Grind 4.1 The Telephone Game
The wind whipped around us as we moved from roof to roof. Vista had reassured me again and again that everything would work out, but I was less sure.
If the full details, or even some of the details about my power were revealed then it would not be the end of the world; however it was a lot more attention then I wanted to deal with. Not to mention the fact that if the public freaked I could be locked away for fear that I would become as Dennis liked to say, 'God Empress Taylor'.
Not for the first time I stopped to consider what I should do if things did start to go that way. Worst case would be prison. With the powers in my possession no standard prison could hold me though. I could rip apart metal and rock, shoot fire, make decent sized waves or razor sharp streams of water and that was only one show. Like many capes normal prison could not hold me.
Which begged the question what the hell would they do with me if the public pushed to have me locked up? Surely public pressure over something that could happen would not be enough to send a Ward to the Birdcage. Right?
OK just for a second if I entertain the possibility that they might actually lock me up, or God forbid send me to the birdcage, what would I be willing to do to prevent it?
The possibilities run through my mind before I can shut down the line of thought. Images of myself disappearing into the basement of a library for a few months or years while the pressure dies down. Plots to draw out a story that lasts for years to delay my capture. More terrifying than anything else is the idea of justifying the fear that I would take over. The idea is obscenely tempting, just hop into Greek mythology, or the bible, or a dozen other stories, and walk out with the power to make my will law.
Then the rational part of my mind catches up with my brief impulses, and chokes down the idea. I would be alone, hunted, and hated. Some might respect or worship that kind of power, or point me at Endbringers and praise my victories. That was not what I wanted when I joined. I was looking for a new start, new friends, and acceptance. Taking over would give me none of those things.
As those thoughts played out I had to wonder which saying was most accurate; does absolute power corrupt absolutely, or does power attract the corruptible? Perhaps the truth is a mix of the two?
The buzz of my radio shakes me out of my thoughts.
"Player the call is coming through now. We've started a to trace the call but given that they have tinkertech this could take awhile try to keep them talking as long as possible. Only admit your power if you can't delay them any longer, and if you are forced to disclose your power keep them on the line. Should that happen it will be doubly important that we track them down." I recognize the voice as one of the troopers who seems to spend a lot of time manning the console back at base.
"Got it."
"Player, a pleasure to speak with you again!" A smooth professional voice greets me.
"Ummm not to be rude, but who am I talking to Uber, or Leet?" Honestly I don't see how I could be expected to tell the two apart by their voice after meeting them once.
"Uber, now then down to business. You are stealing our theme, and we want to know how."
"I'm sorry, I don't think I..." My confused question is cut off by an energetic outburst from a second voice.
"Save it. Did you really think you could use two video game powers in front of us while we have cameras rolling and we wouldn't notice?" That would be Leet then.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Please don't call me on my bullshit…
"Bullshit." Leet deadpans.
"You threw Pokemon at us, and you grew after eating some mushrooms." Uber states calmly. "Powers are weird, one or the other I might have accepted as random chance, but both in conjunction with your particular brand of healing, which we tracked back to a TV show, breaks my SoD."
"SoD?"
The headphone fills with an overly dramatic sigh. "Uber, you can't just assume that she knows internet slang based on a couple of gaming powers. SoD stands for suspension of disbelief, newb."
"So what are you implying?"
"... Well that's the thing ya know? We aren't quite sure. We know you are somehow getting powers from shows, and games. We still don't know what the deal is with the dragons." Says Leet.
"So that leads us to our question." Uber picks up the conversation. "You're doing what we have spent years trying to do only you do it better... Well minus our flair, and costumes, but other than that you've done an amazing job recreating Mario, Pokemon, and Avatar. Leet could probably replicate any one of those given two or three weeks, and a decent budget. You on the other hand replicated those and one more at least in about a month. You carry no obvious tinker tech, and the effects you displayed are far too diverse to fall under the same specialty. So how do you do it?"
I glance down at my PRT phone, the plan we worked out in advance was for dispatch to send a message with their location once they had it, and everyone would rush to converge. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Vista shaking her head, and circling her hand for me to keep going.
"Why exactly should I tell you?" I just need to delay them as long as possible as soon as the trooper gets past whatever Uber and Leet have come up with it's all over for them. Then I just have to hope they didn't set a video about my power to be posted on a timer.
The sound of Uber chuckling filled my ear. "Well let's see, your power is classified subtly but still it's classified, we have at the very least a good guess at what your power lets you do, oh and let's not forget you took our call, and are at this moment attempting to trace it. Good luck with that by the way."
"So again," Leet interjects, "how does your power let you do it? Oh, and so we are clear we do have a lie detector hooked into this call."
Fuck. Well I knew it was too much to hope for, but still there goes plan A. Which means it is time for plan B, partial truths.
"I played the games, and watched the show. My power let me copy the abilities from them." There, that is mostly true.
Once more Uber's chuckles worm through my ear, but this time with a darker undertone.
"Now funny thing is with my power I'm actually rather good at a lot of things. Like say in this instance conversing with other people. See I don't even need to look at Leet's lie detector to know you are hiding something." He stops to chuckle again before speaking in a sickly sweet voice. "Come now Player, don't you want to share your little secret with your fellow gaming capes."
That voice sends a shiver down my spine. Fuck. I'm down to plan C, try to distract them.
"Maybe later, right now I'm more curious about how Leet managed to make so many of the same robots the other day. As a matter of fact a lot of people want to know, even Dragon seemed a bit curious.
The sound of Leet sputtering is all I needed to know at last one of the premade strategies was having some effect.
"Dragon, interested in my tech?!"
"Well yeah. It is the first time anyone has ever seen you make multiples of anything without an explosion, and those flamethrower attacks left almost nothing to look at. So everyone is real curious."
"Ha! Well of course flamethrowers wouldn't leave much of anything left! After all those were all made of paper maché."
Wait... paper maché? All of those 90's game rejects were made of paper maché... How in the hell did that even work?
"Paper maché?" I try but fail to keep the incredulity out of my voice.
"Yup!" Leet crows "I made a machine, programmed a mold, and just fed it the raw materials, then it spit out all those bots you fought. Of course it can only do really simple constructs like those, and it only works with really cheap, week, materials. Still though, even with those limitations it's probably one of my best inventions."
"Leet, she's trying to distract you, and it is working." Uber deadpans at his partner, causing the line to go quiet.
"If it's any consolation Dragon was interested about how you did it, and I am impressed."
Uber speeks up, once again directing the conversation. "OK, no more delays. What are you hiding, and why do the PRT feel the need to keep your powers a secret. Talk or we release the details we have, and you can try spinning it to cover whatever it is your hiding. What'll it be?"
Fuck... I really don't have much choice now. A glance at Vista tells me a I need to know about our current luck tracking the duo.
"I didn't lie, not exactly anyway... I did have to play those games to get those powers... Only I was misleading a bit about the experience. I get literally sucked into the book, show, movie, or game, and then have to go through the entire experience to get the power of the character I choose to be."
The line went silent.
"No freaking way." Leet said. "You, live through video games, and then get powers from them?!"
"That is so freaking awesome!" Uber shouted, making me wince. "Why do they even want to hide that?!"
"Their afraid I might be able to become, as Clockblocker likes to put it, 'God Empress Player' if I played out certain things, or that even if I can't the public might decide it's not worth risking a teenager with the powers of the Greek Pantheon." I respond dryly.
"Wow no wonder they want to keep that under wraps." Leet says.
The line goes quite for a moment.
"Can you take us with you!" The duo scream almost in unison.
I glance at Vista, who's jaw has dropped. She shrugs.
"I, umm aren't you guys villains? I'm not really sure the PRT would let me work with you…"
For a minute all I can hear is muttering coming across the line.
"Right then." Uber says. "On the condition that we are allowed to work with you, and travel into various game worlds Uber and I would like to formally turn ourselves over to the PRT, and start a new carrier as heroes', or at the very least consultants on the best gaming powers!"