Gonna take a quick break from this for exams and so I can work on my other stories on FFN.

This chapter kind of sucks, but it's necessary.

Thanks for the support so far, guys.

Shutdown 1.3

I had not been prepared for this. I had no clue what to tell Dad – seriously, what was I supposed to say? Did I lie? Tell him the truth? Be evasive?

"You better be able to explain," he muttered quietly, his eyes drifting downwards. And then they bulged out of his head. "Is that a bullet hole?!" I looked down to look at my leg where I'd been shot – there was a hole in my jeans, but the skin had completely healed up.

Thank god for my powers.

"I got caught in the shootout earlier." I should have known that he wouldn't be satisfied with that – he started freaking out the moment I said the 'shoot' in 'shootout'.

"Shootout? You mean the guns from earlier? Why the hell were you even there, Taylor? Oh god, what on earth–"

"That's a long story," I admitted. "Do you want me to–"

"Goddammit, just tell me what happened." He was clearly freaking out. So I did. Told him everything – well, except for my powers. I wasn't quite ready for that. Not yet. Not when he might freak out even more.

I also left out how Emma had led an extended bullying campaign against me for the course of the last year and a half. I might have hated her, but then she'd given me hope. A hope that, perhaps, she wasn't too far gone.

Besides, there was no way I could completely hate a girl who had the Condition Mentally Unstable. That would be ridiculous.

Instead, I spun the story to make it sound like Emma and I were still friends, just distant. Because hell, no one would question that except for an asshole. And my dad wasn't an asshole – most of the time, anyway.

When I got to the part where the other girls left, a new message appeared.

You have unlocked the Passive Skill 'Persuasion'!

I must have paused for a moment or two, because Dad started waving a hand in front of my face.

"Taylor? You there?" I blinked and closed the textbox.

"What? Yeah, sorry, I spaced out for a second." I tried to ignore the feeling of horror beginning to fester inside me. Persuasion sounded an awful lot like 'Suggestion'. Sounded pretty close to a Master power. Which wasn't something I wanted. Not at all.

"So, the girls left? Emma's gone home?"

"Yeah. She should be home by now." I wondered what Emma would tell her parents regarding what had happened tonight. Would she be doing the same as me? Saying everything but the details she didn't want them to know about? Pretending we'd stayed friends?

Friends.

Friends stick together.

I still remembered that day. I'd complimented her on her hair. It'd been cut. Different. I'd told her I'd liked it. Loved it, even.

And then she shut me down.

Had it been immediate? Those words, had they been the final straw? What had happened to her hair? Why had it been so important?

Sophia.

She must have had something to do with it. She had to. Why else would Emma have turned?

Because you're boring.

Wasn't that what she'd called me? Boring? Why had she said that?

What happened to you, Emma?

"Taylor?"

Oh god. I did it again.

My eyes, which had been slowly drifting to the door, quickly snapped back to Dad. I seriously needed to stop allowing the rove wherever they wanted.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying my best to act clueless.

God, if only life were that easy.

"You drifted off again."

"Huh." I tried my best to look like I was dazed. Dad's expression become more and more concerned. "I…I'm a little tired. I might…I'm going to take a shower." God, I felt like a complete asshole. It felt like I was manipulating him. Which was sort of what I was doing, right?

Right?

"…go," he said, trying his best to make himself sound dismissive. It didn't work.

Do I sound that fake too, when I pretend?

"…okay." I couldn't stand to be here anymore. As soon as I was out of his sight, I ran. I leapt up the stairs as fast as I could, ran into the bathroom, flicked the light on and shut the door. I had something to check.

Persuasion (Passive) LV. 1 78%

Allows you to sway people more easily to your point of view

Not brainwashing

…not brainwashing.

Thank god.

I stood there for a few moments, just staring at those last two words.

Not a Master ability.

I leaned against the wall, slowly sinking to my knees.

Not a Master ability.

I knew what people thought about Masters. They were freaky, terrifying, in the public eye. Heartbreaker kept a personal harem of women with him wherever he went. Any human life in Ellisburg was now gone, changed, twisted, because of Nilbog. The rest only solidified the fact that Masters were scarily effective. I wouldn't have been wanted to be painted as one.

And there it was.

As I undressed, wrinkling my nose in disgust as I saw the full extent of the damage to my clothes, I reminded myself that yes, I had powers now. And that wasn't going to change.

I'd wanted to be a hero, when I was younger. I'd dreamed of becoming the next Alexandria – powerful, indestructible, and capable of effortlessly soaring through the clouds and beyond. It had always lingered, that desire – it had stayed there, remained alive, a burning hope which, though diminished, had subconsciously carried me through the horrible torment of the past year and a half. Now, that dream, that vision I'd had…there was a chance it'd come true.

I stepped into the shower, letting the water run and feeling it fall across my back, running through my hair and down my skin. The warmth was welcoming, as I closed my eyes contentedly. I ignored the trails of crimson flowing down my body and splattering against the floor as well as I could.

If I wanted to be a hero, I'd need a name. A good name, one that wouldn't draw laughter and mockery from every man, woman and child in this city, but a name that would demand respect.

But that was assuming being a hero would even work for me, anyway. The more I thought about it, the more I thought to myself, yep, screw authority. When had it ever helped me? Blackwell hadn't. Gladly had stood by and ignored the trio's actions for too long. My application forms had been shredded, and the person who'd done it hadn't looked guilty in the slightest.

Joining the Wards felt like a so-so option. You got a team, sure, but that came with a load of teenage drama I really didn't need. I'd had enough already. Besides, the chances of them actually caring about me was scarce. And then I'd probably need to tell Dad about my powers – and I couldn't do that. Not right now.

I thought about Emma. The Emma I'd once known, the Emma who'd turned her back on me, and the Emma who I'd talked to less than ten minutes ago. Pathetic, scared, weak. Predator and prey, she'd said. Sophia had said. Some sort of philosophy – the predator, the prey, the strong, the weak. She'd been turned by that, somehow – whatever had happened while I was away, it had to be tied to that.

I had an explanation to look forward to, when the time came. Tomorrow, lunch time. Rooftop.

Just us.

How was I supposed to handle this? How did normal people handle these things? Anger? Sadness? Something else?

Your best friend betrays you, drops you, how do you deal?

I'd retracted. Curled up, isolated myself. Withdrawn. I could see that now – everything was so much clearer. Everything felt so much…easier.

Username: Taylor

Occupation: Student

LV. 2 (Next LV. 800/1500 XP)

HP: 87/110 (REG 4.25 HP/min)

Stamina: 110/110 (REG 35 Stamina/min)

MP: 30/30 (REG 2 MP/min)

Title: None

STR: 4

VIT: 6+5 = 11

INT: 8

WIS: 4

DEX: 2

CHA: 4

LUK: 0

I was steadily growing, getting stronger. I'd had my powers for less than a day, but I could already see the difference. If it kept going this way, eventually I'd truly become Triumvirate tier. And hell, who wouldn't love that?

Then again, would my powers even allow me to fly? There was still the MP stat, which so far had done nothing. I had no idea how I was supposed to use it. How did one use…well, Mana? Was it as natural as moving a single finger or breathing? Or was it complex, taking excruciating effort? Or, like every aspect of my power so far, would it slowly get easier? That last one seemed the most likely.

And besides, being a hero…I could help people. Really help people. Save lives, put down criminals, help clean up the city. Make things better.

The PRT, the Protectorate, the Wards...what were they doing to help? All they cared about was public opinion, making sure they were seen in a good light. But what the hell did they do to contribute? A couple arrests a week, sure, but to what end? When was the last time a major villain had been taken down? The last time they'd really made a difference? The last time they'd shown up on time to even do anything?

The Protectorate wasn't doing crap. They were like Blackwell, people who acted helpful, but offered only empty promises. Hell, Blackwell had treated me like trash and acted as if anything coming out of the trio's mouth was word of god.

Wait.

That wasn't just a random thing, was it? It wasn't that she couldn't be bothered to put her in her place, it didn't even have anything to do with lack of evidence. No, she knew what Sophia was doing. I felt my nails digging into my skin. I froze for a moment, then let them keep pusher deeper.

-1 HP.

I knew that in less than 15 seconds, that 1 HP would come back. I hardly cared about what I'd just done. REG would always kick in unless I was bleeding, wouldn't it?

But…fucking Blackwell. Why the hell would she let Sophia of all people, do this?

Branched Quest: Revelations

Figure out why Sophia got away with everything, and why Blackwell didn't care

Success: + 1000 XP, blackmail material

Failure: None

Well, it seemed that my powers agreed with me. I was going to figure out why the hell the biggest bitch I'd ever met had gotten away with ruining my life, stolen my best friend. But what did 'Branched Quest' mean?

A Branched Quest is a Quest branching off from another, giving additional goals and extra XP for Success.

Huh. So that was what it meant…I supposed that made sense.

Turning the water off I proceeded to dry myself, grab my pyjamas, and jump into bed after throwing my ruined clothes in the hamper. Not that I'd be bothering to wash them.

…Unless my power made that easier. Who knew? It was already doing crazy things, something mundane wouldn't be too surprising.

I closed my eyes, allowing the darkness to overtake me.

And then it appeared.

You Have Slept For: 3 Hours

HP Fully Restored

Stamina Fully Restored

MP Fully Restored

All Status Conditions Removed

Holy shit.

My vision was clear. Completely clear.

And I felt…so much better. As I sat up in bed, I felt more…enthusiastic. Or at less inclined to go back to sleep.

Is…is this…

Yup, bullshit powers being bullshit. But hell, I loved them for it.

It was still night time – barely even 2 in the morning. If a full rest was only 3 hours…did I even require sleep? Was it only for healing? Because if so, then I could use the time I usually spent sleeping for so many other things.

Levelling up, for one.

New Quest: In We Go

Make sure you actually know what the hell is going in in this city of yours

AKA Research

Success: + 150 XP

Failure: Seriously? You're that lazy?

I could do that easily. Boot up my ancient computer, surf the web. PHO was a never ending resource of cape stuff. And also general bullshit. But that was to be expected on a forum. Especially one as busy as PHO.

A few moments later I had put on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, because I was not going to be moving around in my pyjamas. Browsing on my computer provided no more information than what I already knew; the ABB was led by Lung; the Empire by Kaiser, son of Allfather; and the Merchants by Skidmark – they were all scum, in the end. Scum with varying levels of intelligence, sure, but still scum nonetheless.

I did, however, get a few things out of it.

Quest Complete: In We Go

Make sure you actually know what the hell is going in in this city of yours

AKA Research

Success: + 150 XP

Failure: Seriously? You're that lazy?

You have unlocked the Passive Ability 'Typing'!

You have unlocked the Passive Ability 'Speedreading'!

+ 1 WIS

I wasn't surprised at all. Honestly, this just kept getting more and more ridiculous.

I started training after that. At first it was just punching at the air, trying to level up Basic Unarmed Combat.

Basic Unarmed Combat is LV. 2!

+ 1 VIT

+ 1 STR

It took a while to level up, but the moment it did, I felt the difference, the increase in knowledge. I started incorporating my legs, sweeping outwards, striking hard at an invisible enemy.

The first big surprise came when my Stamina dropped to 0.

-1 HP.

Damage Resistance is LV. 4!

…fuck.

When my Stamina hit 0, my actions cost HP instead. I was pretty sure that wasn't too good. Push too hard and…yeah. I was as good as dead.

+ 1 INT

How the hell was that…?

Never mind.

I waited a few minutes, relaxed myself as I sat down on my bed. I was sweating, feeling legitimately tired. Despite how well I'd known the experience from the past, it felt like a new sensation. Maybe because this time, it'd been a legitimate workout – to be completely honest, I had no clue. The logic behind my powers was still…uncertain.

As soon as I could, I started again – it was three now. Three in the morning. I'd been doing this for two hours–

Oh shit.

I'd just punched the wall of my room. At 3 AM. With Dad asleep only a metre or so down the hall.

"Taylor?"

Ohgodohgodohgod.

"Taylor, what's going on?"

Good question Dad, good question.

There was no way I could play it off as just waking up. I was fully dressed – that alone was suspicious. What the hell should I do? What should I–

Oh.

OH.

The answer hit me like a speeding truck. I didn't like it. Hell, I hated it. But I really didn't want to start telling my dad about my powers. Not…not yet. I couldn't. Just…just couldn't.

So I sat down on my bed, stared at the indentation my fist had made in the plaster, and silently prayed that this would work. Dad opened the door a few moments later, to the sight of me sitting perfectly still, staring blankly at the wall in front of me. I pretended not to notice him.

"Taylor? What are you doing? It's three in the...Taylor?"

"Huh?" I turned my head slowly, tilting it slightly to the right as I locked eyes with Dad. I grinned at him. "Hey Dad. Sorry, you were saying?"

It hurt to do this to him. It really did – if not for my powers keeping me perfectly calm, I'd probably have been trembling at this point. But I didn't. Maintained that happy, carefree expression I'd painted on my face. Fooled him. Played on his emotions.

"What…what are you doing up?"

"What do you mean?" I pretended to be confused; narrowed my eyes, tilted my head a little more.

"It's…it's three in the morning, you should be…asleep…"

"…asleep? Three…" I made a show of looking out my window, before shaking my head, then looking at it again. "So…so what?"

"What do you mean?" He looked scared. Concerned. Worried about…

About me.

I hated myself. I wanted to cry, scream. Beg for forgiveness. But my powers didn't allow me to do so. Nope. Not genuinely, at least. Everything was an act.

"I should be getting up now, right? I mean, it's morning already."

"Taylor, you should be sleeping, dammit."

"But…what about school? Won't I be late?"

"Taylor, school doesn't start for at least five hours."

"Oh."

"…"

"…"

This was carrying on for too long. I needed to end this. Now.

"So…I should sleep again?"

"…yes. Yes, you should."

"Eh. If you say so."

"Don't get up too early again."

"Kay."

Dad left after that. Acted like everything was fine.

But nothing was fine. He thought I was crazy now – true, I'd brought it upon myself. But I wanted to keep my powers to myself for now. Was that so wrong?

Considering the lengths I'd gone to? Perhaps it was.

I didn't do anything else that night. I only lay in bed, contemplating everything that had changed. I was going to be a hero. Perhaps not a Ward, but definitely not a villain. I couldn't even imagine myself being a villain. It was so…surreal. Everything about this. It wasn't like typical cape powers. My power had presented me with an interface. Changed my perception of the world around me and made everything seem like a game.

But life wasn't a game. Everything which had happened today had proved that.

Sure, I'd left Winslow alive, escaped from my locker with only 1 HP. But then everything else had happened. The ABB. The Empire. The girls. Emma. And now Dad.

Goddammit. Gotta clear my head. May as well sleep again.

So I did. Another two hours of nothingness, and then it was 5 AM. I only got out of bed once I heard Dad turn on the TV. Ten minutes later, I left the room.

He was just sitting there. I couldn't see his face, but his posture was telling. Shoulders slumped, back curved, fingers flexing and clenching every few seconds before relaxing. He was still worried. And that was because of me.

I walked over to the stove to cook breakfast, my hand hovering over the dial.

"Taylor?" I spun it.

"Hmm?" A small flame flickered to life, shuddering as it grew larger and larger.

"Is everything alright?" For a while, I didn't answer. I didn't notice my hand moving until I felt the pain.

-1 HP.

"Taylor?" I hummed in response, barely recognising the fact that I was smiling.

-1 HP.

"I'm fine, dad. Everything's alright."