Book 2 Introduction: The Story So Far... (1/2)
Dan Newman, a mild-mannered office drone, is accidentally launched into adventure after mistaking an interdimensional alien spacecraft for a bathroom. He is dropped off at a space station on the outer edges of Neptune in an entirely foreign dimension, where he meets Doctor Marcus Mercury, the sole resident, who is definitely not a mad scientist nor a super villain. Mercury informs Dan that his trip between dimensions has given him fantastic new powers, and also possibly super cancer.
After a thorough medical exam, Dan discovers that his power is something similar to teleportation. He learns the history of this new dimension, in which a nuclear test gone wrong tore a hole in the sky over White Sands, New Mexico. The world was saturated with cosmic radiation, exposure to which seemed to grant people superpowers.
Society basically imploded over the next couple of years, as anarchy took over, and cosmic radiation spread outward from its point of origin. Eventually, a method was discovered to artificially direct the process, ensuring that the granted power was neither dangerous, nor disruptive to society. These 'upgrades' were promptly marketed, and became widespread. A small percentage of these upgrades go slightly wrong, mutating in a way that often drastically increases their effectiveness, but are otherwise stable.
Dan is a 'natural' who gained his power through direct exposure to cosmic radiation. His kind are monitored by the government and are made to register the details of their abilities. Society generally views naturals as dangerous and unstable, though the prejudice is not overt. Dan chooses to hide the details of his power, worried about what might happen to him if his identity as an interdimensional refugee is discovered. Doctor Mercury helps to create an identity for him, and hide the truth of his power, though he doubts it would stand significant scrutiny. He warns Dan not to get into too much trouble.
While experimenting with the limits of his teleportation, Dan teleports from Neptune's orbit, all the way to Earth. There, Dan meets Margaret, a middle aged widow, and receptionist for the Pearson hotel, the dimensional counterpart of Dan's apartment. The two become friends, with Dan spending his free time visiting her. He also rescues a lab mouse from Marcus' experiments, naming her Merrill.
Marcus offers to pay Dan to act as a deliveryman, and to record him coming and going. He explains the Gap Between Worlds, the unexplored, chaotic space that Dan passed through while traveling from one dimension to the next. Marcus theorizes that the Gap has no set shape, and is the origin of conscious thought. Few people have been able to study it, as it's incredibly difficult to even access. He believes that Dan's power is connected to it.
Dan discovers this is entirely true, as he accidentally falls into the Gap during a robbery at the Pearson. The experience is so disorienting that he falls unconscious, and has to be rescued by Margaret. In the aftermath, he meets Gregoir Pierre-Louis, a gregarious and permanently optimistic police officer who mistakes Dan's bumbling actions for heroism. He invites Dan to visit the precinct, and explore the legal outlets for his heroic spirit.
Dan decides that he is unsatisfied with nearly every aspect of himself, and resolves to fix things. He contacts a physical trainer in Georgia, who was recommended to him by Margaret. The woman, Abigail Summers, turns out to be Margaret's niece, and the wealthy heiress to a major tech company. They get along well, and she sets about whipping him into shape.
They get to know each other and Dan not-so-subtly learns about the world around him. He learns about the Genius upgrade, which did exactly what it says on the tin. Thousands of people purchased the upgrade, but it was eventually discovered that the inspiration and focus it granted came at enormous cost. The user could no longer focus on anything but a single, all-encompassing passion, which eventually burnt them out like a match. Abby informs Dan that her grandfather had a genius upgrade, and that their company's success was due to him.
They also speak about the damage that the upgrade caused, when single-minded, hyper-intelligent, perfectly-focused individuals pursued their passions to the exclusion of all else. The upgrade was banned, and purged from society. The technological breakthroughs remained, but were quickly patented and monopolized. As a result, the technological progress of certain sectors are dramatically increased from what Dan is used to seeing.
He also discovers this dimension's obsession with following elaborate themes for their stores and restaurants, and their tendency to favor stories with trained law enforcement as heroes, rather than plucky every-mans. The individualism that defined the America he knew is somewhat usurped by a cultural reverence of authority, and a strict focus on the righteousness of the law.
There is a major villain attack on Atlanta, with a massive fireball engulfing several city blocks. Abby and Dan watch it happen on television, though the footage cuts out soon after. Abby explains that these kinds of attacks are not uncommon. He also learns about SPEAR Teams, Special Assault and Response, this dimension's version of SWAT. They are unleashed to handle high level threats that patrol officers are not equipped for. All officers are given access to restricted upgrades, which are generally more powerful or specialized than those available to the public, and SPEAR Teams carry even stronger ones. Lethal force is their first and last resort.
(Unknown to Dan, a SPEAR Team was indeed dispatched to deal with the villain attack. It is discovered that the source of the enormous blast was an emaciated teenager, wearing what appears to be some kind of shock collar. He is surrounded by terrorists, whose words imply they are going to unleash another blast. The boy is killed in the ensuing gunfight.)
Dan is horrified by pretty much all of this. He wishes to help the city recover, and is informed that untrained volunteers are turned away. As part of his self-improvement plan, he resolves to acquire a disaster relief license. He feels that this is a good way to make a positive impact in the world.
Marcus is not as keen on the idea. He explains that crisis volunteers are almost always traumatized by what they see, and that it usually breaks them. Dan insists, and the doctor agrees to help train him. Marcus utilizes a VR device to drop Dan into a simulated Atlanta. There, he shows him the aftermath of villain attacks, as well as the dangers. Dan survives the test, and remains firm in his resolve.
Marcus begins to teach Dan how to fight. He discovers that the scientist, who is nearing a full century of life, can throw him around like a ragdoll. He learns various subjects, and is slowly caught up on the differences between his society and this new one. Eventually, Marcus orders him to leave the station for a time, as he has an experiment to conduct.
He is invited to Abby's family reunion, where he meets Anastasia Summers, Abby's grandmother. The matriarch is an unquestionably powerful and oppressive individual, but seems to at least tolerate Dan's existence. Dan also learns that her husband, Stanley Summers, was a close friend of Marcus Mercury.
(Unknown to Dan, Stanley Summers had recruited his former teacher, Marcus Mercury, as part of a government funded program to study cosmic radiation. This program directly lead to the invention of upgrades, and later, the genius upgrade.)
(In the present, after sending Dan away, Marcus begins to use his own natural power. He can manipulate his own biology, and utilizes memorized brain scans of Stanley Summers at the height of his genius and insanity, to mimic the upgrade for brief periods of time. The process is incredibly dangerous, and requires him to meditate on old memories to set himself the appropriate goals.)
Dan returns to the station, to find Marcus unconscious, and a stable window into the gap floating in the middle of his lab. The old man wakes up and explains that this was exactly what he was attempting to accomplish. Dan expresses his concern and discomfort. He believes the Gap is leaking, as he recognizes several auditory and visual cues from his time there. Marcus admits it might be possible, but is unwilling to turn back
He explains to Dan that he believes the Gap to be the source of powers. He thinks every person is tied to it, and that cosmic radiation opens that link. He believes by studying the Gap, he can fix his old mistakes, though what those are go unmentioned.
Dan is not comfortable with the risks that Marcus is taking, and the two agree to part ways. Dan moves into the Pearson, taking Merrill the mouse with him. He decides that the secret of his arrival is too much to deal with alone and, after realizing that she is his best friend in this dimension, he decides to tell Abby.
She takes the news well, and presses Dan to improve on his power training. He begins to visualize his power as a veil of liquid covering his body that he is able to freely manipulate. He slowly accepts that it is a part of him, and ventures into the Gap of his own accord. He finally experiences the empty space as something other than horrifying, trusting in his power to keep him safe. He also confirms that time in the Gap does not flow at the same rate as in reality. He can stay in there for hours, without a moment passing. Abby dubs it t-space (teleportation space), given that the Gap Between Worlds is a mouthful.
Dan teleports himself to the Pearson as part of power testing, and runs into Gregoir Pierre-Louise. The cops sheer force of personality manages to rope Dan into a visit to the local police precinct, where he encounters a group of hopeful cadets, being led on a tour. He joins in, and is immediately lambasted by one of them, Connor Graham, for his general lack of respect and decorum. Gregoir immediately partners the two of them together with him for a ride-along as a method to resolve their differences.
The trio respond to a standard call which immediately goes wrong. The three encounter an unknown man and are exposed to a banned upgrade that roughly mimics the effect of rohypnol, making them all more suggestable. Dan follows an order to 'leave' literally, dropping into t-space. The jump between dimensions appears to break the upgrade's effect, and Dan immediately attempts to call for help from the police cruiser. Before he can do so, he encounters another man in the middle of strapping something to the bottom of the car. The two fight, with Dan winning, but in the aftermath Connor and Gregoir are nowhere to be found.
Dan is brought back to the police station, where it is revealed to him that the assailants planned to abduct an officer in order to try and replicate their restricted upgrades. Encountering Gregoir, who was the only natural officer in the city, was entirely accidental. They had intended for Dan and his companions to forget the meeting entirely, and go about their day. The men had strapped a bomb and tracker to the police car, and planned to detonate it as a distraction, once it had reentered the precinct.
He is thanked by Kaneda Ito, Gregoir's mentor and superior officer. Ito also suggests that Dan join an extracurricular class at the police academy, as they offer classes on crisis response. He eventually agrees, and signs up for a class.
(Elsewhere, Gregoir wakes up restrained by a mad scientist who explains that his kidnapping was a happy accident. He is told that Connor will be ransomed, and Gregoir himself experimented on. Gregoir immediately breaks out of his restraints and rescues Connor, though the villain's fate is unknown.)
Dan attends his first class, and meets his fellow students. Fred Sawyer, an aspiring officer, and Freya Valentine, Connor's girlfriend/fiancée, and Gregoir himself. Gregoir has been ordered to attend remedial classes at the Academy as punishment for giving a bombastic and unauthorized interview about his time in captivity. Their teacher is Michael Tawny, a former private investigator, turned cop.
Eventually, the class is taken on a field trip outside the city. There, they engage in a mock search and rescue, while being monitored by Matilda, an upgrade analyst. Dan worries that she will see through the lie that is his power, and for good reason. The experienced woman almost immediately picks up that Dan does not have the upgrade he claims to have.
While in the forest, Dan comes across a strange collar, embedded in a tree. The forest had once been a thriving tourist spot, but an unnatural fire had burnt most of it to the ground years ago. The collar that Dan found radiated heat, and looked like it had been burnt to a crisp.
After the exercise is over, Dan is confronted by Matilda, but he manages to buy himself some time. He also speaks to Freya, telling her to pass his condolences to Connor.
Connor, insulted by Dan's kind words, tracks him down the next day. The two banter with each other, and spar. Dan discovers that six months of training does not beat two decades of it, unless his power comes into play. Connor thrashes him, with much smugness.
The two slowly bond between beating each other senseless. Connor recounts his kidnapping, and rescue by Gregoir. He recounts that Gregoir had been collared, and that it was supposed to cause unimaginable pain. His description reminds Dan of the collar he found in the forest. The two part ways amicably, and decide to make sparring a regular thing.
Dan consults Abby about the collar he found. She mentions that the idea seemed similar to something that was employed in the military, though that was much less brutal. Naturals with highly destructive powers were given tiny implants that shocked them when their power exceeded certain safety thresholds.