Ch 2 – Miles Before We Sleep (rewrite)

"Ha-cha, baby!"

Jack was looking into the mirror and testing the limits of his shape-shifting again. As he practiced, he eventually figured out how to keep to another form. Exactly one other form, to be precise. Somehow, he managed to figure out that one, and that was it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't appear in any other shape, but what a shape it was.

Maybe it was his upbringing. Maybe it was left over from his childhood. Maybe he had some sort of deep-seated love for watching late-night television and had seen one too many commercials for exotic figurines. Maybe it was implanted into his head when he learned that his name was the same as the Anti-Christ of this world. Regardless of the reason, when he thought about becoming his ideal superhero self…

He became an angel.

As Jack turned around in the bathroom, repeatedly attempting to get a good look at his newly acquired wings, he gradually grew convinced of their stability. The transformation had been significant; his once short black hair had transformed into long, flowing blonde locks that cascaded gracefully around his face. These golden tresses served to accentuate his pale, baby-blue eyes, and his entire countenance now exuded a youthful and striking handsomeness.

His original body looked like he had lived every year of the twenty-eight he had been alive, but this new form appeared as if he were an eighteen-year-old track star, with an appearance that was both youthful and devastatingly attractive. The face seemed oddly familiar, and it took him the better part of the afternoon to finally place it, sparking a realization that left him pondering the implications.

He suspected it was because there was this one kid who used to beat the ever-living shit out of him in high school. The hair and eyes were different, but the facial structure was identical. It annoyed him to some extent, but he came to the conclusion he had some sort of hang-up about the guy. He never got any sort of justice against Brian, so maybe borrowing his face was that revenge.

After all, Jack had a rather duplicitous plan.

~Become a superhero? Screw that noise!~ He thought to himself as he checked out his abs by counting them one more time, ~I'm gonna get what's coming to me, and I got a face nobody knows about! Brian here can have all the negative social consequences while Jack will be a nobody who lives a normal life.~ He  looked into the mirror and practiced firing finger guns at himself, "Ha-cha, baby!"

He gave himself a wink, “You Sir, Are gonna get LAID!”

Jack observed his reflection in the mirror, his brow furrowing in concentration. With a scratch of his baby-smooth chin, he shifted his appearance back to his original form, complete with stubble. The transition took a few seconds, but he was gradually getting the hang of it, becoming more proficient with each attempt. Returning to his normal appearance was virtually instantaneous, but adopting his angelic form could take up to six seconds, though he could manage it in a mere two in a pinch.

Once he had fully reverted to his normal self, he let out a sigh, conveying a hint of frustration. "The only downside is that this transformation doesn't last when I'm unconscious." Jack pointed at his reflection in the mirror, adding a humorous note, "Remember, no sleepovers!" He then gestured towards the door with his thumb, chuckling, "You know, 'bang 'em, then kick 'em out!'"

Jack teleported from the bathroom to his bedside, growing increasingly accustomed to his newfound abilities. He had discovered several powers, but they were all horribly limited. Although he marveled at his newfound teleportation skill, it was confined to a relatively short distance of about ten feet. In addition to teleportation, he had also learned how to enhance his physical attributes, increasing his strength, speed, and durability. He muttered to himself as he contemplated his powers, "It's not the volts, it's the amps."

Jack quickly realized the limitations of his newfound powers. While he could enhance his physical attributes, the improvements were somewhat underwhelming. His strength might increase, but only by a modest factor, perhaps twice as strong as before. Similarly, he could enhance his speed, but it was limited to about fifty percent faster. It seemed that he could excel in a specific aspect when he focused on it, like running faster, but it didn't necessarily translate into an overall increase in his rate of movement.

Attempting to multitask with his powers proved to be a significant challenge. Trying to simultaneously run faster and move faster was exhausting, leading to him passing out after just about twelve seconds. The recovery was lengthy, lasting for an hour, and that’s how he found out he reverted to Jack when he went unconscious. Wielding these powers required careful control and management to avoid potentially dangerous consequences.

Jack was gradually unraveling the intricacies of his powers, discovering that he could armor his skin, create force fields, and even extend the protective field to cover objects or individuals. However, he noticed that each variation required progressively more concentration and energy. He realized that he possessed a distinct energy pool separate from the Monads, which essentially provided the engine, but he needed fuel for it. In essence, the Monads crafted the structure, but Jack still needed a battery. This energy reserve appeared to be relatively limited.

Nevertheless, he demonstrated the ability to swiftly transition between different frameworks of power. He could enhance his speed, then seamlessly switch to creating a force field, albeit one with limited defensive capabilities. He had tested it on a previous occasion, and it could withstand a solid blow from a baseball bat, but that was about it.

With his clothes in hand, Jack teleported back into the bathroom, pondering the possibilities and limitations of his evolving powers. He took a moment to make sure his suit and tie was looking nice. He wanted to look his best as he went to visit his therapist. He needed to look like he was with it, yet powerless. He wanted to stay under the radar if he was going to have fun. Jack needed to be a nobody, so Brian could party it up. With that thought in his head, he stepped out of his apartment and walked straight into his next-door neighbor, knocking a bag out of her hands in the process.

"Oof!" The mousy woman exclaimed, "Sorry!"

She was on the short side, with light brown hair, light green eyes, short, thin, flat chested, and sporting a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. Jack assumed she was the equivalent of a gamer geek in his old world. The whole flipped gender roles was throwing him for a loop.

"Don't worry about it." Jack smiled at her pleasantly. He’d seen her a few times already, but she always seemed to be too nervous to talk. He remembered how pathetic his life was and how often he wished some girl would just see him for what he was, not for his appearance. In a way, she was like his old self. He had a soft spot for her, "How's it going?" He paused to bend down and help pick up the items that spilled out of the bag she had been carrying.

She panicked and moved her body to block him from helping, "No! I'll get it!" She seemed embarrassed and did her best to gather it up without him seeing. Jack backed off a step, not wanting to push it, ~Porn, most likely.~ He checked out her behind while she was bent over, "Ya know... you haven't introduced yourself. This is what, the third time we've met?"

She froze for a second, finished picking up her stuff then straightened up, “Fourth, actually.” She shouldered the bag and offered her free hand, "Myrtle. Myrtle Fields." Jack took her hand and shook, "Jack Cooper." She shook his hand while commenting, "Jack. God is gracious."

Jack blinked, "Huh?"

She let go of his hand, "Your name? It means God is gracious." She then pointed at herself, "Myrtle is a type of shrub."

Jack burst out laughing for a second then covered his smile with his hand, "You don't say?"

Myrtle's self-confidence was instantly shattered by his outburst. She seemed to collapse in on herself and mumble something that Jack couldn't make out. Jack instantly came to regret his reaction. He paused to compose his thoughts then cleared his throat, "Shrub Fields, eh? I like it. Kinda cute." He rolled his hand in the air, “Sort of name you’d expect a faerie to have out of some old English play.”

Myrtle looked up at Jack with wide eyes and took his complement well. Jack tilted his head to the side and just smiled back at her.

She eventually found her voice, "Really?"

Jack nodded, "Really-Really." He stared back at her for a few seconds longer than was proper, ~You know what? I think I'm going to bang you.~ He blinked and shook his head, "I wish we could talk longer. I need to get to my appointment. Can I get a rain check?"

Myrtle nodded and exclaimed, "I Like Rain!" She backed up a step and bumped into the railing of the motel complex they were living in, "Not going out in it, but watching it." She looked around for a few moments then added, "So maybe we can meet and talk and... uh.. stuff?"

Jack paused to briefly glance up and down her body then added with just a hint of suggestion, "And… stuff." He winked, "Catch you later!" Then turned and walked away. He enhanced his vision and glanced across the courtyard to the windows on the other side. In a reflection, he could see her blatantly checking out his behind. With a smirk he made sure to give her a little extra sway in his step, ~Do they like that here?~

Taking the stairs two steps at a time, he sprinted out to the local bus stop to catch a ride to Caretaker's Plaza. Stepping onto the bus, he was greeted with standing room only. He grabbed the hang bar as the bus slowly made its way through the streets. A woman offered to give Jack her seat, but he waved it off, "I'm fine. Thanks. I want to stand. Good to stretch." He wouldn't mind sitting, but the fact was the gesture was often just an excuse to hit on him. Frankly, he had higher standards. Then again, Myrtle wasn't his type, either, but he had sympathy for her. Besides, it’ll be fun to rock her world.

That is what he was thinking when the bus pulled through an intersection and got hit midsection on the driver’s side by half a flying SUV.