Later in the day, I sat down with Anne and explained some of the new things I’d learnt about my powers.

Anne was quick to grasp the basics - and quicker to point out things I’d missed. “You went from Level 1 to Level 2 by killing the Sarnak, right? How many XP did you get from that?”

“Uhh… I think it was a quest. 500 XP. Plus another bonus 250 XP because the Sarnak was more than 10 levels higher than me.”

“Okay. And you can go up in level too. Doesn’t that mean that you’ll get more effective as a fighter? Like, when you get to Level 12, you can actually take a Sarnak one-on-one and have a decent chance of winning?”

“Uhh… Makes sense, sort of. But how? You heard Sergeant Ryman - those things are strong enough to fight a tank.”

“So maybe you’ll become stronger than a tank. Most ultrahumans have powers that make them decent fighters. I mean, Skymaster’s only power was flying - he wasn’t super strong or anything. He still saved hundreds of lives and helped fight the aliens.”

“Who was Skymaster?”

“The first ever hero. He debuted in 2060, could levitate, could fly faster than the aliens too. Used to carry a laser, match speeds with the alien craft, and shoot them down.”

“That’s still more than I can do. I can just about predict a few things.”

“You’re a cognitive. Cognitives aren’t usually frontline fighters - they basically support and predict where the enemy is. Maybe that’s how you can help - predict the places where the aliens are attacking, then tell other heroes where to go.”

I shrugged. “Could be.”

“Well, I’m sure that’s not everything. So, spill. What’s the other stuff you could observe? Like, what do you see when you Observe me?”

“I… I haven’t used that ability on you.” Actually, it hadn’t even occurred to me to think of it.

“Duh. Why not? Try it out now.”

I focused on Anne and mentally willed myself to Observe.

ANNE DRAKE

CLASS: SCHOOL STUDENT

LEVEL 1

HP 80/80

MP 98/98

RELATIONSHIP: BEST FRIEND

“Okay, so it says you have 80 HP, 98 MP and that you’re my best friend.”

“I’m also your only friend.”

“That’s true.”

“How come my Health Points are lower than yours?”

“It’s Vitality times ten. At least for me it is. The Sarnak have vitality times twenty.”

“Assuming it’s species-specific then. That means my Vitality is 8.” She frowned. “Basically it means I’m weaker than you?”

I shrugged. “You’re fifteen. I’m seventeen or so. So I’d likely be a bit larger and stronger than you, at least for now.”

“Nice of you to put the ‘for now’. It basically means I’m less durable in combat than you are.”

“Eh, it’s not something that matters much. Unless you’re planning to go out and get into a fight, which I would strongly advise against.”

“Point taken. I’m assuming that when you hit zero health, you die. But if you get wounded? What happens then?”

“There’s a HP regen of 0.12 per second. Which means that eventually I’d heal from any damage close to death.”

“Let’s assume you’re in a fight and you drop down to 1 health, almost dead. Does this mean that after sixteen-and-a-half minutes you’ll be back to normal?”

“I certainly hope so. Haven’t tested it yet, though.”

“Well… that’s a completely different superpower. Accelerated healing. Doesn’t make much difference in a fight, but it will allow you to recover really fast from any injury that doesn’t kill you outright.”

“Eventually.”

“So maybe in addition to being a cognitive, you’re also a little bit of a Herculean.”

“A Herculean?”

“Super-strong people. Or people who heal really fast. You said your strength was 10, right? How much can you lift?”

“No weights to test it on.”

“Okay, that’s something to test. What about Relationship? Have you understood what it means in the interface?”

“The interface?”

“The way you interact with your power. The floating letters, the screens, the dialog boxes. It’s like the interface to a phone or a computer; you enter what you want and the system implements it.”

“You’re saying the letters aren’t my actual power, they’re just how I interact with it.”

“Yeah. That’s actually the strangest part of your power.”

“That’s the strangest thing?”

“Ultrahumans supposedly have instinctive understanding of their powers. They can make them do what they want. Yours is some sort of combined cognitive and body enhancement power, but it doesn’t work instinctively - you have to give it actual instructions to make it work, and it keeps giving you hints every now and then.”

“Maybe my power is broken.”

“I don’t even know if that’s possible.”

We sat in silence for a bit.

Finally, Anne asked, “Are you sure you can get something about Dad from Prophet’s Roulette?”

“I can try. I will try.”

“Okay.”

Towards the evening, Anne came running up to me.

“They’ve announced the list of cleared areas.”

“Cleared areas?”

“Areas of the city which are least damaged and safe to return to. Including Pendleton.”

Anne’s home was at 2508 Pendleton. “How far is it from here?”

“Almost ten miles, but that’s not important. What matters is, they’ve announced buses for those who want to get home.”

“Oh. Do you want to return home.”

Anne gestured around the shelter. “Let’s see. Choose between sharing sleeping bags on a floor with several hundred other people, or my own room in my own house? Live in the same clothes for two days, or use my own wardrobe? Eat carrot stew and mush every morning and afternoon, or my own food? Tough choice.”

“All right,” I smiled. “You’ve got me convinced. But will you get the updates from the bulletin boards?”

“Cell phone service is back up,” Anne replied. “So, information updates on survivors will get pushed to my phone.”

“Did you try your dad’s cell?”

“Been trying it for the last half hour. No response.”

“He probably had to run and simply dropped it. The quest to find him is still active, by the way.”

“Your power believes he’s alive. And no timer on the quest?”

“No. Not like when the building was on fire.”

“Then he’s probably just fine. Maybe even on his way back home.”

“That would be good, if he could meet us at home. Do you have keys?”

“Sure. And our old autocar is at home, so I have the passcodes to that.”

“Uh… what’s an autocar?”

“You don’t know what an autocar is?”

“No.”

“It’s a driverless car. AI-based guidance and steering.”

“That would help. I don’t know if I can drive.”

“Well, if we get home and I can unlock the autocar, you won’t have to. Just set the destination and we can go anywhere in the city. If Dad’s somewhere inaccessible, we can get to him.”

“Assuming the autocar is working.”

“It was working last week. Dad takes the new one to work, but he keeps old Tessie charged in case we need her.”

“Tessie?”

“She’s a 2058 Tesla Spinmaker. We call her Tessie.”

“She’s a 22-year-old car?”

“No, the model is from 2058. Dad bought Tessie in 2068. Anyway, if we go home, you can get to see her. Make sense?”

I took a look around the shelter. “Sure. Let’s go.”

Of course, it wasn’t that simple.

First, we had to give the shelter staff our contact details, and sync Anne’s phone to the Federal Emergency Management Agency app. That was she could get updates about any developments in Tanisport.

Next, we had to meet a harried social worker, who was very doubtful about letting ‘a minor child’ travel home by themselves.

The social worker was a tall, heavyset woman with a nametag that read M. Taft. I took a moment to throw a quick Observe her way:

MINDY TAFT

CLASS: SOCIAL WORKER

FACTION: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

LEVEL 3

RELATIONSHIP: NEUTRAL

TEST PERCEPTION? YES/NO

I moved my hand to scratch my nose, discreetly touching the YES while doing so.

TEST OF PERCEPTION: PASSED

MINDY TAFT, AGE 44, IS AN EXPERIENCED CHILD WELFARE PROFESSIONAL. HOLDING A DEGREE IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY, SHE SPECIALIZES IN WORKING WITH ABUSED CHILDREN IN THE AGE BRACKET OF 6-12. SHE HAS BEEN A FEMA VOLUNTEER FOR DISASTER RELIEF FOR THREE MAJOR INCIDENTS, INCLUDING TANISPORT. HER RESPONSIBILITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ANY CHILDREN WHO ARE SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS ARE LOOKED AFTER. WHILE OUTWARDLY GRUFF AND ABRASIVE, SHE IS ACTUALLY A VERY CARING PERSON BUT STRUGGLES WITH EXPRESSING HERSELF.

Wow, that was quite a lot of information. Perception was good for some things!

Ms. Taft gave Anne and me a very sharp look. “Are you two related?”

“He’s my brother,” replied Anne. “We need to get back home.”

“Right. I understand you lost your identity papers?”

“I have mine right here. Andrew lost his.”

Ms. Taft looked at me. “You need to be more careful, young man.”

“Umm,” I replied, “the building was sort of on fire. I grabbed Anne and left. Didn’t really look for my papers.”

“But you were downtown. Why weren’t your papers in your wallet?”

“Actually,” Anne interrupted, “he was in the bathroom. He came running out with just his pants. I think he left his wallet in the bathroom. Along with his belt and stuff.”

Well… Anne clearly thought this out before I did. The story certainly made more sense than what had happened.

“Okay,” Ms. Taft said. “Then you’ll need to apply for temporary ID. You are an adult, aren’t you?”

“He’s seventeen,” replied Anne.

“He doesn’t talk for himself?” Ms. Taft inquired.

“Er…” I tried my best to project innocence and embarrassment. “I’m not a very good speaker. Anne talks well enough for both of us. Plus,” I added, “she’s really smart.”

I tried to project ‘dumb teen’ as best as I could.

“You look older than seventeen.” Ms. Taft mentioned.

“Thank you,” I replied. “Wish the 7/11 guy agreed with you, then I’d be able to buy beer.”

Anne looked shocked. Ms. Taft snorted. “I trust you won’t misuse the ‘lost my ID’ argument to do so.”

“No ma’am.”

“I’ll put in a request to get you an expedited ID. Do you remember your social security number?”

“Uhh…”

“He doesn’t,” replied Anne. “He’s got a terrible memory for numbers.”

“And is he responsible enough, then, to take care of you?” Ms. Taft asked.

“Ma’am, Andrew isn’t very smart, but he takes good care of me. Helps Dad around the house. Plus, Dad will be back soon, and when he does, he’ll come home. So, we need to be there.”

Ms. Taft looked somewhat unconvinced. I wondered what I might say to persuade her.

At that moment, a new set of letters appeared:

UNLOCKED SKILL: PERSUASION

CONVINCING OTHERS TO DO WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO IS A NECESSARY HUMAN SKILL. PERSUASION IS THE ART OF USING YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS TO VEER OTHERS TO YOUR POINT OF VIEW. PEOPLE WILL BE SWAYED BY YOUR NATURAL CHARISMA, BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THEIR POINT OF VIEW. THE MORE PERCEPTIVE YOU ARE, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO UNDERSTAND THEM. ALSO, A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK NEVER HURT.

IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS, YOU CAN ENHANCE YOUR WORDS WITH THE EXTRA ‘OOMPH’ PROVIDED BY PERSUASION POINTS.

INFUSING YOUR ARGUMENT WITH PERSUASION POINTS ENHANCES ITS EFFECTIVENESS. THE BEST NEGOTIATORS CAN PERSUADE A TIGER TO PART WITH ITS KILL OR SELL HAIRCUTS TO THE BALD. BE WARNED - USE OF PERSUASION CAN ALSO BACKFIRE IF NOT THOUGHT THROUGH.

CURRENT PERSUASION POINTS (PP): 216/216

And right now I get a new ability?

QUEST ALERT: CONVINCE MS. TAFT TO LET YOU AND ANNE GO TO ANNE’S HOME AT PENDLETON.

REWARD: +20 XP, INCREASED RELATIONSHIP WITH MS. TAFT.

FAILURE: DECREASED RELATIONSHIP WITH MS. TAFT, -10 HP TO ?????

BONUS OBJECTIVE: CONVINCE MS. TAFT TO EXPEDITE GETTING YOU A FRESH SET OF IDENTITY PAPERS.

BONUS REWARD: +50 XP, INCREASED RELATIONSHIP WITH FEMA.

Ah, crap. Another quest. And this one has consequences for failure: some unknown person gets -10 HP. Which means they get hurt.

Well, I had the option to go with the normal approach, or try my new skill of Persuasion.

How to activate it?

USE PERSUASION: OPTIONS:

APPEAL TO THE HEART: YOUR WORDS WILL BE TAILORED TO THE EMOTIONAL BIASES OF THE TARGET, TUGGING AT THEIR HEARTSTRINGS AND SEEKING OUT THEIR INNATE SENSE OF MERCY. +200% CHANCE OF EFFECTIVENESS. COST: 50 PP. APPEAL TO THE MIND: YOUR WORDS WILL ENGAGE THE MENTAL FACULTIES OF THE TARGET, DRIVE THEM TO THINK CLEARLY, AND SEE THE SENSE IN YOUR ARGUMENT. +50% CHANCE OF EFFECTIVENESS. COST: 35 PP. CALL TO ARMS: YOUR WORDS WILL INFLAME THE RIGHTEOUS ANGER OF THE TARGET, ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND JUST, EVEN AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. +100% CHANCE OF EFFECTIVENESS. COST: 200 PP.

… Were these actually choices?

I didn’t want to inflame Ms. Taft’s anger, and getting too logical would make her see the glaring holes in our position - including the fact that I was supposed to be stupid. Okay. Appeal to the heart it is.

“Ms. Taft,” I began, “I know my sister. I know my dad. I’m not a great thinker. But I am her brother, and I’ll look after her. Please let me get her home, safe. I’m… I’m not too sure about this place for her.”

I could feel something extra infusing my words. The Persuasion skill? The numbers for my new set of points dropped, reducing to 166/216.

PERSUADE: SUCCESS!

Ms. Taft’s expression softened. “I understand. I’ll tell the staff to put you and your sister on the next bus.”

“Could you also help me with my papers?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Do you have your social security number written down somewhere at home?”

“Uhh… I don’t know…. I’ll look for it. Dad usually handles that stuff.”

“I suggest you write to the FEMA desk and ask them to help you get a new SSN, saying that your documents were lost. Better yet, get your dad to do it.” She handed over a card. “Mark a copy of the e-mail to me, and I’ll put in a word. Do this as soon as you can, understood?” She turned to Anne. “You make sure he does it. Do you have food at home?”

“I have a credit card linked to my Dad’s account.”

“Okay. I want to hear from both of you kids within the week, about how things are and how your Dad is. If I don’t hear, I’ll be very upset. You understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Get your things together; the bus leaves at eight.”