Worm: Friends From Other Places

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Chapter 5

Director Piggot sat at the head of the conference table, her expression cold and unreadable.

The tension in the room was palpable, with the gathered PRT officers and Protectorate capes shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Armsmaster, still looking worse for wear from his recent encounter, stood stiffly at one side, his jaw clenched.

"Explain," Piggot's voice cut through the silence like a blade.

Armsmaster took a breath, glancing at the assembled members before speaking. "We were responding to reports of a newly triggered parahuman at Winslow High School. We got there as fast as possible but what we encountered was… unexpected."

"Unexpected?" Miss Militia repeated, her brow furrowing. "Armsmaster, you and an entire squad were overpowered within minutes, even the backup you requested."

"Seconds," Assault corrected dryly, wincing slightly from his injuries. "Not even minutes. And let's not forget, we were left naked in the middle of the schoolyard."

Battery elbowed him, but his point stood.

The video of it was reaching millions of views before it was shut down.

Piggot's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are we dealing with?"

Armsmaster pulled up footage on the screen behind him, pausing on a still image of Taylor Hebert and the four summoned figures standing protectively around her.

"This girl, Taylor Hebert, appears to have triggered with an unprecedented power, one capable of summoning powerful parahumans from other dimensions."

Silence.

Then, Velocity spoke, his tone cautious. "You're saying she has the power to… pull in parahumans from other worlds? And from what I'm seeing also mastering them?"

"Not just any parahumans," Armsmaster gritted his teeth.

"One of them was able to tear open my armor with ease. Another—" he gestured to Homelander's image on the screen, "—displayed capabilities beyond anything we've documented, along with brute force on par with, if not exceeding, Alexandria."

Miss Militia crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "And the others?"

Armsmaster hesitated. "One appears to be a reality manipulator of some kind. He… warped shadows, restrained us instantly and appears to be near unbreakable. His capabilities are unknown, but we are classifying him as incredibly dangerous."

"And the fourth?" Piggot pressed, eyes narrowing.

Armsmaster exhaled sharply. "A young male, barely out of high school judging by his appearance alone. He exhibited superhuman strength, speed, and agility, rivaling, if not surpassing, a fully powered brute classification."

"We are still unsure if this is all they are capable of or just the tip of the iceberg, so we are holding back from giving them ratings until further evidence is gathered."

"Jesus," Battery muttered. "And they're all bound to this girl?"

"From what we gathered, yes." Armsmaster leaned forward. "That's the issue. They listen to her. They protected her. She didn't order them to attack us, but they did. And more importantly, she refused to comply with our detainment."

Piggot drummed her fingers against the table, eyes dark with contemplation. "This isn't just a new parahuman. This is a potential threat, unlike anything we've encountered before if she is able to summon more of them."

Miss Militia frowned, not at all liking them viewing this poor girl as a threat.

"She was just a bullied teenager before this and despite their response to a gun being accidentally fired, they haven't killed anyone despite clearly being more than able to."

"That may be," Piggot said, voice hard, "but she now has four incredibly powerful beings at her beck and call. That makes her one of the most dangerous individuals in this city if she decided to go rogue."

No one in the room refuted her point.

"Now before we decide what to do with her, tell me how exactly she triggered, you said something about bullying?"

Somewhere in Brockton Bay, a certain bow-wielding ward shivered.

———————

Taylor shut the door to her room with a quiet sigh, pressing her forehead against the wood for a moment. The conversation with her dad had been… exhausting. 

She had a long and painful talk with her father.

About the incident at school.

About her newfound powers and the four capes, she called forth across different dimensions.

And, regrettably, about Emma and her ongoing bullying campaign at school.

By the end of the talk, there were a lot of tears and angry yelling from her dad before she had to stop him from going to Emma's house with a shotgun.

He had been understanding but worried, and of course he was. His daughter had just brought four incredibly powerful individuals from other dimensions into their home, and he was still wrapping his head around it.

Plus, she had been bullied all this time without him knowing as well, but that seemed kinda small compared to everything else.

And now, those same four superhumans were sprawled out on the floor of her bedroom, all of them looking equally put out.

"So," Sukuna drawled, tossing a balled-up piece of paper toward the ceiling and catching it with casual ease. "Anyone else noticed that fun little feature where we can't go too far from Taylor without getting yanked back like a dog on a leash?"

"Yes, Sukuna, we all noticed," Homelander said dryly, adjusting the cuffs of his suit with a displeased frown. 

He was lying on his back, in the air, arms folded beneath his head, looking remarkably unbothered for a man who had just learned he was bound to another person's presence.

Izuku sat cross-legged near Taylor's bed, looking at her with clear concern. "Are you okay? I know this is a lot to deal with, and—"

"I'm fine," she interjected quickly, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, not fine-fine, but… I don't know. I think I'm still in shock."

Alastor, who had been twirling his microphone cane in one hand, grinned at her with sharp teeth. "Well, my dear, if it's any consolation, this is certainly a fascinating predicament you've found yourself in! Truly, a most intriguing summoning contract.

His grin widened, eyes gleaming.

"Suspiciously unprecedented, in fact."

Taylor sighed, flopping onto her bed. "Great. Just what I needed. A summoning power that leashes people to me."

Sukuna barked out a laugh. "Oh, don't sound so down about it! I mean, sure, it's annoying, but hey, at least you summoned me, that's got to count for something, right?" 

He waggled his brows at her.

"Strongest sorcerer in history, best bodyguard, and eye candy all in one."

John sighed, rubbing his temples at the sorcerer. "This isn't a joke, if we are bound to Taylor in some way, we need to figure out why and what the limits are."

"Agreed, it's better to find out now rather than later" Izuku nodded, sitting up promptly. "We need to test it. Taylor, could you please try walking out the door?"

Taylor hesitated before nodding, standing up, and reaching for the door handle.

"Alright… guess I'm doing this now." She murmured to herself, which she might as well have shouted with everyone's superhuman sense of hearing.

The four of them watched her closely as she took a cautious step outside her bedroom door.

Nothing happened.

Encouraged, she took another couple of steps.

A small tug, but it was a minor inconvenience at best.

Then she took a third step.

Suddenly, the entire room lurched.

"Wha—"

With an almost comical sight, all four of them were yanked off their feet and flung through the air like ragdolls on an invisible bungee cord.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me—" Homelander started before forcefully colliding into Alastor midair.

Izuku let out a startled yelp as he tumbled forward into Sukuna, while Sukuna barely had time to curse before he was pancaked by everyone else.

THUD

A pile of superhumans now lay sprawled across the floor in a tangled heap.

Sukuna, of course, was at the very bottom.

"…Ow," he muttered, voice slightly muffled against the carpet.

"Get. Off. Me." he gritted out, attempting to shove Homelander's cape out of his face.

Alastor, who had somehow landed on top of everyone without a hair out of place, chuckled, adjusting his tie.

"Well, that was an experience! Quite the dramatic effect, I must say."

Izuku groaned from where he was squished between Homelander and Sukuna. "I think I landed on my notebook—ow."

Homelander, who was effectively lying across all of them, looked mildly annoyed as he adjusted his cape while floating up.

"Well, that confirms the range limit."

Taylor, standing safely in the hallway, stared at the scene in front of her.

Then, she did the only reasonable thing.

She burst into hysterical laughter.

"You guys—pffft—oh my god—" she wheezed, clutching her stomach. "I wish I recorded that!"

Sukuna grumbled as he pulled Izuku off him like a little kitten. "Glad our pain is entertaining for you, Summoner."

"I'm glad we learned something new," Alastor said cheerfully, disappearing into the shadows before appearing next to her. "And that lesson is, we are very much attached to you, my dear!"

Izuku, managing to get out of Sukuna's grasp, shot Taylor a look that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

"Okay, new rule. Maybe test this stuff in a bigger space next time."

Homelander sighed, "Next time, let's make sure Sukuna lands on the bottom again."

Sukuna growled, but Taylor only laughed harder.

Yup.

This was her life now.

Sukuna hissed in irritation. "Okay, yeah, that's really annoying."

Taylor stepped back into the room, and they all relaxed.

Alastor hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his chin. 

"It would appear, my dear, that our leash, for lack of a better term, extends only so far before we are forcibly recalled." His grin turned sharper. "Fascinating."

Taylor slumped onto her bed, pressing her hands to her face. "So, what? You're all stuck with me? Like, permanently?"

Izuku, ever the optimist, offered a small smile. "Maybe not permanently. We don't know the full range of your power yet. There has to be a way to control it or at least increase the range."

Sukuna smirked. "Or maybe you just got four permanent, ultra-powerful minions. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't complain."

Taylor let out a long, slow breath. 

John smiled at her, a reassuring expression that somehow didn't feel forced. "It could be worse."

Alastor chuckled darkly. "He's right my dear girl, it could always be worse."

Taylor groaned into her hands as Sukuna reached for the last slice of pizza, only for Homelander to casually pluck it from his grasp.

"HEY!"

"You had three already."

"Only three!"

"Boxes."

"…fuck you."

________

She sat on the edge of her bed, arms wrapped around herself, still trying to process everything. She had superpowers. She had summoned these four incredibly powerful people from other dimensions. And now… they were stuck with her.

It was overwhelming.

The four of them, for their part, didn't seem particularly bothered. Izuku sat cross-legged near her, glancing at her every so often with a soft, worried expression. 

Homelander leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, looking for all the world like he had nothing to worry about. 

Alastor perched on her desk, ever-grinning, watching her with an unnerving amount of amusement. 

Sukuna, still clearly annoyed about being at the bottom of the pile earlier, was sprawled out on the floor, arms behind his head.

Taylor bit her lip. "So, what now?"

Sukuna snorted. "You're the summoner, aren't you? Shouldn't you be the one telling us what to do?"

Taylor flinched slightly at that, looking down. "…I don't know what to do."

That made the room go quiet for a beat.

Izuku, ever the one to fill silences, leaned forward. "It's okay, we'll figure this out together."

She swallowed, still not entirely sure if she believed that. They were powerful. They were so powerful. And they had listened to her—back at Winslow, in the fight, when she said she wanted to go home. 

But… she didn't understand why.

"Are you guys… okay with this?" she asked hesitantly, unable to stop herself. "Being stuck here? With me?"

Homelander tilted his head slightly as if considering the question. 

"I suppose it does suck that we can't get that far apart from you, but I'm sure we'll get used to it… although being in a teenage girl's room is something I refuse to get used to and I will make sure to find a way out of this predicament."

That wasn't reassuring. Taylor tensed.

Izuku shot John a look before quickly turning back to her. 

"I don't think any of us are unhappy to be here, Taylor," he said gently. "It's weird, sure, but… I mean, I allowed myself to be pulled into a whole other dimension and made some new friends because of it. That's kinda cool, right?"

"Oh please," Sukuna muttered, sending him a smile. "I'm the only cool one here."

Alastor chuckled, tipping an imaginary hat. "My dear, if I had an issue with being here, you would certainly know it by now. 

Everyone decided he meant that in a nice way.

Taylor gave a weak smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. 

Sukuna rolled his eyes and pushed himself up onto his elbows. 

"Look, you're overthinking it. We're here. You summoned us. And as far as I can tell, that means we're tied to you in some way." He smirked. "So you better start getting used to us, princess."

She glared at him, not at all liking the nickname.

"It just… doesn't make sense," she admitted quietly, still not quite accepting it. "Why you guys? Why me? I didn't do anything special. I didn't—"

"Like I said before," John interrupted simply. "You called; we came."

That shut her up.

Taylor blinked at him. "…What?"

Homelander exhaled, shifting slightly. "I don't know how your world's powers work, but in mine, people with abilities? They don't choose what they get. It just happens. You said you needed help, and whatever cosmic force governs this sort of thing decided we were the ones to answer." 

He shrugged. 

"Simple as that."

Taylor wasn't sure it was that simple.

"But… I'm nobody," she mumbled, mostly to herself.

"You're Taylor Hebert," Izuku said, voice quiet but firm. "That's not nobody."

The sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten. 

She swallowed hard and looked away.

The room fell silent again for a moment before Alastor clapped his hands together. "Well! This conversation is delightfully existential, but I do believe our dear summoner need sleep for the day ahead~ It is a school night after all."

Taylor groaned, rubbing her temples as the weight of everything pressed down on her. School? After everything that happened today?

"Yeah, not happening," she muttered.

"Skipping already?" Sukuna smirked, stretching out on the floor. "Didn't peg you as the delinquent type."

Taylor shot him a glare but didn't respond. She had no idea how she was supposed to go back to Winslow after everything.

It wasn't just the bullying anymore.

No, now it was the fact that everyone had seen her summon what amounted to four incredibly powerful capes, three of whom had practically dismantled the PRT in the span of minutes. They had no way of knowing she wasn't in full control.

And honestly? She wasn't sure she wanted them to know.

"If you're worried about school, don't be," Izuku offered, his expression open and earnest. "We'll make sure no one bothers you."

"That's not exactly the problem here…"

Taylor hesitated. The idea of showing up with these four was... beyond absurd. But it's not like she had the option of them not going to school with her.

"No offense, but you guys might not make things better," she admitted. "People are already freaking out. I go to school with you guys, it's just going to make things worse."

Izuku frowned slightly, thinking it over, while Homelander just looked amused.

"We don't exactly blend in," Sukuna admitted, glancing at Alastor, whose red eyes glowed unnervingly in the dim lighting. "That being said, if anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way, I wouldn't mind... taking care of it."

Taylor's stomach dropped at his tone.

"We are not killing anyone," she said firmly, staring him down.

Sukuna smiled. "Of course not! …Not unless you want us to."

Taylor wasn't sure if that was meant to be comforting or terrifying.

"What about disguises?" Izuku suggested, desperate to steer the conversation back to something productive. "We can't get too far from Taylor, but they might not know it's us if we're in disguises.

"Yeah, sure," Sukuna drawled. "I'm sure a little wardrobe change will totally make us unrecognizable."

Alastor chuckled, stepping forward with a flourish. "My dear boy, there is nothing that a bit of theatrical flair cannot accomplish! Why, I do believe I could pass for an ordinary gentleman if I so chose!"

"The fuck you calling boy?!" Sukuna snapped but was wholly ignored.

Taylor shot the overlord a deadpan look, also ignoring Sukuna.

"You literally have glowing red eyes."

"Details, darling!"

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't even know why I'm arguing about this. I haven't even decided if I'm going back."

Homelander tilted his head. "And what would you do instead?"

She hesitated. That was the real question, wasn't it? If she didn't go to school, what was she supposed to do? Lay low? Try to figure out her powers. Avoid the PRT?

"I don't know, but I'm not going back to school like this."

Because they weren't going to just let this go, not after what happened.

Izuku and John shared a look, not exactly liking she was going to ignore her education but were understanding of her situation.

Sukuna didn't give a shit about school, finding the very concept of it disgusting.

Alastor continued to smile.

"What about your father? Doesn't he have a sa-"

"He'll understand." She cut them off, not wanting to talk about it.

"…We'll if we're going to lay low, you're going to need to figure out what this power of yours actually does," Izuku pointed out. "What your limits are and what else you can do with it."

Taylor bit her lip. He was right. She had no idea how this even worked. Could she summon more people? Could she send them back?

"Fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "We test my powers for now, but we're doing it somewhere private. I don't need more people freaking out over this."

"Finally! A plan!" Sukuna smirked, throwing an arm around her shoulder before she could duck away and giving her a noogie.

"Don't worry, Summoner! We'll get you sorted out in no time!"

Taylor had a feeling she was going to regret this.