The trees whipped past in a blur of green and gray as Chris drove down the gravel road. He wasn’t focusing on driving, but he didn’t need to. These backcountry gravel roads were lucky to see more than one car a day, and as long as he drove slowly, he didn’t need focus to follow the instructions of the GPS and navigate. No, Chris’s focus was elsewhere.

He was toying with what shift to invest his points into.

“You’re saying I can’t permanently make myself faster?”

You could, but you shouldn’t. Here are two shifts that would have that result.

Shifted Timeframe 0/X (Self-Contained)

Creates a self-contained field that encompasses your body which operates in a faster timeframe.

Speeded Perception and Reaction 0/X (160)

Increase the speed at which your brain sends and receives signals to and from your body, and processes information.

“Holy shit, that first one seems really powerful.”

It is, but there are mitigating factors. Some of the mitigating factors for both these shifts are the same, so I will mention those first. Firstly, operating at a timeframe faster than the one standard for normal society can cause issues. You would find that it causes problems socially, and is easily noticed. Secondly, the number of points required for the effect to be noticeable would be… exorbitant.

“How exorbitant?”

Shifted Timeframe would require 100 points for a 1% increase in speed, and Speeded Perception and Reaction would require 100 points for an 8% increase in effective speed.

“Alright, I get it. You know I’m tempted to pick one of these just because you think I shouldn’t.”

I am aware, yes.

“I assume you’re telling me this because you have a workaround?” As a few hours had passed since the fight, Chris had found the knee-jerk, white hot anger at Sarah slowly subsiding. When it came down to it, she was an alien intelligence, with unfamiliar values and goals. She wasn’t evil, just… callous. She was also an excellent source of information. Over the past two hours of driving, Chris and Sarah had considered and dismissed super strength, teleportation, telekinesis and the firing of energy beams as possible powers. For now, at least. He was going to reconsider teleportation eventually.

I do. A good way to overcome the challenges of a permanent shift is to make the shift intermittent and dependent on some other factor. This reduces the point cost, and the social ramifications of being on a different level than a regular human.

“So if I limited the super-speed to say, one hour a day, that would help me get more out of it?”

That is an option, but I believe I have a better one, tailored for you.

Speeded Perception and Reaction (Focus Dependent) 0/X (60)

It is the same shift as before, activated based on your focus. You can hold the shift as long as you can maintain focus.

The more Chris considered, the more this seemed perfect for him. The ability to control his focus was so new and novel that he knew he could level his self-control, and increase the effectiveness of this skill. Even though it wouldn’t give him super speed per-se, it would give him the most important part.

He had always loved the idea of super speed. From the first time he had sat in front of the TV watching an animated special and saw the Flash, taking a stroll with the world frozen around him, he had wanted to know what it would be like. He would never be late, always be quick to react, never not have time. It was an ADD kid’s dream. With this shift, he could slow down the world.

“How much of an increase could I get per point?”

100 points invested would result in up to an 80% increase in mental speed, dependent on focus. It is important to note that this shift will not greatly affect your physical speed, but that will matter less than you think.

“I can always buy that shift later anyway.” Chris pulled Old Blue off the road and parked her in the shade of a little grove. It was early afternoon, and he was almost halfway through his drive back to the college town where he lived. The sun beat down on the gravel, warming the ground and creating an artificial summer. He pulled up his status.

Status

Ongoing Effects: Moderate Bruising (Left Arm)

Shifts: Intelligent Design, Speeded Per. and React. (Focus Dependent) 0/X (60)

Skills: Running 6, Boxing 5, Endurance 4, Flexibility 3, Meditation 3, Self-Control 3, Pain Tolerance 2, Knife Fighting 1, Driving 1

Unallocated: 9 points

“Knife fighting, huh?” His voice came out low and rough.

You demonstrated many skills that the system recognized. When your body is pushed to the brink, your mind has a way of compensating.

Chris didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just leaned back in his seat and allocated his points.

He didn’t black out this time, but it was a close thing. Every time he tried to form a coherent thought, it shattered as forces rushed around in his mind, constructing… something. After he stopped trying to think and just relaxed, he could feel it taking shape, but had no idea into what. All he could tell was that it could be pushed on.

After the forces quit swirling, and he could think again, he opened his eyes and checked the clock. 15 minutes had passed, but it had only felt like one.

He immediately tried to use his new skill, but he couldn’t get a good angle on it. Every time he tried to activate it, his focus wavered and nothing happened.

It helps to picture these types of skills as something familiar. Something that takes effort to do.

Chris closed his eyes again and thought about the amorphous mass that was his new power. He tried his best to clear his mind, and in the power’s place he pictured an Olympic mat. On it, a barbell rested innocently, two plates on either side. He pictured himself walking over, bending his knees, setting his grip and lifting…

It was barely within his capabilities. He mentally locked his knees and opened his eyes, surveying the forest through his windshield. He honestly couldn’t tell the difference. Branches swayed in the breeze, leaves drifted to the ground maybe a touch slower than normal, but it was overall underwhelming. He released the power, and felt the tiredness in his brain. The world sped up.

Would you like me to help you understand the depth of your new power?

“Not if it involves getting me in a fight”.

It does not, but you will need conflict if you wish to continue…

“I know. Not now, though.”

Very well. Exit the car and begin to jog down the road.

Chris slid out of the driver’s seat onto the road and locked the car behind him. He started jogging, moving the direction he had come from on a whim. It felt good to move his body, to rid himself of the nervous energy accumulated by driving, even though his arm ached.

Now, push yourself to the limit of your speed while keeping your mind relaxed.

He sped up and fell into a rhythm, his breathing and limbs in time with each other. He was at the limit of his jogging pace, and the road fell away from his vision as his focus slipped. The muscles in his legs and core began to tire, and the pain in his arm ebbed. He watched the trees speed past as he maintained his mile-eating pace.

Attempt to feel all the motion in your body. Now, activate your power.

He lifted, and the world slowed down again. Not just the world, but his body as well. He looked down, and his limbs were moving just a hair too slowly, the strides cartoonish and exaggerated. Every step seemed to take him farther than it should, his balance just slightly off. The only reason he didn’t trip over his own feet was that he was jogging on reflex, and barely thinking.

Pushing himself, he was able to speed up to what felt like his normal jogging pace, but it was harder than normal, like moving through water. He felt the burn in his muscles as he ran, and the world moved slowly around him.

His mind gave out before his muscles. His focus broke, and as his power released, he felt his muscles speed up. His thoughts felt like treacle. His body moved out of his control, attempting to maintain the almost sprinting pace he had been holding, and this time he did trip over his own feet. He landed on a patch of grass, and as soon as he had the presence of mind to do so, rolled over onto his back and caught his breath.

“That… was amazing. How long… did I hold it?”

43 seconds Earth timeframe.

“It’s… hard. Really hard to… hold focus. Is that normal?”

If you are utilizing the shift to its full extent, then yes. What image are you using to approach the power?

“I’m deadlifting.”

Do you find the weight to be just barely within your capability to lift?

“Yeah. How did you know?”

Have you tried picturing a lighter weight?

Chris blinked in surprise, then began to chuckle. He lay there on his back, the grassy patch behind him soft and warm, the branches of the forest waving in the breeze as his laughter grew. It grew and grew until he had to roll onto his side, body trembling with mirth interspersed with great, heaving inhalations as he tried to catch his breath. It wasn’t even that funny, but he couldn’t stop himself from laughing as he felt the tension of the last few hours drain away. He laid there, pain forgotten as time slipped past, and felt the exhaustion in his mind and body envelop him.

Sarah took a picture.