Chapter 2: Simulation: Alex Mercer, Part 1
[SYSTEM: Simulation initiated. Subject: Alex Mercer, Earth-10005.]
The first thing Adam noticed was the cold. Not the biting chill of the Hell's Kitchen night, but the antiseptic cold of a morgue. He was lying on a gurney, a sheet pulled over his body. A sterile, humming sound filled the air, and the scent of formaldehyde clung to everything. He opened his eyes, and the world was different. The concrete was cracked, the city lights had a strange, almost holographic glow, and the air was thick with a palpable tension.
[SYSTEM: You awaken as Alex Mercer, a vigilante with latent energy powers in Earth-10005. You evade a gang ambush, discovering your agility.]
Alex Mercer? The guy from the game? But... no powers yet? Just latent energy? Well, that's disappointing. But hey, at least I get to be a vigilante. Now, where's the ambush?
A sudden, sharp bark of a dog broke the silence. Adam's eyes shot to the end of the alley. Three men, their faces twisted into sneers, blocked the exit. One of them held a snarling bulldog on a leash.
"Well, well, well," one of them said, a wicked grin on his face. "Looks like someone found our little shortcut."
Adam's mind raced. He had no powers, no weapons. Just his wits and a newly acquired sense of... something. He glanced at the overflowing dumpster next to him and then at the gang members.
Okay, plan A: talk my way out of this. Plan B: run. Plan C: make them trip over their own feet. Let's go with C. It's the most theatrical.
He held up his hands, a mock look of surrender on his face. "Hold on, fellas! I just got a notification from SHIELD! It says there's a fake alert about a rogue agent in the area. And you guys... well, you look like you'd fall for that kind of thing."
[SYSTEM: Progress: Advanced Espionage Tactics unlocked.]
The thugs exchanged confused glances. Adam's mouth felt dry. The system was already working. He had to make this believable.
"It says here," Adam continued, his voice taking on a formal, authoritative tone, "that the agent's name is 'Holt,' and he's a master of... well, of tripping people with invisible strings."
One of the thugs, clearly the muscle, snorted. "You're crazy, kid."
"Maybe," Adam said with a shrug, "but you know what they say about crazy people. We're a little bit more fun at parties. Or in this case, in an alley."
He lunged, not at them, but at the dumpster. He kicked the side of it, and a rogue pile of trash, including a very loud, rusty toy truck, cascaded out, clattering and banging down the alley. The thugs jumped back in surprise, and the bulldog, startled by the noise, yanked on its leash, causing its owner to stumble and drop it. The dog bolted, and the thug with the knife, trying to regain his balance, tripped over the now-unleashed bulldog. He went down hard, his knife clattering to the ground.
Adam grinned, a triumphant surge of adrenaline coursing through him. "Told you."
He didn't stick around to see the rest. He vaulted a fence, scrambled up a fire escape, and didn't stop until he was on a rooftop, the cool night air a welcome relief. The glowing text box was back.
[SYSTEM: You meet SHIELD Agent Carter, who trains you in basic combat. You unlock Basic Combat Training.]
Agent Carter? The same one from Captain America? This just keeps getting better.
A woman's voice, crisp and British, cut through the night. "You're a disgrace to the uniform, 'Alex'."
Adam turned to see a woman standing in the shadows, her arms crossed. It was Peggy Carter, but younger, more focused, a steely glint in her eyes.
"Peggy?" he whispered, a thrill of geeky excitement running through him.
"Agent Carter," she corrected, stepping into the light. "And I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing, but you need to get your act together."
"I was just... improvising," Adam said, trying to sound cool. "A little showmanship."
"Showmanship gets you killed," she said, her voice like a whip. "Now, are you going to stand there or are you going to learn how to defend yourself properly?"
Their training was brutal. She was a whirlwind of practiced movements, precise and unforgiving. He took a few hits, but each time he got back up, a stubborn grin on his face.
[SYSTEM: Progress: Basic Combat Training unlocked.]
"You have a knack for this, Alex," she said after an hour of sparring, a hint of grudging respect in her voice.
"It's a gift," Adam said, wincing as he rubbed his arm. "And also a lot of pain. Mostly pain."
She scoffed, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Don't get used to it. The world isn't going to go easy on you."
He woke up the next day, a year older in the simulation, a new-found soreness in his muscles. The world was still a brutal place, but he felt a little more confident. He was no longer just a barista. He was a vigilante.
[SYSTEM: In the second year, you use Basic Combat Training to fight gangs, gaining local fame. You discover latent energy powers.]
Energy powers! Finally! Let's see what I can do.
He was on a rooftop, watching a group of gang members corner a defenseless civilian in an alley below. He was about to leap into action, using his newly acquired "Basic Combat Training" when a strange sensation, like a humming wire, coursed through his body. A faint, blue glow emanated from his hands.
Oh, this is new.
He aimed a hand at a stray tire, a half-joking thought of a "plasma burst" in his mind. The blue glow intensified, and with a soft thwump, a small, concentrated ball of energy shot out, hitting the tire and causing it to hiss and deflate. The gang members looked up in confusion, but the civilian, seeing his chance, scrambled past them and fled.
Adam's jaw dropped. "Holy..."
He tried again, this time aiming at a rusted can. A similar blue spark flew from his hand, hitting the can with a loud ping. The can didn't move, but the air around it shimmered with a faint, blue heat.
[SYSTEM: Progress: Latent Energy Powers detected.]
He wasn't a god. Not yet. But he was something more than a barista. He was a vigilante with a knack for pranks and a growing set of skills. And that was just the beginning. Adam had a feeling his powers were linked to something much bigger, a secret hidden in the city's dark corners, and he was determined to find it.