"One more piece of good news: I've successfully deciphered the spatial storage function of the Singularity. You can think of it as a type of spatial ability — you can freely store and retrieve items."
"Current limitations include: no living organisms; no storing partial objects (i.e., you can't store just part of a wall); you must physically touch the object; there's no weight limit, but the object must fit within the boundaries of the storage space.
"The principles behind these limitations remain unclear and require more time and computational power to analyze."
"Once you're ready, close your eyes. I'll guide you through the process of learning how to use this feature."
Leo was thrilled. He quickly finished brushing his teeth and splashed water on his face.
"I'm ready. Let's do this!"
"Please close your eyes and attempt to sense the Singularity space with your mind."
Mental perception?
Sounded complicated…
But it worked on the first try!
His consciousness extended along an invisible path into the mysterious Singularity. Once again, he found himself staring at his server room.
Now, several corners of the room were glowing faint blue.
"Father, those marked zones represent your usable storage space — approximately 104 cubic meters."
That sounded like a lot, but… upon closer inspection, most of the space was blocked by server equipment. The usable storage area was essentially just the outer ring of a square — nowhere near large enough to fit bulky items.
"Shironeko, can't you move the equipment?"
"I'm an AI, Father. I lack a physical form. You'll have to move them yourself — or buy me some robots I can control."
Leo's mind lit up — robots were abundant in 2077. But his funds were tight. For now, he'd have to hold off and focus on jumpstarting interdimensional trade.
"Alright. I'll rearrange the server room once I get back."
"Understood. Please be cautious. Avoid using this ability in front of others. To my knowledge, 2077 tech has yet to develop spatial-folding technology."
"Got it."
Transmission ended.
Leo looked down at his right hand, excitement building.
The plastic cup in his grasp kept vanishing and reappearing in a loop. Gone — back. Gone — back.
Then his gaze drifted to the clutter around the bathroom.
He started picking things up, storing and retrieving them at will. Like a kid with a new toy, he couldn't stop.
He may not have cyberware, but he had superpowers now. Time to get creative!
Just as he was losing himself in the thrill, a text pinged in.
[V]: You alive? Got food poisoning or something?
Leo blinked. The countdown timer in the corner said he'd been in the bathroom for 20 minutes…
[Leo]: Just catching up with an old friend. Be right there.
Back in the living room, V lifted the food cover. "Mexican-style breakfast. Hurry up before it gets cold."
Leo inhaled deeply. The spicy aroma hit him like a truck.
"Tacos, chili-drenched corn rolls, spicy sausage with potatoes, and oatmeal porridge — this is what Heywood chefs do best."
V explained while wolfing down a heavily sauced corn roll.
"Some are extra spicy. If you don't like heat, stick with the milder ones."
Leo nodded and quickly made a decision before indecision struck — try both.
Turned out, the locals knew what they were doing.
The Mexican hot sauce masked the artificial aftertaste of the synthetic meat, making everything far more palatable.
Leo finally had a satisfying meal and collapsed on the couch, content.
"You do the ordering from now on. Add spice. I'll cover the cost."
"Sure thing. You're the boss."
V had no complaints — free food was a win.
After cleaning up, V hit the bathroom. When she returned, she asked, "So what's the plan today? Just a heads-up: until we deal with the scavengers, I'm not taking you anywhere near Watson. It's too risky."
"Hmm…" Leo stared at the ceiling. "I remember hearing about combat training chips — the kind that lets you practice skills in VR?"
"They exist, but they're not all safe."
V gave him a rundown of the dangers.
"The legit ones are corporate-issued — training tools for employees. Any that leak out are either watered-down versions or hacker-modified, often with spyware or backdoors that steal your data.
The shady ones? Straight-up suicide missions. You wanna jam some gang-made chip into your brain?"
Leo definitely didn't.
But someone in the room probably would.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You think I'm stupid enough to plug in some sketchy-ass chip?"
"I didn't say anything..."
"But your eyes did!"
V, annoyed that her goodwill was being met with judgment, clenched her fists like she was about to throttle him.
Leo quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, I dabble in hacking. Not great, but passable. Once I upgrade with more implants, I'll get some legit chips and train in virtual combat.
As for today... I'll just stay in. Do some research online."
"Fine by me. If you're not going out, I'm going back to bed..."
She caught his disapproving look and quickly added, "New environment. Didn't sleep well last night."
"Want me to read you a bedtime story?"
"Go fuck yourself."
SLAM!
V retreated to her lair.
Leo sighed at the shut door. For all her toughness, V had some rough edges — like the constant profanity.
That won't do. He'd have to slowly guide— no, educate her. Turn her into a polite, modern young lady.
After resting a bit, the food coma lifted and he headed to the office.
Browsing the web, Leo mulled over two priorities now that he had spatial powers:
First, ensure personal safety. Fill the Singularity with food, water, medicine, weapons, and maybe even a life-support pod. Something to hole up in until the next jump.
Second, interdimensional trade. Start building capital and influence fast.
The first was easy — his jumps lasted a max of 7–15 days. A two-week supply was easy to stock.
The second? That required planning.
He already knew Gotham had Batman.
And Batman knew his identity.
Smack.
Leo lightly slapped himself.
"Next time, keep your mouth shut."
Back to the point — Batman was a menace. Paranoid and overbearing. Even if he didn't arrest Leo outright, he'd probably surveil him 24/7.
If worst came to worst, Leo would flee. Central City or Metropolis. Superman was far easier to deal with.
Jump, buy a ticket, vanish.
Theoretically sound.
If only there weren't a few major problems...
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