"What… What the hell-" My voice seemed to ring in some sort of… emptiness.

[Please Wait For System Calibration.]

The words seemed to float in the air in front of my apparent lack of vision. They hung there for a few seconds before they slowly faded into nothingness.

"Hello?!" I called out. I don't think I was actually speaking, but the words seemed to echo nonetheless. It was… disorienting to say the least. Suddenly, a new set of words began to appear as if they were being typed, the speed increasing with each line.

Personal A.I............. [Activated.]

Power Loader.......... [Activated.]

B.E.L.T...................... [Activated.]

H.U.D....................... [Activated.]

Acceptance Matrix.... [Activated.]

"Hello new Augment!" A slightly robotic but distinctly female voice chirped in an overly cheery voice as several bursts of colors started to swirl at the edge of my vision. "Welcome to Infinite Ascension! You have been selected as a member of the Tenth Wave. Please stand by during the continued calibration. Once it is completed, we will get to the really fun stuff."

"What the hell?" I said, or thought, or whatever the hell it was that was happening. There were still words appearing across my vision, but they were moving so fast it was impossible to actually read anything other than the last word of each line: Activated. "Why can't I move my body and who the hell are you anyway?!"

"My apologies, I should have introduced myself. I am your personal Artificial Neurally Guided Interface Enhancement, but you may call me Angie or any other name you would prefer to use. Neural control will resume after final enhancement checks have completed! However, while we wait for those to finalize, let me answer some of the commonly asked questions posed by new Augments!" the voice chirped back and a new window occupied my vision. Almost in tandem, the questions began to be listed out.

"What the hell is this!? This, Augment, is your neural interface that will allow you to participate in the most exciting game on Earth, Infinite Ascension! You are one of the lucky few members of the planet that have been selected to participate, and we can't wait to see what you can do!"

"Who the hell are you!? I just told you that Augment! I'm Angie! After character creation, you can personalize my name if you happen to have had a bad experience with an Angie and don't want to be reminded of her every two seconds. If you are looking for a more specific answer, well that's still pretty simple! I am your Personal Artificial Intelligence assistant, giving you advice and guidance as you tackle the daunting task of entering the world of Infinite Ascension. I'll be able to give you a more complete picture of just what I can do for you later.

"But I don't want to play some random game, can I opt out?! Nope! Sorry Augment but this game is not optional, the moment you were selected is the moment you were obligated to participate. But seriously, you've got nothing to complain about, this is one game you're going to want to play."

"When are these drugs going to wear off? If you're asking about the drugs used to install the special enhancements that have turned you into an Augment, you should be awake within ten minutes and the effects of the drugs will no longer be present at that point. If you're asking about the drugs as if they are a hallucinogen making you imagine all of this, well I've got some bad news for you… those aren't going to affect you anymore! Not without a metric ton of them at least, sorry about that!"

I should have probably been panicking. Logically I KNEW that I should have been freaking the absolute fuck out. But for some reason, my brain just accepted all of this to be true. I was in a game now. Sure, I was still in reality too, but somehow I was now included in… whatever all of this was. Maybe that was a part of whatever the enhancement drug was? Creating a sense of peace and acceptance for it all? I'd have to hope I could just have a full blown panic attack about this once it all wore off.

"Hey now! Don't be so glum bud! There's no need for a panic attack, I promise. After all, you're one of the super lucky few who gets to have actual, real life Super Powers!" Angie said and another burst colorful lights scattered around my vision.

"Wait… Super Powers?" I asked. Things seemed to just start to click into place as I finally realized just what Angie had been calling me since she started talking. "Are you trying to tell me that every one of the Augments in the world right now are…"

"Just playing Infinite Ascension? Yup! All of those players the common public call Super Villains too! Isn't that just super duper exciting?!"

"That's…. That's insane… you're… you guys are letting people just run amok for a game? How… how do we not know it's a game?"

"We'll have time for more questions after stat generation is complete, but good, your blood pressure is noticeably lower, the Matrix is functional and keeping that pesky panic attack from coming on. Now, before we move on, do you acknowledge that what you are currently experiencing is reality, even if you are currently in an artificial coma?" Angie asked, a window popping up with a Y/N floating. "It will get easier with practice, but please use your mental cursor to select your understanding."

I concentrated and could briefly see the shadow of a cursor move toward the center of my vision. Even though I didn't want to believe this was real, if it was it didn't seem like I really had a choice. I briefly wondered what would happen if I selected "No" and I felt my gut twist almost in agony at the idea. Luckily, the feeling immediately subsided as I mentally shoved the cursor over the Y and clicked on it.

"Excellent! Now, let's get to the fun part and see just what we've got to work with with that scrawny body of yours!" Angie continued and a new window filled my screen.

This one almost reminded me of a Dungeons and Dragons' style stat sheet, except instead of the standard six stat spread of that game, this one had eight. Strength, Toughness, Dexterity, Luck, Style, Intelligence, Charisma, and Ingenuity.

One by one, a number began to flicker into a box that had so far been empty next to each of the traits, spinning up to a rapid speed as a weirdly echoey clicking sound started, apparently trying to emulate an old-school lottery or bingo roller.

"Stat selection for Augment #1001 of the Tenth Wave is now complete! What do you think, Augment, do ya want to hear the best or the worst first? Please note, all base scores are between one and ten, but scores have no actual cap through leveling or gear acquisition!"

"Um… The-"

"Too late! Better to see what you suck at first, it lets us build a better powerset if we know what not to try to focus on!" Angie chirped.

With every passing moment more and more questions flooded my mind but it was becoming more and more obvious that I wouldn't get a chance to answer them just yet. Knowing the futility, I found my attention glued to the roulette wheels as both Toughness and Strength seemed to be starting to slow.

"TOUGHNESS: 2! Well we did know you were scrawny already, so it doesn't look like you're gonna be all that tanky. That's okay, those Augments that start off with high points in this stat are quite literally the most boring lugheads imaginable. That said, I'd probably start raising this one pretty fast if I were you, you're really gonna need it."

That made me nervous, but I didn't really have time to think about it because only a few moments later, the next wheel stopped. It wasn't much of a surprise though, as the stat had been slowing at nearly the same pace as Toughness.

"STRENGTH: 3! Look, we're not saying you can't open up a jar of pickles, cause you toooootally can, but what we are saying is you're not going to be lifting a car anytime soon, not without a LOT of help at least."

The next few stats all happened in rapid succession.

"STYLE: 4! We all know you've been wearing that same pair of cargo shorts for the last four years, Augment, but that's not what we're talking about when we talk Style in this context. It's how you approach life. It's sliding down the rail at the subway instead of walking down like a suit. Sure they both accomplish the same thing, one just does it with a bit more… style. And seriously, what kind of super hero DOESN'T have style!?"

"INTELLIGENCE: 5! Hey look at you, Augment, you're of perfectly average intelligence, that's something the majority of the human race can't actually say! Wait… I'm pretty sure that's not how averages work… oh well, we're only talking about average when it comes to all of the people in the game. So your dumb Uncle Rick doesn't count when we are rating all of you Augments out at a base level."

"CHARISMA: 5! Honestly, I'm a little surprised by this one. Given your track record, I would've guessed a 2 or 3. But hey, good for you, you've got some charm. It's definitely more than a few of the awkward loners who stumble into the waves. Unfortunately for them, social skills aren't the only thing they lack, and most don't make it past the first few culling events. Do better than that, Augment. I believe in you. Sort of."

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"DEXTERITY: 6! You're certainly no athlete, but hey, at least you don't get winded when you get up from the couch to walk over to the fridge. Here's the thing Augment, in this game you don't necessarily have to be strong, but being agile is a necessity. You're gonna want to find a way to stop being so average at this one ASAP."

With six of the stats out of the way, only two of the roulette wheels were still spinning. Both Ingenuity and Luck were finally starting to slow, one barely stopping before the other.

"INGENUITY: 8! Wait, this isn't your highest stat? You know that phrase "work smarter, not harder?" Yeah, we see you. Those perfectly planned cleaning routes that let you hit every spot in record time? The way you rig every supply closet so everything you need is always within reach? Even in a job as simple as cleaning office buildings, you've turned efficiency into an art form. Finding shortcuts, optimizing routines, and making the most out of the least effort. That's why this stat is so high. Still… that's nothing compared to…"

"LUCK: 10!! Am I reading that right?! A ten?! Nobody gets a ten on a base stat… Look Augment, I don't know what situation you got saved from by being selected to participate in this game, but let's just say this kind of thing is unheard of. In fact I'm pretty sure-"

Angie was cut off as a weird trumpet-like chime sounded and a different window overlapped my stat window.

"NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Deus Ex Machina! Well, well, well. Talk about the kind of start others could only dream of. You rolled a perfect 10 in Luck! What kind of cosmic favor did you cash in for that? Or maybe the real question is what disaster did we just save you from? This is a Mythic Level Achievement. Reward: You have received an A:Tier Loot Box! We could give you something even better, but let's be real—stacking even more luck on top of that would just be just a bit too unfair to the rest of the Augments in your wave."

"What the- What the hell was that?" I asked, watching as a box icon lit up with the number 1 next to it.

"You must be really bad at listening, Augment, that was an Achievement, and there are many of them to acquire all with their own great prizes! You won't be able to open any acquired Loot Boxes until the completion of your tutorial mission. Honestly, most people don't even see their first achievement until they are in the midst of their first bit of combat! In fact-"

"NEW ACHIEVEMENT! Quick Shot! Well, would you look at that. You managed to snag an achievement before the game even started. That puts you in the top 0.001% of all players. Not bad, not bad at all. Guess you really are a lucky one. This is a Mythic Level achievement. Reward: Oh, you want a prize for this too? With a Luck stat of 10, you'll be swimming in rewards soon enough. Don't get greedy, you little menace."

"Are all of these Achievements so... excessive?"

"Hey, I'm allowed to put my own spin on them when you acquire these things. Don't go and ruin my fun, Augment," Angie shot back with a giggle.

"Right…"

"Moving on! Stats are important, but what's the point of having stats if you don't have something to be applying them to!? It's time for the most important decision of your life, Augment. Powerset selection," Angie said, her giddy excitement returning and clearly beginning to pique even higher than it already had been.

I felt my own intrigue start to rise as well though. I mean hell, if all of this was just a precursor to getting actual super powers, how could I not be somewhat excited by it.

"How does it work? Do I just get to pick my favorite?"

"There's a lot of work that goes on in the algorithm, but how you select is actually rather simple!" Angie began to explain and my vision was replaced with a new window separated into three boxes. Each one briefly highlighted a word before beginning to roulette just as the stat points had. "The short version of it is that each base power has a set stat requirement, so some options will be automatically precluded from you. Additionally, no two players can have the same active powerset, so if you see it listed as an option during Power Selection, you can be sure that no one else has that specific combination of powers. That's not to say you won't see two people with things like Ice Powers, Mechanical Genius, or even Laser Eyes, you just won't see two people with the exact same combo. While you can technically choose any class you'd like out of the 47,276 currently available powersets, the system has selected three classes that will best fit your stat results. However, while these three classes may technically be the best fit for you, you can actually choose any class you like from the list. Or if you're feeling particularly lucky, you could just say "Surprise Me Angie!" and I'll randomly select one for you. You have five minutes to decide starting from the moment the system selected options are displayed on your screen."

"Five minutes? 47 THOUSAND OPTIONS!? HOW IS THAT SIMPLE!?!"

"47,276 to be precise. Please don't dawdle, your initial options will now be shown to you."

The wheels started to slow as Angie's explanation wrapped up. I had probably a half dozen questions at least that I wanted to ask before they stopped but it was more than obvious that there was no pause button on this process.

"The Trickshot Virtuoso! Base Power: Phantom Trajectory, Secondary Power: Rapid Reload, Hidden Power: ????. This is a Precision-Based, Offensive Class with minor Defensive Capabilities! You're the ultimate long-range fighter, whether using guns, throwing weapons, or even unconventional projectiles. With enough skill, the battlefield becomes a playground where every shot finds its way home—one way or another."

"The Master Detective! Base Power: Eidetic Combat Instinct, Secondary Power: Stony Grasp, Hidden Power: ????. This is a Defensive, Support-Based Class with minor Offensive Capabilities. Were you one of those kids that were obsessed with Batman back before the real superheroes appeared? Well now you can be this world's Batman! Well no… actually you can't because of licensing, not to mention I've seen where you live, you're far from a billionaire. Eh, maybe not the most interesting class for you actually."

"The Hidden Booster! Base Power: Aura Buffing Enhancer, Secondary Power: Illusionist, Hidden Power: ????. This is a Defensive and Support Class with no Offensive Capabilities! Look, if you want to be the kind of Augment that hides behind illusions and makes other people do all the work for you, this powerset is going to be the one for you. I don't know, something tells me that this one isn't going to be your thing. Your time for selection begins now."

"What… What does any of this mean? What's Eidetic Combat Instinct? Is that even a super power?" I asked and Angie practically clucked in reply.

"I'm sorry Augment, we are unable to give descriptors of any powers as it would create an unfair advantage for you to have advanced knowledge of any power that is not your own, I am also not allowed to offer a personal opinion on your character creation as the choice has to be entirely your own unless you choose to randomize your powerset. Do you understand?"

Once again a small window with Y/N appeared on my screen and once again I mentally clicked the Y option. I wanted to argue with her, but I actually couldn't find a flaw in the logic either.

"If you can't actually help me with this then what the hell is the point of you even being here? Couldn't this just be something I could read and not have to deal with the craziness?"

"I'm hurt Augment!" Angie replied, a thick layer of mock sadness in her voice, "Are you trying to tell me you're not enjoying my company?"

"I mean, I'm not really enjoying most of this right now."

"Well too bad," her voice immediately swapped back to chipper. "While I can offer some suggestions, I'm only not allowed to help you with your character creation or provide a direct opinion about anything to do with personal choice. This was decided early on in Infinite Ascension history as to prevent players from complaining about being misguided by the A.I., something none of the administrators enjoy having to listen to. You will be able to install Upgrades as time goes on that will provide me additional capabilities and instructional proficiencies. Now, you only have two minutes and fifteen seconds left, please make your power selection."

"Stop distracting me then!"

I quickly looked back over the powers I had been given the choice between. Though I really didn't know what any of them meant, the powers did feel somewhat self explanatory too, though that did little to explain why all of the "Hidden Powers" were… well hidden. Knowing how Angie had already replied though, I was more than confident that I could predict what she'd have to say if I tried to probe for information on that right now.

Assuming this was something I couldn't change, it seemed like a bad design to give us such a short amount of time to pick. But that too was probably something they had determined early on. Maybe giving people too long made people get stuck being indecisive.

"That first one seems to be tied to guns and other weapons... that doesn't exactly feel super heroic. And those others... hmm, I'd rather not be stuck as a support if I could actually protect more people."

I had never been the type to think about what kind of powers I would have if I could have chosen to be Augmented, but I found myself almost naturally wanting to lean toward something with the power to protect people. I wasn't exactly sure where that feeling was coming from, but it wasn't something I necessarily felt like shying away from either. While I probably could have made the Hidden Enhancer work, or possibly even the Master Detective, neither of them felt quite right, and the Trickshot Virtuoso definitely didn't feel like me. I briefly looked over at the still ticking clock and had to accept that, like with most video games, figuring out the intricacies just wasn't my thing. I almost wished I could have had Jon looking over my shoulder as I came to a simple realization.

"There's no way I can make a good decision in this amount of time… Ah screw it, let's see what this luck stat can do for me. Angie, surprise me."

"Ooooo yay!" She chirped up and all three options vanished, getting replaced by a single large window that rapidly spun through the selections again. It didn't go on nearly as long this time and the mock clicking slowed to a stop. "Round and round it goes! Where it stops, oh boy, I can't wait to know!"

"The Perfect Planner! Base Power: Local Area Manipulation, Secondary Power: Super Luck, Hidden Power: ????. This is an Offensive, Close Combat Class with minor Support Capabilities! Right now, you're flying by the seat of your pants, but with time, instinct, and maybe just a little bit of luck, you'll turn chaos into control. You definitely aren't starting as a mastermind, but every fight is a lesson, and every mistake is a stepping stone to something greater. One day, you'll be the one pulling the strings, setting the traps, and predicting the enemy's every move. Until then? Well, let's hope that luck of yours holds out."

"Congratulations Augment! You have selected your powerset. The tutorial is now beginning," Angie said, and then I opened my eyes.

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