All the Time to Lose (Wormverse)

Ch 7: Of Monsters and Men

I walk alongside my new teammates in my full gear. I have my guns and knife but the safety is on for both guns. I am walking between Labyrinth and Newter, making for an interesting picture. I am walking slower than normal so I stay between them instead of passing them.

A small part of me is worried about how Coil might react to seeing me here. I talked with Faultline extensively about what I am to do at the meeting. In a nutshell, I am to protect Labyrinth and teleport her out should things go south.

After experimenting at the base, we discovered that I can either take Gregor and Labyrinth, or any combination of the others with me when I teleport. It would seem that my carrying capacity while teleporting is limited to my own size.

I can't transport anything, or any combination of things, that exceeds my own size. If I try to exceed it, it will cut off excess amounts. It took extensive amounts of math to determine that I can carry any two members of the team, or Gregor and Labyrinth, without issues.

It helps that I stand at about 6" taller than Gregor who is closest to my size. Everyone else is almost a foot or more shorter than me. We arrive at a dingy pub with a dirty sign above it spelling Somer's Rock.

We step inside to find that we had arrived just after Coil since he was just sitting down. Kaiser and most of his heavy hitters are already here, along with the Undersiders, and a group of three that I don't recognize.

I'm gonna have to fix that. I don't like not knowing people. There's two guys and a girl. The guy sitting at the table is shorter than Kaiser and wearing dark colors and a gas mask. He's sitting across from the seat between Kaiser and Coil.

Most capes are seated at booths around the room, but Kaiser and Coil are sitting at the central table. All eyes turn on us as we enter and I can see Coil visibly tense when he spots me. Faultline makes a point of walking past the Undersiders on her way to a chair to Kaiser's right.

I see one of the Undersiders stand from their table. Taller than the rest of them and cloaked in darkness, I can only assume that one is Grue and leader of the Undersiders. He takes the seat between Faultline and Coil. Speaking of Coil, he has yet to tear his eyes away from me.

A group of three enters before I can comment on it. Apparently, these are the 'big guns' in The Merchants. I heard plenty about them from my patrols on the street and while walking Buck. They're addicts who make and sell drugs to everyone. Even children.

Despite losing my daughter 16 years ago, I still have the same protective instincts. These instincts have extended to cover my new team in the week I've been a member, especially over Emily and Elle. No. Spitfire and Labyrinth.

Thus, just seeing them has me seething. Kaiser and the others make it quite clear that The Merchants don't get a seat at the table, forcing their leader, Skidmark, to sit at a booth with his subordinates.

The meeting draws to a close with only a small challenge from Hookwolf and Kaiser directed at Bitch and Grue of the Undersiders. Coil asks for any other comments or concerns. The meeting is adjourned and The Merchants leave. Then the Undersiders. Then Kaiser and the Empire 88.

Coil and Faultline discuss prices while I get more information on the villains that attended the meeting tonight from Newter, Gregor, and Spitfire. I sit next to Labyrinth, making sure she's comfortable.

She seems to have taken to seeing me as a father figure over the past few days. I'm not surprised though. They are very much like a family. Labyrinth is the youngest, with Spitfire and Newter as her older siblings, and Gregor is like an uncle or much older sibling.

I cannot say that Faultline is a mother figure. Perhaps an aunt or adoptive mother...but not a true mother. She's not quite nurturing enough. It seems that I have filled a much needed parental role in the group.