The afternoon was proceeding as usual for Tom Jacker, which meant it involved a hint of laziness and a great deal of potential for unrealized mischief. Perhaps he was lounging where he wasn't supposed to be, or maybe he'd just finished a small scheme that brought him a brief advantage. Whatever the case, one thing was certain: he didn't expect the sky above him to split open and swallow him whole.
A sensation of being pulled by a thousand unseen hands snatched him from reality. Colors spun into a mad kaleidoscope, strange noises buzzed in his ears, and his stomach felt like it had just been on a roller coaster designed by a drunk. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the sensation was gone.
CRASH! THUD! CLANG!
Tom found himself landing in a thoroughly ungraceful manner atop a pile of trash cans in a narrow, damp alley. The stench of stale food and something unidentifiable assaulted his nostrils. For a moment, he just lay there, his limbs twisted at odd angles, like a carelessly tossed ragdoll. One of his legs was even wedged inside one of the cans.
A few moments later, with a series of pops and cracks as his bones reset themselves, which, strangely, wasn't painful at all, Tom pushed himself to his feet. He brushed the dust and remnants of some mysterious tomato sauce off his clothes, his expression one of annoyance, more like a cat whose nap had been interrupted than someone who had just experienced interdimensional teleportation.
"Well, this is new," he muttered, pulling his leg out of the trash can with a grunt.
That was when a semi-transparent, light-blue panel materialized before his eyes, displaying text in a clean font.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: Welcome, entity Tom Jacker, to Dimension K-43, known to the locals as Earth.
- Brief World Analysis: Individuals with special abilities (Garde) exist and are being hunted by an aggressive alien race (Mogadorians). Current location identified as Paradise, Ohio, USA.
Tom blinked. "Dimension K-43? Garde? Mogadorians? Sounds like the title of a cheap sci-fi flick." He tried to touch the panel, but his finger passed right through it.
Another panel appeared.
[System Panel]
- Your base abilities have been fully activated:
* Tom's Template: Absolute immortality with cartoonish regeneration. You can feel pain, but all physical damage is temporary and will rapidly restore to a normal state.
* Power Copying: You have 5 initial ability slots. By defeating (physically or by killing) a superpowered individual or genetic mutant, you can copy their ability at its maximum level. Weaker abilities of a similar type will be automatically replaced if all slots are full.
* Dimensional Travel: You possess the ability to travel between dimensions.
A small smirk played on Tom's lips. "Cartoonish immortality, huh? And copying powers at their maximum level?" He recalled several ridiculous incidents in his past where he should have died or at least been crippled, but had always bounced back just fine. So, this was the explanation.
The final panel for now appeared.
[System Panel]
- Important Information: Future interdimensional travel will require the sacrifice of four copied abilities. This process also has an energy cooldown period before it can be used again. Please plan your travels wisely.
"Sacrifice four abilities..." Tom rubbed his chin. "That's a steep price. Means I have to be very selective about when and where to jump. But for now..."
He glanced around the grimy alley, then toward the bustling main street at its end. His signature sly grin widened.
"Let's see just how 'fun' this Dimension K-43 can be."
With a light stride that belied the potential for chaos that had just arrived, Tom Jacker stepped out from the shadows, ready to see what this new world had to offer. The five empty ability slots felt like an open invitation waiting to be filled.
Stepping out of the narrow alley, Tom Jacker was greeted by the typical sight of a small American town he had often seen in movies. Houses with grassy lawns, old-fashioned-looking grocery stores, and people strolling by casually. Everything seemed normal, too normal, in fact, for a world supposedly inhabited by Garde and Mogadorians.
"Boring," Tom muttered, his eyes scanning his surroundings with rapidly fading interest. To test his abilities a little, or perhaps just for the fun of it, he intentionally "tripped" on the sidewalk, letting himself tumble dramatically a few times before hitting a streetlight with a rather loud 'DONG!'. Several pedestrians turned in shock, ready to help. However, before anyone could approach, Tom was already on his feet, dusting off his shoulder as if nothing had happened. Only a small dent in the streetlight remained as a silent witness. He grinned at the confused faces before continuing on his way. "Tom's Template is indeed useful," he thought with satisfaction.
His attention was then drawn to an electronics store that had several televisions displayed in its window. A local news broadcast was on, showing images of strange destruction in a forested area on the outskirts of town. Trees were toppled in irregular patterns, and the ground was scorched in several places. The reporter spoke of "strange seismic activity" or "possible illegal military exercises."
"Now, this is interesting," Tom's eyes lit up. "Seismic activity, you say? Looks more like a fight between two giant, laser-shooting bears."
Without wasting any time, Tom decided to head towards the forest area mentioned in the news. He moved with a quick pace, his curiosity piqued. After about a half-hour walk, passing through increasingly deserted streets and entering the wooded area, he began to feel that something was wrong. The air felt tense, and there was a faint smell of ozone.
Before long, he heard sounds. The clash of metal, strange growls, and muffled thuds. Cautiously, but not too cautiously since he knew nothing could truly harm him, Tom peered from behind a thick bush.
In a small clearing, a rather brutal scene was unfolding. Two tall, large figures with pale, grayish skin, sharp facial features, and wearing some sort of dark armor were cornering a smaller figure. They were Mogadorians, exactly as Tom might have imagined from the System's description. Their opponent, a teenage boy who looked terrified but was trying to fight back, was clearly not an ordinary human. The teen moved his hands, and several nearby rocks levitated before shooting towards the Mogadorians, though his attacks seemed weak and poorly aimed. Occasionally, the teen's hands also emitted a faint blue light.
"Aha! Jackpot!" Tom whispered. "One Garde and two Mogadorians. Let's see who's got the better toys."
One of the Mogadorians managed to swat away a floating rock and fired a weapon that looked like a wrist cannon. A beam of red energy shot out, forcing the young Garde to leap aside to avoid it. The fight was one-sided.
Tom decided it was time to "liven things up" a bit. He didn't care who was good or evil; what he wanted was to see the powers up close and, of course, take them.
With a ridiculous shout of, "Surprise!" Tom leaped out from his hiding spot, landing squarely between the Garde and one of the Mogadorians.
The startled Mogadorian reflexively fired its energy cannon at Tom from point-blank range.
BLAASST!
Tom was thrown backward, slamming into a tree so hard that it shook violently. For a moment, he looked like a flattened piece of dough stuck to the trunk. The young Garde stared in horror, thinking his strange savior was already dead.
However, a few seconds later, the "dough" began to reinflate, returning to Tom's complete form, though his clothes were slightly scorched. He peeled himself off the tree, stretching his neck.
"Hmm, that was pretty warm," Tom commented, as if he'd just been hit by a snowball, not an energy blast. "My turn."
Before the Mogadorian could react to the miracle before it, Tom had already charged. He had no superpowers at the moment, but he had immortality, cunning, and the courage of a madman. He used the most basic tactics: punching, kicking, and occasionally using the second Mogadorian as a shield or a club to attack the first.
The fight descended into chaos. The Mogadorians grew frustrated as every one of their lethal attacks only sent Tom flying, flattened him, or briefly dismembered him before he returned to normal and resumed his assault with even more enthusiasm. The young Garde could only watch with his mouth agape.
Finally, after one Mogadorian was knocked unconscious from having its head repeatedly slammed against a rock by Tom (who was also temporarily flattened when the rock shattered between them), Tom managed to incapacitate the second one by tangling it in the roots of a large tree that had "accidentally" fallen on it when Tom dodged.
Standing over the groaning Mogadorian, Tom felt a new sensation.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: 'Basic Physical Enhancement (Mogadorian)' ability has been copied. Slots filled: 1/5.
- Description: A minor enhancement to a Mogadorian's standard physical strength, agility, and durability.
Tom felt a slight increase in his muscle strength. "Basic, huh? I guess it's better than nothing." He then turned to the still-shocked young Garde, who was now staring at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Now then, kid," Tom said with a grin. "Let's talk about those shiny powers of yours."
The young Garde, who was clearly John Smith, took a few steps back, his eyes watching Tom Jacker warily. He had just witnessed this strange person take a Mogadorian energy blast at point-blank range and get up as if nothing had happened, even defeating the two alien assassins in a manner that was both brutal and ridiculous. The exhaustion from his own fight and the shock of what he had just seen made his legs tremble slightly.
"Who... who are you?" John asked, his voice hoarse. His hands unconsciously began to glow with the faint blue light of his Lumen, more out of a nervous reflex than any intent to attack.
Tom grinned, a smile that was not at all reassuring. "Just consider me a tourist who's very enthusiastic about the local attractions. And that shiny power of yours, kid, looks very interesting." He took a step forward. "I want to see it up close. Maybe... feel it?"
John backed away further. "Don't come any closer!" He raised his hands, and several pebbles and twigs around them began to tremble, lifted by his still-unstable telekinesis.
"Ooh, you can move things with your mind? Impressive!" Tom exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like a child in a candy store. "Come on, show me what else you can do!"
Without warning, Tom charged. Not with superhuman speed, but with pure recklessness. John, startled, instinctively directed the pebbles and twigs at Tom. The objects pelted Tom, some even hitting him in the face. Tom only let out a small groan, more from the annoyance of getting dust in his eyes than from any pain.
"So weak!" Tom taunted, continuing to advance. "I thought the 'local attractions' here would be more impressive!"
Frustrated and scared, John fired a burst of Lumen from his hands. The light and heat struck Tom in the chest. Tom's clothes smoked and burned away in that spot, revealing skin that reddened for a moment before returning to normal. Tom just laughed.
"Hot! Like sunbathing on a beach, but without the drinks."
The fight was completely one-sided. John desperately used his Lumen and Telekinesis. He managed to throw Tom back several times, even once burying him under a pile of branches and earth using his telekinesis. But each time, Tom would reappear, perhaps a little dirty or with his clothes torn here and there, but always uninjured and with an ever-widening grin.
For John, this was a nightmare. The creature before him couldn't be hurt. Every effort he made was futile.
"Given up yet, kid?" Tom asked, after casually walking out of a small crater created when John had slammed a large boulder down on his location (and on Tom). The boulder had shattered into pieces, while Tom simply stretched his back.
John was panting, his knees weak. He had used almost all of his energy. He had nothing left.
Tom saw his chance. With a speed that was surprising for someone who had just been hit by a large rock, he picked up a thick wooden plank from a fallen tree. Before John could react, Tom swung the plank with the style of a professional baseball player.
WHACK!
The plank struck the side of John's head. It wasn't hard enough to cause serious permanent damage to a normal human, but it was enough to instantly knock out the exhausted young Garde. Tom himself felt the vibration from the impact, and the wooden plank cracked in two.
"Now, that's better," Tom said with satisfaction, dropping the remains of the plank. He crouched beside the unconscious John. "Sorry about that, kid, but I really wanted your new toys."
Several notification panels appeared in his vision.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: 'Telekinesis (Legacy Garde - John Smith)' ability has been copied. Slots filled: 2/5.
- Description: The ability to move objects and matter with the power of the mind. Maximum potential is not limited by weight, only by the user's concentration and energy.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: 'Lumen (Legacy Garde - John Smith)' ability has been copied. Slots filled: 3/5.
- Description: The ability to generate light, heat, and fire from the body, as well as providing immunity to extreme temperatures. Includes a minor self-healing ability from burns.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: 'Physical Enhancement (Legacy Garde)' ability has been copied. Slots filled: 4/5.
- Information: The 'Basic Physical Enhancement (Mogadorian)' ability has been replaced due to the higher quality of the new ability.
- Description: A significant enhancement to strength, speed, agility, endurance, and senses, far surpassing human and standard Mogadorian limits.
Tom's smile widened until it nearly reached his ears. He could feel the new power flowing within him, feeling natural and strong. He held out his hand, concentrating. A large boulder nearby, one that John couldn't fully lift earlier, now floated effortlessly in the air with just a little mental effort from him. Then, he snapped his fingers, and a golden flame danced on his fingertip, far brighter and hotter than John's dim Lumen.
"This... this is incredible!" Tom exclaimed. He felt like he had just been given the keys to the entire playground.
As Tom was busy admiring his new powers, a deep voice called out from the woods. "John! What happened?" A tall man appeared, his face panicked. It was Henri, John's Cêpan.
Seeing Tom standing over the unconscious John, and sensing a strange energy from him, Henri immediately went on guard. However, Tom just gave him a mischievous wink.
"Your boy's just a little tired after playing with me. He'll be fine." With that, Tom decided it was time to leave before things got more complicated. He wasn't interested in fighting a Garde's guardian. He had already gotten what he wanted.
With his new Garde physical strength, Tom shot off at a surprising speed, leaving a bewildered Henri and the still-unconscious John behind.
Far away, in a more remote part of the forest, Tom Jacker was laughing out loud as he mentally tossed car-sized boulders around and burned bushes to ash with his Lumen, only to extinguish them again with a concentrated gust of wind he created instinctively with a bit of telekinetic focus.
"This world is going to be very, very fun!"
After amusing himself with his new powers for a few hours, causing a few "accidental" small forest fires and punching holes in some hills with telekinetically thrown boulders, Tom Jacker started to feel a bit bored. These powers were indeed incredible, but using them without a clear purpose was starting to feel monotonous.
"Okay, I have Garde powers now," he muttered, extinguishing the last flame on his fingertip. "But what's the point if I don't know who else has interesting toys in this world?"
He decided the best way to get information was to go straight to the source: the Mogadorians. They clearly knew a lot about the Garde, given how enthusiastically they were hunting John.
With his newly copied Garde Physical Enhancement, tracking down the remaining Mogadorians or a new patrol turned out to be not too difficult. His sense of smell and hearing were far sharper, and his speed allowed him to cover vast areas of the forest in a short amount of time. Before long, he found a small group of Mogadorians, about four of them, who seemed to be investigating the remains of the previous battle.
"Hello, you ugly lizards!" Tom greeted cheerfully, appearing suddenly in their midst.
The Mogadorians, still traumatized by reports of the invincible entity from the previous patrol, immediately attacked in a panic. Energy blasts and vibrating sword swings were all directed at Tom.
Tom just laughed. He danced between their attacks, sometimes intentionally letting himself get hit just to see the looks of despair on their faces when he got back up without a scratch. He used his Telekinesis to make their weapons clash against each other or even turn back on their owners, and his Lumen to create blinding flashes of light or bursts of heat that made them uncomfortable.
After a few minutes of "playtime" that left the Mogadorians battered and completely demoralized, Tom managed to bind three of them with tree roots using his Telekinesis, leaving the most terrified-looking one to be "interrogated."
"Alright, buddy," Tom said, crouching in front of the trembling Mogadorian. "I have a few questions. For instance, about the Garde girls. I hear some of them are pretty strong. Number Six, perhaps?" He threw the name out randomly, hoping to get a reaction.
The Mogadorian, under Tom's unnerving gaze and the threat of further torture (which, to Tom, was just another way to have fun), finally started talking. Stammering, he spoke of the dangers of Number Six, her ability to turn invisible and control the weather, and how she had become one of the highest priority targets for the Mogadorian Armada. He also mentioned the other scattered Garde, the Loric Charm that protected them (which was utterly useless against Tom), and the main Mogadorian base on a remote mountain.
"Invisibility and weather control?" Tom's grin grew wider. "That sounds very, very fun!"
After getting all the information he needed (and perhaps 'testing' the Mogadorian's resistance to Lumen up close a little), Tom left them bound and helpless. He didn't care what happened to them next.
As he walked away, the System panel appeared again.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: Significant world information has been gathered.
- Optional World Objective detected: Defeat all identified high-powered individuals in Dimension K-43 (the remaining primary Garde and the Mogadorian Armada Commander) to receive a reward: +1 Permanent Ability Slot.
- Potential targets with significant power identified:
* Number Six (Garde): Detected abilities - Invisibility, Atmokinesis (Weather Control), Physical Enhancement (Garde). Location: Unknown, constantly moving.
* Setrákus Ra (Supreme Mogadorian Leader): Various high-level abilities, including artificially enhanced Legacies. Location: Main Mogadorian Base, remote mountain.
- (List of other, less significant targets available upon request).
Tom's eyes were glued to the "+1 Permanent Ability Slot" reward. It was a very enticing incentive. Five slots were starting to feel cramped now that he knew there were so many interesting powers out there.
"One extra slot just for clearing this place of powerful people?" Tom laughed. "This is no longer an option, it's a must! And my first target is obvious."
His plan was simple, classic Tom Jacker:
* Find Number Six. Wherever she was hiding.
* See her powers firsthand. Perhaps by provoking her a little.
* Take her powers.
* Have as much fun as possible in the process.
"Number Six," Tom muttered, gazing at the horizon, a predatory smile on his face. "Time for a game of hide-and-seek."
He knew it wouldn't be easy, considering Number Six was notoriously elusive and powerful. But for Tom Jacker, the greater the challenge, the greater the fun. With the power of Telekinesis to help him move quickly across difficult terrain, Lumen to deal with any bad weather Number Six might create, and Garde Physical Enhancement for endurance, he felt more than ready. His fifth and final ability slot was waiting to be filled.
With a clear new target, Number Six, Tom Jacker felt his spirits ignite once more. The hunt was a game he enjoyed, especially when the prize was a tantalizing new power and an extra ability slot.
The first question was, how do you find a Garde known for her ability to disappear and constantly stay on the move? Tom considered his options. He could try to squeeze more information out of the Mogadorians, but that felt inefficient and a little boring now. He had an idea that was much more his style.
"If I want to find someone who's good at hiding," Tom thought with a grin, "then I have to make a sound loud enough that she has no choice but to come out and see what's happening."
His plan was simple: cause strategic chaos. He remembered the Mogadorian he interrogated mentioning several smaller Mogadorian observation posts in the region, used to monitor movements and search for Garde. One of them, according to the description he'd forced out of the alien, was in a mountainous area not far from the town of Paradise.
"Time for a visit," Tom muttered.
With his Garde Physical Enhancement, the journey to the mountains didn't take long. He leaped over chasms, ran through dense forests at a speed that would make any Olympic athlete jealous, and occasionally used Telekinesis to help him navigate extremely steep terrain.
The Mogadorian observation post turned out to be a small bunker hidden on the side of a mountain, guarded by about a dozen Mogadorians. To Tom, they looked more like ants in a nest ready to be poked.
He didn't bother with stealth. He walked casually to the bunker's front door, then used his Telekinesis to rip the steel door from its hinges as if it were made of tinfoil, and threw it into the bunker while shouting, "Room service!"
Panic immediately erupted among the Mogadorians inside. Alarms blared. They stormed out, weapons raised, only to find Tom standing there with a wide smile, as if welcoming them to his own party.
The ensuing battle was more of a comical, one-sided slaughter. Tom used Lumen to create fireballs that he threw like grenades, Telekinesis to flip Mogadorian vehicles or smash the soldiers into each other, and his immortality to laugh at every attack directed at him. Energy blasts bounced off him (or rather, exploded on his body with no meaningful effect), energy swords only tore his clothes before his skin returned to normal, and he even managed to "borrow" one of the Mogadorian energy cannons to cause more damage to their bunker.
He had no intention of killing them all, just making as much noise as possible. After the bunker was a smoking ruin and most of the Mogadorians had either fainted or fled for their lives screaming about an "Immortal Devil," Tom felt his work was done.
[System Panel]
- System Notification: Significant chaos detected. The probability of attracting the attention of nearby high-powered entities has increased.
"Good," Tom said with satisfaction. "Now, we wait."
He didn't wait in that spot. He started moving again, this time towards another area that, according to the vague information from the previous Mogadorian, might have once been a temporary Garde hiding place. Along the way, he made sure to leave a trail of unusual "activity": trees twisted into strange shapes by Telekinesis, or circles of scorched plants from an overenthusiastic Lumen. He even "wrote" his name in giant letters using massive rocks on a hillside visible from afar, just for the hell of it.
Several days passed in this pattern. Tom moved from one potential location to another, occasionally clashing with increasingly wary and angry Mogadorian patrols, and always making sure his actions were conspicuous. He was starting to enjoy this game of cat-and-mouse, although he wasn't sure who was the cat and who was the mouse at this point.
One afternoon, while he was "practicing" his Lumen by trying to create a giant ice sculpture from a lake's water and then rapidly melting it, he felt a change in the atmosphere. The sky, which had been clear, suddenly darkened. Storm clouds gathered with unnatural speed, and the wind began to howl, carrying a biting chill. Lightning flashed in the distance.
Tom stopped playing and looked up at the sky with great interest. "This is no ordinary storm," he said to himself. He could feel a strange energy in the air, something powerful and controlled. He had felt a similar sensation from his own Lumen and Telekinesis, but this was different, wilder and more vast in scope.
A grin appeared on Tom's face. "Number Six," he whispered. "You finally decided to show up."
He couldn't see anyone, but he knew this was his target's doing. The storm was too centralized, too sudden. Either Number Six was trying to scare him, drive him away, or was observing him from behind her veil of invisibility.
Tom wasn't afraid. On the contrary, he felt incredibly excited. The game was about to begin.