NEXUS
Chapter 3
AN: I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm looking for a Beta reader to help make my work better.
Brockton Bay
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
It has been a week since Mom died. I can't say I'm doing better, but I'm surely coping. I miss her a lot. Her mere presence had been something I used to take for granted, but now that she isn't here, I feel like there is a gaping hole in my chest, one I doubt would ever heal. I had known that her death was fast approaching; maybe that was why her death didn't hit me as much as I had been expecting.
Of course, it hurt like a bitch, but I know it could have been much worse. I would survive, and I would make her proud. I would make them both proud.
I immersed myself in my books, trying to catch up with my classmates and ensuring that I performed to the best of my abilities. I rarely left home, only leaving for college or to stock up on food.
Tensions were high in the city. Lung's capture had caught people off guard, and everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were whispers that someone called Bakuda had taken over as leader of the ABB. There wasn't much known about her or her powers, only that the ABB had managed to keep the Empire from taking any of their territory thanks to her. Besides protecting her territory, the ABB hadn't made any overt moves, though people knew she was recruiting.
Everyone in the city was walking on tenterhooks, myself included, as I knew being away from my home was asking for trouble. Thankfully, my Thursday lectures ended at noon, so I wasted no time jumping on the bus. The first bus always took me from south downtown near the Commercial district, where the College was, and took me up to mid-downtown a block from Brockton Central Bank. From there I would take another bus which dropped me close to home on Lord's Street.
It was raining a bit, more of a drizzle really, and I had been waiting for my second bus when we heard the alarm. The first thing anyone learned in Brockton Bay is that when you hear an alarm or police sirens, you only stand long enough to establish where they are coming from before turning and running in the opposite direction. Because ninety percent of the time, it meant a cape fight, and unless you wished to become a statistic of the many deaths referred to as collateral, you never got close to a cape fight.
Granted, with the number of neo Nazis in the city, when you're a black guy and you are seen running from police, there is a possibility that you might be mistaken for a thief. So you had to make sure that your flight isn't too flighty to arouse suspicion, while at the same time making sure to put as much distance between you and becoming 'collateral damage' as possible.
And so as the sirens rang, I carefully picked my way through the fleeing crowd, hasty enough to avoid whatever was back there but not too hasty to be mistaken for a thief, especially given my skin color. I was three blocks from the bank when I heard screams behind me.
Cursing, I gave up on any subtlety and broke into a sprint as the screams came closer. I didn't bother looking back and ran for all I was worth, reminding myself once again to consider getting more in shape as I could feel my leg muscles start to burn. I was perhaps at the end of the fourth block when I was covered in darkness. I couldn't see a single thing!I kept running, or at least I tried to. The blackness slithered over my skin, oily with a weird consistency to it. Combined with an absolute lack of light that left me unable to tell whether my eyes were open or shut, it was one ominous experience.
All sound in the city had cut off as well. The darkness didn't just block off the swallowed up noises as well. I kept moving in what I hoped was out of the darkness, one restrained step at a time, and then as suddenly as they had disappeared, all my senses returned. It was such a shock that I fell to my knees, instinctively taking in huge gulps of oxygen.
"Alex?" A slightly familiar voice called me.
I pushed myself to my feet and looked at who had called me. Mr. Hebert's daughter stood in front of me with an umbrella. I didn't see the need for one given that the rain could barely be classed as a drizzle by now, but to each their own, I suppose.
"Hey…uh_"
"He forgot your name." The girl she was standing with, a blonde with a pretty face and a smattering of freckles, said with a smirk. "Hi, Alexander. Long time."
"Hey, Lisa." I nodded at the girl. She was one of Brian's friends, and we had met once before.
Lisa was a seventeen-year-old girl with dark blonde hair, mildly above average in appearance, with vulpine facial features, freckles on the bridge of her nose, and bottle-glass green eyes. She was pretty well developed, having curves in all the right places. The kind of girl many boys pinned over.
"I was getting away from whatever is happening back there," I said, indicating the chaos behind me. "I suggest you do the same."
I didn't wait for a response, moving around them and swiftly heading back home. If the two girls wanted to stay around, that was up to them.
-NEW-
The Undersiders had robbed Brockton Bay Central in the middle of the day. It was all over the news, and PHO. They had also fought with the Wards and had escaped thanks to Grue's darkness, the same darkness that had robbed me of my senses a few hours ago.
As soon as I reached home, I switched on the TV and logged onto PHO. The story was still running on the news, though the reporters seemed to be more concerned about the property damage and the fact that Grue's Darkness had shut down traffic for over an hour. The details of the robbery were to be found on PHO, the wards involved in the fight, and the magnitude of injuries, along with the fact that Glory Girl and Panacea were there as well.
I perused through it, reading the official PRT report as well as the comments. The Wards had been handed their asses by the villains and were hurt. I imagine by Hellhound's dogs, as she seemed to be the team's heavy hitter. Also, Kid Win had a big ass Tinker gun.
The Undersiders were a minor group that committed minor crimes all over the city. Just enough to be a nuisance while keeping under the radar of the PRT and not to attract serious force against them. The most dangerous of the lot was probably Hellhound due to her ability to grow her dogs into giant monsters. Grue had his darkness; now that I had experienced it for myself, I could see how it had allowed them to get away with a lot of crimes. Especially if Grue or Hellhound's dogs can navigate the darkness without any issue. Whoever would be pursuing them would be left in the metaphorical dust every time.
Little was known about Tattletale, only that she was a Thinker. Regent was believed to be a weak Master, able to take control of people's nerves to a small extent. Then there was their new member, the bug controller. People were calling her Skitter on PHO.
What was weird was how these minor villains were able to kick the Wards' asses along with Glory Girl and Panacea no less. Granted, Panacea wasn't a fighter, but Glory Girl more than made up for her sister's combat inability. By logic, the Undersiders should be behind bars, then again, since when has anything involving Capes followed logic?
I suspect Tattletale played a big role. Thinkers are usually not good combatants unless they were, of course, combat Thinkers. However, they tend to see things others would never have seen, Tattletale must have figured out some strategy that allowed them to escape the entire cast of Brockton Bay's Wards with our resident Alexandria package.
And that is why Thinkers were bullshit.
All powers were bullshit, but Thinkers were something else. Then there was me who didn't even know which category I was in. I was thinking that I'm probably a fashion Thinker, with a side of Tinker for my ability to design and make cool clothes.
In any case, the Undersiders had, for some reason, decided to up their ante, I imagine the PRT will be going after them more seriously when they show their faces…er their masks again.
My musings were interrupted as I felt the familiar shift as the source of my powers _I need to come up with a name for it_ passed by me. My mind reached out, with significantly more force, having gathered a lot from the previous misses.
I felt my mind snag a powerful one, draining almost all the strength I had gathered. And as I felt my mind analyze the power I got, my eyes widened. The power made it so that anything I made or worked on produced less pollution, consumed less energy, and worked just a little bit more efficiently than it would have otherwise. On a larger scale, I know how to create a well-organized factory complex that makes efficient use of space, any conveyor systems I put in place minimize transport time and are free of bottlenecks, and I could easily account for future expansion.
Also, the power is called [Green machine] because anything I worked on falls under the category of supporting green energy. Not that I knew how to create any machines, but should I have the knowledge, I could assemble a phone that used much less power than it was supposed to and was much more efficient in every way, and I could make a car that used less fuel and produced less pollution. If I looked at a factory concept, I could think of the best ways to arrange everything inside in a way that milked the available space for all that it was.
Hell, merely looking at the living room, I could think of ways to rearrange it in a way that left it with enough free space I could fit twice as much as it held now without making it crowded. Looking at the TV hanging on the wall, even with my rudimentary knowledge of electronics, I could think of different ways to improve it to increase its efficiency, especially regarding its power usage. Every single electronic device I lay my eyes on, I could think of ways to improve them, and with this, I could cut my power bills in half!
And that was just here. I could think of how to reorganize the city in a way that would not only help it thrive economically but also save whatever energy was consumed every day. We could cut the pollution emitted in the city. Then again, no one in their right mind would give free rein to some seventeen-year-old over the city. Even one that could back their claims.
It was rumored that this might be the reason Accord had become a villain. While there was no concrete evidence, and the rumors were only known to a few people, I had read somewhere that while working at Watchdog, he had come up with a plan that would solve world hunger. This was an established Thinker working for a powerful organization, but when he brought up his plan, he was simply dismissed out of hand.
If they could dismiss someone like that, who would even give someone like me the time of day? Accord probably would. And now that I consider it, I would make for a juicy target for the Boston villain given his known obsession with order. With my latest power, I would be like a gift from god to him. Hell, working together, we could come up with ways to help this world together, were any of us even inclined towards something like that.
For the record, I have no interest in saving the world. It had enough heroes already, and I have no interest in inviting the Simurgh or the Slaughterhouse 9 by daring to help the people like Sphere had attempted to, only to end up as Mannequin, one of the most dangerous capes. Perhaps that stance might change in the future, if I ever felt secure enough to help without endangering myself. But until then, I'm happy with being just another dude with a kick-ass fashion sense.
In any case, I have no interest in working for Accord even if it isn't to save the world. He was known to have a tendency to go into a homicidal rage for the most inane reasons, so working for someone where your life expectancy was measured according to his mood was not my idea of a dream job. And I believe that if he were to get even a whiff of my new power, or if anyone else were to find out about them, I imagine it wouldn't be long before I had my door kicked in by people seeking to recruit me.
In situations like that, my consent won't be something whoever comes knocking will be interested in.
I needed protection.
My first powers were just skills that anyone could have, in other words, nothing that other people couldn't do. This new power, though, while subtle, was a unique one and had a lot of potential. One that would make me stand out from other people, and knowing what its capabilities were, one that would be coveted by a lot of people. Both good and bad that would want to exploit me.
Perhaps I was giving myself a little too much self-importance, but it was known that independent capes didn't last long, especially here in Brockton Bay. Either they get killed during fights or they get conscripted into a gang, sometimes very forcefully. I wasn't comfortable with either option.
The PRT was the best option, but seeing as I was not a fighter, I would need to appear very useful for them to give me a chance. This meant I needed a strategy for how to best present myself. I needed to write a proposal that I could present to the PRT without having them roll their eyes and tell me to move along. It would have to be appealing enough not to be thrown away out of hand, practical, and not expensive.
In other words, I needed time to think.
-NEW-
After a lot of thinking
I will not be going to the PRT.
At least not yet. After the panic from getting my new power had passed, I was still writing my proposal when clarity finally returned. I didn't need to go to the PRT or even do anything to hide myself; all I needed to do was keep my mouth shut about this power, or any other power I had for that matter. If no one knew about it, then no one would come looking for me because of it. In fact, given how fast my powers were growing, it was very possible I could get a new power to defend myself with.
I finished up my proposal, though, I had faith that if the powers that be took five minutes to read through, they would be convinced of my worth. The changes I suggested, while they may need additional costs to implement, would ultimately cut the power consumption of the city in half; the organizational changes suggested would boost trade and save the city a lot of money. But most importantly, it didn't come off as something so outlandish that someone would consider it a pipe dream. Any other particular smart unpowered person, given enough time, would be able to come up with something close, though it would take them much longer than it had taken me.
For now, I would keep it on my flash around my neck in the event that I might need to run to the government for protection.
It took me three hours to complete my proposal.
By the time I was finished, it had gone dark outside. I put together some dinner, and after eating, I returned to the living room and took apart my laptop. I didn't want to touch the other electronics just yet, as someone might wonder why I was using half as much electricity as before and come sticking their nose where it didn't belong. However, things like my laptop, phone, and other electronics that didn't need direct connections were fair game.
I collected all electronics in the house that had batteries or other power sources and didn't need an active connection, and took them apart before reassembling them with a few changes, which allowed each of them to be able to use half as much energy as before. I started small with electric toothbrushes until I had my phone and laptop's guts on the table as I tried to change a few things here and there.
Thanks to [I Can Whip Something Up, I didn't get tired or exhausted when working, so despite spending hours over the table, I was feeling as fresh as I had been when I started. I had just finished putting back my phone and was moving on to the laptop when someone knocked on the door. I frowned as I checked the time. It was almost 10 and I wasn't expecting anyone, let alone this late.
I looked at the screen on the reading room's wall, which was linked to cameras I had installed all around the house. Some were displayed openly while the others, of much higher quality, were hidden in places where they couldn't be identified unless someone really wanted to find them. Together, they gave me an uninterrupted feed of everything in and around my house on the large screen and my phone if I wanted to monitor the house when I was out.
I saw Brian on my porch. He was wearing a black hoodie and kept glancing behind him as if to make sure no one was keeping watch.
I activated the intercom from my newly assembled phone. "Who is there?"
He seemed startled by the voice. I had installed a high-quality speaker that made my voice very clear, unlike the normal generic intercom speakers.
"Hey, Alex." He started. "It's me, Brian."
I remotely unlocked the door, still using my phone. "Come on in, it's open."
He entered and closed the door behind him, and I locked it immediately.
"Reading room!"
I called out, and he slowly made his way into my repurposed reading room, now my workshop. The walls were hidden by three wall-sized bookshelves filled with all sorts of books collected by Dad, Mom, and me. The only free wall, which had once held a whiteboard, now had a surveillance screen, while the middle of the room was dominated by a large oval-shaped wooden table with six comfortable chairs around it.
One side of the table had my books and class work, while the other part had my disassembled laptop and other electronics I had finished working on.
I almost cursed aloud as I felt the Forge approach, and my mind reached out. It had only taken me a few minutes of concentration to find out the name of the source of my powers. If the powers themselves came with names, it was only natural that their source had a name as well, and I had found out that it was called the Celestial Forge.
The Forge approached, and my mind reached out. I still didn't understand how I gathered strength for my reach. I wished it had waited for a few more minutes, but it seemed it couldn't be helped. It latched onto one, and it was a big one, too big for whatever strength I had, and I sighed in relief as it moved along and I missed the connection. Getting a new power, when I was still struggling to get along with my latest one, would have been a veritable mess. Especially with Brian here.
And speaking of…
"Hey." He greeted me as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
I waved him off. He was interrupting, but he was also one of my last living relatives so he got a free pass.
"Nothing I can't finish later." I put down the tools and took off the protective glasses I had been wearing. "So, whatsup?"
He shrugged. "Not much. You?"
"I'm a little swamped with assignments, but nothing I can't handle." I pulled off the gloves I had been using. "So, I hope you didn't come here for small talk, especially this late."
Brian chuckled. "Blunt as always, I see. And no, I didn't come for 'small talk' I know how hopeless you are when it comes to that."
I nodded. "Good. So what do you want?"
He sighed.
"I need to ask you for a favor."
"I'm listening."
"You are aware that Dad won custody over Aisha from Mom." He started. Mom had been concerned about Aunt Celia, and she hadn't believed her capable of raising Aisha. She had even been planning on suing for Aisha's custody before Mr. Laborn, at Brian's encouragement, did it instead. Aunt Celia had fallen in with the wrong sort and had become a drug addict. Mom had actually testified against her sister in the trial, allowing Mr. Laborn to get custody as she believed him to be a far better option than Celia. And besides, Brian would be there too since he was already living with Mr. Laborn, and he had an overprotective streak a mile long when it came to Aisha.
"Yeah, Mom had been worked up over it," I told Brian. "She had wanted to sue for Aisha's guardianship herself before your Dad asked her to testify on his behalf."
Brian looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know that. Dad never mentioned Aunt Susan had been interested in adopting Aisha."
I shrugged.
"She had certainly been."
"It would have been great if she had." Brian sighed. "Dad is…not a bad person. But he just isn't father material. Especially for a sensitive and troublesome teenage girl of Aisha's nature. He is trying his best, he really is, but it just isn't enough. I planned on getting custody of Aisha myself as soon as I made eighteen, but it won't be for another few months." He paused, rubbing his temples. "Also, Mom is apparently turning 'a new leaf' and I believe it's only a matter of time before she tries to get custody again."
I nodded in understanding, letting him continue.
"I…you're legally an adult, Alex." I raised an eyebrow at that. I didn't think my emancipation was public knowledge. Brian looked abashed. "Sorry, I'm pretty worked up over this issue, and I've been keeping an eye out for any options. When I caught wind of your emancipation, I figured it was an opportunity I could try to take advantage of."
"Dude, please just get to the point, all these explanations are getting exhausting."
"I want you to get custody of Aisha."
I blinked. "What?"
"You're an adult, and a blood relative, so you fit the criteria." He explained. "You have a safe environment to raise her, you're obviously responsible, smart. Lisa can get you a steady-paying job. You fulfil all the legal requirements, and I'll be taking care of all your financial needs." He was now getting animated. "Dad will be willing to testify, of course, he wants Aisha to be someone else's responsibility, and my boss can help us when it comes to court."
"Brian, I can't."
"I…if you need time to think about_"
"Dude, I just lost my Mom less than a week ago." I interrupted him, raising my hand to forestall whatever he had been about to say. "And trust me, I'm not fishing for sympathy here, it's just that I'm still trying to get my life back together, I'm not ready to take on any other responsibilities other than taking care of myself."
"Your responsibilities when it comes Aisha are only going to be on paper. I'll take care of everything else," Brian assured me. "All you need to do is provide her with a place to sleep."
"I feel for you, man, I really do, you and Aisha both, but I just can't, sorry," I told him. "Not now of all times. Maybe we can revisit this conversation in a month or two, but now, I'm just not ready for something like that. I'm happy to watch her for you from time to time, but not that kind of commitment. Not yet."
Brian nodded with a sigh. "I understand. Your life is a mess as it is, I shouldn't have sprung this on you like this."
"Hey, any other time, I would have jumped at this chance. I barely know you guys, and you're all I have left of family, and this could have been an opportunity to spend some time with you guys."
"It's okay, man," Brian replied as he stood up. "Like you said, maybe we can talk about this sometime in the future."
"Yeah, good luck, man," I told him, shaking his hand. "And be careful out there, with Lung in prison, things are about to get rough in the city. Won't be surprised if we have a gang war on our hands soon."
"You too, cuz."
-NEW-
Brian had thankfully left when I felt the Celestial Forge move again. The constellations passed by me; there were nine of them, and I knew each constellation had its own special set of powers which manifested as motes of light. My mind latched onto one of the larger motes, and I felt my latest power register in my head. It was… knowledge, Programming knowledge to be exact. I had extensive knowledge about Programming, like I had been doing it for decades. Compared to my previous attempts at writing code, I felt like a little kid learning to switch on his smartphone.
Now I was an expert at all kinds of programming languages. I could write code for almost anything! My old house system was so rudimentary and basic that it was laughable. I could improve it in so many ways that I was itching to start right away.
Putting my laptop together, I logged into my house's security system and put in some contingencies which made sure that should anything happen to me, whoever was responsible would have to try very hard not to be caught by the authorities. Thankfully, the system was one I had put together myself. It was still a work in progress, but I had been working on it almost every day since I entered college, and we truly started learning programming. At this point, I had faith that it could help a lot.
Nearly everything in the house ran on it; a lot of the electronics in the house were automated and ran off that system, which can only be accessed by me. It wasn't impervious to being hacked, it needed a good number of upgrades before that. While it wouldn't be hacked by accident, anyone who actually tries to hack it could do so easily. What it lacked in protection, however, it made up for in offense. Whoever hacked into my security system would be opening up themselves, and with a door into their systems, I would be able to gather some juicy information before they even notice and shut me out.
As an electronics engineering student, one of the first things we were introduced to as soon as we started college was programming, and this was a subject I was most enthusiastic about. It is such an essential part of the field, you have microprocessors, microcontrollers, higher-end processors, and then there are device drivers and so many hardware devices that are simply hardware and wouldn't perform unless programmed properly. Every electronic circuit board contains a processing device that is coded appropriately. Electrical generation systems and transmission systems are controlled and monitored using software.
Without even a basic understanding of code, some would be utterly stumped. As soon as I got a basic understanding of code, I pursued it to the best of my ability. My first project was an attempt to create an AI, but I swiftly realized that I was reaching for too much a little too soon. It would take me years and a dedicated study of programming before I could even start to grasp what is required to create a proper AI. Of course, that was without even considering the fear of AI everyone had thanks to the Machine Army and all the movies about AI going rogue and attempting to destroy the world.
So I had shelved the idea of AI for now and kept my beginnings of code on my trusty flash. Instead, I decided to create a system that I would develop over time. Of course, this system was developed based on my initial code for the AI, which meant that the better it became, the closer I got to the next best thing. It would never have become an AI, but it would beat any other system out there.
But with this new programming knowledge, several possibilities that had been beyond me were now open.
I barely stopped myself from deleting my current home system entirely and rewriting it from scratch. One, because it would not only leave my home vulnerable security-wise but also basically dead, given that almost all electronics operate through the system. Secondly, despite its amateurishness, I had put a lot of work into creating, maintaining, and upgrading it up to this point, and I didn't want it all just to be flushed down the drain.
And so, rather than scraping it entirely, I left it in place and started writing a new program. One written by a master programmer, one that had the potential of evolving into an AI. After I had taken apart my laptop and rebuilt it again, thanks to [Green machine], it was like it was on steroids; its processing power and speed had multiplied several times over, and everything on it worked more smoothly than it had any right to. Which made it the best machine in the world to house my new, improved, and modern program.
Compared to my old system, it was like comparing the Mona Lisa to a drawing made by a junior school kid.
The new program was based on the existing system and my earlier attempt at AI, but much more expertly written. It would start as a simple program for my home for security and electronics control.
But as it grew and adapted with my help, slowly, it would develop into a full-fledged AI capable of so much more. It would no doubt take months and months of constant upgrade and maintenance, but I was a very patient person, and the assurance that I would eventually have an AI. Of course, by then I should have got myself a better computer for it to run on, my laptop, as juiced up as it was, was not enough for the AI I had in mind. Maybe I could create one myself; my background knowledge in programming was good enough to repurpose other computers into a supercomputer that would be more than enough to suit my needs and house my AI. And that was not considering my other powers. I may even need to create an OS of my own.
For now, though, I had to write the first part of the code and give it direction. At one point, it would begin to write itself as it grew and developed, until then, I would have to guide it by myself.
And so, with that in mind, I sat back and started typing.
-NEW-
AN: Jumpchain abilities this chapter
Programming (World Seed) (100CP)
Through hard hours spent slaving over a hot keyboard, you have learned the art of programming, you could write a program for pretty much anything, please don't try to steal people's bank accounts.
Green machine (Factorio) (400CP)
You have a knack for wringing every little bit of efficiency out of a system as possible. Your machines produce less pollution, consume less energy, and work just a little bit faster. On a larger scale, you know how to create a well-organized factory complex that makes efficient use of space, your conveyor system minimizes transport time and is free of bottlenecks, and you easily account for future expansion.
