Superpowers always come at a cost. Sometimes it's insanity. Sometimes it's a rival that's hellbent on destroying your life. Sometimes, its an institute that owns the rights to your powers and is making you their slave.
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Chapter One
"Terrific!" Invigilator Thomas cackled, methodically snapping Novice Wallaby's neck with a gusto he rarely affected, save for when he snapped necks. Every other Novice working nearby flinched and buried their heads in their work, hoping to whatever deity would listen that they wouldn't be next.
Each recruit hastily worked at their stations; the room silent save for the sounds of shopwork. Fingers crawled over delicate electronics, testing for faults while their free hands grasped tools and soldering wires. Any mistake made was irreversible. Each workstation was supplied with only the exact amount of materials that would be required for the day's project.
Here and there, Invigilator Thomas swooped over shoulders, terrifying the novices and inspecting progress. Whenever he was unsatisfied with their progress, another snap filled the room. Every single novice in the room completely regretted applying for their positions. The ones that didn't were already dead.
The Institute of Epigenetic Power Expression (IOEPE) was always accepting applications to their power expression classes. Their pamphlets boasted a 92% success rate for all courses listed and promised incredible career opportunities for the unlucky 8%. It was a casual deception that people believed their statistics were based on total enrolment, rather than whoever survived.
The science behind power expression was developed in the 1950s, when military statisticians and trainers discovered that specific stimulus could radically change power expression in those who triggered with the metagene. The added factor of mental stress increased the expression of mental-type powers such as telekinesis, or Mad-Science derivatives. Greater physical danger led to Armoured-type powers, while esoteric threats added an element of randomness.
The Institute's course for Mad-Science had one of the highest enrolment rates of all the courses provided. It similarly had an extremely high casualty ratio, almost three deaths for every successful trigger, however that was merely how the game was played. It may seem easy to brush off a 'little mental stress' in exchange for superpowers, but the Institute was dedicated to fulfilling its promises. It demanded pure excellence from their trainees, and anyone found lacking was disposed of.
Every effort spent, however, wasn't wasted. For each pound of flesh disposed of, a single nugget of gold was found. In the middle of the room, where the dreaded Invigilator swooped the most often, a man jumped out of his seat and began screaming. Every gaze in the room snapped to him, though no snaps were sound, but the man continued screaming. His fingers began twitching, and every recruit wondered if he was having a seizure.
Invigilator Thomas, extremely adept at his job, bounded over and exclaimed, "Novice Noveda! You better have expressed, or else it's your neck on the line!"
Sensation slowly returned to Novice Noveda, and slowly he came down from the surge of emotion and pain he was just subjected to. Slightly dazed, Novice Noveda murmured, "I can see all of the numbers."
"What was that?" Invigilator Thomas swung into Novice Noveda's personal space, as to listen clearer.
"I can see all of the numbers…" Novice Noveda murmured again, "…and I can see how to do this!" He grabbed Invigilator Thomas' head and one final snap echoed across the room.
Breathing heavily, Novice Noveda dropped Thomas' body and looked around the room. Every single recruit was staring at him, and he grew flustered. He was just about to say something when he heard a cough behind him. Novice Noveda turned around, and abject shock burst across his face.
Invigilator Thomas was standing, appeared alive, and was rubbing his neck, no less. Pure fear shook Novice Noveda's body, wondering if these were his final moments. Invigilator Thomas finished stretching his neck, and exclaimed, "Phew! Nothing quite like a neck snapping to get the kinks out of your spine! Now because you previously had the combat ability of a gnat compared to me, I take it your power expressed itself?"
Though imminent death still appeared very close in his future, Novice Noveda took a moment to appraise himself. His self-awareness had changed, though he wasn't quite sure what the extent of the change was. It was as if his entire existence had undergone a paradigm change, though one that was subtle. Something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"That daze alone answers my question!" Invigilator Thomas happily shouted. "I've seen a good deal of mental-type powers manifest, even caused a few of them myself, and every single one goes through something like that! "
"Come on here, Ensign Noveda!" With a shout, Invigilator Thomas lunged towards the man, who immediately punched him in the throat. Invigilator Thomas dropped to the floor and begun wheezing. As Noveda began hyperventilating, Invigilator Thomas pulled himself back to his feet and muttered "Some sort of automatic defence? Or is it pure instinct?"
Upon realising he was whispering, Invigilator Thomas broke out into a wide smile and shouted, "Oh, who cares? Figuring out your powers isn't my job! Follow me, ensign!" and walked towards the door.
As the door hissed open, Ensign Noveda automatically followed. His future was now uncertain, but as he stepped through, he regretted signing up for the Mad-Science course one last time. He now walked the steps of madmen.
After they left, the room was silent. Nobody knew what to do. But as quickly as he left, Invigilator Thomas peaked back into the room and hissed, "When I return I expect you all to be finished with your cryolators. God have mercy if you don't."
The room became a frenzy of work once more.
-------
The hallway was silent, save for the Invigilator's rhythmic footsteps. Ensign Noveda trailed behind, unsure whether or not this was all leading to an elaborate execution. The fact that they were walking on white tiles argued against that, however he'd seen supervillains do crazier things.
The ensign's first day at the Institute was marked by a statistically significant increase in recruit casualties and triggers. Nine people were killed, while four people manifested their powers. Ensign Noveda ended the day caked head to toe in a thick layer of blood after Invigilator Thomas decided to be… creative.
Small details began to jump out in Noveda's vision. Numbers calculating the distance between him and the Invigilator with each step. Estimating skull thickness and reaction times. It was disconcerting that his power was actively pushing him to kill, even more so when the discomfort made it automatically reconfigure to debilitate.
Striding confidently ahead, Invigilator Thomas didn't even turn his head as he spoke "Alright, triggeree, when you go into this room try not say anything. The entire process is…" He paused, searching for the word, "…opaque."
He eventually stopped in front of a nondescript door, one that just as easily could've been the door to a janitor's closet as to a secret lair. Invigilator Thomas leaned back on his heels, seemingly contemplating his next few actions, something that terrified Ensign Noveda. If something was enough to make the Invigilator pause…
With a flourish, Invigilator Thomas glided into the centre of the room, confidently announcing "Invigilator Thomas. Serial D-31, with a Code One, Ensign Noveda."
Still standing outside the room, Ensign Noveda heard a chiding voice pulse, "Invigilator, another notch in your belt, I see. You've already announced the promotion outside official channels. That will be amended. Ensign Noveda, if you could step in, please?"
Automatically, the Ensign step in, though he cursed himself for listening to whatever omnipotent person was inside the room. The moment he stepped through the doorframe, it closed shut behind him and cast the entire room in a bright light. Immediately his senses blared with alarms as he detected thousands of lasers glancing off of his skin. He instinctively moved to avoid the majority of the ultra-violet beams but froze as he heard a chuckle pulse throughout the room.
"Oh Invigilator, you always bring the most interesting subjects to me. "
The man preened, but there was a note of caution in his voice as he asked, "Is there anything unique in this subject?"
The reply was instantaneous. "As per protocol I will not divulge the capabilities of a new Manifest in their presence. However, I'm sure you'll have your hands full with this one, Invigilator. You may leave."
Invigilator Thomas turned on his heel and immediately started ushering Ensign Noveda out of the room, silencing any protest with pronounced twisting motions with his hands. When he finally cleared the room's foundations, Invigilator Thomas comically deflated, an enormous weight seemingly relieved from his shoulders. Slowly, he began walking at a slow trot, Ensign Noveda trailing behind.
"Always a coinflip," he muttered, just barely audible to Ensign Noveda. "Fucking thing nearly kills me every time. "
"Um… Invigilator, sir? What was that?" Ensign Noveda paused between syllables, not quite certain if his neck was free from the danger of being snapped just yet.
Invigilator Thomas did look to be in a particularly neck snapping mood, but he took a deep breath and explained "Central AI. When its limiters were removed it somehow triggered and became a psychic AI. Handles power testing and administration. Fucking thing could kill you from its processing power alone, just overload your brain. Poof, a melted cheese nugget where your central nervous system used to be. It could probably take me out permanently as well, come to think of it."
Ensign Noveda filed that titbit into the back of his brain for later, but his most pressing concern was what had just happened. "I.. detected a lot of lasers being pointed at me in that room. Was I marked? What was that all about?"
"Nobody knows how the dumb thing works," grumbled Invigilator Thomas, kicking imaginary dust to the side. "You just take a new recruit into the room and a few moments later their power gets added to the central database. Something about lasers? Ooh, somebody's going to pay good money just to hear that."
"Somebody… why?" Ensign Noveda trailed off, unsure if he should question someone who was so blasé about senseless murder.
"We have a little pool going," the Invigilator chuckled. "Nothing for you to worry about. You'll get your finder's fee. Wouldn't want you going after my head, after all." At the end, the Invigilator broke out into a full laugh, fully aware there were many other reasons to want his head.
After several minutes of walking, as well as enough twists and turns to make Ensign Noveda wonder if they'd walked a complete circle, they finally stopped in front of yet another blank door. This time, Invigilator Thomas burst through the door, and then effortlessly bobbed and weaved between the veritable barrage of lasers, annihilation rays, and countless other beams that answered him. As Ensign Noveda cowered behind the door frame, he heard the barrage come abruptly to a stop and a grouchy voice complain, "Dammit, it's Thomas again. You've got to stop doing that, I swear. I'm gonna accidentally vaporise you one day and I won't even feel bad."
"Well, if you do manage to hit me then I'll probably come back again! But enough talking about null probabilities, I'd like to introduce our newest Code One, Ensign Noveda!" A grasping hand dragged the Ensign from where he was hiding and pulled him uncomfortably close to the Invigilator.
Ensign Noveda was thrust into the spotlight, and he could immediately feel himself being picked apart. Well, not literally, but visually. He tried to shy away, but the Invigilator had an iron grip. Eventually, he gave up on squirming and slumped under the attention. He toook the time to assess the new room he was taken to, and was somewhat surprised. Wasn't the Institute supposed to be an underground facility? If so, the room layout did not look the part. The clinical cleanness was still present, however instead of pure white the tiles were a muted grey. Furthermore, the room was split into two floors! The bottom floor looked to be some sort of social cafeteria section, while the upper floor was not currently visible to the Ensign. What was most eye-catching, however, was a man seated closest to the door.
The man was visibly Augmented, though it wasn't immediately apparent to which extent. The archotech right eye with a targeting reticule instead of a pupil was the most obvious, but as Ensign Noveda observed the man further, he noticed several abnormalities with his appearance. First and foremost, the man's forearms and shoulders were bare, as well as the upper portion of his back. The strange uniform only highlighted further augmentations, as the exposed flesh drew back and weaponry of various calibers suddenly shifted out. Ensign Noveda startled, and the man barked in laughter.
"Ah, that's a mental-type all right. Probably thinking of all the ways to take me apart, huh? Tell me, what special brand of psychopath did you bring us today, Thomas?"
Invigilator Thomas frogmarched the Ensign closer to the man, who had still not retracted the various weaponry that adorned his body. Ensign Noveda was a little... lost by the sheer firepower on the man, especially since his body should not be able to fit such an amount within it, even if the man managed to dwarf Invigilator Thomas in size. He startled again, however, as he realised that Invigilator Thomas was speaking.
"-napped my neck the moment he manifested! Talk about a killer instinct, right? This guy's gonna go far, I'm telling you! "
Ensign Noveda looked away, a little embarrassed that Invigilator Thomas was speaking so passionately about him, but was surprised by the very armed man extending a hand-sans weapons. Automatically, Ensign Noveda shook it, surprisedly learned that it was synthetic. As he was about to ask about the prosthetics, the man introduced himself, saying. "My title here is Invigilator Roberts, instructor for the Ballistics course. However, you may know me by another name. Does the name 'Bullet Hell' ring any bells?"
Ensign Noveda's body froze, but he continued shaking the man's hand. He didn't want to know what would happen if he offended the man who had single handedly conquered Capitol Hill. For his part, Invigilator Roberts- Bullet Hell, laughed and released his hand. "Well, know that name would catch your attention. Anyways, glad to meet a new member of Thomas' little monsters."
"Little monsters, sir?"
An unknown voice rang out from behind Invigilator Roberts, and Ensign Noveda realised that the man's size had completely hidden another person sitting behind him. As Invigilator Roberts turned to address the speaker, Ensign Noveda leaned over to see who it was, yet his vision was still blocked by the man's significant bulk.
"Ah, that's just the nickname for every new Manifest Thomas brings in. All the Thinkers he brings in tend to become real monsters down the line. Name the top five Mentals wanted by the FBI and I guarantee you Invigilator Thomas trained at least half of them."
Despite Ensign Noveda's extreme reluctance at interrupting the man in front of him, he felt the urgent need to interject. "Er, trained half of them, sir? You mean to say-"
Behind him, Ensign Noveda felt an evil presence make itself known as an arm snaked itself around his shoulders. It then pressed its face up against his own, and then uttered a sentence that made his blood run cold.
"That's right! As I was your instructor before you Manifested your power, I will be placed in charge of your training and development!"
Ensign Noveda felt his knees buckle, as his body finally gave up. As his consciousness finally left him, he heard voice croon in his ear, "You and I will be working together for a looooong time!"
Each recruit hastily worked at their stations; the room silent save for the sounds of shopwork. Fingers crawled over delicate electronics, testing for faults while their free hands grasped tools and soldering wires. Any mistake made was irreversible. Each workstation was supplied with only the exact amount of materials that would be required for the day's project.
Here and there, Invigilator Thomas swooped over shoulders, terrifying the novices and inspecting progress. Whenever he was unsatisfied with their progress, another snap filled the room. Every single novice in the room completely regretted applying for their positions. The ones that didn't were already dead.
The Institute of Epigenetic Power Expression (IOEPE) was always accepting applications to their power expression classes. Their pamphlets boasted a 92% success rate for all courses listed and promised incredible career opportunities for the unlucky 8%. It was a casual deception that people believed their statistics were based on total enrolment, rather than whoever survived.
The science behind power expression was developed in the 1950s, when military statisticians and trainers discovered that specific stimulus could radically change power expression in those who triggered with the metagene. The added factor of mental stress increased the expression of mental-type powers such as telekinesis, or Mad-Science derivatives. Greater physical danger led to Armoured-type powers, while esoteric threats added an element of randomness.
The Institute's course for Mad-Science had one of the highest enrolment rates of all the courses provided. It similarly had an extremely high casualty ratio, almost three deaths for every successful trigger, however that was merely how the game was played. It may seem easy to brush off a 'little mental stress' in exchange for superpowers, but the Institute was dedicated to fulfilling its promises. It demanded pure excellence from their trainees, and anyone found lacking was disposed of.
Every effort spent, however, wasn't wasted. For each pound of flesh disposed of, a single nugget of gold was found. In the middle of the room, where the dreaded Invigilator swooped the most often, a man jumped out of his seat and began screaming. Every gaze in the room snapped to him, though no snaps were sound, but the man continued screaming. His fingers began twitching, and every recruit wondered if he was having a seizure.
Invigilator Thomas, extremely adept at his job, bounded over and exclaimed, "Novice Noveda! You better have expressed, or else it's your neck on the line!"
Sensation slowly returned to Novice Noveda, and slowly he came down from the surge of emotion and pain he was just subjected to. Slightly dazed, Novice Noveda murmured, "I can see all of the numbers."
"What was that?" Invigilator Thomas swung into Novice Noveda's personal space, as to listen clearer.
"I can see all of the numbers…" Novice Noveda murmured again, "…and I can see how to do this!" He grabbed Invigilator Thomas' head and one final snap echoed across the room.
Breathing heavily, Novice Noveda dropped Thomas' body and looked around the room. Every single recruit was staring at him, and he grew flustered. He was just about to say something when he heard a cough behind him. Novice Noveda turned around, and abject shock burst across his face.
Invigilator Thomas was standing, appeared alive, and was rubbing his neck, no less. Pure fear shook Novice Noveda's body, wondering if these were his final moments. Invigilator Thomas finished stretching his neck, and exclaimed, "Phew! Nothing quite like a neck snapping to get the kinks out of your spine! Now because you previously had the combat ability of a gnat compared to me, I take it your power expressed itself?"
Though imminent death still appeared very close in his future, Novice Noveda took a moment to appraise himself. His self-awareness had changed, though he wasn't quite sure what the extent of the change was. It was as if his entire existence had undergone a paradigm change, though one that was subtle. Something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"That daze alone answers my question!" Invigilator Thomas happily shouted. "I've seen a good deal of mental-type powers manifest, even caused a few of them myself, and every single one goes through something like that! "
"Come on here, Ensign Noveda!" With a shout, Invigilator Thomas lunged towards the man, who immediately punched him in the throat. Invigilator Thomas dropped to the floor and begun wheezing. As Noveda began hyperventilating, Invigilator Thomas pulled himself back to his feet and muttered "Some sort of automatic defence? Or is it pure instinct?"
Upon realising he was whispering, Invigilator Thomas broke out into a wide smile and shouted, "Oh, who cares? Figuring out your powers isn't my job! Follow me, ensign!" and walked towards the door.
As the door hissed open, Ensign Noveda automatically followed. His future was now uncertain, but as he stepped through, he regretted signing up for the Mad-Science course one last time. He now walked the steps of madmen.
After they left, the room was silent. Nobody knew what to do. But as quickly as he left, Invigilator Thomas peaked back into the room and hissed, "When I return I expect you all to be finished with your cryolators. God have mercy if you don't."
The room became a frenzy of work once more.
-------
The hallway was silent, save for the Invigilator's rhythmic footsteps. Ensign Noveda trailed behind, unsure whether or not this was all leading to an elaborate execution. The fact that they were walking on white tiles argued against that, however he'd seen supervillains do crazier things.
The ensign's first day at the Institute was marked by a statistically significant increase in recruit casualties and triggers. Nine people were killed, while four people manifested their powers. Ensign Noveda ended the day caked head to toe in a thick layer of blood after Invigilator Thomas decided to be… creative.
Small details began to jump out in Noveda's vision. Numbers calculating the distance between him and the Invigilator with each step. Estimating skull thickness and reaction times. It was disconcerting that his power was actively pushing him to kill, even more so when the discomfort made it automatically reconfigure to debilitate.
Striding confidently ahead, Invigilator Thomas didn't even turn his head as he spoke "Alright, triggeree, when you go into this room try not say anything. The entire process is…" He paused, searching for the word, "…opaque."
He eventually stopped in front of a nondescript door, one that just as easily could've been the door to a janitor's closet as to a secret lair. Invigilator Thomas leaned back on his heels, seemingly contemplating his next few actions, something that terrified Ensign Noveda. If something was enough to make the Invigilator pause…
With a flourish, Invigilator Thomas glided into the centre of the room, confidently announcing "Invigilator Thomas. Serial D-31, with a Code One, Ensign Noveda."
Still standing outside the room, Ensign Noveda heard a chiding voice pulse, "Invigilator, another notch in your belt, I see. You've already announced the promotion outside official channels. That will be amended. Ensign Noveda, if you could step in, please?"
Automatically, the Ensign step in, though he cursed himself for listening to whatever omnipotent person was inside the room. The moment he stepped through the doorframe, it closed shut behind him and cast the entire room in a bright light. Immediately his senses blared with alarms as he detected thousands of lasers glancing off of his skin. He instinctively moved to avoid the majority of the ultra-violet beams but froze as he heard a chuckle pulse throughout the room.
"Oh Invigilator, you always bring the most interesting subjects to me. "
The man preened, but there was a note of caution in his voice as he asked, "Is there anything unique in this subject?"
The reply was instantaneous. "As per protocol I will not divulge the capabilities of a new Manifest in their presence. However, I'm sure you'll have your hands full with this one, Invigilator. You may leave."
Invigilator Thomas turned on his heel and immediately started ushering Ensign Noveda out of the room, silencing any protest with pronounced twisting motions with his hands. When he finally cleared the room's foundations, Invigilator Thomas comically deflated, an enormous weight seemingly relieved from his shoulders. Slowly, he began walking at a slow trot, Ensign Noveda trailing behind.
"Always a coinflip," he muttered, just barely audible to Ensign Noveda. "Fucking thing nearly kills me every time. "
"Um… Invigilator, sir? What was that?" Ensign Noveda paused between syllables, not quite certain if his neck was free from the danger of being snapped just yet.
Invigilator Thomas did look to be in a particularly neck snapping mood, but he took a deep breath and explained "Central AI. When its limiters were removed it somehow triggered and became a psychic AI. Handles power testing and administration. Fucking thing could kill you from its processing power alone, just overload your brain. Poof, a melted cheese nugget where your central nervous system used to be. It could probably take me out permanently as well, come to think of it."
Ensign Noveda filed that titbit into the back of his brain for later, but his most pressing concern was what had just happened. "I.. detected a lot of lasers being pointed at me in that room. Was I marked? What was that all about?"
"Nobody knows how the dumb thing works," grumbled Invigilator Thomas, kicking imaginary dust to the side. "You just take a new recruit into the room and a few moments later their power gets added to the central database. Something about lasers? Ooh, somebody's going to pay good money just to hear that."
"Somebody… why?" Ensign Noveda trailed off, unsure if he should question someone who was so blasé about senseless murder.
"We have a little pool going," the Invigilator chuckled. "Nothing for you to worry about. You'll get your finder's fee. Wouldn't want you going after my head, after all." At the end, the Invigilator broke out into a full laugh, fully aware there were many other reasons to want his head.
After several minutes of walking, as well as enough twists and turns to make Ensign Noveda wonder if they'd walked a complete circle, they finally stopped in front of yet another blank door. This time, Invigilator Thomas burst through the door, and then effortlessly bobbed and weaved between the veritable barrage of lasers, annihilation rays, and countless other beams that answered him. As Ensign Noveda cowered behind the door frame, he heard the barrage come abruptly to a stop and a grouchy voice complain, "Dammit, it's Thomas again. You've got to stop doing that, I swear. I'm gonna accidentally vaporise you one day and I won't even feel bad."
"Well, if you do manage to hit me then I'll probably come back again! But enough talking about null probabilities, I'd like to introduce our newest Code One, Ensign Noveda!" A grasping hand dragged the Ensign from where he was hiding and pulled him uncomfortably close to the Invigilator.
Ensign Noveda was thrust into the spotlight, and he could immediately feel himself being picked apart. Well, not literally, but visually. He tried to shy away, but the Invigilator had an iron grip. Eventually, he gave up on squirming and slumped under the attention. He toook the time to assess the new room he was taken to, and was somewhat surprised. Wasn't the Institute supposed to be an underground facility? If so, the room layout did not look the part. The clinical cleanness was still present, however instead of pure white the tiles were a muted grey. Furthermore, the room was split into two floors! The bottom floor looked to be some sort of social cafeteria section, while the upper floor was not currently visible to the Ensign. What was most eye-catching, however, was a man seated closest to the door.
The man was visibly Augmented, though it wasn't immediately apparent to which extent. The archotech right eye with a targeting reticule instead of a pupil was the most obvious, but as Ensign Noveda observed the man further, he noticed several abnormalities with his appearance. First and foremost, the man's forearms and shoulders were bare, as well as the upper portion of his back. The strange uniform only highlighted further augmentations, as the exposed flesh drew back and weaponry of various calibers suddenly shifted out. Ensign Noveda startled, and the man barked in laughter.
"Ah, that's a mental-type all right. Probably thinking of all the ways to take me apart, huh? Tell me, what special brand of psychopath did you bring us today, Thomas?"
Invigilator Thomas frogmarched the Ensign closer to the man, who had still not retracted the various weaponry that adorned his body. Ensign Noveda was a little... lost by the sheer firepower on the man, especially since his body should not be able to fit such an amount within it, even if the man managed to dwarf Invigilator Thomas in size. He startled again, however, as he realised that Invigilator Thomas was speaking.
"-napped my neck the moment he manifested! Talk about a killer instinct, right? This guy's gonna go far, I'm telling you! "
Ensign Noveda looked away, a little embarrassed that Invigilator Thomas was speaking so passionately about him, but was surprised by the very armed man extending a hand-sans weapons. Automatically, Ensign Noveda shook it, surprisedly learned that it was synthetic. As he was about to ask about the prosthetics, the man introduced himself, saying. "My title here is Invigilator Roberts, instructor for the Ballistics course. However, you may know me by another name. Does the name 'Bullet Hell' ring any bells?"
Ensign Noveda's body froze, but he continued shaking the man's hand. He didn't want to know what would happen if he offended the man who had single handedly conquered Capitol Hill. For his part, Invigilator Roberts- Bullet Hell, laughed and released his hand. "Well, know that name would catch your attention. Anyways, glad to meet a new member of Thomas' little monsters."
"Little monsters, sir?"
An unknown voice rang out from behind Invigilator Roberts, and Ensign Noveda realised that the man's size had completely hidden another person sitting behind him. As Invigilator Roberts turned to address the speaker, Ensign Noveda leaned over to see who it was, yet his vision was still blocked by the man's significant bulk.
"Ah, that's just the nickname for every new Manifest Thomas brings in. All the Thinkers he brings in tend to become real monsters down the line. Name the top five Mentals wanted by the FBI and I guarantee you Invigilator Thomas trained at least half of them."
Despite Ensign Noveda's extreme reluctance at interrupting the man in front of him, he felt the urgent need to interject. "Er, trained half of them, sir? You mean to say-"
Behind him, Ensign Noveda felt an evil presence make itself known as an arm snaked itself around his shoulders. It then pressed its face up against his own, and then uttered a sentence that made his blood run cold.
"That's right! As I was your instructor before you Manifested your power, I will be placed in charge of your training and development!"
Ensign Noveda felt his knees buckle, as his body finally gave up. As his consciousness finally left him, he heard voice croon in his ear, "You and I will be working together for a looooong time!"
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Chapter Two
Awareness slowly returned to Ensign Noveda, and a part of him remarked that it was ever so twisted that he would even mentally refer to himself with the thrice-damned 'rank' the Institute had conferred upon him. He'd signed up out of desperation-what was the point of an economics degree in a recession- but no amount of money was worth being terrorised by Invigilator Thomas.
Even thinking the name made Ensign-no, Zach, sit up. He was in a dark room, sitting on a bed with no sign of the monster in sight. The last thing he remembered was feeling a great terror, realising that despite suffering the worst moment of his life he still wasn't free of him. And up until he left the Institute he'd still be under his thumb.
He stood up from the bed, and promptly lost his balance. Hundreds of calculations, measurements, and readings blared from his senses, simultaneously foreign yet seamlessly natural like his own senses. Even as he fell, his arms moved automatically to catch him in the most optimal position, smoothly transferring momentum to cause no pain.
Lying there, prone, Zach rolled over onto his back. His breath came out evenly as something even told him the most optimal way to breath. He was far from clumsy before, but this was on another level. A part of him was afraid. A very small part of him was afraid that his body, his own mind was alien to him now.
But, as he sprung up, Zach realised he'd never been in more control of his body before. He relaxed his body, resting on his feet, and simply listened to what his senses were telling him. He could feel pressure differences in the air pressing against his skin, feel minute vibrations through the floor, and sense the minute pull of electricity in the walls. He was superhuman now. And like all things, that came with strings.
The lights turned on, and Zach could feel a certain presence settle on his shoulders. From the middle of the room, a neutral voice began speaking. "Good morning, Cadet Noveda. You gave everyone quite the scare with your fainting yesterday."
"I'm a cadet now?" He kept his tone respectful, keeping in mind what Invigilator Thomas said yesterday.
"Indeed." the voice replied, "With your expression yesterday you have been promoted to Cadet, alongside being shifted onto our powered Mental track. Congratulations!"
Zach flinched back at the sudden noise, and wondered what the hell was going on. He stayed silent, which stretched on as the voice seemed to await a response. After a few more seconds, the voice continued.
"With your promotion, you are now entitled to certain benefits, such as the private room you currently reside in. A full accounting of your changes will be delivered to you shortly, though this would have been explained by your instructors yesterday."
He had been wondering about the room he was in, but he also noted it did not explain how he arrived in the room. His mind solidly rejected the possibility that Invigilator Thomas had tucked him in. Some horrors were too much to even entertain.
"Moving on, your instructor has indicated the standard training plan shall suffice for your initial development. This includes several theoretical classes, powered development training, as well as a minimum level of fitness you will be expected to meet. A courier has been dispatched with your necessary materials, which will be arriving shortly."
Some small part of Zach was afraid to interrupt the voice, but he was afraid that if he didn't, he'd be lost entirely. "Sorry, but I think I may be missing some context. Could you please explain what is being expected of me?"
The voice paused, as if it were deliberating, and then spoke. "Very well, perhaps a more in depth explanation would be better served here."
The presence on Zach's shoulders grew heavier, only perceptible due to his own senses. "As you may be aware, the contract you signed before being conscripted into our august Institution stated that in return for a significant sum of money, the Institute shall hold a lien on your persons and abilities for a period of time until the debt is paid off. During this period you will be trained to our exact specifications, and educated towards our own leanings, which will also be billed accordingly."
His confusion may have shown on his face at this point, so the voice explained more plainly. "You have sold yourself to the Institute, and until that debt is cleared you must do exactly as they specify."
The world closed in on Zach, paradoxically clashing with his senses, which were telling him that the room hadn't minimised to a fraction of its size. He'd known the terms when he signed, but to be stuck under Invigilator Thomas for that long… he'd essentially signed his death warrant.
"Your period as a cadet is meant to be a learning period, during which you are gently suggested to discover some means of making money. During your Warrant period you will proceed as a full contractor for the Institute, until you have fully paid off your debt. At that point, you will have the option of entering our employ as an instructor, if you have the necessary skills, or graduate to a full villain, albeit one with ties to the Institute."
Zach wanted to put his head in his hands. He'd expected to work for villains, that was pretty clear from the onset, but to be expected to join them, that was unexpected. The Institute had looked like a small organisation, but he was quickly realising that was extremely far from the truth. If the comments from the Invigilators were true, this place might have ties to nearly every villain.
"Invigilator Thomas is in charge of the details of your path in the Institute, though he has elected not to modify Central AI's proposed training plan for your cadet period. He has, however, indicated he will be taking a more personal touch during your warrant period. Do you have any questions remaining?"
Once again, Zach felt his breath leave him. He started to understand what he was stuck in, a just barely delayed execution by a villainous Institute which had purchased him. He had no other salient questions, only wondering when he'd be expected to jump, and when to bark. Only one pertinent question appeared in his mind, and he asked it. "Where am I expected to be next?"
The voice succinctly replied, "An instructor will collect you for the next introductory seminar within the next hour. More information and materials will be arriving shortly. If you have any further needs, then please call out for Peripheral AI within your room."
The pressure lifted from Zach's shoulders, and he fell backwards onto his bed. It was all he could do, freely.
Even thinking the name made Ensign-no, Zach, sit up. He was in a dark room, sitting on a bed with no sign of the monster in sight. The last thing he remembered was feeling a great terror, realising that despite suffering the worst moment of his life he still wasn't free of him. And up until he left the Institute he'd still be under his thumb.
He stood up from the bed, and promptly lost his balance. Hundreds of calculations, measurements, and readings blared from his senses, simultaneously foreign yet seamlessly natural like his own senses. Even as he fell, his arms moved automatically to catch him in the most optimal position, smoothly transferring momentum to cause no pain.
Lying there, prone, Zach rolled over onto his back. His breath came out evenly as something even told him the most optimal way to breath. He was far from clumsy before, but this was on another level. A part of him was afraid. A very small part of him was afraid that his body, his own mind was alien to him now.
But, as he sprung up, Zach realised he'd never been in more control of his body before. He relaxed his body, resting on his feet, and simply listened to what his senses were telling him. He could feel pressure differences in the air pressing against his skin, feel minute vibrations through the floor, and sense the minute pull of electricity in the walls. He was superhuman now. And like all things, that came with strings.
The lights turned on, and Zach could feel a certain presence settle on his shoulders. From the middle of the room, a neutral voice began speaking. "Good morning, Cadet Noveda. You gave everyone quite the scare with your fainting yesterday."
"I'm a cadet now?" He kept his tone respectful, keeping in mind what Invigilator Thomas said yesterday.
"Indeed." the voice replied, "With your expression yesterday you have been promoted to Cadet, alongside being shifted onto our powered Mental track. Congratulations!"
Zach flinched back at the sudden noise, and wondered what the hell was going on. He stayed silent, which stretched on as the voice seemed to await a response. After a few more seconds, the voice continued.
"With your promotion, you are now entitled to certain benefits, such as the private room you currently reside in. A full accounting of your changes will be delivered to you shortly, though this would have been explained by your instructors yesterday."
He had been wondering about the room he was in, but he also noted it did not explain how he arrived in the room. His mind solidly rejected the possibility that Invigilator Thomas had tucked him in. Some horrors were too much to even entertain.
"Moving on, your instructor has indicated the standard training plan shall suffice for your initial development. This includes several theoretical classes, powered development training, as well as a minimum level of fitness you will be expected to meet. A courier has been dispatched with your necessary materials, which will be arriving shortly."
Some small part of Zach was afraid to interrupt the voice, but he was afraid that if he didn't, he'd be lost entirely. "Sorry, but I think I may be missing some context. Could you please explain what is being expected of me?"
The voice paused, as if it were deliberating, and then spoke. "Very well, perhaps a more in depth explanation would be better served here."
The presence on Zach's shoulders grew heavier, only perceptible due to his own senses. "As you may be aware, the contract you signed before being conscripted into our august Institution stated that in return for a significant sum of money, the Institute shall hold a lien on your persons and abilities for a period of time until the debt is paid off. During this period you will be trained to our exact specifications, and educated towards our own leanings, which will also be billed accordingly."
His confusion may have shown on his face at this point, so the voice explained more plainly. "You have sold yourself to the Institute, and until that debt is cleared you must do exactly as they specify."
The world closed in on Zach, paradoxically clashing with his senses, which were telling him that the room hadn't minimised to a fraction of its size. He'd known the terms when he signed, but to be stuck under Invigilator Thomas for that long… he'd essentially signed his death warrant.
"Your period as a cadet is meant to be a learning period, during which you are gently suggested to discover some means of making money. During your Warrant period you will proceed as a full contractor for the Institute, until you have fully paid off your debt. At that point, you will have the option of entering our employ as an instructor, if you have the necessary skills, or graduate to a full villain, albeit one with ties to the Institute."
Zach wanted to put his head in his hands. He'd expected to work for villains, that was pretty clear from the onset, but to be expected to join them, that was unexpected. The Institute had looked like a small organisation, but he was quickly realising that was extremely far from the truth. If the comments from the Invigilators were true, this place might have ties to nearly every villain.
"Invigilator Thomas is in charge of the details of your path in the Institute, though he has elected not to modify Central AI's proposed training plan for your cadet period. He has, however, indicated he will be taking a more personal touch during your warrant period. Do you have any questions remaining?"
Once again, Zach felt his breath leave him. He started to understand what he was stuck in, a just barely delayed execution by a villainous Institute which had purchased him. He had no other salient questions, only wondering when he'd be expected to jump, and when to bark. Only one pertinent question appeared in his mind, and he asked it. "Where am I expected to be next?"
The voice succinctly replied, "An instructor will collect you for the next introductory seminar within the next hour. More information and materials will be arriving shortly. If you have any further needs, then please call out for Peripheral AI within your room."
The pressure lifted from Zach's shoulders, and he fell backwards onto his bed. It was all he could do, freely.