Name: Kira Nakamura (Alias: Erika Sato)
Age: 22
Race: Meta-Human
Power: Super System (Class F)
Available EXP: 15,655
Purchased Powers: Sturdy Bones (Class F); Fast Recovery (Class F); Pain Resistance (Class F)
Strength: 13
Vitality: 16
Dexterity: 14
Intelligence: 15
Willpower: 14
Conditions: Moderate Muscle Fatigue
The past week of training had been painful, but she had to admit as she looked over her stats that the progress was worth it. The exercises the hero put her through pushed her well beyond her physical limits and she felt stronger, faster, and healthier than ever before, and that was without buying any more stat points. After talking over her power with Pinpoint in more detail, her sponsor convinced her not to purchase anything until after they trained for a bit. Her sponsor had it in her head that with the limits imposed on how many stat points she could buy, it’d be better to train until she reached a plateau before buying points to push herself even higher. She’d been doubtful, the temptation of easy power nearly getting to her, but she’d managed to resist, and the results seemed to speak for themselves. Two points in Strength, three in Vitality, two in Dexterity, and two in Willpower in just a week seemed insane, but her stat sheet hadn’t lied.
Closing her status, she opened her shop again, but the options were still the same, not that it surprised her.
EXP Balance: 15,655
Upgrades:
>Shop Upgrade (Class E) - Upgrade Super System Shop to Class E. Unlocks additional options. 25,000 EXP
>Strength Point (Class F) - Raise Strength Statistic by 1 point. Repeatable Purchase. Limit: 3/10. 250 EXP
>Vitality Point (Class F) - Raise Vitality Statistic by 1 point. Repeatable Purchase. Limit: 3/10. 250 EXP
>Dexterity Point (Class F) - Raise Dexterity Statistic by 1 point. Repeatable Purchase. Limit: 6/10. 250 EXP
>Intelligence Point (Class F) - Raise Intelligence Statistic by 1 point. Repeatable Purchase. Limit: 6/10. 250 EXP
>Willpower Point (Class F) - Raise Willpower Statistic by 1 point. Repeatable Purchase. Limit: 6/10. 250 EXP
Powers:
Class F
>Fast Recovery (Class F) - Physical recovery is enhanced to the top 10% of baseline human potential. Cannot repair missing limbs. 1,000 EXP (PURCHASED)
>Sturdy Bones (Class F) - Bones are enhanced, becoming more resistant to breaking and slightly more flexible. 1,500 EXP (PURCHASED)
>Thick Skin (Class F) - Skin becomes twice as resistant to damage as baseline humans. Includes minor beauty enhancement 2,500 EXP
>Fast Processing (Class F) - Your brain and nervous system are enhanced, increasing the speed by which you process information to the top 10% of baseline humanity. Does not stack with other nervous system enhancements. Decreased effectiveness with higher Intelligence stat. 5,000 EXP
>Enhanced Strength (Class F) - Muscles can exert 10% more force. Does not increase muscle durability. Does not stack with other muscle enhancements. 2,500 EXP
>Enhanced Dexterity (Class F) - Muscles, tendons, and ligaments become 10% more elastic. Does not increase force potential. Does not stack with other elasticity enhancements. 2,500 EXP
>Enhanced Sight (Class F) - Your eyes are enhanced, giving you near perfect normal vision. Does not improve night vision. 3,000 EXP
>Enhanced Night Vision (Class F) - Your eyes become more sensitive to light, better able to see in low light settings. 1,000 EXP
>Enhanced Hearing (Class F) - Your hearing is enhanced, becoming more sensitive to sound waves. You can hear higher and lower frequencies than the average baseline human. Does not increase resistance to sounds. 1,000 EXP
>Pain Resistance (Class F) - Become more resistant to feelings of pain. Does not increase physical durability. 1,000 EXP (PURCHASED)
Class E
Skimming the powers and upgrades again, nothing popped out at her as something she wanted. The powers she could buy weren’t that good and didn’t seem to do anything she couldn’t replicate with Pinpoint’s training. Besides, she needed every bit of EXP she could get to afford the true prize. Shop Upgrade (Class E). The text at the bottom of the list of powers seemed to promise new, stronger powers once she bought it. Besides buying out the other stat points once she was ready, she wanted the upgrade. Glancing at her balance, she did some math and groaned. She needed 31,000 EXP to get the rest of the stat points and the shop upgrade. With just under 16,000 EXP, she was just over halfway there. She had no idea when she’d get a chance to earn more EXP, but hopefully it was soon. The goon in the power armor had been worth a whopping 2,500 EXP. A few of those and she’d have all the EXP she needed.
I want to fight more goons, Erika thought to herself, only to stop and blink as she processed that thought.
That’s just looking for trouble. What are you, a superhero? A sarcastic neuron thought at her.
Well you have a power, you’re registered, and training with one, so yeah, you kind of are, an even more sarcastic neuro fired back.
Erika shook her head, banishing the rogue thoughts before she looked out at where they were.
Cars flew past them at well over the speed limit as Pinpoint’s driver expertly navigated through the mess of drivers with a death wish. The bougie office buildings of the waterfront rushed by as they drove past downtown and into Kakaako. Despite the chaos, it didn’t take long for the driver to turn off the main road and into the parking structure of an upscale office building near the water front. After passing through a security gate with the swipe of a card, the SUV came to a stop at the curb in front of a front desk manned by a uniformed attendant, while someone who could only be a valet rushed over and opened up Erika’s door.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Welcome to the Office, ma’am,” the valet said, holding his hand out to Erika.
The valet was a handsome man, maybe a couple years older than her, toned and tanned in the way so many local men were. His uniform looked like something she’d see at one of the Waikiki resorts, an aloha shirt and shorts that pleasantly showed off the man’s physique, not an office building. Confused, Erika hesitated until Pinpoint kicked her from behind and sent her stumbling out into the valet’s arms.
“Woah, I gotchu ma’am!” He said with a laugh, the faint pidgin accent betraying his roots.
“T-Thanks…” Erika said as she hastily pushed herself off of him and nodded in thanks as she backed away awkwardly. As she did, she noticed the small nametag on his chest. “...John.”
“Okay enough flirting, we have things to do,” Pinpoint said as she slipped out of the SUV past her with a teasing smile.
Groaning internally, Erika turned and followed her sponsor past the front desk. Just glancing around, she felt out of place. Beyond the desk were a pair of sliding glass doors that opened into a well air conditioned waiting area with finely crafted wood benches and planters filled with manicured blooming plants that perfumed the room with their scent. A uniformed, and armed, security guard sat at another desk looking up suspiciously at them as they entered, though stopped paying them too much attention once Pinpoint flashed something at him.
It felt like the kind of building full of offices for high-powered lawyers and politicians and mob bosses. Erika felt wholly out of place. It was the kind of place an unemployed barista like her would only step into as part of the help, and definitely not wearing sweaty workout clothes while accompanying a C-Class hero out of uniform.
A short elevator ride later, Erika quietly followed Pinpoint to a nondescript door simply labeled with the number 1502. Following in after the hero, Erika froze at the view that greeted her. The room itself wasn’t too special, just a spacious waiting room with a comfortable looking couch pushed against one wall and a couple of paintings she didn’t bother to look too closely at. No, what grabbed her attention was the clear view down the coastline where she could see Diamondhead and the pristine sands of Waikiki Beach in the distance. A multi-million dollar view that people would pay more than she’d earned in her entire life to have. The view was so captivating that she didn’t notice the other person in the room with them until he said something.
“It’s a great view isn’t it?” A man said, his voice dripping with amusement.
Surprised, Erika jumped and turned to face the voice to see Pinpoint poorly hiding a smile at her embarrassment while standing next to a grey-haired man. Despite his salt and pepper hair, the man was a handsome, well muscled man that looked like a bodybuilder only recently retired.
“Erika, I’d like you to meet Mr. Thatcher, one of my dispatchers.”
“Mr. Thatcher… the Dispatcher…?” Erika said, trying her best not to laugh at the ridiculous name.
“Pleasure to meet you Ms. Sato!” Mr. Thatcher’s voice seemed to fill the room. The man’s British accent made everything he said sound so much more pleasant to the ear. “The name’s Hatcher Thatcher,” he said as he took a few steps forward and stuck his hand out in greeting.
Trying not to laugh, Erika grabbed his hand, his meaty paw engulfing hers as it closed gently but firmly. Instinctively, she felt like he could crush her hand without effort despite her powers.
“Well, now that you’ve met Hatcher Thatcher, it’s time you learn about dispatchers and meet your match, err…” Pinpoint said, trailing off with the ghost of a smile.
Erika’s willpower, already holding on by a thread, broke. A snort filled the room as she started to laugh, something about the man’s absolutely ridiculous name and job title and Pinpoint’s ridiculous rhyme, it was just too much! After a few seconds, Erika realized what she was doing and blushed as a wave of shame washed over her. Looking at Hatcher, she expected to see the grandfatherly man looking hurt or angry. She didn’t expect the wide smile on his face.
“Oh I like her! Finally someone else willing to laugh to my face about it! It is a ridiculous name isn’t it?” Mr. Hatcher Thatcher the Dispatcher chuckled.
Erika stared at the man, dumbfounded as the heat in her face grew worse.
“You should see the look on your face,” Pinpoint giggled before making a shocked face at her and laughing even harder.
Mr. Thatcher’s grin softened a bit as he gave Erika a grandfatherly smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended at all. Half the reason I married my husband Edward is so I could take his last name. Hatcher Thatcher rolls off the tongue better than Edward Prewitt. Anyway, come on back,” he said, turning around and leading the way to a door with a keypad. The man blocked the pad from view as he punched in a code, several beeps playing as he did before the door buzzed and unlocked with a heavy mechanical thud.
Following Pinpoint’s lead, Erika went through the door Mr. Thatcher held open and waited for the man to lead them further in. The space beyond the door seemed unremarkable at first, just a a large open space filled with tall cubicle walls and a few doors ringing the area that seemed to be offices. A light drone of unintelligible chatter filled the room, but as they walked past a cubicle opening, a woman’s voice yelled out full of anger.
“I swear to God, Vishnu, and my mother’s rubber slipper, if you take another step towards the suspect before we confirm identity, I will kill you myself!” Mr. Thatcher stopped at the woman’s cubicle and as he put on a wireless headset. Inside, Erika saw a woman in dress pants and a sweater sitting at a computer, some documents open on one screen while what looked like footage from an aerial drone played on another. Mr. Thatcher tapped her briefly on the shoulder, drawing her gaze away for a moment as he motioned to his headset before gesturing for her to continue. Nodding, the woman turned back to her screen as the drone footage seemed to zoom in on a white sand beach somewhere to show a beautiful olive skinned woman relaxing in a white bikini. “Okay, the drone's overhead.”
A profile popped up on the other screen showing a headshot of the woman with the name “Pandora” on it. “Identity confirmed, Pandora, A Class meta. Suspected in several high end jewelry heists across Europe, known to project energy blasts that causes technology to go haywire.” The woman paused for a moment as someone spoke to her through her headset. WIth every passing moment she grew visibly angrier. “No you’re not cleared to engage! She’s just getting a tan on the beach for fucks sake! I repeat, do not pick a fight with an A Class supervillain on vacation! Being suspected of a crime on the other side of the world is not a justification for picking a fight with her here!”
Mr. Thatcher tapped the woman on her shoulder again and gestured to himself. “Blackout, this is Thatcher. I’m ordering you to stand down,” he said firmly into his headset. “As far as we’re aware she hasn’t broken any laws since she got a UAE pardon. Right now she’s just a suspect in some museum heists half way around the world, and there is no warrants for her arrest. Stand down.”
The drone footage on the computer screen changed to show a man in a black spandex suit with blue lightning bolts hiding in some bushes looking through some binoculars. As Mr. Thatcher spoke, the man angrily shoved his binoculars into a pouch on his back before he started to creep along the bushes towards the sunbathing woman.
“Blackout, you’re on the drone right now. If you take another goddamn step towards the woman before she does anything warranting intervention, I will have you charged with assault and stalking. Do. Not. Engage.” Turning to the woman sitting at the computer, Mr. Thatcher started to speak in a quieter voice. “Wanda, who do we have in the area that can intercept him?”
Wanda typed something into her computer before answering. “Hunter, Bolter, and Techntonic are all in the area. Hunter is five minutes out, Bolter’s currently chasing down a mugger, and Tech’s grabbing food at a restaurant across from the beach. Tech can be there in less than a minute.”
“Notify Tech he may need to intercept.”
“Got it.”
On the screen, Erika watched as the man she assumed was Blackout stopped in his tracks glanced up towards the drone. Glaring, the man slowly raised his hand up and flipped the drone off as he spit into the bushes before turning around and moving away from the unsuspecting woman. Wanda let out a loud sigh before speaking again. “Move to the next grid over. Bolter’s chasing a suspected C-Class mugger down and could use the assistance.”
“Good work Wanda,” Mr. Thatcher said as he pulled his headset off. “Write up a report on Blackout and keep an eye on him. Also set up a surveillance team to keep an eye on Ms. Pandora. I want to know how long she’ll be in the islands and everyone she speaks to.”
“Will do, Mr. Thatcher.”
Nodding, the man left the cubicle and continued on as if nothing happened, leading them to an office in the back that had a nameplate reading “Hatcher Thatcher, Senior Manager.” “Take a seat.”