Mostly a setup chapter, which I was planning to release the same day as the first. The delays were thanks to my laptop finally decaying to the point that it crashes within half an hour of turning on, making any editing or writing unfeasible, and forcing me to wait all week for the chance to borrow a family member's laptop. I should be able to use it 90% of the time, and it's not like I have an update schedule anymore, but I figured I should let people know what's up. Enjoy the chapter!

Awoken 1.2

I turned away from the ominously breathtaking view, and started heading north for the actual Boardwalk. Okay, game plan time. I should be able to get a map, but what do I do next?

Well, first, I need to figure out my stats. How much health and PP I had, my attributes or their modifiers, and my skillset and powerset. Then, I need to figure out what faction I'm allying myself with for the next month or more, and find a place to sleep. Plus, I should write down everything I remember of the rules.

Thank God I'm a nerd with a great systemic memory.

So, attributes. If this is a fanfic, the readers probably know them, but I sure as hell don't. Then again, I don't seem to have changed much, so he must have either gotten pretty average rolls, or just assigned me stats based on our real body. So what stats describe me?

I'm 6'1", and while I don't look it, I weigh a lot. Hence my username of choice. That said, I'm not above average strength, as most of my muscle mass is tied up supporting my weight. I'm surprisingly athletic, but it just doesn't come off. Anyway, I'll assume average Strength. Dexterity? Probably average to below-average. I have bad reflexes, and while I'm flexible for my size, I have a bad case of butterfingers to drag down the average. I'd guess them at 11 and 9, respectively.

Intelligence should be fairly high. I'm no genius, but I'm definitely well above average, with a gift for memorizing complex systems and visualizing webs of causality. Charisma is harder, because while I can be convincing in an argument, I also fail to be convincing pretty often. Most of that is intelligent arguments instead of other methods of persuasion. So 15 Int, 10 Cha, maybe?

Wisdom and Constitution. This is where the stats will probably be wrong, because SWN has a prime attribute system. Real me gets to raise one of my classes' prime attributes to above average. That said, while both are great to raise, I know which I would raise. Constitution will boost both my PP and my HP by 1 point per level, where Wisdom will only boost the PP. If I was going for my real attribute scores, I could guess somewhere around 9 Wisdom (While I'm intelligent, it often takes me a while to make a smart decision), and 7 Constitution (I'm not the healthiest person). Boosting the latter to 14 was only logical.

Which is convenient, because the whole "insane Torched me" plan requires my Wisdom to hit 3 first. If Con hits 3, I just die, and can't be brought back to life.

So, my stats are probably average, with Intelligence and Constitution above average and giving me bonuses. I had 2 PP, and likely somewhere between 2 and 5 HP. Unless, of course, he really did roll random, in which case… I've got nothing. For now, I would assume that I'm right, until I get screwed by being wrong.

Powers have to wait, obviously. So, my skills. I've already used one, at least. Either Pretech, Postech or Maltech. Unfortunately, skills are not limited to those you actually have points in, so I might have just gotten really lucky. I had no idea where to even start figuring out my skills. I guess I just have to wait until I level up. Unless…

I pulled out my commpad again. Maybe, since this is 'my' phone, it has notes on my background and training?

The menus were unfamiliar, hard to navigate, and occasionally lapsed into Japanese (Which I was surprised to find myself fluent in. Point towards either high Intelligence or Language skill.) Still, I managed to find a note-taking section in the file system, and sure enough, I had my information, courtesy of the backstory version of myself.

'I'm' a scientific researcher, and 'I' went to a psychic academy as well. 'I've' even been so kind as to list down the skills I've become familiar with, in the form of well-organized folders full of study materials and spreadsheets. Backstory me had been working with pretech, medical, and psitech technology and weaponry, and had a separate folder with basic scientific data and information. I should have a few more skills, but there's no more information to be found in the files, and I can't recall the exact skill packages that Researcher and Academy Gradutate give, beyond a vague guess that I might have a point in persuade or something.

Still, I've learned some important information: Real Me isn't a complete dick. He made me an effective tinker, and more importantly, I almost definitely can make weaponry that works with my powers.

I scrolled onward. Psychics get trained in the very basics of every discipline, but I should have two powers, and one should be a specialty. All I have to do is find that and-

"Ohshitsorry!" I walked into someone, knocking us both over. My commpad went skittering away, and her bag fell too. We untangled ourselves, and I put out a hand to help her up.

Perception Check (Int): Rolled 4+1 vs. difficulty 7. Fail.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted," the diminutive olive-skinned woman said as she climbed to her feet. I waved her off, grabbing her bag and handing it to her. "No worries, I was too. Need to stop walking with my phone in my face." I looked around, spotting it over by a hydrant nearby. "Well, have a nice day. Sorry for bumping into you!" I waved as I trotted over to my commpad, and went on my way.

Right, so my powers. According to my handy little commpad, 'I' specialized in Telekinesis, and learned a bit of Teleportation. So, I was primarily gonna be a telekinetic. I could work with that. From what I remembered, it was a decent, well-rounded power tree, although it lacked the temporary invulnerability that some other trees escalated to. My next few levels would definitely be heading for healing powers, though.

I put away my shiny future phone, and stepped up my walking speed. I needed a map, and I needed some cash. So, ways to gain cash, experience, and not fight people…

Dammit, I needed a job. The irony was just perfect. Freaking Walmart didn't want to deal with my sleep schedule IRL, so good luck getting one in a few days here.

Other ideas, c'mon. I could donate blood or plasma? No, I needed an I.D. for that. Do yard work? Maybe, but it'd be really slow. I really needed some technology to mess with.

God, this would be so much easier if I could just go to the Protectorate. Lots of resources, a place to stay… permanent internment when I had to choose between lying or telling the truth about my situation.

An idea formed in my head. A crazy, amazing idea. But first… screw the bus lines, and screw the map.

I asked someone for directions to the nearest library.

More walking. Yay.

Writing Lore...

Ah, the library. My long-lost fortress of reading material both informative and imaginative. More importantly to my current plans, a place with publicly accessible computers and internet. I had yet to figure out how to connect my commpad to a pirated data connection, so this would be a vital resource.

I quickly found Google, set up an email, made a throwaway on PHO. Forget information security for now, because it wasn't like I had an identity to protect.

Next step, an old fan favorite: convince minor supervillains to be my friends.

No, not the Undersiders. Uber and Leet.

The dynamic duo weren't exactly my best option; contrary to fanon, they were probably best described as abrasive, screwed-up individuals with a gaming theme. The names really were fitting; commonly associated with gamers that were way too 'pro' to be good sports about either winning or losing. Still, they had some positive points.

For one, they had a tinker, one who would have plenty of unsafe or broken Tinkertech for me to repurpose. They were small-time, so I could probably pass unnoticed in my short villain career. Uber might be a useful ally when it came to training later on. Perhaps most importantly, though, they had recently royally fucked their public image, thanks to the whole Bakuda fight. That put them in a prime position to be on the receiving end of the Persuade skill, arguing how a change in direction might save them from infamy.

Their contact info was listed on their website, too, which made it really convenient to send them an email.

To: XxUB3RG4MR5xX

Subject: URGENT: Seeking a team, or some help.

Hello, Uber and L33t. I'm a fan of sorts, and am looking for a team. I know you guys are a duo, but if you'll hear me out, I think our powers may align quite well. Thanks to the recent unrest, I find myself without a place to stay, and in exchange for a couch to crash on and access to some broken tech, I think I can help you guys out in the long term. Plus, I'd love to take you on in some Smash Bros.

If you want to meet, please reply with a time and location. I'll come alone, and all that jazz.

-TheFatOne

Persuade Check (Cha): Rolled 10+0 vs. difficulty 10. Pass.

Time to wait. I spent my time checking out the internet of Earth Bet. Weirdly, PHO was actually about as predominant as something like Reddit: any news that involved parahumans made its way onto the boards, and parahumans dominated the news.

I quickly grew bored, though, and set about learning the commpad's many features. The thing basically turned out to be a completely unlocked, super-versatile phone, but without any apps to work with I was stuck to basic functions. The most advanced features were the network features and the battery. The thing basically showed every non-encrypted connection as an open one, meaning that I could bum data, access wifi, and even access radio and Bluetooth signals with ease. As to battery life: there wasn't even a meter for it. The thing didn't need to charge; it just functioned. Future space magic tech for the win.

Thank God, it has a browser that still runs http.

I spent the next hour or so getting fully familiarized with the interface. Eventually, I checked my email with it. A reply waited for me.

From: XxUB3RG4MR5xX

Subject: Re: URGENT: Seeking a team, or some help.

TheFatOne, we're interested to see what you have to offer, but we'll have to discuss terms. You understand if we're skeptical, and we aren't sure we want a third member.

If you are actually interested, meet us at 10pm on the corner of Lars Bertrom and 7th. Come unarmed, mask on, and alone. We will be armed, but only for our own safety. You're on your own if this turns into a fight.

Send a confirmation email if you are still coming. The terms are non-negotiable.

-U&L

Coming unarmed was a bit harsh, but I guess I could just leave my monoblade in my backpack. It wasn't exactly smart to carry around a ten-inch combat knife, after all; I'd already put it away before coming in the library. I needed a mask, but that was hopefully not that big of a deal. I shot back a confirmation email.

Sighing, I dug myself out of the nook. I had to get moving if I was gonna have anything to eat today. Food pantries are first come, first serve, and with a bombing crisis in town, they'd probably be serving a lot of people.

Living off the kindness of others. Story of my life.

Generating NPCs...

I walked into Immaculata's doors, and got in line. The smell of chili filled the recreation building, and smiling congregation members and volunteer parents were walking around and managing people. The basketball court that filled up the bottom floor of the building was festooned with chairs and foam gym mats.

It was familiar. I'd grown up in a Christian private school atmosphere, and while they'd never been a disaster relief location, we'd had plenty of potlucks. My family had been there on sponsorships, so we tried to give back when we could.

The line queued forward, and I came up to the table. The lady sitting at it turned to me, saying a rather rehearsed speech. She'd probably given fifty times already.

"Welcome! I'm Laura Stephens, Dean of Students. Before you continue, you need to fill out this short form."

I took the pen and began filling it all out, with a combination of real-world and completely fictional information. I chose to go by the name Grant Mitchell. Close enough to my real name, but different enough, too. After I finished, I turned it over to her, and said, "Sorry, but I lost my wallet, so I don't have any ID." She smiled, looking up from my form and placing it in a pile. "That's fine, no problems there. Enjoy the food and fellowship, Mr. Mitchell." I smiled back, nodded, and made my way to the food line.

Around me, conversations were constantly going on and dying out. People talking about hurt or lost loved ones, missing belongings, friends they couldn't get a hold of. All of it painting a picture of a city in crisis. I felt legitimately bad that I wasn't out helping, but I had to think of the long run here. Bakuda would be defeated whether I helped or not, but the world as a whole would benefit if I started reverse-engineering postech or pretech, and that needed me alive.

I also felt bad for pretending to be a victim, but that was the GM's fault, dropping me in there with next to no resources.

I must have been scowling, because a black-haired man walking by put a hand on my shoulder, striking up a conversation. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "Just thinking about stuff."

"I get it. All the chaos, there's a lot going on." He took his hand off my shoulder, offering a handshake instead. "I'm Mark."

"Grant," I said, shaking the proffered hand. "Nice to meet you, Mark."

"I haven't seen you around here before, are you a parent?"

"No, just a walk-in, in need of some classic Christian charity. You know how it is."

"Yeah, I guess I do." I moved forward, and he followed. "So, are you a believer?"

I laughed. "Probably not as much as I should be, but yes. Unfortunately, I'm a Lutheran, born and raised." Brave words to say at a Catholic school.

"Ah, so I guess we can't be friends, then," he replied with good humor, "Really a shame."

"Oh, certainly," I agreed, "a shame. But yeah, I used to be really big on church, and had to stop."

"Lost interest?"

"Medical reasons. My sleep schedule has a mind of its own, so I'm often either asleep or going to sleep during service times." I also wasn't entirely sure what I believed, but that wasn't something to say unless I wanted a theological debate.

I'd flirted with atheism and agnosticism, but I'd eventually just shrugged and figured there was nothing to lose by believing in Jesus anyway. Either there was an afterlife of some kind, or the unfeeling void, and only one of those options rewarded you for believing in it. I wasn't going to push my beliefs on others, and wasn't judging other beliefs or lack thereof; I just tried to be a good person, and believed what I wanted to.

"That's unfortunate." The sleep thing, right.

"I'm used to it. Makes holding a normal job extremely difficult, but there's nothing I can do about it." I shrugged. "It has some upsides. Few people realize how much stuff there is to do at strange hours of the day. Cities never sleep, and a book is good at any time of day, so I'm never really bored."

"That does sound interesting." I walked up to the serving station, and started filling my bowl. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Come find me if you need anything." He turned to leave.

"Actually," I said, dishing a slice of garlic bread into my chili and turning his way, "I could use a ride, if you're okay with that. Or a few bucks for bus fare and stuff. Lost my wallet." God, I really hated lying to these people.

Persuade Check (Cha): Rolled 8+0 vs. difficulty 7. Pass.

He smiled. "I might just be able to help you out with that."

A/N: You won't believe me, but I actually rolled his Attribute scores before I posted the first chapter, instead of doing the method he used. He's incredibly freaking lucky.

He guessed 12, 9, 15, 10, 9, 7(to 14), which is fairly representative of myself. I wrote this before I rolled up his real stats, planning to have the different scores be a stumbling point, and editing it into the chapter afterward.

I rolled 12, 10, 16, 12, 10, 6(to 14), which is a straight, if minor, upgrade. I can't even.