Chapter 20
Pruning the Evolutionary Tree
(Misha)
Blinking.
Everything had been so cerebral for Misha.
Even now she was still trying to understand exactly what had happened, or what was still happening.
Physical Characteristics:
Strength: 14.9 / 20 -> 14.9 / 14.9 (Max)
Dexterity: 15.0 / 20
Agility: 15.0 / 20
Stamina: 14.9 /20 -> 14.9 / 14.9 (Max)
First off all it seemed that now thanks to having broken through her mini-threshold of 15 for Dexterity and Agility, it seemed that she was forever blocked from being able to increase her Strength or Stamina as her new maximums for both Attributes were now capped at 14.9.
Additionally, the choices she had been granted thanks to her Mid-Tier evolutionary point were as follows:
Dual Attribute Advancement protocol engaged. Requirements: Must have Dexterity and Agility roughly even with each other throughout growth. Dexterity and Agility both must reach the species maximum before evolution to first tier is possible.
Candidate must choose from the following system skills available: Current Ability Points Available (2)
Warrior Abilities:
Sense Danger (3)
Feral Weapons (2)
Increased Durability (1)
Enhanced Comprehension Speed (4)
Enhanced Senses (1): Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell
Increased Attribute (1): Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Stamina
Shaman (5): Fire, Water, Earth, Air
Worker Abilities:
Enhanced Senses (2): Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, Smell
Increased Attribute (3): Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Stamina
Enhanced Comprehension Speed (1)
Increased Endurance (2)
Commanding Voice (5)
Allure (4)
Ruler Abilities:
Elemental Focus (1): Fire, Water, Earth, Air
Secondary Focus (2): Lightning – Prerequisite (Fire and Air)
Secondary Focus (2): Ice – Prerequisite (Water and Air)
Secondary Focus (2): Metal – Prerequisite (Earth and Fire)
Commanding voice (2)
Allure (2)
Increased Comprehension speed (1)
Alternate-1 Abilities: Improved Harvesting (2)
From everything Misha saw, it was clear that this alternate system was one that seemed to make abilities from all the other groups available.
It also went a long way in showing the differences between each group.
Also of note was the fact that while she could see that each Attribute could be improved with these ability points, she was unable to improve her Strength or Stamina from any of the classes.
There was also the fact that while she had gained two points to spend, how she gained the points largely remained a mystery to her. Was this a carryover of her gaining the 0.2 Attribute points from the Werewolf, or was this related to her passing the fifteen-point threshold for both Dexterity and Agility?
Honestly, she didn’t know, and her insight into the back-end coding for this ogano-tech class provided very little in the way of answers.
Looking at the options available, it seemed that the way she chose to develop with her currently available ability points would dictate what options were available to her in the future.
Also of note, according to the system she would already have three points of ability already purchased in that she could control both Fire and Lightning, from her Psycher abilities. In a way, Misha couldn’t help but feel that if she chose these abilities her powers would be enhanced, but they didn’t seem worth it. Especially as she could only choose the one-point Fire and would then be stuck with one additional ability point.
For now, her options were rather limited by her lack of points to use. Also, there was the fact that most of the other abilities noted were widely known by Psycher researchers into the development of the different Bakshee classes. With that mentality and the fact that she was here to gather information on the enemy and their newest class, Misha decided to go with the class option that was available to her.
Improved Harvesting Chosen (2). Confirm?
“Yes.” Misha thought toward the system.
Then just like that, the world flashed white for a second, before her mind opened up, and new coding seemed to unravel throughout her body.
Tingling.
Her whole body tingled, but not in the good way, rather her body tingled in the way your foot would go asleep from sitting on it for too long. Unfortunately, rather than this being on one isolated area, her whole body felt like it was reacting to this change. Even her scalp tingled.
Then just as quickly as it all started, it stopped.
Stolen novel; please report.
New Alternate-1 initiative started.
Alternate-1: Speed and Accuracy Build.
Ability Bonus: Double Growth Rate.
Misha just stood there, staring off into the distance as her mind slowly began to speed up and catch up to the slightly improved movements she could make.
Up until now, Misha had not been the fastest, strongest, or one who was able to last for a particularly long time. Still, she had managed to push herself.
With the increases, she tried to push herself. Only to find that her body was too tired from the day’s strenuous activities to keep going.
Mentally, she felt that she could force her body to pull a second wind, mainly by modifying her body’s ability to slowly create and release of the enzyme, phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase, the main catalyst for adrenaline creation.
While this would cause her body to break down, particularly if she used too much adrenaline, right now she felt it almost worth it, to see if she was in fact stuck.
Only recently had her body grown to the point where she could handle certain loads of weight in her lifts. Despite putting as much as she could into growing out her body, she remained a tall and lanky form.
Her form and body type are also what caused her to choose putting points into Dexterity and Agility. Dexterity to increase her hand and ability to move precisely, something that should help with throwing a softball and shooting a basket. While Agility would help her get just that much faster.
Even now she could feel the slight subtle changes, the elongation of her bones. The tightening of her muscles into cords that compressed themselves inwards.
From her understanding of organo-tech, this build made sense. As humans could be great at on thing, and often that was all that was available to each person. The strongest person is not expected to be able to win a race, nor are they expected to be able to compete in a marathon.
In all, Misha felt lucky that she had chosen two seemingly complementary growth paths. As now she could also feel the tingling sensations from her fingers down through her wrists and forearms.
From just an internal glance it was clear that her body had undergone severe changes.
While she was tempted to try out the new changes that had happened to her body, after a few minutes of moving around a bit more sluggishly after everything, she ultimately decided to head home.
Going out to the parking lot, she felt that something was off about her vehicle. While it was still there, and there were no direct signs of damage to the car, something seemed to be off.
Looking around she found that the other vehicles that had she had parked next to had already left for the day. Looking at those spots, she felt there was the same thing there, but again whatever it was, the impression of being wrong was faint, almost inarticulable to even Misha and her advanced searching.
Yet, she could feel something residing in the whole area. In particular, she felt the odd thrum of energy, if barely.
Strangely enough that same sensation of energy that lingered over the two parking spots that held the pack vehicles earlier, had a similar trace around her vehicle.
Realizing this, Misha had her suspicions, but felt she would need to get proof.
With that, Misha opened up her glove box, pulling out a mostly dead pre-paid Motorola. These were the cheap ones that depending on your plan could allow you to access the internet and were rarely used for their actual purpose, that of making a call.
With the phone on, Misha let her mind connect to the device. During this time she did a number of things, first she channeled a bit of her own mentally charged Electrical energy into the device, not too much, but just enough to charge the phone so it could do everything that she needed the device to do.
Then with the phone active, she had it actively scan for wireless networks in the area. There was a public Wi-Fi, and a secured Wi-Fi network that belonged to the school. A quick sideways check of a connection, and she was in.
This was the one thing she loved about this world, hiding her actions were easy, as everything was meant to be a straightforward connection. Even the standard preventative protocols in place meant nothing when your psyche was the conduit. If she had to describe the options she used, it would be the same thing as being able to slip through a gap in a wall by simply turning to the side or moving over or under the walls being set up.
It went without saying that her way of entering and exiting a network also made it so she left no digital footprints of her actions. At most data centers would record that a random file was opened by an unknown process, nothing indicating that a student in a school parking lot had easily hacked the local networks with her mind and was now rummaging through video recordings of the very same parking lot.
Nor did it record the fact that a copy of a time stamp from 5:32:04 to 5:33:47 PM was recorded and forwarded to an anonymous account. The clip in question showed one Jerome Jones taking a long slow look around the parked and unattended 1995 Mustang GT, before getting into his van, along with a few other members of his vehicle that also took the same exact circuitous route.
Seeing them move, Misha wondered if there was some type of pheromone marking going on, “like ants.” Misha muttered, then paused, wondering why that statement seemed to strike a chord of remembrance within her.
Still, nothing had happened and as far as Misha was concerned Amoni, the only member of the wolf pack that had legitimate issues with Misha was not involved in this incident. Still, it was odd and something that Misha wished to track in the future.
With everything seeming to make relative sense, Misha discretely disconnected her mind from the school’s data servers, the disconnected her phone from any attempts to connect to the internet, before powering the phone back off and putting it back into her glovebox.
Then with her school day effectively over, she started up her car.
VROOM!
Where the vehicle purred to life, rumbling in an oddly therapeutic way that would have sent her space self into conniptions. Yet, being on land and planet side made the whole rumbling of a mechanical motor seem oddly exhilarating in a way she was never able to fully understand from just reading her history nodes.
Now, in her new life, she was living history, and if things kept developing as they were, she felt she might just create history as well.
Still, that would be a different day. For now, she had to get home and help her granddad at the shop.
***
(Frank Grimes)
To say that Frank’s ‘World Tour’ as he was mentally calling it was going well, would be an understatement. He had almost gone for an RV, but had seen a few youtube videos about that, which finally made him give up that dream. Instead, he had a modified van that he had placed a roll away bed in, and was now using that van to make a magical retirement tour of all places Jackson.
He started off in Jackson Kentucky, which was a huge bust as no one seemed to know anything about Andrea nor Misha up there. He found that out after spending an afternoon in the census bureau office. From there he went East, to Ohio, where he found Jackson Ohio to also be small and quaint but was once again able to search the local census bureau but found an Andrea who was around the age noted as the missing mother, but not one Misha.
Following his east ward trajectory, he found himself of course heading to Jackson West Virginia, where his vehicle, which had already put on quite a few miles was ready for both an oil change, and a tune up. Before he retired, he meant to get a new vehicle, but didn’t want to get a new vehicle just to put on a lot of miles on it, for this last pet project. As such he had decided originally to just bear with it, and see where his vehicle would, or in this case could, take him.
That was how he found himself somewhere off route 62, in the middle of absolutely nowhere trying to find a place he could guide his dying vehicle towards.
Fortunately, while Frank had skimped out on a new retirement vehicle, his personal phone was up to date. Well up to date enough to get enough reception to find the nearest mechanic that was open after 7PM on a Monday.
According to his internet search there was only one, Phil’s Rustbucket Garage.
The name screamed affordable, though Frank half expected that with his car there, He would likely be stuck here for a week. After looking at the web page for the shop, it almost seemed like the entire budget went towards hosting the company’s page, as the page was well designed and easy to navigate.
Frank was particularly happy with the fact that he was able to at least get an appointment to be seen tonight, as part of a Free Consultation.
While the consultation was free, Frank assumed a shop like this out in the middle of nowhere would all but force him to stay in town for a few days while his vehicle was worked on. This was honestly okay with Frank, as Jackson West Virginia was more than three times the size of Jackson Ohio, meaning that if Frank was being diligent, he would have to stay here for close to a week before meeting and ruling out everyone.
Chime.
His phone dinged as he both made his appointment and found the directions to the garage from his current location automatically get populated on his phone. Pausing, Frank felt a slight sense of panic fill him, as he wondered how the directions came up. Granted, he had wanted the directions and given the backroads that he was being directed down currently it was a good thing the directions popped up when they did.
Still Frank couldn’t help but think that he had not in fact asked for the directions to be pulled up.
Realizing that he had to have, either clicked a button, or spaced out and caused the directions to auto populate on his phone, ultimately, he realized the end result was the same. He had the directions he wanted, even if he couldn’t remember making the request.
Shaking his head at the oddity, he just figured it was likely an automatic feature for booking an appointment so late. Yeah, that had to be it, right?
Thinking about it for a moment, Frank realized that this was definitely the case, as this was not the sign of early onset dementia or him going senile at all. He was still young, and laser focused, even with the fact that he was now retired and doing what many would consider chasing the thought of aliens.
“No such thing as aliens.” Frank muttered to himself as he found himself making what was the last turn, before making a turn down a dirt road, where there looked to be only an old farmhouse, and a large converted barn.
Putter, putter, putter.
By now, the thermometer on the dashboard was also rising wildly.
With sheer determination Frank drove the slowly dying vehicle forward until it all but passed out, like that one Greek runner when he ran the first marathon. This time, the vehicle made it, just to the point where a ray of golden light shown from the open garage bay door, onto his vehicle.
From the driver’s seat, all he saw was an old man who looked like he had a severe case of scoliosis, and a young red head.
“See pops, I told you we had a customer.” The girl said.
The old man, who was likely the mechanic of the place just grimaced and tried to straighten up his back, but failed miserably.
“Ah, who let’s people book this late.” The old man, who Frank looked for, but was unable to find any form of a formal work shirt that had a name on it. Judging by the name of the place, Frank figured the guy was likely Phil, though given where he was, he could easily accept the old man to be a Clem, Curtis, or even a Cletus.
“Hi, I’m Frank Grimes. I scheduled a consultation.” Frank said after getting out of the vehicle and handing the keys.
The red head, who had one of those oddly young older faces that Frank always had a hard time placing came over and greeted him.
“Thank you Mr. Grimes.” The girl said going over to grab the keys.
“Looks like a broken head gasket, a few loose lines, and will need coolant and an oil change.” The girl said, placing her hand on the warm engine, then turning back.
Sigh.
Hearing that the old man just sighed, “that much.”
“’Fraid so.” The red head said.
The two seemed to be lost, but hearing this, Frank instinctively reached for his revolver, only to find that it was not on him.
Pausing for a moment at the fact that he was here in the middle of nowhere and was apparently being taken for a fool. Still, despite Frank not having his service pistol, he had more than enough savvy to realize how to handle this.
“You can’t be serious, just placing your hand on the car and finding out all of that.” Frank said.
“Relax, relax, I will check it. Heck if you want, I will even show you each piece that she just listed. But you gotta understand, she has a way with machines. If she says that is what you need, then that is what you need. Feel free to tow it to another shop, but they will all agree. Frankly, I kind of hope you do get it towed elsewhere as that will mean less work for me to do.” The old man said, then coming forward, he realized he forgot to do a proper introduction.
“Sorry about that, it’s past my bedtime and my granddaughter here has me helping her earn money for college. That’s why we are open so late, as she can work on the cars after school.” The old man said, then holding out his hand, he finally introduced himself, “nice to meet you, the name’s Phil.”