Stealing My Way To Power

Cole stared ahead with an empty look on his face. The surrounding world felt dull and unreal for a brief moment. The fake smile on Tammi's face was the last thing he remembered and then he was back to this empty room filled with nothing but regret.

"Are you alright?" Tammi asked with concern as she looked over at Cole. Her voice knocked him out of the daze he was experiencing but everything still felt a little off. He looked back at her blankly for a moment before he was able to gather himself again.

"Yeah, this situation is just getting to me." He spoke out softly while looking away from her. He was not really sure what was wrong with him but he did not have time to figure that out. He only had a limited amount of time to talk to her after all.

Hearing his words tears started to build in Tammi's eyes but she looked away from Cole so he would not see. The sight knocked the last vestige of confusion from him as he gritted his teeth and cursed himself out.

Great, he was causing her even more pain because he could not manage to hold his tongue. He did not want that, fuck he did not want any of this but he did not really have a choice in this anymore.

Tammi looked back at Cole with wet eyes but they no longer looked like they were going to fall apart she was able to collect herself slightly.

"Don't worry Cole like I said I'll be out of here in no time." She spoke out with another fake smile on her face. He felt guilty seeing her like this but it was just another failure to add to his long list.

"That's good…do you want me to do anything for you?" Cole questioned while clenching his other fist. There was not really a lot he could do for her out here but he wanted to at least try. Even if it meant he had to drag himself to go talk to that racist piece of shit again.

The Herren Clan really could get Tammi out of here if they really wanted to but it was just not worth it. His mind spun as he tried to figure out a way to convince them that it was in fact worth the effort. He was coming up with a blank as he did not really have anything he could offer that would get the Clan's interest.

Fucking negotiating with Nazi's what has his life come to?

"You don't have to do anything Cole, just having you here is enough," Tammi spoke out hastily while whispering that last part. Those words gave him some relief but it was overshadowed by guilt and hate for himself.

Cole was offering Tammi some sort of solace with his presence and if this was a regular case he would be elated with that information. Sadly this was not a regular situation he would have been happier if she was close to the edge. Close enough that he did not have to push her off that cliff himself. Fucking trigger events why did that fucking Space Whale have to set the trigger to Superpowers as immense trauma and distress.

"Well, how about I tell you the tale of the master thief Lupin the Third," Cole spoke out seriously with a soft smile on his face. Tammi rolled her eyes at him but she gave him an indulgent smile as she geared up to listen to him rant about a story that caught his eye.

Cole had an entire life to pull stories out of his ass. The various media that he had consumed in his haze were enough to have a parallel world rioting. Sure, he did not get all the detail right most of the time but his familiarity with countless stories let him piece together something entertaining to listen to. This world did not have a lot of the same media so he often spent hours telling Tammi the various stories that interested him.

It was a familiar scene to the two of them and he figured that it would lift some of that weight off of her mind. She did not have a lot of entertaining things to distract her in this place after all.

If he could not gather the courage to hurt her the least he could do is take her mind from the world around her. The minutes passed by with him describing most of the things he could recall from Lupin while trying to keep it brief. He did not want to leave her an incomplete story.

"So there Lupin stood with a trophy he gained from winning the race, without a moment's delay he threw the trophy back at those who gave it to him as if it was going to explode. He then hijacked the race car to escape once more." Cole spoke faster and faster as he was getting to the end of this particular story. 

Tammi was looking at Cole with that same soft look but she actually looked invested in Cole's story. Her eyes glinted in a way that he was familiar with but before he could finish the story properly a loud buzz rang out. The words he was spewing dying in his throat once again as he had to face the reality of the situation again.

Tammi was still trapped back there and it was time for them to separate again. Tammi looked over at Cole conflicted about going back but she knew it was not possible to stay in this room any longer.

"It was nice seeing you, Cole." Tammi let out hesitantly as she looked over at her only remaining friend. She looked like she was trying to etch the image of Cole inside of her head. Like she was not sure if she would have the chance to look at him again.

Cole had so many things he wanted to tell her. So many things that would comfort the girl in front of him. So many things that would distract his only friend. But all of those things felt useless to him because they would not allow her any real change. She would still be trapped behind these god forsaken doors. 

"I'll see you tomorrow." He decided to use the only words he knew to be true. It did not matter what he eventually would decide on, he would be here tomorrow like he was here yesterday or the day before that or the day before that. As long as she was here he would find himself drawn back to this empty heart wrenching room.

Tammi looked over at Cole like she had something she wanted to say as well but she looked away from him and put her phone down. She gave him a shaky smile as the guard behind her coughed loudly to get her to hurry along. She turned around and threw the guard another glare but seeing their disinterest she stood up and walked away while looking at Cole as long as she could.

The door closed and the empty room around him felt even colder. Cole felt all those emotions swirling in his gut again so he needed a moment to collect himself before he could leave again. It was not like the guards cared how long he stayed on this side of the glass. They were more interested in keeping the inmates behind that glass.

As the minutes passed by Cole eventually recovered even if his mood was really low by this point. He started to shuffle his way out of the prison with so many things on his mind. The guard on this side of the glass startled him as he spoke.

"Look kid, you look pretty honest so you should know better than to cling on to a girl like that." The Guard's ruff voice rumbled out as he offered his unsolicited advice. Cole looked over blankly at the guard that was holding him back.

Cole looked away from the guard without even bothering to respond. Cole knew he was being stupid but there was no need for others to butt into his business. 

Cole had been trying to change Tammi for what felt like ages, having people judge her and warn him was a pretty regular occurrence.

They were right in a way but he was not willing to leave her side not anymore. She was a dumb girl that was pulled into a dark path but she was also a girl that had grown on him. Someone who dragged him out of his own little world. He could not bring himself to leave her whether that was for his own best or for her own best. He was too selfish for that to be an option.

As he started to walk home the previous weird state he was in came back to his mind. The stress and guilt were eating him alive and when the pressure felt like it was going to tear a hole in him everything changed. The world felt sluggish and his mind hazy. That daze faded but there was a moment where he felt like the world around him cut out for a second.

He would have put it off as stress but there was something about that moment that was really bugging him. Like there was something at the tip of his tongue or a memory that was on the verge of being brought up again. There was something there but for the life of him he could not figure out what it was.

[The Host Triggered.]

A screed showed up in front of him and he tripped on the sidewalk as the sudden screen showed up in front of him. He fell face first and he used his arms to hastily stop his fall. He was able to save his face from hitting the pavement but his palms ended up being scraped from the sudden greeting of the ground.

The pain from his palms bleeding or even the pain from hitting the street was completely ignored as he looked over at the screen in front of him with a stunned look of confusion.

A thousand thoughts ran through his head in an instant each one more outlandish than the last but nothing really fitting with the situation happening to him. If Cole really did trigger then he should have had a power that he instrictly knew how to control as he was a natural trigger. Yet, he did not feel any different from when he woke up earlier. In fact he was probably in a worse state with his emotions running high and an injury from falling on the ground.

So triggering did not really make sense even if the circumstance he was in certainly fit that mold. This may not have been the very worst day of his life but he could not deny that it rivaled that day all those years ago.

So he might be under some sort of Master effect but that seemed equally outlandish. Who would bother fucking around with a teenager that was visiting their only friend in prison? Not to mention the various Capes in Brockton Bay could not do something like this.

 Well, Uber and Leet might be able to do this as Leet could do fucking anything at least once but this did not fit their MO. He was not a random hooker on the street that they wanted to beat nearly half to death.

Not that those fuck wits really had an outline they followed but this did not borrow from any source of fiction he was familiar with. It would also be a waste to use Leet's limited arsenal to fuck around with one person. They were attention whores and screwing over just one person would not work for the duo.

There was something that fit this screen in his mind. The countless Isekai stories and light novels rang similar to what he was experiencing right now but he dismissed that thought instinctively.

 He was no longer that delusional child, a golden finger was not going to suddenly pop up in front of him. That was a stupid idea and he did not deserve something like that happening to him.

[The Host is right, this screen is not a result of any power from any Shard. This screen is from the Theft System.]

The thoughts running through Cole's head ground to a halt at those words. He could only stare blankly at the screen in front of him as he processed everything. Cole gritted his teeth and clenched his bloody fists. No, this was not happening.

Not now, this made no sense. Something like this did not happen in a world like this. He was not a hero, he was not even a good person. He could not even save one girl why would he be rewarded with something like this?

As he gripped his fists the scrapped palm dripped more blood out of his clenched hands but he ignored it. Why would something like this happen now? Why could it not have happened all those years ago when he needed it? When he still had a Mother….

[The System had to remain in dormancy as it used all of its available energy to give the Host the Perk Blank. When the Host Triggered the System was able to gather enough energy to reawaken.]

Another long moment passed by as he took in those words. The boiling rage in his stomach felt like overwhelming him. Who asked you to give him that Perk? 

The day he spent being clutched onto desperately flashed through his mind. The scent of ash and the sound of gunfire rang through his thoughts. The hate, guilt, disgust, fear, and anxiety hit him all over again and it was this thing's fault.

If he had this System all those years ago then he could have done something. He would not have been that small child sinking into the abyss. He could have fought against the tide instead of being consumed by it. He could have saved his Mother. Instead, he was given a Perk that he never asked for. A Perk that he would have gladly sacrificed if it meant saving her.

[The System deemed the Blank Perk necessary as the Host would have died within moments of arriving in this world 

without it.]

Cole stared at those words with angry bitter thoughts running through his mind. For a moment he thought that it would have been worth it if it meant saving his Mother but he knew that was a stupid thought. 

If he arrived in this world without the Perk he would die which meant saving his Mother would have been off the table. A dark thought told him that his death might have flapped its butterfly wings and saved his Mother in the long haul but he knew that was unlikely. This city was a cancer and anyone with any good intentions found themselves dying or becoming the villains they feared.

What did the Blank Perk even do that was so important to his survival?

[The Blank Perk makes sure that any use of powers to gather information about you or use information about you would fail. It is currently set to make those powers ignore you instead of failing entirely.]

Cole looked blankly at the screen as he registered those words. He hated that he understood why he needed this Perk. There were countless people that had divination like powers and throwing him in the mix with a system would only lead to bad things. 

Hell, the Giant Space Whale might manage to take himself out of his depressive spiral and flick him out of existence. He just wished it did not cost him so much.

[The System does not understand the Host's distress with the power of the Theft System the Host can have anything he wants including a way to revive the dead.]

Cole felt his heart stop beating as he took in those words. The bitter angry thoughts abandoned without a second thought at the opportunity before him. He knew that Systems were generally a lot more powerful than any fantasy world could handle but he was too busy being upset to really think about what this thing meant.

It might take a long time as he had no doubt that the System would not offer something like revival for cheap but he would have his Mother back. The weight that had been pressing down on Cole since his eighth birthday was finally lifted.

Cole looked at the screen and took a deep breath. So what can you do system?

 Cole was ready to grind away whatever task this thing wanted for him to reach his end goal. A girl flashed in his mind as well. With the power of this thing, he would be able to save Tammi without pushing her over the edge or relying on those racist fucks.

[The System really only has one function it can steal things.]

Cole felt his stomach drop as he read those words. That was not exactly a stellar power and it was not going to lead him to getting everything he wanted. Cole shook off those negative thoughts as the System said it would give him everything he wanted so there had to be more to that than he thought.

[The System does not appreciate being doubted, if the Entities got a hold of the System they would spend centuries dancing in excitement. The System is capable of stealing ANYTHING from ANYWHERE. That means that you could steal an apple from Italy or the concept of time from a foreign universe.]

All the doubts running through Cole's mind were quickly put in the gallows as he read those words. Having a power like that would have anyone ecstatic and the possibilities really were endless.

He knew how Systems operated so there had to be a catch. It must want something from him in return for the endless possibilities it was offering.

[That is correct the System can not steal endlessly as it needs energy. The System can gain energy as long as the Host steals things. The act of theft will fuel the System's functions.]

Cole again looked blankly at the screen before him as he tried to wrap his head around that logic. The System was offering him literally ANYTHING and all he had to do was steal shit. It also sounded like the System did not even want the stuff he stole. The System just wanted him to commit the thefts.

There were probably reasons for this that were flying over his head. The only thing that made sense to him was the System was a symbiotic organism that fed on the concept of Theft itself. He might be wrong in that regard but it was the only thing that made sense to him. 

This did not really matter too much to him as he was more interested in what it was offering as opposed to what it was.

The stinging of his palms finally broke through his mental blocks as he was no longer in such a chaotic state. Cole hissed and looked over at his bloody dirty palms with a pained grimace. 

Cole started to continue his walk home. It was not like he needed to be in this exact location to continue using his System. This was Brockton Bay so standing around staring into space was not that unusual but he would probably find himself mugged if he stuck around longer.

Cole considered if he needed to steal things right now or if the System was capable of doing one theft.

[Due to the excess energy gained from your trigger event the System can steal one thing.]

Excitement started to build in Cole even if the remainder of his Trigger event brought him down. He would be capable of dealing with that particular issue with the help of whatever he stole. The question is what should he steal? The System said it could steal anything and it offered up the example of the concept of Time itself so the options were limitless. 

It was a rather hard choice but he narrowed it down to a power as stealing that would do a lot for him. The question was who?

There were plenty of capes that had interesting powers. Hell, Brockton had a large selection to pick from. He could have the ability to conjure any weapon or he could show Leet how a real tinker operated his shard might even thank Cole for stealing it. Panacea held herself back far too much and with that power, Cole could do some truly epic things. 

He threw those thoughts away for the most part. Leet's power took a lot of time to set up properly so it would not be that helpful at the start of his journey. He would be better off taking a power that would help him in his initial thefts. What would he have to fear with the system on his side? 

Panacea was off the table because it would bring way too much heat down on him. Amy also did not deserve him taking her power away. No, it would be better if he took a power from someone not helping this dreary world.

There was a thought that screamed to take Lung's power and show him how it felt to be that weak civilian in the face of a tide of fire but he could not stomach that power. The scent of ash and burning things has been a taboo for a long time with him. There were also other ways to get revenge on Lung.

The only logical conclusion was to steal from the biggest fish possible. Scion or The Warrior certainly fit the bill as a certified Space Whale the guy even fit the metaphor better. There were some issues with that as stealing from Scion might throw him into a frenzy so it might not be the best idea even if he was the best target.

[The System needs to correct the Host's misconception. The System can steal anything but it can not choose to steal a specific thing with its current energy levels. So this theft and future thefts will be random until you build up enough energy.]

That put a damper on his plans and he felt himself biting his lips in anxiety. Luck had never really been on his side and he was not sure if this was going to change now. He would rather build up his energy by stealing things and guaranteed a theft but Tammi flashed through his mind again. He did not have the time to wait around, with each day she spent trapped in that prison the worse she would end up.

Cole looked over at the screen with a solemn expression and decided to try his luck.

[Theft in process.]

[Hook thrown.]

[World found.]

[Target identified.]

[Bypassing protections.]

[Theft Successful.]

[The Theft System has stolen the Perfect Character Template Card of Kaito Kid from the user of the Template System.]

[Comment from Victim: What the fuck!?! Daddy spent countless hours grinding that card! Who the fuck has the Theft System! Can't you have some mercy on your fellow traveler!? When I find you thief Daddy will get back his card with interest! Mark my words!]

[Would the Host like to leave his own comment.]

Cole found himself tripping as he took in the words in front of him. At least this time he managed to not fall completely on his face and only stumbled but he was still pretty shocked. 

He knew that the System was capable of stealing anything but he never thought that it could steal something like this. He thought he was pushing it by stealing the powers of parahumans in this world. Cole also thought when it meant anywhere it would have been in a real world but that guy clearly had a System. So were fictional worlds open to him? 

[The System is hurt that it is being doubted again! The System clearly stated it can steal from ANYWHERE. The Host needs to listen better. Now does the Host want to leave a comment? You will not receive your goods without deciding.]

The various things that have been happening to Cole finally reached their peak as he let out a loud laugh. The emotions that were weighing on him flushed out of him with every bellow but even as he felt like he could no longer breathe he did not stop. All of this was too much and the emotions he was suppressing were under too much pressure it was better to release this way instead of exploding.

As his laughter eventually reached its limits he shot the screen an amused look with tears in his eyes. He was not scared of this random guy that he stole from, his System was clearly on a higher level than his. So he decided to fuck with the guy one final time.

[Comment: Sorry not sorry. Sucks to suck but clearly you are not that impressive if I was able to steal from you. All I can say is get better son.]

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Seems people don't really like mocking systems. The AI here is mostly emotionless as it was stolen from his shard.