A Growing Catalogue of Powers

As the alien ships continued their relentless bombardment, a new wave of terror descended upon the ravaged cities.

The Covians in their Halo jumps were shrouded in blazing energy, illuminating the darkening skies, signaling the arrival of their ground forces.

The first wave landed in the heart of Vok, a sprawling metropolis on the eastern seaboard of Northeastern continent of Varganna.

With the aid of VIS I teleported there immediately. It seemed like the energy emitting Covians were special forces. Thousands more, cannon fodder I assumed, were arriving in armored drop pods, emblazoned with alien hieroglyphics. They crashed onto the ruined streets of Vok, sending shockwaves through the crumbling infrastructure. The pods burst open, disgorging troops clad in sleek, black armor, armor as dark as their skin, making them seem like walking shadows.

These warriors moved with precision, fanning out across the city. Their leader, a towering figure with glowing blue markings on its helmet, raised a hand, unleashing a blast of energy that shattered nearby skyscrapers.

From the reports I was receiving from VIS, similar landings occurred across five continents. I needed to hurry because in the Easternmost Continent an ancient city of the Vargannas burned as alien forces stormed its financial district. In the Central Continent, one of their most famous buildings toppled, crushed beneath the weight of an alien drop ship. In a savannah continent historical edifices were scarred by energy blasts as alien troops poured into the city. In the Southernmost Continent, a city that was a hotbed for tourists has its vibrant streets become a battleground, with alien warriors clashing against desperate Varganna defenders.

Across tropical islands, holiday resorts and cities were being reduced to rubble, their elegant structures shattered by the relentless onslaught.

One thing that filled my heart with a bit of comfort was the low Varganna casualty. They could all teleport, so according to VIS they were evacuating to military bunkers.

That was one of my jobs taken care of. Now I had to deal with the landing forces to make sure they couldn’t follow the Vargannas and commit genocide.

And I had a plan in the works for how to use my eight percent to achieve this, gained from the vision I’d had earlier.

I had two powers now: the Power of Manifestation and the Power of Morph-reversion. The first was my conjuration power and the second was the ability to revert materials to their original states.

The Power of Morphreversion was what I was planning to use on these aliens.

I only just had to touch them, and with the teleportation benefit of the Matrix I could do that. But I couldn’t do it safely in the case of the Covian Special Forces who were literally burning bright like glowworms, surrounded by an aura of intense energy.

According to VIS, the Covians were very technologically advanced and could manipulate their genes to give certain people energy based powers. The procedure had been complicated and involved siphoning energy from a star.

I doubted any scientist from Earth would have been able to understand VIS' explanation, so it was not a surprise that I did not.

Anyway, what mattered was that I could touch the normal Covian rabble and activate my Power of Morphreversion. But I could not touch these Hyperion wannabes else I’d become baked Clarke with alien toppings.

I was hoping VIS would be able to help me here.

“VIS, does the Matrix possess personal body shields that would be able to protect me from touching the Covian Starletons, as you called them?”

“The Matrix provides such shields, but it won’t be enough to protect you from the radiation of a Starleton, at least not if you linger,” came the response.

Yes, I thought, in triumph. “For how long will I be protected?”

“Approximately, 2.099956 seconds.”

That was good enough. Even if I get injured, burned, I could always use my Power of Manifestation to conjure something they would be creatively used to heal me and save my life.

Readying myself, I had VIS activate the shield and watched it wash over and form a blue energy film around my body. It was like a skintight overall with a mask shield that was just as close to my face.

Nodding, I began to teleport all over the city.

It was time to teach these aliens the Game of Tag.

The alien forces moved with surgical precision, targeting key infrastructure, military installations, and population centers. Their weaponry – energy swords, plasma rifles, and gravity disruptors – sliced through human defenses.

As cities burned, the sounds of chaos and despair filled the air. Sirens wailed, pleading for evacuation. Gunfire crackled, as human soldiers fought against overwhelming odds. Screams echoed, as civilians fled in terror. Explosions rocked the streets, sending debris crashing down.

I targeted the Covian rabble, teleporting into their midst and touching their weapons and armor and any technology they had on them. I reversed their proud advanced tech to the base materials they were made from, leaving them defenseless against the wrath of the Varganna Defense Forces.

I continued like this, teleporting around cities, making it a bad day for them.

The Starletons were the only ones I touched directly, keeping my contact with them short.

Co’s talk of fetuses must have influenced me more than I thought, because that was what I reverted the Starletons to.

It took two hours for me to take care of one hundred and fifty six Starletons, the bulk of their special forces that had landed already.

VIS was helping me keep count.

Soon they adapted to my patterns, coordinating across continents. But VIS helped me randomize my movements and they could no longer predict me.

I had taken care of thirty eight cities in the span of four hours and was arriving at the most populous city of Vargannas’ Southernmost Continent.

The alien commander of the forces in this city was standing atop a ruined skyscraper, surveyed the devastation. His dark gaze swept across the horizon, where flames danced and smoke billowed. A cold, calculating logic drove his actions. Left to him and his people, I knew this world would be reshaped according to their own design.

With a raised hand, the commander signaled the next phase, occupation.

VIS informed me that their troops had changed their ROE. They saw that they could not destroy Varganna, the Bastions of Finire in space were destroying all their missile and energy weapons, so they sought to conquer instead.

From the information VIS was providing me, Covian troops were pouring into the cities they still held, establishing checkpoints, rounding up survivors, and imposing martial law. Resistance was being met with brutal force, crushing any hope of rebellion.

Well, I couldn’t let that be. I continued my game of tag. Making sure to tag the commander and I soldiered on.

The day progressed and in the next hours I covered over a hundred cities.