Looking at the keys and paperwork in my trembling hands I almost burst into tears, it had been a tough week so far, terrifying really. Waking up in a new body on a different world had been to no one's surprise rather stressful. The fact that despite being over a decade younger this new body of mine was in an absolutely abysmal shape was quite frankly a kick in the nuts.

And when I said abysmal, I didn't mean that whoever inhabited this shitty meat suit never took care of it, no that fucker May he burn in fucking hell actively abused the shit out of it, as the fucking drug addiction I was now struggling with would attest to. To make matters worse the absolute nut case had not only dropped out of high school but ruined his relationship with his father so thoroughly with his antics that the man had up and moved out of the fucking city without leaving any contact information. Not that I blamed the old man, selling your dead mother's jewelry for more drugs was some new kind of low. I personally would have beaten the little shit black and blue, because if I was this upset about it I couldn't imagine what his father must have felt.

To no one's surprise 'my' shitty friends couldn't drop me fast enough now that I was truly destitute and wouldn't be able to pitch in for more poison. So I spent a week trying to survive as a homeless guy in this fucking city while going through the beginnings of withdrawal, I honestly thought I'd die. I couldn't have been less prepared for this situation if I tried, my previous life having been rather normal with the worst thing afflicting me being nearsightedness.

But thankfully, thankfully my power had finally come through for me, my understanding of it was that it had incredible potential, except that potential would be worth Jack shit if I fucking died on the streets, I never even heard a gunshot anywhere near me before ending up here, all I ever worried about whenever visiting the rough parts of town, if I had to do so for some reason, would have been a mugger with a knife. In the rough parts of Brockton gunshots weren't as rare as I'd like.

Regardless, my power, after a week of build up had finally managed to latch onto a jump document, it wasn't the strongest one out there not by a long shot but it was my first and I sure as hell wouldn't be complaining, not even when I understood that these documents were more limited than I expected, no 1000CP or drawbacks for me, that would have been too easy. No, what I could do once I got a jump doc was get an origin's freebies whatever they might be once a week until I either picked every available origins freebies or I dismissed the jump doc whichever came first. At which point my power would need another week to snag a new jump. The only CP I could get would be section specific stipends which this one lacked.

It might not seem like much until you considered jumps like Dragon ball Super, where every origin got access to a freebie that would allow one to crush everyone on this earth effortlessly. Still as amazing as being a casual planet buster would be that wasn't the jump I got, what I got my hands on was the Fast and furious jump, it didn't have much available to me but it had enough.

I settled on the Gearhead freebies netting myself the skills of a Fast and furious movie mechanic, I would have preferred picking the enforcer perk first for the expert training in martial arts, top notch aim and reaction speed as well as basic training in all man portable weapons but as amazing as being able to kick ass would be in Brockton bay it would still leave me a homeless wretch. The free item paired with mechanic was a garage! A roof over my head, there was absolutely no contest.

The free Pinto despite its unflattering description was a nice bonus. Surprisingly none of my items popped up near me, instead I felt somethings settle in my pockets, a quick check netted me a pair of keys and some paperwork and after going over them I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I allowed my weary feet to drag my ass towards my new property.

Week 1

Mechanic 100 CP, Free Gearhead:

Machines, especially ones that go fast, just speak to you. You have no problem fixing up and tuning any motor vehicle, and can rebuild them after the most devastating crashes.You can keep anything in top condition with just a few simple tools. Of course, you also need to understand the electronics, so hotwiring cars (and sometimes, alarm systems) is not a problem either.

Garage 100 CP, Free Gearhead:

You have a nice garage and parts supply. With a few days and some elbow grease, you could basically rebuild your car or cars from the bottom up; you probably have enough parts to keep someone else's ride running or give it an upgrade, too.

The Vehicle: Free!

This object barely deserves the title of car, at least in your opinion. A Volkswagen Beetle, a Pinto, or a Yugo, this car technically meets all the criteria and is very cheap, but it would take a master mechanic and a driving god to let it rival even the worst other racers can bring to the table.

The weathered red brick building I managed to locate after hours of walking and navigating some side streets looked like a mansion to my eyes the soot and scorch marks not bothering me whatsoever. I couldn't get in fast enough, locking the door behind me I let out a sob of relief as I took in what would be my new home, from the receptionist area with its little fan to the old car parked where the magic would happen, I could already see where I would setup a cot and when I had the money for it a bed. God, how I longed for one of those, with some good sheets, a pillow even...

But that would have to come later, going over the abundant supply of parts I was faced with a new problem. I couldn't open up shop, despite the fact that I was certain I could fix just about any car brought to me, if people felt comfortable leaving their vehicles with someone as rough looking as I currently was or visiting this part of the city in the first place, I simply couldn't risk it. Advertising this place isolated as it was amidst all these derelict buildings would be all but an open invitation for the Merchants to come and raid it for parts, after all they had this city's only vehicle tinker and I had parts for days.

Wait...

It was a bad idea, a terrible idea really, but I needed money for actual food, clothes and a bed! I could try selling at the lord's market but you needed to pay to put up a stall there and even if I could, selling pieces this fine while looking like this was just asking for trouble. I already looked the part of the desperate druggy, I knew where to go, so I might as well do it. I would have to move the parts away from here obviously, better keep it simple, not the most expensive either, had to strike just the right fucking balance to not shoot myself in the foot, I would have to get some drugs as well to not arouse suspicion either, and fuck if it didn't hurt that I'd have to not only waste money but bring temptation that close to me, I could already feel the need eating away at me at the mere thought of that poison...

"If you're taking us into some kind of ambush I'll shoot you dead James. You understand that right?"

You dumb fucking motherfucker if anyone was at risk here it was my ass, I wasn't armed and I didn't bring a couple guys with me for a simple pick up. I obviously said none of that, the guy as far as my memories could tell wasn't that much of a scumbag for a drug dealer. He was small time and this haul would help him get more product from Skidmark, say what you would about the merchant leader but he was keeping his Tinker well supplied from what I gathered.

Not that I didn't understand his concern, I did guide his buddy to a really isolated and fucked up alley. The reason these roads and buildings were so fucked up? This was where the protectorate had led Lung for their first big ass kicking, rooftops and walls were collapsed, the roads were pockmarked, fire damage was everywhere, it made me feel better about my place being nearby since this shit was too expensive to fix for a city like this. It also drove in what capes were capable off.

"I just want my money and my drugs man, the fact you think I could even manage much of anything when I'm hurting this much fucking baffles me, getting away with those parts was a small miracle... and you're shorting me on those too..."

I tacked on that last part quietly pulling heavily on who this body used to be to try and sell this act, it wasn't like I expected him to give me a good price for the things anyway, as far as I was concerned the money would be payment for the pain I went through hauling all that shit all the way over here by my lonesome.

Thankfully he did pay me after I led him to the parts, only a measly twenty seven hundred dollars for over ten thousand dollars of high quality parts to be sure, but considering the garage just supplied more parts and I'd been homeless and miserable for days on end not being able to eat a decent meal or get a good nights sleep, it was acceptable...

Back in my new home I hid most of my cash away since walking around with everything I owned was just asking fate to arrange a mugging for me, took a quick shower and got into my Pinto for some sorely needed groceries. The fact the car was so old was honestly a boon as far as I was concerned, I couldn't even imagine my sorry ass driving around in a nice car without being pulled over and that was without taking into consideration that I was a black guy in Brockton. Yeah the Pinto would do just fine.

The next few days weren't easy, especially when I actually found myself reaching for the little bag of white powder when the hurt got to new heights, I had to flush the damn thing down the toilet to actually make sure I wouldn't end up taking some. The memories of how good it would feel making me loathe the previous James with every fiber of my being. So I suffered. Sweating, puking, shivering, it went on and on, getting so much worse before it started getting better, picking the garage had probably saved my life, I barely survived that first week on the street when the hurt was manageable this would have killed me without a doubt, by the time I could pick more freebies I was slightly less miserable and yet in no shape to try out my new moves or check on the guns I now had access to, it was all I could do to feed myself and pass out on my small cot...

Week 2

Enforcer 100 CP, Free Gunbunny:

You are dangerous, with or without a weapon. You have expert training in at least one martial art, aim and reaction time most special operators would envy, and basic training in all man-portable weapons.

Arms Cache 100 CP, Free Gunbunny:

You're far more heavily armed than your average crook. You have one conventional main weapon (M16, AK47, Mossberg 500, or similar), one conventional sidearm (Uzi, Beretta 92FS, Smith and Wesson Snubnose, or similar), and one conventional melee weapon (Knife, Baton, Katana, etc.), along with 30 magazines or clips for each.

Dropping the newspaper I leaned back into my seat and let out a ragged breath. I'd been dropped earlier in the timeline thank the heavens, otherwise I might have felt really conflicted about keeping the Fast and Furious jump for this long to wring every benefit I could from it and get as solid a foundation as I could when I could have instead dropped it and hoped for a real game changer to show up, not that saving my life with the Garage wasn't a game changer in and of itself but securing super powers instead of action movie skills would be much more preferable considering where I was and the dangers surrounding me.

As it was it had been two days since the Simurgh fucked up Madison and wasn't it troubling to know that a whole city as well as thousand upon thousands of people got fucked up by that bitch? Reading the newspaper was fucking depressing. Suddenly my current circumstances didn't seem so bad after all, so what if I had a drug addiction? What if I went through a week of being homeless? What if withdrawal kicked my ass all over the place? People were having a worse time of it elsewhere and most of them didn't get powers let alone ones that could give them legal property, insane skills and who knew what else. So overall I was pretty damn grateful for how this second chance had turned out.

I couldn't remember that much about the timeline, never mind that focusing was an actual struggle at this point, the Madison attack meant the Traveller's were already in play and would no doubt start leaving a trail of 'missing' people behind them, Glory Girl and Panacea were already a thing according to my memories and I would have felt weird about finding both teenage girls attractive if I wasn't back to being a teenager myself.

Vista was a ward along with Triumph, Purity was a no show lately so maybe she had split from the empire already for all the good it would do her. The protectorate team was as I remembered it with Challenger having left recently, the gangs were pretty much the same as well, not that this information was of much use to me at the moment, my future knowledge would be mostly worthless considering there was more than a year for the butterfly effect to do its thing.

Ambling to the Pinto I picked up my tools and got to work swapping a few more of its parts and beefing it up where I could, I'd been doing this for the past couple of days after a few trips with the car for groceries or to deliver car parts I sold over the internet, now that I owned a phone and laptop, brought most of its issues to my attention. Using my new skills was oddly relaxing and deeply satisfying it was also a reason for me to move around a bit despite still feeling like utter shit, I could only hope I'd luck out and get a perk to deal with all my health issues soon, the prospect of trying to fix everything wrong with me the regular way was quite daunting.

Week 3

Fast and Furious 100 CP, Free Driver:

You love going fast, and can always make that happen. You have extraordinary skills behind the wheel of any vehicle, always able to get peak performance out of your ride. (Also, you can now drive a stick.)

Accelerator 100 CP, Free Driver:

NOS, "Juice," "Smoke," or "Boost", you have a tank of it hooked up to your ride and enough to keep you refilled indefinitely. May be dangerous if you crash, but it gives you that bit of speed you need. And besides, who's gonna crash?

Holding out until I got the driving skills was more than worth it, my car all but sung to me nowadays, to think that I used to consider myself a decent driver before, just the thought of how ignorant I had been was enough to embarrass me, thankfully my newfound love of driving and driving fast was sated regularly with out of city deliveries, who would have thought that selling good car parts 25% cheaper than their listed prices would work out so well for me and considering my sales were a 100% profit for me a couple more weeks of this would probably see me with enough cash to get by for the year.

Now if only my next jump hadn't been such a fucking disappointment, when I'd seen the title I had high hopes, I mean it was Superman the Movie. The description of the Last son perk was so overpowered I couldn't help but get my hopes up for the freebies, I really shouldn't have. To think that I'd get more use out of Fast and Furious than a Superman Jump was kind of depressing.

Not to say that the perks were useless or anything but none of them were worth holding onto the jump for one more week to get them, I ended up picking a safety net of sorts, I wasn't planning on being a criminal but considering the universe and country I was in having the ability to escape any kind of imprisonment was too good to pass up, the items weren't much the press pass could have been useful if I had any desire whatsoever to waste my time working for the Brockton Bay gazette, but since I didn't not when I could make so much cash selling parts I ended up picking the Superman collection of media, it was neatly piled in a corner and free entertainment was better than nothing, it wasn't like I had Christmas parties or dinners to attend or anything, binging Superman content would be the superior choice. Meeting new people and maybe getting my dick wet could wait for me to be in better shape.

Week 4

Revolving Door Operator - 100 CP

Or user, maybe? It gets vague. You are virtually impossible to keep in any kind of prison. No matter if its an illegal confinement or something a court duly sentenced you to, coincidence align, people make mistakes and any active attempts by you are boosted to ridiculous degrees, until you find yourself free and clear once again.

It doesn't even have to be through escaping, either. Though escaping is much easier, it's simple enough for you to turn your talent to getting out legally. It might take longer, but no one's hunting you afterwards.

Superman Collection - 50 CP

Good for spending time, if nothing else. This is a complete collection of all media where Superman has ever appeared in any shape or form. Comics, animation, cartoons, fanfiction... the works.

I couldn't do it, this stuff was unwatchable, who would have thought that memories of life on Earth-Bet would ruin Superman for me, the idea of a hero like that just broke my suspension of disbelief, never mind that the guy was real somewhere in the vast multiverse, living in a world where shit just constantly got worse made this kind of content weirdly unpalatable.

Getting dressed I grabbed my car keys and drove out into the night, having the memories of a fucking wastrel proved to be worth something after all, I knew just where to go, after stopping by a drugstore, to pick up a whore without getting robbed or killed, which were ever present concerns in this city. That was how I found myself taking position behind a blonde girl, that couldn't be a day over twenty even with her make up, after she'd finished sucking me off in my car. I'd half expected my dick to fail me after the one orgasm but despite my shit health it still rose to the occasion, apparently weeks with no action were enough to trump health issues...

With my pick for the night bent over, and braced against the hood of my car, I wasted no time before pushing into her after spreading a glob of spit over my condom covered cock, a few measured thrusts later and I started picking up the pace my hands holding tightly onto her hips, the sound of our heavy breathing, muffled moans, her occasional gasps and flesh slapping against flesh filled my ears as I lost myself in the moment, a few minutes of furious pounding later had me reaching my peak for the second time this night.

After pulling out and laying her on the hood of the car for support since her legs had turned into jelly, I went about cleaning myself with a rag before passing ot to her along with a bottle of water.

It took a few minutes before she regained the use of legs, after that I dropped her off and went about my life.

Back home a couple twenties poorer I slipped into my bed, played a Superman cartoon and drifted off to sleep watching it. I repeated the experience with a different whore each day until New Year's Eve, sampling more pussy in a week than this body ever had before. New Years found me lazing about waiting for my next jump and hoping that it would be a good one.