Infestation

Infestation is the eleventh arc of the Worm series; preceded by Parasite and followed by Plague. The Undersiders and Travelers become warlords, Taylor and Lisa go on an adventure. The Slaughterhouse Nine visit candidates.

Summary

Taylor claims a territory and begins to establish infrastructure, providing food, shelter, protection, and supplies to the people of her section of the city. Sneaking into a Merchants gathering with Tattletale and four of Coil's mercenaries to retrieve a missing person earns her her first two employees: Sierra, whose brother was taken in by the Merchants, and Charlotte, an abductee they encountered and rescued who recognizes Taylor from high school. Faultline's Crew disrupts the gathering and retrieves a prize of their own: a briefcase with the same symbol as the Case 53s, containing canisters purported to give the user superpowers.

The Slaughterhouse Nine announce themselves.

Eight interludes cover the Nine's visits to certain parahumans, mostly their chosen recruits.

Chapters

• Infestation 11.1
• Infestation 11.2
• Infestation 11.3
• Infestation 11.4
• Infestation 11.5
• Infestation 11.6
• Infestation 11.7
• Infestation 11.8
  • 11a (Anniversary; Rachel)
  • 11b (Anniversary; Theo)
  • 11c (Anniversary; Labyrinth)
  • 11d (Anniversary; Armsmaster)
  • 11e (Anniversary; Hookwolf)
  • 11f (Anniversary; Dinah)
  • 11g (Anniversary; Cherish)
  • 11h (Anniversary; Panacea)

Trivia

• For the one year anniversary of Worm, eight chapters were written and posted over sequential days.
• Infestation brings to mind sickness or an unwanted colony of animals in one's home.
  • There is the infestation of parahuman warlords setting themselves up, especially the drug dealers, and the new deadly villain group making themselves known.
  • The name also references the Entities, which are first directly mentioned in this arc