“I'm well aware of your limitations, child. But neither of them are dead. Both are alive, frozen in time, thanks to Emmett’s ability.”

  “What happened to Apex?”

  “Alexei was marked,” Technologica said.

  “Marked?” I asked.

  “Yes. Marked by an ability. There was a Cowl serial killer back in the day named Scythe. She was an Alter/Manipulator with a very unique power. Her name came from her index fingers, which changed when she triggered. They looked like the blade on a scythe, and it gave her the power to mark someone with a single touch of either finger. Once marked, a rapidly debilitating disease came into effect that would kill the person marked. Scythe called it a curse. It wasn’t a poison or a toxin. So many people tried to find any kind of antidote, but there wasn't one. It couldn’t be stopped, halted, or affected by Neutralizers. Cutting off the point of infection didn’t do anything either. The only upside was that she could only mark one person at a time. Alexei noticed that the stronger a person’s life force, the longer it would take for it to kill the person. That idiot decided to let her mark him. He figured it was the best option and would effectively make Scythe a regular person again. He was right, and Scythe ended up dying in prison as nothing more than an old crone with weird fingers. But her power weakened him, and every day, he got weaker, and the curse got stronger. By the time it got to this stage, Technologica had already died and disappeared from the world’s perception. Ratqueen, Mawler, and Voyde thought I was dead, but Emmet and Alexei knew what I was up to up here. Alexei came to me when it got to the point where it was impacting his ability to help people. Emmett froze Alexei in the hope that, given enough time, I would figure out how to cure him. Emmett came to me years later when he realized he wasn’t able to fight crime anymore. He froze himself so that his power wouldn’t stop when he died. He did that for our friend. But there hasn’t been a power in all these years that could cure Alexei,” Technologica said.

  “So, what, you've just been waiting for over a century for someone like me to appear? That's crazy,” I said. Damnit. I didn't mean to yell that out.

  “Apex was the greatest hero ever to live and one of the few who deserved that title. His powers were unmatched and remain so to this day. With the way things are going, the world will need a new Apex soon. From the moment I saw what you could do, I realized the true potential of your ability; instead of leaving who becomes a Cape or Cowl to chance, I can properly distribute the powers to those who deserve it. You will help me create a group that can steer the world in the right direction,” she said.

  I don’t like where this conversation is headed. Technologica is a complete control freak.

  “Why not wait a little longer for another power to cure Apex? What makes you think the world needs someone like him again?” I asked.

  “Both of your questions are valid and share a related answer. What do you know about Neuvohuman powers, Eryk?”

  “What are we having a test now?” I asked.

  “I’m correcting your ignorance; answer me.”

  “Okay. There are ten classifications used to describe the aspects of an ability. Some powers fall under several and others are only one. Powers are rated on a scale of one to five depending on the threat level they pose. One is the lowest and is for powers that are either unhelpful, burdensome, or harmless. Five is the highest and reserved for powers that could destroy a city,” I responded.

  “Correct. However, I have found over the years that a scale of one to five doesn't allow for proper nuance or realistic threat measurement. It is also going to be obsolete soon. I have been operating on a zero to nine scale for the last decade or so. But instead of being used for powers, it is used for the threat level of the Neuvohuman. It doesn't matter whether it's a Cape or a Cowl, my scale ranks them on the maximum possible danger they could cause. Zero is used as the starting point for Neuvohumans who do not pose a threat any more than a regular person,” she said.

  “Okay, I'm not seeing the correlation between any of this.”

  “The point of an updated scale, of having you transfer Alexei’s power into a new person, why I waited for someone like you to appear is all connected. I had a hypothesis about fifteen years after the formation of the Supreme Six. It seemed like powers were gradually getting weaker. New trigger events were resulting in abilities with more restrictions and less firepower. I've been able to observe the phenomenon in real time for well over a century,” she said.

  “If powers are weaker than they used to be, how did you know someone would eventually appear that would have a helpful ability?” I interjected.

  “Do not interrupt me. My hypothesis was partially correct but not entirely. The quality and potency of abilities aren't constantly dropping. Instead, it follows a parabolic path. For eighty years, there was a decline, but fifty years ago, a reversal began. The strength of powers began an upswing, and now they’ve officially reached a point of being stronger. You are a prime example. There has never been a mention, a whisper, a single recorded instance of a Neutralizer possessing permanent removal. You are also the first case of power redistribution, and then factoring in the combination effect, it's clear this new wave will reach heights previously unseen. I believe it's only a matter of time before a Manipulator who can fundamentally rewrite reality appears if they haven't already. I have steadily watched over humanity, preventing it from further destroying itself through my actions and agents. But as new, bigger threats continue to arise, more will be needed. A group that can operate openly, unlike myself and my agents,” she said.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “And you want me to, what, give up what I've collected to this cause? Absolutely fucking not. I may be at your mercy up here, but I will die before I give up what is mine. I've worked far too hard to accomplish what I have to roll over,” I said venomously.

  I meant what I said, but saying it wasn’t smart. I can fuse powers within people, but it’s clear the personality pieces can mix as well. Impulsiveness combined with compulsive honesty is a recipe for ending up with my foot in my mouth. I can't just back down and let her crush me. I am Nobody.

  “Your tantrums are unnecessary, boy. If I wanted what you have, I would take it. I will provide the powers and the personnel. I don't interfere in petty squabbles; you will be free to do as you have been. That is because of how useful your ability is. But there is a limit to my generosity, and I suggest you not find out where it is. Because the moment your actions cause more harm to humanity than your ability will benefit, I will kill you. There is nowhere you can hide that I can’t find, no place my agents can't reach, and nothing you or your group can do to stop me. You're a necessary evil until you aren't,” she said, not bothering to look at me.

  Even though she's focused on the pods, I steel my face. Clamping down on my tongue and keeping every facial muscle taut, I won't let her know she's getting to me. She isn’t lying or bragging. She abducted me from inside my base of operations without a single alarm going off or anyone noticing. She isn’t even trying to get under my skin anymore; she’s just being honest. None of that does anything to calm me down. From the moment I put on the helmet, I have never been disrespected like this. Underestimated? Yes, but never disrespected. I will have time to vent these feelings when I'm back.

  “Understood. When will we be beginning? Do you want me to take the powers now, or are you waiting for something?”

  “You must think I'm lying about my age if you think I'd let you leave with their powers. This was merely an introduction to let you know I'm watching and what I expect from you,” Technologica answered.

  I've gained nothing tangible from this trip. I need more. I can't leave without learning more.

  “How'd you do it? The books list you as a Tinkerer with an unknown specialty. But it would've been obvious if you had a biological aspect to your ability. How did you achieve immortality? Is it related to this form?” I asked, gesturing to her body.

  “You have excellent control of your facial muscles, but I can still see your intentions written plainly on your face. Did you think I would just slip up and tell you my secrets if you asked nicely?” She asked. “If you were ten times as clever as you think you are, you still wouldn’t be my opponent. I have outmaneuvered the greatest strategists, I have outsmarted the best Mentalists, and I have made a fool out of silver-tongued masterminds who thought they were unbeatable. Do you think if I could be tricked by a teenage would-be despot, I would’ve gotten this far? All that you are and have accomplished is as fragile as a sandcastle before high tide.”

  I have no retort, no witty remark, no counter to her statements. All I can do is stay quiet, stewing in my caustic thoughts. For the first time in my entire life, I’m losing. Every time we exchange words, she pokes holes in my existence and leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. But that doesn’t mean I’m out of options. I just need to survive, retreat, and plan the complete and utter destruction of this place and everyone in it. I will see this place drop out of space and burn up in the atmosphere.

  “Come now, we have one more place to go to,” she said, walking out of the room.

  I rush after her, the various walls shutting behind me until we're back on the platform. Technologica doesn't address me as we travel through new and familiar spheres. I don't speak either; I have too much on my mind. Am I expected to be at her beck and call then? From inside the glass tube, I can see that our next designation is the biggest sphere of the whole station. The gate slides open as the platform approaches it, and we enter.

  In the center of the room is a giant obelisk of wires, steel plates, and electronics stretching all the way to the ceiling. The wires are thicker than my entire torso and match the color scheme of Technologica. The walls are covered in possibly millions of screens displaying different scenes. Some of them look to be security camera footage, others are traffic cams, some look like first person perspective, and I recognize a lot of the locales displayed. She’s watching everything. This place puts Kai’s laboratory to shame. It’s humongous and a hive of activity. There are floating platforms like ours casually floating around. An identical copy of Technologica is standing on each of the platforms, and they’re all typing away at projected displays while watching the screens. I look at the Technologica next to me and then back at all the others. She, they, how? Clones? A lowball estimate would be a hundred of them. This isn’t something a Tinkerer should be able to do. The T.I.D.E should’ve prevented this.

  “What are you? Are you, you? Or are all of you, you?” I asked.

  All at once the Technologicas look at me. I feel miniscule underneath their combined eyes.

  “We are Technologica,” they said in unison.

  All but the Technologica who brought me here go back to what they were doing.

  “We are Technologica, but also we aren’t. These are all Avatars that I control simultaneously. From monitoring your helmet’s feed to planning the abduction to every conversation we’ve had today, has taken up less than one percent of my total attention,” Technologica said before floating away.

  The giant obelisk begins to shake and groan. Lines appear across the steel plates, similar to Kai’s prosthetic before it transforms. The thick wires start to move, almost like they’re snakes. What I thought were connection points at the end of the wires detach to show me they aren’t connection points; they are tri-fingered claws. The top portion of the giant cylinder lifts into the ceiling, revealing a hexagonal box that ends in five points at the top. One of the points is longer than the others, and the sides of the hexagonal box have huge cables emerging out of it. The cables connect to the sides I can’t see from where I am. Panels shift and open as larger versions of the wings the Avatars have emerge out of them. The mass of techno-tentacles are all connected to what looks like mantle armor, albeit scaled up by a hundred. The floor shakes as the entire thing turns toward me. Seeing a machine the size of a house move like this is breaking my brain. The side of the machine I couldn’t see before has a glass window as big as a car on it. Inside is what looks like a large mass of flesh so out of place that I almost miss it. I recognize it as a human brain floating inside of the machine, but far bigger than it should be. The glass flickers as an image of the face the Avatars all share is projected onto the glass. This is Technologica, the real one, or what’s left of her.

  “Hello, Eryk. I believe the shock from all of this has rendered you speechless. Do you understand now? It isn’t that I look down on your accomplishments; it’s that we’re operating on completely different scales. You have cultivated a single flower while I have maintained an entire forest. You react to what’s happening; I guide what will.”

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