Setup 2.2

December 27, 2010, Dev's House - Brockton Bay, 2:15 PM

After two more cups of tea, we both felt a little better. So I finally asked, "How did you get there to begin with? And why on foot?"

He sighed, "I generally check the maps y'know. I'd gone out to buy a good shaving kit, with bells and whistles, with a proper straight razor and not the crummy disposable ones."

I let out a huff and shook my head, dada was obsessed with shaving equipment, and would try out new products, beard and moustache styles every now and then. He was clean shaven last few days to just avoid immigration hassles I presumed.

"Why didn't you go to Lord's market?"

"Hey, I just figured I'd walk around the neighbourhood and see what shops and stores are here, it's bloody midday! I didn't realize I was in Empire territory till I saw the baldies! Then it was too late. I'm not used to this kind of racial hatred y'know. I thought it'd be a straight up mugging, I'd give them the wallet and ask to keep my IDs. I sent you the SOS when they made me walk into the blind alley."

"Yeah, but you should have been a bit more careful, we did our research dada."

"Yes, but my research was more about the money movement in the upper and middle echelons of these gangs, haven't gone around studying their microeconomics yet." He raised a hand to stop me before I could say anything, "I know, I know, the world is not all about just economics, but you've to agree that most of it is. Anyway, y'know, they probably wouldn't have shot me if you hadn't made them panic."

"Yeah, they'd probably just have beaten you black and blue or kidnapped you. That'd have been so much nicer."

"Hey hey, I'm not dissing your heroics, the policemen were going all gaga about your video. You're not going to put it up online for kicks or anything are you?"

I gave him a blank stare.

"Okay, just checking if your power has made you dumb or not, some powers do that y'know?"

"Mine can actually make me smarter and wiser. And thank my power you're currently functionally immortal."

"Yeah, your blue chickenfrut. What's the deal with that anyway?"

"It's called a plot armor, apparently it can ensure an NPC survives the story without permanent damage."

"Heh, your power is a bigger nerd than you, it takes this RPG shit very seriously doesn't it?"

I shrugged.

"So I can go around doing anything with impunity?"

"I guess not, getting captured, beaten up and tortured, as long as you'll heal even with extended therapy - wouldn't count as permanent damage."

"Good to know. So you can give this immortality fruit to anyone? Have you eaten one?"

"No and no, It works only on NPCs remember? And I have only three, no, two of them left. They were apparently my birthday gift from the Alien."

"Right, right. And what was the blue glowing dash thingy you were doing? You're a speedster now?"

"No, it's a new power, it just boosts my physical stats; strength, dexterity and vitality, need to do more research and training to know what exactly it does."

"Hmm, well, research is good."

"Yeah, hey, I met a pretty nice girl today."

"Bro, you're fast! Should I start making wedding arrangements?" His eyebrows were waggling.

"Shut up. It's nothing like that. By the way, what do you know about Fortress' invisible backers?"

His gaze narrowed immediately. "Let me guess, the girl you met has villain ties?"

I nodded, his sherlocking didn't even surprise me anymore. "Yes, and I think I have an idea where the money trails you're covering up are going."

He nodded, "Hmm, is that information got any involvement with thinker powers?"

"Yes, possibly a limited precog. You see-"

He raised his hand again, "don't tell me anything else. I'll have to interact with Fortress bigwigs in the office quite often, they know I know they have shady offshoots, but I'm sure they know I don't exactly know what, and I'm paid not to know. I don't want to be vanished for knowing too much. Are you planning to do something about it once your cape persona is active?"

I nodded again, he continued, hand still up, "in that case, if you need any help from me, ask me only indirect questions, don't discuss your plans with me, don't tell me why you want any info. This is very dangerous territory, you're almost an adult, I'm trusting you to maintain strict OPSEC until you're 100% sure all thinkers involved with Fortress are neutralized. And I'm discounting Number Man from that, I know he deals with Fortress as only one of the many corporations his clients have links to. Also, don't try to mess with the Number Man, we'll both vanish if you try that."

I was impressed, guess this is what a decade of Thanda experience does to you. I nodded again, then worded my request very carefully, "I just want the civilian names of all the not-so visible backers of Fortress construction. For research purposes. My project is not due till at least a week."

He gave a satisfied nod. "Sure, I can help you with your project. I'll write them down on a piece of paper that should not exist once you've seen it. Give me around 3 days."

"Got it. Thanks."

"Once again, this is serious shit, I know you've dabbled in the wrong side of the law, but this is way deeper than you're used to."

I nodded again. I've learnt my lesson today. I need to prioritize my to-dos very carefully.

"Good, now I'm off to work, I'll be in my room, your turn to make lunch today."

I saluted him and went off to the kitchen, time to turn this into a real kitchen.

...

Lunch was a simple chicken curry and rice. While cooking I tried to open the process results of Glory Girl's aura, got a warning saying I need a lot more focus, knowledge skills and a higher int to be able to analyze it. The scan results of Panacea's healing I could open and play like a memory, but trying to delve too deep into the tissue reconstruction again told me I needed more focus and biology skills. By focus I presumed it meant I'd have to go into meditation. For the skills, more study, I guess. I'd used Mana Scan on a fork, it glowed blue while scanning. The results of that scan I could easily read, again, unless I went down to atomic levels, then it asked for focus. That resulting file also showed up as a blueprint, which implied the existence of crafting skills, I'd have do some proper experimentation with Mana later in the night.

I also had Mana Boost running throughout, it stopped dropping MP as soon as it reached level 5, as the MP cost matched my regen. I checked my status with the boost on to stroke my ego a bit.


Aveek SenSharma

Title: The Gamer

Class: Shameless Nerd

Level: 8 - 16200/18000XP

HP: 610/610 - Regen. 3.2%/s

MP: 403/460 - Regen 2.1%/s

STR: 14 + 15 = 29

VIT: 17 + 15 = 32

DEX: 15 + 15 = 30

INT: 23

WIS: 21

CHA: 15

Status Points: 32

Desc: You are a narcissist, and a snarcissist. You forget things that might get someone killed.

Status effects: Boosted. STR +15, VIT +15, DEX +15


Sure, rub it in why won't you? But the physicals looked really nice with the boost, if only I could get rid of the glow, the skill still didn't have any fine controls, would need to check at higher levels.

I set the table and called dada for lunch, he didn't even bat an eyelid at my glowing. He was hip and cool like Kakashi (I'd been reading Aleph manga, for Mana usage ideas obviously). After lunch he asked, "so how strong exactly are you while boosting?"

I got up, picked up a chair and spun it, balancing it on my fingertip (I had not practiced that, no sir, not at all).

He just raised one eyebrow, "Huh." Then got up to wash his hands... Very Kakashi.

I put the chair down when I realized I looked like an irradiated circus act with no one watching. Then went up to my room, took my reading tablet, checked that it had all my old school coursebooks (I'd stopped using physical books since grade 7, saved me a lot of money, all the folks in the Nerd Watch did it too, except for a few girls who 'liked the smell of fresh books' apparently). Called Taylor's house to check if we were on for today, Danny picked up and confirmed it. then hollered at dada that I was going over to Taylor's to study, he just replied with something about not making the girlfriend jealous which I chose to graciously ignore. I dropped the boost and went out.

Danny got the door and let me in. We both sat in the living room as he called for Taylor, I started some idle chitchat about his work (thank you charisma points). Taylor soon came in carrying a tray of tea, I smelled Tulsi, I'd given her a box when we'd come to their christmas party. That was nice of her.

"Ah, this smells great. Thanks Taylor."

"I like this a lot too, I'll really have to look for this in the market now."

"Well, let me know when you find it, I'll be on the lookout too, till then, my supply is yours."

"Thanks, I'll go get the books."

"You kids do your studying, I'll be in my room, thanks for the tea again Aveek, Taylor really likes it."

"My pleasure, sir." So I was still uncomfortable calling elders by their first name, sue me.

Danny went back in, Taylor soon arrived with an armload of books, I opened my old school's World History textbook on my tablet.

I suggested we start off with an impromptu quiz of World history, she agreed, we were at it for an hour, it was fun. I'd noticed my ability to recall obscure factoids had increased a lot, guess the high INT did amount to something. We got to know a lot about the differences in Indian and American history education. Her knowledge of European and South American history was better, my knowledge of Asian history was much more detailed. Except for English history - both of our countries being ex-colonies.

She remarked on my tablet, "You do all your reading from there?"

"Yes, saved me a lot of money in school years. Money and shoulder-ache, a light schoolbag is a boon. You should try it too, these tablets are cheap, and all books are available online for free."

"Yeah, and nobody can ruin your books." My social radar hinted at resentment and irritation.

"Don't tell me, bullies?"

She sighed, "yeah. Actually, if you're placed in my class for world history, ignore me okay? In fact just ignore me in school. I don't want you to become a target too."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I didn't tell you how I handled bullies in my school did I?"

She shook her head, "No, how?"

I took out my phone, opened the live stream to the spy-glasses and gave it to her, then I turned my head all around the room.

She took the phone and looked bewildered for a while, "This is... How? Your glasses!"

I gave a truimphant nod, "uploads everything to an anonymous online server, the bullies tried taking them away once, it was even more evidence against them. The school authorities tried protesting them initially, but once they saw the severity of the acts, they had to relent."

She was looking very hopeful, then suddenly her shoulders slumped again, "they must be very expensive."

I shrugged, "possibly, we didn't start out using glasses..." I told her the whole story of the Nerd Watch.

She looked determined, and then slumped again, I observed her, the severly depressed status was back playing havoc with her WIS score. "I don't use cellphones."

"What? Why?!" How did she even survive?

"My mother died using a phone while driving."

"Taylor, l don't mean the slightest disrespect to your mother, but that is stupid. My parents were killed by Leviathan, I spent all the summers I could vacationing at beaches and hitting the pools just to get over my fear of water."

She became contemplative, "I, I'll talk to dad."

I nodded resolutely, "Yep. And take me with you when you go to buy a phone, us nerds live to give advice on which gadgets to buy."

She snorted at that, but nodded, then slumped again. How badly was this girl bullied?

"They'll take my phone. Will you set me up with that constantly uploading camera thing? But I'll still need to hack the school wifi!"

"Don't worry about all that, I'll do you one better, I have a spare set of spy-glasses which you can borrow till you have enough evidence, we'll go get them fitted to your prescription when you go to buy your phone."

"Will you do that for me? Really?"

I made a mock condescending face, "I don't know what they do in your country young lady. But back in India we help our friends."

This time her smile was genuine, and then got bitter, "In America we suddenly start tormenting them."

I nodded, "Good thing I'm from India then."

She nodded, "Thanks Aveek, that'll be a lot of help."

I bowed, "At your service. Anyway, my turn, you having any problems with Maths or Sciences?"

She smiled and nodded, "If you could help me a bit with circuits, I can't figure them out well." She took out a book from a pile, opened it to a page and handed it over.

As I touched the book, it happened - I felt a small pulse of Mana leave my fingertips and go into the book, shit. I didn't even initiate a scan! Don't glow don't glow don't glow!

Thankfully it didn't glow, but I got a prompt.

You've found a skill book!

Would you like to learn the knowledge skill Physics?

[ACCEPT/Y] [DECLINE/N]