4.8
Part 8
"W-what?" Taylor asked looking away, "They're just bugs..."
"How... are you doing that?" I asked head tilting to the side slowly. That was a level of control that... well surprised the hell out of me.
She thought being able to do this was a weak power?
"...Superpowers?" she replied after a few perplexed seconds.
"No, I mean literally, how?" I stressed. "Are you just like... giving a general command, 'bugs go into this formation'? Can you distinguish the type of insect? How many go where?" If she could control that then she'd have basically a perfect nonlethal take down measure anywhere in her range that she could perceive. Wait- "Can you perceive their senses?"
She seemed taken back, "Uh... well... I just... control them," she summarized off balance from my sudden interrogation. "I mean... I can make any bug in my range do what I want it to do- If it can do it anyway," she added on quickly.
"As a group?" I asked seeking more details. "I mean... Okay how do you give the orders to each bug?" I elaborated on.
"I just... do," she replied lamely.
I frowned, that was a depressing lack of detail.
"And sensing from them?" I questioned.
"I know where they all are?" she responded questioningly, not seemingly sure what I was getting at. "And what kind they are I guess."
"That's still really good," I scratched at my beardless chin in a borrowed habit. "So can you give them a queued order? Set them in motion then focus on another group?"
"It's... not really like that," she shook her head. "I mean, I could, I think, but not if they leave my range. I just... control all of them," she said with a shrug.
"At once?" I asked just to make sure.
"Yeah," she nodded.
"Huh... so..." was she saying what I thought she was, "You can make them do a few things at the same time?"
"Yeah, that's how I-" she cut herself off. "I mean yes."
"Holy shit," I uttered blown away.
That was a level of control that...
Shit I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head in context of powers that could do that.
Well, at least not in terms of real powers. In fiction...
"What's the big deal?" she asked.
"I'm just... trying to process this. So... how many things can you do at once?" I asked her more seriously.
"As many as there are bugs?" she raised an eyebrow.
Then I saw her eyes widen as she realised just what I was saying.
"So what you're saying is you can do a few million things at once," I replied. "I repeat, holy shit."
"I... never really looked at it that way," she replied mumbling and red in the face. "I mean they're still just bugs," she reminded, though she did seem to realise some of just how epic that power really could be.
I mean that was freaking... Pen and Paper minmax rules as crunch level exploration cap there.
My inner munchkin roared. "Yeah but the bugs can be a stepping stone... how many bugs can press a key on a keyboard?" I questioned. "Even if you can't perceive their senses, can you keep track of multiple things with yours?" You could train yourself to notice things in your peripherals. With her power she might be able to pay attention to all the things in hers.
How hard would it be to set up one of those big wall of TVs I wondered?
"That's..." she started for a moment then sort of trailed off.
Then I wondered just how effective a group of people being directed by those bugs on keyboards could be with Taylor sitting behind such a screen.
"Broken," I finished pointing at her. "Also I can get new powers over time, you are not allowed to complain."
She didn't.