be" more to the Wards tried to kill me story to make it a mistake, or accident, not deliberate intent. Thus his “I assure you, nothing like that will happen here.” is him thinking he is being reassuring. That the Boston Wards are better trained, supervised, and/or not placed into situations where their powers would hit civilians as collateral damage.

Not undestanding or asking that Taylor was specifically targeted and hurt by the Wards out of costume.

 

Weld can live quite easily, he don't need to eat, he's made of metal, so even if he need to sleep, there's not really any surface that's uncomfortable for him to sleep on, temperatures effect him not one bit unless they're hot enough to melt metal, aside from clothes, and the occasional bath, Weld don't really need anything, he's fond of music, but he can live without it, or he can just hang around somewhere they play music, either way, money and a home are nice to have things for him, not important things.

 

Yeah, trying to live like that would 100% not work. Even ignoring that he's a minor, the PRT can easily just have him be taken in for all sorts of fun anti-poor/homeless/minority laws then make him a probationary ward.

 

Yeah plus in Nebula's defense it was only Taylor's second day at Boston so the information as to what happened to her probably hadn't had time to spread to the rest of the Protectorate yet. But still it really isn't an excuse to dismiss Taylor's accusations like that especially if it was concerning her trigger.

It probably would have been reassuring if the two Wards who hurt Taylor actually got punished even if it was an accident which it wasn't, but at the moment they are getting off scot free with the only punishments being levied on them are slaps on the wrist which only occured because Taylor got the Youth Guard invovled.

Besides that I have to wonder what the reputation of the Brockton Wards, Protectorate, and PRT is looking like right now, because as much as Piggot and Armstrong try and keep this mess internal Taylor has been telling pretty much anyone who will listen about it so it won't be that long until word of what happened spreads to other departments. Especially now that the Youth Guard is involved and unlike the PRT they don't really have an interest in keeping it quiet.

Now this is another major issue with both departments because once Taylor does tell people what happened they either go silent like Nebula did or just say that things will be better now without even attempting to apologize. They don't offer solutions or try and comfort Taylor in any meaningful way beyond trying to get her to join up. Which is why the only meaningful connections Taylor has forged in Boston have been Jim the Youth Guard Representative, Connie who isn't trying to pressure Taylor into the Wards, and Lily who is actually making an attempt to help Taylor. Everyone else is only interacting with Taylor in the capacity that she is a troublesome Ward who will give up and get with the program any day now, and are surprised when she isn't eager to interact with them.

 

The reputation of the BB Wards should already be poor. They don't participate in the nationwide teambuilding practices that Weld took for granted when he was send to BB after Leviathan, plus the way Watchdog have been messing with Taylor means that every Thinker with long range targeted abilities already tried an failed to 'see' her, and that makes Protectorate Thinkers with high security clearances very curious about why they can do the tests in person and quite likely very chatty between themselves after they discover exactly why.

 

I imagine at best they were seen as the antisocial group that didn't participate in team building exercises but at the same time the other departments couldn't really say anything bad about them despite not being able to say anything good about them either. Not sure how much they talked to other Wards teams either considering Gallant talked to Weld in the first interlude but that may have been the exception rather than the rule in Brockton with Gallant only actually talking to Weld because of the Phase issue.

At worst they were seen as needlessly isolationist from the rest of the Wards program, and possessing a reputation for getting into more fights against the local gangs then they should have. Plus their director all ways demanding more resources also probably didn't help.

Now though things are different with Phase at Boston and being very open with what two Brockton Wards did to her. Considering the fact that by now Taylor has told the rest of the Boston team what happened to her and the fact that Boston regularly takes part in inter-department training (hell even in the first few chapters it was mentioned by Gauss that the Wards were doing something with one of the New York teams) I imagine that information is beginning to spread around. Even if the Boston Wards were ordered not to say anything I can imagine some of the barebones information got out to another team about how Phase came from Brockton due to an issue with the Wards there. So with the Youth Guard descending onto Brockton like they are currently doing I can imagine a few Wards Thinkers can put the pieces together to figure out that something is fishy with the Brockton Wards.

 

And the worst part? All of the local BB Wards are painted with the same brush than Emma and Sophia, after all the rumors are going to be a little sparse in the details so probably most will agree on in no particular order:

* More than one bully.
* Probatory Ward involved, guess kids there are all criminals or close enough for government work.
* All of the BB Wards grounded.
* Armsmaster is so pissed even Dragon didn't improve his mood. Sucks to be a Ward under him.
* That girl from Boston was part of the BB team less than a day before quitting the team.
* PRT had to take control of the Wards from the Protectorate (without actually saying when it took control or that it was due to logistics not misconduct).
* YG has been slapping fines and punishments to the entire team, and is still adding new ones.
* ...and still won't debut after a month.
* Oh, and I heard from PR that one of them thought funny to change his name to Clockblocker during his introduction, everyone there must be a childish asshole.

 

Ayup. As with Billymorph's Implacable, it's the actually-heroic BB Wards who will get hit the hardest. Being Vista is suffering.

 

Not really, because while they can take him in for those, those laws don't in fact carry huge punishments, so unless Weld isn't OK with spending a few weeks in Juvie, they can't force him to accept a probation agreement, because to get a probation agreement going, the punishment they're waiving, have to be worse than the probation is.

That's the same reason, that forcing a Parahuman on probation for speeding jaywalking or other similar minor crimes wouldn't work, if the punishment they stand to get is just a fine, community service or a few days to weeks in prison, then they can't press a relevant length probation on the Parahuman, if someone is sentenced to a week in prison, you can maybe get them to accept a month on probation instead, but few will accept a multiyear contract to get out of such a minor punishment.

 

tarrangar: the way you get around that is extrajudical punishment threats like "this will be part of your permanent record" and "people will not want to hire somebody with a record". Even if BS, there's a significant information advantage over amnesiacs, orphans and teenagers all.

Besides, that's being alive, not a way to live. Both Weld and regular human can stand twenty minutes in rain - and not be imperiled by weather with proper clothing. But do you really want to do that? Generally you have better things to do with your time than run in the rain.

Or another type of cape, anyway, I'd figure - but as said, those figures ended up strangely absent when he actually resigned in protest in canon, though that was where he would be part of crowd. So I can't help but wonder. Same wondering on whether his team would actually resign with him, in fact, given what you pointed out about the room-temperature reactions to Phase's circumstances.

(That said, I broadly agree with you.)

Huh, combined with the comment to tarrangar, it now occurs to me to wonder whether it could be argued to be illegal, being that one can say he's threatening/blackmailing an officer of the law to get them to take an action they would not otherwise take. He's literally threatening to go loud with information that, while legal, the official doesn't want disclosed, akin to how one could threaten to inform the papers of his mistresses.

Yes, there's things that make this situation materially different, but amnesiac orphan teenager.

(But the moment is passed anyway, so this something of a what-if of what-if².)

 

I imagine that at somepoint the rumors about the ENE Wards team will circle back to them or at least back to Armsmaster who is probably more connected to the other departments then the Wards are. How he will take it I don't know but considering it reflects badly onto him I imagine not well. Besides that I imagine Legend might take a brief look at the Brockton Wards as well if the rumors start getting really bad, and besides the Youth Guard are investigating something over there so the leader of the Protectorate should take an interest at somepoint.

 

Leadership should have already the uncensored version of the facts, we know that virtually everyone on the BB and Boston offices got close to full knowledge of what happened to create this mess (Taylor is not exactly shy about telling everyone she legally can) plus those offices that keep Watchdog parahumans and therefore poked at Taylor's inexistance field. Even someone so far up the chain of command as Legend's XO and support staff and should be aware of the facts enough to give him a quick answer if he asks (and not much more than that, so far this has been a matter strictly regional and Legend has too coordinate the country's Protectorate as well as cape response to any S-class threat, and every four months an Endbringer attack and its aftermath unless the rumors are backed by a death or three he has no time to care that much about it).

Armsmaster is already beyond being angry about rumors, after all the reality is for him and Piggot actually worse than that. The BB Wards are being buried by multiple complains of the YG that both the Protectorate and the PRT need to address and whose fines are coming out of their budgets. Two of the Wards were involved in serious criminal activities, including a probatory recruit who should have been closely watched in and out of uniform, and while they have barely avoided legal prosecution so far they are still grounded and in need of a closer eye than most (in particular Emma who pulled a fast one over Armsmaster that cost both of them a sensitibity course), the rest of the Wards are also frozen out of patrols by the YG, angry with the two Wards who caused a Trigger (and depending on who you ask angry with themselves for not stopping them), demoralized as hell and those who had at least some contact with Boston can tell that their peers have a dimm view of their entire department. Also as the leader of the ENE Protectorate Armsmaster must be in close contact with the Boston team, who is also quite irritated with the Ward BB saddled them with, because Phase has been working hard to be a pain in the ass and she lets everyone know why.

 

I can easily imagine Annette's parents at least attempting to murder danny after that coming out

 

And then suing the Protectorate for custody. As biological grandparents they would have priority over the government, even with signed contracts (and testaments) regarding custody, in particular after the 'peculiar' circumstances of how they adquired Taylor's guardianship and custody come to light.

 

Forget "attractive". Taylor would think such jobs degrading, or at least canon Taylor would. And any Taylor who would think of it just like another job wouldn't see any point to lie about it.

I can't. Mostly because Annette's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Did-not-appear-in-this-canon.

 

That does depend on how Taylor feels about her grandparents on her mother's side but hey it can't be much worse than the PRT or her dad. Unless of course her grandparents are pro-government, which could explain why they didn't like Danny and Annette's action at college being some form of rebellion, and force Taylor to remain in the Wards program.

 

It would probably still be a step up. Living with grandparents means she'd no longer be living on-base. Between her powers and attitude, she could probably manage to avoid setting foot in PRT HQ for the rest of her Wards term. She would also be able to have friends over to her place without instantly outing herself.

 

So question, has anyone at the PRT brought up the fact that Gallant was apparently able to use his Thinker power on Taylor without issue, but ever since then no one else has been able to do the same? Because that would probably cue them in that the anti-thinker effect of her power is something Taylor can turn on and off at will which might make them realize that Taylor can probably notice when they try and spy on her.

 

That's one hypothesis they can come too. Alternate hypotheses could be that it only protects from some Thinker powers (for example not from empaths) or that you need to be in a room with her to Thinker her. With powers there are a lot of options to be considered.

 

That is true but Taylor is also on a team with two Thinker who have state to be unable to use their powers on her so it isn't a distance issue, and I have to imagine that Watchdog has at least one long ranged empath on their roster or at least a Thinker with some ability related to emotional states.

But yeah they could attribute it to a powers are weird thing but it is a point of interest since Armstrong and his superiors are throwing all the Thinker powers they can at Taylor to see if one works but Gallant is probably on record as being able to see Taylor's emotions. So yeah they are kinda ignoring an obvious option with that one.

 

Was Gallant able to use his power on Taylor? Taylor was able to detect it, but there is no indication I can find that she didn't block it. Even if they do figure that a) Taylor can detect extrasensory powers being used on her, and b) can selectively render herself immune, what can they do with that information?

 

Considering that Gallant was one of the few people who had a noticeable reaction to Taylor freaking out during the original Wards introduction I assume he saw something going on with Taylor's emotional state. Plus it was mentioned in one of the chapters (can't remember which one) that Taylor learned about her effect on Thinkers due to the original introduction.

As for what they can do with that information well besides realizing that they fucked up more then they originally thought, but it could spur the idea of trying to scan Taylor while her guard is down, like say when she is sleeping.