'I'm trying my best to cope with all this. I don't think I can fully believe it though, not until I see it for myself.'

Ben tried recalling the small amount of memories he’d received during his dream. It all looked blurry but he could vaguely make out things that he would have considered impossible. In fact, he still did consider it impossible deep inside his heart. He hadn’t fully accepted the reality of the situation before him because it seemed like something so devoid of reality.

“Ah well, I expected that. So do you want to go outside and see it for yourself?”

Ben looked around the decrepit and bare room, 'No chance you have a TV somewhere in here?'

“We don't need a TV.” Shroud pointed to Ben's arms and Ben lifted them up, “You may have lived in a technologically backward world, but in this world the things you know can be thrown out the window. The SU has an inbuilt screen that shows you whatever you want to see as long as its on the internet. Yup, it's still called that here. It's totally untraceable and was meant to be used to keep an eye on enemies but since I killed the owner I've used it for whatever I want.” Shroud stared at Ben, “Let me straighten out something. You don't look up my life. You wont find anything anyway. The SU isn't some common t-shirt you find in a clothes store, this is alien technology and it jams everything that takes a look at it. Most people don't even know I exist and those that do were the ones left alive because they weren't criminals. If you want to become a hero then I guess that's going to have to change, but you wont be running into anybody that knows me in the meantime, probably never will.”

Ben gulped as Shroud spoke and he took a look at his arm. He tried to imagine a television or screen appearing but nothing happened.

Ben sighed, “SU turn on TV.”

Ben stot up from the slab as his right arm began to itch, 'It's just the concepts that matter right?'

The darkness around his arm was swirling and the itching underneath his skin began to intensify. Soon the tendrils were expanding into a vaguely square shape, a few inches tall but wide enough that it looked like a small television from the memories of his own world. Inside there were images flickering as though he were actually looking at a television or computer screen. The tiny images were changing constantly, nothing consistent or defined but it looked beautiful in a weird sort of way, like watching events through a bowl of water that was constantly rippling.

“You're asking for too much, too vaguely. Just ask it for something specific and don't think of anything gruesome.”

'Woah... okay,' before he could do as advised and the images quickly stopped rippling and changing, 'What is this? I didn't say anything yet.'

“Alien technology is far beyond what you can comprehend, you thought about something specific and it read your mind and took it as a command. Look.”

'That's it? It almost seems too easy,'

Ben gazed at the screen and shuddered as he realized he was looking directly into the eyes of something. The screen was so life-like in quality that he could have sworn whatever was on the other side was right in front of him. The eyes started at him blankly and then moved away from the screen as though it hadn’t noticed him.

“A Moser.”

Ben scrutinized Shroud from the corner of his eyes. The transparent figure had regained his scowl and was looking at the pair of moving eyes in the screen. Ben wondered what the thing the eyes were attached to looked like and as though responding to their thoughts the picture zoomed out and Ben gasped as he got a full view of the creature. It looked like a rock with arms and legs. Or several large rocks slapped together hastily in the shape of a person. The eyes they had been staring into moments before were almost indistinguishable from the rest of its brown body and it hulked at least six or seven feet high. It was walking through an empty street with a backpack over its back and glancing from side to side nervously.

At least as nervously as a rock could glance.

Ben watched the creature with amazement. He had never seen anything like it except in video games. It was something that his brain was telling him shouldn’t even exist let alone be able to walk around and move. He could even see from its eyes that it was aware of the things around it, it was intelligent.

'What do you mean, Moser?'

“Complicated. For now just know that he's a guy that packs and delivers drugs. One of many. Not a murderer, but definitely the muscle for a major crime boss. The SU must have judged him to be within your skill level.”

'What do you mean judged him?'

Ben felt something fall onto his face and frowned. The roof was showering him with small bits of stone as something seemed to knock on it gently from the other side. It was like a truck or train was passing by over the roof and causing the structure to dislodge slightly.

“You're being stupid again. The SU read your thoughts and showed you what you wanted to see. Since you were thinking about being a hero it picked something that you had the ability to stop. You're the one controlling it not me.”

'But... isn't this a bit too sudden? The guy looks like he's made out of rocks for gods sake. How do I even stop someone like that.'

“Well you better make up your mind soon.”

'Why?'

“Because I know that street. It's right on top of us and those knocks you hear are the big lug walking right above us.”

Ben hesitated at Shroud's words. He stood there for what he knew would have only been a few seconds but seemed like an eternity. His gaze shifted from Shroud and onto the floor. This was happening all too fast for him. He didn’t even know what the thing was, or even if he agreed with this plan to be a hero. He had been shoved here only a few minutes ago into a world he didn’t know or recognize. He didn’t even know if his parents were alive.

Why was he so calm about this.

“But,” he spoke out loud, “I don't even know how I'd stop him.”

“I know. You're a yellow bellied coward that's never seen the world from outside his mother's protection. I saw it.”

“Then why do you want me to go out now? Do you know if I even want to be a hero? Did you ask me if I want to go and stop everything?”

The air around Shroud seemed to turn cold. “Are you saying you don't?”

“I'm saying I haven't even been here a few minutes and you're already telling me to go fight someone I've never even seen before, in a world I don't even recognize and right after I've found out that I've lost everything I’ve ever known with no idea how to get it back.”

“Listen Ben. If you don't want to do anything that's fine, I'll just have to take the risk that killing you wont kill me too. Because that's the only thing holding me back from doing it and getting my body back. Don't think it's your right to be in control right now, it's a damn privilege that I would literally kill to have back. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you're not some enemy because I don't want to kill myself but I've done worse things in my life than kill some pathetic little worm that can't even recognize that he's not the one in control of his own life any more. You're in my body and I'll tell you to do whatever the hell I want you to to get you out. I could be sending you out against far worse than what the SU is showing you in the screen. I could force so much pain into your body that you'd turn into a slave that only lives to do my bidding for fear of punishment. But...”

Shroud looked away and Ben could feel himself trembling.

“If I wanted to do that then I wouldn't have agreed to help you in the first place. I would have just done that from the beginning without explaining anything. Right now you're my equal, you're me, but that's the only thing I respect about you and you better hope to god you don't lose that respect.”

Ben could feel a vague headache coming from the back of his mind, it wasn't him, it seemed to be Shroud.

'But...'

Shroud sighed, “Fuck waiting for you to figure it out on your own. From now until we take down the Moser you listen to everything I say. No objections or I pop your head like a balloon.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Ben looked up, 'What...?'

“From the moment I saw your memories I knew you wouldn't be cut out for this world, things aren't as happy go lucky as your world is. It's eat or be eaten here, a world where people can and do die on a daily basis without even being part of whatever event killed them.” Shroud seemed to cover himself in darkness and the SU began to shift around uncomfortably over Ben's skin, “That's how it works here. Whoever did this thought it'd be all life saving heroes and adoration, and maybe that's how it is from the top. But we're not toys in this reality Ben, we're real people with lives. Even when heroes fight to save people they end up killing bystanders in the crossfire. Even if villains didn't exist there are people discovering they have powers and using them to take revenge on others every day. Situations like this happen every day and life sucks. People die all the time and even more commit suicide thinking that they can't live being as helpless as they are. That's the sort of world I live in Ben, and in this world there isn't time for one guy to wait until it's too late to make a decision.”

Ben blinked, 'Then... fine, let's go.'

“That's what I thought. Remember that the world cant wait for you to make the decision, I can't wait for you to make the decision either. You need to act fast and you need to act decisively if you want to be here. Hell, you need to if you want to survive in this world.” Shroud gave Ben a shrug, “It seems tough from your perspective. Probably is. But we've got to go to the surface now because Moser is definitely up there and he wont be in another few seconds. So let's not drag this thing out. Get up there right now and I'll explain what you have to do when you get up there. After a while you'll figure it out.”

Ben's gaze returned to the door and his eyes shut as he processed what was happening.

“By the way... we can teleport.”

“That actually sounds pretty awesome.”

“Alright calm down now hot shot. Just imagine the street you just saw yourself in, notice how the SU screen is showing the whole street? Well that's where we're going to want to go, behind Moser.” Shroud paused, “This one is more of an intuitive trait of our parents race. So all I can say is think really hard. It probably just hasn't worked yet because you have a shit imagination. You don't have to worry about hitting anything. The way the teleport works is that it puts you a small distance from anything else solid. At least you wont find yourself halfway in a wall.”

Ben squinted as he tried to concentrate. He looked at the screen in front of him as he did and tried to take in the features around the walking Moser. It looked like an ordinary street and all he felt was a bit of tension behind his eyes.

“God damn- Think about it like nothing can stop you, there is no roof and there is no room. There is only you and the street, that's where you are. Mental over physical.”

Ben covered his eyes with his hands, trying in vain to think of being in the street and not in the room, 'I'm in the street... I'm in the street.'

“You look like a dipshit that's trying to take a dump while constipated.”

“You’re distracting me.”

The mental image was there now, integrating itself into his mind. Once it had implanted itself it was hard to get rid of, he was imagining himself in the street he had seen through the Shroud Uniform screen and was hoping as much as he could that he was actually in the street.

“Don't just imagine the street. The breeze, the fresh air, the Moser in front of you. The SU streaming across your skin. Think of it as though it's something you really want. Something that's a part of you and don't try to fight it when it comes for you.”

Ben tried to say something but something was creeping across his body, he could feel his flesh prickling underneath the Shroud Uniform. His breath was growing ragged and he choked as suddenly he realized he couldn't breath. It was as though some sort of veil had been placed over his body and he was being pulled somewhere, but at the same time he was the one that was leading the way. Then the veil suddenly lifted and he felt a cool breeze hit his face.

“You did it you smug bastard!” Shroud almost sounded excited as he shouted in Ben's mind, “This time you'll have my help. So don't waste this chance... hey, hey, open your damn eyes first!”

Ben opened his eyes and felt them grow wide as he took in the scenery around him. It was just an ordinary street that he had never seen before but to him it felt like he was gazing at a whole new world. He could almost taste the fresh air and he knew that he had gotten out of that stale stone room. But if this street was on the ground floor, then where was the room? He looked around and gasped. In front of him was the biggest man he had ever seen, if it could be called a man. Even though it was covered by a large backpack he could see its two legs made out of brown rock. Both of them looked like cannon barrels and his full height must have been at least two and a half meters.

The Moser looked far more frightening up front than it did through a screen.

“Who're you?”

A tough, rocky voice came out of the man in a grumble and Ben stiffened. He hadn't even tried to hide his previous gasp and the sound had been heard crystal clear by the rock man. The creature turned around and gave off a low growl as his eyes met Ben's. He scanned the black uniform up and down. The small rocks that made up his mouth lifted themselves up in what Ben would only call a smug grin.

“Some little pissant wants to play hero?”

The Moser started to walk calmly towards Ben, “Normally I'd let you off easy and just send you to the hospital, but tonight's a special night. So you got to disappear, capisce?”

Shroud laughed at the big guys words and Ben grimaced.

'What can I do against this guy?'

“Well this is how it works. You don't want to kill this guy if you’re playing hero so you need to find some way to stop him from moving.”

'What do you mean, 'some way'?'

“Bad time to zone out kid.”

Ben gasped as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. The Moser had lifted him up until his legs were dangling over the ground. The pair of rocky hands wrapped around Ben's stick-like body and he was staring directly into the eyes of the Moser. The criminal tilted his head at him, taking his pale skin and veiny eyes into account.

“You a junkie kid?”

“That just hurts.” Shroud whispered into Ben's mind, “Don't piss yourself or anything. The guy can't actually hurt you, he's not strong enough to break through the suit. Not quickly anyway.”

'But how am I meant to stop him? You're not going to make me kill him are you?' Ben could feel his thoughts coming across as hurried.

After all he was dangling four feet off the ground.

The Moser was shaking his body around like a rag doll.

“I said no killing. But we don't want this to get messy either. Arresting him is the authorities job, we just need a way to keep him here until they arrive.”

'How do you know they'll come?' Ben's head smacked across a wall and he groaned.

“He's a giant rock man who was almost definitely seen walking across a secluded street. Not to mention the racket this guy is making trying to kill you. I don't know who hired him as muscle for this job but they did a terrible job planning it. The police should be here in a few minutes. We just need to... of course.”

Ben's vision went black as a piece of jagged stone hanging out of a wall tore one of his eyes, but before he could even shout his sight was back again and the pain was gone.

'Of course what?'

“Point your hands at him and tell the suit to restrain him.”

“What the hell is wrong with you kid?” The Moser grunted at the lack of progress and dropped Ben onto the ground, lifting a leg into the air to stomp him into the ground.

'Will that actually work? God this hurts.'

“Hurry up.”

“SU Restrain.”

A long dark cloud rushed through the air from Ben's body, leaving from his Shroud Uniform and sticking onto the inner section of Moser's raised leg, pushing against it and stopping the oversized lunk from crushing him. Ben wasn't sure what to do next, but the cloud didn't stop there, it gathered around Moser's skin and between his clothes and backpack. A giant crash resounded through the area as Moser was knocked down onto the ground looking like a cocoon made of black silk. Only his head was visible. The stream of black gunk hadn't ceased though, and instead increased in its pace of release, constantly strengthening the restraints around Moser and suspending him to the ground with layered rope-like tendrils. His loud shouts were mixed with the sound of sirens in the distance. Even the backpack that'd covered half his back

“Cover your face kid. Before somebody shines a light on it.”

People had already begun to appear from the side walk with their phones, about to take photos and videos. Some of them were laughing and others were stumbling around. Behind them red and blue lights were flashing as the police arrived. Ben whispered a command under his breath and the Shroud Uniform expanded to cover his face in swathes of darkness. Ben wondered what would happen if one of the people came up to him and started asking him questions or asking for an autograph, like those heroes in the comic books after they defeated the villain. But then he realized that with his lack of experience he would probably give away something he didn't want to. He didn't even know how heroes were accepted in this world. Did they just pop up or did he have to sign up for it like a job. Could this be put on his resume? There were too many things he didn't know and he didn't want to accidentally let everyone know about his lack of knowledge by sauntering up and casually starting a conversation with some random person. For all they knew he was as much of a danger to them than this rock man. Hell, how would they even know the difference between the rock man and him. For all he knew they might think that the rock man is the hero and he was a villain that beat him.

“You think too much.” Shroud's voice kicked into his mind and Ben realized he'd been thinking all of that out loud, in a mental sort of way, “Imagine yourself teleporting up there. Quickly.”

Ben looked to where Shroud was mentally pointing and saw the square roof of one of those multi-flat complexes. There was a person standing there and staring at him, he looked like your average bystander except for the fact that he was on top of a roof he clearly had no reason to be on top of. Ben squinted in concentration and with a sudden jolt he was on top of the roof and behind the man.

'That was... surprisingly easy, compared to the last one at least. Who's this guy?'

“First time's the hardest. And this guy is your ticket to becoming a hero. And that's because he's one himself. Little king of the molehill that is this region. Small time, small fry.”

Ben ignored Shrouds petty insults and eyed the man in front of him. His tweed jacket and brown baggy pants didn't exactly scream hero. It definitely wasn't the type of person he'd imagined, but then again, what does a hero look like? Since this guy was a hero the next step seemed obvious enough, but Ben hesitated.

“What's wrong?”

'If I talk to this guy and tell him I'm a hero... doesn't it seem a little bit suspicious? Wont he be suspicious?'

Shroud gave a heavy grunt and then sighed, “If you're thinking that he'll cuff you and try to prove you're not a hero then you're wrong. This is your first crime stopping, and I'm virtually unknown to the outside world. The hero one at least. I'm not giving you more than you can handle.”

'But...'

“Hey there. Since you haven't killed me I suppose you want to talk. How can I help you?”