1 When The Facade Breaks Prologue (Jumpchain SI)

"I apologize, ma'am, but you can't return that item; it's been used, and it's past the date of return." It's a line I have said a decent number of times over the years, yet it never gets better. The woman in question looks at me with hatred in her eyes while I keep a straight face. Smile and wave, a way to keep yourself clean and without issue.

In a fantasy world, of course, as the woman then says, "I bought this item, I should be able to return it! I have the receipt right here!" She wants to return a bottle of perfume that has been used for at least a half, and we don't take any item that is used or broken.

"Again, I apologize, ma'am, but the item has been used, and there are damages to the bottle." She simply gives me a glare as I wonder why I do this to myself.

Oh, right, I needed money to keep myself fed. Honestly, I am barely keeping my eyes open as this woman yells my ear off.

"Are you even listening to me?!" I wish I wasn't, but here we are.

"Of course, ma'am, but there is nothing I can do as returning used items is against company policy. If we had people returning used items, most of our floor merchandise would be broken or empty." I tried to explain to this woman why I couldn't, but she just wouldn't leave!

It's definitely not helping that she has a crying child next to her who just wants to leave. It's probably one of the few times I actually agree with the small children they bring in shopping with them. The other cashiers just went about their business, completely ignoring my station. The manager wasn't here as they were on their second vacation of the year, and only the assistant manager was here.

The guy was older than me but not too old to be embarrassing, and he was giving me a hard look that basically said, " You fuck this up, there will be hell to pay."

Nothing like your boss really hammering in that they don't give two shits about you more than having you deal with customers like this. I didn't even want to be a cashier as I usually work the back room or the fitting room all alone and in my silence. Nearly every time I'm there, I get done nearly double the triple the work that most others do simply because I actually like being back there.

But no, due to worker shortages which I blame on the economy fucking over the newer generations, no one wants to work entry-level jobs, and no one wants to go to college out of fear of student loan debt. And here I am, working nearly three jobs to pay for my car, which I live in.

God bless America, truly the land of opportunity.

My thoughts are interrupted as the woman tries to open the register, which I stop by reaching my hand over it, and to my fear, she smiles and starts yelling in pain.

"AHHHHHH! He assaulted me! I want your manager and your lawyer!" The assistant manager, who I never even tried to remember his name then, slid in and tried to calm her down.

But I simply spaced out and looked at her kid, who just looked done with life, while I sat down near the counter behind the registers and waited for the woman to leave. Eventually, she did while flipping me off and yelling, " I hope you got a good lawyer, asshole!"

Great, another problem to deal with.

The assistant manager then walks over and asks in a yelling shout, " What was that?!"

"That was a bitch on legs." That is what I wanted to say, but I just shrugged.

He then sighed in exasperation as he said to me, " Look, this is the third time this month. You can't escalate things like that."

I don't even have the energy to yell as I ask in a steady tone, " So you believe her?"

"No, I don't, but the cameras will, as they may show you touching her based on the angle. Look, this is harder on me than it is for you, but I am gonna have to let you go." There it was. Try to say it with some actual emotion next time they may believe you.

I took off my badge and gave it to him while saying nothing and walked out of the store. This was job number three gone with the wind.

"Where did I go wrong?" I asked myself as I made my way to my car which was an old 2007 Ford that could barely go faster than 40 miles per hour and guzzled gas like a mine in the Middle East. But as I made my way outside I heard police sirens in the parking lot and the woman talking to an officer and as I walked out she saw me.

"It was him, officer! He was the one who assaulted me!" The officer gave me a hard look as I took this moment in and as I walked over to them the officer began to yell his orders.

"Stop where you are! Get on the ground!" I ignored him as I saw the kid she had with her in the car next to us and as I did so my eyes began to close due to my tiredness and I looked into the street and saw all the cars passing by. Looking back to the woman who cost me my job I walked over to her, not even feeling the taser, and slammed her head into the car over and over again before walking towards the road.

I didn't even realize when I fell face-first onto the sidewalk and into the street.

I felt nothing. For the first time, I felt literally nothing.

It was surreal but it was also nice. The absence of light and sound, or even matter for that matter. I closed my eyes and felt peace for the first time in my life.

I drifted around the emptiness for what felt like hours, and it was beautiful. Here, I did not have to worry about the pomp and entitlement of others who had it so much easier than I did. Where most my age would already have a well-paying job, I was stuck working multiple jobs, jumping from one to the next and the next.

They paid little more than minimum, like getting change back from a vending machine. I would never be able to ever simply take a day to relax as each one became an endless cycle of work and then sleep, work, and then sleep over and over again.

I don't even want to talk about how my taxes were. I blame the corporations for that as, surprisingly enough, it was not the government that made filing taxes hard. It was the companies that make money off of them filing taxes for you at ridiculous fees. Gotta love lobbying or, in this case, legalized corruption.

But what made me the happiest was the fact that I never had to smile or fake one, for that matter, ever again. I will never have to look myself in a mirror ever again. If I had any regrets, it would be losing out on school and an actual life.

Yet, right as I began to go down memory lane, I found myself in what looked to be an empty warehouse. Stretching it to a decent size, I found nothing in it other than a single terminal in the center of the place. Looking around, I saw no one else but me, so I approached the computer terminal and saw the information in a move that wasn't too smart.

[Welcome to the Jumpchain!] The computer showed in big, bold lettering as I tried to think of what a Jumpchain was.

[I'm glad you asked! A Jumpchain, for lack of better terms, is a multiverse to omniverse spanning quest, a thon where you, my lifeless friend, have the chance to achieve anything you desire!]

Looking at the screen, I could only ask a single question: " What's the catch?"

[Other than surviving ten years in various worlds where death could be as common as having a sandwich for lunch, not much. In a Jump, you will live for ten years (Barring increasing your time in specific Jumps) in a world of your choice. The Omniverse is your oyster. You may even find what you have been missing in your life.]

"This seems more and more like a snake oil deal," I mention it to the computer as it reads off more text.

[Would a snake oil salesman know why you never went to school? Could they question your life knowing everything and anything all of the time? Or how a certain word always brings up certain memories.]

I stood in silence, taking those questions in as I almost tried to cover myself, but I stopped myself, reasserted some self-control, and asked, " How long would this take?"

[Years, decades, centuries, millennia, depends on you, Jumper. I cannot force this upon you. Only you can decide. Feel free to think for as long as you want. My creators created the concept of eternity, after all.]

The screen then returned to normal as I floated there and thought for what felt like days. My life flashed before my eyes, yet as I recalled all my worst moments, I felt endless rage build within me at the life I could never have because of them! I could have been so much better! I could've.. I could've done so much more…

Floating here, I realized how much I missed. I wanted more time. I wanted to do so much. My emotions were a mess as I unraveled slightly in that moment. But I picked myself up figuratively, of course, and looked back to the screen, and with a heavy heart, I said, "I agree."

[The Spear Wielder and Divine Emperor wish you luck then. Would you like to start filling out your supplements first or the first world jump document?]

"Supplements first. I need to know what I am working with here." The screen then shifts to a slide show presentation with the voice looking like a floating orange clock with legs and arms.

[All right then, to explain it the best I can, most of the documents in the jump chain work off of this currency called choice points or CP. This CP is quite literally monetized potential. Using choice points, you can gain perks and items for every world you go to. Each document, though, has perks relating to the setting, so don't expect to become a Saiyan in a world like Avatar: The Last Airbender.]

"I have no idea what any of those worlds are or even what a Saiyan is, but keep going." I could feel the pity from the clock as she continued.

[ Most worlds will have you beginning with a total of 1,000 CP that you can use to purchase all of your perks as well as items, and if you want to gain more CP to use in a single jump, you have to take drawbacks. Think of drawbacks like additional instructions or challenges within the jump, which will make things more difficult, but it will give you more choice points to use. Are you following me?]

I nod as she then shows me two charts, one relating to the warehouse and another to body modification.

[All right then, a jumper must always have a warehouse to start you off. This place here is yours to store and do whatever you want. even if the entire Omniverse were to implode, this place would still exist, and I do hope if that happens, you are in this Warehouse. The body mod acts as a baseline for all of your alt forms. Unless you take the drop in origin, each jump will have you essentially transmigrating into your possible selves. The body modification would take all of these bodies and give them a baseline so you would never be weaker than your Baseline unless you take a drawback for it.]

[ Concerning alternate forms, you may freely switch between them, and each alternate form shares powers and perks unless they are purely racial in nature. So, for example, if you hop into a world and want to use dragon fire as a human, that's a no-go until you switch to your possible dragon form. There are perks that would allow you to combine your alternate forms, but that is for later.]

The clock then shrunk the pointer stick it was using and switched the screen to the actual documents, and I began to fill them out.

I started off with the warehouse and what I wanted from it initially. I have 150 CP for this, so I got to work investing in various perks.

I started basic with electricity, plumbing, and heating/AC, and seeing how that cost me thirty CP, I was already down to 120 CP. Taking a breath, I looked at the other options and saw a force wall that would lock the warehouse from anyone and anything but me, and I took that immediately.

Buying that force wall and a secure connection to my jump universe's internet cost me 50 more points, and seeing as how I had basic amenities taken care of, I looked to other utilities, such as making sure that I had a fully furnished home within the warehouse. Hence, it isn't just a boring utilitarian gray Warehouse.

Using my last remaining points, I made sure to buy a terminal to keep track of everything I store here as well as two other things, such as the portal, which would replace a key that I would receive to open a warehouse.

I wanted the portal because I may not always have access to a door, but flat surfaces, on the other hand, are nearly everywhere other than in space. Lastly, I made sure to pick up the food supply for 10 points as well as the free shells to keep everything nice and tidy. 

 I saw that there was an option for robots to keep everything organized for me using the data for the terminal. Still, I knew I wasn't going to have much after only one jump, and I could get them later as I gained 20 points every time I completed a jump for my warehouse.

Seeing as I was out of points, I was shifted to the body mod. Now, this one was more extensive. The document itself gave me 1,000 points instead of 150, and it's where I learned how origins worked. The orange clock explained how Origins gave me discounts for various perks when I chose them on the document.

There were three options for origins: mind, body, and heart. I thought over this one deeply, but seeing how my points were spread out, I knew that increasing my mental faculties or at least discounting the basic purchases would be the most optimal choice. Looking over each of the options, I made sure to buy at least the first level of every choice.

The only one I ever spent to the third level was my appeal, as I do admit to being very much unappealing in my last life. I was basically a walking stick with barely enough nutrition to go by as well as time to actually work out I was like a human bean pole. And while most would think that it's a good thing to be thin, there comes a point when it's just unhealthy, and I was definitely on that side of the spectrum.

And I mean the third level of appeal allowed me to essentially be clean forever, take social cues more easily, and smell good. What more could I buy?

Thankfully, there was a perk further down that was actually free, which allowed me to increase the level of each part of the body modification through training each and every time I gained an alternate form. So, while I will be at a baseline for every alternate I gain, I will be able to increase it with time.

Other than that, my purchases were relatively simple as I made sure to purchase all four quality-of-life perks, which would make it so that I could basically eat anything edible. It wouldn't make me sick, and how my body would deal with all waste by just completely getting rid of it internally. Lastly, I bought a regen perk that would regenerate limbs after a while. It was no Deadpool, but it was enough.

Throughout the entire time, I was just shocked at how expansive these basic upgrades were as each of the first levels would give you at minimum disciplined or a trained level of human characteristics, which is nice as I will never be weaker than a trained combatant. After making my choices, I then went to fill out the generic first jump supplement, and this was where my spiritual mouth opened wide.

The perks were insane, as a decent amount of them could just straight-up manipulate reality. For example, when I chose the tourist origin, I was allowed to gain a perk that could essentially let me do whatever I wanted, and the normal story of that universe would continue if I decided to do so. While some would consider it cowardly to take this perk, I did so because I wanted a safety net.

Other than that, I made sure to buy perks that would help me in daily life, such as one that would make me immune to boredom through quite literally speeding through boring events in addition to a general increase in my luck. I would quite honestly killed for this type of perk.

I did have to take some drawbacks, though, but all three of them would likely have come true in my first jump anyway, as the three I chose were Amnesia, Masquerade, and Secret Society. The first one was just free points as it only got rid of memories if I had done any other jumps, but since this was my first, it was an easy two hundred choice point.

The other two just made sense as the secret society would hunt me down in my next world, but they would have to find me as well as identify me as a being that they would hunt down or look for. Masquerade is quite literally what any sane person would, as many worlds are not ready for supernatural powers to be revealed.

After finishing up, I had quite the smile on my face as for any future jump, I would be a trained combatant with increased luck and Immunity to spiritual corruption and eldritch mental effects. Not even mentioning one part that I just found amazing.

Harmony​ (-400cp):

Sometimes, the things you are collecting will clash with each other or are difficult to use together. That is no longer the case. You could safely use both the Dark and Light sides of the Force, channel both divine and demonic energies, wield conflicting forms of magic or energy, mix radically different technologies or biologies, and even keep your entire harem in one place, and they will all get along with each other. They will get along with you as well. None of your abilities, possessions, Companions, or anything else that belongs to you in some way will be able to harm, corrupt, or alter you against your will.

A doozy, that one. The others were of a similar level as one would guard my mind from the ravages of sternal life while providing me with a perfect memory and recall. Thankfully, I can control what memories I can recall so that I'm not simultaneously thinking of the worst moments of my life at all times.

The last part of the document for the generic first jump was related to items, and thanks to the drawbacks I took, I gained four of them, two of which would help me personally, while the last two would add to my warehouse. 

Bare Necessities​ (Free to All Origins):

You have a job that pays enough for you to live on, assuming you live simply. You also have a home of some sort, a cheap but decent vehicle of an appropriate type, and the various basic sundries needed to live. Basically, you have a life set up and waiting for you. The job will be something you are capable of performing and that works with your background, and the schedule will be flexible enough that it will not interfere with your normal jump activities.

Security Pass ​(Free for ​The Tourist​):

This name badge will alter itself to be the appropriate credentials to bypass any security. It does not create any background records or add your name to exclusive lists; it just provides a perfect fake credential. How else are you going to get to meet your favorite characters?

Jumper Total Fitness ​(-100cp):

You have access to special workout facilities. These facilities, besides being an absolutely amazing gym, will adjust to provide a good, safe workout for you, no matter how great your physical abilities become. It also includes facilities for safely and effectively training any special abilities you might possess, no matter how powerful or dangerous those abilities are. This attaches to your Warehouse after this Jump.

Workshop​ (-100cp​):

You have access to an excellent workshop, laboratory, office, art studio, or whatever other facility is required for your creations. After this Jump, these will be connected to your Warehouse. Tools and basic materials are supplied, but special or extremely valuable resources must be acquired for yourself.

I would still need to source materials from other jumps, but this was an amazing start. Finally, I went to the list of worlds, which included those I watched at the top. There were only four highlighted, which was sad in a way that I never got to experience these types of entertainment.

Jumper, Chronicle, Hancock, and Aladdin. I watched all four of these as a kid, and they were the only things I could watch after I found them at a yard sale.

I saw the first option and immediately clicked on it because I knew that if I wanted to be free, I would need to embody what I am. A Jumper becoming a Jumper was too perfect an opportunity. 

It was also recommended as an early jump, which I agreed to as the only real negative Force was the paladins that would hunt down the jumpers. So, I began to make my purchases.

The biggest point sink was in the beginning, as it cost 600 points out of my original 1,000, but it was worth it. I mean, I would have the ability to teleport anywhere on the planet with time and practice, and due to my perfect memory, I would never need to worry about visualizing where I needed to go.

The blocks were in place to build something amazing, and then I saw two perks that made this document:

Inscrutable - 400 CP (-200 CP With Drop In):

The Jumpers would never have been so threatened by the Paladins if not for their technology and understanding. Electricity disrupts concentration, causes spasms, and all that, preventing a Jumper from focusing on a destination and making the Jump. As well, the Paladins created technology that allowed them to follow Jumpers through the rips in space left behind in the wake of their Jumps.

This kind of thing won't be a problem for you going forward, however. Your powers are yours​ and no one else's. No one can understand them against your will, let alone suppress or counter them.

Trackless - 400 CP

The Paladins hunt Jumpers to the very ends of the Earth. Once they've found even a hint of their existence, they doggedly pursue them with all of the resources and experience at their disposal.

Fingerprints, hair, money trails, CCTV, the distortions in space your superpowers cause, all these things are like blinking lights leading straight to you.

But not anymore. No matter how many try, no matter the scale of their resources or reach, the strange or esoteric methods of their tracking, you will never be found unless you choose to.

Of course, if you're right in front of someone, then you'll have to get away first. You're not invisible.

Paladins? What Paladins? These two perks would negate their advantage entirely.

I'm not even mentioning how paladins are just trained humans with no special powers other than some decent Tech, but now that the tech can affect me and I'm a master at hiding my tracks, it would just be ten years of enjoying life. I wouldn't be like the main character, David, and jump everywhere. I would have to set up specific jump points using various locations.

The other purchases were minor, such as making it easier for me to jump without a picture and learning more languages at a faster rate. The rest of my points were dumped into three specific items, that being an account for my money that could never be tracked, so I hope those paladins have fun trying to locate all of my money.

The other two were a house that would wait for me and a car with infinite gas. However, it is a bit embarrassing that I'm more excited about having a car that I will never need to pay for. 

Looking over my choices, I had to take some drawbacks, but they were minor in comparison. One would make me more self-centered and would make me less inclined to help people, which I would not have done anyway.

The other would make it so that I could never really explain my circumstances, and knowing my level of social fu, I am going to be going full hermit during this jump by myself.

The last one would just make it so that the paladins would be more vicious in hunting me, but again, they would have to discover my identity as the wording of the drawback never insinuated that they knew I was a jumper in the first place. I could even imagine trolling some of the paladins by jumping in front of them with a mask on and just disappearing over and over again.

If I had a mouth, I would be laughing over and over again.

[I see you have finished with your purchases. Well done, I can see the synergy with them.]

" I was never really very book smart, but I know how to get by." The AI clock then nodded, and the warehouse began to shift before my consciousness faded.

"Will I see you again?" I asked the disappearing floating clock, and it shook its/her head.

[ Also, be aware that I would not recommend staying in your Warehouse all of the time. It is rather unhealthy.]

I simply gave it a spiritual middle finger, and the orange clock disappeared as my new life began.

(When a man is done with life and wants to live. A Jump of faith may be all he needs.)