Taylor Hebert (Worm)

Taylor tapped on the Status option, hoping for some answers, only to feel her stomach drop when a new screen popped up. Her name appeared at the top, glaring at her with uncomfortable familiarity.

Name: Taylor Anne Hebert

Race: Human (Parahuman)

Alignment: Earth

Body: 2

Mind: 3

Soul: 0

Abilities: Queen Administrator (Arthropod Control)

Skills: Basic Education (High School), Running

Inventory: Incomplete Superhero Costume

Points: 100

My heart sank. Parahuman. So, they knew. Somehow, this… system knew everything. My secret identity was laid bare for whoever—whatever—was watching. There was no way anyone should know that. I hadn't even gone out in costume once! I swallowed hard, the weight of that fact settling over me like a lead blanket. And what the hell was up with that ability name? Queen Administrator? Since when did my power have a name? What the hell did that have to do with controlling bugs?

Other than the very concerning fact that my secret identity was already unmasked... the status looked about right, I guess? I wasn't exactly much of a gamer, so I didn't have much point of reference. My only real knowledge of them comes from Greg's rambling and the few Uber and Leet live streams I've watched. Both of which I usually try and ignore.

Everything else seemed… accurate.

Still, it seemed right. I didn’t know what those stat numbers meant, but the body and mind categories seemed reasonable. I wasn’t some fitness junkie, and, well, I was pretty proud of my brain, considering everything. But “Soul”? Zero. Nada. Was that normal? What did “Soul” even measure? My family have never been very spiritual, and neither am I, but essentially being called souless felt a bit insulting.

Pushing down the discomfort and paranoia of having my privacy invaded, I refocused on the screen before hesitantly tapping on the ability to get more information. I didn't really know if that would work, but thankfully, another screen appeared.

**- - - - - -**

Queen Administrator (Arthropod Control)

Allows for simultaneous control of all arthropods with range. The number and level of arthropods is equal to the Mind stat of Queen Administrator. The greater the difference between the two, the easier it will be for the user to control them.

**- - - - - -**

Wait, what?

Did my power have its own… mind? That's what the screen is implying, right? Because if it's working based on its own Mind stat, that implies it has a mind. Something with enough 'Mind' that it could control a seemingly limitless amount of bugs at the same time. But if there was a “Mind” behind it—some kind of intelligence—had it been controlling me? Or was it simply a measurement? I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I considered the possibility. Could I… talk to it?

I pause before clearing my throat and saying, “Queen Administrator? Can… can you hear me?”

Nothing. Just dead air.

Of course, my power wasn’t going to respond. Even if it was alive, which it might not be, it had never spoken before, had it? I rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. This was insane. Everything about this situation was insane.

I'm really glad no one was around to see that. At least, I hope no one saw that. For all I know, this is all some sick tinker game show and everything I'm doing is being broadcasted to the entire world. I shook the thoughts away. Time to focus. My privacy was already invaded, and standing here wasn’t going to help. Reluctantly, I closed the status window and tapped the next option: Missions.