Chapter 14
Welcome to the Multiverse, NerdThe tunnels wound on, twisting through concrete and steel like veins through a buried giant. Their footsteps echoed, the only sound above the low hum of power moving through the conduit below. Annie kept one hand resting on her new katana, as if daring the next fight to come sooner rather than later.
Alexander replayed the encounter with the bounty hunters in his head, turning over what worked and what he needed to work on.
“... and I’m telling you,” Annie was saying, “if that guy was a hero, then heroes are just—”
A chime from their implants cut her off..
Alexander pulled up the notification.
[ Veritus Praxis Neuroadaptive Noetic Implant: Series 1 - Ascensus ]
Thank you for demonstrating your powers and completing a moderate exercise regimen.
Initial evaluation of your Ascension Potential Index is complete.
Would you like to review your status?
He was caught between two impulses. One was the weary resignation of a man dragged from his world into chaos and madness. The other was the quiet, dangerous curiosity of a gamer who had somehow survived those things and, deep down, wanted to see what came next. Wanted to rise to the challenge and steal victory from the grip of his enemies.
I’m not even supposed to have enemies.
Alexander sighed. “Yes,” he subvocalized.
The implant responded with a stream of information across his vision.
[ Veritus Praxis Neuroadaptive Noetic Implant: Series 1 - Ascensus ]
— Administrator Override in Effect —
Subject: Alexander Rooke
Alias: Unknown
Designation: Supervillain
ASCENSION POTENTIAL INDEX (API)
Percentile measurements normalized against projected human limits for subjects matching your somatic profile. Continue development to complete Ascension, breaking beyond mundane limitations.
Physical Attributes
Strength — 52%: Lightly conditioned. Peak force exceeds baseline under duress, showing untapped potential.
Endurance — 63%: Above average stamina, moderate resistance to fatigue.
Constitution — 48%: Resilience within baseline human mean. Continued exposure to blunt force trauma may enable rapid development.
Dexterity — 84%: Upper percentile fine motor control and neuromuscular precision. Exhibits strong spatial awareness and coordination even during high-stress engagements. Advancements known to slow above the 80th percentile.
Agility — 46%: Below average. Hesitation shown during lateral movement and rapid transitions.
Cognitive Attributes
Intelligence — 92%: Exceptional pattern recognition, reasoning, and problem solving. Neural activity shows high-efficiency integration of — * — |Intelligence Ascension is Inevitable. Continue your Dream. |
Processing Speed — 88%: Fast decision-making, effective multitasking, slight degradation under extreme stress.
Perception — 97%: Near-instant threat acquisition and anomaly detection. Continued exposure to — * — likely to sharpen capabilities further. |Perception Ascension is Inevitable. Continue your Dream. |
Focus — 66%: Capable of maintaining attention on novel and complex tasks, with drift under prolonged pressure.
Willpower (Self-actualization) — 95%: Extraordinary resistance to control, submission, and shutdown, even under extreme duress. Internalized directives demonstrably capable of — * — |Willpower Ascension is Inevitable. Continue your Dream. |
Power Manifestation & ECOA Ratings
Technopathy
Class B, Tier 1
E: 81% | C: 64% | O: 13% | A: 73%
High power Efficiency with minimal energy loss shown in early stages of development, indicating an exceptional understanding of localized reality-bending cognitive effects. Control metrics reflect consistent, deliberate execution of complex applications of power. Output shows an urgent need for development, as power expression does not yet extend to broad-scale control or manipulation. Adaptation is uncharacteristically high, suggesting extreme potential given the early stage of power acclimatization. Power responds well to novel applications.
Initial analysis indicates the subject’s Technopathy is a unique‘Intuitive-Communicative’ variant. A training plan is therefore unavailable at this time. Please report findings to the Ascensus Program for database inclusion.
Automatic reporting disabled. Reason: Administrator override.
Electrokinesis
Class C, Tier 1
E: 31% | C: 8% | O: 22% | A: 6%
Recent emergent power with low active expression and minimal conscious regulation. The subject appeared unaware they possessed it; reason unknown.
Notably, the power exhibits synergistic resonance with the subject’s Technopathy. Structural compatibility and energy harmonization strongly indicate convergence with a unified meta-power framework. Preliminary simulations suggest classification as a potential Triune Synergistic power set. Dual Chaotic/Dual Harmonic typologies are unlikely.
Automatic reporting and priority monitoring disabled. Reason: Administrator override.
Alexander’s head hurt.
“Did your implant just hand you a full-length essay on how much you suck?” he asked.
Annie’s distant look answered before she did. “Yup… you wanna trade?”
He considered it. “Just the scores. We can compare notes later when we’re not walking targets.”