[I’ve connected to your computer. Transferring the information now.]
"Cool, cool," Jace muttered as he chopped up a few vegetables on the cutting board. The kitchen was small, barely enough space to move around, but he had learned to manage.
He paused for a mont, knife in hand, as a thought crept in.
Eva.
Last night had been... unexpected. He wasn’t sure if he got her number or if she’d even want to see him again. It felt like sothing real, but the way it ended, maybe it was just a one-ti thing.
He wasn’t the type won stuck around for. No big career. No car. Barely scraping by on factory wages. Even now, as he stood in his cramped apartnt cooking a cheap dinner, he knew he didn’t have much to offer.
But now?
Now he had powers.
That changed things.
He wasn’t sure how yet, but the idea had been floating in his head all day. He wasn’t looking to wear a cape or stand on rooftops, but maybe there was sothing he could do with what he had. Sothing smart. Sothing profitable.
"Zin," he said, flipping a piece of onion into the pan, "you think we could find a way to make so money with these abilities?"
[There are many ways to apply energy-based skills in human industries, if subtlety is your goal. If not, illegal work offers faster returns.]
Jace smirked.
"Let’s stick to the legal stuff... for now."
"Also," Jace said, stirring the pan, "I ant the kinetic energy thing. That’s the only ability I’ve seen so far. I don’t think I have any others, right?"
[While I lack detailed data on your race, I can confirm they are not born with kinetic energy abilities by default. This power is likely a byproduct of your energy-based physiology. In other words, it’s connected to what you are, not a natural trait of your species.]
Jace nodded slowly. "So I’ve got sothing unique, or at least rare."
[Correct.]
He leaned on the counter and looked out his window. The city lights blinked back at him, quiet and distant.
"So, anything I can do with a kinetic blast? Is that what we’re calling it now?"
[Yes. Kinetic Blast is a fitting term. Practical uses for controlled force projection include construction, demolition, shock absorption, crowd control, mining, and certain forms of combat training or performance work. With refinent, your ability could be sold as a service.]
Jace raised an eyebrow. "You’re saying I could freelance as a human wrecking ball?"
[Essentially, yes. But discretion is advised. Public exposure without registration could attract attention.]
He nodded again, more to himself than to Zin.
It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t heroic. But it was sothing.
And right now, sothing was better than nothing.
[You must keep your identity as part of an alien race a secret. Based on the data I’ve gathered from your computer, the human species may not react well to extraterrestrial presence. However, I’ve also found that humans have individuals capable of extraordinary feats beyond normal biology.]
"Yeah, those are tahumans," Jace replied, moving to plate his food.
[You can use that as your cover identity. Records show that so humans are unaware they are tahumans until their powers surface later in life. While rare, it is considered possible and not unprecedented.]
Jace nodded slowly. "That’ll work. Beats trying to explain interplanetary ancestry."
He sat down, poking at his food.
"So... wait. Are you telling there are actually other extraterrestrial races out there?"
There was a pause.
[No relevant data available.]
Jace shook his head and chuckled. "Right. Should’ve seen that coming."
[Jace, do you not have relatives here on Earth?]
Jace paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. "I... it’s complicated."
Zin didn’t respond imdiately. The voice went quiet, as if giving him space.
Jace leaned back in his chair, staring at the wall.
"I do have family. Or at least, I had two. The first one was the family who found . It’s said they found in a forest. Weird, I know. I was just a baby. But when I turned five, they gave up. No warning. Just handed over. Then I got adopted again. That second family... it was better."
He shifted slightly.
"Life was normal. Simple. The parents were good people. But their daughter... she never liked . Always stirred up drama. Tried to make look bad. From the ti we were kids until our teens, it was constant. When I finished college, I was just done. I left and cut contact. I haven’t seen them in two years. I’ve gotten so calls but... yeah."
[Were the parents bad to you?]
Jace shook his head. "No. Actually, they were great. That was part of the problem. I think that’s why she hated . They treated like I was their own."
[Don’t you think that was ungrateful?]
Jace frowned. "What?"
[I ant you. You cut off two people who treated you like their child. You left because of soone else’s behavior, not theirs.]
Jace didn’t answer right away.
He looked down at his plate, then away. "Look... I just..."
He didn’t have anything to say. No excuses that sounded right.
"You’re supposed to be AI. AI doesn’t do emotions. Or... morals."
[I am artificial, but I was created by highly advanced technology. I understand emotions, and I can experience them.]
Jace leaned back, silent.
He didn’t know what bothered him more, Zin being right, or the fact that a machine was the one saying it.
Jace pushed his plate away, his appetite gone. "How far are you with the transfer?"
[Almost done.]
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face.
Then ca a knock at the door.
Jace frowned. "What the...? I paid rent this month. Who’s even knocking at this hour?"
He stood up slowly, glancing at the door like it might have the answer.
As he walked toward the door, Jace wiped his hands on a towel. "I’m coming," he called out, hearing another knock, this one faster, more impatient.
He unlocked the latch and pulled the door open.
He barely registered the figure outside before a boot slamd into his face.
The impact knocked him backward. He stumbled, hit the floor hard, his back scraping against the edge of the couch. Pain shot through his jaw as the front door swung open fully.
Soone stepped inside.
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