"What in the world?" a denizen of New Haven asked as his eyes conveyed an immense shock at the random, swift appearance of…well me as I blinked into existence on the sidewalk.
'Really, Genesis? Just throw me in the middle of the city, huh?' I thought as I unintentionally found myself looking at the sky. 'I wonder.'
"Somebody call the Hunter Association, that has to be an irregular!" another shocked, but scared denizen exclaimed.
'Irregular? The hell is that?' I thought as I looked at the person who said it, finally snapping back to reality.
It was a middle aged woman clutching their kid behind them as if I was Jack The Ripper incarnate or something. I realized I should probably get out of the area before whoever they just called appeared, but it seems my inexperience as an alien caused me to hesitate for too long.
WHOOSH
A short gust of wind sounded behind me as I turned to see a man in a sleek black combat uniform, with the letter "C" on the left breast of his shirt. Judging by how the uniform fit snugly around him while also not limiting mobility, and the gust of wind earlier I'm guessing his power has something to do with wind or speed.
'Wow, must be my Combat Physique turning me into an intuitive fighting machine' I pondered for a split second before my attention was brought back to the new appearance.
"Halt, Irregular, under Hunter Association authority you will now be detained for unlawful use of your gift in an unawakened area. Any resistance will be met with necessary force, will you come peacefully or do you choose to fight?" the man said in a surprisingly deep voice. I said surprisingly because the man had one of the worst baby faces I'd ever seen. He looked like boss baby on a grown man's body.
From the sound of his voice and the maturity of his tone, he seemed to be late twenties, maybe early thirties. However, from looks, you'd think he was 16-18 years old.
[Notice: The presence of mana around the world has already begun to evolve humans. Those Awakened have undergone physiological changes, including but not limited to longer lifespans, altered appearances, and enhanced abilities.]
Great. So puberty's a DLC now. And apparently I'd just spawned in the middle of civilian zone zero looking like a raid boss on his day off.
My hand twitches by my side. Not to fight—just a reflex at the sudden appearance of the speedster and the notice in my head. However, the guy tensed immediately, stance shifting minutely. I could tell: he was ready. The real deal.
And me?
Still figuring out how this world worked. Still relying on instincts I'd just started to grow into.
I looked at the crowd. Fear. The slight increase in heart rates of those around me, heavier breathing. Confusion. A kid crying somewhere behind me, some scrambling to record, others trying to move on with their life and not sure what the hold up was. All waiting for an excuse to make me the bad guy. One wrong move and I'd be Public Enemy Number One.
I exhaled slowly, lowering my hands.
"Alright," I said. "No resistance."
But even as I said it, I could feel the air buzz. Like something bigger was coming.
Something worse.
He slowly analyzed me as he squinted his eyes, probably searching for any sign of guile in my tone.
After he finished his analysis he slowly relaxed as his tense muscles slouched in reaction, before he reached for his ear as he pressed on what I assumed to be his communication device back to base.
"Cheetah-Base. Target apprehended, no resistance, bringing in the package right now."