Adventures of an Employed Planeswalker

(Matt's PoV)

Yeah, this is Times Square. 'Any reason you chose this place, Caby?'

|No. Energy levels stabilizing at 10%. I would recommend waiting a few weeks before doing anything extreme.|

'Very doable, I wanted some time off anyway.' I take a look around and appreciate the fact I got here in the middle of the night. There's this one guy who's been staring for a while, but maybe he'll think I'm just a hallucination.

I turn, smile, and wave towards him as the Scarab Armor flows into my back and Symby covers me with her mimicry of clothes.

'For now, focus on the integration with the nanites, Caby.'

I start walking through the streets, ignoring the man gaping and rubbing his eyes while looking at me.

What do I even do now? It's been 5 days so 1 day passed here. Even though I glassed the whole planet and stole whatever information was left, there was no sign of the anomaly anywhere.

I'm... happy I solved this problem for mankind, I guess, but I need clues as to where this anomaly could be. I still think those Cybertronians have something to do with it, or at least have come into contact with it.

And I still have to worry about teaching things to people... ugh, what an annoying drawback...

Anyways, the first thing is accessing the internet. Let's see how the world is dealing with no more Alien threats.

There's nothing public about it yet... I thought by this point they would be advertising it on all news stations.

'Ah...' Hm, that makes sense.

The military and the government are covering it up for now because they're looking for me. News is still scheduled to come out tomorrow.

News... ooh, I have an idea!

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(Third person PoV)

Thursday, the 24th of March, 2011.

The day was busy, with people going about their days and routines. The World was still waiting for the other shoe to drop since its been a few days since the last news report of any Kaiju attacks.

The population is in a mix of anxiousness and numbness; the attacks have been happening for so long it became commonplace but knowing that a single mistake from any Jeager Pilot could mean entire cities on the Pacific Coast could become history still weighs in their minds.

Living with that kind of mentality for so long, it is understandable that everyone was waiting for something, anything, to be on the news about it. Some of the more curious were searching the internet for any information they could get their hands on, so they could satisfy their curiosity.

That morning, at approximately 10 a.m., a news report shook the U.S. and soon, the whole world.

"Breaking news! The President and several military personnel called for an urgent announcement, broadcasted live! We have Jannet Simmons on site, Jannet what is this announcement about?"

"Good morning Kevin, good morning everyone. They refuse to tell us anything about the announcement, only reiterating that it's extremely urgent. Oh, Kevin, it's starting!" The view cut from her camera to the one filming the stage, which was filled with government officials.

They organized themselves in neat lines; one of those lines had personnel from the PPDC, the other from the army and the final one had the personal security detail of the president.

"We are here today to make a big announcement, not only to the U.S. but to the whole world!" The current U.S. president spoke up with a serious expression on his face.

"As I am making this announcement, so are the other presidents of the countries directly active in the management of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. A few days ago, a specific operation was approved to be launched against the Kaiju, the monsters that attacked our cities." He paused for dramatic effect. "Operation Hail Mary was a risky plan, but with the courage and determination of our soldiers and pilots, it was a success!" He spoke with conviction, inspiring confidence in the listeners.

"The day before yesterday was the day of the operation. On that same day, March 22nd, 2011, we closed all the rifts that plagued the Pacific Ocean for almost 10 years!" The reporters on site couldn't believe such a statement. A few of them cheered, and some fell to tears.

Jannet herself was briefly stunned; everyone was expecting something, but suddenly the Kaiju were all gone? That was a bit much.

Some of the faster reporters around started putting their hands up to ask questions, but the president signaled for them to stop. It didn't stop them from trying, but it did signal he wouldn't be answering questions.

"I know it is sudden, but such is how the actions in a conflict like this have to be: swift and decisive. The brave members of the PPDC spotted a breach, a small opening, and acted upon it. They were, of course, supported by the U.S. and the other supporting countries in their endeavor. The absence of the Rifts has been confirmed by several sectors of the military, using our latest available technology to ensure maximum accuracy. Today, we no longer have to live in fear of our cities being destroyed, or of our loved ones dying in masses to those monsters. Today... we are free!"

Although most there already cheered, they cheered again, the news sinking in. It was over.

After that, the ceremony continued, with each president awarding medals to the PPDC members of their respective countries. Then came the time to award the leadership, the U.S. president was about to present a medal to a high-ranking member of the PPDC for such masterful leadership.

Suddenly, the people in the conference felt their phones beeping, vibrating, or ringing. The big screen behind the stage playing the video of an undulating flag flickered and became the image of a blue-helmeted individual on a black background.

The helmet was smooth, with a metallic sheen and a big visor up front. It also had sleek details along the chin and sides of the head.

The figure waved toward the camera and cleared their throat.

"Hello, world of Earth!"

That single sentence threw everyone for a loop. Who was this? What's the deal with that greeting? Some of the more keen reporters around the North American conference noticed some of the personnel up on the stage becoming uncomfortable, with one specific General of the Army going red in the face as he looked at the screen.

"I gave myself the name of Matt, so communications could become easier between us. I have come to greet you all and to present a line of questioning: why do your leaders feel the need to lie?"

A beat of silence followed the statement before every reporter at every conference worldwide started yelling question after question at their leaders and at the being behind the screen.

"I'm here to clarify some things for you: I am an alien and I, too, was attacked by those monsters that you call Kaiju. Due to that, I allied myself with the PPDC to fight back against them. Operation Hail Mary did exist, but it was mostly me getting into the Rifts and doing the dirty deed. I'm not here to glorify myself, only to give credit where it's due; Marcus Phillips is a high-ranking PPDC operative, not the leader or coordinator of said operation. Stacker Pentecost was the man who found me, detained me, and took the fall for me when I said I would solve this issue. Here it is, solved."

Now the being looked slightly downwards, almost as if looking at something.

"I don't see him getting any medals, weird. Oh, right, you're imprisoning the man who saved your planet from an aggressive, colonizing alien race." The image changes to camera footage of several soldiers going into a military-looking facility and pointing guns at a black man, who just sighed and gave himself up.

The screen returns to the alien addressing the world. "I can't say I'm entirely familiar with your human concepts, but I thought gratitude was one of them, no? So how come? Is it because of me? If it is, know that he didn't know anything about me, and even if he did and had told you, Mister Robert," The tone of voice hinted that the being was smiling, "You wouldn't be able to keep me detained."

Everyone felt a chill on their spine as they heard that statement. Something was different in the tone of voice; no longer was it amiable and curious.

"This is not a threat, just an affirmation: I value my freedom. A lot. The last beings that attacked me without reason... well, I paid their side of the Rift a visit and you won't be hearing from them anymore."

"How is that not a threat!?" General of the Army, Robert Deshaun, yelled at the screen. Even the slowest person present in the conference connected the dots and understood that he was the Robert previously addressed.

"Let's settle for calling it a warning then, General." The statement, coupled with another look slightly down... making the figure on the screen look directly at where the General was on his stage, silenced everyone.

"Anyways, release Pentecost, he committed no wrongdoings and delivered everything he promised. Ah, and I've seen your officials pocketing my improvements for your Jaeger designs. Have you not learned how to share?" Just as the being finishes its sentence, several blueprints flash across the screen, before vanishing and returning to the individual's face.

"I'll teach you then. There you go, everyone can see it now!" Around the world, on several different websites and news blogs, the same blueprints appeared.

"One more thing: you really like destroying your own world to get energy, huh? I'll give you guys a freebie, you can take it from there." The same thing happened, only this time the blueprints were of some sort of panel that caught light?

"You do have some of these being developed, so I'll just give it a little push. This is a smaller, more efficient, and more durable version of your own. There is also a compact version that can fold in on itself! Now, look at the blueprints - they should be easy to find - and see what I did. It's all explained: how to make it absorb more sunlight, convert it to energy faster and with less waste... there's even a part where I give you a rundown on how you can improve upon this!"

Everyone watching the conference was shocked by now; what was even happening!?

"In any case, enjoy my gift, release Stacker Pentecost, and... be green? Is that the right expression?" The being tilts its head to the side but soon shakes it and waves at the camera. "Well met, people of Earth!"

And the screens broadcasting its visage live across the world went back to their regular-stream. Techies and mechanics worldwide who were trying to correct the broadcast - unsuccessfully doing so - were stumped. It was like they couldn't control their own terminals... and the terminals were right in front of them!

Both of those news were shocking and soon sparked controversy on several levels:

Some people were outraged that an alien was supposedly threatening their government.

Some people were glad that the Rifts were closed but were wary of another alien being on Earth and demanded the government do something about it.

Some people were just glad the threatening monster-like aliens were gone and that this alien was sharing technological improvements.

Most people didn't know what to think about this new alien, but so far - at least according to itself - it only tried to help. It was hard to trust an alien that didn't provide evidence of its participation in an operation as big as the one described.

The one thing everyone liked was the blueprints it left behind. The improvements done to the Jaegers were brushed to the side at first, the general focus was on the solar panels. They were eventually noticed by some nuclear engineers and used for the betterment of nuclear-fission power plants.

The solar panels were a much bigger boom in media. The reveal that it was a technology in development was not that big; news reported that the technology was already in use in space stations but the reveal that it was being researched to be used in common households made waves. Especially when specialists were invited to analyze the blueprint itself.

All of the most accomplished scientists in the field agreed that, while not "alien" enough to be unimaginable - some even going so far as to say that the improvements were achievable in a few years of research - they would save a lot of time and the tips on how to improve were also leading them in a totally different direction than before.

As always, some people found it absurd that the blueprints given by an alien were even considered to be used at all. Those people were, as always, ignored by those who wanted to make a profit.

Stacker Pentecost was released from imprisonment but was dishonorably discharged for colluding with extraterrestrial beings unauthorized. A few days later, a few corrupt government officials had their accounts wiped and frozen, with evidence of corruption and money laundering given to several federal servers directly. On that same day, one Stacker Pentecost received an email detailing his newest Swiss account made in his name with a few fat deposits, as well as a separate bank account with college savings for his daughter, Mako.

Pentecost smiled and shook his head, "That bastard's crazy."

Soon, a month passed and the world calmed down.

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(Matt's PoV)

It's been a month since the statement on the news.

This last month has been... therapeutic for me. I've been walking around, mostly the U.S. for now. Wearing a toque on my head and appropriate clothes to mask myself as best as I can (not that well, but enough), and going around hospitals to heal people.

I don't know for sure if it's some form of penance for all those I've killed or... nah, I think I'm just trying to get practice using my powers on other people. I've also been studying all I can about biology and I'm pretty sure I'm up there with the experts by now.

This month I've noticed something too: when you don't need to sleep, you suddenly have a lot more time than usual on your hands.

My "body cultivation" hit a 'limit'. I can't make myself stronger than I am right now. I can bench press 600 Kg (~1322,77 lbs) and can punch with a force of almost 500kg (~1100 lbs). That is impressive with my stature, but this doesn't even break peak human records...

I can push a little further with full symbiote coverage, but my strength and running speed seem mainly capped; what keeps climbing is resilience and endurance.

My aura keeps growing with use and, by sheer necessity, I've learned how to keep it contained close to my skin so it's easier to hide. I can't make it stay under my skin, for some reason. I sure as hell will keep trying.

Let me say, Haki is my most elusive power by far. I haven't felt the tingle of Observation Haki since I came back from the Rift and even less so that whisper of Conquerors I got after facing thousands of Precursors. No luck on the Armament yet, unfortunately.

Healing people was... nice. It was for training, but it did feel nice to see how their families would react when called the next day and informed that a miracle happened to their child. Or that their grandparents suddenly remembered them and called for them by name.

I've visited a few hospitals that had cancer patients and terminally ill people, but I've also seen a few rare conditions. Especially so, around New Jersey. What is it with Princeton and weird medical conditions??

Anyway, I'm trying to move around constantly and stay out of sight as I do these healing travels; my antenna might be under a toque, but the bump is still visible if you look hard enough and my eyes still glow.

Still no sign of any anomaly corrupting anything or anyone... I'm getting antsy because I don't know much more about this place.

Get it together, Matt.

'Man, I'm never choosing to forget information ever again.'

My plan is: to keep heading west and north, keeping my ear to the ground and eventually appearing as the Alien in Blue to teach a thing or two. If the miracle healing thing becomes too obvious I can always change it up, skip a city or two.

If I don't find the anomaly by the time I finish the trek through the U.S. I'll search the world more actively.

I'll figure it out, one way or another.