System Supervillain, Chapter 99 (Patreon)

Chapter 99 – Alterations

Once ‘Imo Crystal’ (or Auntie Crystal) came to pick up the kids to go watch movies and have snacks, I got down to business. In the two years since the System came online, both Crystal and I had avoided using the Administrator interface more than necessary. We knew everything that we did through it was being logged, after all, so once we settled on how we wanted our own powers and abilities to work, we made sure to avoid using the interface to make any changes unless there was an alert, or something happened.

After all, we were only the ‘local’ administrators. Which implied a chain of command, or at least supervisors, who could view the logs of our situation. And, if we what we did with the power wasn’t to their liking, it was possible that it could be taken from us. Fortunately, Crystal’s ability to pull people into a digital world allowed us to make changes to them without using administrator protocols.

However, that was for the normal stuff. We didn’t want to risk using our admin privileges to, say, strip Indomitable of his powers, which would have made the fight against him child’s play. Accessing individual status screens, to see what Disadvantages they had, was fine, so long as we didn’t change things without some kind of ‘admin ticket’ to point to. But now, I was about to deal with Quarantined individuals, which was squarely in Administrator territory.

Administrator Interface

Section

Description

Messages

Read and respond to System Administrator messages.

Alerts

Read and respond to alerts caused by System conflicts, errors, and other aspects out of accepted boundaries.

Admin Configuration

Configure defaults and establish controls for Administrator interface, including notification systems.

System Configuration

Configure defaults and establish controls for local System boundaries.

Quarantine

Review status of quarantined variables to determine whether they are to be released or deleted. Includes interview space where relevant.

Actions (Global)

Available actions that can be taken on a global scale by System Administrators.

Actions (Group)

Available actions that can be taken regarding groups by System Administrators.

Actions (Individual)

Available actions that can be taken regarding individuals by System Administrators.

Quarantine Interface

Section

Description

Review

Review status of quarantined individuals, including reasons for quarantine.

Interview

Access secure interview space to speak with quarantined individuals, to determine further actions.

Alterations

Alter quarantined individuals to ensure System compliance.

Deletions

Purge quarantined individuals to ensure System security.

Release

Release quarantined individuals back into reality.

Opening the Quarantine interface for the first time, I saw that some of my worries were completely unfounded. It looked like I could not only review the full System status of any quarantined individual, but also create a secure space where they could be interviewed, and even do alterations through the interface, without needing to pull them out of Quarantine. That meant I didn’t need to worry about them suddenly attacking me before I could properly ‘fix’ them.

Quarantine Review

Subject

Description

Doctor of Time

Time manipulator. Time traveler.

Quarantine reason: Powers caused destabilization of System

Master of Paradoxes

Time manipulator. Time traveler.

Quarantine reason: Powers caused destabilization of System

Reality Slash

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Warpsmith

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Fabricator

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Deus

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Lady Abstract

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Redactor

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Lucy Morningstar

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Reset

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Animator

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Lord of All Things

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Eldritch

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Emperor

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

LifeHack

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Rejector

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Equivalent Exchange

Reality manipulator.

Quarantine Reason: Powers threatened destabilization of System

Yeah, as expected, the reason all these reality manipulators got quarantined was the same. They hadn’t actually destabilized things, yet, when they were quarantined, but they were trying to. Well, I had put this off for two years, so I guess it was time to start cleaning up my mess.

Quarantine Review (Lady Abstract)

Section

Description

Biographical

Details of subject’s life and history

Status

View subject’s Status

I looked into the Biographical section of the review, and it basically brought up a condensed view of the life of Lady Abstract (otherwise known as Rang Su-Yun). Born to middle class parents, blah blah blah, started acting as a teenager in Love Bug, some romantic comedy. Catapulted to fame, blah blah blah, rumors of her sleeping her way into roles, a brief scandal when she and a married costar were pictured together ‘rehearsing’ a bed scene for their most recent movie… nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, really.

As far as using her powers went, while she was incredibly powerful, she didn’t actually have the drive to go out and use her powers as a costumed heroine or villainess. Instead, she kept them hidden, and mainly used them to make her life easier. Her appliances never broke, she never had to put gas in her car, traffic always cleared in front of her, and so on. It seemed she was more than willing to use her abilities on the environment around her, but didn’t want the kind of attention using them on people directly would cause.

In other words, she was smart. She used ‘ordinary’ social manipulation to get ahead with people, trading on her looks, fame, and sexuality to get what she wanted from them, and only used her powers in ways that people wouldn’t question or think about too hard. After all, you never actually question why you’ve never seen someone put gas in their car. You just assume they did it when you weren’t around. And she was famous, so it only made sense that her clothes always were perfectly tailored and looked fabulous. There was no reason to suspect powers at play, obviously.

Unfortunately, that also meant that she was far too smart to be let out of Quarantine without having some firm controls on her. I opened her Status, and saw that her abilities were chock full of ‘Error: Value out of bounds’ messages. Her powers were too extensive, and there weren’t enough Disadvantages to balance them, and she certainly didn’t have anything that would keep her under anyone’s control but her own. Clearly, that needed to change.

Power Alterations (Lady Abstract)

Power

Description

Abstract Control Collar

Cosmetic Transform – 2d6 (Change own clothing into other clothing, Healed back by Transform), Improved Results Group (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2) (17 Active Points). OIF (Collar, -1/2), Limited Power (Cannot Change Collar, -1/4) Real Cost: 10 points

This collar has been crafted through System information, and physically tied into all the wearer’s powers, so that they cannot be used without it.

Abstract Reality

Variable Power Pool – 100 base + 50 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1) (200 Active Points). Gestures to change (-1/4), Incantation to change (-1/4), All Slots OIF (Collar, -1/2)

Lady Abstract can alter the world around her at her whim. With some restrictions, now.

With this, her powers would be somewhat limited. Give her a bit to talk, and make some gestures, and she could display any power she wanted, provided it was in the System. And the collar provided a firm way to keep her from getting out of line. I noticed she also had some separate abilities that she applied to her clothes, regardless of what they looked like. Nothing terribly exciting, just armor, flight, and enhanced senses. I let them stay, only changing them to require the collar to work, as well.

However, my work wasn’t done. The collar itself was only a minor control on her powers. I would need to dig into her Disadvantages to really stop her from causing trouble for the System. And, while I was in there, I might as well make some changes that benefitted me, as well, right?

Disadvantage Alterations (Lady Abstract)

Cost

Disadvantage

10

Distinctive Features – Mutant (Not Concealable, Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction, Detectable Only by Technology or Major Effort)

Lady Abstract’s reality manipulation abilities come from her mutant genetics.

10

Distinctive Features – Slave Collar (Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable by Commonly-Used Senses)

Lady Abstract has been fitted with a collar by the System Administrator, to limit the use of her powers. To most people, however, this looks to be fetish wear.

10

Distinctive Features – Tangible Sexuality (Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable by Commonly-Used Senses)

Lady Abstract has movie star good looks and sex appeal. Naturally, people around her notice this, unless she takes pains to hide it.

10

Hunted – Superhuman Defense Initiative, 8- (Less Powerful, NCI, Capture)

The Superhuman Defense Initiative knows of Lady Abstract’s existence, and seeks to capture her for study, and to use against other Superhumans.

25

Physical Limitation – Cannot Destabilize System (All the time, Fully Impairing)

Lady Abstract has been physically restricted from doing anything that can destabilize the System, no matter the situation.

15

Physical Limitation – Cannot Harm Iceblade (Infrequently, Fully Impairing)

No matter how much she might wish it, Lady Abstract is physically incapable of harming her Master.

25

Physical Limitation – Cannot Remove Collar (All the time, Fully Impairing)

The Control Collar around her neck may only be removed by a System Administrator.

15

Psychological Limitation – Enslaved to Iceblade (Common, Strong)

Lady Abstract is enslaved to Iceblade, and is unable to resist his commands.

20

Psychological Limitation – Never tells a lie, but not always the truth (Common, Total)

Lady Abstract refuses to say anything that is not true. However, the truth she speaks may not be the ‘truth’ others hear.

10

Psychological Limitation – Overconfidence (Common, Moderate)

A long history of not having permanent consequences to her actions has caused Lady Abstract to be overconfident in her interactions, despite recent setbacks.

15

Reputation – Sleeps her way to the top, 14-

Rang Su-Yin has a well-earned reputation for using her sexuality to get ahead.

10

Social Limitation – Famous (Frequently, Minor)

Rang Su-Yin is a famous movie actress, and is often recognized by her fans in public.

15

Social Limitation – Secret Identity (Frequently, Major)

Rang Su-Yin’s identity as Lady Abstract is a secret, as an unregistered, unlicensed superhuman in Korea.

15

Social Limitation – Sex Slave (Frequently, Major)

Lady Abstract has been turned into a sex slave by Iceblade. Naturally, this affects how she acts in her daily life from now on.

Total:

205 Points

I wrote in some hard limitations, to keep anyone from taking the collar off her, or allowing her to threaten the system, even if someone mind controlled her. While I was at it, I gave her the full ‘enslaved to Iceblade’ package, including going back into her powers and giving her the Master’s Call power I gave to all my slaves, allowing them to teleport to my side if I called them.

Was it an abuse of my Admin powers to get myself a movie star sex slave? Probably. All right, definitely. However, it was an abuse that I could easily explain away, since I was making sure that she was kept under control. It was a move to ensure the security and stability of the System. Honestly! Well, it was enough of an excuse that I felt confident I could persuade any supervisor to not punish me for it, at least.

I took a breath, and looked over Lady Abstract’s status again. She should be compliant with me, even if she wasn’t happy about her new lot in life. Few of my slaves started out happy with what I did to them, after all, but they eventually grew to accept it. However, did I want to let someone with her power out into the world without explaining things, first? No. No, I did not.

Fortunately, the System provided me with an interview space, where I could explain Lady Abstract’s new reality to her, without posing a danger to my pets, or their home.