(ORIGIN BOXES) CHAPTER ONE

The room was well lit, with numerous screens showing what was going on elsewhere. Sitting comfortably, Coil observed the footage, some screens providing more information than others, while the rest offered reviews of ongoing events.

Two of the screens were showing the news. Each came from a different channel, with different spokesmen, yet both covered the same subject: the recent developments in Brockton Bay. Captions were on, though with his powers, he found them largely unnecessary.

“—e PRT has refused to comment beyond insisting that the situation is under control.” A woman glanced towards the gathering crowd. “Despite these reassurances, however, many citizens remain unconvinced, with some of the more outspoken among them demanding answers.”

A still frame showed a blurry phone picture of a blonde teen, a hammer raised towards the sky as lightning crackled around him. He wore a wild grin, seemingly oblivious to the damage surrounding him.

At first glance, one might have mistaken him for a newly triggered Parahuman, but the second screen told a different story.

“Online discussions have questioned whether these reports are mere rumours or fact,” the man on the second screen explained. An image of Armsmaster appeared beside him, showing the hero with four mechanical limbs. Another showed Vista in a costume markedly different from her usual one. “However, with public posts and videos appearing across multiple platforms, there is growing evidence to suggest otherwise, as we—”

Coil glanced through the files available to him. Two words appeared before the report continued.

Origin Boxes.

That was the name people had settled on, though the PRT officially referred to them as Para-Power Imbuers. Coil didn’t particularly care what they were called. What mattered was what they could do.

For once, he had set aside both his usual work and his more illicit activities to gather every scrap of information he could find about the boxes. He considered bringing his little recruit into the investigation, given how useful her abilities could be for gathering information, but decided it would be better to handle this himself. Besides, his connections to the PRT under his Thomas Calvert identity gave him access to everything he needed to learn about the strange objects that had arrived in Brockton Bay.

Coil chuckled as he read through Armsmaster’s report. “The man may be inept at socialising, but he certainly knows how to write a report.”

One version of Coil continued reading while the other contacted his men on the ground. He offered a reward to anyone who found an Origin Box, with double the usual amount for anyone who brought one in. After considering the matter a little longer, however, he decided even that might not be enough.

The Coil reviewing the reports agreed, and the reward was raised to triple the original amount. It would cost him a fair bit, but if these boxes were as significant as the evidence suggested, the expense would be worth it.

Armsmaster had found his box while on patrol and taken it back to his lab, intending to study it before attempting to open it. The moment he did, a flash of light filled the room, and when it faded, he had four additional limbs attached to his body.

He hadn’t wasted time dwelling on the surprise. His report detailed a series of tests measuring the limbs’ strength, range of motion, response time, and coordination. He had also examined the connection between them and his body, comparing his scans before and after the transformation. Several hypotheses concerning their construction and integration had been discarded as the evidence accumulated, allowing him to develop a working understanding of their functions. The box itself, however, remained a mystery.

Coil glanced at the nearby screen, where the news had moved on to Vista. Leet’s victory over Dauntless had initially dominated the coverage, but more footage of the Origin Boxes had since surfaced online, drawing attention to the other reported cases. One channel was now showing a video of Vista opening a box, apparently recorded by a bystander.

A flash of light overwhelmed the camera, leaving several seconds of useless footage. According to the accompanying report, the person filming had dropped their phone after being temporarily blinded. When the picture returned, Vista was standing elsewhere, looking thoroughly disoriented. She glanced down at her hands, then at herself, and began shouting. Before she could do much else, a large sword appeared above her. A portal opened beneath her feet, and she vanished through it.

Coil returned to Armsmaster’s assessment of the incident. Vista’s original power was still present, but its behaviour had become unpredictable, making it difficult to determine how her new abilities had affected it. The preliminary assessment identified portals, enhanced strength, and increased durability among her new abilities. She had also reported being able to project energy, though Armsmaster had marked that claim as requiring further testing.

Coil tapped a finger against the desk. Both recipients had gained abilities from apparently similar devices, yet their experiences differed considerably. Armsmaster had adapted well enough to begin systematically investigating his transformation, while Vista was still struggling to control her original power alongside her new abilities.

The difference was worth investigating. It could reflect a distinction between the boxes, an interaction with the recipient’s existing abilities, or some other factor neither Armsmaster nor the PRT had identified. For all the progress they had made, there still wasn’t enough evidence to settle the question.

Coil could attempt to involve himself, but Vista was under PRT protection, and interfering with her would risk drawing attention without necessarily providing anything useful in return.

“Best to wait and see,” he muttered. “There’ll be more to learn soon enough.”

He returned to the files, considering what Armsmaster might discover as his investigation continued. Until the underlying mechanism became clearer, Coil would have to treat every Origin Box as an unknown quantity.

Standing, Coil picked up a nearby drink that was still warm and took a sip, savouring the lingering taste as the other version of himself began mapping out possible locations. He also ordered his men to investigate the blonde teenager from the footage, finding out who he was, where he’d been that day, and what he’d been doing. At the same time, they would look into where Armsmaster and Vista had found their Origin Boxes, just in case there was a pattern.

It probably wouldn’t lead anywhere, but it was worth checking.

Coil set down his empty cup and returned to the files. These boxes were a game changer, since the possibility of acquiring new powers without triggering was significant enough on its own, even if there were complications to consider. While Armsmaster continued studying the devices, Coil could benefit from whatever information made its way to Thomas Calvert and put it to use himself.

Or perhaps he could get started right away.

On another table sat a smooth casing roughly the size of a small suitcase, without any visible fastenings. Just like the ones in the photographs, it was an Origin Box. His men had found it near his base and brought it back after checking for anything dangerous, and although they hadn’t opened it, Coil had intended to investigate it further before the PRT’s internal channel alerted him to what the devices were believed to do.

He’d acquired one by pure chance, and now that he knew what it was, Coil couldn’t help smiling behind his mask. A power was sitting right in front of him, sealed inside a box, and all he had to do was open it. The results would be unpredictable, of course, but the cases reported so far suggested that whoever opened one gained an ability. Even the blonde teenager’s apparent control over lightning pointed towards the same conclusion, and there was no indication yet that the powers were inherently useless.

His only concern was what opening the box might do to his existing abilities. Vista’s experience suggested that a recipient’s original power could be affected, and with so few cases to study, Coil couldn’t be sure whether that was a general consequence or something specific to her. Waiting for more information would be sensible enough, especially since he wasn’t in any hurry.

Then again, he could always use his own power to test it.

Coil closed one timeline, keeping the version in which he’d ordered his men to search for more Origin Boxes and investigate the people involved. That left him alone with the device, which sat on the table, perfectly still, waiting to be opened.

The solution seemed simple enough. He would split the timeline, have one version of himself open the box, and let the other observe what happened. If the resulting power was useful, he could keep it, and if something went wrong, the other Coil would remain unaffected.

With as little effort as moving a limb, he split the timeline and reached for the box in one reality, flipping it open.

A sudden migraine struck, forcing both versions of Coil to shut their eyes. When they opened them again, there was only one perspective and one body, the second timeline having vanished as though it had never existed.

Coil stared at the open box. His power had failed, and he had no idea whether the device could nullify abilities wholesale, specifically interfere with Tinkers, or produce some other effect. What irritated him most was that his power had never given him a chance to find out; he’d been unable to maintain the second timeline long enough to observe the result.

He ran a hand over the casing. The box was open now, and he had no way of knowing whether closing it would do anything. He could leave it alone, hand it to someone else, or seek help from a parahuman whose abilities might reveal more about its nature.

There was also the girl his sources had been investigating. If her abilities were what he suspected, she could prove useful in ways he hadn’t yet explored. With her help, and his own power working as it should, he might be able to put himself in a far stronger position.

But he couldn’t get her just yet. He needed more time.

Coil’s fingers tapped against the casing before closing around it. He could leave the box alone and wait until he knew more, or take the risk and see what it had in store for him.

He looked down at the open device.

“What to do?”