On my own and nominally free from chains of obligation or observation, I step off the Birchcombe back onto Earth at an ESF facility that takes up the whole of Mercer Island in Seattle. I feel determined and clear headed, back in a plain armored jumpsuit just like the old days that seem so far away. The rest of my stuff sits in my interdimensional Inventory, except my trusty old blasters in easy reach. I need more practice to be able to call things from my Inventory instantly and use them… Dalib’s lifetime of practice isn’t copied in a couple days.

  I get the occasional glance from troopers and ESF staff as I go through the grounds - more glances than I’m used to. At first I wonder if people have been warned about me or I’m going to get accosted, but then I remember my increased Charisma. This is going to take some getting used to. What if I dumped a couple hundred Soul Sparks into Charisma? Would that even be a good thing? Would it brainwash people to do what I ask? Is that the Attribute that people with mind controlling Powers have? So much to learn.

  It’s hard not to pull the Status of every person I see to compare how I might fit in at a place like this. My Attributes are so much higher than they were not long ago that I’m not sure where I fit on the pecking order. It used to be easy to know - I was pretty much dead last. Now it feels like maybe I could hold my own against a lot of them at the same time, or move fast enough to escape. Maybe it’s something I shouldn’t be giving much thought yet, until I’ve really pushed myself to my full potential.

  I stare across the bridge and to the northwest at the city centre. It’s dusk, but not hard with my Perception to pick out the tall building that Eddie Midlane works from; a place I spent a lot of time at as a kid when it was Corvin Tower. Fuck you, Eddie. I’m coming for you.

  This time, everything about my situation is different. My Power strength and Rank is surely now in the top couple million worldwide, with a lot more growth to come. I need to reset my instinctive reactions honed by a lifetime of being surrounded by people with much more Power than me. Everything since Auntie V showed up hasn’t helped - a totally biased sample of some of the most Powerful humans alive. I look down at my hands and feel the thrum of Power that courses through me all the time now, and think about Auntie V. I’m grateful for her sacrifice and what she did for me and for everyone, even if it got me into deep shit. I think about my parents and how much I wish this could have happened earlier. How different my life might have been… but I shake off that line of thinking. Maybe one day but for now it can’t lead anywhere good and I’m still in potentially hostile territory.

  When I get to the tall, wide gates that look more like a portcullis from medieval times than a modern day facility, I look up and all around. Inert weapons on top of reinforced concrete point out at the bridge, up at the sky, and in toward where I’m standing. A small guardhouse is manned by two ESF troopers, both Rank E, doing their duty. Just another evening shift for them, nothing special. This pair, a man and a woman, would have caused me to watch myself carefully in the past. Now, I brush off the reflex to give off an ‘I’m no trouble and not worth paying attention to’ vibe. Instead, I walk up to them and almost hope they start something then laugh at myself internally - maybe I’m overcompensating.

  I hand the guards a special electronic chip they insert into a slot that activates a biometric scanner. Once they’re confident I am who the chip says I am, they open the gates and I walk through. Somehow it feels a bit like I’ve been released from prison. It’s tempting to glance over my shoulder to see if anyone is following me or if a high Ranked ESF trooper is going to emerge to grab me and pull me back in because there’s been a mistake - or to break my spirit. Every step I take to weave through the protective road blockades makes the past feel further and further away. I’m confident I’ve done nothing wrong and I’m confident in my path, even if I have to fight tooth and nail for it.

  I take my time walking across the bridge as the sun sets and Seattle lights up; my next stop doesn’t open until late. Since I have a few hours to kill I decide to go to a restaurant. It seems like such a normal thing to do that it might ground me back into a reality that doesn’t involve killing aliens, traveling across the galaxy, and living with a guillotine right above my neck.

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  Considering where I’m about to go, I decide to hit a place that’s likely to get me in the mood. Molly’s Diner on Dexter Ave near Denny Park is somewhere my nanny took me a few times when my parents were off adventuring - or protecting humanity - or any number of things that they had to do; the Corvin version of what other families would call ‘going to work’. I always had a deep sense of pride that what they were doing was meaningful, to the extent I could actually understand what they were doing at that age. It made my failure to Awaken a Power even more bitter.

  It’s sometimes hard to believe that things are actually so different now. As I walk through the city under the street lights I watch people preoccupied with going where they need to be. At the same time I feel the massively increased levels of Power available to me just under the surface. I’m never tired and always operating at my peak. It’s time to really see what I’m capable of.

  The inside of Molly’s hasn’t changed much. Stereotypical old American diner with white and black checkered floors, a lot of stainless steel, tables with red and blue tops, and an open kitchen behind the long counter with stools placed every meter or so. Photographs cover the walls and there’s even a jukebox in the corner. The slightly greasy smells hit me and I breathe deeply, my Perception really giving me an enhanced experience. The diner’s about half full and I decide to sit up at the counter on one of the fixed stools. In a classic fictional story, right now I’d probably be approached by some local tough guys or someone with a chip on their shoulder, or maybe realize I’m being watched even though I’ve left the ESF’s clutches. I don’t expect any of that, though - my Levels and Powers are enough to dissuade all but the highest Powered individuals and there’s no sign whatsoever from my Perception, my Danger Sense, or my Mana Sense that something is amiss.

  So… I breathe out and try to actually relax and take it all in.

  “Tough day?” asks the waitress from behind the counter. She’s a bit short with long brown hair, a fairly large chest behind her apron, and nice, straight teeth.

  “You could say that,” I agree.

  “What can I getcha?” she asks.

  I look up at the board with the menu and lean against the counter.

  “How ‘bout a vanilla milkshake, a cheeseburger, and a bacon and eggs?”

  She looks around with a cheeky smile. My head is about the same height as hers even though I’m sitting down.

  “You expecting someone else?”

  “Nah, just been a while since I’ve eaten.” And it’s true.

  “Coming right up!” she says, and walks away. I’m left with my thoughts and I just sit there, watching the cooks do their thing. Some of them clearly have Sparks or Tier 1 Minor Powers that help them do their job. I toy with the idea of trying to replicate one of their Powers, but decide I could actually use a bit of time to just… be, before the main event later tonight.

  The food is as good as I could have hoped and I clean the plate happily. The background noise of normal people doing normal things is welcome and comforting. Once I’m done I pull out my phone to pay the Credits, but the waitress holds up her hand.

  “On the house,” she says.

  I sit there for a moment, stunned. I mean, it’s standard practice for most restaurants to give people with very strong Powers meals on the house - they want the good will and there’s some potential benefits of having Heroes frequent your establishment, not the least of which is some extra security and potentially an increased profile if the Hero has a following.

  But… me?

  I shake my head and chuckle. This is going to take some getting used to. I send the waitress the Credits and a tip anyway. She looks surprised, but doesn’t refuse them. Of course she assumes that I’ve had the Powers I’ve now got available for discovery for a long time and my expectation will be a meal on the house. Doesn’t feel right.

  “Thanks for everything - this is just what I needed,” I tell her, and stand up then walk to the door.

  “Come back real soon!” she says. Maybe I will, if I survive the night.