Just a Phase [Worm]

[Prince Charon]

Had a weird thought about the other Wards scaring off anyone at the school who wants to be Taylor's friend in order to make sure she socializes with the team, it probably wont end well.

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While I don't have a high opinion of their bosses, I think the Wards in this fic are not foolish enough to pull that. Like, I don't think they'd do it even if ordered to, and giving that sort of order might be too stupid for the Boston PRT... though giving an order that teenagers could misinterpret that way, thus causing them to rebel because they'd know the order is very wrong, is an idea that I'd write an omake for if I were a fast enough writer who didn't have so many other things that I'm (very slowly) working on.

 

[Santo]

This fic's frustratingly true to who Taylor is and all her actual faults.

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That is legitimately what I love most about this story.

It's depressingly rare to see Taylor be actually in character in most Worm fics. She's simultaneously my favorite Worm character and the only reason I even finished the story.

This story is just lovely. This is the girl that was so stupid stubborn she killed a god. I'm loving the self-destructive spiral she's locked herself in and looking forward to more.

I legitimately like this story more than Implacable.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

While I don't have a high opinion of their bosses, I think the Wards in this fic are not foolish enough to pull that. Like, I don't think they'd do it even if ordered to, and giving that sort of order might be too stupid for the Boston PRT... though giving an order that teenagers could misinterpret that way, thus causing them to rebel because they'd know the order is very wrong, is an idea that I'd write an omake for if I were a fast enough writer who didn't have so many other things that I'm (very slowly) working on.

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Perhaps one of the Wards we haven't seen much of yet tries to do it in typical I'm Halping fashion, self justifying it by reasoning that since Taylor was bullied she needs to be kept with people who understand aka the Wards.

 

[Prince Charon]

Perhaps one of the Wards we haven't seen much of yet tries to do it in typical I'm Halping fashion, self justifying it by reasoning that since Taylor was bullied she needs to be kept with people who understand aka the Wards.

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OK, that bad idea is stupid in a way that I can easily see one of the Boston Wards in this fic believing.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

Perhaps one of the Wards we haven't seen much of yet tries to do it in typical I'm Halping fashion, self justifying it by reasoning that since Taylor was bullied she needs to be kept with people who understand aka the Wards.

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"And you just conveniently forgot my other bullies were also Wards?" That would just further cement Taylor's idea that Emma and Sophia are the Wards' true face.

 

[Prince Charon]

"And you just conveniently forgot my other bullies were also Wards?" That would just further cement Taylor's idea that Emma and Sophia are the Wards' true face.

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Yeah. I'm pretty sure that the Wards here know that she was bullied by Wards, but they haven't thought it through well enough to get how it (due to the coverup) reflects on the whole organization.

 

[Ina_Meishou]

Taylor is literally being an idiot teenager... who is a MINOR, and refuses to cooperate with literally anyone who is actually trying to help her.

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I'm sorry, but are you actually suggesting that because someone is a minor, they are obligated to cooperate with a group that is quite literally attempting to force her into labor for them while protecting parties who attempted to murder said minor?

And that a minor who refuses to cooperate with said organization is 'being irrational' and 'just as wrongheaded' as the group attempting to coerce her into laboring for them while protecting the ones who tried to kill her?

That's pretty fucked up.

As to Armstrong being a good, experienced adult who knows what he's doing...no.

See, here's what Armstrong would be doing if getting Taylor to socialize and find a better head-space was an actual priority.

1. He'd tell the wards to fuck off and stop pestering Taylor. He wouldn't forbid them to speak to her, but he'd tell them to stop pushing and let her come to them. He'd tell the protectorate to fuck off and stop pestering Taylor, same general trend. This part he's managed, but he's so far failed at the next part.

Because the next part of step one is that when and if a Ward or Protectorate or etc. do actually get an idea to pressure the kid, he'd drag them across the carpet and publicly lay them out. Which both tells people 'no I'm serious, don't do that shit' and also means that the kid he's trying to build trust with can actually see him making good on that.

So far his reaction to the pressure has been, when Taylor isn't in the room, mild approval and telling them 'this didn't work, but keep pushing and try something different'.

2. He'd explain to Taylor that Parahumans typically have issues if they can't meaningfully express their powers, then he'd show her the research on that subject because his organization has zero clout as far as trust with the girl. And then he'd work with her to set up some sort of activity where she can do something outside of power testing.

What he's actually done is essentially let this one fester, presumably because he figures eventually she'll get so pent up she'll have to go in for testing or pop.

3. He'd sit the girl down and tell her that he's genuinely worried at her social isolation. He'd then immediately agree with her that it's utterly insane to expect her to begin building friendships with members of an organization that has so fundamentally failed to earn any trust from her, and instead ask that she find some sort of after school activity or club or class that isn't associated with the PRT, and join that. And he'd let her pick it, to avoid giving any goddamn impression that they were trying to sneak a Ward contact in that way.

What he's actually done is spew a few platitudes and then deliberately try and smash her into the Ward team, and tacitly support efforts by the Wards to harass her.

What a reasonable, intelligent, experienced man who is trying to get a troubled teen into a better place, and head off an imminent PR disaster, and hopefully get a useful Parahuman onside, would not do is...let the situation progress as it has in this story.

So is he lying about giving a damn? Or is he just incompetent? Either way, not a shining example.

He wouldn't necessarily do all this himself, personally, btw. But he's the goddamn director, he has staff for this sort of thing.

Taylor isn't cooperating with the PRT. And she's absolutely correct not to, because nothing the PRT has done, nothing, actually suggests they have any interest in her best interest. At all.

Or if they do, then their actions suggest they're so spectacularly incompetent that they couldn't be trusted to run a lemonade stand.

I get that some people have confused an irrational dislike for Hebert to be 'recognizing her many flaws'. But her behavior in this story, given the behaviors of those around her, are actually pretty reasonable. With the exception of her private hero time, which is typically idiotic Hebert.

But even that is also an example of the PRT incompetence because for fucks sake did they really not think a young parahuman who's cooped up and avoiding open power use wasn't going to do something stupid? Did they actually think that said dumb kid was more likely to fall in line than try and go around their obstructionist bullshit? Are they that moronic?

 

[Prince Charon]

But even that is also an example of the PRT incompetence because for fucks sake did they really not think a young parahuman who's cooped up and avoiding open power use wasn't going to do something stupid? Did they actually think that said dumb kid was more likely to fall in line than try and go around their obstructionist bullshit? Are they that moronic?

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I really think that they expected her to do it in a way that she couldn't hide from them, and thus that they'd be able to use it to pressure her into getting with the program, without needing to actually address her concerns in any meaningful way.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

OK, that bad idea is stupid in a way that I can easily see one of the Boston Wards in this fic believing.

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Personally I believe Roulette would be the one most likely to try this due to her actions in the latest chapter firmly planting her in the 'get Taylor to be a Ward whether she wants to be or not team' as opposed to Valve's 'let Taylor make her own choices team'.

I really think that they expected her to do it in a way that she couldn't hide from them, and thus that they'd be able to use it to pressure her into getting with the program, without needing to actually address her concerns in any meaningful way.

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Piggot most likely thought that Armstrong would be on the same page as her inregards to dealing with Taylor, and by that I mean she thought he would do what she would have done in his situation and browbeat her into compliance through creative interpretation of the rules or through peer pressure from the other Wards. Or they thought that since Taylor is a teenager and doesn't know any better she wouldn't read the rule book and find out that power testing is completely voluntary and go through it before she could be informed otherwise.

 

[Xicree]

But even that is also an example of the PRT incompetence because for fucks sake did they really not think a young parahuman who's cooped up and avoiding open power use wasn't going to do something stupid? Did they actually think that said dumb kid was more likely to fall in line than try and go around their obstructionist bullshit? Are they that moronic?

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You are mistaking dueling, DEEPLY divided forces within the PRT as incompetence.

Frankly the entire way that things shaped out is due to the leadership style of Piggot and her outlook that Parahumans need to be MADE to do what society needs them for whether or not that is what is good for them clashing with the Leadership style of Armstrong who believes that the PRT is there to LOOK OUT FOR parahuman who come into their care so that they don't end up becoming menaces to society, and THEN maybe they can contribute to keeping society from being destroyed.

Every aspect of PRT 'incompetence' you see is basically a large system that wasn't purpose built for the exact task at war with itself philosophically. And the moment that Taylor actually sits down and STUDIES what those forces are and why the PRT does the things it does rather than wholesale assumes everything is out to get her in particular, she'll be far far far better off.

 

[Daemir Silverstreak]

Most people refer to a group at war with itself, that is constantly undermining its own efforts and purpose as "incompentent."

 

[Xicree]

Most people refer to a group at war with itself, that is constantly undermining its own efforts and purpose as "incompentent."

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No most people refer to that as Government.

But to be less sarcastic, I understand your point... but it's also not realizing that there's actually multiple groups at work within a single umbrella and that those groups have mutually exclusive goals that they meet by grouping together.

Like MOST GROUPS EVER IN HISTORY. (There's a reason why governments of all kinds always seem incompetent from the outside).

The way to deal with that is by understanding the groups, and understanding the underlying forces and getting as much of them on the same page as possible to increase the efficiency of the task.


Or by Canon Taylor's way of forced unification of purpose... which only lasts until the one doing the forcing can no longer do the forcing.


Im not decrying Taylor being a victim in this, but it's also not exactly something she can solve by being a stupid stubborn teenager without hurting a whole lot of other people who don't deserve to get hurt in the process. And beside that... the part of the organization she's ended up in is actively trying to help her via all the tools it has in its disposal rather than trying to suborn her, which is frustrating from the outside to witness cause to her it all looks the same, and thus she acts taking out frustrations on one set of people who don't deserve her ire on while the ones who do have already made the mess of things that they're cleaning up.

 

[tarrangar]

Im not decrying Taylor being a victim in this, but it's also not exactly something she can solve by being a stupid stubborn teenager without hurting a whole lot of other people who don't deserve to get hurt in the process. And beside that... the part of the organization she's ended up in is actively trying to help her via all the tools it has in its disposal rather than trying to suborn her, which is frustrating from the outside to witness cause to her it all looks the same, and thus she acts taking out frustrations on one set of people who don't deserve her ire on while the ones who do have already made the mess of things that they're cleaning up.

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And what we are saying, is that the act of cleaning the mess up, make them complicit in the mess, they didn't cause the mess, but they are trying to prevent Taylor from getting justice for what was done to her, so they're complicit in the mess, since they're trying to prevent her from making it public.

 

[Dakkah]

Snip

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Obviously the traumatized girl with trust issues is going to have issues trusting the organization that is actively screwing her over. "Halping" her while touting the party line is not actually helping.

As for her actions getting innocents involved: "if they were going to hide behind regulations that made it difficult to remove problem parahumans from the system, then they should actually follow those regulations."

 

[Xicree]

Except their "help" comes with becoming a good little soldier, oh, and forget any justice for what was done to her. For example when Danny comes up to Boston, and gets Taylor slamming the door in his face? His talk with Armstrong and Gauss about helping and protecting Taylor to them is inexorably tied into Taylor becoming an active Ward.

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The ones who want her to be a 'Good little soldier' are over in BB.

Armstrong wants her to get Powertested and trained for HER OWN BENIFIT, so that she knows what her powers can do, and can be given special equipment and training so that she can use them safely for her own sake and the sake of others around her. SHE believes he wants it for her to be slotted in as a combatant when the opposite is true.

Piggot's approach to parahumans is prepare them as weapons and throw them into the 'Good Fight', which is literally the exact opposite of what Armstrong is trying to do.


And as for justice... the fact is that she's still a naïve kid who doesn't understand the forces arrayed against the world... in the actual novel After facing Leviathan, the S9 and other high end threats... she eventually does exactly the same thing the PRT keeps choosing to do... ie, let people get away with minor crimes to facilitate having a fighting force who can actually make a difference to people dying on a larger scale. Yes is sucks, yes it'll feel like a personal attack to her... but also yes... given perspective she'll fucking agree that it's the move to make.

Obviously the traumatized girl with trust issues is going to have issues trusting the organization that is actively screwing her over. "Halping" her while touting the party line is not actually helping.

As for her actions getting innocents involved: "if they were going to hide behind regulations that made it difficult to remove problem parahumans from the system, then they should actually follow those regulations."

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Did you ever once during my entire speech actually BLAME Taylor for any of this?

The most frustratingly well orchestrated part of this entire fic is how much everyone involved isn't Wrong... they just aren't RIGHT either. Everyone is making mistakes, and working from incomplete information towards goals that are mostly noble if not mistaken.

The PRT as a whole are basically multiple organizations in a trench coat barely holding together under the pressure of multiple impending apocalypses... being viewed from the ground level where it just ends up looking corrupt.

 

[Evilreadermaximum]

The ones who want her to be a 'Good little soldier' are over in BB.s

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Not entirely, they're also the people higher up the food chain, Armstrong himself aknowledges that he's being pressured by the other directors.

If he gets her into power testing and then dosent send to say, off mama matters?

RCB will, not might, WILL overrule or replace him

 

[KingCrimson1081]

If he gets her into power testing and then dosent send to say, off mama matters?

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Do we know if her powers also protect her from master abilities or is she specialized against thinkers only inregards to her trump ability?

 

[Evilreadermaximum]

Do we know if her powers also protect her from master abilities or is she specialized against thinkers only inregards to her trump ability?

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I hope so, shard don't run off the PRT classification system after all.

Also it would slightly increase the chance of heartbreaker dieing, honestly its shocking how few stories he dies in.

 

[BF110C4]

Do we know if her powers also protect her from master abilities or is she specialized against thinkers only inregards to her trump ability?

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No, but the mechanic of her power is that she precogs someone using a directed power against her at which point she phases, preventing the power from forming a connection, and this applies to active and passive Thinker powers, such as Gallant's emotion sensing which normally tracks everyone in his range. So while directed Master powers probably would be as easy to avoid as Thinker ones, any power with a strong anti-thinker effect of its own -like Mama Mathers- might prevent Taylor's precog from properly telling her to phase, and also powers with a persistent effect might overcome whatever time limit Taylor got to phase through the effect, like a villain releasing pheromones in a room and Taylor needing to go solid in order to breathe.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

I hope so, shard don't run off the PRT classification system after all.

Also it would slightly increase the chance of heartbreaker dieing, honestly its shocking how few stories he dies in.

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I am just gonna assume she can no sell any directed power thrown at her until told otherwise.

Also Heartbreaker is always a good thing.

No, but the mechanic of her power is that she precogs someone using a directed power against her at which point she phases, preventing the power from forming a connection, and this applies to active and passive Thinker powers, such as Gallant's emotion sensing which normally tracks everyone in his range. So while directed Master powers probably would be as easy to avoid as Thinker ones, any power with a strong anti-thinker effect of its own -like Mama Mathers- might prevent Taylor's precog from porperly telling her to phase, and also powers with a persistent effect might overcome whatever time limit Taylor got to phase through the effect, like a villain releasing pheromones in a room and Taylor needing to go solid in order to breathe.

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Not sure that Taylor actually has a time limit on her phasing because every time she phases it never mentions the need to breath or anything like that, plus her clairvoyance is so precise she might just go allow in oxygen molecules and ignore non-oxygen molecules whenever she is phasing thus nullifying any potential gas based attack.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

The ones who want her to be a 'Good little soldier' are over in BB.

Armstrong wants her to get Powertested and trained for HER OWN BENIFIT, so that she knows what her powers can do, and can be given special equipment and training so that she can use them safely for her own sake and the sake of others around her. SHE believes he wants it for her to be slotted in as a combatant when the opposite is true.

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No, Gauss was pretty explicit power testing was so they could insure Taylor's safety, by using her as an official and active Ward. From the first interlude:

Danny Hebert just sat back in his chair with a defeated look on his face. "Is she safe, at least? That's the important thing. She'll forgive me eventually, but not if she gets killed by some villain."

"She's as safe as we can make her without knowing anything about her powers," Gauss said. "We haven't been able to get her a costume, or a name, or have her do any PR events or patrols, so she's been mostly going to school and keeping to the Wards area."

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That seems pretty explicit. For Boston's PRT, making Taylor "Safe" is making her and using her as an active Ward, including the full branding, PR events, and patrols.

Also from earlier even Armstrong is not altruistic about his desire to get Taylor's power tested and quantified:

Kamil ignored the Youth Guard rep's wolfish grin. "It would be in everyone's best interest if we understood her power."

"You mean if she understood her power," Jim said, radiating smugness.

For once, Kamil didn't completely agree. Taylor was, based on eyewitness accounts, a rather formidable Breaker with the ability to phase through matter. They suspected that her power included an extrasensory component as well, given that Gauss's hand had passed through the girl without her seeing it.

But the fascinating and worrying part of Taylor's power, and the reason that Kamil was increasingly interested in understanding it, was that she was a Trump. After both Hunch and Roulette confessed that their power did not work on Taylor, Kamil had sent in a priority request to Watchdog. Their response had everyone on edge: Taylor was invisible or otherwise immune to every targeted Thinker power they could test.

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Gauss and Armstrong are so deep in the system they can not see any good for Taylor that does not benefit their organization. The options, simply do not register to them, like going off script with a NPC. And having benefited rather than been screwed by the same organization, they can not seem to understand the amount of distrust and loathing Taylor has for their organization, and how their actions in accepting her made them complicit in the mess in Brockton Bay.

And as for justice... the fact is that she's still a naïve kid who doesn't understand the forces arrayed against the world... in the actual novel After facing Leviathan, the S9 and other high end threats... she eventually does exactly the same thing the PRT keeps choosing to do... ie, let people get away with minor crimes to facilitate having a fighting force who can actually make a difference to people dying on a larger scale. Yes is sucks, yes it'll feel like a personal attack to her... but also yes... given perspective she'll fucking agree that it's the move to make.

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Hell the Fuck No. One, 'minor crimes' is a gross understatement of two years of cold blooded torture capped off by what is a minimum reckless endangerment of Taylor's life, if not attempted murder by depraved indifference to it. Two, "I was doing it for the greater good" is the excuse of every dirty cop and prosecutor that coerced a confession, hid exculpatory evidence, or beat a suspect till they confessed just to stop it. Three, Ampere and Shadow Stalker are neither capes that are going out to slay Endbringers, or even face Lung or E88's heavy hitters. So "we have to keep them to deal with greater threats" falls flat.

Let Justice Be Done, Though the Heavens Might Fall. Though in this case, if they acted justly and swiftly, it would have been a minor rain shower, rather than try to avoid blame and build it into a Category 5 shitstorm.

Did you ever once during my entire speech actually BLAME Taylor for any of this?

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Calling Taylor an "idiot" and "special snowflake" for refusing to trust anyone in the Boston department is explicitly blaming her for the situation.

 

[Ina_Meishou]

Armstrong wants her to get Powertested and trained for HER OWN BENIFIT

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No, he doesn't. Because if he did then he has any number of ways to facilitate that which he hasn't bothered to try.

Here's one. Offer her a legal contract, with witnesses, where he agrees not to deploy her as a Ward or use the power testing to expand his control over her in exchange for her taking the test.

Here's another, work with some protectorate members to do some unofficial power testing that doesn't technically meet the legal metric that would see her 'fit for deployment' but would improve her safety.

Has he even considered either of these? Not that we've seen. Why not? Does he not care? Is he incompetent? It's one or the other.

which is literally the exact opposite of what Armstrong is trying to do.

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No, it isn't. Because if it was, he wouldn't have any problems with her refusal to interact with the Wards or prepare herself for active duty as a soldier. He would, as I laid out earlier, but pushing her to socialize with other groups. Ones which haven't poisoned the well.

Has he done that? No. Why not? Does he not actually care? Is he incompetent? It's one or the other.

And as for justice...

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Attempted murder is not a minor crime, and neither Emma nor Sophia are remotely useful against any serious threat. The greater good argument is nonsensical in this instance.

Did you ever once during my entire speech actually BLAME Taylor for any of this?

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Yes actually. You've consistently claimed that Taylor is 'just as much' at fault as the PRT and Protectorate. And that assertion is blatantly ridiculous.

Taylor has been moderately surly and un-trusting. Of an organization which has done nothing to earn her trust and much to damage it.

The PRT and Protectorate have sheltered attempted murderers, effectively kidnapped a minor, impressed a minor into service, lied to said minor, and her parent, deliberately constructed a hostile work and home environment etc. etc.

One of these lists is more extensive and more significant than the other. And it ain't Taylor's.

I realize that the Hebert Hateboner is strong, but for fuck's sake please try and exercise some degree of thought other than 'Taylor dumb Taylor bad".

And if you really want to portray Armstrong as a competent and good guy? Then you might consider actually making an argument for why the clearly non-effective things he's doing are actually a good idea, instead of trying to just brush off the itemized list of Armstrong's failures by saying 'but it's just Piggot who's done bad'.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

And if you really want to portray Armstrong as a competent and good guy? Then you might consider actually making an argument for why the clearly non-effective things he's doing are actually a good idea, instead of trying to just brush off the itemized list of Armstrong's failures by saying 'but it's just Piggot who's done bad'.

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A good argument for this is if Armstrong did anything you said above he would most likely be thrown out of the director's chair so the higher ups can get someone more willing to take action that gets Taylor under control in that chair. Because Taylor is not the only one maliciously complying Armstrong is too due to the pressure from above to get Taylor to join up to due her effects on thinker powers, and as such he at least has to make a show of trying to get her on board with being a good little Ward or the PRT will send in someone who will.
Edit: while the higher ups might not remove Armstrong from his position over one disobedient Ward they might just use the fact that Taylor is a ward of the state to transfer her to a different department with a Director who will do what the higher ups want.

 

[Ina_Meishou]

A good argument for this is if Armstrong did anything you said above he would most likely be thrown out of the director's chair so the higher ups can get someone more willing to take action that gets Taylor under control in that chair. Because Taylor is not the only one maliciously complying Armstrong is too due to the pressure from above to get Taylor to join up to due her effects on thinker powers, and as such he at least has to make a show of trying to get her on board with being a good little Ward or the PRT will send in someone who will.

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That's a fair argument yeah.

I still think that there's plenty he could be doing even so, if nothing else explaining that to the kid, as an example.

But this is a reasonable idea for explaining his behavior at least to a point.

 

[KingCrimson1081]

That's a fair argument yeah.

I still think that there's plenty he could be doing even so, if nothing else explaining that to the kid, as an example.

But this is a reasonable idea for explaining his behavior at least to a point.

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Explaining it would help, but the real question is if Taylor believes him or not, because at the moment if anyone in the PRT/Protectorate told her that the sky was blue she would doubt them as a matter of principle so he probably assumed it was better to keep quiet about it for now. Plus he might not be able to tell her directly because not everyone in his department is on board with what he is doing like Nebula or the other agents or heroes and all it takes is one phone call to the higher ups about the Director actively going against orders to see Armstrong screwed.

 

[Nikas_Zekeval]

A good argument for this is if Armstrong did anything you said above he would most likely be thrown out of the director's chair so the higher ups can get someone more willing to take action that gets Taylor under control in that chair. Because Taylor is not the only one maliciously complying Armstrong is too due to the pressure from above to get Taylor to join up to due her effects on thinker powers, and as such he at least has to make a show of trying to get her on board with being a good little Ward or the PRT will send in someone who will.
Edit: while the higher ups might not remove Armstrong from his position over one disobedient Ward they might just use the fact that Taylor is a ward of the state to transfer her to a different department with a Director who will do what the higher ups want.

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I don't think their parental rights go so far as to transfer Taylor without her father signing on for that. And also Armstrong can present a soft sell as "I'm cleaning up the utter mess Piggot made of this recruitment then dumped in my lap. This isn't a choice of this or getting her on board quicker. It is a choice of a slow soft sell and maybe getting Phase on board down the road, and pressuring her, and us having to figure out what her powers are, with her as a villain with a grudge against our entire organization. And here is my child psychology expert to explain why your suggestions are about as counter-productive as throwing water on a oil fire."

 

[KingCrimson1081]

I don't think their parental rights go so far as to transfer Taylor without her father signing on for that. And also Armstrong can present a soft sell as "I'm cleaning up the utter mess Piggot made of this recruitment then dumped in my lap. This isn't a choice of this or getting her on board quicker. It is a choice of a slow soft sell and maybe getting Phase on board down the road, and pressuring her, and us having to figure out what her powers are, with her as a villain with a grudge against our entire organization. And here is my child psychology expert to explain why your suggestions are about as counter-productive as throwing water on a oil fire."

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Considering that its the PRT I believe it is safe to assume that Danny signed over the majority of his parental rights over to them when he signed Taylor up in Boston so his consent might not be required to transfer Taylor, especially if they frame it as keeping Taylor safe in some way since that was Danny's primary goal in signing her up. As for Armstrong's argument the main problem with the soft sell is that it will only maybe get Taylor on board and based on the pressure coming down on Armstrong in story I don't think that the people in charge will accept a maybe inregards to Taylor's recruitment. And if Taylor goes villain they just treat her like one and toss her in juvie after so they can feel self righteous about giving the troubled teen a chance but failing due to the teen in question rather than anything they did on their part.

 

[Santo]

Considering that its the PRT I believe it is safe to assume that Danny signed over the majority of his parental rights over to them when he signed Taylor up in Boston so his consent might not be required to transfer Taylor, especially if they frame it as keeping Taylor safe in some way since that was Danny's primary goal in signing her up. As for Armstrong's argument the main problem with the soft sell is that it will only maybe get Taylor on board and based on the pressure coming down on Armstrong in story I don't think that the people in charge will accept a maybe inregards to Taylor's recruitment. And if Taylor goes villain they just treat her like one and toss her in juvie after so they can feel self righteous about giving the troubled teen a chance but failing due to the teen in question rather than anything they did on their part.

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Lol, that wouldn't work well. How will they keep her in Juvie when she can literally walk out and there's nothing anyone other than maybe Eidolon can do about it? XD

God I'd legit love to see that in a what if side story and just watching the people in charge going "we really didn't think this one through, did we?"

 

[KingCrimson1081]

Lol, that wouldn't work well. How will they keep her in Juvie when she can literally walk out and there's nothing anyone other than maybe Eidolon can do about it? XD

God I'd legit love to see that in a what if side story and just watching the people in charge going "we really didn't think this one through, did we?"

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They does also feed into we need this girl working us mentality the PRT seems to have since they are probably aware that worst case scenario there is no way for them to contain Taylor outside of keeping her in a drug induced comma forever.

 

[Xicree]

Explaining it would help, but the real question is if Taylor believes him or not, because at the moment if anyone in the PRT/Protectorate told her that the sky was blue she would doubt them as a matter of principle so he probably assumed it was better to keep quiet about it for now. Plus he might not be able to tell her directly because not everyone in his department is on board with what he is doing like Nebula or the other agents or heroes and all it takes is one phone call to the higher ups about the Director actively going against orders to see Armstrong screwed.

Click to shrink...

Part of Armstrong's general issue... is that he's TRYING his hardest not to put pressure on his wards, trying to relieve pressure from above.

But one has to remember that the PRT is heavy handed for a REASON.

They are literally trying to hold back multiple Apocalypses and Scrabbling for every advantage they can find... but they're literally an organization literally built on Broken, Alienated people who by Default don't fall in line... Browbeating them into line is the easiest way to usually do it... one that works often enough that they keep using it because to not do so leaves them less resources than taking the more careful long term manner (which is starting to break).