An IEHAR operator—a redheaded woman with freckles—approached me with a set of handcuffs. They radiated a faint azure light. “Please hold out your wrists.”

I did not resist. A bolt of stinging pain struck my temple as soon as the metal locked around my wrists. It faded, replaced by coldness washing over my body. This was BA-OBJ-995—a specialized alloy developed by IEHAR to restrict the abilities of kinetics and anomalies. Details about the chemical makeup were sparse on the Internet, but I knew it was expensive to create, yet necessary for their containment chambers and suppressant weaponry.

Oh dear, it seems this alloy is powerful as ever.

Hey ALICE, this metal messing with you?

Yup! I’m getting some interference here. My responses will be delayed; maybe some issues with the UI as well.

True to her word, the status outputs and text boxes crackled and fizzed like the display on a damaged monitor. The rest of the IEHAR operators relaxed, though they still clutched their rifles.

“Thank you for your co-operation.” The woman said. “Your name…?”

“Kyle. Kyle Licht.”

“Kyle Licht, we will need to take you in for first-time kinetic processing.” The woman said. “This will involve a stay at the nearest IEHAR outpost, followed by an evaluation of your anomalous abilities and any acts you have committed thus far. You must not activate any anomalous abilities without permission. You have the right to remain silent at all times. Furthermore anything you say and do can be taken against you—”

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait!” Emily interrupted with a loud cry. She rushed forward, only to be restrained by another IEHAR operator and a field medic. “What are you doing to my brother?”

“He’s a new kinetic, lassie.” The second operator grunted. A male, with a shaved head and a voice like the grumble of a horse. “He needs to get checked out. He might hurt someone.”

“Hurt someone? He saved me and some of the people here! He fought off the damn Spawn all by himself!” Emily shouted. She waved an arm to the other patients. Mothers, fathers, college students and trendy shoppers. A few of them were nodding their heads, still shaken. “Don’t you dare imply he’s some form of terrorist!”

The medic tried to intervene. “Miss, please! You shouldn’t stress your body—”

“I’ll tell everyone! I’ve got connections. My friend’s friend works for Channel 3! If you hurt him, even a little bit, I’ll shout to the whole world about it!” Emily ranted. Her cheeks, pale with fright moments ago, were now a red. Her legs kicked against the strong frame of the operator.

“Lassie, stop struggling or—”

“Or what? I’m not afraid of you!”

This was going too far. I knew exactly what happened when civilians tried resisting against authority. Broken bones and fractured minds.

“Emily!” I barked out. My sister froze. She turned to me.

“Kyle?”

“Calm down. They’re not gonna hurt me. Not with all the cameras watching.” I said. Some of the survivors had their phones out. TV drones were buzzing through the air, snapping photos and recording footage of the disaster. Most were clustered around the wall, but others were flying towards our little encampment.

“B-but…”

“Chill.” I said. God, I wanted to put my hands on her shoulder. “I didn’t do anything wrong. It might take a few days, but I’ll get this sorted out. Have faith in me. Go home and tell Mom and Dad about it. They’ll know what to do.”

“You’ll be okay? You really will?” Emily said. New tears clustered at the corners of her eyes. “Promise?”

I held up my wrists and gave her the double thumbs up. “I promise.”

Emily gave a shuddering breath and sniffled. She backed off, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “I’ll see you then, Kyle. Good luck.”

The IEHAR red-head led me to one of their armored vehicles. The metallic, chrome-grey interior reminded me of the military trucks employed by the Americans in the previous timeline. I gave the plating a quick tab and concluded you’d need a minute of solid gunfire to dent this beast. Fencing one would’ve scored me a bounty in the hundreds of thousands. IEHAR spent no restraint on its technology budget.

“You’ll be taken to Outpost 43E on Wallace Street.” The red-head said. According to the Bearbrass map this was on the outer ring of the city. “Your processing may take up to three to thirty days, depending on your circumstances. Contact with your family will be arranged, but your conversations may be recorded for future use.”

“That’s fine.” Nothing I hadn’t researched on the Internet.

“We’ll set off once the rest of the operators are done outside.” The woman hesitated at first, then continued. “Thank you, by the way. You prevented a potentially messy situation.”

Now that was new. I’d received spits, vulgar threats and bashes to the skull from cops, but compliments? Well, I wasn’t going to complain.

“It’s nothing.” I said. The operator nodded back and fell silent.

Boss! You have a Perk available to select. Which one would you like?

Hmmm…how about this one?

[Visible Stat Checks]: Unlocks information about Statistic Checks for one (1) Stat. You will see whether you have passed or failed a Stat Check and the degree of such. Select this Perk multiple times to increase the number of Stats it applies to.

A good choice. So which Stat would you like to apply it to?

Charisma.

Achievement Unlocked: ! Acquired 100 Alexandrite!

Achievement Unlocked: ! Acquired 100 Alexandrite!

“In recent news, the Fletcher Street Shopping Mall found itself the victim of a Black Nimbus attack at around 10:45 this morning. According to eyewitness reports, the entire mall was surrounded by the dark clouds in an instant, then raided by the Spawn across the majority of the floors. The number of casualties is currently uncertain, but tragically lives were confirmed to be lost in the attack…”

>great, this is the second one this week. worldwide, I mean

>What the fuck is IEHAR doing? Crockload of shit that alliance was!

>omg so sad…

>:manysad: :fortsnprayers: :cryingdove:

“A preliminary investigation has raised suspicions about the lack of proper security and insufficient emergency protocols within the building. Blue Beacon Enterprises, the corporation responsible for the construction of the shopping mall, has promised a full investigation into the matter and has ceded to offer any further statements…”

>A corporation skimming costs and then majorly eating shit? No way! Noooooo way!

>IT’S FUCKING OVER BEACONTHADS. SELL SELL SELL

>lolllll should’ve :clappingface: that :cash:

>Yeah, it’s definitely boycott time.

“The cost of the damage is estimated to be within the millions. Stocks of Blue Beacon have plummeted in the wake of the disaster. Several terrorist organisations, including Bloodwerks and the HAF, have claimed responsibility for the incident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families…”

>It’s the HAF. I saw those duffel bags on Zing.

>saving humanity by killing them. very smart

>What do you expect from traitors? :fistofraeg:

>BLOODWERKS IS AN EDGY UNDERGROUND GROUP NOT A TERRORIST GROUP YOU SLAGGING MSM

“Eyewitnesses have also mentioned a teenaged boy using a handgun to defend fellow shoppers from the Spawn. Others claim that a newly-awakened kinetic summoning fireballs to burn the Spawn to pieces. Displaying footage in 3..2..1…”

>wow, not bad looking

>POLICE. OVER HERE. PLEASE.

>I hope that firearm is registered, otherwise that kid is in for a world of legal pain.

Finally, I thought to myself, déjà vu that isn’t related to the differences between Melbourne and Bearbrass. I sat in a bare-walled room on a hard chair, as an operator in uniform recorded my answers on a portable computer. My hands were no longer bound. A glass of water rested on the table in front of me.

“Have any family members exhibited anomalous abilities?” The interviewer said. He moved through the interview with the flow and practice built from countless past experiences. Each question was punctuated with a stern look. Don’t mess with us middle management, it said, we can screw your life over six ways to Sunday before you can even blink.

“You’ve got my medical history, right? Look it up. Probably no.”

“Did you experience any symptoms in the days preceding the attack?”

“Nah.” I lied. “I was real shaken up and my burns hurt, but nothing abnormal.”

A message flickered in the corner of my vision. Charisma Check [Easy]: Success! +2 EXP! Good, the Perk was working.

“Describe your anomalous abilities to me. What did you feel when you conducted them for the first time?”

“I was running out of the mall with my sister trying to escape the Spawn. We then ran into a whole mob of them. I tried to fend them off, but it was too much to handle. I was scared, but also angry. Super angry. I wanted nothing more than to beat them into the ground. The anger must’ve transformed into flames—not sure how this all works—and before I knew it those monsters were ashes on the ground in front of me.”

“What was your first thought after awakening your abilities?”

“I just wanted to see my sister was alright.”

“Are you able to utilize them now?”

I made a show of flexing my fingers, then frowning. “I don’t think so. I think I need to be pissed off or afraid to use them.”

“I see. In that case, we’ll refrain from your demonstration today. Operator Mackenzie said you stopped your sister from causing a ruckus at pickup.” The interviewer said. He peered at me with a pair of black cyber-eyes. The iris zoomed in a fraction. “What is your stance on your abilities now?”

“I dunno.” I said. “Never gave much thought to kinetics. Never knew I’d end up becoming one. How do these things work?”

“All kinetics must find sponsored employment within Australia, whether with IEHAR or other public or private businesses. Refusal to do is a breach of the law.” The man said. He refrained from advertising his workplace for me. We both knew those were already waiting in the wings for me. “Very well, that is the end of the interview.”

Charisma Check [Easy]: Success! +2 EXP!

I breathed in and out, then gulped down the water. As far as interrogations went, it wasn’t too bad. Almost as simple as passing through an airport check. The interviewer had prodded me for answers, analyzing my body language, but without knowledge of INTERFACE-OS I could lie about my abilities as much as I desired.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“A medical examination, then you will need to stay overnight under observation in this Outpost.” The interviewer said. “Tomorrow, you’ll be transferred to a Facility to enact your new anomalous abilities. After that, you’ll need to given a brief orientation about kinetics and decide your career path.”

“Can I call my family?”

“Of course. I’ll take you to a private room.”

Charisma Check [Easy]: Success! +2 EXP! How would you rate the Perk, boss? IEHAR greatly values its employees' feedback.

Meh, it's not half bad.

Outpost 43E was a building the size of the average police station, manned by IEHAR operators, office workers and a few scientists. Before the veil secrecy was torn to pieces, IEHAR Outposts operated as bases for field operations and intelligence gathering, under the guise of various shell companies. Now, they acted as minor public stations, performing tasks that the larger Facilities and Zones couldn’t be bothered with, such as kinetic induction and processing.

I laid inside a coffin capsule—the same used in cheap motels across the world—staring up at holo displays of web pages. Unlike the hospital quarantine, the Outpost offered Internet access and decent food for new kinetics. I was applying my newfound time to chat with my sister and conduct research on the side.

‘Etymology of the term ‘kinetic’ originates from IEHAR documentation predating the twenty-first century. Humans with anomalous abilities were initially classified as psychics, utilizing terms such as ‘psychokinetic’ or ‘telekinetic’. Eventually, enough variety of anomalous abilities appeared to extend past the boundaries of typical psychic feats. Hence, ‘kinetic’ was created as a catch-all term. The first usage was in a formal report written by…’

IEHAR cannot prevent kinetics from refusing employment. It’s important to know where your rights stand. Contact a lawyer if you are unsure of your country’s anomalous-specific laws…

“So, Mom and Dad are doing okay?"

“Yeah.” My sister replied from all the way back home. “Mom, uh, kinda had a crying fit in her bedroom after you gave us the news. Dad and I calmed her down with a few hugs. She’s scared for you, but then again who isn’t here?” Emily gave a weak chuckle. “Hey, is IEHAR treating you well? Did they lock you up?”

“They’ve got a coffin hotel setup here.”

“So they did lock you up!”

“It’s not that bad, Emily. After all that trouble, it’s nice to have some peace and quiet.” I’d grown accustomed to coffin hotels during mercenary work. Hell, give me a roof, a ceiling and four semi-solid walls and I could sleep through a tornado. “The food is better than the hospital, even if it’s just convenience store sandwiches and crap.”

“You better tell us if they try to pull a shady one over you!” Emily said. “Dad’s got his lawyer buddy at the ready.”

“Hey, Emily.” I said. “Are you doing alright?”

“Me? I…don’t know. My chest feels numb. It’s like I’ve chugged a dozen energy drinks at once, can’t sleep or stay awake at the same time.” Her breathing quickened. “God, I was so scared. I burst into the tears when Mom came to pick me up. It should be a dream, but it’s not. Those people died.”

“I’m sorry.” I said.

“Not your fault. You saved me.” Emily whimpered. “But the Spawn put their hands through them and they’re just gone. I couldn’t do anything, and I know I can’t, but I just feel so horrible right now!”

It’s the way of this world. I thought, glum. No course outside of sucking it up and keep going, but I wasn’t about to tell my sister that. Now that the panic had settled, survivor’s guilt was wrapping its ugly claws around my little sister’s heart. “It’s those terrorists’ fault for attacking and the corp’s fault for not prepping enough security. Not yours, or mine, or anyone else’s.”

There was a pause on the other line. “Kyle, did you think about the guys who kidnapped you? Did you feel sorry for them?”

“They were assholes.” I said. The sight of the gangers melted into fire, alive, was sticking me for a long time. “The way they died…nobody deserved that. Yeah, I wish it hadn’t come to that.”

“I see…”

“I don’t blame you for feeling sad. I did too, and those guys tried to rip my organs out.” I said. “Still feeling the aftereffects. It’s natural.”

“Thanks, Kyle. I think I feel a little better.” Emily said. Her tone was still shaky. Nightmares were sure to follow. But she was breathing, alive and had hope. It was the best I could do given the circumstances. I couldn’t talk her past her issue completely—might need a way higher Charisma stat for that.

Charisma Check [Hard]: Partial Success! +5 EXP!

“Did your friend make it out alive?”

“Sarah? Yeah, she went on break just as the attack started. She managed to get out first. Kyle, you were brave. So brave. I wouldn’t be speaking to you right now, if you hadn’t saved me. When did you learn to fight like that?”

“It’s a long story.” I glanced around. “Kinda in a public place right now. I’ll talk later when I get back home.”

“Oh. Oh, okay, I gotcha.” Emily said. “Take care of yourself, bro.”

“Same to you. Maybe you sleep with Dad tonight if you’re not feeling well.”

Emily gave a shaky laugh. “I might actually do that. Should talk to Mom about seeing a doctor too.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. See you, Emily.”

“Bye Kyle. Be safe.”

She hung up. I relaxed in my chair, a rare smile drifting over my face. Then, it twisted into a forlorn grimace as the memories from my past life hit again. A smile ruined by a scathing tirade. Demands for an explanation that trailed off into resigned acceptance. A slap to my face as I got what I rightfully deserved. I squeezed my eyes tight and waited for the storm to pass. The sight of my baby sister defending me so vehemently, calling me a hero, helped beyond words. I’d destroyed the vigor and light from previous timeline’s Emily. I wasn’t about to let Impurities accomplish the same.

I delved deeper into my research. According to an unofficial biography, IEHAR once had its grubbing paws in the high offices of most governments. Their intelligence network had outstripped the FBI and CIA’s by at least fifty years. The public reveal of Impurities had forced the organization to declassify vast swatches of their network, including the distribution of their utilitarian, unethical practices. You’d have to be a fool to think they didn’t fall back on their conteingency plans afterwards. These guys were worse than the Illuminati. They were the biggest authority on anomalies around and would find my connection to INTERFACE-OS sooner or later.

The plan was simple: willingly go to IEHAR and let them help sort out the INTERFACE-OS situation. I could find a job to support my family, ideally staying in contact. Best case scenario I might find some explanation for ALICE’s disposition, too.

ALICE, bring up, my status. We’ve got work to do.

Of course, Boss!

BASIC INFORMATION:

NAME:

Kyle Harris Licht ("Boss")

LEVEL:

5

EXP:

171/450

HEALTH:

150/150

ENERGY:

55/55

$NF

1000

Alexandrite (AX)

4850

STATS

STRENGTH

8

PERCEPTION

10

DEXTERITY

9

ENDURANCE

8

AGILITY

9

CHARISMA

10

WILLPOWER

14

INSIGHT

5

Upgrade Points Remaining

2

SKILLS:

Stealth I

The ability to conceal your presence. Scales with AGILITY, PERCEPTION and DEXTERITY.

Blade Combat I

Proficiency with wielding a short blade in combat. Proficiency with firearms. Scales with PERCEPTION and WILLPOWER

Firearms (Standard) II

Proficiency with basic firearms. Does not include more specialized firearms, such as sniper rifles. Scales with PERCEPTION and WILLPOWER.

Pain Resistance I

Ability to endure physical trauma and keep on acting. Scales with ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER.

PERKS:

Increased EXP

Due to selecting Very Hard Mode, all EXP will be increased by 20%

More Perks

Due to selecting Very hard Mode, Perks will be acquired every level, instead of every two.

Expanded Inventory

Your maximum Inventory size has increased by 1.

Quiet Takedown

Attacks from a stealthy state will have reduced noise.

Fast Learner

+10% to all EXP gained.

Visible Stat Checks (Charisma)

Shows the successes and fails of Charisma-related checks.

IMPURITY:

Designation

Research %

Resonance Skills

IO-HMN-016

17%

[Fiery Heart]: All OFFENSIVE actions this conflict deal Fire damage and inflict the Burn status. Fire damage is reduced by 20%.

RESTRICTIONS:

Disable Scan

Automatic scanning of entities is disabled.

Smaller Inventory

Starting inventory space has been reduced.

Very Hard Missions

Missions are more difficult. All enemies have increased stats and additional perks.

Weak LV Restore

You will only regain partial Health and Energy upon levelling up (~25% for both).

Ally Retrieval

Allies must be retrieved from the field, instead of being automatically granted.

I took in the information and contemplated. The Impurity Resonance tool had proved its worth already. Besides raising my Insight stat, how else could I improve this aspect?

How about you roll the item gacha? A new banner for anomalous artifacts has just begun! ALICE said.