It takes another fifteen minutes of sprinting before I reach the familiar sights and smells of the Boat Graveyard. The musty air, the sounds of the bay, the crunch of sand under my feet, and a suspiciously large amount of blood soaked sand. Well, looks like I found my ship. This should be a good enough spot to do some testing.
I line myself up with the hull of my old abode and stand about ten feet away. I shoot a skewer to get a baseline, using two mana to increase its speed results in the skewer shattering against the metal hull. I use the same amount of mana and summon my new needle, expecting it to rocket forwards like the skewer did. Instead, it just limply flies forwards a few feet and lodges itself in the sand. A flex of my hand sees the needle returning to me, and then being stored in my inventory. I'll try again, this time with four mana for speed. The needle appears and accelerates, managing to almost touch the hull before falling to the ground. Four isn't enough to even reach the ship? Okay, I'll skip a few numbers then. I summon twenty one lines this time, one for direction and twenty for speed, and attach them to the positioning line. Recall, store, shoot.
The needle appears in a flash of blue before immediately disappearing. For a second I thought I messed something up, but the horrendous noise of metal tearing proves otherwise. Looking closer reveals a large jagged hole in the hull in front of me, much wider than the diameter of the needle. I peer through the hole to see where the needle went, but it's not anywhere inside the ship. Another hole, straight across from where I'm looking in, shows that I might've jumped the gun a bit. Probably should've increased the speed one by one instead of going balls to the wall immediately.
I circle around the ship to take a look at the other hole, which is splayed outwards with rough edges of metal adorning it like a crown. It honestly reminds me of the exit point of a gunshot. I trace a line through the air with my finger, from where the needle entered to where it exited and then further, trying to find where it went. The line leads me to another hull, maybe a hundred feet away, with a smaller but similar looking hole in it. Damn, it went through two ships? A quick look inside confirms it, there's a small exit hole on the other side. That's impressively dangerous.
A flex of my hand and I'm holding the needle again. I bring it up closer to my eyes so I can inspect it, turning it every which way to look for any damage to it, but I find nothing. Would it be durable enough to survive thirty strands, then? Well, there's not really a point in trying, even just twenty strands will be enough for most fights. If I'm fighting people that can tank that amount of force, I'm just going to be using [Gravity] anyways.
With that out of the way, what else did I come here for? I tested my leg enough by running here, and the needle has proven to be more than durable enough... should I try to make hydrokinesis now? I mean, I am right next to the bay. Might as well. A quick sprint leads me to the coastline, and I sit down on the sand as I watch the bay roil. I should really go on another run over the water sometime... actually, can I even do that anymore? I might not be fast enough now that I've lost a leg. My frustration builds at that realization. Fucking Bakuda...
Whatever, I have other things to think about right now. Namely, how in the world do I make hydrokinesis? Should I just attach a strand of mana to some water and see what happens? You know what, why not. If this whole magic thing works off of my intent, there's no reason that shouldn't work. I fill my head with thoughts of controlling water, extrude a single strand, and attach it to the water in front of me. Something clicks as I feel a familiar fuzzy feeling in the back of my head, and I start to smile as I stare at what's happening.
There, a few feet in front of me, is an orb of water rising from the bay. Interestingly, as I move it closer to myself to take a look, it doesn't slosh around or change shape. Is my mana keeping it in place? That's convenient. It floats towards me at a languid pace, giving me more than enough time to figure out how fast it's going. I grab a line of mana and cut off about a foot, letting it float in the way of the sphere. The water takes about a second to fully pass the line, so it's moving at about a foot per second. That's not slow, but it's not fast either. Guess this really won't be a combat skill for a while, unless there's a specific scenario where I have water on hand and can drown somebody. I don't think that'll happen very often though.
Once it's close enough that I can get a good look at it, I notice that it's about eight inches across. If it has a four inch radius, that means it's about a gallon of water with some change. That's not bad for a level one skill. I study the sphere a bit more, poking and prodding at it to see what happens. Touching it does move the water, but it flows back into place as soon as I stop. Can I split the water up somehow? Probably not with just one line... hm. I attach another strand to it, and it immediately splits into two smaller spheres. Jackpot. It seems like it doesn't cost twice as much mana either, so does that mean that the cost scales with how much I'm holding? That gives me some interesting ideas. Mashing the two spheres together causes them to ripple and envelope each other, but moving them away causes them to form right back into their spheres.
An idea hits me. Can I shape them? What if I can make walls of water? Or spears that I can throw at people? Excitement bubbles within me as I quickly start trying to manipulate the mana. It doesn't take long to discover that the mana is flattening out at the end of the line, turning into a film that covers the water. So by moving that film around and reinforcing certain parts, I should theoretically be able to make whatever shape I want. Closing my eyes to focus on the connection between me and one of the spheres, I visualize the film turning into a flat rectangular prism. I can feel something respond so I open my eyes, and what used to be a small sphere of water is now a large pane. The sunlight hits the wall, causing blue and green shimmers to flow across the sand beneath it. It worked! I lay a hand against the wall and watch as the water ripples and shifts away from my touch. It doesn't seem like it can hold any weight or resist force at all. How can I fix that? I don't think I can compress it to make it stronger, that requires way too much force. Could I freeze it somehow? As cool as that would be, I can't find anything in my connection to it that would let me change temperature. I'll just have to wait until it levels up and then try some things out.
I play around with the water for another minute, stretching and contorting it into different shapes, until I check my reserves and realize I only have half my mana left. Oops. I let the connection drop, the water sloshing onto the sand below me as gravity suddenly takes hold once more. I wonder what level it's at now?
Spoiler: Menu
Hydrokinesis... wait. Hold on. Something isn't right here... why do I have [Telekinesis]? I was just trying to control the water... that's weird. Thinking about it further, I guess it's a good thing? There's not really a reason to use hydrokinesis instead of telekinesis, is there... but why did my magic ignore what I wanted? I thought it was intent based? What kind of arbitrary rules does this system have?!
I let out a sigh and relax. Think of the silver linings. I should be able to move and control anything, not just water. I resummon my needle and attach a strand to it. This time, I can actually see a light blue film wrapping around it until it's fully covered. With just a thought it rises into the air, much faster than the water. Is that because I leveled up, or because the object is smaller? No, the speed didn't change when I split the water in half, so it's probably from leveling. I control the needle for a few seconds, watching as it weaves delicately through the air around me. A familiar feeling spreads throughout my heart while I'm messing around, causing me to stop in confusion. My mana just recovered? But I'm using a skill... is the needle so light that my natural regen outpaces the cost? That has some fascinating implications. Can I carry this forever, and therefore train all the time? It would be slow, sure, but slow training 24/7 is better than none... hell, I might even be able to keep it up while I'm asleep. That would be a game changer.
Can't do it with the needle though, the tinkertech would deteriorate faster than if it were in my inventory. Speaking of, I should probably store it. Okay, if not the needle, what else do I have in my inventory that I can use? Skewers would work, sure, but that would be too easy. Metal would weigh too much, bombs are too volatile... wait. Fishing line? It wouldn't be heavy enough to maximize gains, sure, but it's hard to spot so I can use it in public and it would let me train with making different shapes using [Telekinesis]... and that could lead to my dexterity going up as well...
I quickly summon the spool of fishing line, but my dreams are crushed immediately. The spool is almost empty, there's only like four inches left. I have half a mind to throw it into the bay, but I don't want to litter so I reluctantly shove it back into my inventory and sigh. Well, it's about time I go back to buy more supplies anyways. I stand and stretch, luxuriating in the fact that I can balance upright now, then set off towards the market.
The market is less crowded than it was yesterday, likely due to the fact that it's a weekday, but it feels much more oppressive. Every step I take a new person decides to gawk at me. What, have they never seen a tinkertech leg before? The best I can do is pointedly ignore their stares as I walk past stall after stall. Maybe I should've asked Armsmaster to make the prosthetic quiet, I'm pretty sure the whirring and clanking as I walk is what's drawing attention. Oh well, nothing to do about it now. Just gotta get to the 8/25, get my stuff, and get out.
A familiar neon glow alerts me to the fact that I've arrived. Standing in front of the building, as always, are two enforcers. Now that I've been here two times already, it's easy to spot Sphinx as one of the guards. I walk straight for the door but stop as I'm about to reach it, expecting them to lower their batons and block my way, but they don't.
"Sup." I give them a polite nod, lingering on Sphinx. The other guard is somebody I don't recognize, I don't think I've seen them here before.
"Hey, Jack. How's it going?" Sphinx responds, taking me aback. Small talk? Oh no.
"Pretty good. How's guarding the store?" He hesitates for a second, and I get the feeling he's trying not to look at my prosthetic.
"Boring as ever..." He trails off, so I take it as an end to the conversation and start walking again, but he grabs my shoulder to stop me. "Wait. I wanted to say thank you. My niece was at the hospital yesterday."
The sincerity in his voice surprises me for a second but it's quickly turned into confusion. His niece? Did I heal her or something?
"Uh, remind me what I did for her?" I awkwardly ask, still mid stride. I clear my throat and stand up straight while he responds.
"You... stopped a villain attack?" Oh right, I did do that. Why is he thanking me for that? It must not be widely known yet that she was holding the hospital hostage to kidnap me?
"She was there for me, though?" I clarify, getting awkward silence in response.
"You still saved the hospital, dude." He says quizzically. Yeah, I guess he has a point.
"Yeah, fair. You're welcome then, citizen. It was my pleasure to do my duty as a hero!" When in doubt, discombobulate. I add a mock salute as the cherry on top, confusing him even more.
"Oh, you're in the Wards now?" He asks. He still thinks I'm a kid, damn it.
"Nope!" And I just walk inside the store, leaving him to stew. The door slides shut behind me as I breathe in the lemony scent that I'm starting to get used to. I wonder how often they mop? As I peruse the boring metal shelves, I start thinking. I wonder if there are any good hardware stores in this city? That would be much better than a glorified gas station. Maybe Brockton Bay has a Home Depot?
That train of thought is derailed when my eyes glimpse exactly what I'm looking for. A large roll of heavy duty translucent fishing line. A whopping three thousand yards of it, if the tag is to be believed. That's more than enough so I pick it up, but just before I turn around to check out a glint catches my eye. Sitting on a shelf below the fishing line is a roll of steel wire. Should I buy that instead? It would be stronger and heavier, though it wouldn't be translucent. But does it need to be? I don't really need to hide it, even if it would be nice to...
Wait. I'm rich now. I can just buy both! Keeping the fishing line in one hand I pick up a large roll of wire in the other. A hundred feet of galvanized twelve gauge wire should be just enough to carry without spending a lot of mana. For extra challenge, I could try to control the fishing line and steel wire at the same time. Perfect. What else do I need? Now that I've got some money, I could probably get a better phone. One that I can set alarms on, preferably. I'll grab that when I check out.
I stroll up to the counter manned by yet another soulless looking youth and plop the supplies in front of him. He looks at the items, then up to me, and a spark of recognition flares in his gaze. That spark quickly ignites into full blown adoration and for the first time ever I'm left looking at a retail worker with life in his eyes.
"Are you Jack?!" He exclaims maybe a bit too loudly. Has news of my tomfoolery made the rounds this quickly?
"Uh, yeah?" I mutter, still caught off guard. His face lights up with a smile and he genuinely starts vibrating in place.
"Can I get your autograph?" He pulls a pen and a post it note from behind the counter and places them in front of me. Am I going to have to deal with this from now on?
"Sure." I use the pen to scribble the same signature I made on the PRT contract, a 'Jack' with a smiley face next to it. I guess that's my signature now. He excitedly shoves the note in the pocket of his hoodie before looking back at me expectantly. I quick an eyebrow at him and he quickly remembers that he's supposed to be working right now. He starts to reach towards the steel wire but hesitates and pulls his hand back, instead leaning forward onto the counter.
"Weird question, but I have to ask. Have you sold your merchandising rights yet?" I blink in shock at the sudden tonal shift. What the hell? Why is a kid working at a convenience store asking me this?
"What? No, I haven't?" I think I'm losing my edge, I've gotten caught off guard twice in the same conversation.
"Would you allow 8/25 to use your image and likeness in products and or advertising?" I blink again. Who taught him this?
"Are you even capable of representing this store?" I ask skeptically, and he nods.
"I'm sure my dad will agree with me here." Oh, he's the son of the owner? That explains a lot, actually.
"If that's the case, sure. Just pay me royalties... and give me these for free." I gesture to the two spools, and he nods fervently.
"Absolutely. Thank you!" He pulls his phone up from where it was placed just above the side of the counter, placing it back in his pocket after pressing a button. Did he record me agreeing so he has evidence? What a sly kid, I'm impressed.
"One last thing. What's the best phone you've got here?" He ponders for a second before reaching behind him and placing a rectangular black box on the counter. No brand name, no description, no images, nothing.
"This. It's not exactly tinkertech, but it's as close as you can get. It has the highest specs you can find commercially and it comes preloaded with an unlimited phone plan, so there's no setup required." No monthly payments? No hassle? Sign me up. I don't need it for anything too complex anyways.
"How much?"
"Two grand." Expensive, but if what he's saying is true it's worth it. Worst case scenario is this is a scam, but I can just come and steal my money back if it is.
"Deal." I summon twenty hundred dollar bills and let them float onto the counter dramatically. His professional facade cracks as he starts to get giddy at the blatant power usage, but he composes himself quickly and starts sorting the bills. With nothing more to say I store my new goodies and leave, waving to Sphinx on the way out. I take a deep breath of fresh air and look up, gauging the time. I should probably head back home so I have enough time to prep for the meeting. And maybe train a bit while I wait.
I open my door to an empty house. I should dedicate a day to furnishing my home soon, I can't handle this for much longer. Not to mention the fact that I don't have a bed. I was fine with sleeping on the ground when I was homeless, but it's somehow even more sad sleeping on the floor when you own a house. Getting a bed will have to happen tomorrow though, I've got things to do today.
First, I should check out my new phone. Summoning and opening the black box reveals a sleek black phone. It's about the size that I would expect from a phone in 2025, not 2011. The corners aren't rounded though, it's just a perfect rectangle with the only deviation being a few buttons on the sides. I press the topmost button and as expected, the phone turns on. No brand name, no account setup, nothing but a homepage. This is getting weird. It has an internet connection so at the very least the phone plan is working. Summoning my old phone and saving the contacts I had in this new phone was simple, even if finding the phone app was a bit difficult at first.
Navigating through the settings reveals some very interesting things. I can't find a brand name anywhere, or an OS, or a model number, or anything even related to this specific phone. It also has some of the most complicated, in depth options I've ever seen. Everything is customizable. It's only on the third page of scrolling past setting after setting that I remember that I only need this thing for an alarm clock. Damn, I almost got carried away. I set the date and time, and then set an alarm for five thirty. That should give me enough time to shower and change considering the dinner is at six, leaving me about an hour of free time to train my new skill.
For the first time, I walk downstairs to the basement. It's nice not having to throw myself down a staircase, even if I can't get hurt from it. I put my old phone in the backpack next to the knives and set my new phone on the stairs. That should keep it safe from [Gravity] while I train. First, though, it's time to test out [Telekinesis].
I summon the spool of fishing line to start. I don't need the spool itself so I break it in half and throw it in the trash pile, leaving me with a bundle of tightly packed translucent fishing line. A quick application of [Telekinesis] causes it to rise in the air as a whole, the film keeping it from unraveling as I move it around. Letting it rest in the air for a few seconds reveals that it is light enough that my natural regen outpaces the mana drain. Now that I've confirmed I can keep it up forever, how do I train with it? Moving the whole spool as one object doesn't really help me with my control, so I should try and control it as a long string rather than one block. If I change the film from wrapping around the package to wrapping around the line itself, I should be able to move it just like I do with my mana strands.
That's easier said than done though. Manually wrapping an entire nine thousand feet of line is going to be exhausting... unless I find a smart way to do so. I bring the fishing line up to chest level and spin it to find the starting point of the line. Once found, I pull it. The clear plastic unravels from the spool like normal, the film distorting and stretching to account for the added length. I force the film to tighten around the extended line like shrink wrap, resulting in a weird shape where the film is a large blob with a single thin line protruding from it. A yank on the line causes the spool to spin in place, extruding more and more fishing line as I pull farther. As the line extrudes the film is forced to follow it, automatically wrapping the line. Now I just need to pull the whole thing through...
I've never been more grateful to this system than I am now. Not having to feel fatigue is the only thing keeping me going at this point. It's the same monotonous motion, over and over, with no end in sight. No matter how big the pile of fishing line spaghetti gets on the other side, the main spool doesn't get any smaller. In frustration I throw my hands up and telekinetically push the pile of loose line away, trying to get enough room to sit down on the floor, when I notice something. I look from the pile to the spool, then back to the pile. No way.
I push the pile again, and the spool spins once. I direct the pile to spin in a circle, and the spool starts unwinding faster than I ever could've done manually. My palm slams into my forehead with enough force to throw my head back as I groan in frustration. Why am I so damn stupid sometimes?
Not even five minutes later the entire spool is done, the last of the film wrapped to be form fitted to the line. I raise the two ends of the line with ease, my experience with my own mana strands making controlling it much easier. I set both ends to spin and watch listlessly as the line spools itself up, quickly forming a tight bundle similar to how it looked when I first bought it. Another thought and it flies over to me, wrapping around my left arm underneath the vest I'm wearing. That should keep it fairly hidden when I'm not using it. Now, I just have to repeat the process for the steel wire.
Thankfully, it doesn't take nearly as much time to wrap the hundred feet of wire. I bundle it up like I did with the fishing line and bring it over to my right arm, letting it spiral up to my shoulder. There's a slight mana drain from controlling both at the same time but it's negligible, and I'm sure it'll go away with a level or two. Now that both are wrapped and controllable I can finally start training. The steel wire grates against my skin as it slithers out of my sleeve, forming a line in the air. The line twists, forming a circle, then a square, and with a bit more effort the square contorts into a cube. Moving the cube farther and closer is simple, but the feeling of the wire twisting up and down my arm is really odd. That's gonna be hard to get used to.
The cube unravels into a simple line, which I send towards the backpack that's still hanging from the wall on the other side of the room. My aim is off and the line clinks as it hits the wall instead of the backpack loop like I was aiming for. I draw it back to myself and send it out again, getting closer but still missing. This is going to take a while, isn't it. I might as well activate [Gravity] and use my time efficiently.
I walk over to the dried blood stains on the concrete from my earlier training and store my clothes. I really hope those stains come out...
The skewer flies across the room, almost hitting the wall before my wire whips around it and stops it in place. As the wire brings the skewer back to my waiting hand an obnoxious ringing noise reaches my ears. I wince reflexively and whip my head around trying to find the source. My panic resides when I spot my phone vibrating on the stairs. I forgot I set an alarm, honestly. Good thing I did, I would've completely missed the dinner with the Pelhams otherwise.
My trusty wire comes hurtling back to my arm, wrapping around it in a spiral and pushing off the excess blood stuck to my skin. Yuck. I watch as the droplets fall the floor, creating ripples in the small puddle that's beneath me. I'm about to start shaking my legs to get the blood off when I remember that the whole point of making [Telekinesis] in the first place was to easily clean myself off. I send a mana strand to the puddle and connect to it. The blood pulsates once before quickly rising and forming a sphere that is unfortunately right between my legs. Before I can move it ends up enveloping my organic leg completely, blood writhing across my skin in a distinctly uncomfortable way.
I very carefully step out of it and look down at my leg expecting a gross red tint to it, but it's completely clean. Did the sphere absorb the blood sticking to my skin? I drag the sphere to my prosthetic and let it sit for a second before pulling it away again, revealing the chrome metal completely unblemished by any blood. Oh, that'll make this much easier. Dragging the sphere across the floor collects all of the droplets that were left behind and even grabs the dried blood from earlier, causing the sphere to swell and grow slightly larger. As soon as my floor is spotless I condense the sphere into a circle and lower it to my feet before stepping into it and slowly lifting it upwards. The gross sensation of blood dragging across my body causes me to shiver a bit. It's like a car wash from hell.
Once the circle raises over my head I turn it back into a sphere and start walking up the stairs, grabbing my phone on the way. I carefully navigate the blood sphere through my house, making sure that it doesn't clip any doorways or walls, until I eventually reach my shower and drop it inside. I quickly turn the water on and wash the blood down the drain before stepping under the water myself. Oh, that's nice...
I force myself to get out before I fall asleep again, making sure to wash my wire and fishing line before I turn the water off. Stepping out of the shower reminds me that I still don't have towels, but I quickly realize I don't need them anymore. I repeat my earlier stunt with the blood circle but with water this time, and let the sphere drop into the shower once I'm dry. Who knew magic was so convenient? I haven't felt this clean since the shower I took at Daniel's house! Although, I do need to get proper soaps, just water and elbow grease won't cut it forever.
My vest and pants reappear as I walk out of the bathroom and head for the front door. A quick double check to make sure I didn't track blood anywhere and I'm out the door. I check the time on my phone just to make sure I'm not too early, and it turns out that I've got a few minutes to spare. Walking across the street to the Pelham residence takes no time at all, leaving me awkwardly standing on their front porch.
Three quick raps against the wooden door and I wait.A flurry of footsteps come from behind the door before it swings open, revealing Lady Photon standing there in a casual outfit. Jeans and a t-shirt is a far cry from what I was expecting, given how the Dallons were dressed when they invited me in. Our eyes meet and her lips quirk up in a warm smile.
She stands aside and gestures inwards as she says, "Come on in, you're just in time." I take a second to wipe my feet vigorously on the rough welcome mat before stepping inside. I'll need to get shoes at some point, durable ones. Even if I'm fine with walking around barefoot everywhere, it's going to be a problem if I go anywhere except the Market.
My idle thoughts are cut short as Lady Photon starts walking further into the house, leaving me to quickly shut the door behind me and follow. Unsurprisingly their house has the same exact layout as mine, with the only difference being the homely feeling permeating everything. In contrast to the Dallons house that felt cold and uninviting, it's made clear in every detail that the Pelhams are close. The photos on the walls depict the family smiling together and all the furniture is slightly unkempt and feels lived-in. The last of my tension dissipates as I step into the dining room and see four figures lounging around a large dinner table, casually chatting with each other.
I recognize Laserdream instantly even though she's not wearing her costume. There's a boy sitting to her right that can only be Shielder, and next to him is the giant of a man that I saw yesterday. Sitting across the table is a bored looking man with the same white stubble I saw on Flashbang. Damn, he looks young out of costume. He could probably pass as an older college student if it weren't for his graying hair. Lady Photon walks around the table and sits down, leaving the chair closest to me empty. The whirring of my leg draws their attention as I walk over and sit down on the surprisingly soft padded chair.
Meeting each of their eyes to gauge their reactions, I see something that surprises me. There's a slight undercurrent of tension, but not nearly as much as I was expecting. Everybody except Shielder and Flashbang are completely relaxed, giving me polite greetings that I return when I turn to them. Shielder looks nervous, though I don't know why, while Flashbang looks vaguely sad. Has he lost hope already? My eyes stay locked on his as I break the ice, "Healing now or later?"
He hesitates for a second before letting loose a weary sigh, "Let's just get it over with."
"Alright. This might not work, by the way. I can only heal physical damage, so if it's purely mental I can't help." I give him a second to respond but he just continues looking at me with determination, so I start the process. The others tense up as he freezes in place, his gaze becoming vacant -- well, even more vacant. Only a few seconds pass before he jolts, fully healed. He looks down at his hands, wiggling them a bit, then slowly looks around the room. His eyes eventually settle back on me, and I can see a depth to them that wasn't there before.
"Was that it? I... don't feel very different." I can hear the hope in his voice, weighed down by fatigue and apprehension. He looks around again, searching for something.
"Give yourself some time to adjust. It might help to go spend some time with your kids, see if you feel anything. You'll know if the healing worked." He looks at me as I speak, a glint of something indiscernible growing in his eyes.
He stands up suddenly and states, "I'll do that, then." There's some strength in his voice now, replacing the indifference that was so obvious before. He gives a polite nod to the Pelhams before walking out of the dining room, leaving the rest of us to look at each other awkwardly. I can't say I was expecting him to leave immediately, but good for him. That kind of drive shows that my healing did something, at least.
My eyes are caught by Lady Photon smiling genuinely. She meets my gaze and softly says, "I haven't seem him that lively in a long time."
"That was lively?" I ask her. I guess it is an improvement, thinking back to when I first met him.
She nods and replies, "For him."
"Hope it works out. I didn't get a chance to tell him, but y'all should probably get him some therapy. Even if his brain damage is gone, the mental scars of his depression aren't." Lady Photon nods again. I'm a bit surprised she's so accepting of therapy, I thought most capes absolutely abhorred it.
"I'll talk to Carol and see what I can do. Thank you for your help, Jack. We had all lost hope of him getting any better, honestly. You should've seen his face when I told him that you might be able to fix him." She chuckles so I crack a smile as well.
"No problem. Actually, while we're on the topic, mind if I heal all of you too? I'm quickly learning that capes get hit in the head a lot and just leave it untreated." That gets everyone's attention. Manpower leans forward, clearly interested, while Laserdream and Lady Photon look excited.
Shielder is about to say something when Lady Photon chimes in, interrupting him and exclaiming, "Absolutely! We'd love that." Shielder looks down at his lap, even more nervous now. Maybe this family isn't as perfect as I thought? Don't know what I was expecting, having four capes in the same house is bound to cause some issues. At least they seem more stable than the Dallons, though that bar is pretty damn low.
I send a strand to all of them and use [Heal]. Nothing happens to Shielder, while Laserdream and Lady Photon startle for a second before the connection cuts off. Manpower on the other hand... he's grimacing as more and more mana is pushed through the strand. Twelve seconds pass before the healing stops and he relaxes, the chair creaking beneath his large frame. What in the world? That was like thirty health he was missing, but he seemed completely fine. Does he just have a massive health pool because of his powers?
He stretches a bit, leaning side to side and audibly cracking his back. He lets out a relaxed sigh and casually comments, "Woah, that was nice. I feel refreshed." His voice is deep and loud, which I probably should've expected. The softness present in it surprises me though, like he's trying to sound less threatening on purpose for some reason.
"That was enough power to heal someone that's half dead. The hell happened to you?" I can't help but ask.
He looks at me with a smirk, "I've taken a lot of hits to my noggin. Not to mention the crick in my back, glad that's gone." I stare at him blankly while I digest that info. Why didn't he get healed by Amy? Was it recent, or did he just not care enough about it? Does he really have so much health he can treat thirty points as a nuisance? He might actually have more than me, if that's the case.
A loud ding startles me out of my thoughts. Lady Photon rises out of her seat, excitedly announcing, "Lasagna's done!" She strides out of the room as the rest of the family starts arranging the silverware and plates on the table. Despite my attempt to stay composed, I get a little bit excited. Lasagna is easily one of my favorite foods, I used to have it all the time while I was a kid. I wonder how my parents are doing... I hope they don't miss me too much... is my fiancée doing okay...?
I blink when a plate is set down in front of me, the clattering of the ceramic against the hard wood table knocking me out of my thoughts. My eyes had fallen downward at some point, so I look back up at everyone. They're trying to act casual, but they can't entirely hide their concern. Damn it. Of all things, it's lasagna that destabilizes me? Figures.
Manpower and Shielder make awkward small talk, obviously trying to act like they didn't notice, while Laserdream leans over to me and whispers, "You okay?"
Her kindness throws me off balance, but I compose myself quickly, "Yeah, just thinking."
She purses her lips and asks, "'Bout what?"
"Lasagna." I lie -- well, it's not really a lie, technically. But the concern in her tone dissipates regardless.
"Oh, do you like it? My mom makes the best lasagna, it'll blow you away." She completely misses the mark, but her energy is enough to make me smile regardless. Shielder taps on her shoulder to grab her attention so she sits up in her seat and talks to him, leaving me to relax and fade into the background. I only have to wait another minute before Lady Photon returns, carrying a large metal pan that she carefully places in the middle of the table. Motes of purple light dissipate as she lets go of it. Using forcefields to keep the heat away is pretty smart, honestly.
We all wait for Lady Photon to sit back down in her seat, and as soon as she gets settled she says, "Dig in." A flurry of activity erupts, resulting in a lightshow as they all fight for the lasagna. Manpower is quick and almost grabs the spatula before a red forcefield blocks his way. Laserdream takes the opportunity to lunge for it, but a blue box appears over the entire pan, deflecting her hand. Shielder casually reaches into it and grabs the spatula, causing the other two to sigh in defeat and sit back in their chairs. I look across the table to Lady Photon, and her face is flickering between a scowl and an amused smile. A chuckle escapes me before turning into a full blown laugh. The pained looks I get from Lady Photon and Manpower just make me laugh harder.
Eventually, it's my turn to scoop out some lasagna so I fill my plate up. It smells heavenly, and a forkful confirms that it tastes as good as it smells. I wolf it all down in record time, barely restraining myself from grabbing more. It wouldn't be good to eat too much as a guest, after all. With nothing else to do, I patiently wait for everyone else to finish eating.
"Thank you for the food, it was delicious. With that said... I'm assuming you didn't invite me over just to heal Flashbang and have some lasagna?" I ask, watching as Lady Photon finishes her plate.
She dabs at her mouth with a napkin before replying, "Would you like to join New Wave?" That's surprising, I was expecting her to beat around the bush for a bit.
"Not officially, no. I wouldn't mind working with you though. Healing, fighting, infiltration, exfiltration, you name it. Just give me a call." Hopefully they'll be more involved in the cape scene with my support.
"Allies, then," She mutters reluctantly. She pauses for a second before adding, "We'll need to know your power if you're going to work with us. Or... powers?" That's a loaded question. I'm strong enough now to no-sell a lot of problems through [Gravity] alone, so I don't really need to worry about concealing my powers anymore. Should I just list them all?
"I'm a pretty durable brute, I can run at eighty or so miles an hour, and my wounds regenerate on their own. As you know, I can also heal other people or myself if my regeneration isn't fast enough. For offensive options, I have telekinesis and I can create spheres of gravity..." I trail off for dramatic effect, but they don't seem very surprised. The only thing that threw them off was telekinesis. That's a shame, I wanted to see some shocked faces. How'd they know?
Before I can continue explaining, Manpower chimes in, "Want to show off a bit?" I like this guy.
I give him a smile, "Always." With that, Lady Photon stands up and starts walking, gesturing for everyone to follow. We leave the house through a screen door and enter the backyard, stopping next to a large patch of trampled grass that's oddly similar to the one at the Dallons. Same shit different day, I suppose. I'm once again in a backyard showing off for New Wave... Once we stop, I ask, "Alright, what do you want to see first?" Lady Photon ponders for a second before looking at Manpower.
He steps forwards and asks, "How about you start with your gravity?"
"That's probably not a good idea. It's dangerous, even if I make it as weak as possible it might hurt you guys if you get too close." I try to sound as serious as possible, but they obviously don't believe me.
"We're more durable then you think." Manpower responds, energy crackling around him as he thumps his chest. Hmm... I wonder if his field would negate [Gravity]? No, probably not, even Glory Girl was affected by it.
"It's not Manton limited," There are the shocked faces I was looking for. To really drive it in, I add, "And it pulls in everything inside its radius. Unless your organs are as durable as the rest of you, you'll die."
Their faces fall as Manpower mutters, "Fuck." I might've embellished a bit too much, Shielder is looking even more nervous and Laserdream is turning green again, probably remembering the mess I made with Alabaster. Though I am glad they're grasping how dangerous this is. It kind of sucks, honestly. I can't really go around killing villains if I want to stay in good graces, so it's useless to me unless I spend a boatload of mana healing whoever I'm fighting.
"Yeah. It's a last resort unless I'm facing someone I know can take it. Like Hookwolf," I'm sure he'd survive, isn't he made entirely out of metal when he's in his wolf form? I clear my throat and continue, "Let's move on to telekinesis. It's much safer."
Laserdream leaps at the opportunity to change the subject and hurriedly asks, "Is it like Rune's?" I contemplate for a second before realizing that I don't know much about Rune. But I should, shouldn't I? I mean, she wasn't a big part of Worm but she was definitely there... is my memory failing me?
I scratch my head after a few seconds of thought and awkwardly reply, "Uh, maybe? I don't actually know how her power works."
"She can control anything she touches."
"Oh, then no." A skewer displaces the air a few feet in front of me before falling softly to the ground. A second later and it's rising back up, carried by my [Telekinesis]. I control it to do lazy circles above my head just for dramatic effect as I speak, "I don't have a specified range. The heavier the object the more strenuous, though, and I can't control too many at a time. I don't know if it's Manton limited..."
I trail off as I resist the urge to facepalm. Why didn't I check if I could carry myself earlier? If I can... I can fly. The wooden skewer flying around quickly gets put back into my inventory as I extrude three strands and wrap the resulting film around myself. I can almost feel the mana covering me, but it's on the edge of my perception as always. A deep breath and I channel [Telekinesis]. The strands connect and I feel weightless, like gravity no longer has an effect on me. I try to push my legs down to jump, but even despite my feet hitting the ground nothing happens. Tuning into my [Telekinesis], all it takes is a simple thought to hover off of the ground, then rise into the air slowly.
Holy shit... I can fly?! It's not very fast and it's pretty expensive, but I can't find it within myself to care about that right now. Exhilaration fills me as I start doing circles in the air, then flips, then any trick I can think of. It's only when I end up upside down somehow that I remember I have an audience, as they're watching me from the ground and chuckling. Oops. I'll have to test this out more later.
I lower myself back to the ground before disconnecting my [Telekinesis]. They're still giving me cheeky looks full of mirth, so I fake cough and say, "Uh... guess I can fly." Awkward, sure, but I'm sure they'll forgive me for getting excited over finding out I can fly.
"Awfully slow, though." Laserdream pipes up with a mischievous grin. Even a scathing look from Lady Photon doesn't diminish it at all.
"For now." I shoot back, and her grin grows wider. Are we rivals now? Is that what's happening? Oh boy. "Anyways, the only thing left to show are my brute abilities. How do you want to do this?" Technically a lie, but telling them about [Alarm] and [Power] isn't really necessary with how weak they are.
"I could go for a spar right now, if you're up for it." Manpower responds first, cutting off Lady Photons attempt at replying. A spar? Hell yeah, hopefully this'll scratch my itch...
"Of course. Rules?"
"No need, I'll just try to go easy on ya." Oh? Those are fighting words, I'll have to teach him a lesson. I nod sharply and we walk to opposite sides of the patch of dead grass. He stands there cockily, energy crackling around him again as he pulls his shield up, yellow sparks crackling around him once more. How does his power work? I know he's strong and durable, and can throw things pretty hard, but not much else. Damn, I should've paid more attention. He cuts into my analysis by calling out, "Not gonna get ready?"
"I'm ready whenever you are." My lack of stance must be throwing him off, as I'm just standing there loosely. He shrugs casually before crouching down and lunging at me, clearing the distance way quicker than a man his size should be able to. I just barely recognize him rearing back for a punch mid stride, so I leap to the right to get on his non-dominant side so I can counter. That proves to be arrogance on my end, as he stops on a dime and turns the punch into a haymaker coming right for my chest. Despite my attempt to dash backwards it connects, sending me flying backwards as a crack rings out. I catch myself right before I hit the fence set up around the backyard, but I'm left standing unstably with my prosthetic dug into the ground. Pain flares across my chest as I take a breath. Okay, new plan, don't get hit.
I gaze across the backyard, taking in as many details as possible to see if there's anything I can use. Other than grass, nothing. The other three are floating a story above the ground and sending me concerned looks, so I'm guessing they heard the crack. Manpower on the other hand hasn't moved and is staring at me with much less worry than the others. He booms, "Yeesh, you alright?"
"Broke a rib. How much strength are you using?" I casually ask, buying time so I can throw mana at my rib to heal it up. The pain dissipates and I can take a full breath again.
He chuckles and says, "'Bout ten percent." My eyebrows shoot up. Damn, he's that strong? Okay, there's no chance of me fighting him head on then. There's nothing I can use lying around though, and I can't use any of my non-brute powers... hm. I'm trying too hard to win, I should just enjoy the fight.
He beckons me to come at him, so I oblige. The dirt under me is blown away as I lunge forwards, crossing the distance before his eyes can even shift to me. My fist meets his chest with the full power of my momentum and my strength, but despite the energy around him crackling in response he doesn't even budge. It feels like I hit a wall. He tries to grab me, but I see his arm coming down in time and duck out of his range, my short height benefiting me for once. This is a bad position to be in, though, and I leap back just in time to dodge a kick. He charges me again, but I know his tricks now so I dash backwards and start gathering strands in my heart. I keep backpedaling, dodging his strikes until I have about forty strands floating around. A feinted dodge to the left gets him to overextend with a grab, leaving his side wide open. All the strands infuse into me at the same time, granting me [Power] as I capitalize and hit him solidly with a roundhouse kick. A loud thud fills the air as my foot connects and he's sent staggering to the side, his footing growing even more unstable.
Seeing an opening I leap forwards as soon as my foot returns to the ground, aiming a stomp at the side of his twisting knee. It lands right where I want it to, buckling his leg and forcing him into a kneeling position. I can feel as my [Power] runs out, drastically weakening the punch I throw at his head. My hand hits and it twists his head to the side slightly, but I can tell it didn't do any damage to him. His leg sneaks out in an attempt to sweep my own, forcing me to jump into the air. Unfortunately, he's tall enough to rocket an arm into me while I'm falling back down despite him still kneeling, blowing me backwards further into the backyard. It didn't hurt that much because of how light I am, but it gave him a chance to stand and regain his balance. Damn.
We both rush each other at the same time. He must've anticipated me running at him as he spreads his arms to try and grab me in a bear-hug, but my lunge was a feint. On the last step before he reaches me I stomp on the ground, launching myself over him. I land hard, quickly turning my momentum into a roll that leaves me a few feet behind him. My speed allows me to turn and get to his back before he can fully turn around to face me, giving me the perfect opportunity to kick the back of his knee in. It barely moves.
Before I can make distance again, his hand latches onto my side and raises me into the air. As I try to extricate myself, he stands up to his full height again with a casual smile before lifting me higher and turning me sideways. We lock eyes for a brief moment and I blanch when I realize what he's about to do. By the next instant I'm bracing myself, but it doesn't help as I'm thrown against the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of my lungs. Thankfully the dirt cushions my landing so I don't break any bones, but I'm forced to lie there for a second and regain my bearings.
Manpower looms above me with a triumphant grin on his face. Cocky bastard. Have to give it to him though, he's good at using that massive build of his. Just to be petty I raise a middle finger at him, but my expression must've betrayed me cause he just chuckles in response. I am smiling, now that I think about it. Hope it doesn't look too manic.
Once my breath comes back, I stagger to my feet and look up at Manpower, "Again?"
He quirks an eyebrow at me and says, "You're spirited, huh. Maybe tomorrow." I resist my urge to pout and nod instead. Gotta act my age -- my real age, not however old I am right now. He rubs his side and grimaces, "Why was that kick so strong?"
"Buffed myself." I respond absentmindedly, focused on sending a strand to heal him. He stands up a bit straighter afterwards and gives me a look of appreciation.
I use some strands myself and heal the remaining damage from the fight as he replies, "You can do that?"
"It's pretty weak, but yeah."
His eyes widen, "Weak? That kick was way stronger than your punch."
"It was..." I do the math in my head, "about twice as powerful. It's not very efficient though and it takes a lot out of me, so I can really only use it in bursts."
"Still pretty impressive. You almost had me." A polite lie and we both know it. Even if I had gotten him to the ground, there's not much I can do to hurt him.
"I'll be stronger the next time we spar. Look forward-"
I'm interrupted by a woman's panicked voice yelling above me, "Aunt Sarah! Lung is- Jack?"
I look up to see Glory Girl in full costume contrasting against the twilight sky, the previously pristine white color dirtied by ash and grime. I wave at her, "Sup."
Lady Photon gets her back on topic by floating over to her and gravely asking, "Lung?"
Her confused expression falls back to the panic she had previously and quickly clarifies, "He's going crazy in the Docks, heading to Downtown! We tried calling but you weren't picking up... we need to go!"
Lady Photon grimaces, "Shit. We'll follow you." She looks over to me and I nod, hiding my excitement. Another fight? One where I don't have to hold back? This is a great day! I focus back on my surroundings as she walks over to me and unceremoniously grabs me, lifting us both into the air and taking off. I catch a glimpse of Laserdream doing the same to Manpower as we take off, passing us easily while following Glory Girl towards the Docks. Thankfully the flight is much smoother than my last, now that my [Reaction] is higher I can actually look around. Countless houses pass beneath us as we fly, streets filled with cars and people running the opposite way that we're going. He must be throwing a big tantrum if it can reach this far, but what's got him so pissed off? I know Bakuda got captured, but is that really enough for him to go and lose it like this... yes, yes it is. Dude probably thinks he's regaining 'honor' or something.
It doesn't take long for us to start seeing signs of the fight. The smell hits me before anything else, dust and ash polluting the air and filling my nose as we grow closer. An inhuman bellow startles me, sounding more like an animal than anything that could come out of a human. I look ahead of us just in time to see a massive geyser of flame shooting into the air next to Glory Girl. She just barely manages to roll out of the way in time but part of her skirt gets enveloped in the deep red pillar, turning it to ash. She veers off to the side, landing somewhere unseen. Lady Photon and I aren't far behind, reaching the burning battlefield and landing on top of one of the few intact buildings nearby.
Through the haze of heat and the smoky air, I can somewhat see the carnage wrought by Lung. Massive metal warehouses have crumpled into themselves, marked by craters left behind by a tremendous amount of physical force. Other warehouses have melted, entire walls turned to glowing molten slag pouring out into the streets. The rest of the nearby buildings aren't doing much better, brick and mortar stained by ash and marred by deep gouges, with a few buildings having completely toppled into a pile of debris. The whole area looks vaguely familiar to me, despite all the damage done to it. Where have I seen this before...? I have to focus, I can think about that later.
Standing in the middle of the chaos is Lung himself, surrounded by a haze so thick it's hard to see him clearly. It's impossible to make out his exact size, my vision of him swimming and distorting through the heated air, but he's at least ten feet tall, probably larger. He barely resembles a human anymore, his neck longer than I am tall and ending in a morphed head that doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before. His entire body is covered in metallic scales, reflecting the oranges and reds of the fire surrounding him. Two large nubs extend from his back, twisting and growing visibly, the scales extruding and covering them over and over in layers.
He swings a claw at a figure in front of him that I can't quite make out, but before it lands a blinding flash suddenly appears, forcing me to avert my eyes. I blink away the spots in my vision to see Lady Photon flying away, heading to the side where I can see a few people floating. Must be the rest of New Wave Lung tries to crudely slam his fists into the ground, but his attempt is stopped by a large blue forcefield appearing out of nowhere. His fists hit it, shattering the shield and slowing down but continuing towards the ground, causing a tremor to emanate outwards when they land. Even the building I'm standing on shakes a little bit.
He roars again, the thunderous noise causing me to cover my ears. His mouth -- at least I think it's his mouth, it looks more like a large gash -- splits open in a decidedly unnatural way, releasing another torrent of fire at the ground that washes over and creates a wave of flame that only stops after dozens of feet of concrete being scorched and melted. The figure, that I can now make out as Flashbang, thankfully got carried away by Glory Girl in time to not get burnt to a crisp.
How the fuck are we supposed to deal with this?