My heart pounded with excitement and nerves as Dimensor appeared out of thin air with a loud pop. "Alright, Isabella," he said. "Are you ready for some action?" His eyes sparkled mischievously.

I nodded, trying to control my racing pulse. Dimensor turned to Clothmaker and asked for my gear. Clothmaker headed to a dilapidated Victorian-era closet, secured with a large padlock. As he struggled to unlock it, I retreated to the changing room to switch back into my regular clothes.

Upon returning, Clothmaker finally managed to open the door, revealing a cluttered mess of old costumes and equipment inside. He rummaged through the piles of clothes and weapons, grumbling that Pitcher had somehow destroyed a "comcom." Finally, he pulled out an old phone from the 1990s. "Ah, this one looks fine," he said, examining it approvingly.

Clothmaker brought the phone over to a table and started tinkering with it, his hands moving expertly. I watched him skeptically, wondering how this outdated piece of technology could possibly be of any use to us.

Noticing my skeptical expression, Clothmaker said, "Don't worry, kid. This comcom may not look like much, but it's an equipment. Better than none. It may not have all the fancy bells and whistles, but it gets the job done." He threw the phone at me, and I looked at it in confusion. It really did look like an old phone.

"You can receive calls with that thing," Clothmaker said, looking pleased with himself.

I tilted my head, even more perplexed. Suddenly, another alarm went off, and a girl's voice cried out, "uwu, help, uwu!"

Dimensor groaned and told me to go handle it myself. "But how?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed. "I don't even know where to go or what to do."

"Don't worry, kid," Dimensor said, patting me on the back. "You've got your powers, and you've got your wits. You'll figure it out."

Clothmaker packed my new suit into a suitcase and handed it to me. I felt a surge of anger, because I didn't even want to do this. I was only here because Dimensor had threatened that I might die if I didn't cooperate. These people may have had superpowers, but everything they said and did made even less sense to me.

Dimensor vanished again with a teleport, leaving me feeling even more frustrated and alone. I clenched my fists and said, "That's it. I'm going home."

Clothmaker looked surprised, but shrugged. "You're just a youngster, what do I know? The exit is over there," he said, pointing to a sign "Exit here luv~" written in Comic Sans font. And that pointed to a door in the back with a heart emoticon.

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I stormed towards the door, feeling a mix of anger and sadness wash over me as I struggled to make sense of the confusing and frustrating events that had unfolded. Deciding I was ready to abandon this nightmare world, I made my way up the old, wooden spiral staircase, my steps echoing through the dim and eerie corridors.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I came across a sturdy, metal door with a white paper stuck to it that read "Don't forget to turn your report to HR, failing to do so might result in a deduction of pay!" With a burst of frustration, I kicked the door open and stepped out onto a platform overlooking a river.

Feeling disoriented and lost, I took in my surroundings, trying to get my bearings. Across the way, I could see the faint outlines of buildings and streets, but I had no idea where I was or how to get back. As I walked back through the town, my mind was racing with the realization that I had gone from a normal, 19-year-old French girl to a superhero with powers that I didn't understand.

The walk back took nearly half an hour, and it was a boring and uneventful journey. The streets were empty, and I had no one to talk to as I tried to clear my head and figure out what to do next. But my thoughts were jumbled and chaotic, making it difficult to come up with a plan.

Finally, I reached my dorm building and trudged up the stairs, feeling exhausted and drained. As I opened the door to my apartment, I was greeted by my roommate, who looked worried and asked me where I had been. I hesitated, not sure how to explain everything that had happened. But then, I decided to be honest and told her about Dimensor and my new powers.

"Isabella, you can't be serious," Lena exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief and anger. "You went to a warehouse alone, with a stranger who may have caused your powers in the first place? And now you're telling me that my brother is really a villain?"

Feeling guilty and helpless, I nodded. "I'm sorry, Lena. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but I couldn't just ignore it. And Dimensor said he could help us, if I agree to work with him for a while."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

In frustration, Lena punched the wall, leaving a small dent. "These American walls can't even hold a weak punch!" she shouted. "I can't believe this. My own brother, a villain? And now you're agreeing to work with these people, who may have caused all of this in the first place?"

I winced at her words, knowing they were true. "I know it's a risk, Lena. But I have to do something. I can't just sit around and do nothing. Apparently, I have a death timer, whatever that is."

Sighing heavily, Lena sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. "I understand," she said, her voice laced with sadness. "My brother..."

As we sat on the sofa, lost in thought and trying to make sense of everything that had happened, the sound of "uwu, ring ding ring, uwu" interrupted our silence.

Raising her eyebrows, Lena looked at me. "Why do you have that as your ringtone?" she asked.

Cursing under my breath, I explained, "That damned Clothmaker gave me this old phone as a way to communicate with the RN group."

Chucking, Lena shook her head. "Well, answer it. Maybe it's something important."

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I let out a heavy sigh as I picked up the phone, still not accustomed to the cumbersome device. "Hello?" I answered, trying my best to sound normal.

"Isabella, it's Dimensor. Why aren't you at work? Get your butt there now!" Dimensor barked.

I couldn't help but groan inwardly at the harsh tone of his voice. "Sure," I replied, trying to mask my irritation. "But I have no idea how to get there."

Dimensor let out a frustrated groan and then a hand emerged from the phone. Lena yelped in fear and scrambled back. "What the hell is going on here?" she shouted, her voice trembling with fear.

"Don't worry, it's just a little trick," Dimensor reassured us as he pressed a button on the side of the device. Lena and I both felt a sudden surge of energy. "Go now."

I glanced down at my comcom, which displayed our destination on the screen. "Queen Street, apartment seventy-two, second floor, left wing, room on the left," I read aloud. I was confused and asked Dimensor where exactly Queen Street was, as I was new to the town and still trying to get my bearings.

Dimensor's frustration was palpable as he snapped, "You don't know where Queen Street is? Just figure it out and get there as soon as you can." And with that, he hung up.

Lena suggested using GPS navigation to help us find our way. "Of course, Lena," I sighed. "But shouldn't there be some kind of briefing or something to help me understand what's going on?"

I grabbed a suitcase containing my superhero suit and headed to the bathroom to change. As I dressed, Lena watched me with a raised eyebrow. She seemed to approve of the purple and yellow color scheme, but when she saw the cat ears on the suit, she burst out laughing.

"You look so cute!" she giggled.

It was the first time I had seen Lena show any emotion other than skepticism or mistrust, so I simply nodded and told her I'd be back soon.

I pulled out my phone and added the destination to my GPS. It was about half an hour away, so I let out a sigh of frustration and started massaging my feet. It seemed like no matter where I went, I was always walking so much. "Some things never change," I thought to myself.

As I walked through the town, I couldn't help but notice the looks I was receiving from people on the street. Some of them openly gaped at my costume, and a few even snapped pictures as I passed by. It was a strange feeling to be the center of attention in this way, especially since I had always felt like I wasn't quite good enough.

The building I was headed to was a typical five-story residential building, constructed in the mid-20th century with a plain brick facade and windows that were beginning to show their age. I walked up to the front door and tried to open it, but to my surprise, it was locked.

"Well, this is embarrassing," I thought to myself, trying to laugh off the situation. "Here I am, a supposed superhero, and I can't even get through a simple locked door."

I took a deep breath and tried the door again, hoping it had just been stuck or something. But no matter how hard I pulled, it wouldn't budge. I was starting to feel a bit embarrassed, standing there in my superhero costume and unable to open a simple door.

I quickly pulled out my "comcom" and tried to call Dimensor. To my surprise, he answered on the first ring, but he was clearly very annoyed.

"Isabella, what is it now?" he snapped.

I couldn't help but feel a little defensive at his tone. "I'm sorry to bother you again, Dimensor, but I'm having some trouble getting into the building. The door is locked and I can't seem to get it open," I explained, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible.

Dimensor's voice was filled with irritation when he replied. "Isabella, what are you talking about? I gave you the address, you just need to figure out how to get in. This isn't rocket science."

I felt defensive and a little hurt by his tone. "I'm sorry, Dimensor, but I'm new to this whole superhero thing. I'm doing my best, but I don't know all the ins and outs yet. Could you please give me a little more guidance or help?"

Dimensor let out a sigh of frustration. "Isabella, all you have to do is use your speedster powers to open the door."

Before I could apologize, Dimensor had hung up, leaving me to wander around the building, searching for another way in. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any fire escapes or other obvious entry points. I was starting to get desperate when I found myself standing in front of the locked door again. [https://cdn.midjourney.com/67c39105-ddaf-4442-a484-bfd0e01854ce/grid_0.png]

Feeling a bit awkward, I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Just as I was starting to feel desperate, someone walked out of the door, causing me to startle. I hadn't even considered the possibility that someone might be inside and hadn't heard me trying to get in.

Feeling foolish, I quickly rushed through the door before the person could react. As I looked around the hallway, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at my own clumsiness.

I pulled out my comcom to make sure I was going in the right direction. According to the device, I was supposed to be on the second floor, in the left wing, and the room I was looking for was on the left.

The hallway was quiet and had a sterile smell, as if it had recently been cleaned. I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous and scared as I walked, unsure of what I would find.