Chapter 1: Arrival

The last thing I remember before dying was crossing the street, earbuds in, thinking about how how transporter technology could've solved pedestrian deaths a long time ago—if we'd just invested in the right phased matter reconstructions early. Then... nothing.

Actually, scratch that. Not quite nothing.

"Oops."

That voice. I knew it. And I knew I was dead.

I opened my eyes to a white void—the kind that goes on forever in every direction. No sky, no floor, no source for the light that bathed everything. Just... emptiness. And a figure standing about twenty feet away, arms behind his back, looking smug as hell.

"Q," I muttered.

He smirked. "In the flesh. Or, you know, not. Depends how you define it today."

I looked down at myself—still me, but… I didn't feel real. Like I was half-remembered.

"You killed me."

"A minor hiccup," Q said, waving it off. "A ripple. Cosmic indigestion. Quantum-level sneeze."

I stared at him.

"I was just trying to get coffee."

"Exactly!" he said, beaming. "And thanks to my... unfortunate disruption of your otherwise dull life, I now owe you what humans call a 'favor.'"

I crossed my arms. "This is the part where you tell me I'm being reincarnated."

"Yes. But this isn't one of those vague 'try-again-in-another-life' nonsense offers. I'm placing you into a timeline you'll appreciate. A clean slate, with some... customized conditions."

"Customized?"

He snapped his fingers. "Let's call it narrative immersion. You've got one shot to pitch me your preferred parameters. Impress me."

I blinked. This couldn't be real.

But if it was, I wasn't going to waste it.

"Alright," I said, breathing in like I was about to jump into cold water. "You know fanfiction, right?"

Q chuckled. "I practically invented it. Some of the better ones, at least."

"There was this one story," I said. "The guy gets NZT—like, from Limitless—but permanent. No addiction, no crash. And he's also a perfected augment—not Khan's brand. Strong, smart, fast—but balanced. No ego issues, no god complex. Something built right. Better."

Q tilted his head. "Go on."

"He doesn't use it to conquer. He uses it to build. Strategize. Help. Stay in the shadows and shape things for the better. And he's smart enough to know when not to interfere."

Q stroked his chin. "And you want to be that guy?"

I nodded. "Let me start fresh. Give me a family—real, tight-knit. Not just memory implants. People who matter. A place that feels like home. Let me be placed somewhere where I can change things—but gently. Without domination."

There was a long pause. Q's smirk faded, replaced by something... thoughtful.

"You know," he said, voice lower now, "the Continuum thinks I'm wasting my time with your kind. That humanity is just another flicker in a long, dull sequence of biological sparks."

"And you don't?"

"I've seen what you're capable of," Q said. "Imagination. Compassion. Adaptability. Given time, I believe humanity could surpass even us."

He stepped closer. "You're not just getting a new body. You're becoming something new—crafted with precision. Your augment biology will be flawless: balanced neurotransmitters, perfect adaptability, regenerative capabilities, strength without arrogance, intellect without instability. And to top it off, I'll embed the NZT effect directly into your neural framework. Permanent. Undetectable. Yours."

I blinked. "You're serious."

"As a spatial rupture," he said, grinning. "And your family? Already there. Hidden in plain sight. A lineage I've... woven into history. Descendants of a forgotten American military program during the Eugenics Wars—one that didn't pursue domination, but preservation. They've lived quietly, refining their gifts. They'll think you've always been there."

"And the rest of the world?"

"They'll see a brilliant, driven young man from Franklin, Tennessee. Undetectable. Unremarkable. Until it matters."

My heart—whatever passed for it here—beat faster. "Why me?"

"Because you're curious. Because you asked for better. And because, frankly, I think you might be the seed of something your species desperately needs."

He snapped his fingers.

Everything shattered into white.

—

I woke up to the smell of damp earth and early morning rain. My eyes opened to soft sunlight peeking through the window of a room I didn't recognize, but somehow felt like it had always been mine.

A framed photo on the nightstand. Me. My father. My sisters. My grandmother, Iris, arms crossed and smiling like she knew every secret in the universe.

A moment later, I heard laughter from the hallway. Bacon sizzling. Someone humming an old spiritual. And inside my skull, a mind sharper than anything I'd ever felt before began quietly sorting, building, dreaming.

It was real.

I was back.

And this time, I had work to do.