Towards A Conclusion

I exit the taxi after paying the driver and look at the community center I asked the driver to take me to. It is in a state of mild disrepair, and though I can hear people in it I can also hear the structure subtly creaking and groaning. The driver drives off as soon as I shut the door behind me, and I begin to walk toward Andrew's neighborhood.

I am in a rougher part of Seattle and I'm currently in the form of a young, redheaded woman. I chose a form that would appeal to a range of rougher, less pleasant men. This is all for the sake of expediting my ability to get noticed and to get men to drop their guards so I can trigger an encounter with someone I can use to figure out where Matthew is located, or potentially even come across him without having to have an encounter before I get to see him face to face.

Internally I'm still riding a strange high in the wake of my encounter with Joshua. To be fair to me it's only been a few hours since that encounter but having so thoroughly defeated the criminal who attempted to send a message to a high schooler was exhilarating. I really like the way I dispatched the criminal and the criminal charges I ensured that he will definitely need to deal with. It was fun, in a mildly concerningly dark kind of way.

I've previously stopped crimes but until a few hours ago I never had a direct face-to-face encounter with a criminal. This is an almost completely mundane setting and I have one of the most hilariously flexible superpowers imaginable so I can rely on my own creativity rather than just having face to face encounters with people that end with me telekinetically giving them wedgies or something.

I have stopped crimes and criminals a thousand different ways and my preferred method of stopping a crime is to make it look like criminals fell and passed out or were the victims of coincidences. I never had a serious reason to have a dramatic, direct encounter with a criminal since I've been able to stop them without them even considering the possibility that a specific person is responsible for their inability to flee the scene of the crime or make a clean getaway.

A part of me is excited by the chance to openly test the facets of myself that have been influenced and changed by the essence I chose at the start of my adventure. My assassin essence has been handy in some respects but it's never really gotten a serious chance to shine, since I mostly focused on being somewhat of a support character among my friends and have fought crime indirectly.

I reach the outer edge of Andrew's neighborhood and find myself walking down a sidewalk that allows me to reach all sorts of rundown, shoddy-looking houses. At a glance someone might think this part of the neighborhood is empty but my keen senses allow me to know that this is not true. I can hear soft sounds from behind closed doors and I can glance at the streets and sidewalks and see faint traces of footprints and tire tracks, with the most recent ones being decently fresh. The houses here only seem abandoned, there are definitely people using them.

I keep walking, purposefully doing what I can to seem oblivious to my surroundings. A part of me likes putting on this kind of performance since I can be mischievous and fairly aggressive without risking that someone will discover my identity. "Morphic Form" is a great perk for superheroes and vigilantism.

As I walk deeper into the neighborhood no one approaches me. This does not mean I'm not spotted. I overhear distant, muffled conversations identifying me by the features I've chosen to make prominent in this guise and I have to deliberately hide my smile. I'm currently walking in the direction of Andrew's house but it's basically on the opposite side of the neighborhood and if I get too close to it I'll definitely stop and start to move in a new direction.

I glance at my phone and see that the group chat the boys and I are all a part of is pretty active. That's a good sign that Andrew is distracted and is probably just doing normal stuff which is exactly what I want. I've done a good job of hiding my true skill and the range of powers I possess and I want to keep that up now that I'm in the home stretch of this jump.

A part of me momentarily considers going on the attack, in a manner speaking. Given my telekinetic abilities it'd be pretty easy for me to get someone to come to a door, show me their face, and then force them to let me in so I could plan a trap for my foes but if that's done poorly it could end with Matthew and his cronies being on guard, and that might complicate things.

In an ideal situation I'd be able to catch Matthew without anyone around. If I can, it'd be pretty easy for me to arrange his downfall in a number of ways, potentially even involving the maiming and injury, or worse, of some of his allies. I could even involve the police again, but at the same time if he gets away it could go badly unless I scare him shit-less like I did Joshua…

I continue my exploration of the neighborhood, well aware of where Andrew lives and staying away from the street his house is on. If I somehow run into him, so long as I'm not actively using my powers I should be fine since I'm an effective enough actor and I have social perks backing me up. If worse comes to worst I'll use the full weight of "The Game of Life" to give me a way out of here.

In a future jump, I'll probably make more active use of that perk… Honestly, it feels a bit too powerful for this setting, though since it is a powerful, crystallized aspect of Steve's personality that I get to take with me moving forward it makes sense that it'd be so heavy.

"The Game of Life" is a perk that enhances my natural charisma to truly absurd levels. Whenever it's fully activated I can study someone for a few moments and learn how to best shift my mannerisms and behaviors to suit them specifically so I can most easily befriend them, persuade them to agree with me, do my bidding, or otherwise act as I need. I even imbue people I've persuaded to my position with a copy of some of my charisma which allows them to be effective, efficient missionaries of mine.

This perk also works on groups, meaning that so long as I can talk to foes and they can be reasoned with, even groups of enemies can be turned into loyal allies. Most of the time I've spent in this jump I've consciously tapered this perk down, only minimally allowing its effects to surge through me unless I was doing something worth using this for.

I'm not morally opposed to this perk and I've both made full use of it in rare moments such as when I was persuading the boys of the importance of the rules and made more subtle use of some of its specific features. I've used it to get a leg up during volunteering in general and fundraising for Andrew's mom specifically, and I stand by that decision. Keeping her alive is not only the right thing to do on its face, keeping her healthy, and happy has helped Andrew and Mr. Detmer.

The perk is powerful and in future settings careful use of it will be essential to my success. It's one thing to have the ability to block sword blows with a burst of telekinesis, it's another thing altogether to be able to persuade the ones who want to cut me down to not only stop but to work with me against others who want to stop or even hurt me.

I wander the neighborhood for a few hours and begin to grow annoyed with my lack of results when I fail to find the person I'm hunting. If Matthew is who I suspect he is, an incredibly minor character from the Chronicle film who has an unfortunate encounter with Andrew as the film begins a dizzying race toward its climax, then he should be here and I should be able to find him even during the day…

I close my eyes so I can focus on the different voices around me, opting to momentarily rely on my peak-human senses for a short while to allow me to continue to move safely. Parsing through multiple conversations takes me a few moments, before I eventually hear someone say something about Matthew, repeating something he texted to the man. The sound is muffled and the person is clearly looking at me through a window of some sort. I begin to walk in the direction of the voice, putting on a pleasant smile as I open my eyes and spot the house he is in.

When I reach the house I release the mental hold I have on "The Game of Life", before I knock on the front door. This sound causes a panic to erupt from deeper in the house, but after a few moments footsteps begin to approach the front door and in a scant few seconds I see someone peer at me from the other side of a peep hole in the door. The person eyes me up and down, no doubt admiring the end result of my eerie shapeshifting ability, before they, he, opens the door.

"Hey, what do you want… little lady?" One of the house's inhabitants, a tall Asian man, asks me. He looks a little like the guy that Andrew rips the teeth out of partway through the film, but is somewhat more tan than he is. I listen for a second to make sure the house is empty and when I determine that it is I smile at the man. I begin to study him, opting to use this as a test case to see how effective "The Game of Life" is when it comes to making a nominally normal, neutral enemy an ally of mine.

"Hello! I hope you're having a good morning. I've come to talk to you about the dangers posed by gangs and drugs in this neighborhood." I say, and as I study him I automatically make minute adjustments to my posture, body language, and even tone in ways that are meant to heighten his receptiveness to my message. He eyes my curves but listens to me, and then nods for me to keep going.

"Well this neighborhood was identified as one of the most dangerous in southern Seattle according to research done by the Seattle Sentinel and just this morning a man from this neighborhood, Joshua Raddison was arrested by the police near North High." I explain, and this causes his eyes to widen in genuine shock. I frown and nod at him, to affirm and cement his reaction as being an appropriate one.

"There is a problem in this neighborhood. It affects us all." I state, and he nods, taken in by the reveal that Joshua was arrested.

"I don't know every step to fix it but I can think of one step that would help. Dealing with Matthew, the head of the Stone Street Snakes. Doing something about him would make this neighborhood a lot safer. It'd send a message that we don't tolerate crime here, if we go after the head of the snake. In… multiple manners of speaking." I say, confidently. I added that bit a touch less confidently, but it was all an affectation that I put at the end there to tailor my words to this man specifically. The Riverdale-esque name is not something I made up, it's apparently the name of the gang according to the newspaper, though that part is definitely something that was not canon to the film.

I watch him mull over what I'm saying. I tailored the words to him specifically, guided by my instincts of what would work best. He is unsure of what to say in response to what I've said so I decide to hammer home what I am saying here.

"Friend, just imagine if you were Connor Morgans. Connor is an innocent high schooler who went to the hospital the night of the North High talent show, rushed there after being discovered beaten to a pulp not far outside of the talent show. The police are saying that he was beaten by Joshua, very possibly at a gang's behest for something his family reported last week. So long as the gang is around, or at least led by a violent asshole like Matthew, innocent people are in danger. Families could get shattered by this." I tell him, my tone gentle even though my words are harsh. It doesn't take him long to nod at me in agreement with what I'm saying.

"Okay… Yes, you're right! We need to do something about Matthew, or else people here can't feel safe. But how can I help? I'm… I'm one of the snakes." The man confesses, and I put on a shocked face. I hadn't known he was a member of the gang as a matter of fact but it's hardly surprising that a young man in a neighborhood with a known gang is a member of said gang.

I take this time to consider how powerful this perk is on a practical level. I never gave the man my name or even explained how I know the stuff I know and he is now strongly contemplating betraying his friends. The part in the description of the perk that talks about how someone who has this can approach who fundamentally disagrees with them and only needs a few words to get them to rethink their positions was not kidding or exaggerating. This is a hell of a weapon to have in my arsenal…

Also, Matthew needs to get more loyal minions. This is the second of his guys I've flipped, and I mean the first was more a mercenary who had already been defeated and humiliated by me but this guy lives in this neighborhood and should be afraid of, if not actively loyal to, Matthew. I genuinely don't know how much of this is perk power and how much is just Matthew not being a good leader.

"Cancer doesn't just cure itself or go away on its own. Sometimes to fix something you've got to just deal with it head on. Let's talk to Matthew. See if he can accept that he is a part of the problem and endeavor to do better." I tell the man, who nods at me. He invites me inside his home and I step in, smiling as I get ready to do some mischief.

The man shows me his text history with Matthew and I learn that his name is Randall. He tells me the story of how he met Matthew and came to be a part of the gang, a simple one of being in the neighborhood where the gang was from and the gang opting to recruit him, even going as far as to do the trite gang initiation ritual of having him commit a crime at their behest which they keep evidence he did to use as a weapon against him in case he ever flips, which explains his earlier hesitation.

Over the next few minutes, we craft a text message that asks Matthew to come over. As we work on it together I sense some of my charisma seeping into Randall. He still doesn't even know my name. I begin to plot and scheme while Randall and I work on the text, and come up with a plan that ensures a firm resolution to all of this.

At the same time what I'm seeing play out in front of me is a firm reminder of the real power of a jumpchain compared to just going on a journey that leads to multiple worlds. Perks are powerful.

My perks allow me to do more than just lift objects with my brain, they've allowed me to completely transform the trajectory of someone's life, of the lives that intersect with his, and so far they've definitely allowed me to save at least one life. Steve is still alive and that's because of me.

Randall and I wait some minutes before he gets a text from Matthew. Its contents are simple: Matthew is coming. I suggest Randall write down a letter saying that he is leaving the gang and when he is done I forcefully put him to sleep with telekinesis. I feel bad for doing this, but this ensures a nice neat resolution to the story here, as far as I can tell.

I hide in a spot where I can see the front door of the house and where I can't be seen until someone knocks on the door. When they do I open it and I see Matthew, who I correctly theorized was one of the gangsters from the film. He is surprised to see no one behind the door and steps into the entryway, curiously. The instant that he does I paralyze him with telekinesis and smile.

By forcefully puppeting him I have the criminal himself inelegantly close the door behind him, and I make him awkwardly shuffle into the small living room in the house. I also have him close some curtains in the living room to ensure that no one can see into it. When all of this is done I step out of my hiding place and slowly move towards him, staying out of his field of view. Twisting his head so he can't see me I move closer to him and I use telekinesis to grab some paper and pencils and I move them so he can see them. They float in front of him and I write out instructions I intend for him to follow.

I release my grip on the criminal's hands as I telekinetically give him some paper of his own and a pencil for him to use, even as I telekinetically write that he needs to write down a confession as to all of the crimes he's done. I instruct him that his hands are free and that as a testament to what I can do to him he is about to experience something unpleasant.

He reads this aloud, having actually been reading all of my messages to him aloud, right before I telekinetically wallop him in the chest. I wait a second and then do it again, harder, before using my remotely controlled pen and paper to inform him that he has no choice here, and that he will do as he is told.

I wait for him to be done with this and then I move the letter away from him telekinetically. I give myself a beat to read the litany of crimes he is confessing to, even as I telekinetically instruct him to text one of his criminal associates and get them to come to his address, while emphasizing that they must come here as soon as possible. It only takes fifteen minutes for the first of the people I intend to victimize to arrive at the house, and when they do I pull on the telekinetic strings I use to maneuver Matthew over to the front door and when he opens it I forcefully paralyze his criminal associate and drag the two of them inside the house.

I don't love what I do next, but I have Matthew punch his paralyzed friend, and beat the man into unconsciousness, ensuring that the man's fingerprints are all over the criminal I've tricked and trapped. And I spend the next two and a half hours repeating this process for several other people, only stopping and finally having Matthew call the police after five different gangsters have been beaten half to death, seemingly by the same figure acting alone.

"I… I need the police, and I think I need some medical people too. There was a brawl at 983 Ridgeback Road. Several people are unconscious, they've been physically beaten. It's a group of criminals." Matthew utters as he peers at a knife that I am telekinetically holding to his throat. The thing is dangerously close to his neck. I use my telekinesis to tell Matthew to confess, and he admits that he is the leader of a gang and that there has been a brutal disagreement. I smile, triumphantly, when he is done confessing, and then I take the butt of the knife and I slam it into his face, knocking him out.

I telekinetically tap the phone, ending the call, before I smile and exit the house. I walk away from it, but stay close enough to it that I can hear when the distant sounds of sirens fill the quiet neighborhood. It is only at this point that I opt to leave, satisfied by what I've done here.

I return home and enter a routine that will last me between now and November 30th, the end of the jump. I resume my normal activities of training on the weekends, working hard at school, volunteering one day a week, and doing my best to be a good friend to the people I've met. A few days after I have my fateful encounter with Randall and Matthew their arrests become public knowledge, but Randall is quickly sent into protective custody because he immediately indicates a willingness to testify against his former companions, information I learn from classmates related to police officers with loose lips.

On the 30th of November I do not go to school, despite it being a Friday due to both it being a holiday and a special day. The end of the jump. I spend the morning of the day wondering how whatever happens next will happen. While curiosity about how the transition from jump to jump will occur is at the forefront of my mind, in the back of it I muse on what I have achieved. I kept everyone alive, all three of the teens, Mr. and Ms. Detmer, and even the original characters I met during the jump. No one but the boys knows about superpowers at the moment, which is nice. I even experimented with my own powers and can do everything the boys can do and stuff that they can't. My achievements are, in all honesty, pretty cool.

I consider saying goodbye to my friends, and struggle with the fact that that's something I want to do. The reason this is a struggle at all is that I know that it's basic jumpchain lore that time freezes on the worlds that someone visits on a chain when they leave to continue their adventure so if I said goodbye it'd feel weird, since assuming I spark, I could just go to my favorite worlds and step back into my old lives on them. Still, it's tough for me to not say goodbye so I find myself needing a distraction.

I go on a jog a few minutes before noon, which turns out to be a significant decision. Right when time should go from A.M. to P.M., I get to see the world freeze. I am on the sidewalk next to the road and can see cars driving, moving down the road and before my very eyes they slow to a complete stop over the course of a few heartbeats. I look up and see distant planes stuck in the sky, and I let out a soft laugh.

It looks like it's time for me to go. I turn around and begin to walk back towards the house I've been living in. I should have some important decisions to make in the next few minutes, at least relative to my perception of time, and I think I need to go home to be able to make them.