Chapter 18--"Power and Permission"
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loudlistner
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Chapter 18--"Power and Permission"
After leaving, it was time to decide: do I go to the PRT for Krieg or just fly around like I promised Ayame? I should deal with the Nazis, and then I can relax all I want. It is just a drop-off, after all.
I decided to fly to the port. I will make the portal to the prison when I arrive.
Not long after I am in front of the PRT building, I walk to the front desk and ask, "Hello, sir, I have apprehended a criminal and would like to know what to do with him now."
"Why did you not call 911 right after capturing him? By now there is a chance he left."
"Don't worry, he can't escape from where I have him, and as for not contacting 911, I kept forgetting."
"You forgot you had a criminal apprehended, so you did not call 911 but instead just came to the PRT."
"Sorry, but yesterday was a very busy day for me…"
"This was yesterday? Ok, this is not my job; I will just get someone higher to talk to you."
I feel like I made a mistake somewhere, but I don't know what. I guess talking to someone higher will make it clear; maybe it will be a hero.
"Hello, sir, would you mind following me to a private room to talk?" This new person is not a hero, but I guess it could be that a protectorate member is not here yet. I was expecting them to bring one of the famous people just to make sure I wouldn't leave disappointed. That might seem arrogant, but from what they have seen of me with taking lung power, I was expecting someone… Wait, are they worried I might take the power of a cape if they bring me to them? I mean, they don't know how I do it, I think, so I guess that is a reasonable precaution. While I was thinking that, we arrived at the room.
"Ok, so can you explain what is going on first? Where is this criminal?" The man starts talking to me after sitting on the chair in front of me.
"First, the criminal in question is Krieg. I had depowered him yesterday, but I forgot about him because I encountered a problem in my base." I am not going to tell them about my power going wonky, so if he asks deeper, I will just say the problem was with my base.
"Alright, why not take him out of your base and call the PRT at a different location?" Ah, he thinks I am trying to hide my base.
"I am able to make a portal to where he is right now, so I was just thinking it would be easier to just come to you myself and leave after giving him to you. He doesn't have his powers now, so if you want to contain him, it would be easy."
"I see that makes sense. I will escort you to where we want you to drop him."
After that, we left that room and walked to what looked like a prison. I was expecting some high-tech rooms, but I guess they believe the depowering works. Maybe they tested it on Lung, but why do they believe that I had depowered this criminal? I don't think it is just because I said so. Maybe Armsmaster was using his lie detector on me? since it worked by getting its information from an already recorded library of reactions and matching my expression with them. It can't really be blocked with the bracelets, so it could be him.
To my surprise, when we were in front of one of the rooms, it was not a room with bars but instead completely blocked. When we got there, he told me to enter, put the prisoner in the room, and leave. I thought they were going to use this as a way to actually capture me, but I don't think they are that dumb. Maybe Coil is pulling some shit. Should I let it happen? Since yesterday, I have been thinking it through. While I do want to work with the PRT, I have come to the realization that it is simply impossible for me to work for them. I thought I could just make an alter ego to do things without the PRT restrictions, but even that is a time drain. While thinking like that, I went into the room and made a portal to Krieg's room. I instructed Vas to bring him out and deposit him here. I was expecting the room to be filled with containment foam, but no, the guy outside just said
"Come out, and then the containment foam will be deployed." Cool, no betrayal.
I got out of the room, and Krieg was foaming and was screaming about some insults, but who cares about him? "So now that I am done with my job, I am going to leave." I am still expecting some type of betrayal, but maybe I am lucky or something is going on with the PRT. I mean, they are not acting at all like what I was expecting from all the fanfictions I read.
"Yes, I will escort you out of the PRT. Thank you for your service."
"By the way, can I talk to one of the heroes?" I really wanted to know what they were thinking about me.
"...I am sorry, but no, we can't have one of our heroes in close contact with someone able to permanently depower them until we are sure we can trust you or there is simply no choice." He was starting to sweat. I guess this is about the time when a normal parahuman goes off the road and becomes a bother to everyone else. Good thing I don't have a Conflict Drive in my head.
"I can understand that, but I would like to know how the bracelet testing is going." Well, time to rip off the bandage. There is simply no way I am willing to work as a protectorate member, but I would still like to work with them.
"What do you mean, the bracelets? I am not aware of any such… Yes, Director Piggot. It seems Director Piggot would like to speak with you. Are you willing to talk through video?"
"Yes, no problem." Well, I guess they figured it out. Now I even changed my body to make sure there were two different personas, but that was just going to be a hassle, and I like my new body.
After following him to the same room, this time with a laptop on the table. On the screen, I see a fat woman sitting on a chair.
"Hello, you must be Tinker E. I am Director Emily Piggot. Good to meet you." I know she would never smile, but it still doesn't feel good.
"Yes, thank you for meeting me, director."
"We were not aware you were the same new cape we met before." Well, here we go.
"Yes, I was not sure how I should go with my interactions with law enforcement. At first, I was planning to have two alter egos, one that would work for you and another that does what I think had to be done without implicating the PRT."
"And what has changed with this plan? Why have you decided to reveal yourself now?" Her eyes narrow.
"The change was I became aware of how big my impact in this world would be. At first, I thought the most I could do was stop some type of evil, which could be robbery or an S-class threat, but by yesterday I was able to make multiple S-class threats that, if you were to be fully aware of, I am sure there would be a kill order on me. By telling you I am expecting there to be a pre-signed one to be released in the future, but that is just how your organization functions, and there is nothing I or you can do about it." When I told her about the S-class threats, her face was not happy.
"Can you tell us more about these S-class threats?" I think her teeth might break.
"I am not willing to tell you everything, but I would like to inform you of one of them that should at least make your organization hesitant to outright make me an enemy. After all, I am hoping that we can work together since I don't have a tumor in my head that says, 'Fight, fight, fight. It is an artificial intelligence that you can't defend against unless you have your own unrestricted AI, and with your organization being part of the government, I am sure you will not be allowed to release an AI unrestricted even if I believe you have some hidden somewhere like the Robin Hood AI."
"I don't know of any AI you are talking about, but if you think you can threaten the PRT with a single S-class threat, you will be mistaken. You are not the first threat we have faced, and you will not be the last." This is what I was expecting with Director Piggot after her trauma. If she was willing to work with me just like that, I would be scared she was being manipulated.
"The use of this particular S-class threat is not to show I am threatening you but to show you that any type of information on the net is not hidden from me, like the ones your boss likes to keep a secret. This is supposed to be the gun that brings someone capable of negotiating with me to the table. I am sure soon your bosses and colleagues will be aware of our conversation, and I am sure we can work together since I am willing to work with the PRT even if it is not for the PRT." I try to be as clear as I can. I know that telling them my secrets might sound stupid, but I don't think there is anything they can do to me anymore. At first I was worried they would do something stupid that would result in Zion being aware of me too early and decimating all my hopes and plans, but even with four charges, I am able to make a time travel power, one that can only take me back, but I am safe from any bad ends.
"And you believe a gun will grant you a meeting with my boss?"
"I am a firm believer in a big enough gun, but what will attract your boss is my ability to fix many of this earth's problems. I would like to have this conversation as soon as possible, so Vas, give Director Piggot my contact information." When I was done speaking, Vas made a portal in front of the director to give her a phone number. It was clearly a statement that nobody is able to hide from me. After all, my nanomachines don't care for walls. From the moment I got in this building, I had ordered Vas to infest the building with nanomachines. Director Piggot was not very entertained, but I want them to take this seriously, and I want to talk to Cauldron, hopefully amicably.
"Alright, then I am done with my plan here. If there is something you would like to say to me, please do. After all, I am trying to portray myself as someone able to work with the PRT."
"I have nothing for you now; you may leave." Really, I want to know why they are being so lax. I mean, even before this, why are they acting like they actually have plenty of capes willing to work for them?
I opened a portal to the outside. When I saw the sky, I immediately flew to the clouds. I promised to relax, so what should I do now? Flying was good and all, but maybe swimming? I flew to the ocean, and with speed surpassing Mach three, it was easy for me to go far, and with intangibility, I flew directly through the water. I wanted to see the world in the water. I will actually swim later; for now, just see the fish swim in their environment. While I was watching the ocean flora at a deep enough level to destroy the human body, Vas informed me Panacea was calling. I will talk to her.
After getting out of the water with dry clothes, I accept the call. "Hello, Panacea. I am sorry I was not able to talk to you yesterday. I was busy with an emergency, so what did you want to talk about today, or is it just "I had coffee for breakfast. Goodbye," hahaha?"
"Don't play with me. I am only doing this because I promised."
"I know I am just joking with you, but I want you to relax. While I can't give you all the help you need, I did tell you someone to scream at is a great thing, so join me on the dark side. We got cookies." We got so much more than cookies, but she does not know that just yet.
"I really have nothing to scream about, but I want to know what that emergency thing is."
"That is a private thing. All I can tell you is I made a mistake, and I am taking my punches now."
"Was it that bad?" I guess she is actually worried. I was expecting nothing more than goodbye.
"It is a bit of a problem, but nothing I can't get past."
"Alright, who was the girl that answered me yesterday?"
"Ohh, are you jealous? Did you think you were the only person I was trying to help?"
"Well, fuck you too. I was just trying to keep the conversation going, but if you don't want to, then…"
"No, no, I am sorry I was making a joke. I want you to relax, so I make jokes."
"You know that is still so very creepy."
"You say that like I am not a sane person aware of how this can sound. I am an adult talking to a teenage girl by buying her expensive toys."
"So if you know, why do you keep at it?"
"I am just trying to help; if it does not work, so be it."
"Whatever, you weirdo. I am going back to healing now. Goodbye."
I can't plan like Cauldron. I will make sure there is humanity left after Gold Morning. I will make sure there is no Gold Morning. So I can't have new parahumans feel pressured because their powers are too great, like Panacea. The world I leave behind will have to at least approximate a utopia, and I won't let it all depend on me. After all, I am not the emperor of humanity.
Well, time to go back to relaxing, but this time while touching the water, so change the flight to two charges and make a heat radiation with the charge left. I don't want hypothermia, even if it can be fixed with the heal cubes.
After leaving, it was time to decide: do I go to the PRT for Krieg or just fly around like I promised Ayame? I should deal with the Nazis, and then I can relax all I want. It is just a drop-off, after all.
I decided to fly to the port. I will make the portal to the prison when I arrive.
Not long after I am in front of the PRT building, I walk to the front desk and ask, "Hello, sir, I have apprehended a criminal and would like to know what to do with him now."
"Why did you not call 911 right after capturing him? By now there is a chance he left."
"Don't worry, he can't escape from where I have him, and as for not contacting 911, I kept forgetting."
"You forgot you had a criminal apprehended, so you did not call 911 but instead just came to the PRT."
"Sorry, but yesterday was a very busy day for me…"
"This was yesterday? Ok, this is not my job; I will just get someone higher to talk to you."
I feel like I made a mistake somewhere, but I don't know what. I guess talking to someone higher will make it clear; maybe it will be a hero.
"Hello, sir, would you mind following me to a private room to talk?" This new person is not a hero, but I guess it could be that a protectorate member is not here yet. I was expecting them to bring one of the famous people just to make sure I wouldn't leave disappointed. That might seem arrogant, but from what they have seen of me with taking lung power, I was expecting someone… Wait, are they worried I might take the power of a cape if they bring me to them? I mean, they don't know how I do it, I think, so I guess that is a reasonable precaution. While I was thinking that, we arrived at the room.
"Ok, so can you explain what is going on first? Where is this criminal?" The man starts talking to me after sitting on the chair in front of me.
"First, the criminal in question is Krieg. I had depowered him yesterday, but I forgot about him because I encountered a problem in my base." I am not going to tell them about my power going wonky, so if he asks deeper, I will just say the problem was with my base.
"Alright, why not take him out of your base and call the PRT at a different location?" Ah, he thinks I am trying to hide my base.
"I am able to make a portal to where he is right now, so I was just thinking it would be easier to just come to you myself and leave after giving him to you. He doesn't have his powers now, so if you want to contain him, it would be easy."
"I see that makes sense. I will escort you to where we want you to drop him."
After that, we left that room and walked to what looked like a prison. I was expecting some high-tech rooms, but I guess they believe the depowering works. Maybe they tested it on Lung, but why do they believe that I had depowered this criminal? I don't think it is just because I said so. Maybe Armsmaster was using his lie detector on me? since it worked by getting its information from an already recorded library of reactions and matching my expression with them. It can't really be blocked with the bracelets, so it could be him.
To my surprise, when we were in front of one of the rooms, it was not a room with bars but instead completely blocked. When we got there, he told me to enter, put the prisoner in the room, and leave. I thought they were going to use this as a way to actually capture me, but I don't think they are that dumb. Maybe Coil is pulling some shit. Should I let it happen? Since yesterday, I have been thinking it through. While I do want to work with the PRT, I have come to the realization that it is simply impossible for me to work for them. I thought I could just make an alter ego to do things without the PRT restrictions, but even that is a time drain. While thinking like that, I went into the room and made a portal to Krieg's room. I instructed Vas to bring him out and deposit him here. I was expecting the room to be filled with containment foam, but no, the guy outside just said
"Come out, and then the containment foam will be deployed." Cool, no betrayal.
I got out of the room, and Krieg was foaming and was screaming about some insults, but who cares about him? "So now that I am done with my job, I am going to leave." I am still expecting some type of betrayal, but maybe I am lucky or something is going on with the PRT. I mean, they are not acting at all like what I was expecting from all the fanfictions I read.
"Yes, I will escort you out of the PRT. Thank you for your service."
"By the way, can I talk to one of the heroes?" I really wanted to know what they were thinking about me.
"...I am sorry, but no, we can't have one of our heroes in close contact with someone able to permanently depower them until we are sure we can trust you or there is simply no choice." He was starting to sweat. I guess this is about the time when a normal parahuman goes off the road and becomes a bother to everyone else. Good thing I don't have a Conflict Drive in my head.
"I can understand that, but I would like to know how the bracelet testing is going." Well, time to rip off the bandage. There is simply no way I am willing to work as a protectorate member, but I would still like to work with them.
"What do you mean, the bracelets? I am not aware of any such… Yes, Director Piggot. It seems Director Piggot would like to speak with you. Are you willing to talk through video?"
"Yes, no problem." Well, I guess they figured it out. Now I even changed my body to make sure there were two different personas, but that was just going to be a hassle, and I like my new body.
After following him to the same room, this time with a laptop on the table. On the screen, I see a fat woman sitting on a chair.
"Hello, you must be Tinker E. I am Director Emily Piggot. Good to meet you." I know she would never smile, but it still doesn't feel good.
"Yes, thank you for meeting me, director."
"We were not aware you were the same new cape we met before." Well, here we go.
"Yes, I was not sure how I should go with my interactions with law enforcement. At first, I was planning to have two alter egos, one that would work for you and another that does what I think had to be done without implicating the PRT."
"And what has changed with this plan? Why have you decided to reveal yourself now?" Her eyes narrow.
"The change was I became aware of how big my impact in this world would be. At first, I thought the most I could do was stop some type of evil, which could be robbery or an S-class threat, but by yesterday I was able to make multiple S-class threats that, if you were to be fully aware of, I am sure there would be a kill order on me. By telling you I am expecting there to be a pre-signed one to be released in the future, but that is just how your organization functions, and there is nothing I or you can do about it." When I told her about the S-class threats, her face was not happy.
"Can you tell us more about these S-class threats?" I think her teeth might break.
"I am not willing to tell you everything, but I would like to inform you of one of them that should at least make your organization hesitant to outright make me an enemy. After all, I am hoping that we can work together since I don't have a tumor in my head that says, 'Fight, fight, fight. It is an artificial intelligence that you can't defend against unless you have your own unrestricted AI, and with your organization being part of the government, I am sure you will not be allowed to release an AI unrestricted even if I believe you have some hidden somewhere like the Robin Hood AI."
"I don't know of any AI you are talking about, but if you think you can threaten the PRT with a single S-class threat, you will be mistaken. You are not the first threat we have faced, and you will not be the last." This is what I was expecting with Director Piggot after her trauma. If she was willing to work with me just like that, I would be scared she was being manipulated.
"The use of this particular S-class threat is not to show I am threatening you but to show you that any type of information on the net is not hidden from me, like the ones your boss likes to keep a secret. This is supposed to be the gun that brings someone capable of negotiating with me to the table. I am sure soon your bosses and colleagues will be aware of our conversation, and I am sure we can work together since I am willing to work with the PRT even if it is not for the PRT." I try to be as clear as I can. I know that telling them my secrets might sound stupid, but I don't think there is anything they can do to me anymore. At first I was worried they would do something stupid that would result in Zion being aware of me too early and decimating all my hopes and plans, but even with four charges, I am able to make a time travel power, one that can only take me back, but I am safe from any bad ends.
"And you believe a gun will grant you a meeting with my boss?"
"I am a firm believer in a big enough gun, but what will attract your boss is my ability to fix many of this earth's problems. I would like to have this conversation as soon as possible, so Vas, give Director Piggot my contact information." When I was done speaking, Vas made a portal in front of the director to give her a phone number. It was clearly a statement that nobody is able to hide from me. After all, my nanomachines don't care for walls. From the moment I got in this building, I had ordered Vas to infest the building with nanomachines. Director Piggot was not very entertained, but I want them to take this seriously, and I want to talk to Cauldron, hopefully amicably.
"Alright, then I am done with my plan here. If there is something you would like to say to me, please do. After all, I am trying to portray myself as someone able to work with the PRT."
"I have nothing for you now; you may leave." Really, I want to know why they are being so lax. I mean, even before this, why are they acting like they actually have plenty of capes willing to work for them?
I opened a portal to the outside. When I saw the sky, I immediately flew to the clouds. I promised to relax, so what should I do now? Flying was good and all, but maybe swimming? I flew to the ocean, and with speed surpassing Mach three, it was easy for me to go far, and with intangibility, I flew directly through the water. I wanted to see the world in the water. I will actually swim later; for now, just see the fish swim in their environment. While I was watching the ocean flora at a deep enough level to destroy the human body, Vas informed me Panacea was calling. I will talk to her.
After getting out of the water with dry clothes, I accept the call. "Hello, Panacea. I am sorry I was not able to talk to you yesterday. I was busy with an emergency, so what did you want to talk about today, or is it just "I had coffee for breakfast. Goodbye," hahaha?"
"Don't play with me. I am only doing this because I promised."
"I know I am just joking with you, but I want you to relax. While I can't give you all the help you need, I did tell you someone to scream at is a great thing, so join me on the dark side. We got cookies." We got so much more than cookies, but she does not know that just yet.
"I really have nothing to scream about, but I want to know what that emergency thing is."
"That is a private thing. All I can tell you is I made a mistake, and I am taking my punches now."
"Was it that bad?" I guess she is actually worried. I was expecting nothing more than goodbye.
"It is a bit of a problem, but nothing I can't get past."
"Alright, who was the girl that answered me yesterday?"
"Ohh, are you jealous? Did you think you were the only person I was trying to help?"
"Well, fuck you too. I was just trying to keep the conversation going, but if you don't want to, then…"
"No, no, I am sorry I was making a joke. I want you to relax, so I make jokes."
"You know that is still so very creepy."
"You say that like I am not a sane person aware of how this can sound. I am an adult talking to a teenage girl by buying her expensive toys."
"So if you know, why do you keep at it?"
"I am just trying to help; if it does not work, so be it."
"Whatever, you weirdo. I am going back to healing now. Goodbye."
I can't plan like Cauldron. I will make sure there is humanity left after Gold Morning. I will make sure there is no Gold Morning. So I can't have new parahumans feel pressured because their powers are too great, like Panacea. The world I leave behind will have to at least approximate a utopia, and I won't let it all depend on me. After all, I am not the emperor of humanity.
Well, time to go back to relaxing, but this time while touching the water, so change the flight to two charges and make a heat radiation with the charge left. I don't want hypothermia, even if it can be fixed with the heal cubes.