Shell

Shell is the fourth arc of the Worm series; preceded by Agitation and followed by Hive. The successful villains chill check their stash and end up getting their butts handed to them.

Summary

The Undersiders (minus Bitch) hang out at the mall. Tattletale takes Taylor shopping. Taylor shares her origin story. Grue reveals his in return, but lies. Bitch seems to disappear after being tasked with exchanging the robbery proceeds for the team's reward. They hurry after her and find themselves in a fight with local joke villains Über and Leet, plus a surprise guest.

A fight ensues. After a lot of running around they are captured. Imprisoned with the intention to be tortured they manage to escape.

Taylor is concussed from a bomb. The Undersiders take her to a doctor for treatment, and Brian and Lisa take her home to her dad. They explain her injury without revealing her identity.

In between Purity falls back into the same racist hole she tried to climb out of.

Afterward Brutus goes on an errand with his guardian and has an amazing adventure.

Chapters

• Shell 4.1
• Shell 4.2
• Shell 4.3
• Shell 4.4
• Shell 4.5
• Shell 4.6
• 4x (Interlude; Purity)
• Shell 4.7
• Shell 4.8
• Shell 4.9
• Shell 4.10
• Shell 4.11
• 4x (Interlude; Brutus)

Trivia

• Purity's interlude wasn't initially planned; it was included as an apology for a rare schedule slip.
• Shell typically means some dense protective material. Such as a carapace or any hard exterior, amusingly it can also refer to ordnance.
  • Here the undersiders relax after the bank robbery drawing taylor out of her shell and into interacting with her teammates. Later The undersiders have to go on the defensive against Bakuda; Taylor (and the reader) finds out how dangerous cape life can really be.