Brockton's Celestial Forge

by Lord Roustabout

The Celestial Forge is the greatest combination of crafting powers in Jumpchain, meaning it is the greatest combination of crafting abilities in all of fiction. In Brockton Bay a forgotten side character's trigger event ends with him linked to the Celestial Forge rather than his intended shard. His expanding collection of tinker abilities drag him into the city's cape conflicts.

123. 88 Perspectives

88 Perspectives

"It felt like a step forward, but I don't know." I explained. "There have been other times when I thought I had gotten through to her, but it always fell apart."

"I understand." Dr. Campbell said. "Still, you felt the call was productive?" He asked.

I was sitting in Dr. Campbell's office in my usual seat. The man was across from me as I vented about family issues. It was a familiar and comfortable environment, even if the subject matter wasn't particularly soothing. Though that was somewhat made up for by the gentle sounds of the white noise machine as it generated a privacy curtain for our conversation.

"Sort of?" I said, sitting up slightly. "I mean, just getting Alena to admit that there might be something wrong, that it might not all be me… I don't know. It's happened before. Times when I thought that I finally got through to a member of my family, but it never seems to stick. Not even with my dad." I shook my head. "With everything else that's happened, that's happening, it seems kind of stupid to even be concerned about that kind of thing."

"There's nothing unreasonable about hoping for a resolution with your family." He assured me.

I considered how to reply. "The weight of evidence would suggest otherwise." I said with a mirthless smile. "But… I mean, I was willing to cut things off. Not just with her, with everyone."

Admitting that to someone else felt more significant than I expected. Something that I'd never seriously considered as an option, that I effectively couldn't, finally being seriously considered.

"I am well past needing their support for anything." I said. "And even if I wanted to give them an explanation for what I was doing, it's not something I can talk about. Anything they could do in response…"

I trailed off and let out a breath. Dr. Campbell sat patiently as I collected my thoughts. Thoughts of exactly how my family would process and recontextualize things in my absence.

"I don't like the idea of leaving things like that. Letting them 'decide' what's happening with me and building their own version of events for each other and anyone who asked about the situation." Huh. It was basically the high school rumor mill, only much closer to home. Ha.

"It's the kind of thing I'd want to explain or set right, but that feeling has been around for years. It's like I'm trying to get concessions from them to maybe admit that things aren't exactly how they assumed them to be, but I've been trying that forever, and compared to everything else I'm dealing with, it seems kind of pointless."

"You shouldn't trivialize your concerns. I understand you are dealing with substantially more than the average person, but you do not need to pass judgment on your own priorities." Dr. Campbell said.

Yeah, that was me alright. Worried about whether what I was worried about was worth worrying about. No, worse than that. Worried that it was wrong for me to worry about my worries when I had other, more important worries to worry over.

"It can be difficult to accept that an ideal resolution might never occur." Dr. Campbell continued. "Particularly when you only focus on your own behavior, rather than anyone else's."

I nodded. That was an old trap for me. Trying to find the perfect way to act that would make everything better. The rest of my family was blameless for their actions, and I was the only one who needed to change, because I was the only one who was the problem.

And it was clearly bullshit. I could see that now. Well, Mental Fortress and Runes made it perfectly clear, but it was a point I had been working with Dr. Campbell on for months. That kind of thinking wasn't a healthy dynamic by any means, but it was one that drew you in.

Probably because it gave you hope. Hope that with enough effort, you could make everything right. If everything was your fault then logically you had the ability to fix everything. It could actually come off as empowering, in a fucked up and manipulative way. Only for it to actually be empowering there would need to be possible to fix things.

Really possible, and a real solution, not the shreds of concessions and acknowledgment that would get metered out to placate you. Any agreements or understanding forgotten or ignored the moment you turned your head. That was what I was worried about happening with Alena.

"I know Alena isn't going to be having an easy time." I said. "That doesn't mean it's my responsibility to step up, but I know that if this goes badly it's going to come down on her."

"It's not your responsibility to manage the behavior of your family." Dr. Campbell assured me.

"I know, but Alena, getting her to recognize things like that, it felt like a big step. It was a big step." I reiterated. "I don't want it to just fall apart."

Everything I could do, all the ridiculous capabilities at my disposal, and I didn't have a solution for this. Well, no good solution. Plenty of bad or over the top ones, but that wasn't going to make the situation any better.

"You've talked about how your relationship with Alena was better, how it was less adversarial than the rest of your family. Is that why you're hoping to be able to improve it." He prompted.

I nodded. "Probably, though I don't know if I'd call it better. But less adversarial would be right. The age difference between us probably helped, at least compared to Natalia. We just… I guess we had space, especially when we got older." I said.

She was also the first one out of the house, the first off to college, so I had two years of high school where we were only running into each other in the summer or on holidays. Even before then we were focused on such different things that a comfortable level of space built up between us. We fought a lot when we were kids, but once our lives stopped constantly overlapping it made it easy to drop all the petty conflicts. The kind that happen when you can never get away from someone.

"I think, away from family stress, she isn't that bad." That was probably true for everyone. Hell, away from family stress even Natalia could be pleasant at times. Thinking on the handful of moments we spent together where we didn't have to deal with Mom or some family crisis that pitted us against each other…

I let out a long breath and sank back into my chair. "That's probably where the hope comes from. I really want this to work out, even if that seems selfish or petty in comparison to everything else."

"Are you planning to call her again?" He asked. There was no judgment in his tone.

"Maybe, in a day or so." I said without much energy. "If it's just the same crap again, then that might be it." Which would suck, but I could deal with it and move on. I might be willing to entertain this for Alena's sake and out of some idealistic hopes of reconciliation, but I wasn't going to let myself get sucked into that bullshit again. Even if I didn't have Mental Fortress on the line, I couldn't afford the distraction.

He nodded. "I'm glad you're setting boundaries with your family. That's a difficult step, but given the circumstances…" I nodded. "I don't mean to disparage the importance of this issue, and I'm glad you're comfortable addressing it here."

I shrugged. "It felt like if I didn't open with this I wasn't going to be able to bring it up. It's hard to go from fate-of-the-world stuff down to family drama."

Dr. Campbell's eyes darted over to the white noise machine then back to me. I noticed he was also wearing the tie clip I had made for him during our last session, three days and a lifetime ago. Both had been in place from the start of our session.

"Yes. On that note, would you like to discuss any aspects of your new career?" He asked, setting down his notepad. Even with all the precautions, he had avoided bringing up anything specific to my cape life. For all intents and purposes, this could have been a normal session, working through my mental hang-ups and issues with my family.

I was kind of grateful for that. It was nice falling back into the comfort of this place. Being able to talk about things that I never had a safe outlet to discuss and working through the root causes of what everyone else seemed to view as either nonexistent or some kind of personal failing.

And seeing just how deep those root causes went. What I was struggling with wasn't a problem with a girl, or with college, or some bad times in high school. When you could trace the issues running all the way back as far as you could remember, then the prospect of dealing with them could seem overwhelming. Insurmountable.

That was the thought that had resonated through my trigger. The idea that even if I specifically wasn't the problem, the actual problems went so deep and connected with so much of what made me who I was that even the idea of working to fix it had seemed hopeless. If your problems were present through your entire life, tied into every stage of growth and development, then what were you without them? It was like a wall that was being torn up by roots. It wasn't stable, but the thing destroying it was the only thing giving it shape.

Without my passenger, my powers, or the support of everyone in the workshop I don't know how I would have managed. Probably badly. And slowly. But now I could tell that dealing with that kind of problem wasn't as impossible as it had seemed.

I took a moment to consider things, and also noted the amount of reach that my power had built up. So far in the session I had only seen a failure to connect to an oversized mote from the Alchemy constellation, leaving me with more reach than what was needed for even the major powers in the Forge. Getting into a heavy topic with that kind of thing bearing down on me wasn't ideal, but I didn't exactly have a way around it.

"My new career is tied into a lot of this." I explained. At his confused expression I elaborated. "My mindset, how I'm handling things, even managing stuff with my family. My power is a big part of that."

"I understand that a change as dramatic as what you've undergone could result in some significant changes in perspective." He said.

"No. Well, yes, it's definitely done that. But what I mean is a big part of the progress I've made is down to my power." I explained.

Dr. Campbell gave a slow nod. "I'm assuming you're not talking about the support of people you work with or the resources and security you've been able to acquire?" He asked.

I shook my head. "That's helped, but it's not what I'm talking about." I took a breath and steadied myself. This was deeper into my power than I'd gotten with anyone. Even discussions in the Workshop didn't really get into this. But it was something I had been wrestling with and something I needed to talk about. I looked up at Dr. Campbell and considered where to start. "I think my power wants me to get better, which is kind of the opposite of how this kind of thing usually works."

"Opposite?" He asked. "In what way?"

"Um, I'm guessing you've read up on parahumans?" I asked. Probably specifically for our session, but I didn't highlight that.

He nodded. "Parahuman psychology isn't my area of expertise, but I have read dissertations about it in trade journals. In light of your situation, I have been looking into the subject to a greater degree."

I appreciated the effort he put into this, but given the nature of the majority of parahuman research I wasn't sure how helpful it would be.

"I told you about how I ended up with a different kind of trigger?" I asked. He nodded and I pressed on. "Because of that, because of the way things played out, I got a lot of insight into how powers work. I didn't lose my memories of my trigger and actually got to see the mechanics behind parahuman abilities."

There was a spark of interest in Dr. Campbell's eyes, but he restrained himself from any immediate questions. I could have turned the entire session into a lecture on parahuman trigger mechanics, but despite his excitement for the topic he kept things focused.

"I don't know if you've come across passenger theory?" I asked, leaning forward slightly as I spoke.

"To some extent." He said with an uncertain gesture. "There are contradictory reports on the subject. It appears to be a difficult theory to verify."

"It would be. Okay, the common theory isn't exactly correct, but there are intelligences that act to direct a parahuman's powers, and they can influence the people they're connected to." I explained. I saw an immediate reaction from Dr. Campbell.

"To what end?" He asked in clear concern.

And now I was getting deep into passenger theory, which could lead to discussions of the network and entities and even passenger space. It was a Rabbit Hole, possibly a literal one when you considered the messed up 'wonderland' where passengers resided.

And that metaphor brought back thoughts of March. The exact kind of thing she would have spun. I put that distasteful idea out of my head and continued my explanation.

"Passengers want information on the powers they grant. They'll try to encourage parahumans to use their powers, particularly in creative ways." Dr. Campbell nodded. The idea that parahumans had a drive to use their abilities was fairly well accepted, even among people who dismissed passenger theory. "That usually takes the form of a kind of inclination towards conflict. It pushes them towards confrontations, particularly with other parahumans. And even without direct action from the passenger, aspects of power dynamics tend to drive people towards conflict anyway."

It was a wellspring of information and I could see Dr. Campbell restraining himself from pursuing it. Given the popularity of parahuman studies, this was the kind of information that would probably be worth six published papers, two books, and a lecture tour.

"But your power doesn't work that way? As a consequence of your different trigger?" He asked.

I nodded. "I didn't get a normal passenger or a normal connection." I explained. "I'm aware of the link. I can get impressions through it, but they aren't really focused on conflict."

Not generally, at least. Not as a primary goal, though the push towards Taylor and the Undersiders had certainly seeded enough conflict for a hundred passengers.

"That presence? The impressions you get from it? Are they what you were referring to when you said your power wanted you to get better?" Dr. Campbell asked.

Considering I had just admitted to having another presence in my head he was taking it rather well. Then again, panic wouldn't really help the situation in any way. I could feel the level of control he was exerting through a half dozen extra senses, so perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was taking it as well as he could.

He didn't look any worse compared to our last session, so my concerns that the stress of associating with me would wear him down or burn him out were clearly misplaced. That sentiment went back to old issues with self-perception, issues Dr. Campbell has specifically helped me identify and work through.

Only this time it wasn't the idea that there was some intrinsic aspect of my personality that was causing people to become fed up with me. I was Apeiron. Just acknowledging the level I worked at was a staggering feat that would make anyone uneasy. Dr. Campbell had every right to be burned out and stressed to the limit, but he wasn't. I don't know what his other commitments or personal circumstances were like, but that was probably by design. He was working to create a stable environment for me to work through my problems, no matter how outlandish or trivial. It was something that I truly appreciated.

"That presence is part of it, but the way my power expanded, there have been parts that seem like they were designed to help me deal with things, or push me towards dealing with them." I shook my head. "And that's on top of the powers that just give me new experiences and skills that help me cope."

And, almost on cue, the moment I'd been anticipating finally arrived. The Vehicles constellation swung towards me and my excessive amount of reach easily latched onto one of the massive motes that had yet to be secured. I braced myself as I felt the power descend towards me.

Innovation can triumph even in the face of the impossible. That was the core principle behind my latest technical power, Mechanical Genius. It was a power born of war, a war where the greatest feats of technology were tested against an enemy that casually disregarded the laws of nature, physics, and causality itself. It was the challenge of building something that could stand against the most impossible of foes. A legendary order with thousands of years of history, the resources of the galaxy at their disposal, and powers beyond compression.

Jedi. I had the skills to defeat the Jedi. Skills specialized in defeating the forces of the Jedi in a very specific context. Because apparently, I was a veteran of the Clone Wars.

That hit different from the other connections that I had seen from my power. This wasn't a book or comic or obscure Japanese cartoon. It was Star Wars. I had a direct link to Star Wars. And it was on the side opposing the Jedi.

As was often the case with my power, I didn't have the complete picture of how things had played out. I knew enough to give context to the power, but there were massive gaps for everything else. Anything that didn't deal with how to design, develop, and deploy the machinery of war.

I knew that I was literally the best in the galaxy. The leading expert in designing droids and starships. I was head and shoulders above the efforts of anyone else. Above the efforts of everyone else, if I was being honest. I could create hyperspace capable droid fighters, battledroids that were more heavily shielded than a droideka without the crippling cost, tanks that could move like landspeeders, androids that were completely indistinguishable from organic life, and combat droids capable of killing jedi.

The last point was what stood out. It was the holy grail, the ultimate achievement of any designer, and I could do it. I could build a droid that could defeat someone who could react to events before they happened. Who could move, crush, or fling objects with their mind. Who wielded one of the most dangerous weapons in the galaxy with deadly precision.

Without wider context, I didn't know what role I had played in the conflict or even why I was on the side opposing the Republic. Given the machinations in play there wasn't really a 'good' side in that mess, but nothing in my limited memories suggested awareness of that fact. Or awareness of any of the larger factors behind the war.

I also knew that my best designs either didn't play a role in the conflict or were used in such limited amounts that there was no trace of them in the movies. Assuming I was even looking in the right place. Web of Magic was connected to my Magecraft and heroic spirit powers, but carried fundamental differences. While there was a clear connection between my powers and the settings depicted in certain fictional works, nothing had lined up perfectly. I had never been able to find a specific character as a direct point of connection.

Well, aside from Armsmaster, but that was an entirely different can of worms.

The idea of an infinite universe was actually quite accommodating of such concerns. If the worlds based on those works existed because there were infinite possibilities beyond the multiverse that Professor Haywire had theorized, then it would stand to reason there were multiple variants of those alternate universes as well. Hell, with Web of Magic it was even built into the setting thanks to Phantasmagoria. Even universes without the Second Magic probably had their own alternate realities.

Potentially, there was a version of the Star Wars galaxy out there where a version of me had worked against the forces of the Republic, hopefully for noble reasons, but I didn't know enough to say. What I did know was the knowledge I possessed, when leveraged against an opposing force, was a terrifying prospect.

It was strange thinking that there was some version of me that existed as a terror for the Jedi to contend with. A mechanical genius who turned the tides of history. And I had to admit to a little bit of disappointment. I get a power from Star Wars and not only am I NOT a Jedi, I'm standing in direct opposition to them.

Though that opposition was what granted me more knowledge and understanding of the Jedi and the Force than I could have ever dreamed of. You can't design means of defeating your enemy if you don't understand your enemy. I might not be Force sensitive, I might not be a trained Jedi, but I understood every aspect of how the Jedi functioned.

I knew what could be accomplished through the Force. I understood the battle tactics they used. I had studies of their reaction time and the impact of precognition on their combat effectiveness. I knew the major lightsaber forms and how to counter them. I understood the lightsaber itself, how it was built, how it functioned, what it was capable of, and where its limits stood. In order to counter the Jedi, I had become an expert on them.

Additionally, and I was grateful for this, there wasn't any malice towards them. There was frustration at the difficulty of the problem and commitment to a goal, but also respect. The Jedi weren't dismissed, disregarded, or trivialized. They wielded impossible powers, but that impossibility was just another challenge to overcome.

In light of that, not for the first time, I found myself wondering about my connection to that universe. Who had I been and what had I been trying to accomplish? I remembered what Spekkio had said the last time I was freaking out about this, "No 'other' involved. It's all you.".

There was a version of me that had been in Star Wars. Maybe not the Star Wars I had seen as a kid, but some variant of that galaxy far, far away. I hadn't been a Jedi, but I had mattered. In vital and important fields, I had led the way and been capable of things that no one else could achieve.

It felt good, which was exactly the kind of thing I had been trying to explain to Dr. Campbell. It wasn't like this sense of affirmation was a universal aspect of my powers. The forced death race from my memories of the Wishes was proof enough of that, but considering how badly things could have gone, and balanced against powers like this one, there was a clear and recognizable trend.

"Joe? Are you alright?" Dr. Campbell asked. There was concern in his expression as he watched my reaction.

"Yeah." I said, sitting up. "Just processing things."

"Ah." He said "Was that a new power?" I nodded. "A significant one?"

"Star Wars is real."

Dr. Campbell blinked at me. "I'm sorry?" I could see him wrestling with the statement, my multiple expanded senses providing their insights as he tried to work through it. "Star Wars? The movies?"

"Yes. They really exist." I confirmed.

"I'm sorry." He actually took a moment to gather himself before continuing rather than pressing for information or making any immediate denials. I could tell it took some effort on his part. "Could you explain what you meant by that?"

"Right." I said. Getting into this kind of thing was a heavy topic, but there weren't many aspects of my power that counted as light conversation. It was the kind of thing where I was better off just taking the plunge. Before this session I had mixed feelings about discussing this aspect of my powers, but this wasn't some obscure property or tenuous connection. It was Star Wars. There was no way I was going to miss the chance to talk about it.

"Last time I said I was pretty sure my power was accessing other universes? And it wasn't like what most people know about alternate universes, like with Aleph?" I asked. He nodded in response.

"You're saying that your power is able to access fictional worlds, like Star Wars?" Dr. Campbell asked. He kept any hint of skepticism out of his voice, but I could tell how hard it was for him to accept. "I saw reports about some technology matching a giant robot show, but…" He trailed off at a loss for words.

I sank back in my chair as I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure what's happening." Given the power of some of these abilities that was probably really concerning. "It took me a long time to figure out there was a connection to anything. I mean, I wasn't looking for one, so a lot of hints kind of went over my head."

"That's understandable." Dr. Campbell said. "You have been dealing with unprecedented circumstances. Even conventional parahumans have a difficult adjustment period, and that is generally with static powers." He still didn't sound completely convinced of my claims, but he wasn't dismissing them either.

I nodded. "When something like this happens I honestly don't know if I'm connecting to another universe or if my power is just fabricating memories and experiences to match up with whatever abilities I'm getting. I mean, for all I know it could be making it so that those universes actually exist."

"You think that's a possibility?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"Maybe? My power is really strong, and multiverse dynamics are complicated. It could just be a matter of collapsing a kind of superposition, in which case the actual power requirements are fairly minor." I shrugged, but I could see Dr. Campbell was considerably less flippant about the subject than I was. I leaned forward as I continued. "What I do know is whenever my power makes one of these connections, all the technology and advanced physics work perfectly. I don't know if they were always there waiting to be discovered, or if something changed to make them possible, but they're still part of the physical laws of the universe."

"I see." He paused as he considered what I had said. Expanded powers of awareness meant I could actually feel the process from a metabolic perspective. It was like being able to look at CPU use, only for a person rather than a computer.

He finally replied as the Magic constellation missed a connection. "I understand why that would be concerning, and the uncertainty that must come with knowing that suddenly something like…" Dr. Campbell gestured nebulously with his hand. "Something like Star Trek could suddenly become reality."

"Um…" I began, earning another concerned look. "That already happened." Dr. Campbell's eyebrows rose. "I've got all the Federation technology. Warp drive, replicators, transporters, the works."

"Ah." He said. "Yes, you did say you were getting more significant abilities." I decided it was probably best to avoid mentioning the fact that the Star Trek skills were some of the most minor powers I had access to. "That is quite an interesting problem to have."

"Yeah, that's the thing. I know it's serious. I have these powerful technologies or abilities with huge implications that might be changing the world. That could change the world. I mean, replicators alone…" I shrugged my shoulders. "The point is, with how important it all is, I know I should be taking it seriously but at the same time…"

"Star Wars is real." Dr. Campbell echoed my words in understanding.

"Right. I mean, Star Wars. I could build R2-D2, or at least an identical astromech droid. I could make an X-Wing, or Tie Fighter. I could…" I looked down at my hands and decided to make a point.

I could have drawn materials from my subspace pocket, but with Gadgeteer I didn't need to. For work on this scale, I would always have the resources. If I was only working from my knowledge from Mechanical Genius this might have been a challenge, but I was well beyond that.

The power cell I was building didn't actually need to be composed of Diatium, though alternatives would have an impact on the active life and charge dynamics. That was a manageable problem, and one easily addressed. Moving on, there were a thousand options for power field conductors and I could easily adapt cycling field energizers out of unrelated components. I worked to customize the energy gate and wired the modulation circuits by hand. With the casing easily formed, that just left the crystals.

Obviously, I didn't have access to any kyber. Waste Not could account for that, but only with a fifty percent reliability. Traditional assembly would have called for extensive use of the Force in either the selection of a natural crystal or the production of an artificial replacement. I was not Force sensitive, so other measures would be called for. Creation of a crystal in the absence of a Jedi or Sith would normally be a daunting prospect, but not for me. Precise control of heat, molecular structure, and the flow of energy meant shaping the crystal by hand was child's play.

The work itself would need to have been orders of magnitude slower just to register as a blur. As it stood, it was literally too fast to see. All of my construction speed powers applied to their full extent, completing a long, laborious process in less than the blink of an eye. As usual, the assembly was also constructed at a smaller scale, allowing Workaholic's size increase to trigger, causing the final product to grow to conventional size.

And with that, I had constructed a lightsaber. And I had done so from first principles. Even with the breadth of my technological knowledge, I had no personal experience constructing lightsabers. I did, however, have an intimate understanding of every component, function, and capability. From that I could work backwards and complete the assembly.

The gleaming metal cylinder rested in my hand. Textured grips blended into the subtle ornamentation of the design with control that sat elegantly and ergonomically. The overall profile matched Luke's saber from A New Hope, though from my perspective it was a more recent design. The one Anakin had used in the clone wars.

And now it was mine.

"Ah." Said Dr. Campbell as he looked down at the object in my hand, then turned back to me. "That seemed like a different effect from what you displayed during our last session." His hand rose to straighten his tie clip.

I nodded. "More powers. A lot more powers are involved, but a big one drastically reduces the time it takes to build something. Another provides materials, and others help with assembly." I held up the lightsaber hilt. "This wasn't hard to make, and it's better than any lightsaber from the movies."

And it was, by a wide margin. Using resources from Gadgeteer didn't count as base materials for Craftsmen of the Gods, but both Master Craftsman and Daedalus' Student were in full effect. Even without the full benefits of my Workshop, there were more than enough quality enhancements to take it to another level of workmanship. I hadn't even bothered with Infusionist or elemental runes and it was still incredibly powerful.

And seeing the way Dr. Campbell was tracking it I became aware that I was brandishing a weapon in front of my therapist. I quickly activated my Weapon Swapping power and stowed the lightsaber with my other armaments. I wasn't actually any less dangerous without it, but it was important to remember how certain actions could come across.

"If you don't mind me asking, how many other… 'properties' have you been able to access?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"I'm not sure." I answered honestly. "I haven't found a source for all of my powers. I don't know if there even is a source for each of them. I do know that some of my powers have come from or are connected to Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Web of Magic, old superhero comic books, Transformers, the Halo, Castlevania, and Megaman video games, a bunch of Japanese cartoons and toy lines, parts of Greek, Norse, and Japanese mythology and some kind of cybernetic version of Hindu gods, James Bond, and the Gone in Sixty Seconds film series."

I don't know how Dr. Campbell thought this session was going to go, but from his reaction we were clearly off the map. "I'm sorry, James Bond?" He asked.

"That's one of the ones that came with memories." I explained. "I remember working in Q branch under Major Boothroyd. Learned a lot about gadgets and miniaturization." I gestured to the white noise generator that was keeping our conversation concealed. "Something like that would normally be bigger than a bar fridge."

"I see." He said. "And the memories that come with your powers? How are you managing with them?"

I let out a long breath. "Better than I used to." I explained. "I don't get them with every power, and it's usually just context for any information or skill that comes with the ability. For Star Wars I don't really remember anyone in particular, just general details. Most of the specifics involve engineering or design work. I guess it's enough information to make sure I can use the power without overwhelming me. Most of the time."

"You've had bad experiences?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "It's going to sound silly, but it's usually the ones you wouldn't expect. Like, Transformers was hard to deal with. It wasn't so much the memories, but the way of thinking was completely different. Other times it's not overwhelming, but the experiences are so different I need to watch the way it's affecting me." I shook my head. "It's gotten easier. Maybe because it's not a surprise anymore. Maybe there's so much muddling together that nothing is sticking out anymore."

"I'm glad that you've found a way to manage this challenge. It must have been difficult, particularly in the beginning." Dr. Campbell offered.

"Yeah." I said. "Well, more like terrifying." Dr. Campbell gave an understanding nod as I absently clenched and unclenched my hands. "The first time it happened, I mean, happened seriously, I didn't know what to think. It nearly floored me." I remembered the arrival of Master Builder, hitting me like a truck. "I started keeping track of the way I was thinking, trying to track how much the different parts of my power were impacting my thoughts. I'm just lucky that there were probably as many things that seemed to be trying to help me."

"You mentioned that before the… disruption." He said neutrally. "Can you explain what you meant when you said your power was pushing you towards dealing with things?"

I nodded and took a breath. "Well, first off, my passenger." Going to therapy and alluding to another presence in your head wasn't the kind of thing you'd normally want to do, but this was something of a special circumstance. "Normally passengers have a drive towards conflict and power use. I kind of have a version of that, but not as serious. My passenger wants to see my power grow, but as far as I can tell that's as far as it goes."

"What is the communication with your 'passenger' like?" Dr. Campbell asked.

I felt out my passenger's reactions. They were normally muted when I was in therapy or dealing with other personal stuff. Possibly as a way to avoid intruding, though I might be reading into things.

"I can kind of pick up the way he feels about things. That's what my 'thinker power' was." Dr. Campbell raised an eyebrow, but nodded along. "My passenger had a wider picture of things. Passengers in general have much better scanning capabilities than people think, so that, combined with the special case for mine, helped me figure out things like future events and potential threats."

"And you've been able to work from just the emotional reactions?" He asked.

"It hasn't been easy." I admitted. "I can't just play twenty questions. If I picture a scenario or look over some information I can pick up his reaction and piece things together from there. I was kind of leaning on it, after my trigger."

"Can you tell me about that?" He said, leaning forward slightly.

I gave a tired nod. It was an uncomfortable subject and even the distance I had come didn't make it any better. "Even with the… with the way my trigger changed from what would normally happen, it was hard to deal with everything in the aftermath. Nothing about the situation changed, and I barely had any power at that point. I was still pretty close to breaking down, but I could feel my passenger."

I thought back to that night. Definitely not the kind of thing I like to reminisce about. The feeling of faith and reassurance from my passenger was enough to give me the strength to get out of there. To walk out the door and leave the mess of a family dinner behind me. A long walk back to Brockton Bay from Captain's Hill had given me time to think. To calm down and start putting together a plan for the future.

A plan that hadn't survived my first two weeks as a cape, but some of the efforts I'd made had paid off. I was grateful for that, for it not being a complete waste of effort.

"It was nice, feeling that kind of stability." I explained, feeling the Knowledge constellation pass by without a connection. "I can tell how my passenger feels about things and he had faith in me." It was a little thing that made all the difference in those early days. "It helped me focus and not get caught up worrying about everything. I guess I should probably have been worried about how my passenger was affecting me, but that wasn't something I was concerned about at the time."

Dr. Campbell gave me a slow nod as he worked through what I had told him. "It sounds like you had a supportive influence when you needed one the most. Given the situations that can arise after trigger events and the progress you have been able to make in your own life, I think we can say it was quite a positive thing."

"Mostly positive." I agreed. "I think I might have leaned on my passenger a bit too much. Some of the reactions weren't just about support or warnings. My passenger has investments in people or certain topics that he feels strongly about."

"Do you know the reason for that kind of reaction?" Dr. Campbell asked. I shook my head.

"No idea." I admitted. "It's at least partially related to upcoming events, but it feels more connected than the other reactions I've received. At the start I was going along pretty heavily with what guidance I could get. Letting that direct me resulted in some things I'm not too happy about." I clenched my teeth briefly as I thought over those events. "I've tried to scale things down since then."

"Was that why you got involved with the Undersiders?" Dr. Campbell asked.

I nodded. "There's still something important there, both for the city and on an even bigger scale, but my passenger was excited about meeting them. Beyond just what was relevant to the upcoming threat. I still don't know what that was about. It's why I went along with it, and why I helped them as much as I did."

And that was the crux of everything. If I had sat that out, or held back and not tried to impress them with my latest capabilities then… Well, Lung would have still been sprung by Oni Lee, but they would have been met by a more united Protectorate, with New Wave in support, and no March pulling the strings. There was no way to be sure that outcome would have been better, but any situation without March seemed like a step up.

Dr. Campbell gave a slight nod. "I'm sure that has been a point of concern for many people." He said.

"I'm being more careful about it now." I said defensively. "Splitting out the actual warnings from the enthusiasm. It's easier when things aren't falling apart at level they were closer to my trigger, and… I guess it's still nice, having that support every now and then."

"I'm glad you found a way to moderate your relationship." He said. I could have made some crack about getting along with the people in your head, but that seemed like it would be in poor taste. "Are there other aspects of your power that have helped you manage things?"

I nodded. "I was going to get into them earlier, but, you know, Star Wars." He gave a slight nod and gestured for me to continue. "Sometimes the memories help. They aren't always useful, but they can help give new perspectives on things. Some of them are from the military or other stressful backgrounds. Those helped in the field, when I needed to manage combat, but they can also make dealing with stress easier."

At least to a point. Sometimes they could be counterproductive, or just provide a way to avoid addressing problems.

"I'm not completely clear on the dynamics, but a broader range of experiences and coping strategies can be very helpful in situations like that." Dr. Campbell said.

"They are." I agreed. "Usually, at least. But on top of the memories, there are powers that seem like they're specific to my situation, or at least to try to make me get better." Normally talking about being pushed towards recovery would be a reference to some family member being frustrated with an aspect of my condition or the length of my recovery. Because of that, Dr. Campbell looked understandably concerned.

"Do you feel like you're being pressured?" He asked. "Forced to address your problems?"

"Not exactly." I said. "It's not like my power is forcing anything, but there are parts of it that work better with certain mindsets. Healthier mindsets." I explained.

Dr. Campbell nodded and looked intrigued. "Could you give me some examples?"

It was a general question that probed for the kind of information the Protectorate would kill to get their hands on. I trusted there wasn't some alternative motivation behind this line of discussion, and Mental Fortress confirmed that. It wasn't necessary, but did provide a level of 'trust but verify' that made it easier to open up. Which was probably one of the examples in question.

Going through therapy with the ability to detect manipulation was a novel experience. If I was meeting with one of the worse therapists I had seen, the ones from early in my treatment, I was willing to bet warnings would be going off left or right. With Dr. Campbell, aside from some gentle steering of the conversation and moderation in word choice it was fairly neutral. Once again, I would have been comfortable without the confirmation, but it was nice to have.

"Not all of my powers are related to building things, and some of those have related or supporting abilities, or even things that are completely independent." I explained. "There's one power that can provide a protective barrier and make you stronger and faster, but it's based on personal expression. You can't use it when you're closed off."

"I see." Said Dr. Campbell. "Did you have difficulty with that ability?"

"At first." I said. "It wasn't the kind of thing I was used to focusing on. A lot of it was personal and I was really uncomfortable getting into it, but I've been able to work past those problems."

"And you have been able to utilize that power?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"To an extent. It was rough at first, but I'm getting better." I smiled. "It was actually my sister's call when I had a breakthrough with it."

"Really?" He prodded.

"Yeah." I said with a slight grin. "Put my fist through a desk without realizing what I was doing."

I felt a spike of tension from Dr. Campbell, but there was no outward sign. Once again, I remembered the kind of power I casually threw around. He wasn't afraid of me, but references to unintentional violence would put anyone on edge.

"I've gotten a lot better with it. Control's not a problem anymore, and working with other people helps." I explained.

Dr. Campbell maintained a calm exterior and I could feel the tension he was experiencing begin to wane. "Yes, I imagine that having people to interact with makes expression easier to accomplish." He said.

What I'd actually meant was having other people who were also working with Aura, but getting into my ability to grant superpowers was probably getting a little ahead of things.

"Uh, yeah." I said. "Other powers are similar. Sometimes they need a mindset to work, like confidence or determination. Sometimes they benefit from reflection, and sometimes they just provide support."

My mind jumped to the sense of trust, warmth, and reassurance that came from my wand. Well, the ring that was my wand's current form, but all the same. I considered how to bring up my next point. If I even wanted to bring it up.

"Most of the powers are like that, but there are a couple that are different." Dr. Campbell gave me an intrigued look. "One of them…" I found myself faced with the problem of how to break down the impact of Unnatural Skill: Runes without getting neck deep in Norse lore. Screw it, just give the superficial details and hope it doesn't get picked at too much. "One that really helped was a power that gets stronger from suffering."

Dr. Campbell looked both confused and very concerned. "And that's been helpful?" He asked with considerable skepticism.

"I know how it sounds, but its strength is based on any suffering that someone's gone through. Some of that is things like injury or whatever, the times I've been hurt in the field." The casual reference to my multiple serious injuries didn't sit particularly well with Dr. Campbell, so I moved on with my explanation. "But most of it actually comes from before that. Um, it's any suffering that you've gone through, in your entire life."

"You're saying your earlier experiences counted towards this power?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"They did." I said, sagging slightly as I explained. "And the power can identify it. I know we worked on this, on how to contextualize events and understand them, but when my family always dismissed them it was hard to accept that something was actually wrong. That it wasn't just me being unreasonable, or selfish, or difficult."

"The power validates your experiences." Dr. Campbell said. "It provides a point of confirmation in contrast to the views of your family, and since it has a tangible result, the strengthening of its effect, it's effective at confirming its claims in opposition to the view of those experiences that was presented to you."

It sounded like the kind of thing that someone would want to write a paper on, but as usual Dr. Campbell was tempering his enthusiasm and staying focused on our conversation.

"There's always been a sense that kind of stuff wasn't bad, or at least not that bad. Not as bad as I thought it was. That it was me deliberately blowing things out of proportion, or just misremembering them. That I didn't understand what was happening, so it was all my fault." I said.

"Perception of events is the most important thing in terms of how they impact us." Dr. Campbell explained.

"I know." I said. "But the power isn't registering suffering only based on my perception of events. It kind of runs a tally across your whole life. It can tell the difference between suffering from an event and from the after effects of an event. Because of that I can confirm that things actually were bad back then." I let out a slow breath. "That doesn't sound like it should be a good thing, but…"

"No, I understand." Dr. Campbell said. "Coming to terms with past events can be challenging. Typically, there will be contradictory accounts of any specific event. I can understand the value in being able to validate your experiences." He paused and gave me a long look. "You said this power can identify suffering and grows more powerful in response to it. Has that impacted your behavior at all?"

"No." I said quickly. I could tell where this was going. Honestly, if it had been a parahuman's sole ability I could see some self-destructive behaviors coming from it, but that wasn't the case with me. "I haven't really used it. Well, not directly. Most of what it can do I've had better options for, so it's mostly been at the awareness level. If I wanted to pursue it I'd probably work through practice and support equipment than trying to 'feed' it or whatever." I saw Dr. Campbell relax in response to my explanation.

Honestly, rune magic was actually fairly versatile and might be worth revisiting now that I had some additional skills in magic and enough stamina not to be wiped out by casual uses of the art. Still, it wasn't the kind of thing I was inclined to push to an unhealthy degree. What I had been through was more than enough. I didn't need to copy Odin's trick with the well to master rune magic, not when I had a dozen other options available to me.

"You said there was another power that had a unique impact towards your recovery?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"Yeah." I said with a nod. "Uh, normally when I get power it's complete, or at least functional. Sometimes I need to train with it, but it tends to be there from the start."

"But this one was different?" He asked.

I nodded. "It didn't so much give a power as point out a flaw. The power depended on how I dealt with the flaw."

Dr. Campbell leaned forward. "What was the 'flaw'?"

I took a breath before responding. "That I was too passive. Accommodating. More focused on other people than my own needs or interests. A doormat."

"I see." Dr. Campbell said slowly. "And do you agree with that assessment?"

"It… wasn't unfounded." I admitted. "Even with everything that happened, all the power I have, there were tendencies from before that were holding over." I slumped slightly in my chair. "That 'power'? It made me aware of them. Things that I just thought of as normal, it would point out. Not negatively, there wasn't any judgment or compulsion to change my behavior, it was just making me recognize when it was happening."

"But that level of awareness would have had an impact, correct?" He asked.

I nodded. "The power could have gone two ways, depending on how I handled it. Because of what it offered, there was a big incentive to correct that behavior. I hit a threshold after my last call with Alena and was able to unlock the power proper."

"What was the power, if you don't mind me asking? If it incentivized you to that degree…" He asked.

I looked up at Dr. Campbell. "Complete immunity to mental effects." I said plainly.

Dr. Campbell blinked. "Truly?" The implications were clear, particularly with the meaningful presence of my white noise machine playing in the background. "So, regarding masters…?"

I nodded. "Masters and most strangers, and a bunch of other types of powers. It also lets me see through illusions and even identify manipulation attempts in normal conversation."

"Ah." For a moment Dr. Campbell seemed to be reviewing his own behavior. Sort of a microcosm of Tattletale's reaction to the same information, only without the same level of concern and near breakdown. When he returned to the conversation it was with the same calm certainty I'd come to expect from him.

"That must have been quite a relief for you." He glanced at the white noise machine, highlighting the issue without directly bringing it up.

"It is." I said. "And even beyond that power, a lot of the concerns I had before have been addressed. My defenses are better to the point where I don't really need to worry about myself."

"Then who are you worried about?" Dr. Campbell asked directly without missing a beat. I hadn't meant to set up that avenue of discussion, but he had clearly seen the opportunity.

And that kind of concern was accurate. All the talk about my own crazy powers and defense was well and good, but that didn't apply to anyone else. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I sank into my chair. In the back of my mind, I felt my power shifting again. The Personal Reality constellation approached and my assembled reach latched on to a large cluster. A mid-sized and a small mote were pulled free and secured as the constellation spun off again.

Most of the motes from the Personal Reality constellation added things to my Workshop. Some of them upgraded what was already present or added new capabilities to items, but they were generally limited to the workshop or items connected to it. This power was different.

It was called Portal. With it I could open up a gateway to my workshop at any time. I could, as a natural ability. I didn't need my key or a compatible door or any medium to facilitate things. I could just cause a portal to appear.

Normally the effect would be fairly limited. I would need to manifest the portal on a surface large enough to contain it. The portals opened at a touch, but there was a feature where I could open them at a point within a hundred meters for a vehicle I was driving. Portals opened to the entryway of my workshop, same as the key. Only the second mote lifted some of those restrictions.

The second mote was called Free Portal. It removed the need to open the portal on a flat surface, or any surface at all. Free standing portals, floating in air. The only limit was that there was enough space for the portal and that I opened it within two meters of myself. Free Portal also removed the requirement for the portal to open in my entryway. I could use it to directly access any part of my workshop just by picturing the location.

I chose to exercise some sensible restraint and not open a portal in the middle of my therapy session solely for the sake of showing off.

Truthfully, even with the advantages of Free Portal, the effect was still somewhat limited. The portal needed to be rectangular or circular. I could control the proportions of length and width for the rectangle, but otherwise it would have to be a perfect circle. Portals had an area ranging from eight to eighty square meters. They would open at their minimum size instantly, but took ten seconds to grow to their maximum size. If circular, that ranged from a diameter of three point one nine meters up to ten point zero nine meters.

The portal also followed the same rules of my key, at least before I received the Key Link. The portal couldn't be closed while I was inside the Workshop, though that was less of an issue now that I had the Force Wall barring entry. I was also limited to one portal at a time, though if I accidently left a portal open for any reason it would slowly close over three minutes. It was more about access to any part of my workshop, rather than a perfect entry. I would still be using doors for when I needed to return without leaving an access point behind.

It was a considerably more useful power than a lot of what had come from the Personal Reality constellation. Sure, landscaping and entertainment centers were fun, but they didn't really have practical uses. Well, not obvious ones. With Portal I could access any corner of my workshop with a thought. I could call out the Titans or gain access to the Skyforge. I could pull out any weapon or vehicle I needed on a moment's notice. Okay, some of the mechs would have a bit of a squeeze, but it was better than waiting five minutes for the Hangar to deploy them.

Anything that I needed, I could have in an instant. I could summon resources, machinery, equipment, and supplies. I could actually put the entirety of my Greenhouse into service and just pull out anything I needed. Hell, I had enough precision that I could open an adjacent portal and pick it fresh off the vine, or stalk or tree or whatever.

Oh, and I also had 'drown the world' levels of water in reserve, which I could now summon to my location at any time. I mean, with the elemental weapons I could create I didn't need my workshop's help to send a Biblical flood at my enemies, but it was nice to have a supplemental option.

On top of everything else, anyone I gave a spare key to could also open a portal. Garment had the same ability to access the Workshop that I did, and if I got additional keys that would expand to the rest of the team. For me the portals were a nice bonus, but for any of them it could provide a crucial, possibly even lifesaving point of access. Because I would be fine, but that wasn't what I was worried about. It was a thought that brought me back to Dr. Campbell's question.

"I'm worried about everyone." My power missed a connection to the Knowledge constellation as I saw a look of concern on Dr. Campbell's face. Quickly, I clarified my statement. "I mean, the threshold for not worrying at all is really high. I know the kind of power that gets thrown around in cape fights. Last Thursday, it was an example of how bad things can get. Even if I can handle it, that doesn't mean anyone else can."

It was a strange feeling, being sure of your own safety, but having no assurance for anyone else. Some Bakuda based superbomb or the right combination of cape powers could leave the city a smoking crater and it wouldn't affect me. That is to say, it wouldn't harm me. There was really no way I could pretend the destruction of my home and everyone I knew wouldn't have a devastating impact on me.

"Has that been a major concern for you?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know if I can say it's been a major concern. I'm worried about it, but everyone would be worried about the safety of their friends, or the public." Dr. Campbell leaned back slightly. He didn't say anything, but his reaction suggested he didn't feel concerns like that were quite so universal.

"I know I'll be alright." I said, though it sounded a little like I was trying to convince myself. "Between the powers I have and the resources and the defenses I've put in place, the things that… The problems I had before can't happen to ME again." I said firmly. "But other people have to deal with that stuff, with everything out there. I can't afford to be careless."

I slumped slightly. These were the kind of thoughts that took the wind out of my sails, even in the aftermath of powers as exciting as Mechanical Genius. Star Wars was real and I was part of it. I had a lightsaber ready to go, one I could safely wield despite a lack of Force sensitivity. Okay, I could safely wield anything right now, at least if we were only talking about personal injury, but that wasn't the point.

I had a hundred powers that I would love to show off. To swoop in and deal with everything in an instant. To throw out magic and technology like candy, just reveling in everything I could accomplish.

And it would be fantastic, for about twenty minutes. An hour tops. And then the reactions would begin. Panic from established, powerful organizations. People realizing their precogs were useless and launching desperate measures to maintain any level of control. Villains scrambling for any recourse available to them. Desperate actions that would see innocents caught in the crossfire, or just trampled underfoot.

And a flag would go up to the Simurgh. I knew I was hidden from her, but I didn't know how effective my obscurement effects were. I was guessing she was probably more vigilant about variances in her predictions than the thinker who divined the future with predictions that consisted of numbers and types of farm animals.

Honestly, if I hadn't seen that in Uppercrust's report I would have assumed anyone describing it was fucking with me, but apparently a prediction of 'forty-two white goats' had been enough to head off a dam breach and save a town. No idea how long it took them to figure out that system. Apparently it had involved a lot of trial, error, and pattern recognition, but as long as it worked?

Setting aside the idiosyncrasies of parahuman abilities, there was no option for carefree use of my power. I could take carefully planned steps in line with what my precog obscurement was conveying, like my 'response' to the Slaughterhouse Nine. Anything beyond that, anything openly proactive, wasn't going to be an hour of fun. It was going to be the vanguard of a major operation that would see the Celestial Forge become a world power. Because anything less would be a repeat of earlier mistakes, ceding the board to other players and allowing them to run rampant.

"Your level of concern and restraint is admirable." Dr. Campbell said. "While such things are encouraging, it is a difficult concept for many capes to grasp."

I smiled. "As a side effect of those memories, I understand the kind of thing I'm dealing with. The power and risks of my technology." Generally speaking, at least. Sometimes there was uncertainty, but at least I knew to account for it and not test the Magitek lasers against a ground bound target. "I know things have gotten out of hand, but that was either down to someone else's actions or a last resort in fairly desperate conditions."

"Yes, I have had the chance to read assessments of your fight with Lung." I couldn't help but tense slightly at Dr. Campbell's reference. "The specific combination of altitude and distance from the city is credited for drastic reductions in the damage from the event, compared to projected amounts."

I considered how to respond to that. I had a feeling Dr. Campbell wanted to talk about my fight with Lung. I most definitely didn't want to revisit any part of that event, not the buildup, not the incident itself, and definitely not the aftermath.

Of course, going by my usual response to therapy, the points I was committed to ignoring with all my power were usually the things that needed to be addressed. I had enough clarity of thought to recognize that. Pretending that last Thursday wasn't affecting me would be foolish, not with the amount of effort I had devoted to heading off any chance of those events repeating themselves. I might want to convince myself it was all sensible precautions, but there was probably more going on there than I wanted to admit.

"I don't want to talk about that fight." I said in a tired voice. "Which means I probably should, right?" I asked, looking at Dr. Campbell.

"Joe, I'm not here to force you to discuss anything you're not comfortable talking about." He said in a reassuring voice. "This might not be the right time to go over those events, but unless I'm badly mistaken, you came very close to death. That kind of thing can affect us in ways we aren't completely aware of, and given what you will be dealing with it could be helpful to examine the events in question."

I sank back into the plush fabric of my seat. It was a touch overdramatic, but given what I was about to dive into I think I was entitled.

"You are not mistaken." I said. "With what happened out there, I could have died."

Admitting it felt hollow. I had memories of combat, or military training, of martial philosophy. A brush with death should be a minor concern for me, but memories were different from lived experiences. From seeing the results of your mistakes and oversights come back to haunt you.

"Was that your first time, experiencing something like that?" He asked.

"The first time it was that bad." I said. "When I decided to do this, to try to be a hero…"

Considering my villainous associations and at best mercenary reputation within the Protectorate announcing my original intentions felt a bit meaningless. It was safe to say that none of this had gone the way I had hoped, but at the same time those hopes were a bit naïve at best. Especially considering the rate and scale at which my power had grown. Not exactly the kind of thing that lets you stay underground or fade into the background.

"When I got started…" I continued, moderating the phrasing slightly. "I knew I would be going into dangerous situations. I don't think I fully understood what that meant, but I don't know if anyone could without actually experiencing it for themselves. I guess I thought I would have more time. I mean, 'tinker' usually means a long period of building up resources and equipment, not taking to the streets barely a week after getting your power."

"What made you decide to go out sooner?" Dr. Campbell asked.

I took another breath. "My power is random. Even more random than I thought. I knew it would involve building things, but I had no idea how varied some of the abilities would be. The first power I got… Back then it actually took more than a week for powers to arrive." I said with a tired smile. "Anyway, the first power I got was a really strong defensive effect. Something more powerful than anything I could have hoped for. Better than anything I could make in terms of armor or force fields. It just took some basic precautions and suddenly I was bulletproof."

"And that level of personal security helped you to accelerate your timetable?" He asked.

I nodded. "That and a few other abilities. Two more powers and I was able to pull together a costume and enough supporting abilities for an entire cape career." Ah, Evermore Alchemist. That early combo platter of superpowers. It was a lot easier to take risks when you were packing healing abilities, physical enhancement powers, and enough firepower to level a city block.

"I was confident, or confident enough to try a foot patrol." I said. Dr. Campbell nodded as I continued. "I didn't expect to run into Oni Lee my first night out."

"From my research, most parahumans underestimate the challenges they're likely to encounter, particularly when operating without support." Dr. Campbell explained. "I'm sure you were confident in your abilities, but conflicts with established villains are not an uncommon occurrence."

"I realize that now. If I had been less prepared, then it probably would have gone badly. Oni Lee couldn't get through my defenses. He tried, but it didn't work." I found myself blinking, remembering the feeling of him trying to stab me in the eyes. And the way my Fashion power had held off his knives. Still, it threw me off enough for him to dogpile me and effectively bury me in explosives.

"He ended up using grenades. Lots of them. I was able to take it, but it wasn't pleasant." I continued.

"I can only imagine." Dr. Campbell said seriously.

I nodded. "I managed to turn things around. Stop him before he could use one of Bakuda's bombs, but still, it was closer than I would have wanted." I said as the Knowledge constellation missed another connection.

"How did you deal with the aftermath of an experience like that?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"Mostly I just tried harder. Focused on training and developing my power. I was also dealing with the Undersiders at that point. Despite all the problems with that, it did let me get better equipment and materials. I mean, it's practically a joke by my current standards, but back then it made all the difference in the world."

Dr. Campbell nodded slowly. "I've seen the footage from the storage yard. The type of equipment you were able to deploy in that fight."

"Some of that…" I paused. I wasn't sure I wanted to get into more of the extradimensional origins of my powers. Explaining the items that showed up from other universes, and the people who'd arrived the same way, would probably sidetrack the discussion rather dramatically. "My powers helped with some of that equipment, but a lot of it was only possible because of the deal I made. I don't like how that played out, but considering how close that ended up, I'm not sure I can complain about it. I'd like to pretend I only helped the Undersiders because of my passenger or because of thinker predictions, but before I made that deal I was pretty much working with scraps. That could have changed with enough time, but…"

"It's easy to reevaluate things with the benefit of hindsight, but that often results in a harsher assessment of our own actions. Even if you weren't fully aware of the scale of the challenges you'd be facing, the danger of a cape career cannot be overstated." Dr. Campbell explained. It wasn't an approval of my criminal contracts, but there was a level of understanding of them, and I appreciated that.

I sank back into my chair as I thought about that first fight against Bakuda. "Back then, I was actually feeling pretty well prepared. I mean, not invincible or anything, not with what Bakuda was capable of, but I figured I would be able to make a difference. I figured I'd have time to get ready, that I'd be able to stop Lung from escaping and counter Bakuda's bombs. There were only three capes in the ABB, so I figured I could handle them."

"From what I can tell, March's impact on the situation took everyone by surprise." Dr. Campbell said in a neutral voice.

"March." I growled, then took a second to steady myself. "You know, it's my fault that she came to the city?"

Dr. Campbell gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

I dropped my head. "March came to chase after Flechette, one of the Wards who was transferred to replace Gallant. She'd made a career out of fighting her back in New York and I guess she happened to be the right demographic for the ABB."

There wasn't much information on March's civilian identity, but going off build, hair, and the fact that she had been able to ingratiate herself to the ABB, some was fairly self-evident.

"I understand your concerns, but drawing a connection between the Undersiders' behavior and the arrival of a villain is a bit tenuous." Dr. Campbell replied. I just shook my head.

"No, not that. I mean, it didn't help, but that's an entirely separate issue I'm dealing with." I moved to sit up slightly in my chair. The shifting was more out of habit than comfort, since divine cybernetics kind of meant that back support was a non-issue for me. "After I heard about what happened at the bank I went to heal Panacea. It gave me a chance to talk with someone about my intentions and try to warn them about the ABB." I let out a sigh. "It didn't go well."

"I was aware that you had an interaction with Panacea, prior to her containment, but I wasn't clear on the particulars of that interaction." Dr. Campbell explained.

Meaning the transcript that Panacea had provided hadn't completely breached containment, merely being limited to every PRT and Protectorate branch that was even tangentially involved in thinker analysis. That was an old grievance, but the handling of everything following my attempt to reach out still burned. Partially due to my own behavior, but as much down to shortsighted and self-serving actions from the people who were supposed to address that kind of thing.

"That's not something I want to get into now." I said in a tired voice. Not if I didn't want to get sidetracked for the rest of the session. "The point is, when I was talking to her I explained why I didn't want to reach out to the local Protectorate. For good reason, considering how bad their security leaks were." That seemed to be news to Dr. Campbell, but I suppose that little detail hadn't been circulated either. "Offhandedly I mentioned that I might be willing to talk if it were Boston or New York."

"Ah." Said Dr. Campbell. "And you believe that was the reason why those particular Wards were transferred."

"Not the only reason." I admitted. "Both Flechette and Weld are easier to transfer than other Wards. Weld is a Case 53 with the director of the Boston PRT acting as his guardian. Flechette's been transferred between the various New York Ward teams and has done brief stints in other cities. It suggests that she was easy to move between offices."

"But you feel your statement was a major contributor to their transfer?" He asked. I nodded in response.

"I had some inside information." Though I didn't know how much I could trust Tattletale's account when she was fuming in the aftermath of my actions. "And Weld basically confirmed it when I spoke with him."

Dr. Campbell sat up suddenly. "I'm sorry, when was that? I hadn't realized you had reached out to other heroes."

"Oh, right." I said. "I guess they didn't publicize that. I pulled him out of the Bay on Sunday night."

Dr. Campbell blinked. "I'm afraid I don't know the specifics of that event."

I nodded. The particular trials of the city's heroes had been a little overshadowed as of late. If Weld had become lost during a slow news cycle it would probably have dominated headlines. Two days after a Ward was butchered on national television and immediately after a major city-wide attack that caused power outages across the entire northeast most people didn't even have time to ask what had happened. With him front and center at last Monday's news conference it was like nothing had happened.

"Weld was on the Rig when Lung broke out. He ended up getting knocked into the bay during the fighting. Weld's body is heavy enough that he can't swim. He doesn't need air, but he was down in pitch black water and couldn't find his way to land. He also has a thing where he merges with any metal he touches, so he kept getting stuck in ocean debris." I explained.

Dr. Campbell had a harrowed look on his face as he processed what I said. "Yes, I can imagine that must have been quite a traumatic experience for him, particularly as it extended for more than a day."

I nodded slowly. "I didn't find out about it until Sunday night. My thinker power helped fill in what he was going through, so I went to get him. Adapted my armor for underwater work, figured out a way to breathe underwater, built some custom gear and worked out a search pattern."

It had actually been a fairly considerable effort. Well within my abilities, but not the trivial task it would be for me now. Back when designing a new potion and building custom machinery actually had some demands in terms of time and materials.

"I'm sure he greatly appreciated that." Dr. Campbell said. "I'm sure having a non-adversarial point of contact in the hero community was a positive experience." I nodded at that. "Though I am surprised that the Protectorate decided to conceal the information."

"Ah." Right, the reason they would have been trying to cover up every detail of what happened to Weld. "That was kind of my fault."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I let out a breath. "Weld was in pretty bad shape when I found him. I offered to heal him, but when I did I was kind of able to see what was wrong. I mean, what made him a Case 53." Dr. Campbell's eyebrows shot up. "There wasn't much I could do at the time, but some of my technology is specialized in that kind of thing, so I fixed what I could."

"You… fixed a Case 53?" Dr. Campbell asked slowly.

"Not completely." I said. "Barely anything, really. He ended up with better taste, smell, and tactile senses, but still fairly muted. Also, a little better control over his shapeshifting and metal absorption."

"I see." He said in a quiet voice. "That would indeed explain why the Protectorate has attempted to keep the incident quiet."

"I know other Case 53s will be coming to the city." I admitted. Some had already arrived, and some were already here. I was pretty sure the topic was going to be broached when Fleet and Tybalt visited Faultline's Crew later in the evening. "I'm prepared for it, at least as much as I can be. I probably would have tried to do more earlier, but with the way everything was playing out, with March behind the scenes… it was too much of a risk."

Even without March, without the chance of revealing my abilities and playing into her timing power, I was still restrained. Too many forces in play holding in an unstable equilibrium. I had managed to kick major conflicts down the road, probably past the point where it would matter, but there were still the problems of the Butcher, Coil, Taylor's mission, and of course the impending visit of the Slaughterhouse Nine. All factors keeping me from acting openly, just like everything over the last week had.

"We were talking about March's impact on the situation. How you weren't expecting her when you confronted Bakuda at the storage yard?" Dr. Campbell asked, steering us back on topic. Honestly, I probably had enough issues for a week of therapy, but if we could hash this out I was willing to call that a win.

"When I rode in, I wasn't taking Bakuda lightly. I knew what she could do. I had studied examples of her past bombs and the device I managed to recover from Oni Lee. I had worked to prepare as much as I could, but I knew it was still going to be a challenge." I felt the energy leave my voice as I continued. "It wasn't easy, but I was able to manage against Bakuda. Even Uber and Leet, despite the fact that nobody could have expected them to be back in top form. It actually looked like we might be able to win the day, capture Bakuda and save everyone."

I wasn't enjoying reliving the highs and lows of that fight. I had beat myself up enough in the aftermath. Better to just skim over it.

"March swung things. I didn't know who she was back then, but she was able to play everything against us. I didn't figure out who was behind everything until it was announced at the press conference." I explained.

"How did you respond to that?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"Not well." I admitted. "The fact that it happened close to the first call with my sister didn't help. I knew how dangerous March was, but I couldn't get that across to anyone else. And after Monday night I was trying to avoid setting off a gang war, so I was mostly laying low." A grim humor settled over me. "Three days of prep for that fight. Funny, that's the joke about me, right?"

"It has become rather popular online, and with some portions of the press." Dr. Campbell admitted.

I cut off a sigh and looked up at him. "I knew that was going to be bad." I explained. "As soon as I figured out what they were doing, I knew how important it was to stop it. Until the end, until the container yard, I was actually doing pretty well. I got Bakuda's workshop, found the ABB headquarters, and rescued a lot of hostages." I took a breath. "But I hadn't caught any of their capes. Bakuda got away from her workshop. Oni Lee wasn't in the field. There was no sign of Lung. When I found out they were working from the container yard I decided it was worth the risk."

"You decided to put yourself in danger." Dr. Campbell said.

I nodded. "I was careful. I didn't go rushing in. I picked off the traps I could detect and worked from a distance." My head sank. "I just didn't know about March's teleporting trick with Oni Lee."

"I don't think it would be reasonable to expect someone to predict an event like that." Dr. Campbell said in a reassuring tone of voice. I gave him a weak nod.

"My powers aren't reasonable. Neither are my resources or abilities. It probably wasn't reasonable to expect one person to fight off a city-wide attack, but it also wasn't reasonable for a gang to pull off something like that in under a week. What March could do with her timing power wasn't reasonable, and neither was her striker power."

I absently wrapped my arms around myself. I had many powers that improved my recall and senses. With a thought I could perfectly relive every moment of that incident. My frantic use of pyrokinesis to take out just enough clones to allow me to survive, all while accepting the impact of the rest of the attacks. And then feeling the attacks come, explosions of unbelievable power that shredded through defenses that could have stood up to a nuclear strike.

And then the aftermath. Bleeding and broken. Helpless as the ABB put on a show of my defeat, right until Tetra's response. As hurt and angry as I was, but lost and confused. Drunk on divine blood and only seeing the world through patterns of energy. Lashing out at whatever looked like a prospective target.

"What happened was bad, but I can deal with it." I said firmly. Dr. Campbell gave me a skeptical look. "I can." I took a breath. "But I'm not sure about the other people involved."

He gave me a slow nod as he responded. "You're talking about your team? There have been theories that Proto Aima was… involved in that attack, and your recovery from it."

I didn't like talking about my team behind their backs, but given the context of this session and their universal support of my therapy, I think they would understand.

"She was." I said. "Nothing like that had happened to her before." Nothing like that had happened to me either, but I had the benefit of a bit more experience that she did. Prior to that, the vast majority of Tetra's existence was either spent in temporal suspension or in direct contact with me. She had trusted me, and I had led her into that.

"After the fight, there were complications. To my recovery." I explained. "Proto Aima and I were… the best way to put it would be 'immobilized'." That sounded better than 'soul anchored to a body that was being torn apart by an alien parasite'. "It was hard to find a treatment that would be able to save both of us. That took most of the night, and was a bit of a desperate shot."

There was no way I was getting into souls right now. The session was already running heavier than I wanted it to.

"You're concerned about the impact on her? And on the rest of your team?" Dr. Campbell asked.

I nodded. "I haven't really gotten into it with them, not since the treatment, but I can tell it's affected them. It's hard to tell exactly how, but Survey's been a lot more protective, like she's concerned about threats from anywhere. For the rest of them…"

The Matrix had been developing through the entire event, so it was hard to map their behavior before the incident to after it, since their complexity was constantly in flux. It was a safe bet that it hadn't been a good experience for Aisha, but she either bounced back or was avoiding the subject. Fleet was his usual self, and a stabilizing influence on Survey. And that left…

"I'm worried about Proto Aima." I admitted.

Dr. Campbell nodded. "Have you spoken with her about the incident? How it affected her?" He asked. "I admit, I'm not an expert in parahumans with conditions such as hers, but a line of communication is usually a good place to start."

"Not yet, but…" I trailed off. My power was shifting again. This time the Magic constellation was swinging towards me and I felt my power expend all its accumulated reach to secure the smallest of the remaining motes. As the mid-sized mote flew towards me two things happened. I recognized the origin of the power, and the room began to burn.

Even without recognizing the association, I would have been able to tell where the power came from. That particular way the walls flaked and rose into the air like scraps of burning paper. The uncanny sense of seeing something that was beyond normal perception. I experienced it every time I touched a manufactured object. I experienced it with the cybernetic parts of my own body, because Feel It Out was always active.

The power was called Synchronicity Event. It was a smaller power than Feel It Out but hit so much harder. Considering Feel It Out had fundamentally altered the way I perceived the world, that was really saying something. To be fair, Feel It Out may have altered my mind, but I didn't have to live through the process. Synchronicity Event was an actual event, and it was happening now.

Well, I thought it was happening now. Like so many powers it was hard to parse the differences between what was related to whatever world they came from and what portion of the abilities projected into my existence on Earth Bet. But that was an academic concern, one secondary to the fact that the walls and ceiling had burned away, revealing a windswept field of orange dust whose sole feature was a swing hanging from a single withered tree.

The sound of a little girl's laughter echoed over the landscape, then was consumed in the sound of flames. Distant screams were carried by a wind that seemed to tear through your very soul.

The landscape flickered and shuddered, like it was a living thing in the midst of convulsions. With each tremor the figure of a girl in plain red dress appeared somewhere in the scene, only to vanish just as suddenly. There was a lifelessness to her, like some vital energy was missing, no matter what position she took. Sitting on the grass, playing on the swing, or just standing like a statue in the gloom. Her pale face was nearly hidden by long black hair that hung limply over her burning eyes, and in every iteration she was staring at us with an intensity that you could feel.

Because it wasn't just a physical thing. Synchronicity Event was about coming into contact with something, and that something was the girl in question. A manifest force of psionic energy the likes of which I had never felt before. Had never even theorized about. True, my studies of psionics were limited, mostly restricted to what I could modify with the Arcane Craft or glean from ADVENT technologies, but this was another level. The scene around us wasn't just a result of telepathic contact, it was a psionic manifestation. The formation of new reality out of emotions and memories, and whoever this girl was, the nature of what she had to work with was clear.

She barely even existed as a person anymore. Just a psionic entity of pain and rage. The landscape took on more disturbing aspects. Images of monstrous cruelty flickered in and out of existence as the barren fields took on the form of surgical theaters, military facilities, or burnt ruins, but only for the blink of an eye. No image maintained itself long enough to create more than a passing impression, but together they created a kind of tapestry. The girl was weaving the story of a life of pain, anger, and isolation.

That final point was the one that stood out. It was something I was familiar with, though nowhere as strongly as this. There was a burning need for connection, and that was what was driving the Synchronicity Event. The girl was a psionic entity and I was the strongest psionic mind available. Possibly the only psionic mind available, considering the only alternative would be Survey's emulated Psi Operative conditioning.

Focusing on the display on a level beyond the physical I could sense the ebb and flow of energy that drove the event. Despite my experience with Feel It Out and Whispered I was a neophyte when it came to psionics, but this wasn't complicated. That didn't mean it was easy, but some of the simplest things in the world are the most difficult. The only way out of this situation was through, and with that thought I opened myself up to the entity.

To Alma. I could see that now. The rage and pain of the girl who had endured unspeakable torments and was lashing out with every weapon at her disposal. Who crashed into my mind with the force of a hurricane, venting the anger of years of inhuman treatment through unnatural forces beyond comprehension. She assailed my mind with nightmares and eldritch powers, and I withstood.

There was a sense of shock at that. Whatever she had expected from the link, it wasn't a stalwart appraisal of her actions. If this was an echo or repeat of some event that had happened to another version of myself I could only imagine how that would have gone, but this wasn't my first rodeo by any means. I might be a novice when it came to psionics, but what I had mastered was mastered to an implacable level. To that end, Alma ran straight into the unyielding force that was Mental Fortress.

Mental Fortress wasn't a power I had been handed; it was a state of existence I had earned. That was really the only way something like that could exist. Mental Fortress was a sense of self and individuality that stood against any invasive influence. It would have been impossible for some outside force to tell you who you were, but once you had discovered it, you could hold against anything. Even against a force as powerful as Alma.

She raged within my mind. A literal inhuman rage, born of impossible powers and unfathomable experiences, but I held fast. She flooded my mind with images of her own memories and nightmares, the two seeming to have blended together for her long ago. I endured the barrage of sensations so real that I could have lived them myself. Near limitless amounts of psionic energy were channeled into physical effects, all of which failed against my durability. Initial prods of force made in an attempt to evoke a reaction scaling to the very limits of her power. Telekinesis that could have ripped apart a building, manifestation of new aspects and properties of reality, and pyrokinesis that could vaporize steel all failed to even create a phantom of discomfort.

The images being shared became more coherent. Specific crimes and specific grievances. Procedures she had endured, betrayals beyond measure, and pain and isolation beyond description. Maybe it would have shocked me if I had endured it at an earlier point, but I had spent the better part of a year reviewing every act of the Slaughterhouse Nine in minute detail. I had seen medical horrors beyond description and was familiar with the aftermath. I was disturbed by what had been done to Alma, but I wasn't surprised, not anymore. Whatever reaction she was expecting to mainlining the horrors of her life directly into my brain probably wasn't a resigned shrug and feeling of "Yeah, I get it.".

I withstood it all and looked past the displays of violence. Beneath all the pain and rage and horror was a girl desperate for connection, desperate for help. An incredibly dangerous girl, but only in a world where she was able to act. In whatever universe this had originated from she would have been a terror. A force of vengeance and wrath, striking from the dark and seeking out those who wronged her with no regard for the innocents caught in her rampage.

Here, she was a shadow. A displaced entity, lost and alone, unable to even touch a world lacking the psychic landscape she had become accustomed to. She had been drawn to me like a beacon, because there was nowhere else for her to go. No point of contact to navigate by. The Synchronicity Event had opened my mind to the scale of the psionic realms, but it had also shown me how desolate they were in this universe.

And I watched as the manifestation began to fade. Alma had made her connection, but not the impression she had sought. Her overwhelming presence had been endured, leaving her at something of a loss. And that was the note on which she departed. Loss, pain, and sadness, fading into the void.

The flickering landscape stabilized, then began to fade. Orange dust rolled in from the murky horizon, sweeping up fields and tree and swing, leaving nothing but an opaque mass that filled the air as it rolled over us. And then reality seemed to settle. The walls of the office were back, the occasional burning mote reversing itself as the contents of the room condensed into existence. All that was left of the event was an unsettling emotional presence, a psionic residue of Alma's manifestation, and even that was quickly washed away by the soothing tones of the white noise machine.

If you ever needed evidence of the level of bullshit contained within Simple Scientific Solution, that would be your prime example. Calming white noise, sufficient to block all levels of eavesdropping and clear psionic residue from an environment. Particularly noteworthy since when I built the device I didn't even know that psionic residue was something to be concerned about.

With reality back in order I looked across the room at a very anxious Dr. Campbell. Slowly, he released his white knuckled grip on the arms of his chair and looked around his office. With everything following the laws of physics once again and the calm tones of the white noise machine dispelling the mental aftereffects of the manifestation he allowed himself a few calming breaths before turning to me.

"What… What was that?" His voice was as steady as he could make it, but I could tell the effort he was putting into maintaining his composure.

"That was Alma." I said.

"Alma?" He asked, his concern not abating.

"A manifestation of a psychic girl from another universe." I paused as I considered the experience in retrospect. Something I had suspected from the images that played out the tone of the anger, and the nature of the presence itself. It was difficult to confirm, but I had the blessing of Hades. That was enough to be sure. "and she was dead."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Campbell asked, his eyes widening.

I nodded slowly as I reviewed the details of the encounter. "That was an independent psionic impression. Mind separate from a physical body, which isn't alive anymore."

"You're sure of that?" Dr. Campbell said. "Not to question you on your assessments, it's just…" He trailed off.

I nodded again. "I get a level of information and understanding regarding my powers. Some of them have a level of uncertainty, but that's usually limited to the origin and nature of the abilities, not their function. Between what I know from that power and the context from my other abilities, I'm sure."

Dr. Campbell gave a half nod, then slumped back into his seat. I could feel the effort he was devoting to keeping his composure and it was harrowing, particularly knowing it was for my sake.

"Dr. Campbell, I'm sorry you had to go through that." I said. "Most powers aren't that dramatic, and even then they tend to be limited to me. It's not the kind of thing I want to pull anyone else into."

Dr. Campbell raised his head and gave me a tired smile. "Joe, given what you're dealing with, I'm grateful you didn't need to contend with that alone." He straightened himself in his seat, seeming to fall back into therapist posture, possibly for a sense of stability. "I have to say, I'm impressed with how well you are handling yourself."

I shrugged slightly as the Vehicles constellation missed a connection. "I've dealt with a lot of stuff since I got my powers. Early on something like this would probably have hit me really hard. Now, I guess I'm used to it."

"You've had psychic contact with entities from another universe before?" He asked somewhat dryly.

"Well, not since lunchtime." I replied.

Whatever Dr. Campbell was about to say faltered in the face of my reply. "Ah." He eventually managed. "And was that as… dramatic an experience as this?"

I shook my head. "No. That just connected my mind to an atemporal energy field that provided information on technology from the future, but it was also based around someone who was trapped in a psionic state." I paused and focused on my connection to the Tau wave. I could feel the presence within it, and at least a superficial similarity to Alma.

Mentally linked to two disembodied psionic girls in the same day. I don't know what's the bigger coincidence, the fact that both powers showed up so close to each other, or the fact that apparently two different universes had programs that ended up trapping psychic girls in a state of displaced consciousness that could only be contacted by telepathically sensitive individuals.

Originally it had taken a masterfully crafted Omni-Sphere to even confirm the presence of an intelligence within the Tau wave. Now I could do it with a thought, because the Synchronicity Event wasn't just a chance for Alma to pop up and try to scare me. It was a connection, and awakening to higher levels of psionic ability. It directly enhanced not just Feel It Out, but all of my psionic abilities, even the ones that had been so minor they had barely registered.

Of course, the increase was most noticeable on Feel It Out. That was a direct psionic power, one linked to Synchronicity Event and specifically enhanced by it. The rate at which I could understand an item was massively accelerated. The slow deconstruction was now blazing fast as items, even mechanical portions of my own body, pulled themselves apart under my mind's eye. The process of determining means of improvement used to be long and laborious, requiring dedication and concentration. Now it was practically automatic. The path to improvement of my best work had been shortened from an assurance that it would eventually happen to something I would actually need to stay ahead of.

The process also strengthened my psionic defenses against any traps or dangers that came from extending my awareness into an item. Not something of particular concern, given the near complete lack of Psionics on Earth Bet, but something that was appreciated anyway. The resistance to psionic traps hidden in items was relevant with the other half of the power, the ability to attune objects in order to channel my psionic powers through them, allowing them to act as a focus for my abilities or to create the kind of traps I could now defend against.

That was the most direct improvement, but every psionic ability I possessed saw a marked improvement. Feel It Out had allowed psionic abilities to improve through practice and training, but after my Synchronicity Event the rate at which strength and control could grow was massively accelerated. Furthermore, I had gotten a rather aggressive crash course in the range of what could be achieved with psionics.

I had already been aware of the basics through my admittedly amateurish attempts at training. Blind stabs at what it seemed like should be possible based on a basic understanding of the effects in play and a rough idea of what kind of thing was associated with psychic power. Now I had a complete picture, a full understanding of how the fabric of reality could be read or rewritten, literally in some cases.

Telepathy and Telekinesis were possible, though at far greater levels than my feeble attempts. Then there was Pyrokinesis, something well displayed and favored by Alma, and something my Unnatural Skill made me particularly apt with. There was also Possession, either through a remote projection or by shifting yourself beyond the physical world in order to take control of the body of another. That went hand in hand with Teleportation, something I had no shortage of experience with, but never through a psionic medium. It was a form of the art that lacked any of the limits my various methods were restricted by.

And then there was the cumulation of it all. The highest level of psionic power, and Alma's specialty, Manifestation. The ability to form creatures, environments, or entire worlds out of psionic energy. To alter the fabric of reality through the force of your mind. It was one step shy of omnipotence, and it had been wielded with indiscriminate brutality by Alma, a little girl in mind, if not in age or experience.

"Dr. Campbell, how much of that did you see?" I asked. A large portion of the exchange had been telepathic, but Alma's excessive use of Manifestation had taken things to another level. "I mean, what exactly did you experience when it happened?"

He took a moment to collect himself before answering. "I saw the room change. And the appearance of that girl. I had the sense there was more happening, based on your reactions, but I wasn't sure what… She wasn't focused on me. I don't think she noticed me at all."

I nodded. "Your tie clip would have kept her from involving you."

He lifted his hand to the divine mystic code and ran his thumb across its surface. "I suspected, but I wasn't sure. I'm not certain of how this actually works. Before now the closest thing I'd seen that might have been its… effect was being waved through a police checkpoint when driving home the other night."

"That might not have been the work of the clip, but it's the kind of thing it would do." I leaned back, replaying the sequence of the Synchronicity Event. "This whole display was probably worse because of that." Dr. Campbell raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it would have been quite so pronounced if I had gotten this power in public. Probably more mental and less reality warping." I glanced over to the white noise machine. "That would also have contributed. The same effect that contained it allowed greater freedom within the space."

"I believe I understand." Dr. Campbell said. "It is something of a relief to know you aren't at risk of such displays while out in the city."

I shook my head. "No, the worst I've had to deal with is the occasional cybernetic component appearing. Or that one time I was dragged off to a temporal paradox realm to talk with someone who had given a version of me powers in another dimension." A distant expression was developing on Dr. Campbell's face and I decided it might be a good idea to try to ground things, as much as I could. The previous policy of not mentioning the more outlandish aspects of my power would probably be a good plan, at least to the extent to which I could follow it.

There were still other aspects of the Synchronicity Event that I needed to deal with. The same enhancement and growth of psionic abilities applied across the board, so to speak. Even abilities that were barely present were massively enhanced and poised to grow stronger. As a particularly relevant example, every living creature in Star Wars was connected to the Force. If you were subjected to an effect that massively increased your psionic abilities you would see the strength of that connection increase.

Thanks to Synchronicity Event I was now Force sensitive. Not at the level of a Jedi, but like all my other 'psionic' abilities it was something that would grow more powerful. With enough effort I could develop my Force abilities to the level of the most powerful Jedi. And I knew exactly what that entailed, since I had specialized in countering it.

The sudden vertigo of 'Star Wars is real but you can't be a Jedi' to 'Okay, you can be a Jedi, but psychic ghosts are involved' was a challenge to come to terms with, and it wasn't helped by the rather broad range of other abilities that had seen similar enhancements.

Psionics were something strongly associated with my Laboratorium and its related powers. My Adeptus Mechanicus knowledge familiarized me with the grades of psykers and my Armorer, Weaponsmith, and Fixer knowledge covered a wide range of equipment meant to either be used by psykers or to help regulate their abilities. It was something I had never been concerned with since my own psionic potential rated somewhere between Pi and Rho, or the level you'd see from a baseline human with just enough mental presence to actually count as human. Lower than that and you started running into negatives, which wasn't something I fully understood within the bounds of my limited training, but I knew it was both complicated and not good.

The thing was, I wasn't Pi or Rho level anymore. If I had to guess I'd say I was somewhere between Kappa and Lambda. That was just shy of the threshold for 'true psykers' who became sanctioned and formally trained in a psychic discipline. That level was usually associated with subconscious power use, simple divinations of fortuitous circumstances that could be brought about by subtle use of power.

Like with all other forms of psionics, it could be trained and developed to a higher level, but I wasn't sure about that. Even with my limited knowledge, it seemed like there were some impressive things that could be accomplished though that kind of power, to say nothing of the appeal of Force Weapons, especially when coupled with the expanded use of Feel It Out. Still, given the amount of equipment that seemed to be devoted to keeping a Psyker's head from exploding, reckless development might not be the best idea. I could tank that kind of energy, but it was the kind of thing that seemed like it would have spillover effects.

The Time constellation passed by as I considered the other powers that had been impacted. My first psionic ability, the Entanglement Psych Pin, was massively enhanced in both scope and power. Generation of the psychokinetic chain took less effort and focus and recovered more quickly. The manifestation was stronger, even without taking into account the fact that it was a 'creation' for the purposes of my power, and the defense reduction it imposed was far from the temporary affliction it used to be.

Another advancement was something that Survey had theorized, but not one that had been put to the test. To be fair, with everything that had been happening I wasn't that keen on testing random theories based on plot points from Japanese cartoons, particularly if they required access to space in order to verify. Mobile Suit Gundam had posited the idea that humanity could advance to a new state of existence through a combination of being freed from the Earth's gravity and, presumably, extensive exposure to Minovsky particles.

I had no shortage of exposure to Minovsky particles, but I wasn't exactly 'freed from the Earth's gravity'. Even if I had been, it wasn't the kind of development that happened in hours or days. Not unless you had your psionic potential in all areas massively enhanced.

I was fairly certain I counted as at least a low-grade Newtype. From a practical perspective that meant a natural sense for maneuvering in space and the ability to connect with other Newtype minds. As the only Newtype mind that would normally be a problem, but like with Whispered, I had the ability to take advantage of it with my duplicates. There were higher level feats attributed to Newtypes, but they largely required supporting technology or were based on inconsistent depictions spread over multiple series of Japanese cartoons.

Beyond that there were more scattered benefits. The way my brainwaves interfaced with the Bright Spear provided by The Divine Machines had at least some similarities with psionic abilities. Training and advancing ADVENT-based Psi Operative abilities would be child's play, and even some of the applications of fold quartz fell under the umbrella of Synchronicity Event.

It was a lot to process, and something I would have time for later. Or trust it to my duplicates. For now, I turned back to Dr. Campbell who seemed to have recovered from my admission of suffering from involuntary cybernetic implantation and interdimensional travel.

"I see." He said in a measured tone. "I hadn't realized that your experiences with your power were so… diverse."

I gave him a weary nod. "It's not the kind of thing I feel like I can complain about. I know how strong the abilities I've received are, what I can accomplish with them. Compared to that, the occasional problem or adjustment period seems trivial."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with acknowledging that you are struggling with the nature of your power." Dr. Campbell said. "It's commendable to maintain a positive outlook, but that doesn't dismiss the challenges you face when events like this occur."

"I guess." I said with a slight smile. "Sometimes you find out Star Wars is real and sometimes you have to deal with the psychic ghost girl from another universe."

The mention of Alma caused Dr. Campbell to stiffen slightly. "Is that something we should be concerned about?" He asked as he shifted nervously. "I understand she has departed?" I nodded and there was a flicker of relief in his expression. "But the presence of a parahuman like that, released into the world, seems to be a matter of some consequence."

Alma wasn't actually a parahuman, but I doubted getting into the distinction between psionics and parahuman abilities would be a helpful diversion at this point.

"It shouldn't be." I assured him. "Um, it's a bit complicated, but Alma's abilities don't work like other parahumans."

"Yes, when you mentioned she was 'dead' I assumed you were talking about cases like the Butcher or Glaistig Uaine?" He asked.

"A bit like that." I said neutrally. Honestly, if that was the case this would be infinitely simpler. It really didn't help that my power had about a dozen things it considered to be a 'soul', while insisting on equating all of them. If anything, the state of psionic manifestation that Alma was persisting in was closer to the bioelectric pattern transfers used for the technological reincarnation of the 'The Divine Machines' than any of the more theological definitions of a spiritual existence.

"Alma exists in a very specific metaphysical realm. It's a psionic landscape that can be navigated through points that resonate with her power. A sort of telesthetic frequency. Without a link like that she won't be able to find anything, much less have the energy to manifest. She needs people with similar abilities or areas that have been affected by her power." There was a spike of concern from Dr. Campbell that I moved to head off. "That won't happen here. The privacy field cleared any psionic residue, so you will be fine."

"Thank you, that is a relief." He took a moment to look at the clock-radio sized device sitting on a side table. With its calming background noise it tended to fade from notice, but Dr. Campbell was regarding it like a vital lifeline. After a moment he turned back to me. "I am not perfectly clear on the technicalities, but you would count as a source of similar energy, correct? She would be able to locate you?"

"She will. It's something I'll have to deal with." I admitted.

Because I, or my power, was responsible for the fact that Alma now existed within this universe. That brought its own host of issues. For something like the Tau Wave, my power was the reason it was manifested and accessible, but I was pretty sure that whoever was trapped within it was largely harmless. Alma was not. She might be powerless, or at least severely diminished, but she was a manifestation of pure rage, the kind of mind that persisted after death. The kind of person who could just refuse to die.

There was a girl or, based on the amount of terrible life experiences I'd seen, a woman with the mind of a girl, out there stewing in psionic rage while lost in a mental void all because my power had elected that she was required for a Synchronicity Event to occur. Someone who had already lived a life of suffering and died a horrible death, but found no rest or relief. That was what I had to deal with.

Honestly, it was frighteningly lucky that I had received Dionysus's blessing. Prior to that my ability to interface with spirits and the dead was more than a little limited. As it stood I had the capacity to see this through, but not any real plan for how to approach it.

"That is a commendable attitude, but are you sure it's something you should be taking on at this point?" Dr. Campbell asked. "I only mean, with the commitments you've already devoted yourself to and the scale of the tasks you were describing, I just want to be sure this is something you will be able to handle."

"It doesn't matter." I said. "Alma, the only reason she's here, in any form, is due to my power. Because of that I have a responsibility to her."

"I understand the sentiment, but given the frequency with which you mentioned this occurring, I'm concerned that you might find yourself overwhelmed." I gave him a confused look. "I just mean, if you take this level of accountability for every instance of your power…"

"Proto Aima is an alien." I interjected.

Dr. Campbell blinked, then widened his eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"She's an alien from another universe." I explained. "My power is the reason she's here. When she arrived, she couldn't talk or interact with the world. Even when I was able to communicate with her I had to use intermediaries. Mostly with Survey's assistance. It wasn't until after Thursday night that she could act completely independently."

"I see…" He said slowly. "But, alien?"

I shrugged as my power failed to connect to a mote from the Size constellation. "Star Wars is real. It's not the only universe that has alien life. I don't know much about where Proto Aima came from, but I know she's an alien. Absolutely no connection to anything that evolved on Earth."

That wasn't entirely true. I actually knew a great deal about that universe, particularly in relation to the life cycle of Life Fibers. The extraordinarily destructive life cycle. I also knew the kind of impact Life Fibers could have on evolving life forms. It was a safe bet that after millions of years of co-evolution that world would be a touch excessive, at least if my own exposure was anything to go by.

That exposure also meant that my second statement wasn't exactly true. Tetra did have a connection to something that evolved on earth. Namely, she had a connection to me, just as I had a connection to her. The imperfect chimeric fission went both ways. She was part human just as I was part Life Fiber. The consequences of that were a driving factor in her commitment to become a Kamui, and my own reluctance on the matter.

"Yes." Dr. Campbell said. "That does put some of your earlier concerns in a new light. Not that an alien life form would be easier to deal with that a parahuman with a significant physical abnormality."

"I understand parahumans." I said. I had, from the start, and was gaining more information as the exploration of passenger space continued. "Even if they're dealing with considerable difficulties, they're still human. The same is true for Alma. Despite everything, she's coming from a common point of the human experience. With Proto Aima, I'm doing the best I can, but at the end of the day she's not human. She never was human and she doesn't want to be human."

I felt the weight of emotion in my voice as we finally circled back to the point we'd been discussing before Alma decided to crash my therapy session.

"I understand. We haven't had an opportunity to discuss your team, and I understand their arrival took many people off guard. If you don't mind me asking, are many of them… facilitated by your power?" Dr. Campbell asked.

It wasn't an easy question to answer. Tetra, Garment, and Tybalt had arrived directly from another universe, though Tybalt's path was far from direct. Fleet, Survey, and the Matrix were products of this reality, but owed their existence to the skills, knowledge, and abilities of at least a dozen worlds. Then you had Aisha who just snuck into my workshop and made a general nuisance of herself until we started looking after her, basically the 'stray cat' strategy of recruitment.

"Some of them are." That was about as much as I was comfortable sharing. Even that detail about Tetra felt a step too far, but the context was vital for understanding the situation.

Dr. Campbell nodded as he regarded the situation. "Joe, I apologize if I came across as dismissive regarding your situation." He said. "I was under the impression that you were taking on a new commitment, not that you had been managing such matters for some time now."

I cracked a smile. "I get it. I need to make sure Alma doesn't hurt anyone, and if at all possible finds some peace. I'm not exactly expecting her to start joining in movie night." And God only knows the kind of selections she'd make if her turn came up.

"You have movie nights?" Dr. Campbell asked with a tone of levity that had been absent from the conversation for some time.

I shrugged. "It seemed like a good way to get to know each other, and build common points for the team. Even if someone wants to watch depressing Swedish period pieces."

Dr. Campbell gave a jovial nod, then turned more serious. "I remember you talking about your own experiences with picking movies. Getting overruled by the rest of your family?"

I let out a breath. "Yeah. Those weren't great experiences."

My tastes in media were very different from what you'd seen from a pair of teenage girls. That should have been expected and understandable, but somehow it always came across as demeaning. Like the fact that I'd rather watch an action or science fiction movie than some Jane Austen adaptation was a mark against me. Everything I picked, on the occasions it was my choice, the family would suffer through, while any objections I had to anyone else's choices were evidence of petulance or immaturity.

I looked up at Dr. Campbell as a thought occurred to me. "It's not like I'm trying to replace or recreate anything. I really just thought it would be a good thing for us to do together."

Dr. Campbell made a placating gesture. "That's fine. Even if you were trying to recontextualize your earlier experiences there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. This seems like a healthy group activity that you can enjoy together."

I nodded. "Well, maybe not universally enjoy, but nobody holds movie choices against someone." Even Aisha's complaints were typically directed at the content of the movie rather than the person who picked it. Any problems she had with The Seventh Seal were directed at the movie itself, not at Survey for suggesting it.

The crash course in conversational Swedish was a little more contentious, but my duplicates were at least equally at fault for that.

Dr. Campbell leaned forward slightly in his chair. "Given both the nature and circumstance of how your team formed, it does provide some insight to the dynamics between the group, and unique challenges you must be facing."

I shook my head. "I'm just trying to make sure everyone is alright. It's nothing special."

"Joe, I understand your personal experiences are considerably more diverse than the average person's at this point, but I can most certainly assure you, an encounter with a psychic dead parahuman from another universe unequivocally counts as something special. I commend your for you dedication, but downplaying the scope and scale of what you are dealing with will do no one any favors."

I let out a breath. "Believe me, I understand the scale of what I'm dealing with." I said. I had a caged star in my workshop. You didn't get much more over the top than that.

"I know you understand the scale of your technical issues, but group and social dynamics provide their own challenges, ones that cannot be circumvented through the simple expenditure of resources." Dr. Campbell explained.

I sank back in my chair and gave a tired nod. "I know." I said. "I never pretended dealing with a team was easy. Hell, I never anticipated that I'd have my own team."

"A sentiment shared by a large portion of the country, prior to Sunday night." Dr. Campbell said with a twinkle in his eye. It was enough to elicit a short laugh from me.

"Yeah, that…" I considered that night and felt the energy drain from me. "That was a lot. More than I want to get into now."

"I understand." Dr. Campbell said, sitting up. "Returning to the previous matter, given Proto Aima's unique condition and the impact of your shared injury, you have some concerns about the direction she wishes to take?"

"If I'm being honest? Yeah. I mean, I've been dragging my feet on this, but I don't know if it's for legitimate reasons or because I've just had a hard time dealing with the situation." I explained.

"Legitimate reasons?" Dr Campbell asked.

"My power gets stronger with time, and the growth has been getting faster." Not exactly a secret for anyone who had even casually observed Apeiron. "Stronger power means better results for what she's asking, so it made sense to put it off as long as possible, but she pointed out that we had no idea when or if things would taper off for me. I realized I'd been delaying things and set a firm date, regardless of what powers I had."

"I understand this is likely a personal matter, but is there any portion of the situation you feel comfortable sharing?" Dr. Campbell asked.

Personal. In a way that was right, but in another way it seemed technical. Something that could be regarded the same way as any other crafting project, only it wasn't. Because this was Tetra. Just like the creation of bodies for Fleet, Survey, and the Matrix hadn't been 'just another project'. It wasn't even a matter of making sure I did my best work. It came down to making sure it was right for her, for what she needed, and that all came back to what she was.

"Proto Aima is a parasite." I explained. It was a harsh word, but you couldn't honestly describe Life Fibers as symbiotic. "A core part of her existence is based on her connection to another life form. It's the kind of thing that can be exceptionally dangerous, but with my healing technology and the changes in my biology from my power I was able to handle it."

Dr. Campbell nodded slowly. "That is something of a unique circumstance."

"I'm well aware." I said. "Until Thursday night we were able to keep things in balance. After March's attack… well, there was nothing balanced about what came after that." I let out a brief sigh. "Proto Aima can cause a biological enhancement effect." Like so many other topics, I wasn't ready to get into Life Fiber energy today. "That was what let me get through my fight with Lung, but it was hard to control. I didn't make the best decisions during that fight, which is how we ended up with…" I trailed off. Really I'd only need to gesture towards the window or the general state of the city to convey the mess that had resulted.

"The recovery was difficult for her?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"She was killing me." I said flatly. There was really no other way to put it, and if I was going to honestly discuss the situation I needed to be honest about it. "She didn't mean to, but… parasite." Dr. Campbell gave an awkward nod. Once again, we were off the standard therapy map, but I couldn't help but feel that he somewhat expected to enter strange lands during our session. Though perhaps not quite this strange.

"My team found a way to save both of us." Not getting into alchemy or souls right now. Frankly there was enough on our plate. "But there were side effects. She was more independent, but we couldn't work together the way we used to. There's a way to address that, but it was drastic. A major, permanent change for her."

"And you were reluctant to go forward with it?" Dr. Campbell asked.

"It… It's the kind of thing that would have been a massive tactical advantage, if I had it before I fought Lung. Now, with everything I can build, everything I can do, and everyone in my team, it's still significant, but I'm not sure it's necessary." I said. "But this isn't about what's necessary. It's about what's best for Proto Aima."

"That's a very mature attitude." Dr. Campbell said.

"It doesn't seem like it should be." I replied. "Proto Aima is a person, but she's not human. Even after what we went through on Thursday, I know I can't understand exactly how she experiences things. Connections are extremely important to her. I might not have recognized how important they were."

"But you do now?" He asked.

"Maybe." I said. It wasn't like I had gotten a set of Life Fiber instincts or psychological insights thanks to my partial splicing with Tetra. I was just doing my best to see things from her perspective, or at least acknowledge her perspective even if I couldn't fully grasp it.

"I was worried this was because of the injury." I continued. "Because of the fight and recovery and all of that. It might be true, but I think it's more the physical consequences. The fact that she can't connect the way she used to, rather than the experience she went through."

"That may well be the case." Dr. Campbell said. "I would still encourage you to discuss the matter before you move forward. I understand this kind of subject can be uncomfortable, but leaving it unaddressed, particularly in the face of what seems to be a major life decision, would be inadvisable."

I nodded. "I'll make sure to do that." I doubted that it would have any impact on Tetra's decision, but I wasn't trying to change her mind on the subject. I wasn't going to be so arrogant as to believe that a decision in line with a core aspect of her biology was based on her experience on Thursday night, but that didn't change the reality of what we had gone through, or the fact that we had steadfastly worked to ignore it in the aftermath.

"I'm quite impressed with how well you are handling this." Dr. Campbell said. "Not just the more… pronounced aspects of your new career, but the interpersonal and social aspects."

I smiled at that. "Well, I had the chance to see how things turn out in this business if you decide to ignore them. It was a hell of a lesson."

"I can imagine." He replied.

"Yeah. Outside of that, so much has changed that it's honestly hard to keep track of everything." I paused as I felt the Forge shift again as it secured a small mote from the Capstone constellation. And, as seemed to be so often the case with the Forge, it was the small powers that upset everything.

"And I'm a monster now." I said frankly.

Dr. Campbell blinked in surprise. "Joe, I understand you have endured some considerable changes over the last few weeks, but…"

"No." I said. "Not 'monster' in the pejorative sense. Literally. I'm a monster, in the classical sense."

"Classical?" Dr. Campbell asked in clear confusion.

"Terato." I said, then repeated myself with modern Greek pronunciation rather than ancient phonetics. "I mean terato. It's usually translated as monstrous, but the better definition would probably be 'unnatural'. Something outside the natural order. Against the Gods."

Dr. Campbell nodded cautiously. "I assume this is related to a new power."

"Yes." I lifted a hand. The illusion effect of the Mist was perfect, concealing even the changes in size and mass, but I could recognize the change that had been brought about by Monstrous Strength.

The power granted me an inhuman form, but one that would be concealed unless unleashed in an obvious way. The concealing force was known as the Mist or Duat or Glamor. A force that separated the mortal and supernatural from each other. It was something intrinsic to divinity, but something I'd had no experience with until this moment.

Monstrous Strength drew from the same source as my blessings and demigod powers. The Mist was an intrinsic aspect of that world, one I could recognize now despite never encountering it before. It was essentially a flexible layer of reality. An illusion so strong that it can border on reality, either concealing obvious physical aspects of creation, or manifesting them wholesale.

That was what concealed my new form. In one perspective I was the same person I'd been a minute ago. Which is to say, I was a divinely blessed Life Fiber hybrid with theotech cybernetics concealed under layers of illusions and inactive mantra manifestations. In the other perspective I was a Gigas, a descendant of the Greek giants that were born by Gaia to oppose the gods. Immensely powerful, with the legs of dragons and the bodies of gargantuan men.

I didn't quite live up to that scale, 'only' reaching about nine feet tall. My monstrous features, everything from my height to my draconic legs, were concealed by an illusion that would hold as long as my actions could somehow be explained by normal events. An illusion I could cast aside or reform as needed.

Given everything that had happened in the session so far, I wasn't keen to break out an inhuman form just for the sake of it. This was probably something that was better to talk out and come back to later, when things were less hectic.

It was a nice thought, as if things would actually calm down in the near future. Still, hope swells eternal.

"It's similar to what happened when I was fighting Lung." I explained. "Though I'd rather not transform at the moment."

It wouldn't really be a transformation, so to speak, more of a reveal of what was already there.

"Yes, I think that would be for the best." Dr. Campbell said. "But you did specifically refer to this as 'monstrous'?"

I nodded. "Monstrous as in beyond human limits. It's an ability that can enhance both my physical abilities and certain skills in proportion to the degree of transformation." I explained. "Not anything dangerous, and actually something that will help with my upcoming work."

Dr. Campbell nodded as I explained a very simplified version of what Monstrous Strength was capable of. In reality it didn't enhance in proportion to transformation, it enhanced based on how unnatural my current form was. It also applied that boost to all of my 'monstrous' powers, meaning my Unnatural Skills.

Just the physical enhancement was significant enough. The power may have been called Monstrous Strength, but it enhanced all of my physical abilities. Strength, speed, reflexes, endurance, toughness, and any other physical aspect. It also applied a proportional enhancement to my Unnatural Skills, meaning smithing, alchemy, enchanting, transmutation, runes, music, and firecraft could all be massively enhanced.

The effect of my base monstrous form was enough to more than double the effect of each of my Unnatural Skill powers, and anything that took me further from a natural form compounded the enhancement. The manifestation of my familiar, my zoanthrope form, my divine cybernetics when fully manifested, and even my Avid Glove, counting as a most decidedly unnatural part of my own body.

The power was a significant and near global enhancement to my abilities. Everything that had benefited from Unnatural Skill was taken to a new level, one that could be pushed further and further, proportional to anything that brought me further from a natural state.

"I'm glad that this power was a less disruptive experience for you." Dr. Campbell said. Honestly, I didn't know how I would rate the power that turned me into a giant half dragon against the one that summoned a psychic ghost from another world, but the sheer potential of Monstrous Strength was enough to carry me through.

The sudden physical alteration was drastic, no question. If I had been forced to confront it directly I'm not sure how well I would have handled things. The addition of the Mist as a soft layer of malleable reality definitely dulled the blow. In a way it was worse than Beast Change. This wasn't something that was triggered or regressed, it was a new inherent state that was alternately concealed or revealed.

But the way in which it was concealed was what was important. The Mist as a concept was fascinating. Something brimming with nearly as much potential as the enhancements possible from Monstrous Strength. An entirely new magical effect ready to be studied and utilized in countless ways.

But that didn't change what had happened to me. Under the weight of the illusion, I flexed my legs. I felt scales shifting where there had been skin. Joints and claws where there had been human feet. I wasn't a stranger to sudden shifts. It wasn't conventional flesh that had been replaced, but hybridized theotech cybernetics. One shift on top of another, but still, it felt unnatural.

And that was the point. There was power in standing apart from the natural flow of the world. Of being the other, the monster, the thing that existed beyond the realm of man and God. The power, the potential power, was nearly intoxicating. It was the kind of thing that explained the attitudes of the more monstrous creatures in Greek myth.

But not something I needed to worry about. I had a sense of self that would not be lost to something as minor as this. I had withstood the full force of Alma. I would not be broken by a petty mythological transformation power.

"It's something I'll be able to work with." I said. "Um, on that note, the time…"

"I'd be happy to extend our session if needed." Dr. Campbell said politely.

"I appreciate that." And I did, but I could tell how much the hour had worn on him. He was putting up an excellent front, but my senses had only gotten more expansive over the course of our session. I was deeply grateful for his effort, but I didn't want to push things beyond that. "Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything else I can get into that won't turn into something of a rabbit hole."

He nodded. "In that case, would you like to set up another appointment? I'd be happy to keep our usual session on Saturday, but with the rate things are progressing, something earlier might be helpful?"

"That's probably a good idea." I admitted.

"Does Thursday work for you?" He asked. "The same time?"

Provided the Slaughterhouse Nine wasn't attacking, that should be fine. "That sounds good." I said, rising to my feet. "And thank you for this. All of this. I know it can't be easy."

"Therapy is rarely easy, for anyone involved. All I can hope for is that it makes a difference." He said in response.

"No worries there." I said. "It definitely did."

Jumpchain abilities this chapter:

Mechanical Genius (Star Wars – Clone Wars) 600:

You're the leading expert at designing droids and starships. Given the right resources you could create fully autonomous starfighters with built in hyperdrives, battle droids with cheap, stronger and longer lasting shields, hover tanks as fast as landspeeders, androids indistinguishable from organics, and combat droids capable of killing jedi.

Portal (Personal Reality) 300:

This optional extra removes the need for use of Access Key, instead allowing you to open a rectangular or circular portal that leads into your Personal Reality on any flat surface big enough to encompass the portal. You can open the portal on any surface you are in contact with or that your vehicle is in contact with… or that your vehicle will be in contact with in less than 5 seconds and within 100 meters if you don't open the portal. The portal can be any size between 8 square meters and 80 square meters. The portal opens to the same place in your Personal Reality as the Door does and you may still use your Access Key if you want to open a door larger or smaller than the limits of the Portal. Any Companion with a copy of the key may also open such a portal. These portals open at their lowest size instantly and expand at the to maximum size over 10 seconds. This portal cannot be closed while you are inside your Personal Reality. Portals will slowly close over a period of 3 minutes if you leave them open and move more than 10 meters from one without closing it yourself, as long as you are outside your Personal Reality. This closure effect can be disabled, but you can't open a portal if another is open.

Free Portal (Personal Reality) 100:

This Portal Upgrade removes the limitation on a portal having to be opened on a flat surface… or on any surface at all. It also allows you to open the portals to any part of your Personal Reality simply by picturing where you want the portal to open. Without the Control Rod, the portals must be opened within 2 meters of you.

Synchronicity Event (F.E.A.R.) 300:

Curiouser and curiouser. Due to coming into contact with... well, SOMETHING, your psionic abilities have noticeably increased. Psychic powers you may have had are stronger now, with control and development coming more quickly with practice. There is also a boon to this; by taking a few days to 'attune' a person, you may impart upon them the beginning of psionic abilities of their own. You may only gift one school at a time, and they start at the very beginning; if they are to grow and learn as you have, it would be wise to teach them. On the plus side, they'll eventually become as strong as you are, so you'll have quite the pupil on your hands.

Synchronicity Event boosts psychic powers from outside this setting by a decent amount. It's nothing like Alma, but it's a decent boost. At the same time, you may also unlock the following abilities:

-Taking 'Feel It Out' increases your understanding of technologies and different items, dramatically cutting down the time needed to analyze the object in question and improving defenses should any psionic traps be laid. You can also 'attune' objects to better channel psionic abilities and become a powerful focus for them.

Psionic schools from F.E.A.R. include Telekinesis, Telepathy, Pyrokinesis, Possession, Teleportation, and Manifestation.

Monstrous Strength (Percy Jackson) 100:

Whether by oddity of birth, ancestry, or mystical experiments you have gained an inhuman form. On the plus side this boosts your physical abilities in proportion to how obviously unnatural your current form is. Generally your form will be some terrifying fusion of various aspects of animals and humans, it is your choice on the particulars though. This boost also applies to other monster discounted perks. Generally you can interact with mortals without their notice so long as you stick to actions that can be reasonably explained by the Mist but even then most of those familiar with the true nature of the world will be able to spot various tells.