JUMPING ON A WORM

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.

Chapter 2: You'll be assimilated…

"Alright, Changer. We're ready. You can begin when you want."

I nodded at the technicians and scientists behind the transparent window of the surveillance cabin. I was surprised when I learned that it was made of actual transparent metal (tinkertech, of course) and not a form of reinforced armored plastic or glass.

It was now two full days since I was "detained" in the PRT building after my confession about the bullying at Winslow.

And I didn't have a clue so far as what was going on outside (no internet, TV or phone). Of course, I did ask about Taylor, Emma, and Sophia but no one wanted to answer me. On orders from Director Piggot, of course. Even my lawyer was staying silent on that, remembering me that it could be interpreted as a breach of the NDA I signed.

I really hoped I didn't make Taylor life more horrible…

I was clad in a PRT-issued female tracksuit with a generic mask. I temporary called myself "Changer" to make a joke about "Fate/Stay Night" but none of the jokers I knew were here (Assault and Clockblocker). The day had begun with a complete medical exam (not including the MRI that proved I was a Parahuman) and a standard fitness trial to measure my baseline. And now we were in one of the testing rooms of the facility.

I walk towards a table where various samples of matter were displayed and labeled and took a little cube (dice-sized) made of iron. I put it in my palm and focus on it. It was slowly absorbed into my hand. "That's funny. I can feel something as if I was eating it. It tastes like… sugar..?"

The voice of a scientist, one professor Meriam sounded from the control cabin. "Probably how your power is interpreting the iron. We'll test with steel and other iron alloys to see if there is a correlation. So far, one full minute, well really 59,7 seconds to assimilate the sample. The same as your first try, Changer?"

"Yes, the plastic goblet I "assimilate" to prove to my parents I had a power… And it did taste like something bitter."

"Alright. No funny feelings? No pain or excessive tingling?"

"Nothing… Except I'm pretty sure I could now draw or write the exact atomic formula of iron… and the exact dimensions of the cube..? Okay, I'm going to try something with that metal."

Under a firm mental order, my whole body simply changed colors as I shifted into… Iron. I blinked as all my senses were still functioning and I could move without effort. In effect, I became a living statue of iron, like an Iron Golem from D&D.

"Interesting, your density is now the same as iron and your mass followed. You're weighing 482 kg instead of 50. Try to punch the pressure plate now."

Almost half a ton? Well, here goes my diet (why the hell am I thinking about dieting). I went to a padded plate fixed on a big column and punched it like I did when they measured my human baseline.

"Yep, it scales with the copied material. The impact is 9,6 times your normal punch. What can you do while staying with the same sample?"

I shifted back into my flesh body and considered. I didn't feel any limitations in how I could use iron. I smiled and began to change my body pieces by pieces. Just my hair which enabled me to create instant iron needles, the bones inside me or just an arm that I shaped at will into diverse forms like a sword or any kind of melee implements or even tools.

I giggled (and felt mortified) as I realized that I had effectively no limit on how to change myself while using a non-living material. The most fantastic thing was that I was unlimited in the mass created by my Changer power: I put my hand on the table and will the same exact cube of iron that I absorbed. My mass remained the same even after putting ten differently shaped samples of iron. The scientists were happy to have samples of me to examine.

It seemed that I was potentially invincible (careful there, didn't want to summon Murphy) if I changed my whole body as I could regain instantly any mass I shed or rearranged my form as I wished (so no weak points as effectively I didn't have any organs). Of course, I could still be disintegrated or transmuted by some Parahuman powers, but I wasn't feeling the urge to try those conditions even in a lab.

We tested that I could assimilate all the samples they had (the most spectaculars were with mercury, water, and gold) except for anything that was living (Manton limitation) which was reassuring as I couldn't absorb a human being. But I could "eat" anything coming from a living organism IF it was non-living and that included wood and other organic materials. That gave me an idea for my future hero costume.

My Manton limitation also protected me from the effects of what I assimilated. I could hold a red-hot metal sample as long as I absorbed it and caustic property didn't affect me. The toxicity of some samples was also covered by my inner protection. Of course, it was only if I was using my power on what I touched. My skin could still be pricked by a steel needle and be sensitive to cold and hot. Also, it was only when I used my power that I could regenerate. Wounds or bruises on my normal body weren't treated by changing although we could deduce that missing flesh matter could be somewhat compensated for.

It was with magnetite that I discovered that I wasn't simply limited to changing into a material, but that I was recording ALL the properties of the sample. I gleefully demonstrated that I could spider-walk on metallic walls and intensify the magnetic field I could generate from one hand as if my whole mass was magnetite but focused on one point. I couldn't wait to have some neodymium in the future.

Professor Meriam asked for permission to test that precise point and brought a standard AA alkaline battery along other simple items to the testing room. I also absorbed it under one minute and yes, could manifest all its properties in any way, including generating direct current. This was amazing as it means that I could absorb the FUNCTION of an item instead of just the physical properties of its materials.

I didn't try with gases yet because my tracksuit wouldn't have followed my transformation and I didn't want the humiliation of flashing everyone… No to mention the fact that it would also be recorded (it almost happened when I tried mercury and I took care to transmute only part of me in water or other liquids).

However, we did test the size limit (mass wasn't a limit) of what I could absorb with more and more bigger pieces of Styrofoam and found that it was in correlation with the length of my body… Once again, even in another body, my height was perhaps too little as I was limited to a 7 to 8 meters in size. The time of absorption was also related to the relative size of the sample with a base of one minute for an object up to my human size plus one minute by each factor of my body length (5 full minutes at maximum size).

"Good, Changer. We are stopping here for today. Eat and go to bed as tomorrow is a big day for you."

Oh, gods. I almost managed to forget that I was to meet with the Wards tomorrow… I was sure they had been briefed on what Shadow Stalker did and what was my role in it… Saying that I was apprehending the coming day was a euphemism… Especially since I was also to meet Emily Piggot again.

The meeting with Director Piggot went better than I thought it could have. I met my parents and our lawyer outside her office and Mom and Dad seemed relieved and not just from seeing me. They hugged me, saying they were proud of their daughter and that everything will be alright now. I didn't want to point out that the Brockton Bay Wards were forced to be Child-Soldiers due to the high numbers of villains present.

As soon as I was seated in front of her, with my parents and lawyers behind me, Piggot "opened fire".

"Very well, Miss Clements. I consulted with my superiors and the police department about your situation. Since you recognized what you did at Winslow and put yourself under our jurisdiction, we managed to reach a solution."

I gulped and nodded.

"Officially and on your school record, you are guilty of academic sabotage and small other mischiefs. Winslow put you for one month of suspension and your parents decided that home-schooling with an online education support was a better solution to any disciplinary establishments or repeating your current year."

Huh… Seemed normal so far.

"Of course, it's only for the public. Under the PRT authority and with the assent of your parents, you are now a full Ward of the Brockton Bay sector under probation. You are forbidden to interact with your peers outside your heroic identities. The privileges you'll have can and will be revoked if you disobey orders."

She then proceeded to explain exactly what I was supposed to do and not to do as a Ward. She didn't seem particularly angry at my presence despite the difficulty to read her through her formidable professional shield. My lawyer, parents and I examined each page of my contract before I signed it. My probation obligated me to stay within the PRT building or on PRT-approved trips and locations for three months except for the weekend at my home before an evaluation was made and Piggot decided if she allowed me unrestricted Ward status or not. Regular evaluations were scheduled until I reached my majority.

"Do you understand, Miss Clements?"

I breathed in and took the plunge. "I fully understand, Director Piggot. Please, may I ask you what happened about Taylor Hebert?"

"You may. You'll be happy to learn that everything you said was verified and confirmed. Emma Barnes and Sophia Hess have been deemed needing psychological help and are now receiving it in separate facilities (so Sophia could be now at one of the Parahuman Asylums). Alan Barnes attempted to sue us, the Heberts and your family but withdrew when confronted by the sheer number of proofs (or more exactly, he found that having testified for Shadow Stalker's character was biting him in the ass). Sophia Hess's mother didn't contest anything and even asked the authorities that her daughter receives psychological help posthaste."

I could read the warning in her eyes as even if my parents and lawyer signed an NDA, she preferred Shadow Stalker identity to remain unknown (and I presumed she was testing me).

"Taylor Hebert has been retired from Winslow by her father and will enter Arcadia this coming semester (thank god) with all fees paid by the Winslow administration (more like hush money, but Taylor should be happy that the whole Trio is taken care of). The National Educational Board is examining Principal Blackwell and her staff for any professional faults and will take sanctions if need be (my heart is bleeding). In brief, we have been lucky that the public at large remains ignorant (so no PR nightmare so far)."

She shook her head. "The investigation revealed that no one among the students in Winslow testified until they were sure that the staff or Sophia Hess can't do anything (a bunch of little cowards)." Her pupils shrunk as some faint anger entered her voice. "And I was ensured that the adults responsible of hiding the facts will be severely punished."

Which meant that the agent responsible for Sophia Hess was in deep shit. Good and no, I wasn't vindictive. Still, Piggot did make my wish true and more and I was grateful to her. Just one point left.

"What does Taylor know about me and my situation, Director?" Uh oh, was that a tiny hidden shark smile?

"You're scheduled to meet her and her father one week from now. Our psychiatrist did request that for bringing an end to a difficult situation with both of you. They'll have signed an NDA and you'll be briefed on what you can say and how."

I could feel the blood fleeing my face and I was sure my eyes became round as anime eyes. I vaguely heard my father asking why I was required to do that and the voice of Piggot explaining that it was for the good of everybody and to prevent further problems as the Heberts would be fully justified to ask for more.

"I'll do it..." Wow, how feeble my voice sounded. I focused myself and spoke anew with a firmer voice. "I'll do it. I own Taylor that and more."

Still clad in my tracksuit and generic mask, I was facing the entry of the Dragon's Lair… I was joking, but I was about to meet the BB Wards after everything that Sophia Hess aka Shadow Stalker did to them.

And I was an accomplice of that girl. Yep, I was boned.

I firmly pressed the entry button, heard the warning buzzer inside and wait for the security cycle of the door to finish.

I entered the living-room of the Ward sector and froze at the threshold. They were ALL here. Vista, Clockblocker, Kid Win, Aegis, and Gallant. So Triumph was already a major and went to the Protectorate, leaving Aegis as the current leader of the team (a stupidity since Vista was the more experienced of the whole lot).

I gulped as they were all sat at the central table and were looking at me with a mixture of weariness, polite neutrality, and glacial hostility. Okay, Madison, time to earn their approval.

"Good evening everyone. My temporary Ward name is Changer (phew, I just saw Clockblocker hiding a snort)." I took off my mask. "But I'm really Madison Clements, a probationary Ward, and your new teammate until my majority or my next fuck-up."

Aegis blinked as surprise entered his eyes and a little warmth appeared. He was wearing a rust-red costume with a matching helmet, both with silver-white trim, and a shield emblem. The costume left some of his skin exposed and his brown eyes visible. "Good evening, Miss Clements. I'm Aegis, the leader of the BB Wards. Here is Clockblocker, Gallant, Kid Win and last but not least, Vista."

The Wards seemed a little taken aback by the politeness shown to me by their leader but rallied and stared at me for a moment. I deliberately looked into their eyes, willing to project my sincerity.

"Okay, since our great leader begins. I'm the awesome and handsome Clockblocker. So, what did you do to be forced with us?" He wore a skintight white costume with panels of glossy white armoring placed strategically to not inhibit his mobility. In fact, every inch of his skin was covered. The armor had gray clocks inscribed on it with hands that moved at different speeds using digital displays. The helmet was a faceless, smooth expanse of white and I could also see a typical utility belt (good to see that Batman made some fans here).

"I was a shallow little bitch that helped Sophia Hess and another girl to bully someone who didn't do anything to me for more than a year. And I wasn't forced as I choose to join the Wards before my problems with the law."

Collective blinking, a round of looking at each other and more focus on me. So far, so good.

"You're sincere." Gallant seemed flabbergasted. The teenager was wearing a futuristic set of silver and gunmetal colored power armor with an aesthetic grounded in the medieval past. I knew his power set (including the empathy that perceived my sincerity) were coming from a Cauldron formula and that his power armor was created by Kid Win and maintained by Armsmaster. He shook his head and at the surprise of his teammates, retired his helmet, showing his face and a tiny smile. "Hello, Madison. I'm Dean Stansfield."

"Okay… Well if you're sure Dean." Kid Win had brown hair and a pale complexion. He wore body armor colored red and gold as a homage to the deceased Tinker Hero, with a red visor that he had just removed. "My name is Chris and I really hope you'll be a better teammate than Shadow Stalker."

Vista snorted. "Won't be that difficult." She stared at me, showing more experience and suffering in her eyes than all her teammates would imagine. She was blonde and wore a costume covered in wavy, swooping lines alternating white and forest green, panels of body armor and a green visor. She frowned and I waited, knowing this little girl was a powerful Parahuman. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision and took off her visor revealing green eyes. She glanced at Dean before looking at me. "Alright. Benefit of the doubt, but I will wait to have a permanent opinion." She exhibited a bittersweet smile. "My name is Missy Biron. It's still good to have another girl in the team since..."

The whole team followed. "… Shadow Stalker didn't count."

That made the entire room exploded into laughter and Clockblocker took off his helmet. "So, Changer? Cool name. I'm Lancer… I mean Dennis and our fearsome leader is Carlos."

I smiled. At last, someone who understood my joke. "It is nice to meet you all."

Carlos shook his head at the shenanigans of his teammates. "Still, this is a good surprise. I must say we were apprehending to meet someone more…"

I couldn't resist. "What? Something more like this."

I changed, using iron, steel, a led and black plastic and rubber to have a very specific appearance while staying recognizable as Madison. Their eyes went round as I purposely intensified the red led on the side of my head and put a reverberation effect on my voice.

"I am Primus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life, as it has been is over. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. From this time forward, you will service us."