Outsider Chronicles: Have Quirk, Will Travel

People often wonder whether there is a heaven or hell. I don't really know the answer, but I do know that being reborn can be a lot of fun. I should know. Born into a world of heroes during a golden age of powers, I thought I was in for a life not so different from my last one. Then I attended a gaming event in Madison and things got...strange.

And we're back! Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!

Chapter 2

The thing about Quirks is that, unlike Parahuman abilities, they are truly a part of their wielder. Push to far with a Parahuman ability and you'll hit a brick wall. Push to hard with a Quirk and it could well kill you. I pushed myself past my limits on the regular, it was just part of training after all, whether physical or Quirk based, but that usually just left me feeling sore.

I had only ever pushed myself to the point the backlash of my Quirk actually burnt me twice before. The first time was shortly after I'd gained it at three while I was experimenting with it and that was relatively minor. The second was the last time I'd used Supernova. It was my strongest attack, putting all of my energy into one powerful blast, but to truly bring out its full power, I needed a boost. The first time I used it, I had no idea just how powerful it would be and ended up shattering the bones in my forearms, in addition to giving myself third degree burns and causing the markings that acted as channels for my power to split from the sheer amount of energy flowing through them. This time, my Quirk and body were stronger, meaning that, while there was actually more power behind the attack, I wasn't as badly hurt.

That did not mean I was able to stay conscious, not when my energy was completely tapped and my body so badly damaged.

I also wasn't expecting to wake up feeling much better than when I'd passed out, if rather drained in the odd empty way I felt when my Quirks reserves were drained. I'd need to spend some time sitting in the sun later, but I could function well enough. Assuming I didn't need to fight anyone. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

I opened my eyes and was immediately met with the sight of the inside of a tent that was set up as a medical station and a frowning Panacea with a hand on my arm. I took a moment to scan her and came to the conclusion that she was basically identical to the one back home, with the sole exception that my cousin had pupils shaped like medical crosses. Mutations came in a lot of bizarre forms, especially the ones that were solely cosmetic. Oh, and this Amy looked like hell. She looked thin, her skin was pale and she had dark rings around her eyes. Whether or not that was a result of the aftermath of an Endbringer fight or if she was already feeling the effects of burnout was up for debate. Probably the former considering I'm pretty sure it was 2009.

"What the hell are you?" asked Panacea suddenly.

I blinked.

"Ah, you do know I'm awake, right?" I asked.

"Thats why I asked," said Panacea, "Now what are you? Your not a Cape, but your entire body is just...better than any I've seen before. And I swear your cells are metabolizing the light from the lamp."

I glanced at said lamp and nodded.

"More than likely," I said, "Sunlights better though."

Panacea blinked.

"Wait, what?"

I smirked.

"Lets just say we're not local," I said, "Now, mind if I ask where my…"

I was cut off as the fabric door was suddenly wrenched open and a dark green blur shot into the room.

"YOU MORON!"

THWACK!

The next thing I knew, my left cheek was throbbing and I had a clearly pissed Marissa straddling my lap with the lapels of my shirt firmly in her grip.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't burn you to a crisp you reckless bastard!" she snarled, her glove retracting to reveal her glowing skin.

I wasn't too worried though.

"For one, to hurt me with that you'd have to turn the temperature up to the point that it set the atmosphere on fire," I said blandly, "And second, you love me too much to do it."

Marissa twitched violently as the light leaking through the goggles of her suit took on a slightly redder tinge. Then she slapped me on the other cheek.

"JACKASS!"

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," I said as I rubbed my cheeks.

Panacea looked between me and the fluttering entrance Marissa had just stomped through with a rather odd look on her face. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"Whatever, I don't care," she said, "Your perfectly healthy now and the Triumvirate want to talk to you and your friends, so I suggest you get up."

"Right, but before I do that, might I get some clothes?" I asked.

Panacea nodded and left the room. A moment later, a man in body armour armed with what had to be a foam sprayer entered with a bag that turned out to contain a tracksuit that fit fairly well.

Now clothed, I followed the trooper out of the makeshift infirmary and across a stretch of wasteland that had apparently been turned into a base of some kind. There was a lot of movement going on in the direction of the city as a number of trucks containing building supplies roared past. Guess we didn't arrive in time to stop the need from doming the city. Oh well, nothing we could do now.

We entered another tent where my friends were gathered, along with a few more troopers who looked rather nervous, especially the ones near Noelle. To be fair, she was rather large and, despite the fact that her Quirk wasn't actually tied directly to her mutation, she was still a lot stronger than any normal Human. She had Riley in her arms with the others stood protectively in front of the two Meinhardts and was glaring at Eidolon and Alexandria while Legend stood between the two groups, apparently trying to get them to calm down.

"Alright, what did I miss?" I asked.

Francis scowled as he let out a lungful of smoke.

"Apparently these morons seem to think that Riley is some kind of serial killer," he growled, "Care to help us calm them down? You seem to have some idea of whats going on."

"I do have a few ideas," I said.

"Lets start with why you have Bonesaw with you," growled Eidolon.

I sighed and held out my hand.

"Phone."

There was a pop and my phone appeared in my hand.

"There have been a few things over the past few hours that have tipped me off that somethings up," I said as I unlocked it and started flipping through my photo app, "Most notably, Panacea didn't seem to recognize me."

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Alexandria.

"Well, considering that shes my cousin, that raised a fair few red flags," I said, "Ah, here it is."

I flipped the phone over and held it out to the three Cauldron Capes. There was a pause, before Legend stepped forwards and took the phone. A moment later, his expression went from confused to utter shock. Not that surprising considering the photo I had up was of me and my Cousins when we met All Might at a global event a couple of years ago and let me tell you, the real thing was somehow even more energetic and hammy than the Anime depicted. Then again, that might be a result of his injury and the short time he could be a Hero. That photo was taken before his fateful bout with All For One after all.

"Add in the fact that hes acting like a dick and you lot apparently think that Riley's a killer when the only thing she would kill is a bar of chocolate and I think its safe to say we're not in Kansas anymore," I finished as Legend showed his teammates the photo.

"Are you trying to suggest that we've somehow ended up in another dimension?" asked Sarah.

"Can you come up with a better explanation?" I asked, "Amelia didn't recognize me or my Quirk Factor, Eidolon isn't acting like a wise old mentor and you can't connect with anyone other than us, despite the fact that we're well within your range limit."

"Thats true," said Sarah, closing her eyes and focusing, "Its weird though, I can almost sense a connection with Jess and Dragon. Its like their right on the edge of my range...gah, its a damn weird feeling."

"Any idea which way to go to get them in range?" asked Francis.

"Not...really," said Sarah, "I'm getting...something, but its not really a direction. I'll see if I can figure something out. Who knows, we might be able to get in touch with home."

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," said Legend as he and the other two Cauldron Capes finished going through my gallery and returned my phone to me, "I guess the Simurgh's device was some kind of dimensional transfer device. That makes a certain amount of sense, a lot of Professor Haywire's old stuff was stored here."

He frowned.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we have any way to get you home. I'm sorry to say that you might be stuck here."

"That might not be true," I said, "Sarah might be able to use her Quirk to get in touch with back home and if anyone can figure out a way to build something to blow space-time a new one, its Theresa Wallis."

"Quirk?" asked Legend.

"Ah, its what we call our powers," I said, letting a small amount of my light pool in my hand before absorbing it again, "I suspect they likely work differently than over here if Panacea's reaction to my physiology was anything to go by."

"You all have powers?" asked Alexandria.

"Practically everyone back home has powers," said Luke, "I think its something like 80% of the population these days?"

"Something like that," said Francis, "I take it things are different over here?"

I clapped my hands.

"Lets play 20 questions later," I said, "For now, we need to figure out where to go from here. We have nothing but the clothes on our backs and our Quirks, so we can't exactly get by on our own."

I frowned.

"Well, I guess we could, but that would lead to explosions, collateral damage and mass hysteria."

"Dogs and cats living together?" asked Luke.

"You and your retro movies," muttered Francis as he stubbed out his cigarette.

I ignored the byplay behind me as I kept my gaze locked on Legend.

"Well, we do have some plans for people in your...position," said the head of the Protectorate, "Ever since Professor Haywire managed to open the hole between Bet and Aleph, we've known that there was a chance that we'd have to deal with unintended crossings from somewhere. That said, we never expected so many people to come through at the same time."

He sighed and rubbed his face.

"It'd be easiest for you to join the Protectorate," he said, "That way we can do more to help."

I eyed him for a moment, turning the idea over in my mind. I trusted Legend to not screw us over, but the rest of the PRT and, more importantly, the Cauldron was an entirely different story. That said, we didn't really have much choice in the matter. Considering who Rileys alternate was and Noelle and Sarah's power sets, it would be a right pain in the arse trying to get anything done without their help.

"Can you guarantee we won't be separated?" I asked.

"It would be cruel to do that, so yes," said Legend, "I'll also make sure that you get any help you need in returning home, assuming you can."

"Wait, what?" asked Alexandria, "Legend, are you sure you want to do that?"

"Lexie, our world is dying," said Legend, "You know that as well as I do. If we can get even the smallest amount of help from outside, shouldn't we take it?"

The Brute looked a little taken aback by that.

"You saw how strong that blast was during the battle," continued Legend, "More to the point, the Simurgh didn't dodge it! I assume that was you?"

I nodded.

"Yes, but an attack like that pushes me way past my limits," I said, "Power on that level is rare back home and generally comes with its own set of issues."

Legend shook his head.

"Thats not important, what is is that I honestly think that you kids could represent the first hope I've had in a long time that we could do something to save this world."

Hoo boy, talk about pressure, although I do have to admit that I'd like to see what All Might would do to this world. Plus, the irony that we, the Travelers, who should have represented one of the Simurgh's most dangerous plans could be thought of as a hope for the world. On the other hand...wasn't that what being a Hero was all about? I sighed. Damn, this whole things a mess…

"Guys?" I asked.

The others glanced at each other.

"Do we really have a choice?" asked Noelle.

"Theres always a choice," I said, "Its just that sometimes the options are less than optimal."

I sighed.

"Alright, I guess we'll go with that. Now all we need to do is figure out if we can somehow boost Sarah's Quirk…"

Noelle opened her mouth.

"No, not a chance," said Sarah, "Last time you did that, Amelia nearly suffered an aneurysm and Vicky ended up hiding in her room for three days!"

"Hey, its not my fault everyone seems to have deeply hidden secrets!" snapped Noelle, "Besides, I was going to use Amp, not you."

"Oh and having to learn all my Brothers little secrets is so much better!" growled Sarah, "And when did you get Reggies DNA anyway?"

"Do you have any idea how much skin you lose in a day?" asked Noelle, "Shaking someone's hand is enough to get some most of the time!"

"Thats...a good point," said Sarah, "Never mind then, but I still don't really want to have to put up with the little monster you'll inevitably make. Besides, I think I've figured out a way to get a better signal."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"If I get closer to their location, I might be able to connect," she said.

"Brockton Bay?"

"Yep."

"I'm sorry, connect?" asked Legend, drawing my attention back to him.

Apparently the other two thirds of the Triumvirate had decided they had better things to do.

"My power lets me create connections with people I touch," said Sarah, "Once I have a connection, I can act as a hub to allow up to 20 people communicate telepathically. My range is large enough to cross continents and apparently reality."

There was a moments silence.

"Your a telepath?" asked Legend, his voice carefully level.

"Communication only," said Sarah, "I can read minds or anything."

There was another moments silence, before Legend let out a sigh.

"I think we need to have a very long discussion," he said.

"WHAT?!" shrieked Noelle, shooting to her tail, "You mean to tell me that that little fucker Nilbog is still ALIVE?!"

Legend had just got done telling us some of the history of Bet and the issues that came with certain powers. He'd just got onto the issue of Biotinkers and Nilbogs little rampage, which had got Noelle steaming mad. Considering her history with our worlds version, that isn't a surprise.

Yes, we did indeed have a Nilbog who went off the rails and tried to take over Ellisburg. The difference was that over there he ended up getting dogpilled by enough Heroes to make All For One baulk. He'd been dealt with swiftly but the aftermath had been...unpleasant.

Biokinetics were always regarded with vague mistrust, just like those with Master-like powers, even back home. Oh, it was nowhere near as bad as over here, well over a century of getting used to the existence of powers saw to that, but sometimes something happened that brought the fact that Quirks are incredibly dangerous into stark relief. Jamie Rinkes little rampage was one such event and resulted in a fair amount of suspicion directed towards the Biokinetic community, especially those with the ability to create Minions. Since Noelle's family possessed similar abilities, they found themselves in a rather precarious situation which, thankfully, didn't erupt into anything unpleasant, but had left Noelle with a rather strong opinion of Nilbog.

"You'll have to excuse her," I said as Noelle started ranting in the background about what she'd do if she got her hands on Nilbog, resulting in everyone else edging away slowly and the boys of the group wincing at some of the more...inventive threats, "Shes had some bad experiences as a result of the aftermath of our version of Nilbogs rampage."

"Shes a Biokinetic, isn't she?" asked Legend.

"And a minion maker at that," I said, "Just...don't ask her to make any unless you really have to."

I shuddered.

"They're...not for the faint of heart."

"I'll take your word for it," he said.

He sighed.

"Well, I think thats everything you need to know for now," he said, "I'll see about getting you a transport to Brockton, although it might mean your going back with the Brockton Bay Capes who came to fight."

"Thats fine," I said, "Although I am a little curious as to why your helping, despite clear reservations at some of our powers."

Legend sighed.

"Its like I said to Alexandria and Eidolon," he said, "This world is dying. The Endbringers are really only one thing that's killing it, the main thing that's driving us down is hopelessness. There are more Villains than heroes, the very nature of Trigger Events see to that, and many of the PRT's policies and actions have not helped with that. I've done my best to get the Chief Director to try and do something about it, but something always happens to stop it. Even if the Endbringers were to disappear tomorrow, I don't think it'd stop the downward spiral."

He sat up and looked me in the eye.

"But if we can make contact with another reality, one where Heroes are the ones on top, then maybe it can help us break that spiral. Thats why I'll do whatever it takes to help you succeed."

I stared at the other Light user in no small amount of surprise. I know that Legend is basically the closest person in Worm to a traditional Hero, but that resolve was honestly rather surprising. Guess this is a world where Legend isn't entirely aware of the Cauldrons more...questionable activities. Either that or their already moving to manipulate us. Either way, I honestly wasn't averse to accepting help freely offered.

"I'm not sure if things'll go how you want, but we'll do our best," I said, holding out my hand, "Thanks Legend."

The older man smiled as he took my hand.

"I know better than to believe it will be easy, but I have to try," he said, "Thank you."

"I don't like this," said Francis once Legend had gone, "Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Its not like we have any choice," said Luke, "Seriously, if we don't trust Legend, what are we supposed to do?"

"Lukes right," said Marissa, "While I'm sure we could figure out a way to make money, we'll find it a lot harder to get anything done."

"I think we can trust Legend," said Sarah, "The other two...possibly not."

"Its weird to think we can't trust someone whos so well known as a great hero back home, but I agree," said Noelle, "There was something...oddly intense about him and Alexandria. I'm pretty sure that she could honestly have killed all of us and not batted an eye."

"We need to be careful regardless," I said, "I'm certain we can trust Legend, but remember to keep your eyes and ears open. I'm not convinced that everyone will be as friendly."

"Noted," said Francis, "Do you think we'll actually be able to get home?"

"Assuming we can get in touch, I'm almost certain that Mrs Wallis will be able to figure something out," said Marissa, "Shes already got pocket dimension tech for use with her field gear, so its not that hard to believe that she could figure out how to get to us."

"Hnn, your entirely to optimistic Mars," said Francis.

"Better optimistic than losing ourselves to despair," said Noelle.

"Whatever you say honey," said Francis.

There was a thump as Noelle smacked Francies over the back of the head with her tail.

About an hour later, Legend returned and baied us follow him. He led us through the camp to a cleared area where a man in blue with a peaked cap was stood waiting.

"This the last of them for Brockton?" asked Strider, eyeing our group with an odd look on his face..

"I think so," said Legend, "If its not too much trouble, I'd like to tag along. I need to speak to Director Piggot about something."

"Sure, no problem," said Strider, "Hold onto your butts."

There was a sensation like being turned inside out, followed by a loud pop and our surroundings changed from makeshift base of operations to the helipad on the roof of a skyscraper. Waiting for us was a familiar looking large woman and a few men in PRT armour.

"Good afternoon Director Piggot," said Legend.

"Hello Legend," said the Director, "Are these the kids you told me about?"

"Yes, these are our visitors," said Legend, "I know this isn't exactly standard practice, but thank you for agreeing to keep an eye on them."

"If it means I can get even a couple more Capes willing to help hold the line, I'm willing to put up with a lot," she said, "Speaking of which…"

"I'll talk to Chief Director Costa-Brown," said Legend, "Honestly, I agree, the situation in this city is getting much to dire to allow to continue."

"Thank you," said Piggot.

Legend nodded and turned back to us.

"I'm afraid I can't stay for much longer," he said, "Even with the Endbringer Truce still in place, I have a lot of work to do back in New York. I will however keep an eye on your progress and feel free to contact me if you need any help."

I smiled.

"We won't let you down," I said.

Legend smiled and took off, quickly vanishing in a streak of blue light.

"Alright, I don't have all day so lets get you lot sorted," said Piggot.

We all followed Piggot and her trooper escort into the building. As we did, I couldn't help but grin. This was going to be fun.

And with that, I'm ending this chapter before I start pulling hairs. That ending was a pain in the arse. Anyway, onto the quips!

This is a world where Legend isn't entirely in the know with what the Cauldron is up to, hence why hes willing to help the kids. Plus, he genuinely does want to improve the world and sees the Travelers as a way to do just that.

I...honestly don't think theres much more I can say here, so I'm gonna sign off. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!