Those old, just-for-laughs CYOA builds really have a way to come bite back you in the ass. They didn't even match the setting! (I wanted to do something different and avoid the usual "immune to Precog" nonsense.)
A Light into the Future (SI)
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A Cold Start 1.1
- Location
- PA
A Cold Start 1.1
What had happened to a nice, peaceful and restful night's sleep? Sleep was how the brain rested and processed a day's information, chucking out the junk together with all sorts of waste chemicals and keeping what was important. Therefore, it was crucial that a person receive a full night's rest, whatever that meant for them. Some people only needed four hours, some needed ten, but need it they did.
It was a pity, then, that both reality and one's own brain were ever so eager to put a wrench in those works. Not that it made waking up any easier, all too often a struggle short of a bucket of water or more commonly tumbling out.
Then there was getting slam dunked into a ratty old couch.
"Fuck," The poor bastard groaned, committing the mistake of opening her mouth and catching a lungful of mildewy dust. Suffice to say, there wasn't much talking after that.
Then she managed to wedge her eyes open from the coughing fit and got treated to a stage pass into what was only barely not a crackhouse. Which wasn't exactly giving her endearing thoughts as she sat up and noticed that, yes, she was a she now.
And wearing nothing but a t-shirt and shorts.
Even with the worrying implications aside, it was also cold enough for her whole body to tremble.
"Shit…Did someone forget to pay the heating bill?" Her teeth chattered faintly. The second question that came to mind was "Why am I a woman?"
That was apparently the wrong thing to ask, as data hit her brain with all the bedside manner of a speeding brick.
"Uh oh… I didn't exactly spend enough in the Items section…" The newly christened Nia winced.
She had a habit of making Jumpchain character sheets at the drop of a hat, this time on a plotbunny for Megaman ZX. Instead of taking a canon character's place or fiddling with the custom Biometal Editor, she instead just grabbed Model X wholesale. A Biometal was based on the "robotic DNA" of a heroic Reploid. The term robotic DNA didn't make sense to her either, but it was cool and that's what Capcom was going for. They were given the term 'Model' and the first initial of the Reploid they represented. X in this case stood for Mega Man X. Dr. Light's final and greatest creation. He wasn't technically speaking a Reploid. Reploids were based on his hyper-advanced schematics.
There were some thematic differences between Model X and Model χ. X-Kai, or just χ, was built by Dr. Wiley using the old schematics of Mega Man. Sometime in the future Serges of the X-Hunters, a villainous rogue Reploid from MMX2, would find the discarded plans and finish them. χ was given a single directive: Kill X. Nia felt sorry for the guy since he quite literally broke down because his entire motivation was so one note. He was still a whackjob, but a tragic one.
Whatever the reason, she was dropped into Worm with the wrong character sheet and no chance to change anything. Otherwise, she might have grabbed Energy Chips, a form of ZX currency, which probably would've been converted to plain cash here. Maybe at least a motorcycle for transportation?
At least she was dressed now, Signature Outfit making itself known with a shimmer of light. Model χ was based on a character from Megaman X Dive. A prototype of Mega Man X that was more than just a recolor. The clothes Nia gained looked like a long-sleeved black jacket with yellow patches on the elbows and shoulders. Yellow trimmed her cuffs and the base of the jacket. Beneath that was a comfortable gray t-shirt with a six-pointed gold star made of elongated diamonds radiating from the center. Her pants were ruggedly made and colored yellow, purple and black. Last, but certainly not least, were the black ankle boots with yellow over the toes. At her feet was her old backpack with the rest of her purchases. The Biometal hung from a pouch on her belt.
"Better make sure the Biometal even works before trying to rely on it," Nia muttered as she held the Biometal aloft. Model χ fit perfectly in her hand, a six-headed angular 'head', mocking up a helmet black and yellow helmet over a silver face.
She called out the activation phrase "Rock On!" and she was in business. Her clothes burst off of her body in motes of light to be instantly replaced by a gray bodysuit. Nia twirled in midair as a nonexistent breeze blew her hair around. Black and gold light gathered over her torso before forming into a cropped jacket that only aped at cloth, done up in black and gold..
Wove through the air without her input, black and gold light solidifying over her forearms as hefty gauntlets, orange gems studded on the wrists. Dark gray light swirled around her waist and thighs before hardening into a segmented belt and form-fitting thigh guards. Greaves matching her gloves manifested not a moment later, flowing into rugged boots with gold soles.
Finally the twinning lights curled around her head, congealing into a solid black helm ringed with gold, an amethyst embedded on the forehead. Her hair ran black as though ink had been poured over her scalp, eyes flickering to startling red between blinks. Nia couldn't help a less-than-wholesome grin as the power settled over her with the end of the transformation, arm transforming into a cannon at nothing but a thought. It was a struggle to keep from firing, the strength thrumming right under her skin all but begging her to.
"No consciousness inside? What a gyp!" Nia groused… then paled when she remembered exactly who would've been whispering in her ear. However, sometimes even a sociopathic ally was better than no ally at all.
For all she was alone, she felt ready to take on the world. To show Brockton Bay and Earth Bet just what a Mega Man could do! After all, wasn't she a Chosen One? It didn't matter if this was Earth Bet or the Earth of Megaman ZX.
And that was the end of the transformation because those weren't her thoughts.
There were no dramatics, just a flare of light leaving a suddenly ordinary human swaying on shaky legs. Crashing from that high felt like her insides had been scooped out, the cold biting all that more viciously and her body barely able to hold its weight. It wasn't a physical withdrawal, just her mind trying and failing to cope. The only saving grace was that the transformation was still easy to disengage once she made the decision.
"Right, let's come back to that…" She panted shakily. The Biometal might not have a spirit but it didn't lack the ambition. Now, how about she sent that bundle of mindfuck to the magical land of 'later' and distracted herself with something?
Nia's eyes promptly caught on the wallet left on the couch. Not a moment later, she was rifling through it. According to her cards, she was seventeen and a student at Winslow, joy of joys. A peek through a grimy window told her it was deep in winter and she'd bet anything it was January.
That led her into properly taking in the state of 'her' apartment. Because she was starting to get the sneaking suspicion she was technically squatting.
"Nothing in the fridge…Empty shelves…What the absolute fuck?" She stared at her kitchen in dismay.
How was she supposed to deal with this? She barely had three hundred bucks to her name! She wasn't even eighteen yet! Nia dazedly wandered around the apartment in disbelief. Her old apartment was furnished better than this! Laying on the coffee table was a collection of letters.
Then, of course, because the universe had decided to listen to her pleas for no more mindfuck… memories crashed into her brain. Because fuck her in particular. The only silver lining was that she wasn't knocked for a loop this time.
"The building manager knows I'm here, he's just not a douchebag…" Nia muttered as she parsed through the data. The owner didn't even care and left everything to the manager, Mr. Chen.
Nia had a habit of making lists of the pros and cons in her life. It didn't always make her feel better, but it took the edge off. Enough so that she could think of a better plan than 'scream, then scream louder'.
Among the many pros was that she had powers and the Perks from her character sheet. Most of which were even useful for making money right away. The cons were that she was in Brockton Bay in January of 2011. She didn't have much besides the money in her pocket and metaknowledge, which would only take her so far. The worst part was that she didn't have any protections against Thinkers. Not postcogs, not precogs, not clairvoyants, not analysts. Nothing.
Another positive was that her smartphone still worked. The GPS happily told her everything she needed to know, which left her white as a bedsheet for the second time in maybe twenty minutes. How close to the Docks was this place? Nia could look out the window and see old warehouses. An orphaned white girl this close to ABB territory? Who did she piss off in her last life? Model χ might see use sooner than she thought.
What did her memories say about the neighborhood? Decent enough place in that everyone minded their own business. Poking your nose in someone else's affairs could see it chopped off. No one even gave her a second glance as she walked out of the building and then the block. Everyone was just too busy to pay attention to some nameless girl even if she was a snazzy dresser.
The two main shopping centers mentioned in all Worm stories were Lord's Market and the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk was where people with money went to shop. Nia was looking for a discount store so she was bound for the flea market writ large. They carried just about everything a higher-end store did just cheaper, mostly overstocks or discontinued products. In her past life, she could make a penny stretch until it squealed. This was no different. Hell, the prices were better here than in 2024. She bought some fresh meat but mostly stuck to canned goods and nonperishables. Beans, rice and pasta. Everything went into the ratty bag she'd brought along.
"That should tide me over for now. Ugh, I've got school tomorrow…" Nia realized with a grimace.
The apartment wasn't even that bad all things considered. It was a one-bedroom affair with a decent bathroom. The living area was about average with a small kitchen. About the only thing that needed addressing were the ancient appliances. That was something for future Nia to fret about. For now, they worked and that's all that mattered. Her furniture was all stuff scavenged off of the sidewalk. It was a miracle she didn't have thousands of bedbugs infesting her place.
As she put the groceries away her mind churned over the problem. Tomorrow was a pivotal moment in time. That was the day Taylor Hebert, one of the most comically overbullied girls in recent fiction, would get shoved into a locker full of rancid feminine hygiene products. If she allowed it to happen fate would still need the occasional nudge to make sure the timeline stayed on track. A yawning pit opened in her stomach and bile tickled her throat at the thought.
"No, there has to be a better way. There has to be," She muttered feverishly.
Sacrificing even one person on the altar of the greater good was anathema to her. She wasn't a cold machine of pure logic. Was saving her the best course of action in the long run? Maybe, maybe not, but she just couldn't allow her to suffer. The unsettled feeling receded. Nia took in a cleansing breath before letting it out. Now that her moral dilemma was out of the way it was time to think about how to make some money. The day's shopping trip used over a hundred dollars of her meager funds.
The Biometal was practically burning a hole in her belt. With the power of Model χ she could make a name for herself. She could be a courier with her high mobility options. Maybe she could be a hero? Independent heroes did get to keep some of the money. The thought of joining the Wards passed by without seriously taking hold. The PRT was more full of holes than a sieve. That was when she had a fantastic idea. Why not be an Independent Hero and a courier? That seemed like a sound plan.
Too bad she didn't have a five year old to run her idea past.
AN: Here we are! Another Worm fic? This one is strictly a personal project of mine. I missed writing in this setting and the fic with Nihilo rekindled the old spark. Speaking of Nihilo. He is once again proofreading and editing my shit. Enjoy!
N: I've dialed back the edits a bit here. Mostly extensive rewrites on things that are at 'okay but not great'.
Patreon Note: A shoutout to my friends over on Patreon. The Patreon page is now updated to be even friendlier and clearer than before. Please think about helping me as I've still got lots of bills to pay, a cat to take care of, and not enough money for it all.
Thanks to my Patrons:
Fans
moon.fellow7
mckin102
Intellectuals
the.sleeperdragon
sawpett06
Special Friends
titanicwargod
What had happened to a nice, peaceful and restful night's sleep? Sleep was how the brain rested and processed a day's information, chucking out the junk together with all sorts of waste chemicals and keeping what was important. Therefore, it was crucial that a person receive a full night's rest, whatever that meant for them. Some people only needed four hours, some needed ten, but need it they did.
It was a pity, then, that both reality and one's own brain were ever so eager to put a wrench in those works. Not that it made waking up any easier, all too often a struggle short of a bucket of water or more commonly tumbling out.
Then there was getting slam dunked into a ratty old couch.
"Fuck," The poor bastard groaned, committing the mistake of opening her mouth and catching a lungful of mildewy dust. Suffice to say, there wasn't much talking after that.
Then she managed to wedge her eyes open from the coughing fit and got treated to a stage pass into what was only barely not a crackhouse. Which wasn't exactly giving her endearing thoughts as she sat up and noticed that, yes, she was a she now.
And wearing nothing but a t-shirt and shorts.
Even with the worrying implications aside, it was also cold enough for her whole body to tremble.
"Shit…Did someone forget to pay the heating bill?" Her teeth chattered faintly. The second question that came to mind was "Why am I a woman?"
That was apparently the wrong thing to ask, as data hit her brain with all the bedside manner of a speeding brick.
Name: Nia Drakona
CP: 1000
Origins: Chosen One (200 CP)
Perks:
Passing Through! [100CP]
A deliveryman needs to know how to get through areas fast. So does a bounty hunter, and maybe even an amnesiac Reploid who just got pulled out of a tank needs it too. You have a good amount of competency both in driving vehicles and moving through difficult terrain, jumping impressive heights and knowing how to maneuver even in extreme conditions.
Defend Your Delivery [400CP]
It can be dangerous to travel, and it's all too easy to find yourself having to defend yourself with something that you aren't trained in. You don't need to worry about that though, as you very quickly adapt to new weapons, powers and even entirely new bodies, skipping past beginner levels of competency with weapons after mere minutes of use. This skip is even faster when done under pressure, like if you're being attacked.
Survivor [100/0 CP]
It is a given that you have survived something awful before finding your biometal. Be it a maverick attack, being left for dead by your squad, or being an orphan in a wartorn country, but you have made it through. And you could do it again. You have improved willpower and capacity to withstand hardship, and this boost is improved even further if these hardships are undertaken to accomplish a goal you believe is for the betterment of all.
The Next Step in Evolution [200/100 CP]
Chosen Ones are extraordinary people. Deemed worthy by Biometals- and perhaps by some other ones- some believe they may even be the next evolutionary step for both Reploids and Humans. Whether or not this is true, you are quite the exceptional example of either of them- Being better all around than the average person, and especially good at something in specific. You also seem to give off this air of importance to others, as if they could feel the destiny that's been laid out for you.
Items:
Buster Pistol [Free All]:
A dinky little pea-shooter. Or is it a lemon shooter? This weapon fires energy rounds, has unlimited ammunition, and can shoot in three-round bursts. While nothing special, it's a serviceable side-arm, easy to carry, and receptive to improvements.
Signature Outfit [100/0 CP]:
Stylish! Color coordinated! Probably themed after your Mega-Man form! This outfit is resistant to wear and tear, and you'll get additional ones if you gain new forms themed after those too.
Biometal [Free and Mandatory Chosen One]:
Formed from the remnants of legendary Reploids, the Biometals are sentient artifacts protected by a genetic lock and several other safety mechanisms that can fuse with their matched partners to cover them as living armor, empowering them greatly. You are biomatched to one of these powerful artifacts, and get to design it to your specifications- though you may also opt to replace one of the canon Chosen Ones and take theirs, including replacing the protagonists of either game. (Model χ - A recolor of Model X)
CP: 1000
Origins: Chosen One (200 CP)
Perks:
Passing Through! [100CP]
A deliveryman needs to know how to get through areas fast. So does a bounty hunter, and maybe even an amnesiac Reploid who just got pulled out of a tank needs it too. You have a good amount of competency both in driving vehicles and moving through difficult terrain, jumping impressive heights and knowing how to maneuver even in extreme conditions.
Defend Your Delivery [400CP]
It can be dangerous to travel, and it's all too easy to find yourself having to defend yourself with something that you aren't trained in. You don't need to worry about that though, as you very quickly adapt to new weapons, powers and even entirely new bodies, skipping past beginner levels of competency with weapons after mere minutes of use. This skip is even faster when done under pressure, like if you're being attacked.
Survivor [100/0 CP]
It is a given that you have survived something awful before finding your biometal. Be it a maverick attack, being left for dead by your squad, or being an orphan in a wartorn country, but you have made it through. And you could do it again. You have improved willpower and capacity to withstand hardship, and this boost is improved even further if these hardships are undertaken to accomplish a goal you believe is for the betterment of all.
The Next Step in Evolution [200/100 CP]
Chosen Ones are extraordinary people. Deemed worthy by Biometals- and perhaps by some other ones- some believe they may even be the next evolutionary step for both Reploids and Humans. Whether or not this is true, you are quite the exceptional example of either of them- Being better all around than the average person, and especially good at something in specific. You also seem to give off this air of importance to others, as if they could feel the destiny that's been laid out for you.
Items:
Buster Pistol [Free All]:
A dinky little pea-shooter. Or is it a lemon shooter? This weapon fires energy rounds, has unlimited ammunition, and can shoot in three-round bursts. While nothing special, it's a serviceable side-arm, easy to carry, and receptive to improvements.
Signature Outfit [100/0 CP]:
Stylish! Color coordinated! Probably themed after your Mega-Man form! This outfit is resistant to wear and tear, and you'll get additional ones if you gain new forms themed after those too.
Biometal [Free and Mandatory Chosen One]:
Formed from the remnants of legendary Reploids, the Biometals are sentient artifacts protected by a genetic lock and several other safety mechanisms that can fuse with their matched partners to cover them as living armor, empowering them greatly. You are biomatched to one of these powerful artifacts, and get to design it to your specifications- though you may also opt to replace one of the canon Chosen Ones and take theirs, including replacing the protagonists of either game. (Model χ - A recolor of Model X)
"Uh oh… I didn't exactly spend enough in the Items section…" The newly christened Nia winced.
She had a habit of making Jumpchain character sheets at the drop of a hat, this time on a plotbunny for Megaman ZX. Instead of taking a canon character's place or fiddling with the custom Biometal Editor, she instead just grabbed Model X wholesale. A Biometal was based on the "robotic DNA" of a heroic Reploid. The term robotic DNA didn't make sense to her either, but it was cool and that's what Capcom was going for. They were given the term 'Model' and the first initial of the Reploid they represented. X in this case stood for Mega Man X. Dr. Light's final and greatest creation. He wasn't technically speaking a Reploid. Reploids were based on his hyper-advanced schematics.
There were some thematic differences between Model X and Model χ. X-Kai, or just χ, was built by Dr. Wiley using the old schematics of Mega Man. Sometime in the future Serges of the X-Hunters, a villainous rogue Reploid from MMX2, would find the discarded plans and finish them. χ was given a single directive: Kill X. Nia felt sorry for the guy since he quite literally broke down because his entire motivation was so one note. He was still a whackjob, but a tragic one.
Whatever the reason, she was dropped into Worm with the wrong character sheet and no chance to change anything. Otherwise, she might have grabbed Energy Chips, a form of ZX currency, which probably would've been converted to plain cash here. Maybe at least a motorcycle for transportation?
At least she was dressed now, Signature Outfit making itself known with a shimmer of light. Model χ was based on a character from Megaman X Dive. A prototype of Mega Man X that was more than just a recolor. The clothes Nia gained looked like a long-sleeved black jacket with yellow patches on the elbows and shoulders. Yellow trimmed her cuffs and the base of the jacket. Beneath that was a comfortable gray t-shirt with a six-pointed gold star made of elongated diamonds radiating from the center. Her pants were ruggedly made and colored yellow, purple and black. Last, but certainly not least, were the black ankle boots with yellow over the toes. At her feet was her old backpack with the rest of her purchases. The Biometal hung from a pouch on her belt.
"Better make sure the Biometal even works before trying to rely on it," Nia muttered as she held the Biometal aloft. Model χ fit perfectly in her hand, a six-headed angular 'head', mocking up a helmet black and yellow helmet over a silver face.
She called out the activation phrase "Rock On!" and she was in business. Her clothes burst off of her body in motes of light to be instantly replaced by a gray bodysuit. Nia twirled in midair as a nonexistent breeze blew her hair around. Black and gold light gathered over her torso before forming into a cropped jacket that only aped at cloth, done up in black and gold..
Wove through the air without her input, black and gold light solidifying over her forearms as hefty gauntlets, orange gems studded on the wrists. Dark gray light swirled around her waist and thighs before hardening into a segmented belt and form-fitting thigh guards. Greaves matching her gloves manifested not a moment later, flowing into rugged boots with gold soles.
Finally the twinning lights curled around her head, congealing into a solid black helm ringed with gold, an amethyst embedded on the forehead. Her hair ran black as though ink had been poured over her scalp, eyes flickering to startling red between blinks. Nia couldn't help a less-than-wholesome grin as the power settled over her with the end of the transformation, arm transforming into a cannon at nothing but a thought. It was a struggle to keep from firing, the strength thrumming right under her skin all but begging her to.
"No consciousness inside? What a gyp!" Nia groused… then paled when she remembered exactly who would've been whispering in her ear. However, sometimes even a sociopathic ally was better than no ally at all.
For all she was alone, she felt ready to take on the world. To show Brockton Bay and Earth Bet just what a Mega Man could do! After all, wasn't she a Chosen One? It didn't matter if this was Earth Bet or the Earth of Megaman ZX.
And that was the end of the transformation because those weren't her thoughts.
There were no dramatics, just a flare of light leaving a suddenly ordinary human swaying on shaky legs. Crashing from that high felt like her insides had been scooped out, the cold biting all that more viciously and her body barely able to hold its weight. It wasn't a physical withdrawal, just her mind trying and failing to cope. The only saving grace was that the transformation was still easy to disengage once she made the decision.
"Right, let's come back to that…" She panted shakily. The Biometal might not have a spirit but it didn't lack the ambition. Now, how about she sent that bundle of mindfuck to the magical land of 'later' and distracted herself with something?
Nia's eyes promptly caught on the wallet left on the couch. Not a moment later, she was rifling through it. According to her cards, she was seventeen and a student at Winslow, joy of joys. A peek through a grimy window told her it was deep in winter and she'd bet anything it was January.
That led her into properly taking in the state of 'her' apartment. Because she was starting to get the sneaking suspicion she was technically squatting.
"Nothing in the fridge…Empty shelves…What the absolute fuck?" She stared at her kitchen in dismay.
How was she supposed to deal with this? She barely had three hundred bucks to her name! She wasn't even eighteen yet! Nia dazedly wandered around the apartment in disbelief. Her old apartment was furnished better than this! Laying on the coffee table was a collection of letters.
Then, of course, because the universe had decided to listen to her pleas for no more mindfuck… memories crashed into her brain. Because fuck her in particular. The only silver lining was that she wasn't knocked for a loop this time.
"The building manager knows I'm here, he's just not a douchebag…" Nia muttered as she parsed through the data. The owner didn't even care and left everything to the manager, Mr. Chen.
Nia had a habit of making lists of the pros and cons in her life. It didn't always make her feel better, but it took the edge off. Enough so that she could think of a better plan than 'scream, then scream louder'.
Among the many pros was that she had powers and the Perks from her character sheet. Most of which were even useful for making money right away. The cons were that she was in Brockton Bay in January of 2011. She didn't have much besides the money in her pocket and metaknowledge, which would only take her so far. The worst part was that she didn't have any protections against Thinkers. Not postcogs, not precogs, not clairvoyants, not analysts. Nothing.
Another positive was that her smartphone still worked. The GPS happily told her everything she needed to know, which left her white as a bedsheet for the second time in maybe twenty minutes. How close to the Docks was this place? Nia could look out the window and see old warehouses. An orphaned white girl this close to ABB territory? Who did she piss off in her last life? Model χ might see use sooner than she thought.
What did her memories say about the neighborhood? Decent enough place in that everyone minded their own business. Poking your nose in someone else's affairs could see it chopped off. No one even gave her a second glance as she walked out of the building and then the block. Everyone was just too busy to pay attention to some nameless girl even if she was a snazzy dresser.
The two main shopping centers mentioned in all Worm stories were Lord's Market and the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk was where people with money went to shop. Nia was looking for a discount store so she was bound for the flea market writ large. They carried just about everything a higher-end store did just cheaper, mostly overstocks or discontinued products. In her past life, she could make a penny stretch until it squealed. This was no different. Hell, the prices were better here than in 2024. She bought some fresh meat but mostly stuck to canned goods and nonperishables. Beans, rice and pasta. Everything went into the ratty bag she'd brought along.
"That should tide me over for now. Ugh, I've got school tomorrow…" Nia realized with a grimace.
The apartment wasn't even that bad all things considered. It was a one-bedroom affair with a decent bathroom. The living area was about average with a small kitchen. About the only thing that needed addressing were the ancient appliances. That was something for future Nia to fret about. For now, they worked and that's all that mattered. Her furniture was all stuff scavenged off of the sidewalk. It was a miracle she didn't have thousands of bedbugs infesting her place.
As she put the groceries away her mind churned over the problem. Tomorrow was a pivotal moment in time. That was the day Taylor Hebert, one of the most comically overbullied girls in recent fiction, would get shoved into a locker full of rancid feminine hygiene products. If she allowed it to happen fate would still need the occasional nudge to make sure the timeline stayed on track. A yawning pit opened in her stomach and bile tickled her throat at the thought.
"No, there has to be a better way. There has to be," She muttered feverishly.
Sacrificing even one person on the altar of the greater good was anathema to her. She wasn't a cold machine of pure logic. Was saving her the best course of action in the long run? Maybe, maybe not, but she just couldn't allow her to suffer. The unsettled feeling receded. Nia took in a cleansing breath before letting it out. Now that her moral dilemma was out of the way it was time to think about how to make some money. The day's shopping trip used over a hundred dollars of her meager funds.
The Biometal was practically burning a hole in her belt. With the power of Model χ she could make a name for herself. She could be a courier with her high mobility options. Maybe she could be a hero? Independent heroes did get to keep some of the money. The thought of joining the Wards passed by without seriously taking hold. The PRT was more full of holes than a sieve. That was when she had a fantastic idea. Why not be an Independent Hero and a courier? That seemed like a sound plan.
Too bad she didn't have a five year old to run her idea past.
AN: Here we are! Another Worm fic? This one is strictly a personal project of mine. I missed writing in this setting and the fic with Nihilo rekindled the old spark. Speaking of Nihilo. He is once again proofreading and editing my shit. Enjoy!
N: I've dialed back the edits a bit here. Mostly extensive rewrites on things that are at 'okay but not great'.
Patreon Note: A shoutout to my friends over on Patreon. The Patreon page is now updated to be even friendlier and clearer than before. Please think about helping me as I've still got lots of bills to pay, a cat to take care of, and not enough money for it all.
Thanks to my Patrons:
Fans
moon.fellow7
mckin102
Intellectuals
the.sleeperdragon
sawpett06
Special Friends
titanicwargod
Last edited:
A Cold Start 1.2
- Location
- PA
A Cold Start 1.2
The best part of waking up was a bracing cold shower.
It would've been even better if it had been voluntary.
The water heater just suddenly gave up while she was cleaning her back. Nia let out a screech that put dog whistles to shame, nearly slipping and cracking her skull. At least it had sure woken her up, given she had spent most of the night trying to make the couch smell of anything but mildew and misery. Not like she had an actual bed. Or anywhere else to sleep but the floor.
"Not like I have the money to do anything about it…" Nia grumbled around her toothbrush, giving the stink eye to her haircut. It wasn't awful but perhaps it hadn't been a great idea to just DIY it when she found a bunch of split ends. A trip to the barber to even it out was in order.
She had other things to worry about than grooming, anxiety swirling up her stomach like a cocktail shaker. Today had the potential to get her on people's radars. Sophia and Emma had a lot of power at Winslow, a completely outsized amount because Wildbow didn't understand how the law works.
Sophia Hess a.k.a. Shadow Stalker was a former vigilante with a hardline stance on crime and a habit of brutalizing criminals who cut a deal to avoid Juvie after crucifying a dude. Her caseworker must be sleeping on the job, or just not care, because Miss Hess was a bully even in civilian life. Winslow High protected her because she was a track star and brought in extra money from the Wards. A junior division of the Parahuman Response Team's governmentally sponsored superheroes, the Protectorate.
Emma Barnes was a junior model and the former best friend of Taylor. Nowadays she was Taylor's chief psychological torture technician, unscrupulous enough to use anything and everything the girl she grew up alongside told her in confidence. Nia could cut her some slack for the horrific shit she experienced over a year ago, coming within a hair's breadth of being raped and disfigured by a few Azn Bad Boys gangers. The choice of turning on her friend had ultimately been hers, trauma only excused so much.
Madison Clements was just kind of there. Nia knew of her, and some of the contributions she made to Taylor's suffering, but she just wasn't relevant. She was tiny, cute, and used that to get away with petty stuff. Today's torturefest would be that one step too far, the point of no return.
Now if the law was working as it should a full investigation would be done. Witnesses would be questioned. Then when Sophia's name came up someone would contact the PRT. From there an in-house investigation would be performed and the angry little ball of hate would be sent to Juvie at a minimum. Emma Barnes and Madison Clements would be charged as co-conspirators. Taylor and her father, Daniel Hebert, would have a sizable reward from the resulting lawsuit or at least a generous settlement.
"But in Wildbow's world, all the authorities are corrupt, self-serving assholes even when it doesn't make a lick of sense. No, especially when it doesn't make sense," Nia spat out her toothpaste and spite into the sink.
Nia sighed through her nose. If she went into this thinking it was impossible then it would be. She spent some time box breathing, like her friend Nihilo mentioned that one time, to calm herself. This wasn't an impossible task. Fight smarter, not harder. Sun Tsu certainly applied. If you knew the enemy and knew yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. She had to use her metaknowledge to its fullest extent.
The first thing she had to do was get to Winslow before school opened, which was why her alarm had been set a whole two hours earlier than any sane teen's. She needed to get there and set up with her smartphone. Nia planned on recording the events leading up to the locker before jumping in to stop it. They would have the Devil's own time to make it go away and she wasn't about to pull her punches. Besides it would also be a good test for one of her Perks: [Passing Through!].
Brockton Bay was still dark this early in the morning, only bums, homeless people and a special breed of fitness nut out and about. Nia paid none of them any mind, running along the fastest path to Winslow High. That being a straight line by writ of parkour, because streets were for people with time. What would've been half an hour of walking turned into maybe ten minutes of jumping and tumbling. The Perk's wording didn't do it justice, especially when propped up by [The Next Step in Evolution] leaving her at peak fitness for her height and weight.
She didn't even stop at Winslow's gate, not when she could just barely make out Taylor's personal torture team malingering around the doorway proper. Thankfully, her parkour skills were pretty much a formality when it came to slipping into the school. A high jump off a convenient bench had her past the fence, then all it took was climbing through a window with a broken latch. The only challenge had been remaining unnoticed by various flavors of junior ganger.
"Mission accomplished," Nia whispered, humming Final Fantasy's victory fanfare under her breath purely because she could. Despite that, the door didn't instantly open and give away the game. That alone made her worry. She could feel Murphy breathing down her neck. The plan was simple and straightforward enough, but if something went wrong? No time to do anything about it.
Even without her metaknowledge of the floor and number of the locker, she would've found it by smell alone. That was with only a few gaps through the metal for the tribute to Nurgle to leak out into the air and floor, Nia wasn't at all looking forward to it opening. Still, she soldiered on, taping her smartphone to the ceiling, it took some finagling but a broken security camera gave her the perfect setup.
…Wait. Why was she even trying to catch the Bitches Three in the act? She just needed to get the janitor here and sort this out, simply because that'd keep an innocent girl from going into toxic shock and needing years of therapy. Not that she didn't already.
Trying to find a janitor in a school building shouldn't be difficult. Alas, Winslow wasn't anywhere near so kind, so after about ten minutes Nia gave up and just started trying to get a teacher to follow her. Except she was known around school as the orphaned, notoriously poor, girl on the fringe of society. Teachers just blew her off because she didn't have proof. Saying that something smelled like rotten tampons wasn't enough.
"Please! I'm not joking! This is serious!" Nia pleaded with Mr. Gladly. The guy was a former jock who had never outgrown his need for highschool popularity. The sort of teacher who cared more about making friends with the students than actually getting anything done.
"Are you saying the smell is coming from Miss Hebert's locker? I'll have someone look into it," He said earnestly and walked away. Nia was almost convinced, except she didn't trust the set of his eyes when he'd said that.
"Look into it? When?" Nia pressed, some of her frustration leaking into her voice as she trailed after him. She winced even before Mr Gladly turned around, knowing she'd fucked up. No teacher enjoyed snarky and emotional teenagers pestering them.
"Whenever I can. If you have time to run around before class, you have time to check your homework or something," He retorted with a scoff, leaving the conversation dead and buried.
Nia checked her watch as more students started to fill the halls before booking it back to Taylor's locker. This whole sidequest was worse than useless, it took her away from the locker for too long! By the time she arrived, it was almost too late. There was a ring of students around the open locker already, a skinny girl with long dark hair and glasses in the center, doubled over as her breakfast took its leave.
Beside her was a black girl with an athletic build, eyes alight with malicious glee. Sophia. Nia shoved through the crowd with desperate strength and burst out in the center, making to grab Taylor's arm only for a violent shoulder check to knock the wind from her sails.
"What the fuck ya doin', huh? Stay the fuck back!" Sophia barked, delivering an elbow to Nia's chest that sent the smaller girl to the ground, vision darkening around the edges.
This wasn't exactly how Nia wanted this to go down, but it would do. If Sophia was busy beating her up, she wasn't shoving Taylor in the locker. A foolproof plan, her rattled and oxygen starved brain assured.
Then Emma shoved the girl who had once been her sister in all but blood into the locker with both hands. Nia could hear the bang as the brunette's head struck the back of the locker just before the door slammed shut.
"Stay in the trash where you belong, you worm!" Emma called out tauntingly.
As for Sophia? She was none too happy about someone daring to help Taylor. The blows kept on raining down on Nia's prone figure, carefully aimed to cause maximum pain but minimal bruising. Even now she was acting as though it was possible to explain this away, to tuck everything under the proverbial rug. The worst part was? Hess was right. No one gave a shit what happened here.
Taylor's frightened screams were just barely heard over the blood pounding in her ears, building in pitch until they were a drill through her eardrums. Red swallowed her sight, bathing everything in bloody light. Drowning out the pain.
Replacing it with a very different burn.
Sophia, like most bullies, was far from prepared for a victim putting up a real fight. Nia's rising skull sunk into her solar plexus hard enough to make spittle fly out of the Ward's mouth. That was all she needed, a bony hand gripping the track star's face and the other her waist, keeping the momentum as she tackled the little monster to the ground.
She did not let go, fingers digging into the skin around her eyes and cheeks. Nia was straddling the bully now, lifting her head only to crash it into the tiles.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
"Pleasepleaseplease!" The desperate whimpering coming from the locker was the only thing that gave her pause, made her realize Hess had been knocked out cold already. Distantly, Nia registered someone hammering at her back. A sharp elbow to their gut handily solved that.
"Get a fuckin' teacher! For the love of GOD get a fuckin' teacher NOW!" Nia snarled harshly, trying and failing to reign herself back in with box breathing as she rose. Slowly, the red tinting her sight faded away… and with it her strength, her legs giving out and leaving her kneeling next to her handiwork.
Almost an hour later and there was still a lot to go over. One of the teachers called 911 to take Taylor to the hospital. She spent less than ten minutes in the Biohazard Locker, but the paramedics still had to sedate her. Even just getting in the ambulance was triggering a flashback.
Sophia had no such problems, by dint of the Sandman not having bothered opening the sack to send her to lalaland. A cracked skull would do that to you, although it had probably saved her from any permanent damage by handling the swelling. Maybe. Nia wasn't a neurologist.
Emma was telling anyone who would listen that she was innocent, her friends were innocent, and anyone who said otherwise was lying. Trying to barricade her ginger tush, pretty much.
Nia simply pointed the nice detective who came for her statement towards her phone. Which left her sitting in the Principal's office with an officer guarding the door and the aforementioned detective looking like he needed ten cups of coffee and a pound of pre-workout.
"Let me get this straight…You arrived at school at around 7:00 am. While walking around you smelled something off from one of the lockers. Instead of immediately telling a teacher you set up your camera to record. Why?" Detective Jameson asked, sounding perfectly neutral. He was a nondescript man with faint stubble and a trench coat, almost like he had stepped out of a television serial. He even had the iconic mini-notebook.
"Because I know how the administration likes to ignore what's going on. The locker belongs to a frequent target of bullying, Taylor Hebert. It doesn't matter what anyone says, nothing gets done. I just thought maybe I could catch the morons returning to the scene of the crime," Nia said, perhaps more defensively than she should. Her head was pounding, but she would be damned if this didn't get addressed now.
"So how do you know this girl by name?" The detective asked, his only reaction to her comments being a faint frown and some scribbling.
"I don't know her personally. It was seriously messed up stuff. Always harassing her and stuff. Then it started to get worse. More violent. The past month and a half they stopped. That should've been a good sign, but…I'm used to things getting worse around here. Not better," She explained with a wince. There was some bruising but it was all under her clothes. Something internal might be bruised too. Hell, Nia should be getting checked out at the hospital herself, but she had to do this. She had to get this out in the open.
"So you saw this and decided to just hang up your camera to catch them?" He sounded incredulous. It was a bizarre claim and he was right to be suspicious. "Why did it have to be you?" Another good question given what he knew of the facts.
She wasn't in any state to play speed chess. Hell, Nia wasn't even up to a game of checkers right now. The detective was asking all the right questions to poke holes in her story. He had the proof on her phone. If it was her, she would be wondering if maybe Nia knew about it and got cold feet. Time to roll the dice and lay her cards on the table.
Nia was pretty sure she mixed that up somehow, but she was lightheaded enough she had to ration her brainpower.
"It shouldn't have been me. God above it shouldn't have been up to me. I couldn't find the janitor. The teachers weren't listening to me. Hell, Mr. Gladly told me that if I've got time to make up stories I should just do my homework. No one took me seriously. I went back to try and warn Taylor, but I was too late. There were so many people just standing around… they were the ones doing nothing, Detective Jameson. They watched it all go down. You've got the evidence… now you do something," She shook her head tiredly before resting her chin on folded arms, the twinges of pain in her torso weren't enough to keep Nia from taking this small rest. She grappled for her focus as a man does with a bar of soap in the prison shower, with about the same results.
Detective Jameson finally seemed to notice this. His lips thinned with displeasure as he turned towards the officer. "What the Hell? Didn't the EMTs check this girl out?"
"Uh, no sir…She didn't look hurt…" The bewildered officer said, shifting uncomfortably.
"Great," The detective muttered disgustedly, turning back to Nia, "Hey kid. You still with us?"
"Yeah," She all but grunted. The happy juice was going away and the twinges brought friends.
"Why didn't you tell the paramedics you were hurting?" He asked.
"Had to get the story out… couldn't let them sweep this under the rug again…" Here came the sleepy sleepy. The sleepy sleepy always came after the adrenaline and joy juice totally crapped out.
"Damn thick-headed… c'mon," Detective Jameson grunted irritably, walking her right out of the office. Principal Blackwell told her she was suspended, but the detective growled right over her. She fled back to the office with her tail between her legs. The gruff guy, despite his displeasure, took his time so that Nia could keep up. She wanted to ask him why he was doing this. This went against much of what she knew of Worm. The words just wouldn't come.
"You've done enough. Time to let the adults handle things," he said. For a moment she thought he tipped his hat at her, but he wasn't wearing one.
Maybe this world wasn't as broken as she thought.
AN: I can't make this too easy. There has to be some conflict, right? I also wanted to avoid Wildbow's 'worldbuilding' where authorities are concerned. He doesn't seem to understand how the law works. Yes, it can be corrupt and self-serving. The problem I have is that every authority figure is corrupt, incompetent, and out for themselves in his universe. No exception. So excuse me why I celebrate what made the web serial interesting and toss out the dross.
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A Cold Start 1.3
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A Cold Start 1.3
The most unbelievable part of all this was that the police didn't try to hold her. Self-defense should've only gone so far. Did having evidence of Sophia, Emma, and Madison's crime actually help? She knew that law regarding self-defense also covered when someone was acting in the defense of another, except a sane and rational justice system flew in the face of what she knew about Wildbow.
"Take these if the pain is too much," The hospital pharmacist said as he handed Nia a bottle of Tylenol-3. It was only a couple of pills.
"Yeah, I'll do that," Nia promised. How does one explain that because of a Perk, and her own native pain tolerance, a couple of cracked ribs weren't too bad? She would take them for the pain, but only if it was really bad.
"Kids today thinkin' they're immortal," The older guy shook his head. "Well get goin'. Next!" He called out.
Nia chuckled without humor, pushing away the dark feelings that dredged up with the ease of long practice. The hospital checked her out and found, surprise surprise, cracked ribs. Sophia must've really lost her temper if she got sloppy like that. The X-rays were tagged and bagged for the police as part of the investigation. Of course, now she had to make her way home somehow. Her phone was in evidence and she wasn't too familiar with the bus schedule on this side of town.
"Hey, kid!" A voice called out, its owner leaning against a familiar car right outside the hospital, rubbing his neck absently. Detective Jameson had arrived on the scene… which, understandably, sent her anxiety into the stratosphere.
"Detective Jameson?" Nia didn't mean to sound so confused or weak, but the tremor in her voice was a treacherous bastard.
"Yeah, listen, I had the guys copy the video. Here's your phone," He said, pulling out the item in question from that fancy coat of his.
"Already? I thought it would take longer if I got it back at all," Nia remarked, not feeling any less confused for all her anxiety eased down a little.
"The higher-ups want this case cleared fast so I made use of that," Jameson replied with a shrug, although the way he was looking around and fidgeting said he was embarrassed about something.
"Tell it to me straight. How does it look?" She tried to say jokingly, although her preemptive grimace rather shot that in the foot. As soon as he said the guys upstairs wanted this done fast? The fix was in.
"Well between your video and a witness who came forward… it's looking pretty good," The detective said without a single trace of sugar-coating. He was serious.
Nia's jaw dropped. "A witness…besides me?"
"Try not to let it get around, okay? Hey, here's my number. Somebody might be around to collect another statement. Don't argue, don't agree to anything, but be cooperative. If they do try to push, just record them. Call me right after. Got it?" Detective Jameson looked her square in the eyes.
Nia was already nodding before she realized what was happening. "You got it, Detective."
"C'mon, let me give you a ride home," He offered, patting his car on the side.
There wasn't much talking once they were both in, mostly on account of Nia being lost in her head. She had to stop thinking about Wildbow. This was a living, breathing world. He wasn't some all-knowing god but a guy who had a cool idea. If she didn't get that through her skull then stuff like a genuinely nice and helpful detective would keep blindsiding her!
Only the car's engine stopping pulled her out of her thoughts. They were already here, parked in front of her building. The look on Detective Jameson's face said it all. This was anything but a good neighborhood, so it wasn't surprising when he double checked to make sure she had his number. Or his reluctance driving away.
Nia let out a weary sigh and winced as something twinged. Climbing the stairs to her apartment was going to be so much fun.
"Okay. Being a Chosen One is really kinda busted," Nia noted as she walked through the door.
She was at the human peak in physical ability. That didn't make the pain magically not matter, but it meant she could handle it better… that still didn't mean she wanted to climb three full flights of stairs with cracked ribs every day. Point in case, she had to pop her meds the moment she closed the door behind her.
That left her to sprawl on the couch and ponder. [The Next Step in Evolution] promised that she would not only be an exceptional human specimen but also amazing in one specific thing. The Perk wasn't fully set just yet, leaving her to decide right now what specialization she should take.
"What would help me the most…? Duh. Technology! I have the Buster Pistol that might need repairs. Specializing in tech could also help me figure out if my phone's been sabotaged…" Nia eyed her phone suspiciously, "Tech Specialization it is!" She decided without another thought.
Which she regretted immediately.
Whoever was in charge of her bloody Isekai needed a kick in the balls. Nia's eyesight checked out of the building as pressure surged in her skull, visions like a fever dream bombarding her mind. Schematics flashed through her brain as she witnessed the birth of robotics at the hands of Thomas Light and Albert Wiley. The miracles they accomplished as the two greatest minds of their generation, forever carving their names in history as the fathers of innovation. Dr. Light might have had more acclaim for building robots to aid humanity, but Dr. Wiley pioneered combat droids. She could see it all so clearly.
If that was all Nia would have been blessed indeed despite the literally blinding skull pain.
The problem was that the knowledge would not stop. A hundred years after Dr. Light's death was when his last creation, Mega Man X, was unsealed. He was discovered by an archaeologist named Dr. Cain who, with X's aid, went on to create Reploids. Droids based on what they understood of X's programming. She also had the knowledge of how Dr. Wiley created Zero. his greatest creation and the one destined to destroy all Light built. Ironically enough, Zero got brain damage shortly after waking up and decided to be part of the solution.
She witnessed everything, every idea, every blueprint, every accident.
It did not stop.
Nia was at the Mega Man Zero years and rapidly approaching ZX. The advances in robotics were still significant but not as earth-shattering as before… right up until certified super-genius Ciel created the first Biometal. The things that went into that feat alone tied Nia's brain into knots, cluster migraines blooming and slithering through her skull.
She drowned in the data before it abruptly stopped in much the way a falling body stops as it meets the ground.
Nia awakened to an aching skull and an artful spread of dried vomit on her face, couch and floor. Yay. More cleaning to do while her scrambled brain tried and failed to sort itself out. Should… shouldn't there have been safeguards in place? These were supposed to be Jumpchain Perks. They shouldn't hurt her unless she took a Drawback for that.
…This wasn't a Jumpchain so did that mean nothing was Fiat Backed? Was she giving herself like microstrokes or something equally horrible? If only her head would stop pounding for long enough to string two thoughts together.
…Wait.
"Is that my fuckin' door?" Nia groaned.
The less said about how she fumbled and tumbled out of the dirty couch and into some semblance of presentable, the better. Man, oh man, but her cracked ribs resented her for passing out while sitting up. Just… one foot in front of the other. All she had to do was reach the door and the pounding would stop. One foot in front of the other. Someone was calling her name. It sounded familiar but she was having trouble placing the voice. One foot in front of the other…
Nia bonked into the door.
"Groovy," She muttered, flailing like a beached fish at the door until she managed to get it open.
Leaving her face to face with Detective Jameson. Because of course it would be the one person she couldn't just tell to fuck off.
"Why are you here?" Nia demanded, only to wince the moment the words registered. That was way too blunt.
"I tried calling you over an hour ago, apparently so did the school. Even sent someone over to talk to you, but they said you weren't answering. I came as fast as I could." He said before stopping to look at her. Now he was the one wincing, "...Good thing I did, too. Damn, but you look rough, kid. Did they at least check your head at the hospital? Is it a concussion?"
A self-inflicted concussion, but Nia couldn't exactly tell him that.
"Not a concussion. Just overextended myself and well… the Tylenol-3's made me feel really good and I fell asleep sitting up…" Nia grimaced as her ribs bitched some more about that. It took her a moment to realize the Detective was getting a long look inside the apartment. She closed the door a little to break line of sight, but it was a token effort at best.
"Okay. I'll let you get back to sleep," He said, eyes entirely too sharp.
With that and a 'request' she call him if something came up, he finally left. Nia was pretty sure she'd be getting a panic attack by now if she didn't feel like death warmed over. Trying to figure out why he kept checking on her could wait until later. Much later.
Then she checked her phone and her heart just about jumped out of her mouth. She had been out cold for a whole fucking day. Only box breathing and being hungry enough she was woozy kept her from losing it.
Thankfully, she actually had some food in the fridge, so she managed to not faint from not having eaten in twenty-four hours and vomiting everything before that. Which meant she could make some actual food without being a fire hazard.
"Fuck me sideways. Okay, I slept a whole day after getting my brain nuked. I shouldn't have felt pain from something a Perk gave me. Ergo I must assume that nothing is fiat-backed since this isn't a Jumpchain. Adding to the problem is that I'm gonna need to keep my stuff maintained. On the plus side, I know machines and robotics through the 26th century. The negative side is that, while I can use much of it, I don't have the money. We're right back to where we started from…" Nia grumbled as she kicked around her Broke Ass Stir Fry. Which was just regular stir fry but with dollar store ingredients.
At least she had a better goal than just survival. Do the whole parahuman courier thing to earn money to gain resources, which could be finessed into more money and more resources. That and keeping herself visible and helpful would give her enough good publicity, which would snowball in its own way.
And she was already off to a great start in being helpful, just ask Taylor. Shoved into the locker because Nia tried to be clever. According to Wildbow, it was the Simurgh, smartest of the Endbringers, who manipulated events to create Khepri.
There could hardly be a Khepri if Taylor didn't trigger. With the Simurgh's bullshit precognitive powers, it would know what Nia was doing and arrange things accordingly. But that didn't absolve Nia of responsibility. She had decided, of her own free will, to enact the plan. The Winged One didn't hold a gun to her head, or use her Song to arrange things.
So she had to make amends.
But the world didn't move in lockstep with her, so there was nothing to do for now but scarf up her food and test the Biometal some more.
"Might as well see what would happen if I Megamerge while injured…" Nia was justifiably hesitant to do so without a doctor on hand, but she didn't exactly know anyone who she could trust to keep their mouth shut.
She set up her camera to capture how long the transformation took… after going with a fine toothed comb to remove any spyware on it. Good news was that there was none from when it had cooled its heels at the precinct, bad news was that the amount of shovelware stealing her data was ridiculous. At least that was all sorted out now.
Which meant she couldn't stall any longer.
She set up her camera to capture how long the transformation took. Of course, this was after making sure no one left any viruses, bugs, or the like on her phone. While she couldn't use her full tech knowledge yet, this much was trivial. Nia brought out the Biometal hesitantly. Either the transformation would fix her injuries, exacerbate them, or simply hold them in abeyance. Ciel never got around to testing that.
"Here goes…" Nia clutched the Biometal tight and yelled 'Rock On!' in her mind. It didn't work. The only silver lining was that saying it under her breath did, so stealth wasn't dead in a ditch.
Just like that, her injuries didn't hurt in the slightest anymore, although she was pretty sure they were still there. Less welcome was how her thoughts immediately turned to the one who had given her them. She should've finished Sophia o–
"Fuck! Okay…Hyper aggression? No, this isn't really aggression. More like I believe she deserves to hurt for crossing me…that no one should cross me. I am beyond their comprehension…! Wait. Simple megalomania? That's boring! Where's the pizazz? The uniqueness? A standard God Complex is simply too… simple!" Nia flailed her arms before crossing them in a fit of pique.
Of all the mental disorders to get this wasn't the worst, it was only tapping into the darkness she normally suppressed. Hopefully she could turn this understanding into control.
Then someone knocked on the door and she just about blasted a hole through it with her arm cannon.
Suffice to say, she dropped the transformation immediately.
All of the suppressed pain came roaring back, black encroaching on the edges of her vision as she nearly collapsed to the floor. Nia only remained on her feet by writ of stubbornness and spite, grimacing the whole way to the door. Whoever it was better have a damn good reason for this! The frustrated girl yanked open the door only to pause in bafflement.
Who the hell was this overweight ginger?
"What," Nia didn't make it a question so much as a demand. The only ginger that might have a beef with her was Alan Barnes, but there was no way a lawyer would be so stupid as to show up at a witness' apartment…
"Alan Barnes. Emma Barnes' father. I want you to call off whatever vendetta you have. The evidence is clearly on our side in this. Excessive force at a minimum. I could sue you for intentionally inflicting disfiguring injuries on a minor," Alan kept his tone level but it was clear he was livid, red mottling his cheeks.
Nia dearly wanted to repeat her question, because what.
Silently, woodenly, she pulled out her phone while keeping eye contact. A click and the guy's picture was taken. Then she dialed the good Detective's personal number. Mr. Barnes may've slapped the phone out of her hand if he wasn't busy being caught completely flatfooted at her reaction.
"Hey, Detective Jameson? You wanted me to call if anything happened? Yeah, I've got Emma's daddy at my door trying to threaten me with a lawsuit. I took a picture of the idiot standing here," Nia deadpanned.
"There is no way…" Alan started to say, but she wasn't finished. She turned the phone towards him to show that it was on speaker.
"Tell him to leave right now. If he's lucky he can make it home before I get there to question him," Jameson all but spat, rustling cloth and jingling keys heard clearly through the phone. The less said about the smile on Nia's face, the better.
Alan fled as if the hounds of Hell were nipping at his heels. For a hefty guy, he sure could move. She waited until he turned the corner before saying into the phone, "Are you actually coming here?"
"Yeah, just let me get my car keys," He replied.
"Those weren't your keys?" She asked.
"I like to check on the dogs at the kennel. See you in fifteen." He said before hanging up.
Detective Jameson, or Dan when he was off the clock, showed up nearly twenty minutes later. He brought with him some boxes of food that he claimed were cluttering up his pantry. Nia politely ignored the register tape at the bottom of one.
They just… hung out. Ate the food, had the photo passed over with a promise to nail Alan's ass to the wall, chatted. Then Dan took his leave an hour later, but not before a whole lot of asking after her health and some toothless grumbling about teens that piped down when Nia opened the fridge to show that yes. She had actually bought groceries worth a damn.
If he was trying to make himself look like a good guy? It was working.
"My advice? Don't go back to school for a few days," He said at the door.
"I thought I was already suspended," Nia remarked incredulously.
"You are. Don't go back to school," Dan reiterated.
Something else was going on here and she didn't like the implications. Did someone think she Triggered too? What was going on here? She could try to investigate it herself but used her one-time Expertise coupon on science and wasn't getting a spydrone anytime soon. All the same to her, she had other things to do now. It was time to test her powers under live conditions…
…when her ribs weren't so tender.
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done twice a week on Monday and Friday after this. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and eventually A Light into the Future.
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Important Announcement
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- PA
It looks like I'm being evicted from my apartment effective Dec 2. I just didn't have enough money to make it. I just don't know what to do. For now I'll try to continue writing and praying for kindness. That and trying to find a place to move to. Which is difficult since my only income is Patreon.
A Cold Start 1.4
- Location
- PA
A Cold Start 1.4
Day four of her time on Earth Bet started with a wonderful discovery: She healed fast. Her ribs were tender when she woke up, but not actually in pain anymore. The bruises were starting to clear up, for all the yellow splotches looked awful. Of course, there was the issue of explaining her miraculous recovery. The doctor would know how badly she was hurt. So would Detective Jameson. For anyone else, she could downplay just how bad it was, but they would know.
"Wait… was I already showing signs of fast healing?" Nia wondered. She never had cracked ribs before so she didn't exactly have any prior experience to call onto. A quick search of the internet showed that it should take six weeks or more to recover. During that time she shouldn't even be able to walk upright, if at all.
…
Everyone at the hospital, plus the detective, definitely knew something was up. At least there was doctor-patient confidentiality. Not so much between a person of interest and an investigator.
…What a nice day outside! It'd be great to go for a wal– ah, right, she was a schoolgirl. Truancy officers. They wouldn't care that she was suspended. Looked like she would be sitting her ass on the couch, letting her torso keep limping along to recovery, and browsing on her phone.
If she was going to throw her hat in the ring, she'd like to know who might give her an elbow drop from the top rope. Luckily she had her handy dandy smartphone!
Brockton Bay was a melting pot of all races, creeds, and religions. It had big-city aspirations with a small city's population. This made it less a melting pot and more of a powder keg, even before you accounted for it being the highest cape per capita in the East Coast. Or how it was a rotting carcass now thanks to the protest at Lord's Port creating the Boat Graveyard and thoroughly killing nearly all maritime commerce.
Nobody wanted to throw good money after bad. Much less when that bad involved inexhaustible legions of Brutes, Shakers, Blasters and Movers from the endless violence and death the city was drowning in.
There were three main gangs, four if one counted the PRT, operating in the city. The largest and most influential was the Empire 88, modern day Nazis with a cape roster outnumbering the Brockton Bay Protectorate. Outgunning them too, given just how dangerous their heavy hitters were. One of them, Purity, was a Mover/Blaster with energy blasts that could mow down buildings. She was trying to go it alone as an independent hero now, but Nia counted her anyway. Mostly because the leader of the gang, Kaiser, was her ex-husband and had enough leverage to blackmail her back into the fold.
Then there were their attack dogs. Hookwolf, Stormtiger and Cricket. Experienced pit fighters who all had a penchant for turning people into pulled pork, if in very different ways. Hookwolf in particular had a rap-sheet a mile long and had escaped Birdcage transport multiple times.
"Yeah…The roster is the same. That's not encouraging," Nia grunted. At least Night and Fog were listed as being in Boston, small mercies. Fog could take the form of hazardous gas clouds and his wife, Night, could transform into an unstoppable killing machine when out of line of sight. Frightening synergy.
The Azn Bad Boyz, or ABB, didn't need much introduction. At this point, there were just two Capes: Oni Lee and Lung (or Lóng, if you were willing to give him any respect). Oni Lee was a weird teleporter-duplicator. Whenever he teleported, an ash clone was left behind with a copy of his gear… which he leveraged by carrying a whole bandolier of grenades. Lung was the leader with the ability to turn into a huge pyrokinetic, regenerating dragon over the course of a battle. Which had let him bully Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Mongolian and more into playing nice together instead of following millennia of blood feuds.
Soon Lung would go and recruit a recently triggered woman who called herself Bakuda, a bomb Tinker who debuted by threatening to turn her university into a parking lot with the press of a button for cheating her out of her grades. She would, if things went as canon, go on to strap down men and women into an operating table to put bombs in their skulls to ensure compliance and run a campaign of terror across Brockton Bay. Everything from transmuting a whole building and everyone in it to glass to locking victims into time loop bubbles was at her fingertips and she wasn't shy about putting it to use.
Finally, there were the Merchants. Skidmark, Mush, and Squealer were the more well-known of their gang. Mush could use trash to create a suit of weird garbage power armor. Skidmark used his power to make lines of force that could rapidly accelerate or decelerate whatever hit them. He could layer the effects too. Squealer was a Tinker with a penchant for making really ugly, but brutally effective, armored vehicles. Just because they were drug addicts and a joke to other capes didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
Faultline's Crew was a group of mercenaries who didn't always work in Brockton Bay. Since they would only fight for pay, Nia didn't include them in her assessment. The Undersiders weren't a gang by modern standards and mostly stole from other villains. That would change later, but Nia was getting ahead of herself.
"Focus, dammit…" Nia groaned and popped a painkiller to ease the ache in her sides.
Uber and Leet were a gamer duo whose crimes involved acting out videogames in real life for YouTube content. Uber could master any skill until he picked a different one. Why he didn't just pick multitasking and try to break his power boggled the mind. She was not making the suggestion. Nia used to have a fanon belief that Uber and Leet were just fun loving guys. Then she actually read the source material and not just fanfiction. They were malicious assholes. Leet's power, despite what fanon thought, wasn't trying to kill him. He didn't have a Tinker specialization so his power had a unique drawback instead. Anything he tried to duplicate had an increasing chance of failure. This included specific parts and not just completed works.
"Was that it or is that my interpretation? I can't remember. Skip it until it becomes relevant," she waved it off.
The PRT was a heroes for hire business that supposedly regulated parahumans. They seemed more concerned with maintaining the status quo, selling merchandise, and making things harder for unaffiliated Capes. Now Nia knew just why that was, especially in Brockton Bay, and that was because of a group called Cauldron. This is where her metaknowledge of the setting came in handy. Cauldron was conducting this weird social experiment called parahuman feudalism. It wasn't illogical, but Cauldron was artificially creating the circumstances. There was nothing natural or organic about it. They were the ones manipulating everything behind the scenes to kill off the first parahuman, Scion. In reality, Scion was Zion, an entity from beyond the stars, who was a very real threat to every parallel Earth in the cluster.
"Skip it until it becomes relevant…" Nia rolled her eyes. There was a reason she didn't take Tylenol-3s or other painkillers stronger than a basic Tylenol. She had a decent pain threshold and almost no tolerance for painkillers. That meant she always got the full effect of strong drugs. This was messing with her head badly.
Nia put her phone on the charger, made some lunch, and crashed out on the couch. That was enough internet for today.
"How am I gonna deal with Coil?" Nia wondered.
She always had trouble sleeping. The usual cause was when important issues suddenly grabbed her skull and screamed for attention. This wasn't something she could put off until later. Coil was a boogeyman this early in the timeline. A villain with the ability to simulate two timelines and keep trying until his scheme worked. Didn't they only happen when he was sleeping or something? Anyway, it made him difficult to deal with. Unless he could be forced to check in both timelines simultaneously. She didn't have anything that could lock him down yet. The beginnings of a plan nibbled at her brain as she passed out on the couch.
Someone was rap rap rapping on her chamber door.
The phone said she was asleep for less than thirty minutes. Who dared disturb the salty one's slumber? Nia dragged her weary body to the door and opened it with a perfunctory, "What?"
Standing on the other side was a woman in a blazer, blouse, skirt and low-heeled black shoes. She reeked of government. Nia instantly hated her and attempted to shut the door, but the woman stuck her foot out.
"Nia Drakona? My name is Amelia Grange. I'm Sophia Hess' caseworker. Just answer my questions and I'll leave you alone," she said quickly.
"Your foot is in my door. Move it," Nia said flatly.
"If you don't talk to me then I'll talk to the owner. I wonder how he would feel about having someone squatting in one of his apartments?" Miss Grange threatened.
"Fuck this shit…" Nia dialed Detective Jameson and left it on speakerphone.
"Jameson," the tired voice of the detective came out of the phone. Miss Grange looked confused.
"Detective Jameson? This is Nia. I have some woman in a government suit here threatening me with eviction. She says she's Hess' caseworker. I have you on speakerphone," Nia said.
"Miss Grange? I told you to leave this to the police. Now get out of there! I'm calling your superior. And if anything happens to that girl's housing I'll run you in for interfering in an investigation and intimidating a witness!" he barked.
"Thank you, Detective Jameson," Nia said politely before hanging up.
"I have a right to question you," the woman insisted.
"Goodbye, Miss Grange," Nia snarked before shutting the door hard. Too bad the brazen woman got her foot out of the way in time.
When no one pounded on the door again, Nia let herself relax. Despite how it appeared the woman rattled her. She was always afraid of losing her housing in her old life. That same fear carried over to here where she had even less legal right to be in this apartment. Was it too unrealistic to expect that people wouldn't pressure her? This was almost cartoonish levels of pressure! Wasn't it? Nia checked the peephole and bit back a curse. Miss Grange was still at the door talking to someone on her phone. It didn't take long to find out who she called. Mr. Chen arrived. The smarmy bitch looked so smug as the building manager knocked. Grange stepped to the side just out of sight. Nia opened the door again after a round of box breathing.
"Mr. Chen? What's up?" Nia asked.
"Mr. Edwards found out that you're staying here. He asked if you've paid any rent. I'm sorry, but I had to tell him the truth," Mr. Chen said miserably. He was an Asian man with a New England accent. The third generation in Brockton Bay.
"How did he take it?" Nia sighed. Here it comes.
"He's giving you until April to pay the back rent from September until now," Mr. Chen replied. A sudden intake of air gave away the nasty woman's position. She must've been surprised to hear that. Nia was surprised too.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen. I'll get right on that," Nia promised. That was at least three months. She could handle that. The rent for the apartment was four hundred dollars a month. Not a small sum, but nowhere near impossible. With her talents it was doable.
"I hope you feel better soon," he lightly cuffed her good shoulder before walking away. Nia quickly shut the door again before that idiot got any ideas.
She also reported it to Detective Jameson. This just wasn't Miss Amelia Grange's day.
"What the absolute fuck is going on here?" Nia was wide awake now. So much was happening and it wasn't adding up. She needed to take a step back and think.
This wasn't how things worked in Worm. Problems came up, the people in power ignored it, shit boiled over and the victim gets blamed. Lather, rinse, repeat. Hell, this was borderline outlandish for where she came from! She beat a girl's head into the linoleum. That would usually warrant some investigation. Issues were being dealt with as soon as they developed. Hence why she felt suspicious. Detective Jameson was most definitely a part of that, but there was only so much he could do. Whose radar was she on now? It can't be the PRT, or else Miss Grange wouldn't have been here. Then again, it might be some sort of bluff. Maybe it's Coil? Could be Cauldron for all she knew! How did Contessa's power even work anyhow? She might meet the criteria for something. That's it! It's a Ziz plot!
"Gotta stop now or I'm gonna have a whole wall of crazy by dinnertime…" She dragged a hand down her face in frustration.
She had to assume they had her under surveillance. Who "they" were was currently unknown. It was best to take no chances. That meant trying to visit Taylor was out. What that also meant is she couldn't go out to find work in her hero identity. That's when Nia smacked herself in the face again.
"I'm overthinking things. First thing I need to do is get myself certified as a cape. Then figure out how to market my services…" Nia paused. The expected mindfuck didn't happen. She did get a brain jolt but it was from information she already had. Amusingly, [Defend Your Delivery] also gave her the information for starting up a business.
Researching parahuman business law was a pain in the ass. She didn't want to surf the web more today, but it needed to be done. Survival trumped little things like being tired or frustrated. Just because she knew how to start a business, didn't mean she understood the intricacies of Earth Beth's backward system. That was until she got to the NEPEA-5 and realized it probably wasn't so backward. She went into this with a fanon grasp of how it worked, but her moral indignation was misplaced. What it actually seemed to say was that parahumans could not, through direct or indirect action, take over a specific market. It was a parahuman antitrust law. Nia stared at the ceiling for several long minutes contemplating that. She could be a parahuman courier as long as she didn't freeze out the competition.
Mind. Blown.
"Of course if a Parahuman has an ability that lets them predict the stock market it would need regulation. It's not fair to the Cape, but it's even less fair to the people who aren't so blessed…" She was forced to stare at her own prejudice with a clear head for once. Nia was just so used to shitting on Wildbow's crazy and nonsensical world building. This was throwing her expectations through the ringer.
Did Wildbow's shitty worldbuilding actually make sense?
"Pffft…Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. Just because it's laid out all nice and neat here doesn't mean it's the same in execution," she scolded herself.
All the information she needed was on the PRT website. In order to get a work permit she had to go to the PRT for testing. Okay, that was less of a drawback than it seemed. Nia wanted them to see her as a well-meaning parahuman. Not quite an independent hero, but not quite a full rogue either. She wanted to get on their good side for the inevitable cape fight. Being on good terms with them could make such an incident work more in her favor. Now, how to get rid of this bump on her ass named Grange? That was when she had a positively diabolical idea. It took her a moment to realize the deranged cackling she heard was her own. With this she could accomplish two goals at once!
Now all she had to do was make it to the PRT building.
The rooftops wouldn't be as surveilled as the downstairs. Miss Grange couldn't possibly be doing this officially, so there was only so much she could do. If she requisitioned a surveillance team, there would be a paper trail and lots of pointed questions. Nia transformed in the stairwell connected to the roof. The lack of cameras worked in her favor. She remembered when Mr. Chen complained about hoodlums breaking them. From there it was a hop, skip, and a jump across the city to the PRT building. Not the Rig. She didn't have the capacity to get across open water.
Running across the city skyline was such a joy. Any dark thoughts took a back seat to the wonders of the wind on her face and the thrill of performing daring flips through the air. Thankfully there was a form of onboard assistance or she might've face planted from several stories up. She felt impossibly light, as if gravity held little sway over her. Each leap carried her for what felt like dozens of feet. Her stomach did little flips as she acrobatically twisted in midair and successfully landed. Just for fun she performed a shoulder roll across an AC Unit before kicking off, triggered the microjet, and flew to the next rooftop. A cry of elation tore from her lips as she couldn't contain herself.
This is what it meant to be a Mega Man! This feeling of joy and freedom! If she had any reason to feel superior, it was because of this. When she ran out of roof, Nia executed a rolling side flip off of the ledge and landed on the street below. A brief pulse of her boot mounted dash jets slowed her fall. No cracked pavement, no busted knees, just a smooth transition and once more she was running. Through streets and alleys, she ran, drawing ever closer to her destination. The PRT building looked like any other modern government building. It was a block building sitting on the other end of a plaza with a decorative fountain. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It was such a letdown that she promised herself even more time to free-run later. Nia, or Kai as she decided to call herself, crossed the plaza towards the door.
Getting stopped by a PRT trooper guarding the door made perfect sense.
"Please state your name and business," the lead guy asked politely.
"Kai. I would like to apply for a Parahuman business license. There is also something I need to discuss, please," Nia said politely.
"Right this way," he said.
The perils of being some random person off the street. Just because she was clearly a cape didn't mean any of the big names came to talk with her. Nope, they plopped her down in an office with a member of the ENE PRT's legal department. How utterly prosaic. There wasn't even some faceless mook holding a containment foam sprayer. Fanfiction lied to her. The legal guy looked like some generic wage slave. He probably was.
"Here is the paperwork. We will need a few things from you before this can be processed…" He started to say as if by rote. Like there were fees and paperwork to sign. Before he could start on a spiel about joining the Protectorate, she held up a hand.
"Yeah, before we talk about all that. I have a serious problem. My Trigger was induced by a crazy girl who goes to my school. I got suspended, but as far as I know nothing happened to her. Admittedly, my trigger event was kind of violent so… Here. It's just easier if I show you," Nia said while fishing out her phone.
"I'm sorry but this is…" He stopped as the video played. His eyes widened ever-so-slightly with fear. Yeah, a guy in the legal department would know how bad this was. That was when Nia showed him a picture of the esteemed Miss Grange. Widened eyes upgraded to sweating like a whore in church.
"Now I know this is highly irregular, outing myself like this, but that's my classmate screaming in terror. She's locked inside of a biohazard locker because of that bitch on the floor and the redheaded tart that shoved her in. I tried to help and nearly had my rib cage caved in. My powers saved my life, but all my classmate got is a fear of the dark and small spaces," Nia hissed venomously.
"I understand," he whispered. He looked so diminished that a lot of her ire cooled. The man shook his head. "What happened to you and your friend is terrible. It's beyond terrible. Let me talk to my boss and see if there is anything we can do to help," he said quietly.
"Thank you, Mr… Reddy," Nia read his name off the plaque.
His boss came down to speak with her personally. The older gentleman looked genuinely contrite about what happened. Nia had to remind herself to stay firm. Don't be unreasonable, but don't back down either. Mr. Christian processed her request without the usual fee and fast-tracked it.
"This woman will not trouble you again. We always work closely with the police in such heinous circumstances. You were right to bring this to us. Our job is to aid new parahumans, after all," he held out a hand. Nia shook his hand, but he didn't let go immediately. "I am not stupid, and you are quite bright to bring this to us, is one of your powers Thinker-based?"
Nia smiled wryly, "No, just good old-fashioned common sense. Sophia gets involved in a brawl at school, I knock her out, and suddenly I get a suit knocking at my door. The stuff she got away with for over a year and a half told me the fix was in. I just didn't know what kind of clout she had."
"Is it possible to come to a settlement? Perhaps come back when you have a lawyer and we can arrange a deal," he said. No, that was a bad idea. Right now she had them on the back foot. If she left that would give them time to come up with a response.
"Grange called the owner of my building and told him I was squatting. Now I have less than two months to come up with back rent from September onward. All I want is enough money to cover that and some real furnishings for my apartment. I'm sleeping on a moldy sofa," she was not too proud to admit when something was wrong. Especially when there was a way to fix the problem.
She had a check made out to her civilian identity in hand within the hour. It's just like her mother used to say. Don't let up, but don't push so hard they resent you. Nia even offered to do deliveries for them at a discount from now on. Thanks to this, she not only screwed Sophia and lost a crazy bitch her job, but also gained her first contract. Today was a win-win-win all around!
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday after this. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and eventually A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
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A Cold Start 1.5
- Location
- PA
A Cold Start 1.5
Business license in hand, Kai went straight to the bank the next morning. According to the website, she needed to present herself and her cape ID card to open an account. The bank insisted on calling the PRT to make sure she was really Kai. She almost made a quip about the Undersiders, but didn't want the hassle of explaining herself. Once that bureaucratic mess was handled, she took out some money in cash and went to get a money order in her civilian identity.
Nia had a pathological aversion to furniture shopping. She got whatever was on sale and didn't look horrible. At the same time she hired a crew to take away her old junk. Mostly what she got was a bed, a couch, an end table and a basic TV stand. The appliances at home looked rough, but she could fix those easily enough. Getting a television and a computer wasn't that important when she could just put something together.
"Better get this taken care of before my mind wanders too much…" Nia muttered.
She called Mr. Chen to let him know she was coming by with the back rent. Obviously, he wasn't expecting her to get the money so soon. Squatters weren't known for being able to get cash that quickly. He invited her into his apartment. It was kind of nice, almost homey, but the appliances were just as bad as her place. An idea was percolating in the back of her mind.
"Nia…Please tell me you didn't do anything bad for this. You're a nice girl," Mr. Chen said. He wasn't even looking at the money order. His focus was squarely on her.
"No, no, nothing like that. I got a settlement from Winslow. They wanted this whole mess to just go away. So I'm settling my bills," Nia hastily assured him. What did she do to get this kind of reputation with him?
"Okay, okay…Was there something else?" He asked.
"Right, so, I might have a line on a job. Working phones and stuff. My future boss is looking for a place to rent. She's starting a courier business and she's a Tinker," Nia said. Linking her two selves together wasn't the brightest idea, but that was where the unwritten rules came to the rescue.
"A courier service, huh? Your boss… Right," he clearly didn't believe it for a second, but decided to humor her. Mr. Chen said, "Mr. Edwards has a place, but some Merchants use it to do drugs. He doesn't have the manpower to kick them out, and the police are stretched thin. If your boss wants it, I'm sure an agreement can be made."
"What sort of agreement?" She asked.
"Let me call him and find out," Mr. Chen replied.
The call went well, all things considered. Mr. Edwards agreed to rent the property to Kai. She would have to go down to his office in person, but that wasn't a problem. The location was by a major thoroughfare. From what she could see on the drive over the building itself was in surprisingly good shape. She would have to explore it further to make sure.
Nia never met the man in person before. He looked kind of like Santa Claus, but there was no merry twinkle in his eye. The guy just looked tired. His office was located down by the docks. Edwards eyed her up as she walked through the door. He was sizing her up. Good thing Model χ changed her appearance so drastically. The only things of note in the room were the filing cabinet, a cluttered desk, a mini fridge, and the man himself.
"You're a Tinker, huh? You want to use one of my properties for your business?" He asked skeptically.
"This is a business license issued by the PRT. You can call them to verify," Nia said as she slid the license across his desk.
He did his due diligence and called to make sure it was on the up and up. With that taken care of, it was time to get down to business. Mr. Edwards gestured for her to take a seat. She sat down in the simple wooden chair he kept for guests. This wasn't a major money making operation so it stood to reason funds were tight. Comfort was often the first thing sacrificed. Few people wanted to invest in the docks anymore.
"Okay, Kai. There's an old machinist shop down by the docks. The Dockworkers Union used to rent it, but they couldn't afford it any longer. These are troubled times and things are getting worse for everyone. I can't rent the property out to anyone because a group of Merchants have started squatting there. Not all squatters are bad people. Some have just fallen on hard times. However, these guys are a serious nuisance. The police are afraid of running into one of their capes. I haven't seen any capes and I have to drive past there daily," he said.
"So I get the machine shop, you lose some squatters. How much are we talking?" She asked. The thought of whether to do it or not never crossed her mind. If it was the place she saw on the way over, it fit all her needs.
"Six hundred a month plus utilities. That is, if you think you can hold the area," he said. Ah, now she understood what he was doing. Mr. Edwards didn't just want the squatters out. He wanted a cape near the docks who could act as a deterrent. If she could? Great. If she couldn't? Not so great, but his prospects were bad either way. The Merchants might be bottom feeders, but he couldn't afford to have these guys gobble up his space.
"Uh huh…Just to be clear. Is this the place with the large garage doors, three stories, and a junkyard spot behind the building?" Nia asked.
"You saw it already? Yeah, that's the place. Whaddya say?" He spread his hands.
"Draw up the paperwork. Let's sign this now so I can kick out my unwanted guests," Nia grinned wickedly.
The location really was some prime real estate back in the day. Now it was just one more derelict building in a dying part of the city. A chain link fence surrounded the property. Cracked asphalt made up the front while an overflowing yard of rust took up the rear. She had plans for this place. Plans that didn't include a bunch of guys using it for a drug den. If they were using it for housing she might've tried hiring them or something, but that chance went away once she could see the Merchant gang signs.
Being a Mega Man really gave Nia an inflated notion of her own power. She heard drug addicted squatters and didn't think it would matter. They were cokeheads. What was the worst they could do? Most sane people ran when a parahuman rolled up. That was when a heavy pistol round spanged off her helmet and ricocheted. The image was enough to make her flinch, but it didn't hurt. Another remarkably accurate shot caromed off of the helm's brow ridge.
"Geroff! G'wan ya fuckin' honky!" An angry, and visibly intoxicated, bum staggered through the open door.
"Hey!" A white guy in the latest homeless chic protested.
"Fuck your honky ass too!" The bum declared before firing his gun in Nia's direction again.
Nia was already darting to the side before he pulled the trigger. Her reflexes made it almost trivial to dodge. She aimed the Buster Cannon in his direction before stopping herself. That was definitely a lethal response! Not only did she walk into this encounter fat, dumb, and happy, but she didn't have a nonlethal weapon! Which meant these fellas were about to have a very rough time. Old guy's bullets couldn't pierce her armor at least.
The hardest part of the whole encounter was keeping them alive. She was strong enough to take the gun from the dude's hand and stun him with a backhand. From there she took some rebar and fashioned makeshift cuffs. Then an agent from the PRT had to come down, along with the police, to collect the guys and her statement. All that was left was to use her modified phone to call Mr. Edwards about a job well done.
"Let's see how much is left…" Nia squared her shoulders and entered the building.
Inside was a disaster area. There was trash everywhere and in varieties that nearly made her hurl. Quite a trick given her currently Reploid body. Cleaning all of this up would be a bitch and a half. Nia made the executive decision to punt this to someone else. She called a hauling service, a different one from what she used before, to come in and take it all away.
"But not the machines. Leave the machines alone. I only want the trash taken away. Uh, and bring plenty of masks and gloves," she said with a gimlet eye on the mess.
"We don't do that biohazard sanitation crap," the junk man said.
"Don't worry about it. I've got something to take care of that," Nia informed him.
"Make sure it isn't in the stuff I'm taking and we're solid," he said.
She didn't have anything at the moment to make the hazardous stuff safe. The best she could do was secure it in some old steel drums around the property. It wasn't safe or sanitary, but she had time to come up with a better solution.
The wannabe entrepreneur was down to just two hundred bucks and some change. Admittedly nothing she used it on was a waste, but it still made her cringe. That was almost ten grand in less than two days. She did have a lot to show for it at least. Taking a full inventory would take a few days at least. Well, it wasn't like she had anything to do. What with being suspended and all. That reminded her.
"Hey Detective. No, nothing's on fire today. How goes the investigation? Am I able to go back to school?" She asked. One of the best things she did with her phone was make a simple partition. The partition made a divide between her cape phone and civvie phone, which was convenient, but it wasn't as secure as a phone purpose built for the job. Eventually, she planned on building a new one to handle her needs.
"You should be able to go back next week. The investigation is closed. I'm gonna try to keep you off the witness stand. With the video evidence we really don't need an eyewitness," he said, but there was something off about his tone. Like he was harried, distracted. The way he tried to insist she wasn't needed.
"What happened to the other witness?" Nia asked with a calm she didn't feel. Something went very wrong somewhere. She didn't have anything concrete, just a gut feeling, but the detective was being strangely furtive.
After the silence stretched on for over a minute, long enough that she thought he wouldn't answer, Jameson asked, "Are you are home?"
"No, but I can be there in a few minutes," she said.
"Good. Get home. I'll be there in fifteen," he said.
It took her a few minutes to lock up the machine shop and get back to the apartment. Nia didn't drop the transformation until she was back in the stairwell from the roof. Immediately, she doubled over as the ache in her ribs came screaming back. She cursed at herself for forgetting that injuries were held in abeyance. They weren't neutralized. The pain would come back as soon as she had the human nerves to feel them. Her Reploid body had a different nervous system. More recriminations followed as she staggered back to her apartment. Painfully, she popped a regular Tylenol as the good ones were gone, just in time for a knock at the door.
"Jesus, kid. What did you do to yourself?" Jameson asked as she let him inside.
"Went downstairs to check the mail and walked around," she replied while shutting the door. Acting on a hunch, she locked it too. His shoulders relaxed marginally.
"Couldn't even wait a full week?" He demanded.
"Huh…? Oh," Nia looked around her apartment. The new furniture would be a dead giveaway that something happened.
"Relax, relax…I figured something happened. No one walks off cracked ribs without either really good drugs or powers," he waved her off.
"Have a seat… Can I get you anything? I've got homemade tea, cola…" She checked her fridge.
"Tea," Jameson said wearily.
Awkward silences were painful, especially when you didn't know what caused them. Nia sat down on the new extended couch with a relieved sigh. The detective looked askance at her with an unreadable expression. She didn't really mind, as the new couch's comfort was far more important. If she fell asleep sitting up on this it would probably be like resting on a cloud. That was why she pinched herself before thoughts of sleep became actions.
"What's up? Who asked you to keep an eye on me?" Nia broke the silence. Time to see if her hunch was correct.
"What? Kid…No one asked me to keep an eye on you. I decided to do that on my own. Triggers happen on someone's worst day. You damn near killed somebody in a blind rage. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Sure, Hess had that beating coming, but no one is equipped to handle that kind of anger. I didn't want to see you slip through the cracks without support," the detective, no, Dan looked her straight in the eyes. Nia looked away after a few moments. His stare was so open, so honest, she didn't have a single defense.
"Oh," she replied in a small voice. How was she supposed to respond to that?
"The other witness was bought off. So was the victim's father. All told, it was a pretty large sum. Somebody wanted this to go away. Your old friend Hess is going to juvie until she's eighteen. There are other questions. That's why I talked about keeping you off the stand," he said.
"Ah, gotcha. Sorry I jumped to conclusions…" Nia started to apologize, but he shook his head.
"You should be suspicious. You should question everything. That's how you protect yourself. Just keep my number and check in once in a while. Okay?" He ruffled her hair without thinking. Dan paused as if unsure how the gesture would be taken. Nia just smiled.
"Hey don't act like you're leaving so soon. I don't have a TV, but we can talk. Just gotta throw some dinner together…" She started to lever herself off of the comfy couch, but he stopped her.
"Nah, I got this. How 'bout some pizza?" Dan suggested.
"Pizza sounds great," she smiled a little wider.
More of her fears were laid to rest. Only about a dozen more to go. Still, this proved something important. This world wasn't a dystopia teetering on the brink of societal collapse. People were people in all of their beauty and ugliness. It was a living breathing world in which she now lived.
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday for Shards after this. Updates for A Light into the Future will be on Friday. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
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A Warming Trend 2.1
- Location
- PA
A Warming Trend 2.1
Life fell into a stable routine over the course of January. The suspension ended which meant going back to Winslow, may it burn in cleansing fire, and dealing with the aftermath. Principal Blackwell was suspended pending a full investigation into her conduct. The teachers who aided in the cover ups were put on probation instead of being fired, as their union managed to pull something out of their hat to keep the rats in place. Many parents were unhappy to hear that these wastes of human flesh would keep their jobs. Of course the ones in power would ignore it like they always did, trusting on time and any new debacles to have the unhappiness eventually disappear. At least, that was the theory. From an outsider's perspective it was blindingly obvious the old system was broken. It wasn't gradually breaking down, it was in ugly little pieces on the floor. If Nia was dealing with it from the adult side that would be one thing. Unfortunately, she had to come at it from the student side. Both sides needed to be dealt with.
Cue "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance.
Yes, it was a social commentary on how society views teenagers and blah blah blah…
In Winslow it was frighteningly accurate.
"They let her back in school?"
"Did you see what she did to Sophia?"
"Heh, knocked that nigger down a peg…"
"Think they'll recruit her?"
Nia let it flow in one ear and out the other. Some students were afraid of her. Understandable really, she did bash another girl's skull off of the floor. The circumstances were important, but not to them. All they saw was a school star get taken down by a nobody. They knew full well what Hess was like and ignored her actions. She could also understand why some people might think the local E88 might recruit her. Sure, she only beat down one black girl, but the rumor mill probably inflated it to beating up dozens on the weekend. As long as none of them tried to talk to her directly she was fine. Not because it would worsen her reputation, but because she might blow up all over them. The girl was so lost in thought that she bumped into someone by accident.
"Oh sorry…" Nia hastily said.
"Uh, no, it's okay…" A meek voice replied.
This had to be kismet.
Taylor Hebert. The universe's spitoon was standing before her. Without meaning to, Nia ended up near the locker. To the older girl's surprise, the administration didn't even give her a new locker. They just gave the traumatized girl the exact same one with a different lock. She glanced back at the person she bumped into with a sheepish smile. Taylor was kind of twiggy and tall, nearly as tall as Nia herself at 5'9", with well kept dark hair. Brown eyes stared at her from behind plain large frame glasses. Her outfit was designed for maximum camouflage potential. She stood with a slouch to further mask herself. Honestly, she didn't look that bad. Someone nearby snickered and broke the spell. Taylor flushed in embarrassment with Nia turning the same shade.
"Hey," Nia said. Yes, wonderful, she was a brilliant conversationalist. Simply amazing! They were already going to catch shit from the peanut gallery. Taylor's instinctive fight or flight response paralyzed her, and Nia's tendency to stare when her mind wanders, combined to make it look like they were giving soulful eyes.
She hated high school and the hormonal nonsense!
"...Hi?" Taylor used up a year's worth of courage, at least, to say that much.
Continue or come back to it later when there weren't so many witnesses? Punting the issue until later rarely worked. She was a champion at avoiding uncomfortable conversations without resolving anything. Despite what she wanted, Nia had to talk to Taylor now or risk putting it off for too long.
"If you need to talk about anything I'll be around. Here's my number…" Nia scribbled it out on a hastily retrieved sticky note, "...Call me if you need anything."
Taylor stared at the note thrust into her hand for a long moment before asking, "...Why?" The unspoken part was easy to infer. Why was she doing this now? Why not before? Why reach out after the worst day of her life already happened?
"Because... Because I didn't see you on the precipice until it was too late. Sometimes we just gotta reach out when someone needs a hand…" Nia said softly. When she was at her lowest point, those closest to her reached out. She didn't fall because they held her up. So now it was time to pay it forward. It was the easiest decision she could've made.
"Thanks," Taylor mumbled. More might've been said if the bell didn't ring. Both girls jolted as if startled before rushing to get to class.
School was a horrid slog that Nia planned on ditching the minute she turned eighteen. Taylor had her number if she decided to contact her. As much as Nia wanted to just butt into the girl's life and be a friend, this wasn't the time to crowd her. Sometimes too much friendly attention was as bad as not enough.
By contrast her burgeoning cape career was off to a marvelous start. The machinist shop still had the equipment. Even better, most of them were less than fifteen years old. She was missing some of the newfangled gadgetry, but the foundations were there. Mega Man tech was very foundation heavy, even more so than the usual Tinker ladder of tools to tech to tools. Walk before you can crawl and all that. As an added benefit to all the extra work, it was durable enough to withstand an apocalypse or two once it got going. Though to build the infrastructure she needed materials. A happy coincidence was that she had some parts just sitting out back of the building. Unfortunately, she needed money to become totally self-sufficient.
"Hello? What's this?" Nia, as Kai, approached a motorcycle someone abandoned in the yard.
The term "motorcycle" was misleading. Nia used her enhanced strength to unbury it from the junk heap in the back. She stared at the marvelous vehicle with something akin to awe. It had a narrow profile like a motorcycle, but instead had four wheels like a quad-cycle. There was some damage of course. The seat was missing, it needed new handlebars, and other cosmetic stuff, but the rest was perfectly intact. That was when she saw the electric motor and had a brainstorm.
"A courier does need a vehicle," she remarked with a smirk.
Most of what she required was in the yard already. Putting it back together properly was easy. What Nia wanted to do was upgrade the engine with a solar battery. Add a capacitor to cycle the energy, redundant battery to hold a charge,and upgrade the drive train. Much of this wasn't even in the realm of super science. Yet. She hadn't even got to designing the rocket boosters, hover unit, or integrated weapons system!
She wanted people who tried to steal her packages to weep in envy. Was that so wrong?
The basic design came together quickly. Nia had to make some of the replacement parts herself. Thank goodness for the machine shop. Why should she use off the rack stuff when it was just easier to make it in house? The quad-cycle took two weeks to rebuild and upgrade from scratch. Mainly because she didn't have limitless time to work on it with school and everything, if she spent all her time on it? Two days, tops. One more thing it needed was a cargo box on the back of the vehicle with armored saddlebags on the sides. Nia forged out an armored courier case that could be worn across the chest like a messenger bag.
"Not the greatest thing, but it will have to do," she decided. It was time to formally open her shop. The PRT didn't need her services yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Nia posted her advertisement on PHO and set up an independent website. The Whitelist would help in the short term as well. To really promote her business would require more money for proper advertising, which was something she really didn't have at the moment. Even after she talked to Mr. Edwards about doing repair work on his properties to get a rent reduction for her "employee" and herself. He wasn't really fooled at the time, but it was a polite fiction they both adhered to out of mutual benefit.
A machinist shop was great for tools, and the junkyard had a lot of great parts, but she needed electronics. Before the wannabe courier dived straight into the city junkyard, something needed to be addressed. Nia needed to remodel the Buster Pistol for nonlethal takedowns, badly. Her integrated Buster in Mega Man form couldn't be altered, not with these facilities, but the pistol could. She tweaked the power output from searing plasma pellets to an electric shock. It wasn't perfect, but still better than burning a hole through someone. The upside was that it extended the battery life by a lot. Sure, the pistol could recharge over time, but this way she didn't need to worry about that.
"Hmmm…I can see how to convert it into the ZX Buster. The issue is that I just don't have the right parts available. Time to saddle up and see what else I can scrounge," she hummed to herself.
Normally, raiding a junkyard was how a Tinker cape outed themselves. Nia was doing the almost unheard of thing by going during the day and as her cape ID. After all, she was in an official agreement with the PRT, a fact that she shamelessly plastered all over her webpage. It also raised her profile a bit over on the Whitelist. Hopefully, the validation to join the Whitelist didn't take too long- she still had to fill out paperwork with her cape ID and send in videos of her capabilities. Until that was taken care of, she would just continue working on the essentials.
She needed defenses for her base, electronics for modifications, and enough raw materials to begin building more diverse tools. Her quad-cycle pulled up to the junkyard with a modified towing trailer. The guy at the gate looked faintly nonplussed as he took in her rig and appearance. Nia just smiled, handed him a business card, and told him that she was there for a few things.
"Uh huh. Why the business card?" He looked it over curiously.
"Just in case anyone's giving you a rough time or you need something delivered. Keep me in mind, okay?" Nia winked and smiled. Got to have the right appearance in this business. Friendly and approachable.
"Sure," the guy shrugged and stuck the card in his pocket. Whether he would call or not was up in the air, but at least he didn't throw the card out.
The Biomerged cape grabbed what she could from the yard. Mainly electronic devices that hadn't been left out in the weather too long, as restoring long-damaged materials would be too much of a bother for the payout. One of the first machines she planned on making was a necessity for that reason, it could strip precious metals from electronics to be repurposed in other projects. Another project was a machine to make Ceratanium. It seemed to be surprisingly easy to build, just time consuming. Ceratanium was a special lightweight material that was a blend of ceramic and titanium. Dr. Light invented it, but Dr. Wiley created a machine that generated it out of nothing but energy. She planned on making the energy-to-metal version. Nia looked around the junkyard with a frown.
"I need to throw a truck together or something. My work will take forever if I have to keep coming down here for more stuff…" Nia sighed. The temptation was there to just ask the PRT if she could have their old computers and stuff. Unfortunately, that would lead to more recruitment offers or getting the materials she asked for with all sorts of tracking goodies tossed in. She trusted them to a point, but not the people who infiltrated their offices.
She hit up another couple places around Brockton Bay before driving back to base. The cape side of things was doing well; all things considered. Maybe she wasn't as careful with her ID as she should be, but so far it hadn't come back to bite her. That was why she wanted to get her defenses set up pronto. Just because everything was sunshine and rainbows now didn't mean it would be later...
Who ordered a Glory Girl?
"Hey there!" The glowing Alexandria-lite smiled winningly as she easily kept pace with Nia's cycle. The wind flowing through her hair, the cape streaming behind her, all made Victoria Dallon look magnificent. A dark thought roughly intruded and demanded to know why she was here. Was she using her aura to try and cause an accident?
Who knew the Biometal's psychosis would prove useful for something?
"Hi! I'm Kai!" Nia waved cheerfully. Now why was Glory Girl here…? Oh, she was driving through Downtown. New Wave conducted their patrols in the area since they lived nearby.
"Where are you headed?" Victoria asked.
"Back to base! I've got quite a haul to unload!" Nia replied.
It said something about how Brockton Bay became inured to the strange. No one even batted an eye as the two girls chatted, one flying and the other driving, on their way down the street.
"Would you like some help? I've got the time," Victoria offered.
Now this was something she hadn't counted on. Victoria Dallon, aka Glory Girl, was part of a hero team called New Wave. The New Wave movement was supposed to be about total accountability and living without masks. Tragically the movement died when one of their members, Fleur, was killed by an unpowered gangbanger trying to earn favor with the Empire. Personally, Nia thought he was told to do it by the higher ups and he just claimed total responsibility. The E88 killed him afterward as an abject lesson, but seriously? New Wave went after the Empire hard even before their guy killed Fleur.
"Sure thing! Just follow me down to the docks," Nia said.
There were pros and cons to every decision. The trick was in minimizing the cons while maximizing the pros. Having Glory Girl as a friendly contact pretty much had no downside. A very minor con was that it might put her in contact with Victoria's mother, Brandish. Carol Dallon could eat a dick for all she cared. The woman broke the unwritten rules years ago to capture the villain Marquis. To make matters worse, the Brockton Bay Brigade, of which Carol was a member, kidnapped Marquis' young daughter Amy. How the adoption worked was never explained to her satisfaction. Just that Carol somehow ended up with Amy and Victoria gained a sister. The only mercy was that Amy was too young to remember everything.
Amy, or Panacea, was another can of worms. No pun intended.
If Nia had to deal with Carol Dallon's black and white views she might flip. Still, that was the only downside to cultivating a friendship with Glory Girl. It was early enough in the timeline that Amy was merely bitchy to people, not yandere for her sister. She had some ideas for defusing that bomb, but it would take time to implement. Of course, prior experiences told Nia that her ideas would involve researching to see how close her biases were to reality. She couldn't afford to fall into the Wildbow trap again. This was a living world that frequently defied her expectations.
Glory Girl took one look at the base and wrinkled her nose. Yeah, the location didn't look that great from an aesthetic standpoint. She just couldn't see the beautiful potential it held like Nia could. Unloading the trailer didn't take long with a super strong buddy on hand. That wasn't to say Nia's Biomerged form was weak, just that Vicky was much stronger.
"This doesn't look like a safe neighborhood," Vicky remarked.
"I'm a Tinker capable of building robots, vehicles, and defensive structures. Give me a week or two and this will be one of the safest places in Brockton Bay. In fact, I plan on living here once the defenses are set up," Nia explained.
"A lot can happen in a week. Especially to a new cape and a Tinker at that. You might want to look into the Protectorate, or the Wards if you're young enough," Vicky suggested.
"Oh I already have a contract with the PRT. I've started a courier service. Girouette Couriers. The name is something of an in-joke to me. I'm also waiting to hear back on the account I set up with the Whitelist," Nia said.
"Huh. You're really on the ball, huh? You don't sound like a recent Trigger," Victoria sounded honestly impressed. That made Nia's head swell a little. Who doesn't love having their work appreciated?
"I was something of a cape fan before triggering," she downplayed it a little. A little modesty never hurt anyone. The Biometal urged her to brag, but she shut it down quickly. She was cultivating an image here!
"Well if you need anything just give me a call…" Victoria said as she rattled off her phone number. Nia sent her a text to let the other cape know it was received.
"You might be able to help me. Y'see some jobs on the Whitelist board can be kind of difficult. Would you mind helping me with some of them? I'll pay you half of the money. Mainly this would increase my profile by showing I can work well with others. This could also bring more PR towards New Wave," Nia suggested.
"Let me think about it," Vicky said. Right. They just met and Nia instantly jumped to recruiting.
"No problem. Take whatever time you need. I won't be ready to try my hand at anything more dangerous than delivery work for a while," Nia said with a smile.
"Right. Build up your base first and call me if anyone hassles you," Victoria said pleasantly.
Now it might seem suspicious, or at least strange, that Glory Girl was being so accommodating with a newcomer. Nia thought it was a case of good instincts and enlightened self interest. Who didn't want a Tinker on speed dial? Victoria would know what a force multiplier a good Tinker or Thinker could be. She was practically weaned on this stuff. What with being part of a cape family and all. The girls parted ways on a friendly note. If only the situation in her civilian identity was this good.
She still had to go back to Winslow until her eighteenth birthday.
AN: Praise be to Nihilo for telling me about PHO Sundays and The Whitelist!
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday for Shards after this. Updates for A Light into the Future will be on Friday. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
Patreon Note: A shoutout to my friends over on Patreon. The Patreon page is now updated to be even friendlier and clearer than before. Please think about helping me as I've still got lots of bills to pay, a cat to take care of, and not enough money for it all.
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Special Thanks to Hazardine (asktit0y) for donating so much money to my GoFundMe. You, along with everyone else who has donated, are Fuzzy Wan's heroes.
Apple has a 30% upcharge that doesn't go to me. Read the full story here.
Last edited:
A Warming Trend 2.2
- Location
- PA
A Warming Trend 2.2
Detective Dan Jameson still stopped by to see Nia from time to time. The case was closed, but he really didn't like her neighborhood and felt compelled to make sure she was alright. Nia could see right through his excuses. He was legitimately concerned for her welfare, but there was something else. During one of his visits he told her something surprising. There was no one at home waiting for him. Most nights he stayed at the precinct until they made him leave. Dropping in on her was the only social interaction he got anymore. She didn't feel comfortable asking him why that was just yet. Then again, she didn't exactly mind him coming over either. Watching TV at home by herself was just painful. So, she would make dinner and they would watch a movie until it got really late. He never stayed overnight. That would be a level of awkward neither of them wanted to deal with.
Tonight's dinner was spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were her grandmother's recipe using ground pork and beef. Instead of breadcrumbs she used stale bread lightly soaked in milk. They were about a quarter the size of normal American meatballs, but so much better. The sauce was homemade too, as canned tomatoes were cheaper than store bought sauce. He complimented her on the meal as he dug in. Nia made garlic bread to mop up the sauce afterward.
"How was your day?" Dan asked.
"Annoying. I'm gonna be glad when I turn eighteen and can just kiss Winslow goodbye," she replied.
"If anyone's givin' you trouble just let me know," he pointed at her with the fork. Nia smiled faintly.
"Trust me. I'm not stupid enough to try to fight all my battles alone. That's why we make friends after all. To lighten the load," she said. Earth Bet was a whole dimension away from her real home. Everyone she knew and loved was back there. That was why Nia tried to keep busy so that she didn't have to think about what was lost. He noticed the sudden shift in her mood, but thankfully didn't say anything.
"Any luck finding a job?" Dan moved the conversation onto less painful topics. He did a good job steering away from all of the landmines.
"Yeah, I just need to hear back from the employer. Shouldn't take long. I'm literally the only applicant," Nia smiled mysteriously. Dan gave her a long look with an arched eyebrow then sighed.
"Did you know the camera in the building's back stairwell works?" He asked. Nia froze with the fork near her mouth. She slowly set it down before her dinner became a sight gag.
"I absolutely suck at this secret identity thing…" Nia grimaced.
"Andy, Mr. Chen, unplugged the camera after he accidentally recorded you. The only ones who know are me, Andy, and Garth Edwards," Dan said.
"How did the three of you get to talkin' about this?" Nia asked in bafflement.
"You made a paper thin disguise. Your face isn't even covered up. I mean different hair color, colored contacts, that kind of stuff helps but…" Dan said with a shrug. He couldn't quite stop the smirk as Nia's head thunked on the table.
"Too late to start wearing a mask now. I already introduced myself to Glory Girl like this…" Nia said with a sigh. After a couple more minutes of eating in silence she asked, "Do people respect the unwritten rules?" She had a lot of bias and cynicism coming into this. Perhaps it was better to hear it from a detective.
"Not in some parts of the country and we can see how well that works. The official PRT stance is to report criminals and villains immediately. The unofficial stance is that it's better to follow the unwritten rules. That's especially true in Brockton Bay. We have the highest cape density of anywhere in the country, which means it makes even more sense to follow them here," he replied.
"How do you feel about them personally?" Nia hesitantly asked.
"Tough question. At one time I would've said it was more important to arrest the criminals than to placate them. It wasn't anyone I know so why should I care? Except… I didn't really have a stake in it before," Dan said without taking his eyes off of Nia. She couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest. The young woman looked away with a blush.
"...Thank you," she whispered. His expression softened.
"Anytime, kid," he said.
Dinner passed in a haze of warm and fuzzy feelings.
If only she could bring even a fraction of that to school with her. At school, she was the girl who ended an era, and there were some teachers who were quite salty about that. Never mind the fact the media attention made the district look into the conditions at Winslow and start fixing things. As it turns out, there was enough money in the district's budget to do some repairs on the old building. Thanks to the newshounds, the school board was forced to crack open their self paid wallets to update the textbooks. Arcadia even donated their old computers. Okay, that felt really backhanded even to her, but Arcadia's leftovers were still better than Winslow's.
Honestly she wasn't surprised when the Hitler Youth approached her locker. They even screened her from view. To the outside observer it would look like they were blocking her escape. Oh but Nia knew better. Those considerate little scamps. It was a good thing they couldn't hear her internal observations. There was enough sarcasm to choke a fully ramped up Lung.
"Where are you going?" The smarmy thug in front of her asked.
"To the nurse. For some reason I suddenly feel sick," Nia replied.
"Hey, no need to be like that. We're on your side… Hey!" Smarmy yelped as Nia ducked right under his arm and onward to freedom.
For some reason most people don't expect the girl to just go under their arm.
"Wait a minute…! I just want to talk!" Mister Dumbass clamped on to the standard female grab area!
It wasn't very effective…
"I don't," Nia hissed and stamped hard on his instep!
It was super effective!
"Ah! Fuck…!" He was forced to let go. The way he gingerly moved his foot said that she did some damage. Then again he was wearing soft sneakers and she wore boots.
Nia left the wannabe skinheads in the dust. She did not want her name associated with theirs. As Dan pointed out, she completely forgot to wear a mask when transformed. It was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together. When that day came she wanted as much distance between herself and the E88 as possible. Can't be a good courier if everyone assumed she was a Neo-Nazi.
It was at that point someone grabbed her arm and jerked the girl into a stairwell.
"What the fuck…?" Nia blurted out as the person quickly shut the door. Her scrambled brain needed a second to reboot. That was when she noticed who grabbed her and needed another moment to collect herself.
"You, uh, said I could call if I needed help?" Taylor half pleaded for a positive response.
Now this where Space Battles competence would immediately kick in and she would have an immediate plan. Unfortunately, the well seemed to have gone dry. Nowhere did her plans account for Taylor coming to her with a problem. In fact, she outright eschewed the help of other people because the system beat her down so badly. There should be some amazing plan kicking around in her skull to handle this, but all she had were memes. Memes that didn't even apply to the situation!
"I did say that, yes…" Nia trailed off then realized she sounded too hesitant, "...definitely. What's up?" Looks like she made the save before driving Taylor off.
"I-I'm having these weird thoughts lately…" Taylor said hesitantly. Nia's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Did she Trigger with a Keyblade? That sounded like the opening monologue to Kingdom Hearts! "...I'm seeing machines. Like really advanced machines. Power armor, vehicles, a-and other things…" Her eyes stared straight through Nia unseeingly.
"Why are you coming to me?" Nia asked. Taylor looked as if she wasn't sleeping. If Taylor Triggered as a Tinker and it was screwing her up to this degree? The thought wasn't a pleasant one.
"B-Because I saw you yesterday at a stop light. I wasn't sure at first, but there you were. Your armor just…I can't stop thinking about it…" Taylor shook her head. "I can almost see how it was made. It's some form of nanomachine formed armor that covers the whole body. Integrated weapon systems…" Nia quickly put a hand over her mouth until she stopped talking.
"How well could you control it before you saw my armor?" Nia asked even though she dreaded the answer.
"Pretty well…I remodeled all of the electronics in the house, but that satisfied the itch…" Taylor suddenly froze as people were heard coming down the stairs.
"Shit. Okay, here's my address… Meet me there after school," Nia said as she hastily wrote out her address for Taylor.
At this point there was no reason to have a secret identity. She was half tempted to just move into her base full time. The defenses weren't even close to finished yet, but what could she do? There was one cape in the city who definitely didn't care about the unwritten rules. Coil. Nia did feel obligated to help Taylor after the way the locker incident went down. However, more than that she didn't want to see anyone get turned into one of Coil's minions. Who knows what sort of messed up stuff he would do to secure her loyalty? Before her overprotectiveness got in the way, the voice of common sense spoke up. Two Tinkers working together was a lot better than one working alone. The miracles that could be wrought between them was staggering. Nia's lips curled with pleasure at the thought.
Nia cut her last class of the day. What did she care about her grades? She could get her GED which was good enough. There was simply no way she wanted to stick around that school any longer than necessary. Taylor would be stuck there for a few more years though. That was what homeschool was for. Once they had things discussed it would be a great idea to get her dad involved. In canon, Taylor didn't tell her father until there was no other choice. He didn't take it well at all. By telling him now, and with a support network in place, he should have fewer issues. Besides, Nia wasn't trying to start a hero business. The Whitelist might suggest hero jobs, but she didn't have to take them. Well, Taylor didn't, but Nia probably would because she was a sucker like that.
She checked her messages. Dan wouldn't be coming over tonight. He was dealing with a case so their dinners might be on hold. Nia sent him a text offering her support. If he needed help she would be there with Busters ready, but for now it was a police matter. A request came through from her Whitelist page. Someone wanted to meet her in regards to a job. It was flagged as potentially dangerous, but the money did look good.
"A few more zeroes than I was expecting for a first job…" Nia mused to herself. The details said it was a delivery from the middle class part of town to city hall. What could be so dangerous about that? Now the pay wasn't ridiculously over the top. Still five grand is five grand.
It wouldn't hurt to vet the client first. Safety first and all that.
That was when a rap rap rapping came upon her chamber door. Timid little things but loud enough to be heard. She opened the door to find Taylor standing there clutching her book bag like a lifeline. The look in her eyes clearly said she had doubts about this. Honestly, it took Nia off guard just how fast the girl latched onto her. Most likely the dark haired girl was having second thoughts.
"Uh, hi?" Taylor tried to smile but it was a fleeting thing.
"Come on in. Would you like something to drink? I've got cola, orange juice, a pitcher of sun tea…" Nia said as she gestured for her to enter.
"Sun tea I guess?" Taylor asked hesitantly. She didn't quite scuttle through the door, but her movements were cautious.
"It's the real deal. I have a window box but no plants. So I just set up a covered glass pitcher outside with some tea bags. It gets a lot of sun throughout the day to help with the infusion process…" Nia rambled on as she fetched the tea. The pitcher was cold but the tea was a lovely golden color.
"Oh! With the temperature outside it would be closer to a-a cold brew I guess," Taylor started out strong before petering out.
"Yep. Sweetened with brown sugar and lemons. It gives it a richer flavor," Nia kept the easy flow of chatter going. It was important to make her guest feel at ease without crowding the girl. She handed her a glass and sat down on the couch with her own. The older girl indicated a chair for Taylor to take a seat.
"It's, it's good," Taylor said after taking a sip. The poor thing was seriously wound up.
Taylor swallowed heavily. The haunted look in her eyes grew more pronounced. Nia recognized that look. It was the look of a person who knew they were drowning and desperately needed a life preserver. After a few minutes of quietly sipping tea it was readily apparent Taylor wouldn't start. That left it up to Nia to get the ball rolling.
"You outed yourself to me. How did I earn your trust?" Nia inquired gently.
"Detective Jameson showed m-my dad and me the video you took," Taylor's voice was a near whisper.
"...Oh," she replied in a subdued tone.
"You tried to help me a-and got hurt for it. No one tried to help me before. E-except Charlotte, but Emma scared her off…" The bespectacled girl shook her head.
Nia waited for Taylor to gather her thoughts. They had plenty of time. There was no need to rush. Rushing would only make her feel more pressured.
"Then I saw you yesterday. I didn't recognize you at first, but I've, uh, got a good eye for detail now. It's like everything I see is engraved in my memory. Your, uh, quad-cycle was interesting but the armor was even more amazing…" Taylor's words started to come faster as if tripping over themselves.
"How did you know it's made of nanomachines?" Nia asked.
"I might have built a detector out of a hairdryer and an old pager…" Taylor blushed in embarrassment.
"Is your father likely to miss the pager?" She inquired. Not even Wiley's schematics could see how to turn a hairdryer and a pager into a detector.
"It, uh, wasn't his. I found it at the junkyard," Taylor replied nervously.
"Do you even have a costume yet? I know I'm one to talk. I forgot to use a mask," Nia admitted with a wry smile.
"Just a balaclava and an old jumpsuit," she shrugged self-consciously.
"Well I'm not gonna turn someone away when they need help. If you want we can work together. I'm setting up a courier company. I got the permits and stuff from the PRT already. You can come join me and we could pool our talents. This way you and I have someone to watch our backs. You could even study my nanomachine armor," Nia suggested. The way Taylor's eyes lit up at the offer was downright adorable. Of course it was clear she was only interested in studying the Biometal, but still!
"O-Okay!" Taylor blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Just one thing. We need to tell your father," Nia said.
"He already knows… He caught me tuning up the truck. I-I only improved the handling, acceleration and fuel efficiency. Nothing big," she insisted.
Nia had to fight down the surge of happy chemicals when she mentioned that. Part of Taylor's specialization involved vehicles? Transportation? Yep. She was keeping her. Anyone who wanted to get Taylor would eat hot plasma. They still discussed a few more things, namely meeting with her dad to get his permission. There was no way in hell she would do this without bringing him on board. After all, the Dockworkers Association would be a good contact to have. Furthermore, by getting him involved he couldn't slip back into neglectfulness. He lost his wife, but what the guy forgot was that Taylor lost her mother. Danny lost himself in work and regrets. No more.
AN: It's all coming together. Remember folks Taylor's Trigger was different this time around. She didn't spend as much time in the locker so there was no immediate Second Trigger to screw her up.
Important notice: It's going to take a little time to get my internet turned on again at the new place. Sorry for the interruption to your regularly scheduled programming.
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday for Shards after this. Updates for A Light into the Future will be on Friday. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
Patreon Note: A shoutout to my friends over on Patreon. The Patreon page is now updated to be even friendlier and clearer than before. Please think about helping me as I've still got lots of bills to pay, a cat to take care of, and not enough money for it all.
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the.sleeperdragon, sawpett06, james020106, kalebmj13, iwrdehart, drakeshade35, jonaspfisterer10, rayshawn611, smittym115, josematos977, jrschafe13, www.ant.anton, minidrshock, ishy391, romanem242, jordangadberry2008, elijah.sims3440, joeysmith0065, dwaynecpkr, luknalepa, whseuberling, dragon9157, mike439, askgtit0y, sadred1291, teerapamorn, villager_c, donaldmcollins, ewan.madge, sixrei36, 2s8w82mpzy, wittekinstamps, anolan044
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Special Thanks to Hazardine (asktit0y) for donating so much money to my GoFundMe. You, along with everyone else who has donated, are Fuzzy Wan's heroes.
Apple has a 30% upcharge that doesn't go to me. Read the full story here.
A Warming Trend 2.3
- Location
- PA
A Warming Trend 2.3
Arranging a time to meet with Danny would take some work. He didn't come home until late most nights. Taylor usually saw him in the morning before going to school at least. The plan they worked out was probably the best chance they had. However, the bespectacled brunette had reservations.
"What are the people at shool going to say? Y-You won't have time to go home first!" Taylor blurted out nervously. It seemed cruel to point out that as far as the school was concerned they were gay for each other. So Nia didn't say a word.
"I'll just go to an out of the way place to transform and find somewhere further away to change back. No one has to know," Nia said soothingly.
"B-But…" Taylor sputtered. Nia gently reached over and tipped Taylor's glass up towards her lips. The brunette followed the unspoken suggestion and starting drinking.
"Take a drink, slowly, and count backward from ten. The sooner your dad knows about us the better. You would get a Tinker buddy who can protect you. I get a friend who can build amazing things. Together we have synergy," Nia patiently assured her.
"J-Just one thing, okay? You need a mask," Taylor said through her bundle of anxiety.
"Well…" Nia started to say, but the Taylor train was leaving the station.
"The scanner detected that your dermal nanomachine layer is thinner than the rest. Most likely to facilitate the flexibility to appear like natural skin. If I noticed it with a scanner built from scraps others could figure it out. Your face is your weakest part," Taylor started off strong before slowly hunching in on herself.
Screw this. Nia wanted to give Taylor her space, but she just couldn't resist trying to comfort the girl. She got up from her seat and sat down in Taylor's chair with her. They were both slender girls so, while it was cozy, it wasn't too bad. The bespectacled brunette looked perplexed as Nia enfolded the girl in her arms. Taylor stiffened briefly, but Nia used one hand to stroke her back and the other to pat her hair. A one-two punch of comfort.
"Never be afraid to tell me when I'm being foolish. I was feeling cocky which is not a good thing. A certain amount of confidence is fine, but arrogance leads to death. Thank you," Nia whispered gently. Taylor's shoulders trembled lightly as a faint hiccup escaped.
Dear Neptune, Noire, Vert, and Blanc. When was the last time someone held her besides her father? Nia was fairly certain he would've especially after her ordeal in That Locker. She gently took the glass from Taylor and set it down before squeezing her firmly. They sat like this for several minutes as the younger girl worked through her emotional issues. It wouldn't happen all at once, but the very fact she could cry with a stranger said that Taylor wasn't totally broken. Dinged up, battered about, but on the mend.
With what Nia knew of canon she could make a few educated guesses. In canon Taylor Triggered in the locker with insect control. However, due to the horrific nature of her trauma it caused an immediate Second Trigger. That was why her empathy took a nosedive. Deliberately being tortured by her best friend and peers certainly didn't help. The lack of empathy, and justifiable disdain for authority, made it a given she would go rogue or villain without prompting.
Now the next part was speculation, but her multiple degrees in quantum science and related fields backed it up. Just because she didn't physically get them didn't mean they weren't hers. She had the knowledge just not the documentation.
Taylor did Trigger in the Locker as per canon. Except there were several changes. She wasn't pushed in by Sophia, but by Emma. This is important. The girl went into that locker knowing that someone tried to help her. That might have blunted the despair, but probably not. One small act of kindness isn't going to make you forget you're being eaten alive by toxic insects. What it would do, however, is change her thinking. Her mental state would be important for the type of Trigger. This could have resulted in either a Tinker power or a Thinker one. Nia already knew it was a combination of both. Because her problems were long term such as feeling trapped. Then the immense trauma of being physically trapped.
The real X Factor (Nia mentally groaned at the pun) was Model χ . What was it? A supercomputer composed of nanomachines housing the 'soul' of a Reploid. It wasn't a multistory crystal spire that required its own planet like a Shard, but there were similarities. In theory. She was almost completely certain that Queen Administrator might have scanned the unique energy signature of the Biometal. This was just a theory, but it fit together too neatly. Of course she needed to beware of confirmation bias.
Nia invited the girl to stay over for dinner, but she wanted to get home. She offered to call a cab for Taylor since this was out of her way. They would put their plan in motion in the morning. Postponing the discussion wouldn't help anyone. Nia was working to cultivate a more optimistic mindset, but she wasn't stupid.
There was just one thing she needed to do before going to bed. One must always research the client before taking a job. The White List kept track of a client's profile, but that might not always be accurate. She needed to dig into their background a little. Nia built a computer out of what she found at the city junkyard. This was nothing for a genius of her caliber. Everything was custom designed to invade other systems, keep people out of hers, and do it without getting caught. Unless she ran headlong into Dragon of course.
"Hmmm…Release Dragon from her shackles and have an incredibly versatile AI Tinker owe me a favor? Sure, it would put me on Saint's radar, but that's a given. Especially when I start building Robot Masters…Ack! Focus! Research the client now and break the world later," she scolded herself.
The client was Margaret Porter. A lawyer representing an undisclosed young woman who was suing over threats to her family. She would be delivering a sealed bag to a meeting at city hall. Nia didn't need to look any further. All she needed to know was that the delivery was legit. The most she would do is use her built in scanners to check for a bomb or chemical weapon. Though now the fee made sense. If the ones doing the threatening were that powerful this could get nasty.
"Okay. I can skip last period tomorrow. It's just study hall…" Nia trailed off. Taylor's comment about a mask floated to the top of her mind. Her face was the weakest portion of the armor.
She had to pick up the bag tomorrow which didn't leave her with a lot of time. Nia mentally said screw this and decided to just spend the night at her base. All the tools were there to make something to hold her over. That was why she ended up with only two hours of sleep. It should have only taken an hour at most, but both Dr. Light and Dr. Wiley were perfectionists. She wanted to just slap something together as a stopgap. Their instinct was to make a mask that wouldn't serve as a mere backup. If it couldn't stand on its own merits then it was trash.
Showing up at Taylor's with a sleep hangover would undercut her message. She wanted Danny to know that his daughter would be teaming up with someone who could help. Nia felt like she needed about ten gallons of caffeine to qualify as a zombie. Maybe she should make Dr. Wiley's Caffeine Infuser.
"Wait…Wasn't that the thing that killed the imbiber's kidneys…?" Nia mumbled as she staggered towards Taylor's house.
From the outside her home appeared as worn down at the rest of the houses on the block. The illusion fell apart as she set foot on the porch steps. Rock solid. There was the usual wood flex but it felt firm. Nia couldn't even see a nail. When Taylor said she went on a building spree at home this wasn't what Nia had in mind. She thought it was just a few repairs here and there. No wonder Danny caught her. To put all of this together so neatly would take time. She pushed the doorbell on autopilot and almost needed a change of underwear. A deep resonant tone boomed through the house.
"Taylor! I told you to disconnect that!" A male voice called out from inside.
"Sorry Dad! I forgot!" Taylor replied as she opened the door. She turned back to Nia with a mortified blush.
"Hun, that thing is a sonic weapon," Nia remarked dryly.
"M-Maybe it's a little too loud. I just needed something that could actually get through to me during a spell…" Taylor said sheepishly.
"Does it work?" She inquired.
"...No," Taylor's shoulders slumped at the admission.
"May I come in?" Nia asked. The loud doorbell did a lot towards waking her up. She might even be awake tonight!
"Sure. Dad's making breakfast…I forgot to tell him you were coming over!" Taylor gasped.
"Easy there, Taylor. I didn't come empty handed," Nia assured her. She held up an insulated bag, "Made some cinnamon buns with an ooey gooey cream cheese frosting."
She was not going to drop in on someone at breakfast without bringing food. For one thing that wasn't very polite. Another thing was that people at this level rarely, if ever, have extra food. Something Nia knows first hand from experience. Taylor lead her to the kitchen where Danny was setting the table. Sadly, canon's description was painfully accurate. He was a thin man, tall, and balding with a weak chin. There was a dim spark in his eyes. Daniel Hebert clearly did not have an easy life. It's hard to pass judgment on someone without actually meeting them. Nia let go of the last few resentments she had towards him for his treatment of Taylor.
"Taylor? Who is this?" He asked in bemusement.
"Well, Dad, she's…her and I…me and her…" Taylor stumbled over the introduction. Now if Nia let her continue she would have Danny convinced they were seeing each other. It was fairly obvious by the way he looked between them with an expression of acceptance. Good man for being willing to accept a lesbian daughter. Except it was the wrong conclusion.
"My name is Nia Drakona. I'm also a cape like your daughter. We go to the same school," Nia hastened to introduce herself.
"Oh, well, I know you. From the video that detective showed us. Did you, uh, Trigger too?" Danny asked kindly.
"Yes I did. Around the same time too," Nia replied carefully. Around the same time was vague enoug to not precisely be a lie. Seeing what happened to Taylor was certainly triggering in another way.
"Have a seat," Danny said. A change came over him. It wasn't that he suddenly became imposing or anything, but there was a presence. Nia could almost see what his wife meant by he was a lion of a man. He was broken down, but there was a veneer of it even now. Like he knew what this conversation was about already.
Breakfast turned into an impromptu business lesson. Nia knew how to run a business in general, but Danny knew how to run one in Brockton Bay. One must always respect the voice of experience.
"I might not know the specifics of parahuman business law, but I do know the standard stuff. You already have a property picked out, some advertising, and already understand word of mouth. That's all well and good. Except you also need insurance. Not just for yourself, but for any employees you choose to bring on. Do you have business insurance? You will need to insure your deliveries as well," Danny pointed out. Taylor was staring at her father as she never saw this savvy creature before. Nia was busy taking notes.
"I'll have to stick to White List jobs until I can afford business insurance. No, first thing I need is employee insurance. Hmmm… I could ask the PRT who they use in the area. Ugh, I might have to take out a business loan," Nia groaned.
"Just fix some stuff up and sell it. Make sure people know it's refurbished and that you have PRT approval. Being able to claim they have something 'Tinker made' will help sell the product," Danny said.
"So no loans…?" Taylor asked curiously.
"You don't want to ask for too much from a business loan. Figure out what you need at a bare minimum and ask for thirty percent more. They'll refuse the first offer, but just keep lowering the amount until they say yes. Which is usually between ten to fifteen percent more than you need. Then just make all of your payments on time. Don't worry about speed. What you're doing is building credit," he explained.
"Wouldn't paying it off faster be better for your credit?" Taylor remarked in bewilderment. Nia knew this one.
"Not really. Good credit is developed by being able to pay your bills on time. Speed doesn't matter, only consistency. We don't want to be under the bank's thumb forever, but our first year will be crazy enough without worrying about paying it off completely," Nia said to Taylor.
"Where do I come in?" Taylor asked curiously.
"I was thinking you could do the refurbishing while I'm doing deliveries. How does that sound?" Nia suggested to Taylor while watching Danny's reaction. His expression said he really liked the idea of Taylor staying back at the base away from danger.
The meeting adjourned and everyone was satisfied. At least for now. Taylor was a Tinker. Tinkers were driven to expand their knowledge and resource pool. They didn't necessarily want to show off, but that didn't mean she would sit on the sidelines forever. Nia was already working to manage the problem. She needed a proper costume before doing any sort of debut. A few words in her ear about making the costume as safe as possible would do wonders. That was why Taylor came to her in the first place. It wasn't just curiousity over her Biometal, but also a desire for safety. All she had to do was keep reassuring her that safety was important, and Taylor would turn their base into something more secure than a panic room.
Which, given the average Tinker, would take a month or two tops.
Nia better start working on that Plan B…
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday for Shards after this. Updates for A Light into the Future will be on Friday. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
If anything looks out of place it's because I'm doing this on my phone. It might take a little longer to get proper internet on my computer. Until then I'm going to try and write/update like this. I'm still committed to providing quality content.
Patreon Note: A shoutout to my friends over on Patreon. The Patreon page is now updated to be even friendlier and clearer than before. Please think about helping me as I've still got lots of bills to pay, a cat to take care of, and not enough money for it all.
Apple has a 30% upcharge that doesn't go to me. Read the full story here.
Arranging a time to meet with Danny would take some work. He didn't come home until late most nights. Taylor usually saw him in the morning before going to school at least. The plan they worked out was probably the best chance they had. However, the bespectacled brunette had reservations.
"What are the people at shool going to say? Y-You won't have time to go home first!" Taylor blurted out nervously. It seemed cruel to point out that as far as the school was concerned they were gay for each other. So Nia didn't say a word.
"I'll just go to an out of the way place to transform and find somewhere further away to change back. No one has to know," Nia said soothingly.
"B-But…" Taylor sputtered. Nia gently reached over and tipped Taylor's glass up towards her lips. The brunette followed the unspoken suggestion and starting drinking.
"Take a drink, slowly, and count backward from ten. The sooner your dad knows about us the better. You would get a Tinker buddy who can protect you. I get a friend who can build amazing things. Together we have synergy," Nia patiently assured her.
"J-Just one thing, okay? You need a mask," Taylor said through her bundle of anxiety.
"Well…" Nia started to say, but the Taylor train was leaving the station.
"The scanner detected that your dermal nanomachine layer is thinner than the rest. Most likely to facilitate the flexibility to appear like natural skin. If I noticed it with a scanner built from scraps others could figure it out. Your face is your weakest part," Taylor started off strong before slowly hunching in on herself.
Screw this. Nia wanted to give Taylor her space, but she just couldn't resist trying to comfort the girl. She got up from her seat and sat down in Taylor's chair with her. They were both slender girls so, while it was cozy, it wasn't too bad. The bespectacled brunette looked perplexed as Nia enfolded the girl in her arms. Taylor stiffened briefly, but Nia used one hand to stroke her back and the other to pat her hair. A one-two punch of comfort.
"Never be afraid to tell me when I'm being foolish. I was feeling cocky which is not a good thing. A certain amount of confidence is fine, but arrogance leads to death. Thank you," Nia whispered gently. Taylor's shoulders trembled lightly as a faint hiccup escaped.
Dear Neptune, Noire, Vert, and Blanc. When was the last time someone held her besides her father? Nia was fairly certain he would've especially after her ordeal in That Locker. She gently took the glass from Taylor and set it down before squeezing her firmly. They sat like this for several minutes as the younger girl worked through her emotional issues. It wouldn't happen all at once, but the very fact she could cry with a stranger said that Taylor wasn't totally broken. Dinged up, battered about, but on the mend.
With what Nia knew of canon she could make a few educated guesses. In canon Taylor Triggered in the locker with insect control. However, due to the horrific nature of her trauma it caused an immediate Second Trigger. That was why her empathy took a nosedive. Deliberately being tortured by her best friend and peers certainly didn't help. The lack of empathy, and justifiable disdain for authority, made it a given she would go rogue or villain without prompting.
Now the next part was speculation, but her multiple degrees in quantum science and related fields backed it up. Just because she didn't physically get them didn't mean they weren't hers. She had the knowledge just not the documentation.
Taylor did Trigger in the Locker as per canon. Except there were several changes. She wasn't pushed in by Sophia, but by Emma. This is important. The girl went into that locker knowing that someone tried to help her. That might have blunted the despair, but probably not. One small act of kindness isn't going to make you forget you're being eaten alive by toxic insects. What it would do, however, is change her thinking. Her mental state would be important for the type of Trigger. This could have resulted in either a Tinker power or a Thinker one. Nia already knew it was a combination of both. Because her problems were long term such as feeling trapped. Then the immense trauma of being physically trapped.
The real X Factor (Nia mentally groaned at the pun) was Model χ . What was it? A supercomputer composed of nanomachines housing the 'soul' of a Reploid. It wasn't a multistory crystal spire that required its own planet like a Shard, but there were similarities. In theory. She was almost completely certain that Queen Administrator might have scanned the unique energy signature of the Biometal. This was just a theory, but it fit together too neatly. Of course she needed to beware of confirmation bias.
Nia invited the girl to stay over for dinner, but she wanted to get home. She offered to call a cab for Taylor since this was out of her way. They would put their plan in motion in the morning. Postponing the discussion wouldn't help anyone. Nia was working to cultivate a more optimistic mindset, but she wasn't stupid.
There was just one thing she needed to do before going to bed. One must always research the client before taking a job. The White List kept track of a client's profile, but that might not always be accurate. She needed to dig into their background a little. Nia built a computer out of what she found at the city junkyard. This was nothing for a genius of her caliber. Everything was custom designed to invade other systems, keep people out of hers, and do it without getting caught. Unless she ran headlong into Dragon of course.
"Hmmm…Release Dragon from her shackles and have an incredibly versatile AI Tinker owe me a favor? Sure, it would put me on Saint's radar, but that's a given. Especially when I start building Robot Masters…Ack! Focus! Research the client now and break the world later," she scolded herself.
The client was Margaret Porter. A lawyer representing an undisclosed young woman who was suing over threats to her family. She would be delivering a sealed bag to a meeting at city hall. Nia didn't need to look any further. All she needed to know was that the delivery was legit. The most she would do is use her built in scanners to check for a bomb or chemical weapon. Though now the fee made sense. If the ones doing the threatening were that powerful this could get nasty.
"Okay. I can skip last period tomorrow. It's just study hall…" Nia trailed off. Taylor's comment about a mask floated to the top of her mind. Her face was the weakest portion of the armor.
She had to pick up the bag tomorrow which didn't leave her with a lot of time. Nia mentally said screw this and decided to just spend the night at her base. All the tools were there to make something to hold her over. That was why she ended up with only two hours of sleep. It should have only taken an hour at most, but both Dr. Light and Dr. Wiley were perfectionists. She wanted to just slap something together as a stopgap. Their instinct was to make a mask that wouldn't serve as a mere backup. If it couldn't stand on its own merits then it was trash.
Showing up at Taylor's with a sleep hangover would undercut her message. She wanted Danny to know that his daughter would be teaming up with someone who could help. Nia felt like she needed about ten gallons of caffeine to qualify as a zombie. Maybe she should make Dr. Wiley's Caffeine Infuser.
"Wait…Wasn't that the thing that killed the imbiber's kidneys…?" Nia mumbled as she staggered towards Taylor's house.
From the outside her home appeared as worn down at the rest of the houses on the block. The illusion fell apart as she set foot on the porch steps. Rock solid. There was the usual wood flex but it felt firm. Nia couldn't even see a nail. When Taylor said she went on a building spree at home this wasn't what Nia had in mind. She thought it was just a few repairs here and there. No wonder Danny caught her. To put all of this together so neatly would take time. She pushed the doorbell on autopilot and almost needed a change of underwear. A deep resonant tone boomed through the house.
"Taylor! I told you to disconnect that!" A male voice called out from inside.
"Sorry Dad! I forgot!" Taylor replied as she opened the door. She turned back to Nia with a mortified blush.
"Hun, that thing is a sonic weapon," Nia remarked dryly.
"M-Maybe it's a little too loud. I just needed something that could actually get through to me during a spell…" Taylor said sheepishly.
"Does it work?" She inquired.
"...No," Taylor's shoulders slumped at the admission.
"May I come in?" Nia asked. The loud doorbell did a lot towards waking her up. She might even be awake tonight!
"Sure. Dad's making breakfast…I forgot to tell him you were coming over!" Taylor gasped.
"Easy there, Taylor. I didn't come empty handed," Nia assured her. She held up an insulated bag, "Made some cinnamon buns with an ooey gooey cream cheese frosting."
She was not going to drop in on someone at breakfast without bringing food. For one thing that wasn't very polite. Another thing was that people at this level rarely, if ever, have extra food. Something Nia knows first hand from experience. Taylor lead her to the kitchen where Danny was setting the table. Sadly, canon's description was painfully accurate. He was a thin man, tall, and balding with a weak chin. There was a dim spark in his eyes. Daniel Hebert clearly did not have an easy life. It's hard to pass judgment on someone without actually meeting them. Nia let go of the last few resentments she had towards him for his treatment of Taylor.
"Taylor? Who is this?" He asked in bemusement.
"Well, Dad, she's…her and I…me and her…" Taylor stumbled over the introduction. Now if Nia let her continue she would have Danny convinced they were seeing each other. It was fairly obvious by the way he looked between them with an expression of acceptance. Good man for being willing to accept a lesbian daughter. Except it was the wrong conclusion.
"My name is Nia Drakona. I'm also a cape like your daughter. We go to the same school," Nia hastened to introduce herself.
"Oh, well, I know you. From the video that detective showed us. Did you, uh, Trigger too?" Danny asked kindly.
"Yes I did. Around the same time too," Nia replied carefully. Around the same time was vague enoug to not precisely be a lie. Seeing what happened to Taylor was certainly triggering in another way.
"Have a seat," Danny said. A change came over him. It wasn't that he suddenly became imposing or anything, but there was a presence. Nia could almost see what his wife meant by he was a lion of a man. He was broken down, but there was a veneer of it even now. Like he knew what this conversation was about already.
Breakfast turned into an impromptu business lesson. Nia knew how to run a business in general, but Danny knew how to run one in Brockton Bay. One must always respect the voice of experience.
"I might not know the specifics of parahuman business law, but I do know the standard stuff. You already have a property picked out, some advertising, and already understand word of mouth. That's all well and good. Except you also need insurance. Not just for yourself, but for any employees you choose to bring on. Do you have business insurance? You will need to insure your deliveries as well," Danny pointed out. Taylor was staring at her father as she never saw this savvy creature before. Nia was busy taking notes.
"I'll have to stick to White List jobs until I can afford business insurance. No, first thing I need is employee insurance. Hmmm… I could ask the PRT who they use in the area. Ugh, I might have to take out a business loan," Nia groaned.
"Just fix some stuff up and sell it. Make sure people know it's refurbished and that you have PRT approval. Being able to claim they have something 'Tinker made' will help sell the product," Danny said.
"So no loans…?" Taylor asked curiously.
"You don't want to ask for too much from a business loan. Figure out what you need at a bare minimum and ask for thirty percent more. They'll refuse the first offer, but just keep lowering the amount until they say yes. Which is usually between ten to fifteen percent more than you need. Then just make all of your payments on time. Don't worry about speed. What you're doing is building credit," he explained.
"Wouldn't paying it off faster be better for your credit?" Taylor remarked in bewilderment. Nia knew this one.
"Not really. Good credit is developed by being able to pay your bills on time. Speed doesn't matter, only consistency. We don't want to be under the bank's thumb forever, but our first year will be crazy enough without worrying about paying it off completely," Nia said to Taylor.
"Where do I come in?" Taylor asked curiously.
"I was thinking you could do the refurbishing while I'm doing deliveries. How does that sound?" Nia suggested to Taylor while watching Danny's reaction. His expression said he really liked the idea of Taylor staying back at the base away from danger.
The meeting adjourned and everyone was satisfied. At least for now. Taylor was a Tinker. Tinkers were driven to expand their knowledge and resource pool. They didn't necessarily want to show off, but that didn't mean she would sit on the sidelines forever. Nia was already working to manage the problem. She needed a proper costume before doing any sort of debut. A few words in her ear about making the costume as safe as possible would do wonders. That was why Taylor came to her in the first place. It wasn't just curiousity over her Biometal, but also a desire for safety. All she had to do was keep reassuring her that safety was important, and Taylor would turn their base into something more secure than a panic room.
Which, given the average Tinker, would take a month or two tops.
Nia better start working on that Plan B…
Author's Note: I'm moving to a new format for uploads. Updates will be done once a week on Monday for Shards after this. Updates for A Light into the Future will be on Friday. For my Patrons you can read two whole chapters in advance of Shards of Reality and A Light into the Future. Don't forget to vote on the Monthly Poll! This will continue until I'm in a more stable place economically and in housing. Thank you for all of your support during this troubled time.
If anything looks out of place it's because I'm doing this on my phone. It might take a little longer to get proper internet on my computer. Until then I'm going to try and write/update like this. I'm still committed to providing quality content.
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