CHAPTER 16: CHAPTER 16: INTEGRATION

Jace finished Phase Two with far less strain than the first.

His head still throbbed slightly, but the searing, overwhelming burn was gone.

He wasn’t sure if his mind had adapted or if the second upload simply wasn’t as aggressive, but either way, it was done.

He sat upright on the couch, blinking a few times as the fog cleared from his vision.

Zin’s voice echoed softly in his head.

[Phase Two complete. You now possess intermediate knowledge in electromagnetic theory, advanced circuit integration, applied human augmentation, neural interface protocols, and biomechanical enhancement.]

Jace rubbed his temples and exhaled. "Okay. That sounds cool... but it also sounds like I’m becoming a nerd with potential war-criminal knowledge."

[Useful knowledge. You are evolving. That’s what matters.]

He stood up, walked to the small kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water. His hands still trembled slightly from the neural input.

As he drank, he stared blankly at the wall, his mind was buzzing. New ideas, equations, and concepts rolled across his thoughts without effort.

He could see how to make basic tech enhancements now. Not just theory, actual design. If he had the tools, he could build a multi-spectrum scanner. Or maybe even an artificial nervous implant.

He didn’t realize Eva had walked into the room until her voice cut in behind him.

"You look like you just overdosed on Red Bull and had a vision quest."

Jace glanced at her. Her arms were crossed, still clearly guarded, but less hostile than before. She had slept, at least.

"I just downloaded several college degrees into my head," he said dryly. "Still sore from the tuition."

Eva frowned. "You’re weird."

He smiled faintly, sipping the water. "You’re not the first to say that."

She narrowed her eyes. "So... did your little upgrade come with a way to fix what you did to me?"

Jace set the glass down. "Not yet. But I’m getting closer." He paused. "And... maybe we need to try other options. Zin has a theory, but you won’t like it."

Eva raised a brow. "Try me."

Jace hesitated. "He thinks the power transfer happened because of... intimacy."

She blinked once. Then twice. Her face twisted. "Are you saying you stole my powers with sex?"

Jace raised his hands. "Not intentionally. It’s a theory. One we don’t need to test again if you’re uncomfortable."

Eva stared at him for a moment. "We’ll... circle back to that." Then she walked past him and grabbed an apple from the counter.

Jace exhaled again, quietly. Things were progressing, slowly, weirdly, but they were moving forward.

He had more knowledge, more control. He didn’t know what came next, but at least now, he could start preparing for it.

Jace looked over at Eva as she sat up on the couch.

"Don’t you have a job?" he asked while stirring his coffee.

Eva didn’t look amused. "You think I’d leave and let you vanish?"

He exhaled. "Fair enough."

He took a sip of coffee and leaned against the counter. "Anyway, with all this knowledge upgrade I just got... I don’t even know where to start. It’s useful, sure, but I don’t have any tools. No lab, no base, nothing."

Eva sat back, watching him.

"I mean, even if you wanted to build something, you need money or the place."

Zin’s voice came into his head. [She’s right. Your body needs proper support systems. Without gear, this knowledge is mostly theory.]

Eva frowned. "You good?"

"Yeah," Jace said quickly. "Just thinking."

Then he glanced at her. "How did you make money with your powers? Assuming you did."

She blinked. "To make money?"

"Yeah. There had to be something."

Eva looked off, then shrugged. "I didn’t. I fought crime. That’s what I used my ability for."

Jace blinked. "So... nothing?"

Eva sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I didn’t do it for money. I did it because I had to. Because no one else would." Her tone dropped to something more personal near the end, but she didn’t dwell on it. "I had a side job. Courier work. Mostly daytime deliveries. I got by."

"Got by," Jace repeated. "So crime-fighting’s like... a glorified hobby?"

She rolled her eyes. "It’s more than that."

Zin’s voice chimed in.

[Jace, establishing a base of operations will require resources, funding, and discretion. I can assist with digital acquisition, identity masking, and location scanning, but tools must be purchased or salvaged.]

"Salvaged from where?" Jace asked aloud.

[I suggest junkyards, abandoned warehouses, and online resale platforms for outdated lab tech. Also... your black market has surprisingly organized forums.]

Eva raised an eyebrow. "Your AI’s suggesting you go full rogue scientist."

Jace ignored her and looked at the wall. "We need something real. A plan. I can’t just sit here learning and sleeping on the couch."

Eva tossed him a protein bar from the kitchen shelf. "Then get dressed. I know a guy."

Jace caught it. "A guy?"

"He owes me a favor. Has a place. It’s not clean, but it’s quiet. Maybe you can turn it into your little lab. But you owe me."

"Great," Jace muttered. "More debt."

She smirked faintly. "Welcome to the metahuman world, genius."

Jace glanced at Zin’s interface flashing on his phone. The countdown on his ordinary life had long ended. Now it was time to start building something new, messy, unstable, and maybe illegal, but his.

"Alright," he said, standing. "Let’s go meet your guy."

As Eva stepped into the bathroom to wash up, Jace stayed in the kitchen, his hand still wrapped around his mug.

Zin’s voice entered his head directly.

[Jace, I have a suggestion. You should consider becoming a superhero.]

Jace raised an eyebrow. "A superhero?"

He scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

He leaned back against the counter. "I mean... okay, there’s that guy, Ryan Stone. Ironfield. Dude’s a genius. Built one of the world’s biggest tech companies from scratch."

[Confirmed. Ryan Stone, alias Ironfield. Registered Class-5 metahuman. CEO of Stone Dynamics. Possesses multiple patents in energy conversion, armor design, and autonomous systems. Estimated global influence: high.]

"Okay, Zin, I wasn’t asking for a damn resume."

Jace shook his head. "What I’m saying is... with the knowledge I’ve got now, I could maybe be something like that. Not exactly Ironfield, but, Jace Morvan. Has a nice sound to it, right?"

He paused, staring into his coffee.

"...Just need a lab, some gear, and a miracle."

[You will require funding, a secure location, and reputation management. But statistically, your odds are rising.]

Jace let out a quiet breath. "Well... I guess I better not waste the brain upgrade then."

He heard the bathroom door click open behind him and turned his head. Eva stepped out, drying her hands on a towel, and raised an eyebrow.

"You talking to your phone again?"

"Something like that," Jace muttered, sipping his coffee.