The next two weeks is a blur of Fracture after Fracture. We bounce all over the East Coast. Florida, New England, Virginia, North Carolina, and more besides. While the Potentiometers help make sure I’m getting sent to where I need to go, for every Fracture we clear in the city, four rupture somewhere out in the wild. Trying to detect Fractures from long range is an on-going effort.

  Morgan’s project to come up with at least a partially objective measurement of ranking Empowered has come to fruition, at least. She’s developed what she calls the Star System.

  It’s based on the strength of a person’s Aura, which grows stronger with the amount of Potentia a person has incorporated into themselves. Arguments of the existence of a soul aside, a person’s Aura is measurable, thanks to Morgan’s hard work.

  People are ranked from 1-5 Stars, and an individual’s power grows exponentially. At 1 Star, people are the perfect Olympic athlete. Warriors can empower their strikes with their own pools of Potentia, or temporarily enhance their durability. Sorcerers can cast simple spells or heal minor wounds. Those who’ve earn the rank of 2-Star gain limited control over their Auras. They can either pull their Auras in to hide, or use it as a weapon to intimidate.

  3-Starred gain abilities that most people would associate with superheroes. Abilities that come to define a person, like flight, super speed or incredible strength and durability. 3-Star Sorcerers can use their magic to form some basic ritual circles out of magic to assist them with casting more complex or powerful spells.

  As for what kind of abilities 4 and 5-Starred individuals have, they keep it closely under wraps. At the very least, the news channels I’ve been browsing haven’t mentioned anything about it. I’m not really surprised, honestly. Even 3-Starred are considered strategic national assets. High Starred Empowered are the new hot topic in geo-politics.

  As for the kinds of things 4 and 5-Starred individuals are capable of? Well, there’s a reason they’re considered strategic, national-level assets. They rival nuclear warheads in destructive capability if pushed and can cast magic that is capable of rearranging regional geography.

  The Admiral, an American 5-Star, blasted a huge chunk out of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The dust cloud is still blotting out the sun across half the West Coast more than a week later.

  With power like that, it’s clear how a trio of Ascended, who are even more powerful, are cutting a bloody swath across Africa. Already a couple nations have fallen before the overwhelming might of the Empire of the Sun.

  I’d love to have Morgan with us. I’m sure we’d be a lot faster at this with her help, but she’s doing very important work. The few ultra-powerful individuals we have aren’t capable of defending every city, no matter hard we try. We need to be able to send people to Fractures they can handle, or we’re all screwed.

  Everyone in the cargo hold with me looks around as we feel the Pineapple Express bank and begin to turn around. We were on course for Raleigh, as they recently had another Cat-3 Fracture form. The one local 3-Starred team is still recovering from clearing a Cat-3 in Charlotte a few days ago.

  Callisto looks at me.

  “What’s the course change about?”

  A quick splice into the aircraft’s radar system lets me catch a good view of the weather. Sunny as far as the radar systems can see, and NOAA reports good conditions all the way.

  “I’m not sure. Skies are clear.”

  Eric’s leg bounces nervously as he sits next to his sleeping brother.

  “I hope it’s nothing too bad. Raleigh needs your help, Mr. Ryans.”

  “Our help.” I correct him, though he is right. Raleigh is in need with the only regional 3-Starred team currently laid up in recovery.

  Every Empowered team of every rank across the nation is overloaded. Higher Category Fractures are becoming more common, meaning high Starred teams are forced into an unsustainable tempo. It’s leading to injuries, forcing teams that could once blitz through lower Category Fractures into recovery. There’s simply too many Fractures to handle.

  Thor looks up from his book.

  “Delays are costly, these days. Let us hope it will be short.”

  With the limited teams available, more and more focus is placed on defending densely packed cities that only become more overcrowded with each day as more people flee to them. Rural Fractures become harder to find with fewer people searching, and with fewer teams to clear them, ruptures outside of cities are increasing, both in frequency and severity.

  Thousands of people die everyday fleeing from monsters in America alone. Despite all my efforts, it’s merely slowing the tide. I won’t give up though, not even for an instant. Not now, not ever.

  McKinley quickly comes sliding down the ladder with a frown on her face.

  “We’re being diverted back to Washington. They say it’s for a Cat-3 Fracture that popped up.”

  “Why do they need me? They have plenty of 3-Starred or even 4-Starred for that. It’s the Capitol for crying out loud.”

  Her frown deepens.

  “They don’t. Need you, that is. We think this is power play by someone. I’ve heard from a friend that Sorceress le Fay has been recalled as well.”

  Callisto leans forward with a scowl.

  “Now? People are playing games now? Monsters are at the fucking gates. What the hell?!”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  McKinley grimaces.

  “Trust me, everyone here is in full agreement. Captain Rains is up top trying to pull in every favor he has to get us back on course. It’s not going well. This comes from on high.”

  Eric pipes up, anger tinging his voice.

  “There’s absolutely nothing you can do? There’s a Cat-3 right smack in the middle of Raleigh!”

  McKinley sighs.

  “We’re trying our best. There are some very important people who are pushing this.”

  We all give each other grim looks.

  And so it begins.

  The Pineapple Express touches down with a squeal, and it’s not long before all of us are disembarking at Dulles International. Normally we’d land at Joint Base Andrews, but we were redirected—again— mid flight. The case was made that JB Andrews is reserved for government officials and members of the military. I’m neither, and so we land here. That, of course, requires everyone to forget about the twenty members of the National Guard on board as well as the fact we’re flying in on Air National Guard C-5 Galaxy.

  It’s a flimsy, bullshit excuse and everyone knows it. It’s nothing more than an exercise of power simply to exercise power. Which describes this whole bullshit recall, really. The only saving grace is that Dulles is slightly less busy in the pre-dawn hours. At least there’s a Chinook waiting nearby for me. It doesn’t take long for me to be dropped off at the supposed Cat-3 Fracture, though even a cursory glance proves that claim a lie as well.

  I turn to the officer in charge of keeping an eye on it.

  “This is not a Cat-3 Fracture. At most it might be considered a powerful Cat-2.”

  While Fractures do form in general energy levels, there’s room for slight variance within each energy level. Earth has too little experience with them and magic as a whole to define the variances with any level of accuracy worth noting, at least for now.

  The Lieutenant gives a nervous glance at the crowd being held back, full of reporters and civilians with more courage than sense. He steps closer and lowers his voice.

  “Yeah, I saw the readings. Cat-2. We checked twice. But…” He looks down in resignation.

  “It was classified as a Cat-3 over my head. I was told it was because the Potentiometers are not yet proven to be reliable and the reading was close enough to the definition of a Cat-3.”

  I silently seethe. Complete and total bullshit. Morgan is nothing less than a genius when it comes to magic, and the Potentiometers have been used not just in America, but globally for weeks. They’ve been proven to be extraordinarily accurate in determining Fracture Categories.

  A ring of magic symbols suddenly appear in the air with a hum. A crackle of red lightning ripples across them, and the circle fills with strange orange fog that leaves it impossible to see through. Morgan steps through, and the circle, obviously a portal now, closes behind her with a pop.

  “Woah. You can teleport?”

  A smug smile is plastered across her face.

  “I can now. What can I say? I’m really good.”

  I laugh.

  “No doubt about that. How far can you go?”

  She shrugs.

  “As far as I want, but only places I’ve been.”

  She notices the Lieutenant standing nervously next to me and sighs.

  “Right. Where’s the ‘defective’ Potentiometer?”

  The lieutenant gives a frantic salute.

  “Uh, right this way ma’am.”

  Morgan gives me a tired look before moving off.

  “It’s good to see you, Seth. I just wish it wasn’t here, like this. Catch up later?”

  I turn to the Fracture.

  “Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

  I march off into it.

  Let’s get this over with.

  I exit the Fracture, dragging the remains of the most recent boss behind me. A metal drum-stick like leg from a Heli-Hawk, a helicopter sized hawk, screeches on the asphalt. It leaves deep gouges behind. I notice everyone wince in pain, and I haul the chunk of magical metal onto my shoulder to spare their ears.

  The Lieutenant exits from a nearby APC being used as a command vehicle and jogs over to me. I look down at him as he looks up at me with wide eyes.

  “I hope you have somewhere I can drop this. It’s a tad too large for me to store away.”

  “Yes, yes. Uh, this way.”

  By the time I’m finished disposing of the boss’s metallic corpse, Morgan steps out of the back of a shipping container carried by a huge military cargo truck.

  Her deep green overcoat flutters in the early morning breeze as she walks up to me.

  “Heya, Seth. It’s been a busy few weeks.”

  “Yeah. Should still be out there, really.”

  I gesture where the Fracture was.

  “I have no idea why I’m here, or you for that matter. There’s a Cat-3 in Raleigh I was on my way to clear. This is what I was redirected for? There’s a 3-Starred team that could have dealt with it easily, in the city right now. Hell, if they were nervous, they’ve got two 4-Starred.”

  She gives me an annoyed look.

  “Yeah, that Potentiometer is in perfect working order. I have some critical projects that are on hold for this.”

  “Can’t you portal back?”

  She shakes her head and throws up her hands.

  “I would, but I’m pretty sure they’d find some other reason to drag me back,” she says darkly.

  “…And it’s tiring.” She admits.

  “They? Who’s they?”

  She shrugs.

  “The myriad powers that be. As for which one of them? Who knows.”

  She sighs and looks up.

  “There’s always politics and power games. No matter what happens.”

  She rubs her face in exasperation.

  “Enough about that. Our lives will be full enough of it too soon. How are you holding up? I’ve heard you’ve been running up and down the Eastern Seaboard with the National Guard.”

  I shrug.

  “Doing the best I can. It’s just…”

  She nods.

  “Yeah.”

  We stand in silence for a minute, watching the hustle as the National Guard packs up, getting ready to move to the next inevitable fire. I break the silence.

  “You know, I was thinking about what you said after we first met.”

  “Hm?”

  “A name. A new name for a new form, like you said.”

  She looks at me expectedly.

  “…Machina.”

  She gives me a smile, green eyes glimmering in the early morning sun.

  “Latin for Machine. I like it.”

  She holds out a hand, and I gingerly take it between two fingers.

  “It’s good to meet you, Machina.”

  “Likewise, Morgan.”

  We stand in companionable silence as we watch the sun rise, sending streaks of burnished gold across the sky.

  Dawn of a new age.

  This one is a classic super hero story, far more into the comicbook style of things. Eschaton is only superhero-esqe, mostly about how the Empowered themselves are portrayed. If you'd like a "true" superhero fic, give this one a shot.