Eliza
October 17, 1786, Realm Timeline, The Outworlders' Base
There were nineteen people in the Council, and twelve was the minimum required for a meeting. There were fourteen present, with Sam attending via video from Vienna, which was in range for his phone to still have a signal.
Since she was recently coopted, Eliza didn't know everyone's name but had a good idea of what they did. The president was an anthropologist. There were a few ex-military, a few Quantum scientists, a computer geek, and two more Bounty Hunters. Only Sam and Eliza had the System.
The chief scientist began his presentation, insisting on Tristan's genius and how he had perfected Schrödinger's theory. 'He's a natural' was the most repeated compliment in his long rant. Also, he was worried that the Interface was not recognizing his full potential. Yet there was apparently a compensation.
"I see a pattern," the scientist said at the end of the presentation. "Classes are more influenced by the local Zeitgeist, while Stats are influenced by our own culture."
"Oh, for goodness sake," a woman who was an Intelligence colonel, whose name Eliza didn't remember, slapped her hand on the table. "This is BS. We have no idea how this works. How is Jane Doe a class present in the local Zeitgeist?"
"I think she got something like Rogue and just changed the name in the settings," Sam said. "It's possible, you know."
"And Iron Choir?
"Same. Same. The guy got Capelmeister as a class, and modified it to suit him. He played in a heavy metal band."
"Drums. Now, every time he opens his mouth, he speaks in four voices."
"And the point is?"
"That we don't understand how this works, and it's dangerous stuff."
"Cloud Carpenter is the weirdest," a woman said, out of the blue. "I mean… Building ghost ships?"
"Maybe Magic is sentient, after all," another woman said.
"We haven't seen any reaction, even when we changed history. The Mana field just keeps information in it," the Chief Scientist said. "The point is: Magic is Quantum. It interacts both with the Zeitgeist and with the observers, and, because of Tristan, we know it does so more strongly than we thought. I expect that the people with Interfaces will become very powerful in time."
"How many people have developed a functional one?" the president asked.
"Thirty-eight out of the hundred who took the shot," the scientist said. "You have the list in the folders in front of you."
"Plus my Minion," Eliza said.
"He's the most promising subject," the Head Scientist said.
"The Juggernaut is," somebody said.
"I didn't mean Tristan's the strongest; I meant he levels the fastest."
"Fastest?" Sam snorted. "We're not exactly lagging either."
"What does this fast leveling mean, exactly?" the Council President asked.
"The idea I used when designing the Interface was to turn regular magic users into OP superheroes who can protect the—"
"The protectors who protect the Protectorates," Eliza laughed, attracting a frown from Sam.
"The result is beyond my wildest expectations," Sam said. "Even if our numbers are small, it's enough to make a difference."
"Is there any chance the Interface could… you know… make you lose your minds?" the President asked, after taking a brief look at the Chief Scientist. The man had told him about her tantrums, Eliza realized.
"I hope the failsaves we put in place will be enough. Plus…" Sam gestured toward the Scientist. "We're obliged to have regular check-ups."
The scientist cleared his throat. "Not everybody who tested positive for the Interface after the first shot received the bespoke second one. Twelve of them were told their results were negative because they failed the psychological tests. I'm confident those who did take the second shot will behave responsibly. I can't vouch for the Thrall, sorry, Minion, but he looks normal, as far as I can tell. Maybe we could have a shrink have a chat with him."
"What are your plans for Tristan, Liz?" Sam asked.
"Basic orientation, duh. The normal training for the locals we recruit."
"Why?"
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"What do you mean, why?"
"Is that useful? He's anything but normal anymore."
"Well, isn't it too bad he's my minion?" Eliza sneered. "I'll train Tristan as I see fit."
Oopsie… Tribal reaction. Control yourself, Liz!
"He's our minion too. The System shot was made to benefit all of us," the President said. "What do you suggest, Sam?"
"I suggest we group the Interface users together, let them brainstorm, figure out how to cooperate, and stuff. Like a boot camp for superheroes."
"And who would be the instructors?" the Intelligence woman asked.
"Penny and I."
"And what would stop you from making them into your own army and taking power?"
"Aren't we over that yet? What I published before the elections was just an opinion."
"It was a political manifesto."
"No, it—"
"And what about her?" the woman pointed at Eliza. "She's able to turn people into minions. Given time, she could also raise an army."
"She can't," the Scientist interjected. "The class is influenced by the local norms, not ours. She can only turn three people in all her life. The local literature calls them disciples, and they have to accept the change willingly."
"Do her nanites multiply, or turning is an ability she gets?" the woman asked. "How is this working?"
"We don't know yet."
"So let me see if I got it right. She turns three people, who in turn turn other three, then nine, twenty-seven, eighty-one, then—"
"Are you stupid?" Eliza bursted. "If this were true, this world would be ruled by Vampires."
"Who are you calling stupid, you—"
"Cool down, both of you," the Scientist said. "Eliza has a point, but you also have a point. There must be a reason we don't know yet why Vampires are not in the majority."
"It's simple," Sam said. "Her math is bad," he pointed at the Intelligence woman. "From one, you don't go to three, because you have to subtract Eliza. So you have two. They can turn six, but you subtract them, and have four. Then— What?" he snapped at Eliza, who was facepalming.
"You actually have to add me, not subtract. The numbers are even bigger."
"Hey, I'm on your side here!"
"I know, h… Sam, but… math is math," Eliza grimaced, because she almost called Sam honey.
"There must be an unknown factor," a statistician said. "Like for the why the Interface is compatible with only so few people."
"What are you talking about?" another Sam, and also a bounty hunter, asked. "I was not present when you debated this thing."
"We tested it on volunteers. Nulls reacted badly, and we stopped the test after a few almost died from an allergic reaction. People with magical powers were theoretically compatible, and we gave the first shot to many of them. Only a few tested positive for the second shot, and we can only speculate about why."
"You said Nulls showed bad reactions? Can it be used as a weapon?" the Intelligence woman asked. "That could come in handy."
"You’d need a tremendous quantity of nanites. Like a million years of production, at current capacity. Any nerve gas would work better."
"How do you control your powers? Will you break anything you touch?" a man Eliza didn't know asked.
"It doesn't work like that," the Chief Scientist said. "They have finer control over their body, on a wider range, and their subconscious adjusts their physical abilities; that's all."
"Grouping all the Interface users under one man's influence is a bad idea," the Intelligence woman said, returning to a previous topic. "There is a considerable risk they'd want to take the power for themselves."
"You know, between you, military guys, and my minion, it's you who are the thralls. You think we'd obey someone just because they say so?" Eliza scoffed. "We're not brainwashed."
"What do you mean by we're the thralls?" the woman sneered.
"Exactly what your words proved. Military people are not the brightest. You almost lost a war against people with muskets. If not for Sam, we'd be dead or slaves now."
What's up with me? I'm too confrontational, Eliza thought a second after the words had flown out of her mouth.
"You want a piece of me, bitch?" the woman sneered. "What if we go outside and test your System mano-a-mano?"
"Stop it!" the President yelled. "If we start arguing, we're done."
"For sure, we know where your loyalties are," the military woman said, looking at Eliza.
"I said stop. Everyone, give me your folders. Now!"
"I didn't receive any," Sam said.
"Excellent. Do any of you remember all the names and classes of the System users?" the President asked.
"You're kidding, right?" the Scientist said. "Even I don't remember all of them. Where do you want to go with this, Thomas?"
"Making them train together is a great idea. However, Alexandra has a point. Sam was quite active in supporting General Georgescu's bid for power."
"Still, when the people voted, I accepted the result," Sam said, crossing his arms.
"Georgescu didn't, though," the Intelligence woman said. "May I remind you that he and his people stole half our weaponry and ran away? Maybe he's the one behind the Kingling or the French Republic."
"He would have contacted me. Warned me. We were friends."
"See?" the Intelligence woman gloated. "I rest my case."
"What's your point, Thomas?" the Chief Scientist asked again.
"I'm using my executive powers now; do all of you understand?" the President looked around.
Why is he saying that like he's asking for permission? He looks weak, Eliza thought.
"Yes, Thomas, we understand," the Intelligence woman sighed.
"First, we stop producing the Interface until we test it thoroughly."
"We already did," the Chief Scientist said. "
"Great. Then, I will make three teams. One made up of the physical combat classes, run by Alexandra and the Juggernaut."
"Good!" the Intelligence woman gloated.
"The second will be run by the Sage, our main healer. They will be the magicians. And the third will be utility-oriented. Sam and Liz are in charge."
"I'll delegate Penny for starters. I have to go to Vienna and do my Envoy job," Sam said.
"And I have to do some solo-leveling," Eliza said.
"Figure it out. No team will know the members of the other two."
"It's too late," a Quantum scientist said. "We know the Juggernaut and the Smiths are muscle."
"And do you remember the other combat classes' names?" the President asked.
"Err… no…"
"It's good enough. You," the President turned toward the Chief Scientist, "will be the only one to know all their names, classes, and skills."
"Understood," the man said.
"Are Iron Choir and Jane Doe on my team?" Sam asked. "I could use them in Vienna."
"They're not, but eventually, there will be cross-team work. Tanks, damage dealers, and utility working together. I'll delegate them to you for… let's say a month. Train your teams for a month, then we assess their performance and assign them to the proper tasks."
"One month, huh?" Eliza asked.
"You've heard me. You think it's too long or not enough?"
"No, it's fine." I'll have enough time to go solo before babysitting them.
"Any word from the Seer?" Sam asked.
"Nothing. The usual mumbo-jumbo," the President said. "It's the fourth day it's repeating the same message: The golden fish swims against the currents of time. Okay, anything else?"
"Not really," Sam said. No one else added anything, with most of them shrugging.
"Then that's it for today."