Rain Harlow
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Chapter 14
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 01:10:46 +0000 UTCChapter 14: Pick One of Three Jacks
Jack nodded slowly to Boss Lady’s spiel, then silently did as instructed.
As soon as he thought about it, he located a little ‘itch’ in his head, and it expanded quickly into three glowing boxes lodged in his field of view in a row, burning themselves into his mind as something far more than mere text in English.
Material Guardian (Steel Exoskeleton) — You can quickly form a thick, super-hard steel alloy layer over your skin. It moves flawlessly with you and acts as reinforcement for strength application in addition to strong protection from harm.
Primary Mutation — Incorporation: You can touch other whole metals and absorb/incorporate them as another layer over the top of your primary layer. The maximum mass and timeframe of incorporation are determined by [Transmute] with the timeframe also influenced by [Control]. By default, you cannot shape this layer, only form a uniform covering mimicking your existing frame.
Advantages: Additional defensive benefits on top of the focus of the Guardian class. Probable strength levers are available with additional mutations. Some utility through indirect touch-range disabling of metal barriers or constructs.
Disadvantages: No strong mobility or ranged offensive aids to mitigate existing Guardian disadvantages. Must incorporate [Transmute] with below-average value potential. Low general utility.
This is a Superior Powerset. High Levels are achievable.
Power Gradings: [B+] (56) O.L. (Operative Levels), [S-] (78) F.M. (Feasible Maximum).
Utility Gradings: [D+] (28) O.L., [B] (50) F.M.
Material Controller (Metal) — You can levitate and plastically shape metal or metal alloys found in their metallic, malleable forms. This does not include bound elements found within living organisms or other complex compounds that do not fit the core definition.
The minimum size is roughly material that would be visible and identifiable to you by the naked eye. You may utilize [Interpret] to locate metal by feel (with a similar range at Level 1) but ignoring obstructions, facing, et cetera.
Primary Mutation — Channel Memorite: You utilize [Create] to temporarily transport/generate a small amount of Memoria’s core element (an iron alloy) to manipulate. You can fuse and alloy — or ‘possess,’ in a sense — other metals to expand your total mass and volume. This generally follows your existing perceived realm of control.
Advantages: Eliminates Archon distance limitations on powers, and changes the proximity for others based on the material. Does not provide direct Archon access otherwise, only indirect access (i.e. power use, communication, etc.). You always have a small amount of material available.
Disadvantages: Must balance [Create] and [Control] for power and precision. Utilizes indirect manipulation with a setup that is subject to interception or interference. Generally requires active use. Most passive uses leveraging metal possession are very fatiguing (with exceptions).
This is a Superior Powerset. High Levels are achievable.
Power Gradings: [B-] (47) O.L., [S] (84) F.M.
Utility Gradings: [A-] (62) O.L., [S+] (90) F.M.
Material Scout (Steel Platform) — You can summon and levitate a super-strong, durable, flat platform with very high load-bearing capabilities. It is always aligned flat with respect to Earth and will not change this facing. Damage that would otherwise warp the platform will instead annihilate material and reduce the platform's size.
Primary Mutation — Long Haul: You can maintain your platform indefinitely and subconsciously. You may accelerate it to higher speeds for each level of [Control], and all payloads are strongly anchored. Within Memorial territory, ignore all scaling reductions due to Archon distance. A heavy scaling reduction will begin outside of the borders.
Advantages: Safe, fast, group travel within and near Memorial territory. High, flight-capable mobility. Can ‘ram’ destructively if necessary, potentially to very powerful, though one-shot, damage levels.
Disadvantages: No defensive capabilities and limited offense — primarily a non-combat class. Damaged platform material potential ‘regenerates’ very slowly once lost.
This is a Superior Powerset. High Levels are achievable.
Power Gradings: [D] (23) O.L., [C+] (43) F.M.
Utility Gradings: [A+] (73) O.L., [S] (81) F.M.
Even with dozens of questions in his head, Jack ate up all the information hungrily, his heart beating fast with excitement for his prospects.
Powers! Holy shitballs, I’m going to be a kickass metal guy! One way or another. Damn. This isn’t going to be an easy choice for me, either.
Something about it all did make him feel a bit put out, though. He glanced at Boss Lady ‘through’ the floating virtual readout, which made it fade. She had a mild smirk on her face. Jack made his voice deliberately mild as he commented, “I won’t ever be ‘the best’ at doing metal stuff no matter what. No one can beat Chromey at what he did, and then beyond that, Memoria herself is completely dominant. Right?”
Boss Lady appeared to ignore him as she fished out another cigarette to light up. Jack fought off a desire to ask for one. Barely.
She blew smoke into his face, clearly teasing him again. As he frowned at her incredulously, she finally replied, “You don’t know frag about shit, Jack. But this has become a test of your decision-making capabilities. Don’t ask me for advice. You can clarify some things yourself.”
Jack nodded slowly. “No advice, then. But can I ask questions? Totally neutral, fact-based questions.”
“Yes.”
“Will you answer, though?”
She just made a subtle kind of ‘Will I?’ expression, eyebrows raising slightly.
So sassy. Or like a tiger playing with its food?
After consideration, he decided he wouldn’t bother her with things he could first just look up. Firstly, those ‘Gradings.’
Tier Gradings: These are arbitrary values assessed by Central Processing to provide realistic, ballpark expectations to potential powered agents. The number is the true value, and the letter grade is provided due to overwhelming preference and consensus. Fractions are dropped by default but may be added back, as preferred.
The values are comparative between all powered agents of the specified general level grades. ‘50’ can be considered ‘average performance,’ with higher values denoting a higher percentile performance expectation. The higher values become much rarer with every point and may fail to represent the current crop of agents. ‘100’ is considered unattainable perfection.
All tier gradings can fluctuate with experience and mutation.
Power Grading: Application of some combination of offense, defense, or amplification of others therein, in combat scenarios, whether by raw force or precision.
Utility Grading: Application of non-combat functions, the existence of complex problem-solving enhancers, and general versatility. Can be assumed to refer to ‘how useful in general’ the powerset is, both beyond combat and potentially ‘within’ the general Power Grading. Some weight is included for assessed future mutation potential.
Operative Levels (O.L.): Refers to those cleared for mission-worthy status. These are class levels 7-15, in ballpark reference. This grading becomes irrelevant once Operative Levels are obtained and will disappear.
Feasible Maximum (F.M.): Refers to a highly skeptical predictive measure of future potential at high class levels. Few ever achieve this. Subject to change.
Current Level (C.L.): Assessed grade for the current point in time. Available after Intensive Training clearance.
Alright, so… I have the Guardian at a higher starting combat impact and lower utility. I have the Controller at lower combat impact, higher utility, and overall higher — if unlikely — potential. And the Scout for basically just staying out of combat as some kind of super cargo hauler. Immediate high value.
He could make a case for the latter being what they were trying to force him into. Maybe Memoria needed someone to take a bit of the load off of her. He knew that demand for pilots wasn’t at all declining from his days. If anything, it was ballooning.
It was interesting how the powersets each seemed to represent some different aspect or history of him. The Scout was so much the career he had chosen, like a Super Pilot. He could do what he always did, just better!
The Guardian was deeply embedded in the dreams of his youth. There was every boy’s one-time idol, The Chrome Giant. He was hardly an exception, and the class was exactly what a boy would imagine themselves doing as a hero: punching and smashing the hell out of things while being incredibly tough and strong. Though his specific class was probably more like a poor man’s version of Chromey.
And the Controller… He was having a hard time conceptualizing what of him it was into more than some indescribable feeling.
The… Adult In the Room? Bah! No. That’s horrible. It’s not like it's boring. Hm.
“Is this Guardian class anything like Chromey?” Jack found himself asking suddenly. “I feel like it's probably some poor man’s version.”
Boss Lady seemed to consider the question as she puffed, eyes squinting. “I suppose Chromey’s class details are as non-classified as technically classified information gets. The Chrome Giant was a Bruiser. A survivable melee damage dealer, but his primary mutation gave him added toughness, making him an all-around powerhouse right off the bat. Add in an iconic time of capturable leveling potential lying around in every cardinal direction, which unlocked mobility and ranged potential — not to mention raw class levels — and you have the stacked-up ingredients of a legend.”
Jack nodded along and absorbed all this gladly. A tiny nugget, yet it means a lot. This isn’t a poor man’s Chromey. It’s more defensive. Probably gets mutations that keep layering it. But it is hard-pressed on offense and utility. Wall-of-Ooze is probably an example of a Guardian with great utility. Probably sucks at raw force, but can be very disruptive when his ooze grabs you.
Boss Lady eyed him and said, “It’s almost as if being led and advised helps with this sort of thing. Coaching.”
“Eh, where’s the fun in that?” Jack replied flippantly. “Besides, this is basically a free shot. Can’t go wrong when the boss is hovering over your shoulder, right?”
“It’s a test now, Jack. Better for you to pass it.”
He sighed and turned his attention back to the ‘test.’ There was no small impulse in him to deliberately choose the ‘wrong’ one out of petty spite, but he dismissed it. His own pride prevented that. At least for that reason. He wanted to objectively decide what he wanted most, what was best for him. Then the Mems could yea or nay. At least he’d know and understand whether they were at odds.
Being my life, honesty is what is most important here. Not picking their right answer. Not at all. For that alignment, I have to hope.
Ultimately, he crossed out the obvious ‘wrong answer’ for the Mems and the wrong answer for him: Guardian.
I don’t want to be some meathead brick, fun as it might be. I’m sure there are enough of them out there. I’m never going back to Kid Jack. I can open an old art notebook and smile at my childhood doodles, but to put a pencil to it and dream those dreams the same way again is forever gone. The same to live them. It won’t satisfy me. It can’t. And there’s zero chance the Mems think this average-looking entry is ‘critical.’ Not that it would stop me if it seemed right.
As he dismissed it, the bubble of text faded away from his vision. Bye-bye, Jack’s Childhood. You were a high-energy showing fit for nostalgia, but let’s leave it enshrined in memory where it belongs.
The two other classes remained. One was a greater perfecting of who he’d chosen to be the greater entirety of his adult life. A transporter, a medium between points on the grid. The other was a bit of a mystery he needed to puzzle out. He didn’t think he could be certain which one out of them was what his superiors wanted, so he allowed himself to punt that consideration into oblivion. He’d ride or die on what he wanted to be, and the consequences could follow.
Contemplating the Controller, Jack felt like he was looking at a generalist. A strategist of raw material. He was somewhat familiar with the class/role because his military time sprinkled a bit of knowledge. The famous Controller of note was Stitcher, who had some sort of organic manipulation. She could dismantle, rebuild, and enhance — that much was clear.
In perusing, he realized he could draw up brief class summaries in his head. So he took a look at the ones he’d been offered. A prominent glaring note popped up to the side as he did so.
Warning! All classes are subject to modification by mutations, particularly primaries. Always rely on novel instructions from superiors about your unique role in a team or operation. These informal summaries serve simply as a default assumption for quick, ballpark identification.
Now you know! And knowing is half the battle, soldier.
Guardian — Self-defense, potential party defense, and high Armor. Functions like an advance tank.
Strengths: Generically applied, unparalleled high Armor. Mid-level melee damage dealing. Often good at defending others.
Weaknesses: Poor accuracy, ranged capabilities, and (generally) mobility.
Controller — Medium-range balanced offense and defense, party support, and battlefield control (BC).
Strengths: Versatile manipulation of a medium for combat and utility. Excels at BC or (in some cases) support.
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to melee. Must balance and trade-off attack and defense. Lower total Power compared to specialists.
Scout — Sensory, movement, and stealth specialist, with low offense and defense.
Strengths: Sensory and perception, speed/movement, and stealth. Good accuracy. Excels at escape.
Weaknesses: Poor attack magnitude and defense, suited to avoid combat.
Right. So, nothing too crazy, but Controller has a ton of versatility. If they shift to offense, they give up defense, and vice versa, and probably never to an equivalent experience specialist — or equivalent ‘level,’ I guess I need to start thinking. My option for Controller has a high grade on the ‘future potential’ front, so perhaps it isn’t out of hope for shoring up weaknesses more in due time.
Out of curiosity, he drew up the explanation for ‘BC.’
Battlefield Control (BC): Refers to the ability of a combatant to interfere with the goals and strategy of the enemy beyond raw firepower. Most prominently, an assessed strength in this valuation can ‘tie down,’ stall, or even disable a problematic enemy, or multiple enemies. All classes have some potential in this valuation, but [Controller], [Disruptor], [Summoner], and [Sentinel] usually excel. BC-enhancing mutations are highly desired in all classes.
The non-combat classes [Mastermind] and [Charmer] excel as well, but are rarely desired to be risked in combat scenarios. If unavoidable, BC strategies are advisable as self-defense, or — if in a group — as their most efficient role barring any contrary mission-specific instructions.
Damn, but did he like the sound of that.
Meanwhile, Scout was also a big packet of assorted goodies, albeit designed to stay out of combat entirely for the most part. Which made perfect sense with the name of the class, of course. Ordinarily, it would not be a ‘safe’ choice at all, if it was expected to sneak and scout beyond even the frontiers of humanity. If anything, that sounded among the most dangerous of roles.
His version of it was likely safer, though, with its payload-hauling specialties. If that was valuable, he’d be highly protected and not risked wantonly for typical scouting scenarios. Ironically, as far as self-preservation went, the class with zero defense might’ve been the best bet.
Jack deliberated. Self-preservation was important to consider. A lot of people had advised him to consider that throughout his career. His entire life, even.
He lifted his eyes to Boss Lady, who had an expression that looked as if she was holding in a ‘Can you hurry it the frag up, jackass?’ Well, she could wait a few clicks longer. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Just as a shot in the dark hypothetical, how likely is it for Controller and Scout to shore up their weaknesses at later levels? I’m particularly curious about vulnerability.”
She took a deep, deep drag of her cigarette and began blowing it out slowly. He was left to wonder if she’d bother answering. But finally, she said, “There are always tricks that suit the class. Eventually. Like the biological definition of mutation, there is inherent randomness — contoured and shaped by experience, yet falling short of entirely predictable outcomes. Your true role, the role of every servant, is to adapt and grow.”
Her eyes got wider and more intense as she leaned forward. Sheer eerieness with an undercurrent of passion. “Crack the egg, spill out wet and weak, breathe in the volatile reactive medium of the bold, new world. Let that fire burn your lungs, Jack. Let it suffuse and infuse you, and you’ll survive. Crawl through the muck, squinting through the glare of light, and when you finally see? You’ll realize you’re at an apex.”
Jack stared back, caught spellbound by her intensity. He was left both intrigued and uncomfortable.
She’s a… fascinating woman. That’s for sure.
Jack took a breath and rubbed the stubble at his chin. Suddenly, he leaned back and chuckled. “I just realized: I think that was a pep talk. I thought you wouldn’t advise or coach me? Shame, shame.”
Boss Lady reacted no further than to give him a narrow-eyed glare without any hint or tell of playfulness — yet somehow, as dangerous as she no doubt was, he knew it wasn’t serious.
Hmm.
Very satisfied with himself for ‘getting her,’ Jack nonetheless took what she said as serious encouragement. Adapt and grow. Feel the burn. Yeah. I guess I know where the full potential lies, where the greater purpose is, what it is I want to ‘mutate’ to the top of. To strive for excellence throughout a new journey.
He took a last look at what he’d leave behind. More than a class — a whole, brief traipse through a journey of reasonable, minimal effort. It was plenty good enough for some to be that cog in the wheel, and a million of them were needed. More every day. A lot of them were brothers and sisters he loved.
But he wasn’t made to be one of those cogs. He hated it and it made him miserable — when he was honest with himself. Even as a cargo pilot, he always had an itch to do more. That he wasn’t doing enough. After what happened, and he left the service to get a Normal People job… it was like… dissolving into nothing, comparatively. Emptiness. A wasteland for a wolf without a pack to walk.
No more Taximan Jack. The sequel to Jack’s Childhood… man, it was mediocre. An even worse Part 3 isn’t advisable. To the new production, we go! I sure hope we can keep the same actor.
He made the selection… and then made the confirmation through the glaring ‘Are you sure you want this class?’ pop-up. Material Controller (Metal). Yes.
Crack the egg.
Instantly, there was another explosive sensation within him, as he’d felt with Quallakuloth’s surgery. That higher-dimensional prosthetic construct of twists and angles shifted from a looser, fluid state into a greater, interlocked form with new and stronger branches into his brain and body. It was raw, cosmic cement poured into the molds of a more tangible temple. Him.
He was suffused with an electric-like, surging energy touching every fiber and nerve — a pain and pleasure mix that was far too much in one instant. With the tip of a cry cut off, he passed out.
It wasn’t long. He came to with his body tensed, twitching, and sweating, his head and hands on the table and holding on, perhaps instinctually. Something somehow thicker had followed the energy into him, or the energy became it. Vibrating branches that attached to him, making raw new hybrid nerves to feel through.
Curiously, he was separated from the pain enough to experience it. It was numbed, coated in some dulling medium that intercepted those needless signals. The transformation reached through it, and it was bent and thinned, but if it was ever pierced, it was only at the exact precision points necessary.
Quallakuloth. The seal. Thank you.
His senses only gradually became anything more than totally haywire. He felt that ‘solidity’ grow in his bones, and it was connected to something infinitesimally close and foreign. A substance. Through the bridge of him, it called out and itched for more substance around him. Something under the table — the frame — and around him… through the walls…
All vibrations on the same frequency. It was like beautiful music to him. It rang in his soul; a crystalline purity. He liked the idea of making it louder and fuller. He tried to do so… Some ghost or echo of vibration occurred in him and the room, but it was like trying to beat a drum by flailing one’s hands at it across a hall.
“Awp, awp!” came a voice in admonishing warning. “Bad things can happen without training, Jack.” Boss Lady. It was Boss Lady across the table. Blink, blink. “Amazing that you’re even conscious. Simmer down! You’ll be cartwheeling with your new buddy all too soon, son. So to speak. Or perhaps I should say ‘jamming out?’ Regardless: knock it off.”
Jack, still a bit out of it, complied without thinking and dropped the effort. He felt himself sucking in breath and panting. He was so raw and exhausted. Numb. A part of him wanted to flop on the floor and lie around for a few hours. There was ‘stuff’ in his head — System stuff, he understood — but he couldn’t even focus on it.
Another command came. “Drink, Jack.”
His eyes focused on the now condensation-wet can that had been set in front of him earlier. Suddenly, he felt like a man dying of thirst in the desert, and heaven had dropped salvation down into the sand where he'd dropped down to die. He twisted to grab the can in two hands. He didn’t even need to open it — it just popped open on its own! It might’ve been weird. He didn’t care right then, though.
Awkwardly, unable to fully upright himself, he twisted sideways to face up slightly and guzzle the drink — choke it down — spilling a bunch of it in the process. Cold, refreshing, sweet, gasoliney. There was never anything so good in the history of existence as that drink. It was so incredibly good that his eyes fogged over and teared up. His body screamed for more; he was a synthetic vampire aching for machine blood. He barely paused to chug the whole thing as quickly as he could. He was surprised and deeply disappointed when it was gone.
Hands slapped the table loudly, startling him. “Ha ha!” Finally Jack managed to turn himself and see Boss Lady with her hands pressed to the table, an impish grin and general intense expression on her face as she eyed him. “The baby bird gets his first morsel! Finally. Holy shit in a wine glass, Jack, it’s over!”
She pointed a finger at him in what seemed like… victorious celebratory glee, her eyes wide. “You’re mine, motherfragger! You’re mine. What a tense negotiation! But instructive. It’s always important to learn more from novel experiences, Jack. Even for me.”
Jack just stared in disbelief. More of his faculties returning to him, he managed hoarsely, “Who the frag are you?”
She smirked, took a last drag of her ciggy, then spun it around and very gently stuck it in his mouth. She rose, her chair sliding loudly out. “Introduction is in order, isn’t it? As requested, as promised.” The lighting of the room flickered and then seemed to draw in toward her. It was like she was striking a heroic pose highlighted for cameras. She thrust her hand out emphatically, as if for a shake, and grinned as wide as the room. “Memoria, son. Boss Bitch and Archon of Humanity. Welcome aboard!”
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Comments
Al
Did not expect that.
Draken09
I love the Boss Bitch.
