Beep beep beep beep beep...

His eyes cracked open and he looked around in bewilderment. Where was he? It was a perfectly white room, window to the left showing the expansive skyline of Vancouver, and the right a seemingly normal door. A small bedside table was on the right, with his tab sitting there. On the left... a tower with wires connected to him, and a heart rate monitor was currently on the screen. "What the hell? Why?" The screen flashed, then printed in blocky letters "Patient clearly alive." before shutting off.

"Please wait patiently and calmly for someone to attend to you." A soothing robotic voice said, emanating from everywhere in the room. "Your recently acquired meta status requires a period of adjustment and recovery, and we can help. Please stand by."

"...What? And where are my clothes?!" He nearly shouted. What was wrong with this place.

"Due to your special meta status, clothes kept falling off of you. You can pull the blanket over you if it makes you feel more comfortable."

He sighed and did so, sitting up in the process and leaning against the head of the bed. A few seconds after, the door swung open, revealing the far too cheery face of a nurse, who was holding a pile of clothes on top of a clipboard. "Rex Honold? That is you, correct?"

"I'm sure hoping you got that right." He muttered while pulling the sheet higher up his body, covering his chest.

"Good, good. I'm Alexis, a Meta specialist from the VMS. Er, the Vancouver Meta Services. I will be helping you get used to the... unexpected changes that have occurred in the molecular structure of your body. It's great to see you awake and functioning properly. Had us in a bit of a scare for a while there."

He heard the words, but they didn't process. "Can I have those clothes?" Rex said, almost as soon as she finished.

"Of course." She placed them on the bedside table, and walked out of the room, giving him room to change. He looked at the brands on the clothes in disgust. They were basic normie high schooler's clothes, with barely an inkling of any fashion sense. Jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, black sneakers. He put them on, relieved to have something to cover his body with, and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

A short few seconds and the door re-opened and Alexis walked back in. "Please let me explain a few things, as it may help explain your unique circumstances. You've been affected by a lab explosion, giving your body the ability to phase through matter. This... has led to some difficulties healing you, since your body was incorporeal a lot of the time while you were unconscious, also meaning your clothes and sheets kept falling off of you. Or through? I don't know the proper terminology."

Rex's face burned as he thought about that. "Oh. That explains it, I guess."

"But there is hope. We've categorized your power and compared it to similar ones, and we think that while your conscious, you won't phase unless threatened or will it. But, when you're sleeping you lose that control and, especially while dreaming, your body will flicker in and out."

"Okay, that's good, I guess." Rex said hesitantly.

"It's almost as good as we can hope for. For those like me, who have these gifts upon birth, it's far easier to adjust. For me, I always have really good timing, which you might have noticed. Others in that lucky 10%, especially those from accidents, whether magic or science related, have it a lot worse. Just imagine if you were stuck out of phase, or couldn't control it! Questions?" Alexis grabbed a white stool from the corner of the room and sat down across from him.

"How did it all happen?" Rex said instantly.

"We can't disclose that. New meta's who gained unpredictable powers who know who caused their pain and suffering almost always turns out poorly." Alexis shook her head sadly.

Rex grunted. "Fine. How long was I out? Is my family okay? What day is it?"

"Three days. Yes. Saturday the thirteenth."

Rex paused. "Three days... that means I was here since Wednesday? But the last thing I remember was going to bed Monday night just after reading a text my parents sent me." He sighed. "Leaving on a work trip again. So where did Tuesday go? And Wednesday, for that matter?"

"Relax, it's for the better you forget those days. Well, Wednesday anyways. You see, people often forget the day or hours before big accidents like this, as it's your body's way of protecting you from all the pain you probably went through. A person's entire molecular makeup being altered can be painful and leave scars for years, simply from the pain. It seems your body over-reacted, however, and wiped out Tuesday as well." Alexis nodded sympathetically. "I've dealt with many like you, and trust me, you're far better off this way."

"How is forgetting all of Tuesday okay! I had basketball try-outs that day! And someone nearly killed me with a science experiment. That is not okay! Just wait until my parents get on this case! They're lawyers. They'll sue that company into the ground."

"Well, I truly hope not. They're a great company, and I don't think it's their fault. It's just one of those accidents that no one can predict."

He already knew what he was going to do when he got out of here. Figure out who did it, because that was bullshit.

"Right, and with this last thing, I think you can go and try figure out your powers at home." A soft chime sounded from Rex's tab, and he looked at it.

VMS Info Pack. Accept? Y/N

He accepted it. "I strongly recommend reading that. It has our analysis of your powers, and tons of other great information and resources. Contacts to labs who can make phase changing materials so they don't go through you when you sleep, health hot lines, therapy, a few other nice things."

Rex wrinkled his nose at the last part. Yeah, he wouldn't need that. "So I can go?" He asked.

"Yup!" Rex stood and walked out the door, leaving her sitting there. He honestly was excited to learn how the power worked, just as long as it was anywhere but here.

"Have a good-" He heard before the door shut behind him. He looked for a sign pointing out and followed it, pulling up the transit app on his phone. It would take an hour to get from where he was, South Van, to his home in North Van. He pulled up the Uber app and looked at the options. There was the normal option, and then quick, which was only a few dollars more. Ten minutes instead of sixty, and it also went across the harbour. The higher options started costing substantially more, so he stuck with Quick.

About thirty seconds after selecting that, the ride pulled up, a sleek silver machine, looking like an orb, hovering a few inches off the ground. Rex smiled appreciatively at the crafted vehicle. It was such a marvellous piece of craftsmanship from one of the many crafters in the city, and probably one of the few used for public transportation. The door opened, the metal panels spinning telescoping like a camera shutter and the dark interior lit up with a warm white light. 

He sat down inside and the straps automatically cinched around his waist and shoulders. Although autonomous drivers were incredibly skilled, there was always the chance of outside interference. "Good evening, sir. I notice you are coming from the VMS building. Would you like the free upgrade from Quick to Fast as Heck?"

"Sure!" He'd never heard of that happening before. Fair, this was his first time in a crafted vehicle, but that was still pretty generous.

There came a chime, and when the AI spoke again, it had changed from sounding like a butler to some sort of daredevil redneck. "Oh, heck yeah. Expected arrival is two minutes, thirty eight seconds. Hold on tight, eh bud?" The vehicle lifted off the ground with a barely noticeable motion. "Uh, do you get motion sick? If ya do, I can close the blinds for you."

"I'll be fine." Rex looked out the window, only just realizing how fast they were ascending. They were at least fifteen stories up by now, almost as high as the average building in the area. There was a small pressure which lasted a few seconds, and then they were taxiing towards their lane.

Due to both humans and vehicles flying through the skies, they had to separate them with flying rings. Obviously moving metal objects colliding with humans who may or may not have enhanced reflexes can be pretty problematic, so it was necessary. The mechs, of course, could communicate and avoid all that.

Once they got to their lane, the real flying started. The G's increased for about ten seconds until they were up to speed. He had to admit, seeing the buildings fly by so quickly was a bit disorienting, far different from being in an airplane. Soon, however, they were free, flying about the Vancouver harbour, sun high above casting glimmering reflections across the water. 

"Now there's just enough time for a fun fact." The AI said. "Before the Rift, this place was scoped out by gold miners, and they stayed close to what is now New Westminster. The city was named after George Vancouver, who explored the place in 1792 who named some random places around here. It used to be a large port, but after the Rift, big boats that guzzled nasty fuels were replaced with more efficient things like portalers, rifters and teleporters, as well as efficient mechs like myself. Pretty cool, right?"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Uh... when did I ask?"

"Hmm. Shush, I need to focus."

"You need to focus? You're a robot!"

A sigh emanated from the room, like a hydraulic door opening. "No. It was just a natural ending point of our conversation as I set you down at your destination."

"..."

There wasn't even a bump as the mech settled down, and there was another satisfying hiss as the doors spiralled open. 

"And that was the Fast as Heck Services by John Murphy. Have a good day!" The AI did not sound like it was wishing him a good day. And what did he do to it! Stupid machines. The chair he was sitting in twisted to the side and tilted up slightly, sliding him gently onto his feet before it shot upwards, off in search of it's next victim.

But to be fair, it was pretty fast. No traffic stops, probably sped the entire way here. Maybe the upgraded rides were worth it. He'd have to try it again someday. But for now, it was coffee time.

You see, there was this wonderful little place fifty meters down the block from his parent's apartment where a gifted barista worked, and man, was it good. Perfect temperature coffee which somehow stayed that temperature permanently, and it was honestly priced, as well.

The glass door swung open smoothly, and a thick smell of caffeine and coffee attacked his nose, almost knocking him off his feet. He strode up to the counter, happy there was no line and looked expectantly at the barista, who, after a few long awkward seconds, sighed. "What can I get you?"

"Large caramel macchiato, double double, and-"

"-and make it quick. Yeah, I know." She turned and grabbed a cup, preparing the drink. "You've come here every single day without fail for two years and have intoned that every single time. You're like some crack addict who needs his fix before he can function." She turned around and held the payment scanner up. Rex tapped the 0% on his phone then pressed accept. She nearly slammed the cup down, the whipped cream spewing out the whole.

"Well... it does seem comparable to drugs." He grabbed his cup and sped out of there, stopping at the door for an exaggerated slurp.

It was pure bliss. Every single time.

He made it home without incident. Not surprising. But then he got stuck in an elevator with some fat lady and her dog, all fifteen floors to the top. He didn't dare breathe deeply, the stench of her old person perfume overpowering, and then he finally made it, inhaling deeply of the clean air and unlocking his parents door with a tap from his watch against the knob. 

Home sweet home. There was a homey wood stove smell mixing with the scent of coffee from his cup. For some reason, Rex's parents loved that hunter's cabin feel, so they spent a few hundred thousand dollars renovating the place to have dark stained wood with pelts on the floor and on the backs of some of the chairs. Rex's favourite spot had a mountain goat pelt, and the rug was a black bear, complete with head and claws. So yeah, some might say it was okay.

He grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter and settled into the recliner, pulling out his phone in the same motion. The top of his screen showed 99+ notifications, which was far too overwhelming, so he just pulled up the main social media app, Z (pronounced 'Zed', of course. American's still haven't caught up to Canada in such regards.)

His DM's were flooded. From the first few messages, the priority contacts, he could tell they were curious to where he was. It wasn't like it was that uncommon for him to disappear at times. His parents had odd business trips he sometimes joined, but rarely with zero notice to those around him. And he definitely kept talking to them on the trips. So needless to say, his friends were worried.

[Where are you?] which was preceded by [Just got a message from Coach. Made the team. Hbu?].  And there were ten more before that, asking if he wanted to game, from Cole. Charles was similar, probably because those two operated on the same brainwave; muscle and testosterone. 

Before he replied, he checked his other messages. Many were similar, from others he knew, so instead of replying, he just took a selfie of him with his coffee and added a caption. [Yo, chill, I'm alive. Was in an accident, perfectly fine. Shout out to VMS], but then his screen flashed and an info box popped up.

[Are you sure you would like to reveal you're a meta? It's sometimes beneficial to wait and understand you're abilities before you're peer pressured to do something stupid. Some powers are even better kept secret for the long run, since it gives you an advantage out there.]

He read it through, and deleted the last few words he wrote, replacing it with [W health care.] He posted that, then went back to his chat with his friends, explaining he wasn't allowed back for a week, and then asked for news from them. He was supposed to have tried out for basketball, but he couldn't remember.

He looked for the message from Coach and brought it up. [Due to unsportsmanlike conduct during try-outs, I am prohibiting you from any further sports until remedied. Please rethink your actions carefully and do better before the end of the year, or this ban will carry through to University.]

"What! No, he can't do that! No. No! Argh!" He grabbed the apple and threw it across the room in rage. It hit his mother's vase and tipped it over, shattering it into a thousand pieces on the ground. "I don't even know what I did! He can't just ban me!"

He was already typing a scathing response, but an ounce of remaining common sense stopped him and he moved to the chat with his friends.

[Did not make the team.]

Charles: [Oof]

[It's so unfair, though! I don't even remember the try out.]

Cole: [Heh, probably for the best. Still soccer in the spring, though.]

[Tru that. Gtg.]

He let his phone drop from his hand and stared out the window, low clouds obscuring the view of the mountains to the north.

He glanced at the mess of pottery shards, and got up, ignoring the mess. He could deal with that later.

He changed into his running clothes and grabbed his phone from the chair, slapping it onto his wrist where it wrapped around and formed a smart watch, of sorts. That feature costed him a pretty penny. He put his earbuds in and pressed play. Run the World Mix.

Bing. The elevator doors opened, revealing the shining reception area, and the wonderful glass doors to the outside. He paused before them and selected his running path before stepping outside, goosebumps rising on his arms. 

[10KM Run, 9.99KM Remaining. Start Time: 2:30. Expected end time: 3:30]

He watched sourly as the light turned yellow, then red, then the walking symbol appeared, and he was off again. A few cars passed him by as he ran, passengers in their nice warm bubbles. Weak, he scolded himself. No thoughts, just run.

Some thoughts did interrupt him, however. It was inevitable. School. It just had a way of taking over every waking moment for him. And it wasn't even the course work, which wasn't hard, but the people. They challenged him. Like Robert, who decided one of Rex's jokes were bad, and tried get him in trouble. But it was a good joke! Everyone always laughed. Except Robert, but that kid always seemed in tears. Sometimes he wondered what was going on in his life, that he always looked like that.

Rex looked at his phone and realized he was going too fast again. He slowed a bit to his desired pace. As the next couple KM went by, the wind picked up, until he was running along the sea, wind spraying the crashing waves up into his face, stinging and cold.

In a vain effort to keep warm, he sped up a little bit, and finally he was away from the sea wall, heading back to the apartment along a different route. Red light. [3.14KM Remaining. Expected End Time: 3:18]. The light turned and walking sign lit up, and he was off again.

A loud honk came from the vehicle in front of him, and he glanced that way before looking to his left, where a vehicle was coming around the corner, right for him. He froze, like time seemed to as the scene was ingrained into his mind. 

Driver's face in shock, mouth and eyes wide open. His hair seemed like it was trying to eat his eyebrows, and the two beams of light shone on either side of him, like swords piercing the rain. The vehicle itself was a hatchback, Porsche, newer model, flat grill. That was going to send him flying. And hurt. His eyes squeezed shut centimetres from impact.

But it never came. He opened his eyes and glanced around, bewildered, before remembering what the VMS meta specialist said. A bark of laughter came from his lips, and the honking driver rolled his window down. "You good, son?"

"Never been better!" And he took off, a massive grin on his face. The wind lost it's chill, and the last few KM were a breeze. But he couldn't stop thinking about the near death accident, analyzing it from every angle. He definitely had some sort of danger sense, which was great. And, unlike when he was sleeping, his clothes actually stayed on, which was an odd quirk, but he'd take it.

[Run Complete! Average Time: 5m 38s /KM. New 10KM Pace Record!]

The glass doors swung open and he was blasted in the face by warm air. Someday he wouldn't have to worry about doors. He would be able to just phase through them. Oh, the possibilities! It was so freeing. He now totally understood why some new metas went on a rampage. The sense of newfound power was intoxicating, as if his old body was replaced with something honed to a razer edge, wanting to be used to it's full potential.

Well, okay, he still had zero control over it. It was instinctual, like breathing. But when he could control it, oh man, he was shaking just thinking about it. 

He entered his apartment and pulled off the phone, unrolling it back into it's flat form, before taking a quick shower and settling down at his desk, connect his tab to the dock, giving him a proper keyboard and screen. He needed to find a good douser to find the scope of his power.

As he was looking for one nearby, he nearly slapped his face, remembering the info packet Alexis put onto his phone. He pulled that open, and was amazed at all the information in it. There were four folders; Evaluation, Services, Your Future, Tips. He selected Evaluation, and more folders appeared, with a file sitting at the top of them, called Overview. He selected that, and a short video appeared, words scrolling across the screen. 

[For the time being, this overview will be all you need, but keep those other files. They will be helpful later down the line. But let's get into it.

Your main power is in the science category, due to how it was created. Most would typically classify it as being a phaser, but more accurately in your case, you can change your body's density, making it lighter. This classifies it as a gamma density changer, since you can't go both denser and lighter, only lighter.

The difference between this and being a phaser is that they have only an on/off switch, where yours is a sliding scale, and can control specific body parts.

Further, you have a beta Danger Sense. This brings your power rank to Delta. Versatile, great for your protection, but less powerful in attacks. It would make sense to see you as support and recon than on the front lines, but we only know a vague sense of what your powers are, and you may grow and change in the future.

Please see the other folders for numbers and advanced stats.]

He sat back in his chair. The differences between phaser and density shifter were rather minimal, something he would have to do more research on. If he remembered correctly, a shifter was typically slower to change and science based, while a phaser was often instant and based on a magic mishap. Really it was potato, potato.