Chain 019: Cyberpunk

Chain 019: Cyberpunk
Location: The City
Identity: Drop-In
Drawbacks: [+1000] Dancing In The Fire, The Myth of Materialism, The New Gods, After The End
(Abilities: Savant; Hyperkinesis; Achron; Sorcery Savant)
[Free]      Not Dark Enough
[Free]      One Of The Masses
[100/2000]  Dropping The Mask
[500/2000]  Man And Machine
[600/2000]  Ghost In The Machine
[Free]      Common Cloth
[900/2000]  The Truth
[1000/2000] Personal Arm Computer
[1400/2000] Augmentation Suite
[2000/2000] Workshop Of The Future

Cortex Command was a fine place to get used to the Achron ability again. It was long overdue, but at last, I can use it on a regular basis. And by "regular" I mean I'm going to try to use this during practically every jump because it works PARTICULARLY well in terms of anticipating attacks, to say nothing of life insurance.

Here, though? Well. Firstly, I didn't expect to pick up a wrist-mounted computer - honestly, barely more than a palmtop - and find it with an uplink to a small factory, of sorts. A back-room workspace, sure, but a compact factory all the same, capable of building damned near anything and abandoned for years by all signs. And in there, a small tablet computer with some very... VERY... interesting files.

At least it helped get me up to date on things as they are now, and explained quite a lot. Like how the world was unified under a single world government after an apocalyptic war, and in truth run by an artificial intelligence, who was itself at war with other AIs that sought to sweep through the shattered cities to eliminate humanity instead of merely enslaving it. Or how that apocalyptic war used bombs derived from strangelets, and instead of causing the universe to collapse, instead caused humanity to develop strange powers... some of which the AIs were able to utilize themselves. Megacorporations seemed to provide a theoretical safety net, while in truth experimenting on people.

Into the middle of that I was thrown.

I could have simply walked away. Despite all that I could do - the abilities I could draw on, the electrokinesis that seemed to be a permanent feature - I was in truth no more special than any of the gifted. While many humans were baseline, others had powers that ranged from clairvoyance to psychokinesis to magic and indeed even outright reality warping at will. Some tried to help reinforce the status quo. Some were in it for themselves, taking whatever they wished.  I admit, seeing such power made me feel a spark of jealousy, for just a moment.

And then I found with others. Some, you see, were trying to help others. Living in the fissues of a broken society, trying to make the world a better place. And in short order I counted myself among their number. It was not always a fun environment... but it was one that I relished. And a lot can happen in a decade, when you have people with strong wills and the ability to quite literally change the world.

For all that I did... in truth I was a bit player. And though the AI were completely eradicated by the end, I wasn't remotely instrumental, other than providing support for those who did the bulk of the work.

After nearly twenty worlds, I am humbled.

Maybe I needed that reminder.