Dericka was being weird.

People must have thought that about her countless times. Tasha was well aware of how she sometimes came across. Scatterbrained. Rude. Unfocused, or overly focused. Too silent. Too stoned. All of these had been said to her often enough over the years, whether she asked for it or not. She not only understood how people perceived her, but also what she would have to do to be seen as more normal. The thing was, she simply didn't care about being normal. Not even a little bit.

What she couldn't wrap her head around, was why it was happening now, after weeks on end in some of the most disturbing circumstances possible where Dericka had been the voice not only of reason, but of kindness and patience as well. Why was she acting so cagey now, right when they'd reached their goal?

"Listen, Tasha, you have to let me come with you. I need to know if this… What was her name, the R&D leader?"

"Deborah."

"Right, Deborah. I need to know if she could be trustworthy, or if she's in on it, you know?"

"Uhh… No, I really don't know, actually. In on what?"

Tasha finally looked up at Dericka's face from the rocks lying in the grass in front of her. She'd spent the last few hours trying but yet again failing to get her [Direct Manipulation - Momentum] working without taking the Extract.

"I've told you. Russo, Garfield, there's something rotten about them. You should have seen Garfield explode when I refused them. He was ready to execute me on the spot," Dericka spoke quickly, her green eyes carrying all of their usual intensity but none of the warmth. It seemed to Tasha as if there was something like panic behind those eyes, as if the woman was being hunted.

"Right, the army guys," Tasha said, scratching her head. "Well, I don't think Deborah is like that, she's more like a scientist. But look, I've been nagging them for three days to get this meeting and I think they only agreed because I mentioned that I have a unique Ability. So I'm not sure it's wise to bring a plus one…" Tasha said, looking away from Dericka's desperate eyes as she spoke.

"I wouldn't be asking if this wasn't important, Tasha. After everything we've been through together, please just help me with this one thing," Dericka said, some striking the right balance between being firm and pleading.

Tasha groaned, recognizing this as a lost cause. Even if the woman hadn't been nearly as persistent and persuasive as Gandhi himself, Dericka had sacrificed plenty to be allowed a favor.

***

As they came up to the R&D office, there was a brief argument with the guard who did have Tasha's name on his list, but not Dericka's. He finally let them through with a shrug, saying it was up to Deborah to decide.

The R&D area was a series of the rectangular black barracks, connecting to each other in a square formation so that a large, protected courtyard was formed in the middle. The offices were busy, people walking around or sitting behind desks, working with pen and paper as others gathered for group discussions, taking notes on a whiteboard.

A secretary asked them to wait and after a few minutes, returned with a middle-aged woman in plain clothes with tufts of grey mixed in with her unkempt brown hair. The secretary had to half-jog to keep up with her fast pace of walking, and then the woman drew up before them, looking them over with sharp, impatient eyes.

"Who are you?"

Tasha opened her mouth to answer, but Dericka stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

"The name's Dericka. My Party arrived just a few days ago through the Citrine zone," she said as Deborah took her hand with a light frown. "And this remarkable young lady is Tasha.".

Tasha's lips thinned as she nodded. This was supposed to be her meeting and now she was being made to look like some sheltered youth that had been naive enough to bring her mom to a job interview.

"I recall a meeting with just one person. Something about an application?" Deborah asked, looking both women over with a frown.

"That would be my application. I'd like to join the R&D team. I have a background in chemistry and have been doing some experiments with poisonous and other substances."

Deborah nodded slowly, looking her over through narrowed eyes.

"I tagged along hoping to ask you some questions," Dericka said cheerfully.

"...Well, we've already got too many applications as it is," Deborah said, turning to her assistant. "Remind me why I agreed to this meeting?"

"Something about a unique Ability, ma'am," the younger woman said, looking over her notes.

Deborah gaze snapped back to Tasha, crossing her arms as she lifted an eyebrow.

Tasha bit her lip, hand slipping in her pocket to fiddle with the vial of Cohosh Root Extract as she considered how best to approach this, when Dericka turned to her and spoke in a low voice.

"I think it might be best if you showed her."

"Umm…" Tasha hesitated, mind racing as a feeling of anxiety began to squirm in her stomach. How was she going to manage this? She'd been trying to get her new Ability to work while sober, but it was stubbornly elusive. The only way would be to take a tiny drop of the extract…

"Maybe in a more private location?" She suggested, to which Deborah pursed her lips in annoyance but then nodded.

"This better be worth it. Follow me."

With their backs turned, Tasha took the small vial out of her pocket, hiding it in her hand as she followed behind. Working as quickly as she could, she tried to squeeze out a tiny drop, but due to the jostling of her walk it came out bigger than she wanted. It landed on her skin, and she had to stop and take a breath as it sank in and began to course through her body.

"Do try to keep up."

Tasha opened her eyes and realized with a start that Dericka and Deborah stood facing her further down the hallway. Through the blurred lines and blending colors she could only just make out their expressions, one concerned as the other carried a deepening frown, looking at her through narrowed eyes.

"Sorry," she said as she hurried to catch up, having to focus on each step to avoid stumbling.

"It requires me to get into a certain, uh, mindset," Tasha explained as they entered an empty meeting room, speaking slowly as she tried to make sure she wasn't slurring her words. "Kind of… meditative, you know."

Deborah frowned at her.

"Right. You have one minute, so I suggest you hurry up and demonstrate this so-called unique Ability."

Tasha swallowed, nodding as she looked around for something to move. There was something on the table, but she had to blink twice and focus to make sense of it… a pen, yes, that would do. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she toggled on [Direct Manipulation - Momentum] and let the new sensations wash over her.

She took note of all the different bubbles around her, representing the interaction of weight, gravity and movement, then opened her eyes and focused on the pen. With a crook of her finger to help focus her attention, the pen suddenly hopped up, lifting off the table.

Tasha kept a firm hold on its bubble, pulling it further up, then bending it sideways and down, then to the right and back up again. First, the pen moved in jerking motions, falling down before being pulled back up again, but as she adjusted it settled into a smoother trajectory.

After some final, quick adjustments, she managed to get it rotating in a circle through the air, before stopping the movement and having it levitate above the table.

When she looked back, she saw that Deborah's frown had disappeared and her hands had dropped to her sides. Now the woman was looking at the pen with wide-eyed interest. Dericka was not looking at the pen at all, instead watching Deborah's reaction with what she thought was a greedy smile.

"What Ability are you using to do this? [Infuse Momentum] should be impossible with the limits of the targeting system…"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Tasha blinked, taking a long moment to realize that Deborah had asked her a question, but before she could answer Dericka cut in with a raised finger.

"I'm sure you have many questions," Tasha could practically hear the smirk in the woman's voice, "but I think first maybe you could answer some of mine."

The rest of the meeting passed almost too quickly for Tasha to follow, Deborah impatiently answering Dericka's questions which were mostly about the politics and relationship with the military leadership, as well as the goals of the department. It became clear that Deborah was a scientist through and through, driven by a deep curiosity and a genuine desire to advance humanity's understanding of science. Major Russo insisted on dedicating resources only to projects that would increase their combat strength, which didn't always sit right with her.

Now that Tasha was a source of knowledge and potential experiments, Deborah was suddenly friendly and generous as could be, offering her a weekly Value stipend, access to the R&D facilities and even to stay in her own barracks, though that would only be temporary.

Though it may have been in part because of the drugs, she was feeling on top of the world as they walked out. The prospect of finally being able to thoroughly test her Abilities while surrounded by scientists seemed too good to be true. Dericka had been smiling as well, but as they were heading towards the exit, Tasha looked up when the other woman suddenly slowed down. Dericka's smile had been wiped away, her face now looking cold and hard, like how she looked when they went into combat.

She quickly spotted the cause of her discomfort: Captain Garfield had just walked through the front door. As she watched, the man's already stern face turned to a picture of hatred as he recognized Dericka.

"What in hell are you still doing here?" He practically hissed the words as he sneered at Dericka. "There's no place here for people who refuse to join the cause. Let alone for those who are unashamed enough to refuse our Major to his face!"

Tasha blinked as she looked in turns at him and Dericka, unable to place the man's sudden hostility.

"There are other ways to support the cause than going on Quests, Captain. I am not your enemy, contrary to what you seem to-"

"Shut up!" He snapped with barely controlled rage. "I don't have time for your excuses. The Major is leading humanity forward in our darkest hour. You're either with us, or against us, and you've already shown me which side you're on." With a final glare at both of them, the Captain walked on.

"...I'm starting to see what you meant, before," Tasha said.

Dericka just nodded, lost in thought as they walked away in silence.

***

It was well into the night when Tasha stumbled back through the dark rows of barracks, trying to find the one she'd been assigned by Deborah. After an extended dinner with Kobe, he'd had the bright idea to try and unlock a special Ability as well. So she'd had no choice but to take another drop of extract and guide him through some exercises. There hadn't been any results quite yet, though at the end he thought he'd felt something. They'd have to do another session soon.

The more time she spent like this, the more intuitive the sensation of things moving and pulling at each other was becoming. Before, she'd had to focus on the bubbles and interpret them somehow, but now, as she walked through the town, it was more of a feeling. Within a radius of about thirty yards - she would have to take exact measurements soon - anything that moved was clear to her new mind's eye, whether it was behind walls or not. The faster the movement, or the heavier the object, the clearer the sensation.

She used this newfound sense to find her barracks, which Deborah had told her would still be empty for now, until they took on more staff. Once she found a few that didn't have any movement inside, the number on the door would confirm which one was hers. After staring at the little sign on the door for far too long, finding it hard to link the wriggling lines to the concept of a number, she eventually concluded this had to be hers.

Stumbling inside, she slowly took in the interior, noticing that it was similar to the other barracks. With a satisfied sigh, she dropped down onto the couch and closed her eyes, enjoying the heady feeling of the extract while it still lasted.

But then her eyes opened again and she once again scanned the room. That had felt like a tiny bit of movement, but there wasn't anything here. Strange. Right as she closed her eyes again, there was more movement, unmistakable this time, a fast thin bubble stretching all the way towards her-

She lifted her hand and stopped the bubble, eyes popping open in shock to blink at a long, thin needle with a plastic protrusion at the end, floating right beside her neck. As her vision sharpened, she noticed something glistening on its tip.

"What the-"

Dazed confusion turned to cold fear as she noticed him. A man dressed in black, hand moving to his hip as he moved straight for her. Tasha threw herself out of the couch, rolling over the ground as the man lunged. Another man suddenly appeared in the back of the room, something pressed to his lips, another bubble-

"Shit," she breathed as she stopped the projectile, another needle, the same as before. Her heart hammering in her throat and panic coursed through her veins.The other man had already recovered. He was coming for her. With a twitch of her finger, the floating needle shot toward him, sinking deep into his throat. There was a strangled grunt as his eyes went wide, hand moving up to pull it out, but then her attention was on the other man, barreling towards her.

She swept her arm through the air in a panicked motion, pushing at her Ability while focusing on his head. It jerked violently to the left, pulling his body along as it bashed into the wall with a loud crack and an echoing gong of the metal wall.

Tasha stared at the limp body until her head snapped around as she remembered the other one, but he was down and not getting up, breath already slowing down as whatever toxin was on that needle took effect. Both of them were down, then, and there didn't seem to be a third one.

"Holy shit," Tasha breathed, huddled up against the wall, chest heaving as her head flicked between the two downed men.

"Holy fucking shit," she put her hands in her hair, trying to think clearly. What the hell was going on? What was she supposed to do now? They might wake up soon. She scrambled up and went for the door - she had to get the hell out of here.

But then she paused as she stood in the doorway, looking out at the dark alley. Was it safer out there in the dark? She took a moment to think.

If she left and they woke up, they could just leave and come back later. There also wouldn't be a chance to ask questions. She needed to be smarter about this, but it was hard to think clearly through the mix of adrenaline and drugs.

She needed help. Her Party - she could still message them through the Party system. Kobe came to mind first, but he wouldn't be functional yet, still tripping from the drugs. It had to be Dericka, then. She would know what to do.

After messaging Dericka, who told her to sit tight once she understood the situation, Tasha waited by the door, anxiously looking at the unconscious men. Were they assassins? All she'd done was carefully take the weapons of the one closest by the door. The other one wasn't breathing. His head had left a dent where it struck the metal wall and blood pooled on the floor where he lay.

"Tasha! Are you okay?" Dericka looked her over and drew her into a tight hug before turning to the downed men.

"I can't believe it," she whispered as she looked over the room with wide eyes. "I can't believe they would actually go this far."

She went to inspect the furthest one.

"This one's dead," Dericka said heavily, then turned to look at Tasha. "You used your Ability? It works on people?"

Tasha swallowed dry spit, then nodded. "I'd never tried before, but he was coming for me and-"

"It's okay," Dericka said in a soothing tone, "you did nothing wrong. This was self-defense."

She proceeded to fully empty the men's pockets and take off their masks. They carried knives and what looked like blow darts. Neither of them had any identification, of course, but everything pointed to them being soldiers.

"Why would anyone want to kill me? I haven't even been here for a week yet."

"I don't think killing you was the goal. The one you hit with the dart is only unconscious, right? Whatever that poison is, it's not lethal. If we then ask instead why anyone here would want to abduct you, well… There's really only one answer to that question, isn't there?"

"What? You mean my special Ability? You don't think Deborah would…"

Tasha had a deep frown as her confusion and concern grew and she was thankful that Dericka was here now. There had been violence in her past, but that had been mostly junkies with knives, looking for a fix. Having to think through schemes and guess at hidden motivations made her feel like a fish out of water.

"It's not likely to be Deborah," Dericka said with a shake of her head. "There's no motive. You just basically agreed to go work for her. No, I'm thinking it's that bastard Captain Garfield. I can't be sure about his motives, but he was probably meeting with Deborah right after us. She was still gushing about that special Ability of yours when we left. It's possible she would have said something…"

"And then he, what, decided to fucking kidnap me? For what reason?" Tasha shouted as a swell of frustration rose in her chest. Now that her panic was slowly receding, the unfairness of it all was getting to her.

"I don't know," Dericka said, turning to the unconscious soldier lying on the floor. "But maybe we can find out."

"What are you talking about?"

"The way I see it, we have three options," Dericka said, meeting Tasha's eyes as she held up three fingers, grabbing the first with her other hand. "One: we leave and pretend nothing ever happened. We say you slept somewhere else and return tomorrow to see if the corpse is still here," she said, then grabbed the next finger.

"Two: we kill the unconscious man and dump the bodies somewhere, hiding that this ever happened," she grimaced and nodded as she saw Tasha's reaction. "Yeah, not great so far. That leaves option number three: we keep them here and alert others."

She paused for a moment to let that sink in.

"Three seems the least bad, but who would we even alert?"

"That's the question isn't it," Dericka said, holding her chin as she thought for a moment.

"If we want to go with option three, I think there are two more things to consider. First, we want to stop them from killing us. Second, we want to avoid them hiding that this ever happened. I think we can accomplish both by bringing in multiple people at the same time."

Dericka paused again, considering.

"It's a bit of a gamble, but I actually think we should bring in Deborah. But also, there might be something else we can do, to get a bit of insurance."

Tasha had a deep frown, frustration again having given way to confusion.

"I really don't follow."

Dericka nodded, her eyes lighting up as she seemed to be working out some idea.

"I'll explain, but first, let's talk about the effects of the drugs available in the System Store."

As Tasha looked at a now smiling Dericka, she thought there was a touch of madness in those green eyes.

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