Spark, Flicker

As I let the cold showed calm me down, I turned my lanes back onto Glory Girl's power, even as I scouted the rest of the house for Brandish and Flashbang.

After Panacea's power, I had been Hoping for something else interesting, but honestly I was kind of disappointed.

Glory Girl's power basically had three parts. Her force field, which was the only interesting part of her whole power, her super strength and flight which came out of the same power, and her aura.

The only thing interesting about her strength and flight was the fact that the only thing stopping me from doing it was that my Reserve power wasn't large enough. Her super strength was basically the same thing I did for telekineisis, just a bit stronger. Though I guess learning how her Flying powers carried her around so naturally was kind of interesting, but honestly, I probably would have found out about it five minutes after sitting down to make my own flight power.

Her force field was actually pretty impressive. The barrier it protected was quite robust. It had a main reserve which filled a secondary reserve… not sure how often. That reserve fed into a a power with what I called an effector. It had a power that basically just changed things to match a previous state.

When her power detected an attack passing through the area set as her force-field, it would dump the secondary reserve into the effector power and prevent that attack from harming her.

Her 'aura' was something that I didn't like the look of at all. The PRT said that it was a shaker power, but given that I could tell that the power was designed to latch onto parts of the brain and do a couple things. I know the aura was supposed to make people scared, but after comparing it with some stuff online, I think it also gives people like a mild drug high or something? The power had a database of like different parts of the brain, and her power had two modes which targeted different things.

I'm fairly sure that her power messed with people's heads. Wouldn't that make it a Master power?

I'd have to see it in action to figure out how long it took to charge and stuff, but after breaking it down a bit, dropping the mind control and playing with some ideas, I'd managed to get it down to a forth level charge for the effector by itself, and a smattering of first and second level charges to make something fairly similar to the whole power.

But Glory Girl's power also reminded me that Masters were a serious danger. I'm not sure how their powers work, so I'd have to find a way to discover more about it, but I should try and figure out a way to protect myself from masters.

With a new charge coming in, bringing my complete stock up to twenty four, I absently tried to make a master protection power.

Just trying to make a power that made me immune to master powers was pretty expensive. Basically a 7th Level charge. Making myself immune to Glory Girl's power specifically was cheaper, all the way down to one charge. It added a sort of defense against the same sort of brain manipulation.

As I wrapped up analysing Glory Girl's power, I switched over to studying Brandish and Flashbang.

Flashbang's powers were also pretty simple. He basically had a force barrier that he could create, which push stuff in one direction. The force the barrier produced was relative to how big it was. There were a few things that made the force barriers shape into spheres and made them move in the direction of the force they were pointed in. Flashbang could effectively choose to make his barriers point outwards to make concussive blasts or inwards to compress air until the force overcame the barriers and exploded outwards.

There was a general secondary suite of powers, one that protected him from the explosions his barriers could make and shielded his eyes and another that helped him control his spheres after he launched them.

In the end, not worth copying, at least for me.

Brandish's power was only slightly better.

Her powers used similar force constructs, but these ones glowed, and could also release heat. The big thing was her little orb-form. She could apparently be pulled into her power in some form of stasis, leaving behind a bunch of shields that were used as a reference point for where she needed to re-emerge.

But the big thing that I'd gained from it was the sort of extra-sensory perception that she had in that state. The power as it was would be cheap enough that I would waste even a basic charge, but it had inspired me. The power added an entirely new sense to Brandish - one that normal people just didn't have.

I hadn't considered anything like that. My Mental Computer and Mindscape mainly just worked visually, but having another sense of that would be better, wouldn't it?

But ultimately, the most important thing I had found here was confirmation.

Every single power I had seen so far all had this section that was pushing the cape to use it 'properly' I remember seeing Panacea's power prompting her with strange ideas she didn't want. I could see Glory Girl's power affecting her mind somehow and even activating parts of her body with stuff similar to her fear power.

Both of the adults had similar effects on them too. Do I have one?

Power Scanner says no, and it can detect these ones, but if my power was pushing me to use it, I would never know.

Was I doing this because of my power? Did it want me to scan these all these capes? Wouldn't it want me to make more powers? I didn't know, and I don't know how I would find out.

Okay, I can't do anything about it now, so I'll hold off.

I left New Wave my targets as I withdrew my mind from their home.

I went to bed, considering my plans.

Once I woke up, I got to work.

As I contemplated the challenge of getting to the mall where they would be doing the meet and greet, I quickly realised that, between Mark, Projector and the vision mode I had figured out last night, I could just get my mark out there hitching a ride on different cars and people or whatever.

After that, I returned to my plans.

It was as I went onto PHO again that I realised that I was putting things off too much. A cape had taken Cornell University hostage, threatening the entire school with tinker made bombs.

And here I was just sitting around.

I could heal my leg. I had twenty five charges at this point. I'd figured out an optimization for the Tinker repository issue that brought the cost down to an even level three charge. Between that and the level four for the standardized tinker core, I only needed to spend twelve charges. Less than half of what I had at hand and I could repair my leg.

I could do better.

I stared at the self help article again and tried to consider my plans again.

I wanted to make Brockton Bay safe enough that mom and Jenny woudln't get hurt. I wanted to make money.

I wanted to do this by starting a super team, where I make powers and make a bunch of capes so that I can take territory from all the gangs until I have my own territory where I'm safe, and I have enough people working for me that I can have businesses and stuff making money for me.

I considered the plan again and laughed darkly. Hours of planning and what? This is the best I have? I mean, I had some ideas, I wanted to make a mover power for my team, and a healer. But beyond that I had no clue what in the world I wanted to do. I had some objectives but no real plan.

"James?"

I opened my eyes and saw my mom at the door carrying a bowl of cereal up to my room.

"Are you feeling okay James?"

I sighed, "Just thinking about stuff mom."

She put the bowl down on my desk, and put the carton down next to it, "What's going on? You can tell me anything."

I stared at the ceiling for a moment, considering things. But at the end of the day, mom's been here for me since i was a kid.

"Mom. I'm a cape."

She froze.

"Not sure how that happened, I woke up in the hospital, and I just kind of knew what was happening.I could feel my power, and I've used it a couple of times."

"James, that's… What's your power?"

"I can make powers. I'm not powerful, but I will be."

She sat down in the chair.

"Run me through this."

It came pouring out, I explained my power the weak charges, the unpredictability. My worries about being taken in by the gangs, or being forced to join the PRT.

"Are you sure about the Protectorate?"

"You were there when dad died. And two weeks ago I broke my damn leg because those people couldn't do their jobs and keep a fight with villains from getting into a mall. It was Uber and Leet. Uber's a normal dude who learns quickly and Leet's gadgets blow him up half the time. I got tossed a fucking roof because Triumph wasn't looking where he was yelling and I was in a coma for two days!"

"James, James, it's okay." she reassured me. I let my head rest against her side as she massaged my head, "I get it. We won't go to the PRT. What do you want to do ?"

"I don't fucking know."

"Language!"

"Sorry mom. But really, I don't know what to do. I've made a few powers," I explain, levitating the cereal bowl next to me. Before staring at the now warm milk. "And I can't even do that right."

I sighed and poured in the milk anyways, "I was just thinking of what I wanted to do and I just had these plans and I was going to make my own Hero team, that would be better than the Protectorate, and I'd be able to make the city safer and I'd be able to start businesses and stuff so I could make money everything."

"James…" She sighed, "James, don't worry. I'm not mad. You havent gone out yet right?"

At my nod she smiled, "See, you didn't do anything dangerous, you spoke to me, and I'll help you. I'm your mom that's what I do."

I smiled, "So, what do you think?"

"Well, I know you, you've probably got more than that if you've been thinking about it for a while. Why don't we talk about it?"

I nodded, sitting up and eating a bite of cereal.

My laptop floated over to us and onto the bed, my powers taking control of the screen. "So, I figured out a way to connect to the internet without anyone being able to tell where I am and I've been researching stuff, like how heroes make money, and the different gangs in Brockton. I found out that I could make a power that let me give powers I make to other people, right? So I was going to recruit people to help me fill out a team, so that I could patrol an area, kind of like New Wave does."

She looked at me, "You know that sounds like a gang right?"

I shrugged, "I mean, New wave basically has a Territory they manage, they just dont like demand protection money or sell drugs and stuff. If people can call new wave a hero team then what I'm making is a hero team."

She nodded, so I continued, "Well, apparently most of the money hero teams make is because of merchandising and stuff. New Wave isn't big or popular enough to do it themselves, so they have a deal with the Protectorate. I figured that once I got established I could do that myself, since I didn't want to work with them."

She thought about it for a while and nodded, "Well, that's one way, but here's another. You know what I do right?"

"You're a travel agent, what does that have to do with cape stuff."

"People only come to Brockton Bay for the cape stuff James. Now there's two things, A lot of cape geeks and all come here to see the protectorate, or like the local villains and stuff, so I do a package with some of the local tour groups that go around like old big fight areas, like that warehouse where Lung fought the protectorate, But I also do a bunch of bookings for people who want to come here to get a chance at meeting Panacea."

I looked at her in confusion.

"A lot of people who have diseases and stuff that can't be treated with normal medicine, they come to Brockton and get admitted to Brockton General or one of the other hospitals just to get a chance to be healed by Panacea."

I nodded, "And I could make a healing power and heal them. Wouldn't that be against the NEPEA-5?"

She looked at me and nodded, "I remember that coming into law. Something about making sure Parahumans weren't taking jobs from normal people?"

"Sort of, I don't fully understand it, but what I read says that on top of a bunch of jobs that can't be done by parahumans, like bridge building or stuff like that, parahumans. That one kind of makes sense? Apparently, there was a case a while back, where this guy could create metal stuff. And it seemed to last forever, but when he died, the metal he provided vanished and the building collapsed. A bunch of people died."

She nodded, "It was in New York, the cape had a deal with one of the contractors or something."

"Yeah, but that's not all. Apparently, the bill also includes a lot of other rules. Like Tinkers aren't supposed to be able to sell the stuff they make without having it checked with the PRT first. And to check it you need to pay a bunch of money. And if other capes can be sued if they use their powers on a job and something goes wrong. There's a bunch more stuff like that."

She nodded, "Okay, we should probably sit down and read it, and maybe talk to a lawyer or something. If Panacea can volunteer healing like that, I don't see why you can't offer your own healing to make money."

"Shouldn't I be volunteering though? I mean, Panacea spent like eight hours volunteering yesterday!"

She shook her head and sighed, "Don't do that. Trust me I've seen her, she's miserable and burnt out. I remember last year when she did that christmas charity event where she went around healing a bunch of make a wish kids, and she was so happy. I see her from time to time and no, I know it's a bit selfish, but i don't think I'd ever want to see you like that."

"So, what I only heal rich people?"

"You can heal whoever you want, it's just… Take care of yourself, okay?"

I paused, absently chewing on some cereal, "I an still have a super team right?"

Mom laughed, "Yes, James, you can still have a super team.

"Because that would be so cool!"

She laughed, "It would be! I can just imagine you leading a bunch of different capes into battle, fighting off the gangs. Just… promise me one thing."

"Yeah mom?"

"Just… work your way up to it. Make some brute powers and get some armour and stuff first. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I promise. Plus, once I get a healing power I could heal myself."

"You shouldn't be getting hurt in the first place."

I smiled, "I'll be careful mom."

She sighed ant put a hand on my shoulders, "You know, sometimes you remind me a little too much of your dad."

I laughed, "Hopefully not too much. I'll be there for you mom."

The two of us laughed a little.

As I finished up my cereal, my mom looked at me. "Hey, if you're a cape now, what's your cape name?"

I froze.

"You haven't throught of that, have you?"

I nodded.

She laughed, "How are you going to have a hero team if you don't even know what your name's going to be?"

"I'll think of something."

"What about your costume?"

"Well, I kinda wanted to figure out tinker powers first. Because if I could have a bunch of gadgets and stuff, I'd want to have a different costume than if I had a bunch of powers."

"What's the problem with Tinker powers?"

"Oh, let me tell you! Making tinker powers is so expensive! I've been able to be smarter about my charges, because like, if I have a bunch of small powers that are cheaper working together, it's prettymuch as good as having a big power that's just by itself, plus I can use the parts for other powers too. But when I try and make tinker powers, I break everything down, but like the bit that lets you make tinker powers is always super expensive. I think I've figured out why, but trying to fix it is super complicated, and I'm not sure if that's how tinker powers work in the first place."

We talked for a while, discussing my plans, but before we could go on too long, mom's phone rang. She looked at it and sighed, "I need to take this for work. Let's talk some more about this later."

A/N: only two this weekend, it's been super hectic to the point that I barely have the time to post this.