Pandora's Paradox/Prologue: Second Chance

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Alyssa Irons, better known to friends and family as Liss, was like any other student at Atlas Park High School. In a city comprised of superpowered entities of all sorts, this seemed to be the place where normal people could exist without the fear of a Council invasion or Hellion torching. A sanctuary in a world gone mad, these young adults could safely prepare for their life into the world.

Preparation was not something Liss was best at.

"You're going to be late! Get moving already!" Those were the first words the drowsy redhead heard as her eyes opened, attempting to focus in seconds on what it would take minutes to accomplish for her. "You need to take a bath, get dressed, eat breakfast which is almost ready, dry your hair because it's cold out..."

"...Yeah mom, I know. Just... What time is it?" She forced her head to turn in the direction of her alarm clock, which she once again had somehow managed to turn off in her sleep at some point. 7:25. Yeah, there was no way she could complete her mother's laundry list of tasks within a fifteen minute time period. At this point, she just wanted to take the day off and get some rest, even though it was a Monday. "You could've tried to wake me up earlier", the teen mumbled.

"I had to get some sleep too! Look, it's 7:27 already, now go!"

So cold all over... That was all Liss could think about as she slowly made her daily routine. Forget the bus; she'd have to walk to school today. Fortunately, she had a backup plan.

Students fled the busses in masses, a mad rush to enter the school building despite their unanimous dread over the day. Some would chat in front of their lockers, while others would report to homeroom immediately. Soon, the first bell rang. Somewhere in all of this organized chaos, a cheerful, energetic Liss walked out of the ladies' restroom. Glancing about somewhat cautiously so as to make sure she didn't run into anyone, she noticed a familiar friend of hers, two inches taller and modestly heavier, boasting an unnaturally dark tan in the middle of January.

"Hey, Tanya! I made it!"

"Yeah, I can see that," the young woman snarkily remarked as she turned to her friend. A smirk spread across her lips as she dashed toward her. "Get back in there!"

"What? What's wrong? Don't tell me..."

"You're seethrough again."

"Gah... Lemme fix that. Thank you so much!" Liss, or what Tanya saw of her in this form, shimmered and flickered before slowly, too slowly, filling in. In seconds, the ghost of a girl became complete, hefting her backpack a little. "Good thing no one saw me... I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

"A reputation in being late?"

"AND not getting marked tardy for it! Not like anyone cares to check. Speaking of which, I should be leaving the house right about... Now."

"Bye mom! See you later, I have all my books, don't I? Yeah, I do. Watch, purse, tissues, good!" Flinging the door open, Liss began her wild dash toward the high school. Her mom's careful, delicate combing efforts immediately dispersed as her hair waved about like she were in a hurricane, charging forward with nothing that could stop her. She thought to herself during this time, planning her arrival. If she kept up this speed, she would be able to reach the school five minutes before the end of homeroom. Two to three minutes before everything let out, she would duck into the restroom. The students would let out to begin their first class, and the other Liss she created would enter as well, disperse, and no one would be the wiser.

Meanwhile, back in homeroom, the fake Liss shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Tanya tried hard to stifle a laugh; this always seemed to happen. While she appeared perfectly solid and functional, the positioning was hard to maintain... Sometimes the illusionary form would shift into the seat or lean into the desk, literally, while Tanya, the more aware one, would quickly gesture before anyone noticed. Both of Liss eyed their watches. Almost time to make the swap. "So, did you come up with a topic for your report yet?"

The true Liss practically stumbled, a nearby wall catching her before she could tumble to the ground. The alternate body stammered, "M-my report? Um, when's it due?" as if it would change her answer.

Tanya simply shook her head, much like a mother would. "You do this every time... You have until next Monday. Not today. But seriously, rough drafts were due last Wednesday... And you didn't take any notes when we had time to use the computers. Can't you think of anything?" She stared into the copy's eyes, almost tapping her foot while waiting for a response.

"Well, it's..." Liss lowered her voice, something that didn't need to be done in the loud clamor of the classroom, but was necessary for what she was about to mention: "...It's difficult to think of anything when everyone else is too. You know how I am!"

"Liss..." The two bowed their heads in a frustrated moment of silence. They always looked out for each other, through the thick and thin, the best and the worst. When no less than 25% of one's total grade for the school year rests on one report, however, sometimes there is little one can do to help. Still Tanya remained optimistic, a warm smile gracing her lips once more. "You'll come up with something, though. Even if it's Saturday or Sunday night, you will. You always do. Remember the first time we had to pull that?"

She did indeed. The real Liss slowed her pace, aside from the occasional glance at her watch, as she recalled how Tanya came to know of her ability.

They barely knew each other back then. Sophomore year, second quarter. For literature class, the assignment was to, with a partner assigned by the teacher, come up with a speech to translate and convey the meaning of a Shakespeare play based on what had been learned in class previously. "Irons? You're with Walker. You will be doing King Lear." They were both fine with it... Just another face in the crowd. It'd go well as long as the other didn't slack off the whole time. And they were both slackers, as well as untrained in the writings of old English.

Time passed throughout the weekend, and neither got anything done. Eventually, Tanya found Liss's name in the school directory and arranged a meeting to finish everything in one day. What could have taken hours dragged on through the night. Living on Mountain Dew and determination, they pushed out what could pass for a B presentation at best. Liss's parents let Tanya crash for the night, and together they'd go to school to turn in the assignment.

Morning came, and Tanya was nothing short of exhausted. With only two hours of sleep, she knew she wouldn't make it through the day, let alone be coherent enough to recite passages from a play that she mostly guessed and ho-hawed at the meaning of. She just wanted to go home and take the day off, if not for the kicker; they both had to show up, that day, to be credited for it. Any exceptions would be an automatic fail. Liss, who was all too used to getting the minimal possible amount of sleep, even if it often resulted in her sleeping through half the school day anyway, looked into those tired eyes and bit her lower lip. "I... Can help out."

"How? Coffee has no effect on me if that's what you're thinking... I can't do this, not like this."

"...I have a plan for you to get some sleep and to get this project done. You're going to take a ride in my head."

Tanya, dazed and slipping in and out of consciousness, thought, no, knew she did not hear what the strange speech partner just suggested. Out of curiosity, she still managed to mutter, "What did you just... Say we were... I was going to do?"

Liss's tone was serious and confident as she repeated herself. "You're going to take a ride in my head. I'll get your consciousness out of that body and into mine... Make an illusionary duplicate of you... Aaand... Do it together. Then your duplicate will request an early dismissal, walk out, vanish after a while, presumed having been picked up by your parents, and I'll just... Deposit you back into... You when I get back home!"

"...I'm... Not sure I follow. Are you on the drugs now? Oh God, I didn't want to be put with a pothead partner..."

"No, no! I can do it right now, and your body will be all rested by the time we're done. It'll be perfect!"

Tanya decided to humor her twisted roommate, not even thinking about her response. "Okay, sure... I'll do it."

Liss beamed with joy uncharacteristic of someone who is certainly not a morning person as she began to focus her energy. She stared at Tanya, like she were trying to make her pop. Her target began to fall asleep, drifting into unconsciousness again; perfect, just what she wanted to see. A burst of energy spiked from her mind as the body went out cold.

"Nng... Where am I?" queried a voice inside Liss's brain. "I... I'm on the bus now? Why can't I move... Wait, I am moving, but I... Can't control my body..."

"Wait for it... Wait for it," the charming redhead thought to herself.

"Alyssa, what the HELL did you do to me?"

"There we go. It's about time you came to... We're almost there, and I've got all the material packed up. Let's rehearse it real quick."

She could sense the visitor within her mind freaking out. Feelings of worry and panic rushed over her, yet those feelings were not her own. She knew what Tanya's displaced consciousness was feeling, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Liss soothed Tanya, letting her "breathe deep" as it would, until the terrified personality finally confided to her will.

"Okay... Alright, let's get this over with. I'll consider this both my saving grace and the single weirdest thing to ever happen to me in my life. I so owe you, by the way," said the calmed Tanya.

The plan went similarly to how it did in the present; Tanya's spectral double would proceed from the restroom shortly before the beginning of homeroom, where the two would chat. Liss simply commanded the illusion to speak what Tanya thought, and it worked rather well, even if it just creeped the guest out even more. Together, they proceeded through their first half of the day normally, including the dreaded speech... An effort made all the easier by the fact that it was now technically one person doing all of the thinking. Halfway through lunch, Tanya retreated to the nurse's office and decided to take the rest of the day off on account of illness, after which the clone vanished when no one was looking.

"...And done! That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Liss and Tanya both emitted a feeling of calm and satisfaction; somehow, through this power, they did it.

"I'm just glad I don't have to hear myself repeating everything I'm saying. Thinking. Whatever. To be honest, I'm... Starting to like it in here. I'm getting to know you a little now, and... I like that. Neither of us really have friends, do we?"

Liss paused in thought. For a moment, her expression grew stoic, depressed. Tanya apparently hit a nerve. While Liss knew what she was thinking, neither could see each other's memories... And this was apparently something to best not try to think about. "I'm... Sorr-"

"Don't be," the budding psychic remarked before her friend could finish that thought. "It's fine... You're right. But... You have to promise me one thing... Something I'm sure you can already guess. You have to make sure not to tell anyone about this... Okay?"

"...Promise", Tanya declared. "You can count on me."

The bell rang; homeroom dismissed! Both of Liss began their mad dashes to the restroom. The timing had to be perfect now. They couldn't be too slow, or else they wouldn't be able to make the switch in time, but they couldn't be too fast, or else someone would notice two of the same person enter without one leaving. "How do you explain that?" she wondered. The real one fled into a stall. Putting the seat down, she quickly rifled through her notes. So many possibilities, yet nothing to go on. She was never a fan of History... But there was no time to think about it now. Three minutes until class started.

The illusionary Liss, hand clutching her stomach as though she desperately needed to use the restroom, pushed her way through, once more possibly literally, several people, Tanya close behind to avoid any major flubups. Two minutes to go.

Quickly, the true body flicked open the door's lock and pushed it as the false grabbed it, running inside and through each other. She'd done this before on occasion, and she felt a little sick... Never pleasant to effectively see your own insides for a brief moment, but not enough that she wanted to hurl. Even standing next to the commode, there wouldn't be enough time. All things considered, she had everything on hand, her consciousness was no longer split two seperate ways, and she could get moving.

Now panting, sweat dripping down her hair, not at all helped by her baggy sweatshirt, she made it into class no more than five seconds before the bell. Taking a seat, she quickly readied her notes, what little of them she had, and prepared for another hour and fifteen minutes of Metahuman History.

Today was much the same as the last: Another work day for the big assignment. All they had to do was pick a specific point in metahuman-based history and complete a full report on it. They needed to contribute their notes, a rough draft, a final copy with a title page, body, appendix, and a list of sources, no more than three of them websites and one had to be a personal interview, as well as a graphic presentation and three minute speech. This was the big one. A full quarter of the final exam grade would be based upon this... Make or break, do or die, pass or fail.

As with every class, Liss glanced idly about the room. What seemed like her spacing out as usual would be more liken to that of her turning the dial on a radio. "What do we have today?" she thought to herself. Three were reporting on the Nemesis Invasion of America... One of which was notable in which many of the notes taken and thoughts in mind suggested an intent to do the report from the perspective of the Nemesis Army itself. It would either be the best in the class or get him expelled for sympathizing with a tyrant, she figured. One was doing the Kheldian and Nictus touchdown on Earth. Fortunately, he already was friends with one who was willing to divulge plenty of information; more than scientific research and little recorded historical background could provide. Two wished to report on the 5th Column and the fall of Atlas. The era of the Midnighters was also mildly popular. Some, like her, were still uncertain and changed their topics almost daily. The rest? They were doing the Rikti War, of course.

Liss never had much difficulty being original. She was, after all, the psychic who let her only true friend come to school in her head, after all. But this was particularly important. She needed to pick something nobody else would do, yet not so hard that no one would want it. Why was it so hard just to find a basis for a project? Furthermore, in one week?

She trudged throughout the day. It seemed no matter what class she was in, the urgency of completing the report egged her on, daring her to finish it. How could she finish what she couldn't even start? She wished it were over already. The stress was becoming unbearable to her.

As she returned home, the procedure was similar. She would head to her room, turning on her computer. Just look at something, anything, everything, until inspiration would strike. Minutes would turn to hours. Hope would turn to pessimism. Interest would subside, and soon, she would begin browsing Wikipedia to look up an article on the Banana Splits.

By 2:00 AM, she found herself restless. She could not let herself sleep without having *something*. She needed some sort of inspiration but what... Where? She contemplated it for nearly a half hour more before the plan hit her like a lead brick. She lived in Atlas Park, where her dad worked... Nathaniel Irons, DATA researcher. All she needed to do was check out City Hall and surely she would find something!

She rifled through her belongings. Her room wasn't messy, but even she would admit it had a lot of things she no longer had any use for, or for that matter, could not remember what they were to be used for. After searching through most of her drawers, she finally found it next to the old Magic the Gathering cards: A Hero identification card with a stamp on it marked "Temporary". No fancy hero name or license to exchange influence credit for new costumes and amazing power amplifications here; enough to identify her as what she was, a registered mutant. She had been urged by the Bureau of Superpowered Affairs numerous times in the past to begin training her psychic abilities, but it was never a priority to her.

This card and her father's name was all she needed to get access to nearly every branch of the facility, though, and there wasn't a moment to waste. Slipping on her shoes, she placed an illusionary copy of herself in bed, laying atop the sheets as if having passed out from exhaustion midway through her research, and very slowly, very cautiously, crept out of her apartment.

Even at nearly three in the morning, Atlas Plaza was as bustling as it would be during the afternoon. Registered superheroes ran and flew about, some milling through City Hall, others idling under the majestic statue of Atlas. Longbow continued their patrol, while Ms. Liberty was as busy as always offering advice and training to newcomers. Liss, muffling a heavy yawn, approached City Hall and, turning back once to observe the happenings of the Plaza from her point of view, casually entered.

She had been here before. Hallway to the right, continue down, second room on her right. A hero or two would run by her, in a hurry as they always seemed to be, to speak with their branch's metahuman relations in order to help out with an important task. DATA was devoid of heroic activity, though. She could understand why; this place was a mess. One would even say it shrunk since the last time she came by.

Technicians seemed to pay no attention to her, not even knowing she was there. Everyone had more pressing matters to attend to than a fledgling superhuman with a temporary permit. Her dad was probably in the back. To her left was a large color coded map of Atlas. Researchers seemed to be taking notes on it, something about temporal alterations in the timestream. In the back, too, was an elevator leading to the entrance to this period. While it would make good subject material, they certainly wouldn't let her in, and it would probably difficult to report on something that hadn't happened yet.

She peered through a window to a small lab room. Mostly the same; some people were checking on what appeared to be a server system. The rest of her space largely consisted of cardboard boxes and reinforced containers strewn about carelessly, their contents probably unknown even to whoever put them there.

Liss looked around, and even tried to call someone to her. No one was watching or listening; she would be left to her own devices here. As far as anyone was concerned, she was probably staff. Uncertain of what else to do, she decided to look into some of the already opened cardboard boxes. Used monitors, broken medical teleporters, damaged communicators. None of this would work. She then spied an open container, normally kept locked. This seemed like it would contain something more official and relevant to her searches. Cautiously approaching it, she leaned over, observing its surface contents before sifting through it all.

The young student hit the jackpot. Confiscated Nemesis staffs, amputated Freakshow weapon arms, Council Ascendant shields. Among these were other, smaller items. Nothing that would inspire her still, but it proved to be a worthwhile distraction at any rate. "Wow..." was the only thing she could say, fascinated by it all. She knew better than to play with DATA property, but she could help but observe and inspect some things.

Among these was a small, black cube. It didn't seem to be part of anything, yet she decided to inspect it anyway to see if it belonged with something. Curious, she picked it up, stared at it. Flipping it over, she saw it labeled with barcodes and serial numbers, among these being, in large bold print, "4827B". Then it happened.

The device began to glow a radiant white, humming quietly. Apparently, she turned it on. Guilt set in, and she knew she had now gone too far. Carefully, she put it back where it belonged. The cube's glow dimmed, then extinguished. It must have been touch sensitive somehow. Liss now knew she still couldn't find anything of use here, and it was already getting late. The only thing for her to do was leave and hope she could find something tomorrow.

Then, another harebrained idea struck. Why not take notes on the activity of the heroes? Surely she could come up with something that way. Taking a clipboard and pencil in hand, she retreated back outside, to the steps before City Hall.

Time passed as she observed the lounging superpowered entities and oddities that regularly surrounded the square. "Talking trees... Snowpeople... This is going to be a weird report," she said to herself.

She placed a hand to her forehead, releasing an exasperated sigh. She tapped the clipboard with the eraser rapidly, shaking her head. Notes came, papers filled, yet she wasn't getting anywhere. No one would offer to answer her questions, nothing was giving her ideas. Nothing was working. "I can't do this, I can't do this... I can't do a report on heroes when I'm not allowed to be near the heroes being heroic. This won't work at all." Craning her neck to look up at the underside of Atlas's globe, she absently remarked, "I wish it were done already."

She eventually decided to take a seat on the ground, spreading her papers and notes about to try to gain some organization. Something in her back pocket moved... Pushed up and out. She never put anything there, though. Confused, she glanced behind her, wondering if someone were playing a practical joke of some sort. What she saw struck her, shocked her. She couldn't believe it.

The cube she had seen in the DATA branch lay there. It glowed faintly, but did not hum at all. It just rested there, as if waiting for her. "Oh my God", was all that Liss could think to say. "I did NOT pick this up."

She frantically glanced about the thinned crowd. She was getting some odd looks from intrigued passerby, but nobody seemed to care or notice that she had somehow acquired an article of DATA property. Her pace quickened, she found herself breathing heavily. "Oh my God... Am I becoming a klepto?" She had heard of these sorts of things before. Self antagonistic split personalities that somehow manage to subconsciously do things that they don't know about. A trait especially most dangerous in psychic metahumans such as herself. "First I hear voices in my head, then I start stealing things without knowing it... This is a one way ticket to the Zig already." The crowd thinned further, then further still. She placed a hand on the cube, staring into it. "What do you want from me?" Liss thought. Once more, it burst forth with vibrant light, activating. She dogpiled it, clutching it to her chest, hoping no one would see it. No one was around to, now. "All the witnesses left... They're heroes, they won't rat me out, will they?" She thought for a moment, then answered her own question: "Dangit, they will! I need to put this back."

She returned to DATA with the glowing object, no longer covertly placing it where it belongs, but instead blatantly approaching a technician and handing it to him. "I'm sorry, sir? I accidentally grabbed this... Thing. Can you put it back where it belongs for me? I must... Not've been thinking." Without any explanation or elaboration, she hastily retreated from City Hall, scattered papers in hand, and went home.

The next day came quickly. Liss trudged throughout the day in a zombielike state, from her home, to the bus, to school, through each and every class, and back, all with nearly the same expression about her. The weight and severity of the impending due date pressed on her like the globe atop Atlas's back. School as a whole no longer mattered to her; this single report became all-consuming in her life, as each second and minute to her was a moment that could be better spent searching for a topic.

The depressed redhead was too restless to do any more work at home now. Today, she would go to Atlas Plaza, staying there all night if she had to, until some sort of inspiration came to her. She wished she could go elsewhere, but even venturing toward Steel Canyon was strictly forbidden to her; while civilians would often proceed unharmed, her status as a registered metahuman made her a target for assorted thugs and nefarious organizations, both to recruit or kill her would she come too close. They meant more business than the Hellions with their poor aim and inferior ammunition at home.

She somberly boarded the tram, gazing outward through the windows as she took a seat. The strange device that appeared on her was forgotten now. Today would go differently. No more screwing up and slacking off. This would be the day that she would find a suitable subject. She decided to begin her search by strolling about the city's various shops and restaurants. Paragon was known as a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds of all sorts. Hours passed, however, and none yielded and results that she was not aware of. Frustrated, she returned to the plaza that night to make another attempt at surveying the heroes.

Liss approached Ms. Liberty in her spectacular glory. If Atlas Plaza were the heart of the city, then she would be the center of that. Heroes from everywhere formed around her, the busy woman offering advice and authorizing clearance level upgrades for all. The timid girl pushed her way through the crowd of burly superhumans like a reporter desperate for a scoop. "Excuse me... Ms. Liberty? I'm Liss. Alyssa, I mean. I'd-I'd like to ask you some questions! Just a few" The staunch hero merely turned her head and gestured as though to shoo the desperate teen off politely. Liss was all too used to the rejection today, choosing to shy away rather than pursue after the most influential and historically knowledgable entity in the entire city. "I-I understand. Not a problem," muttered the girl, as she sauntered off back toward the plaza.

She walked toward a blank spot, practically throwing her clipboard on the ground and sitting crosslegged in the middle of it all. "Oh, it's hopeless. There's no way I can get this report done by next week. It's impossible now. Think, Liss, think... What isn't everyone in class doing that you can do... I need a wider range of resources." Pondering over her monologue for quite some time, an idea came to mind quite suddenly. Scrambling to her feet, she approached several heroes.

"Excuse me, sir? May I ask you a question? Do you know how to get to the dance club?" A slight sparkle was restored to the girl's eyes as hope was suddenly replenished. She, of course, was speaking of Pocket D, the extradimensional dance club where countless heroes and villains alike regularly retreat. Hopefully she would find someone there that knew enough. But where was it? She tapped her fingers impatiently, yet nervously, as she still felt too meek to associate with such established entities.

One offered the advice that while he had never personally been there, it was known that the easiest entrance was in King's Row. That wasn't so bad. While the Skulls ruled much of the city in spite of the prescence of initiate mages performing sacrificial rituals on the citizens, it was still otherwise a surprisingly hospitable region. Their high school had even been defeating Atlas Park's in several sporting events this year. Thanking the heroes graciously with hyperactive nodding and a beaming smile, she hustled toward the train station, more lively than she had ever been that day.

Upon arriving in King's Row, she glanced about on where to go from there. Fortunately, she was able to find a map on a nearby terminal. Skimming it over, wondering what she were to look for, she noticed a dot marked Pocket D in the very center of the city. It couldn't be very hard to find, could it? Sticking to the sidewalks, she carefully made her way toward her destination, scrawled roughly on a piece of paper.

Liss checked several doors. Nothing opened, all of them locked. Something didn't seem right. She traced her finger down and across, looking about her all around. The only thing where she was, assuming the map was correct, would be an abandoned truck. "It is in another dimension... Surely this isn't it though. How could it be?" Curiously, leaving no stone unturned, she swung a door open, then the other. "WHAAAAAAA!", screamed Liss, as she got sucked into the back of the truck.

"Oof. There has to be an easier way to do that, really," she commented to herself as she got thrown to her feet. Walking down the hallway, she took note of the people around. Bouncers representing various exits, along with an elevator. Flashing her temporary identification card, she was surprisingly allowed in. It would have pained her to have come all this way only to be told that it were a 21 or over club. The huge, steel doors slid open, ready to carry her to the top floor.

Her destination was far more impressive than the entrance. She was immediately hit by deep blue light, music blasting out of seemingly every corner. Villains fraternized, civilians danced, and heroes had a drink. Even amidst the noise, however, she heard the most commotion upstairs, on a floor above her. She decided to check it out first.

"Mom will so kill me if she ever finds out I came here," was the first thing that came to mind as she found the ever popular "blueside bar". It was impossible to tell the heroes from the villains here, as they coexisted so peacefully, so perfectly. It was impossible to suspect them of leading seperate lives from the way they caroused. Then, all apparent peace shattered as two men began to smacktalk each other.

A common civilian would run for safety, even in a neutral zone such as Pocket D. Liss, however, was no mere civilian. She was a woman on a mission, hoping for her big breakthrough. Pulling out a clipboard, she began taking notes as a feverish rate. "Finally, some action... Some drama... Some... Something! This is what I need!" She glanced up and down continually, detailing the poses, the postures, their outfits and styles.

A voice came from nearby as a woman passed her. "Observing the heroes and villains at play?" she questioned. Liss did not hear it for quite some time, yet the stray thought was picked up.

"Hm? Observing... Yeah, basically." She returned the clipboard into her back pocket. "I'm trying to get some inspiration for a metahuman history report", she informed the woman. "So far I can't come up with anything I haven't already... Deduced that everyone else is doing."

"Can't say I blame you. Always fascinates me a little..." She blinked, thinking a little. "So, no papers on super speed or the teleporters?"

"Most of that's already being done..."

"Hm. Could always do inter-species relationships... And no, not in the gross way."

"Inter... Species... Yeah, we might be onto something," she replied as she jotted the possibilities down.

"Well, think about it. You need an example?"

"An example? If it's history related, sure. I might be able to use it as a resource."

"Hmm... Could always talk about Mako and Barracuda. They're both mutants of different genuses, and yet they both share the same similar attitudes and that's what keeps them together. If you want some low level data on them, I can help."

Liss was really into it now, tapping the hard backing of her clipboard like it was a drum solo. "If you can offer a good website, that'll be enough for me. And my teacher automatically rejects "Google" and "Wikipedia" for obvious reasons."

"Oh, I have much better sources," the intelligent woman said as she smiled. She seemed particularly joyful, humming to herself as she procured a laptop just long enough to copy some files onto a portable data drive.

As she waited for it to boot, the student absently remarked, "Personally, I wish it were done already..."

It only took a moment before the data stick was handed to Liss. "And here you go."

"Want me to bring it back?", Liss made sure to ask.

"No need. Though I would recommend keeping this out of plain sight. Not like Scorpion'll care about a small data copy from his enemy... Use it well."

The ecstatic teen nodded, accepting the offer graciously. "I can't believe I never thought of this before. Thank you, thank you so much!" Her work done for now, hoping to finally begin a historical analysis on one of Lord Recluse's elite and his relationship with his own second in command, she prepared to leave as she attempted to place the clipboard and drive into her back pocket. This time, however, it wouldn't go in. A moment of shock hit her face. "Did... Someone put something into my pocket?" she stammered.

"Are you alright?" asked the concerned woman.

"Yeah... Something's in my..." As she placed her belongings in a front pocket instead, what was found stuffed behind her made her all the more freaked out. "Oh my God. N-not again." She could hardly bring herself to explain it... She couldn't believe it herself. "This happened the other day. I walked into DATA one night and looked at it once... Then it was on me. I-I-I never touched it! Th-This is Bureau property, what's it doing on me?"

The lady gasped and pointed at her. "Thief!" she remarked half jokingly.

"It wasn't there a minute ago! Unless I'm the fastest klepto alive, there's no way this is physically possible!"

The woman considered it, and casually suggested, "Eh, it's probably just a cybernetic construct not bound to our dimensional bounderies."

This actually made sense to young Liss, at least in a place like this. "I dunno what it is though. Like, how do I turn it on? I-If I wanted to, I mean!"

The device was snatched from her hand by the equally, if not moreso curious woman, who began playing with it, flicking it and attempting to twist it. "You mind?"

"Sure. It'll probably wind up back in my hands somehow."

"Let's see....you ever see Hellraiser?"

"Nope. I'm more familiar with Actraiser, if you catch my drift."

"That's for the best then. And no, can't say I do."

Liss finally started thinking about this. One moment the cube would be on her, though she never directly thought about it. Perhaps there was some sort of command? Something was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I wonder if there was something I did to make it appear on me," she suggested.

"No clue. Life is funny like that." Still, this person seemed to have an idea of what she was going for. She concentrated on the device, centering all of her willpower into it. It glowed some, yes, but it was dim and flickering; negligible in the bright lights of the dance club. She handed it back to Liss. "You try. I believe it responds to....well, certain alpha and beta waves. In short, psychic aptitude."

"Psychic...", Liss puzzledly thought. Things started to fall into place, but not perfectly. The cube exploded with an aura of radiance just from being put into her hands. It intensified immensely as she stared into it, focusing. She hoped for an answer; no, she wished it... She wished she knew how to command it to do whatever it was it did. And then, as if in a silent response, she did. "I... I know."

Without saying any more, she handed the object to the now even more interested female, taking several steps back, while still close enough that they could see and hear each other. "Keep a close eye on this for me," commanded Liss.

Taking it, the woman attempted to play with it once more. The further Liss moved away from it, the duller its glow became. "...Okay," she stated with uncertainty.

By this point, the young redhead was part convinced she was truly insane, and part positive she knew what to do. She glared at the cube, directing all of her psionic energies toward it. Silently, deliberately, she declared: "...I... Wish... I wish I... Um... Never gave that cube to you!" Such a bizarre thing to say... Clearly, she must have been on the brink of madness. They both knew that was an utterly false statement, the device exchanged hands and that was that. And yet the instant afterward, it became true. The object was restored to its former owner's hands. In an odd way, it felt as though it were always like this. All she could do now was shake her head in disbelief, barely managing to remark, "Holy... I didn't think that would actually work."

The woman remained out of the loop, querying, "...What would work?"

"Saying that I never gave it to you."

"Ah," she said, taking that as an acceptable answer. Then, to briefly change the subject, she realized, "I don't believe I got your name."

The mentalist was lost in her thoughts, torn between on what to do with this... And what she thought it could do. "I... Don't know if I should do much more with this... I-I'd better return it." Glancing up, she quickly snapped out of it and remembered the question. "Oh, and, um... Call me Liss."

"I'm Dr. McHale. Or Laura."

Intrigued now, the psychic finally got over the bizarre effects of this small cube, exclaiming, "A doctor? Well... It's a pleasure to meet you, Laura, you've been more help than I could even hope for!"

One could almost hear the woman breathe a sigh of relief that she didn't ask *what* she had a PhD in. "Not a problem, Liss."

Now more pleased and confident, the girl looked back down at what she held in her hands. She truly wanted to know what it was capable of, and for that matter, what she was capable of. It beckoned to her, called her, urging her to use it again. Absently, she wondered, "I wonder if DATA would let me keep this? Maybe it's a technological artifact I can use for my project..." If she could pinpoint what it was and where it came from, she could easily be holding her topic in her very hands.

"No clue. I don't trust them though," Laura was quick to remark.

"Why?" While DATA keeps many of its projects and findings behind closed doors, they were a primary superhero organization. What would one be unable to trust about them?

Still certain in her beliefs, the woman continued, "They regulate all tech heroes, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well....What do they do with the data they have? Who watches the Watchmen?"

The truth had been staring Liss in the face all this time. "...I don't know. A lot of people don't know."

"Exactly. I don't trust a goverment instituted database. It's not 'the villain planting the seed of doubt in the young heroine's mind'. It's a healthy dose of paranoia."

"Still... Maybe..." Liss was once more on the brink of finding out what it did... She couldn't let this opportunity slip by, nor take the risk that the government would be out to track her down. Somehow, it made sense to her to make another outrageous claim: "Maybe they... Don't even know it's gone..."

"I doubt it. They're probably oohing and ahhing over a robot that fires lasers from its tits, knowing them."

Liss smirked, amused by the comment. She figured if she were unwittingly manipulating reality to some extent, there's no harm in doing some other odd things, right? Besides, it's not like anything else would actually work. "It'd be cool if I had one of those now."

"...Laser mammaries?"

"Or just the robot." Either one would do. Staring, ever focused, into the cube, the powerful telepath once more put out her psychic call, half expecting and not expecting the object to do her bidding. "Come on... Lasers... Give me lasers! That's what you can do, right?" She looked down, blinking a few times. No effect. Not that she was aware of, anyway. Still, both of the women felt relieved. "Don't point your bosom at me now."

"...Lemme try the other one. I... Want a robot. A... Robot companion... To appear toooo myyyyy... Right." No effect still. Perhaps it could only do so much, and wishing she had never given it away had spent all the power it had? Not a very useful invention if so, but then, it may have been a prototype... Or junk.

Laura seemed to be getting other ideas based on the data provided. Eventually, she theorized, "Seems to affect time and space, but only if something happened."

"Only if... Something happened?"

"Here's an idea. Hold still." Her hand lit up almost as brightly as Liss's cube now, not in a glow, but rather by a concentrated arc of electricity. "Now... This may hurt," she cautioned.

The psychic braced herself instantly like a child to a needle. "Careful," she said. The doctor's fingers came in contact with her arm. It felt like touching a hot lightbulb, only worse. The circuit of electricity spread across her arm, resulting in a small burn mark. Not having a particularly high tolerance for pain, she immediately lost control, screaming. "Hothothot!"

"Now. Use the cube."

"Ow! That... That did NOT just happen!" As Liss's legs nearly buckled, wincing in pain, she noticed something. The pain was instantly gone. The burn mark was never there... Nothing happened. Perhaps Laura was right?

"Hypothesis proved," she verified.

This was the evidence she needed. She needed something small scale, now, though. Something simple. "I wonder if... If I got a Diet Coke from there. Two minutes ago," she thought, motioning to the bar. The immediate instant later, the cube was moved to her left hand, while a cool glass appeared in her right. She sipped at it as though it were always there and always had been.

"I think you're getting the hang of it," Laura declared.

"Getting the hang of what?" She managed to alter very recent events to make a cube return to her, heal an electrical burn, and get a cool drink out of it. There wasn't much to get the hang of.

"Chrono manipulation."

Somehow, something sank in that didn't before. Liss quite nearly dropped her drink right there; maybe she did and altered the event so quickly she didn't even realize it. Her eyes opened enormously wide, the possibilities truly piling up. "I... Control time?"

"More or less. Only if it happened," Laura reiterated. "And if it was relevant to you, it seems."

Liss wasn't sure what to think. She knew she had been undoing moments in time before, but... What could she do now? What if she truly had the power of full time alteration in the palm of her hand? After several moments, all she could really say amounted to: "...If I encounter a frog with a sword before this is over, so help me."

"Huh?"

"Nnnothing." She looked over at the bar again, brimming with enthusiasm over this new power. "Hey! I got a refill a minu- Thank you." She didn't even need to finish her sentence; only to think of having her drink replenished were enough to modify time to her whim.

Dr. McHale expressed concern over this, however. "Careful. There may be.....reprecussions."

Liss glanced back over, carefree at this point. "Hm? Like I'm ripping holes in timespace as I speak?" Just to make sure, she checked the radiant cube in her hand. "And I didn't mean that literally."

"Well, kind of. All I'm saying is that time manipulation is not birth control. Try not to alter things that shouldn't be."

This was an amusing analogy for the teenager, stifling a laugh despite the matter. Still, the understood what she was getting at. "I gotcha."

"Good. Any more questions, please send me a message. I'm feeling a little woozy and I think I need sleep." She remarked something about a human body... But Liss didn't hear it.

"Will do! Um... How do you suggest that? Got a number, or do you want me to think in your general direction? I know some that prefer one over the other."

"...Wouldn't recommend that last one. My number's on the back of that stick."

Liss pulled the flash drive from her pocket again, checking it over. "Gotcha."

Passing by on her way out, Laura patted the young psychic on the shoulder. "Good luck, chrononaut."

She blinked as she placed the empty glass on the bar. "Wait, I have a title now?" As she turned around, her benefactor was already gone. She just shook her head, telling herself, "I swear, if this ends with me turning 8-bit and going back in time to stop Dr. Wily from reprogramming Mega Man or something, so help me."

The remainder of the week passed quickly. After finally breaking down to a discussion with her teacher, she eventually decided to do a topic on the history of the drug Superadine, the Trolls, and how it let to new task forces and laws dedicated to keeping them off the streets. Unfortunately, the deadline was still fast approaching, and other homework assignments beckoned her with a higher priority.

Sunday, she had the entirety of the report written up. She would do as she always did; submit the Rough and Final drafts simultaneously, the latter featuring some minor edits picked up from reading it over a second time through, and it would be good enough. However, that still left her with many other factors still incomplete. She couldn't do all of it that night, nor could she finish it all in the morning. Her attention shifted to a small cube atop her desk, next to her desktop computer. "Maybe... Just this once," she thought.

Sitting down in her chair, she placed a hand atop it. It was warm, gently beginning humming. What kind of power supply did it have? Maybe it ran on psychic energy. It would be interesting if it did. Her gaze centered on the computer. "...There it is... All of it. If only I had all of this done a week ago... Got the rough draft turned in on time... Never had to do any of this. Then I wouldn't be in this mess." Her imagination took control... She thought through the entire what-if scenario. How she would have gotten the topic, how and at what times she would have worked on it, her time spent in class in the meantime, and everything... Everything up until now.

She snapped her head up. "Gah... No point falling asleep here. I should get some sleep." Picking up the cube and carrying it with her, Liss curled up with it as though it were a stuffed animal, passing out in her bed quickly, still fully clothed from the day.

She beat the alarm clock this time. 6:25, on the dot. With a vibrant amount of energy, she sprung out of bed, leaving the cube half hidden under the bedsheets. She felt lively, envigorated... And suddenly, panicked. "Oh no, it's not done! None of it is, I was supposed to wake up an hour early today!"

In a frenzied pace, she booted up the computer. Her foot tapped the floor at mach speeds, eagerly anticipating it to load. The desktop appeared. Now to wait for all the startup programs. Why did she have so many? No, she did not want to update her virus protection. All she wanted was to get to her Documents folder, and...

There it was. Rough draft, final draft... Same as they were, only now, something was noticably different. The dates had changed. The rough copy's date had been changed from January the 18th to the 6th. The final was done on the 16th. Surely she didn't think she could beat the system changing a few dates around on the assignments, right? Curiously, she opened the completed document.

Title page. Appendix. Bibliography. Numerous sources, some personally encountered from people she didn't know, some from books she couldn't remember having even read. Was this some sort of prank? She dug her notebook out of her backpack, leafing through. Notes she had never seen before, yet clearly were etched in her own handwriting. Pictures, printouts. On her dresser was a diagram on poster size paper detailing the scientific transformation sequence of a human overdosing on Superadine. Next to it was an index card with a heavily abridged series of notes for her speech. More frighteningly still, on some subconscious level, she was beginning to remember it... A speech she had never written!

"I did it... I did it all..." Her attention finally shifted to the unusual device buried under the covers. "Thank you," was all she could say. Did it understand what she was saying? Was it intelligent to some degree? It glowed as she spoke, but it could just as easily been the effect of her "turning it on" with an ecstatic burst of psionic waves.

That day, for once, Liss was fully prepared.