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Chrysalis 20.4
Date posted 30 March 2013
Link Chrysalis 20.4
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Chrysalis 20.4 is the fourth chapter of Chrysalis. Taylor gets trapped, tries to hide, then tries to escape. Using decoy's doesn't work, when Defiant and Dragon touch down.

Plot[]

Taylor concludes the situation with Greg, only to find herself in an even more desperate and and rapidly worsening one. The absences of her weapons and armor make themselves increasingly felt, and trying push through any obstacle in her way with her powers would threaten to make things decidedly worse. Her movements are also hampered by her unfamiliarity with Arcadia High's layout, as well as the need to constantly be on the lookout for Protectorate heroes on site.

Taylor locates Adamant and Sere with her bugs and narrowly evades crossing paths with them. Taylor also sends a small swarm of flies to Howell's office, and overhears a phone call between Howell and an unknown recipient, but only catches small amounts of the exchange and only on Howell's side of the phone call. She is able to take note of Howell's reluctance when speaking, mentioning the safety of her students and disliking the idea of a fight on campus grounds, before eventually being forced to concede. Guards begin sealing the exits, and Taylor's list of potential escape routes grows thinner. She begins to consider the idea of having to fight her way past them, or cloak herself with her swarm and disable/distract the agents. But with only around a hundred bugs at her disposal, she disliked her chances. Taylor regrets not carrying bugs with her, as she had wanted to avoid them being found by Arcadia's guards when they searched her for weapons.

Taylor then hears Howell announce a school lockdown, and feels even more pressured at at the likeliness of being unable to hide, knowing that the authorities could clear the areas designated for the students one by one. Taylor then spots Clockblocker and Kid Win suiting up in a changing room near the gymnasium, and grows even more uncertain about the status of the heroes' plans are at Arcadia. She then realizes that the heroes did not know she was inside the school yet, and Taylor attempts to see if she could get the lockdown lifted by deploying a decoy. Calling on bugs from surrounding blocks, Taylor has the swarm form a decoy to her likeness. A guard and Sere spot it, with the latter pursuing.

Taylor is then brought to the cafeteria alongside many other students, while concurrently using her decoys to engage Sere. Taylor meets with Charlotte. Having settled, Taylor refocuses on dealing with Sere, devising a plan to fully counter him by using her flying bugs to carry stones and dirt, surrounding him with the materials in order limit the effectiveness of his powers over moisture, she also keeps as many bugs as she can from Sere's effective range, in the hopes of minimizing the casualties on her swarm. Taylor informs Charlotte of the situation, explaining that thanks to Tattletale's network of vetted personnel, she was able to receive the warning that the heroes were advancing on Arcadia. However, she was too late to escape the building, and that the Howell was being forced to carry out the school lockdown.

Taylor presses her assault against the heroes, with Sere beginning to struggle and with Kid Win's weapon being disabled by spider silk. Taylor's plan to hinder Sere with the stones and dirt proves to be lacking over time. She then recalls her fight with Echidna, and notes that while Sere's abilities also made him difficult to closely engage, he didn't have the advantages of Echidna's size. Taylor then uses her spiders and flying insects to make a snare for Sere while he was focused on the decoys. The tactic works, with Sere becoming heavily restricted in the silk trap and quickly bound to a signpost. Kid Win doesn't far much better, being overtaken by the swarm. For good measure, Taylor has her bugs scour Kid Wins pouches and armor compartments to divest him of his various tinker tools and equipment. In addition to this, the bugs also take Kid Win's earbud and phone, denying Kid Win a line of communication with the other heroes. Taylor then directs her swarm to assault a group of guards, scouring their pockets as they did with Kid Win and collecting the keys to Arcadia's doors.

The swarm carrying the keys were going through an air conditioning duct, with Taylor expecting to receive it from them once they reached the cafeteria. Taylor tells Charlotte that she's ready to make her escape and tells her to meet her later on, and plans to meet with Tattletale to discuss damage control. Taylor then makes her way to the kitchen, traversing through hundreds of hungry students happily feasting on pizza slices and avoiding Emma and the faculty. She makes her way to a door that led to the outside, her plan coming together so smoothly that she considered finding a way to receive the keys from the vent to be a small problem.

Taylor's luck then takes nosedive when she hears and feels a heavy impact on the other side of the door. Through her swarm, Taylor sees a figure on the other side of the door and recognizes them. The figure taps the door with his weapon, and the breath is knocked out of Taylor when every bug within thirty feet of the door and inside the vent is killed. They push against the door, dead bolted but it wouldn't matter, as Taylor watches as its torn from its frame.

She is then greeted by the appearance Defiant, formerly Armsmaster, clad in new suit of power armor colored green and gold. He immediately levels his spear at Taylor's chest and advances, forcing her to walk backwards into the cafeteria. Dragon isn't far behind, having entered Arcadia through an alternate route via jetpack, and eventually landing behind Taylor.

Dragon, in a voice loud enough for a cafeteria full of students and faculty to hear, addresses Taylor as Skitter, effectively outing her. Dragon then proceeds to apologize for what they've just done, and says her hand was forced.

Major Events[]

  • Taylor scrambles to find a way to escape Arcadia High School when the campus is put on lockdown and Protectorate heroes arrive on scene.

Characters[]

Heroes Villains Others
The Protectorate

The Guild
The Wards

The Irregulars
The Undersiders

Slaughterhouse Nine

Echidna
Civilians

References[]

Site Navigation[]

Chapters
Gestation 1.11.21.31.41.51.61.x
Insinuation 2.12.22.32.42.52.62.72.82.92.x
Agitation 3.13.23.33.43.53.63.73.83.93.103.113.123.x
Shell 4.14.24.34.44.54.64.x4.74.84.94.104.114.x
Hive 5.15.25.35.45.55.65.75.85.95.105.x
Tangle 6.16.26.36.46.56.66.76.86.96.x
Buzz 7.17.27.37.47.57.67.77.87.97.107.117.127.x
Extermination 8.18.28.y8.38.48.58.68.78.88.z
Sentinel 9.19.29.39.49.59.6
Parasite 10.110.210.310.410.510.610.x I10.x II
Infestation 11.111.211.311.411.511.611.711.811a11b11c11d11e11f11g11h
Plague 12.112.212.312.412.512.612.712.812.x12½
Snare 13.113.213.x13.313.413.513.613.713.813.913.1013.y
Prey 14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.814.914.1014.1114.x14.y
Colony 15.115.x15.215.315.y15.415.515.615.715.z15.815.915.1015
Monarch 16.116.216.x16.316.416.516.616.y16.716.816.916.1016.z16.1116.1216.13
Migration 17.117.217.317.417.517.617.717.8
Queen 18.118.218.x18.318.418.y18.518.618.z18.718.818.f18
Scourge 19.119.219.319.x19.419.519.619.719.y19.z
Chrysalis 20.120.220.320.420.520.x20.y
Imago 21.121.221.321.421.521.621.721.x21.y
Cell 22.122.222.322.422.522.622.x22.y
Drone 23.123.223.323.423.523.x
Crushed 24.124.224.324.424.524.x24.y
Scarab 25.125.225.325.425.525.625
Sting 26.126.226.326.x26.426.526.626.a26.b26
Extinction 27.127.227.327.427.527.x27.y
Cockroaches 28.128.228.328.428.528.628.x
Venom 29.129.229.329.429.529.629.729.829.929.x
Speck 30.130.230.330.430.530.630.7
Teneral e.1e.2e.3e.4e.5e.x
Glow-worm P.1P.2P.3P.4P.5P.6P.7P.8P.9
Daybreak 1.11.21.31.41.51.61.71.81.x
Flare 2.12.22.32.42.52.62.72.x
Glare 3.13.23.33.43.53.63.x
Shade 4.14.24.34.a4.44.54.b4.64.74.c
Shadow 5.15.25.35.45.55.d5.65.75.85.95.105.115.125.x5.y
Pitch 6.16.26.36.46.56.66.76.86.9
Torch 7.17.27.37.47.57.67.77.87.97.107.x7.y
Eclipse x.1x.2x.3x.4x.5x.6x.7x.8
Beacon 8.18.28.34.48.58.68.78.88.98.108.118.128.x8.y
Gleaming 9.19.29.39.49.59.69.79.x9.89.99.y9.109.119.129.139.149.159.z9
Polarize 10.110.210.310.410.510.610.710.810.910.x10.1010.1110.1210.1310.y10.z
Blinding 11.111.211.311.a11.411.511.611.711.811.b11.c11.911.1011.1111.12
Heavens 12.z12.112.212.e12.312.412.all12.512.612.f12.712.812.912.none12.x
Black 13.113.213.313.413.513.613.713.813.x13.913.1013.z
Breaking 14.114.214.314.414.514.614.714.814.914.1014.1114.1214.x
Dying 15.a15.115.215.315.415.515.615.715.815.x15.y15.z
From Within 16.116.216.316.416.516.616.716.816.916.1016.1116.1216.y16.z
Sundown 17.117.217.317.417.517.617.717.817.917.1017.x17.y17.z
Radiation 18.118.218.318.418.518.618.718.818.918.10
Infrared 19.119.219.a19.319.419.b19.c19.519.619.d19.e19.719.819.919.f19.1019.g19.z
Last 20.120.220.320.420.520.620.720.820.920.a20.1020.b20.1120.e120.e220.e320.e420.e520.e620.end
Chrysalis
Chapters 20.120.220.320.420.520.x20.y
Battles and Events Incident at Arcadia High
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