Orb Weaver: Within the Serpent's Coils: Chapter 4

The problem with my scheme was that it took time. Rushing forward, trying to convince them to get new cameras, say, causing mass malfunctions in a short period of time, would just raise suspicion. It would be days before I saw any return. Meanwhile I continued my little patrols at  night, and sometimes in the day, both in person and by using some of my little remote pheromone/speaker/sensor combos. The pheromone to attract bugs and the other two to play a convincing role as “Orb Weaver.” Most people knew that Orb Weaver’s powers involved bugs and vermin now, but I also used my tools to “appear” miles away from each other, at the same time, documented by witnesses. That caused no end of speculation on PHO, with some pointing out that my range was only matched by a few parahumans, such as the Sleeper.

And in the daytime I’d done some work as The Investigator.  A would be band of shoplifters, a plan to embezzle some money, mostly small time stuff, but the payments, combined with the donations from the Exterminator’s business meant that I was able to purchase some more toys, and fit out a better workshop. I’d even picked up a small 3D printer.

I had plans for that, which is why there were some rat and snake corpses In the little refrigerator I’d bought.

Getting a human cadaver, in addition to being a bit… creepy, was beyond my resources.

For now.

 But we had finished  the tutoring session. Chris was doing slightly better, although we’d had to change the work period to 20 minutes and start working up from there. I had sent a note to his teachers, discussing my finding and suggesting that they might try it. Some had responded, some had not.

Chris had mentioned the side effects of his drugs. I had considered meeting with Vicky and Amelia. The fact that she didn’t work on brains was well known (and in fact there was a web page maintained by her mother that described what she woudl and would not do. I wondered if it said something about our society that cosmetic surgery was explicitly forbidden) but… Did Chris need her to work on his brain, or could she observe the effects of the drugs and maybe determine why they were causing problems?  I’d written that down. I might be wrong—cape powers tended to have odd blindspots and it was entirely possible that she simply couldn’t perceive those kinds of interactions, the process of healing being, like many tinker’s creations, more or less black-boxed. Still it was an interesting thought.

“So…. Bro is free from his day job tonight,” Aisha said.

“And…”

“And he wants to chaperon me to the movie, as if my Krewe isn’t enough, so you could like, come along, so it doesn’t look like he’s treating me like I’m 10.”

“I think he’s more worried that you would decide to take on Lung.”

“Nah, I’d never do that.” Aisha paused. “Cause I haven’t figured out the combo on the heavy weapons locker. You know the have some Carl Gustavs there?”

“The anti-armor weapon?”

“Yep. If I’m gonna get Lung, I just equip my Krewe with ‘em, and BAM! Four rockets to the face.”

“You realizes he adapts…”

“Yeah, but only if he gets a chance. That’s why I ambush him on the crapper. He can’t be big there, and since nobody’s heard of a dragon sized toilet being commissioned….”

I blinked. That was…

A scarily logical plan. I would steal it for possible future use, but right now… “You realize if you even hint at that, your brother won’t simply treat you like a ten year old, but a pyromaniac five year old. He’ll hire babysitters.”

Aisha looked horrified at the possibility. “He wouldn’t.”

“You just created a plan to take down Lung, which means you’re thinking of it. He would.”

“Damn.” Aisha shook her head. “I—“

I blinked as the small girl dodged out of the alley we were passing. I’d sensed her, but she’d been waiting for us it was plain.  She wasn’t an Arcadia student—she was too young.

“Whoah,” Aisha said as the girl ran up to us. “No running—“

“Please, I need help!” the girl said. She had brown hair, and she looked…

Desperate.

“Um, I can give you the Protectorate’s phone number or we can take you to the teach—“

She cut Aisha off. “No! 90 percent chance I get taken if you give me to the protectorate, 90 percent chance I get  taken if you give me to the teachers. I asked and the numbers told me, but they hurt.”

“You’re a parahuman?” I asked.

“Yes!” she said. “I ask, but it hurts. I asked for you, but it doesn’t make any sense…”

“What?”

“Thirty percent chance the Investigator can help me. 99 percent chance Taylor Hebert can help me…”

“Whoa,” Aisha said. “Look, she’s not exactly covert, but officially—“

“She’s definitely a parahuman,” I told her.

“Anyone can toss out numbers.” Aisha glanced at the girl.

“I can sense it.”

Or deduce it. Thirty percent chance The Investigator can help would be me only using that identity’s abilities. But Taylor Hebert is both the Investigator…

And Orb Weaver.

“Let’s go,” I told her. “What’s your name?”

“Dinah.”

“Good. Have you eaten?”

“What, but I—“

“I doubt you’re in danger of being kidnapped in public, and you are panicked and clearly haven’t eaten today,” I let the persona of The Investigator fall upon me. “Panicked and hungry is stupid, and I expect your opponent, whoever they are, is using that against you. First we will eat. Then you will describe your power to me, in detail, and then I will…” I smiled at her. “Resolve this situation.”