Vanessa dried her eyes on his shirt and composed herself. She put on a strong facade for her people, but Jared saw through to her fragile state. The years she’d spent holding their group together had taxed her greatly. Jared knew those years were catching up to her, and at any moment she could fold under the strain. Somehow, Jared needed to help her heal, and make sure she could be the leader these people needed. Over the next few days, Jared planned to spend time with her to talk through her issues.
Everyone needed to recover from their ordeal and operate on all cylinders for the next phase of their plans. In contrast to the sober mood of the crowd as they dispersed, Jared felt only excitement.
It’s time to build our army!
Immediately after everyone dispersed, Jared joined Scarlet in the clearing to wait for Carla’s return.
“Where are—”
“There.”
Jared looked up to find the griffon not more than fifty feet away coming in for a landing.
“Scarlet, this griffon is amazing. I can barely hear it. If not for the shift of the air, there’s no way I’d hear it coming.”
“Wherever this creature came from—or whoever created it—designed it in such a way that the wings do not make a sound as it flies.”
“We need a few more of them to build out a scouting force. You know, now I’m thinking of it, we didn’t check that thing’s nest for eggs. Hey, Carla, do you know if there were any eggs in the griffon’s nest?” Jared had to shout before she heard his question.
Laughing, Carla said, “He doesn’t have a mate.”
“Too bad. Can you understand him? Are there more griffons?”
“I—he doesn’t quite understand anything I ask, but if I’m interpreting him correctly, he believes he’s the only one around. But, it’s more like he is the only alpha, maybe? I’m sorry, it’s hard to understand.”
“It’s okay. Maybe Scarlet can have a chat later and understand what he’s saying.” Jared patted Scarlet’s side. “Sorry girl, I hope that’s okay with you?”
“I am intrigued by this creature.”
Some of the water folk saw Carla return and started for the clearing, but she jumped off of her new companion and rushed out to greet those approaching. She held up her hands to forestall the rush of people from surrounding the bird.
“Wait! Please. He’s scared and doesn’t understand what’s happening. He has a sharp mind, but is not intelligent like Scarlet. If you give me some time, I’ll work to make him more comfortable. In the meantime, please give him some space.”
Jared walked over to Carla and agreed with her request, asking for everyone to vacate the area.
“Don’t worry, everyone will get the chance to meet Carla’s new companion in time. We expected that many of these creatures wouldn’t be as intelligent as Scarlet. That will change as their intelligence increases. In the event you bond with a dragon, that won’t be an issue, but any other creature will probably require you to dump their nanites into Mind right away. We’ll discuss plans to get everyone else bonded later.”
The crowd dispersed and Carla and Jared walked over to her griffon. Cautiously, Jared approached the beast with his hand held in front of him. Sniffing, the creature extended its beak to prod his open palm. If not for his hardened skin, the sharp beak might’ve drawn blood. Even with Natural Armor and his Skin Hardening, he felt the razor edges.
As gently and quietly as possible, Jared spoke to him.
“Hello, I am Jared.”
The griffon recoiled at the words but didn’t attack or fly away. It was a start.
“Scarlet?”
Jared beckoned for her to come closer and speak to the griffon. “Carla, let’s give the two of them some time to speak. Right now, your griffon’s mind is primitive, and it would be good if Scarlet could get through to him on an instinctual level.”
Carla hesitated, looking at the griffon in concern.
“It’s okay, I promise. Scarlet won’t let anything bad happen to him.”
Appeased, she followed Jared. He heard a small snippet of telepathy from Scarlet, introducing herself to the griffon. This was all unexplored territory, but he had faith Scarlet could get through to the griffon and it would all work out to their advantage.
“Will he be okay?” asked Carla, the worry obvious in her voice.
“He’ll be okay. We won’t go far. Let’s head up to my quarters there.” Jared pointed up to the open balcony leading to his bedroom. “You’ll be able to see him from there.”
Before they made it to the stairs, Vanessa, Elle, and Kitty joined them. Vanessa ran up to Carla and gave her a hug.
“Are you okay? Did it work? What happened?” Vanessa’s questions tumbled out in a rush.
Laughing good-naturedly, Carla said, “Yes! It worked! My companion is working with Scarlet to understand the changes. He’s...Vanessa, I flew! It was amazing!”
Laughing along with her, Vanessa hugged her again and threw Jared a quick smile.
Jared winked back and motioned up the cliff wall. “We’re headed up to my deck so I can teach Carla how to assign nanites and she can keep an eye on her new friend.” Jared gestured behind him toward the clearing. Together, the four of them ascended the steps to his room. Kitty paused on the steps and nudged Jared.
“May I see?”
“The griffon?”
“Yes.”
“Carla, Kitty would like to go see Scarlet and the griffon. Do you mind?”
“I…will that be okay?”
Jared nodded his head. “I think so. Scarlet has it under control, and Kitty knows enough not to startle him.” Carla nodded her head in agreement and Jared motioned for Kitty to head over to the clearing.
“Scarlet, Kitty is on her way over to you. She wants to join you while you work with the griffon.”
“Very well.”
“All right. Scarlet is okay with it and will make sure everyone stays safe.”
They headed to the balcony and sat across from each other. Vanessa and Elle remained just inside his room on the bed, watching curiously.
“You ready?”
“Yes!” Carla said, giddy with excitement.
“Okay, the first thing you need to do is will your status screen into focus. If you’ve never done it before, you need to relax your gaze and mentally command it to expand in your view.”
The only indication she’d listened to him was a slight widening of her eyes when the status came into focus.
“You’ll notice that there are quite a few new options besides the countdown timer. There are two primary categories, Mind and Body. When I first enhanced myself, I focused on physical enhancements and augments since it was just Scarlet and I facing down beasts. In hindsight, I wish I’d focused on some mental attributes, but I’m fairly certain the physical changes saved my life many times. As you can see, it’s a tough choice and one you must make on your own. However, I’d recommend you focus on Mind first.”
The lesson went on for some time as Jared outlined the various ways to enhance mental attributes. Unfortunately for Carla, she didn’t have a wicked smart companion like Scarlet, so she didn’t get the breakdown of categories and different ways to assign the nanites. They needed to experiment to see if she could force certain categories like specific senses or intelligence. As it stood, she had Mind and Body, and that was it.
It didn’t really surprise him, since he’d had Scarlet to understand the additional categories. Clearly, this griffon wasn’t smart in the same sense. Jared had no doubt he was a keen predator and sharp enough to stay on top of the food chain, but that didn’t equate to intelligence and rational thought. Since Carla had none of that to work with, Jared went through all the categories available to him, and described each of them. If, and when, she understood the nanites enough she’d understand all the ways to use them.
“Honestly, Carla, I think this will be a lot of trial and error. I’ve no idea the dispersion of nanites when assigning all to Mind. Nor do I know how long it’ll take until you gain sufficient awareness of them to isolate different parts of your mind and body for enhancements. Like I said earlier, I don’t think you should worry about physical changes just yet. I understand you’d want to reverse modifications made by Razael, but without an understanding, there’s no way you’d be able to assign the nanites into Remodeling and direct them to counter the changes.
“Let’s push everything into Mind for now since you’re unable to put anything into Body Manipulation and Regeneration. I’d recommend doing the same for your griffon. At least until you both understand everything and can make more informed decisions.”
“Now? Didn’t you and Scarlet wait until you slept?” Carla voice held a note of fear.
“We did, but you can assign them now. They’re programmed not to begin until the host is unconscious. I don’t think you’ll experience any pain. I had unique circumstances with Scarlet and her mother, such that the pain I felt was likely much worse than anything you’d go through. It might not be painful for you at all. Though, we heard you scream during the bonding with your griffon. Was that pain? Fear?”
“Definitely pain. At first nothing happened. I could feel a slight tingling over my body for several minutes, and then the message from Professor Igor showed up. As soon as I finished reading it, an intense burning covered my whole body. It felt like I was on fire. My body tensed, and for a moment I thought I’d fall off, but then you showed up to help. Even now, it feels like I have a terrible sunburn over my whole body, but from the inside out.” Carla shivered at the memory.
Jared assumed it was like his experiences when he bonded, again, when Alestrialia had “assessed” him, and finally with the Godzilla worm and lake. Pain seemed a constant companion for him ever since finding Scarlet, but the pain brought with it some major advantages Jared wouldn’t trade for anything.
“Okay, go ahead and make your selections.”
Carla squinted in concentration. A slight widening of her eyes was the only outward indication she’d pulled up her status screen. She read her screen out loud.
Carla – Nanites Available: 100%
Mind – 100%
Body – 0%
“Done.”
“Excellent. Once the two of you undergo the enhancements tonight, we’ll see what changes for you and if you’re able to unlock or understand more categories. Since you don’t have Scarlet’s help, it will be up to you to create the categories when you understand them sufficiently. We’ll see what this current batch does and if you’re ready, I’ll make a trek down to the lake with you. There’s a lot of nanites there, and you’ll be able to absorb as many as your body can handle in one sitting, but never, ever go down there by yourself. If you can’t break the connection, it’ll burn out your body.”
Jared painted a grim picture, but he needed her to understand the risks, stomping out any notion she might have of rapidly enhancing herself. “Scarlet and I experienced the start of that burnout multiple times and found out the hard way that only a forced removal from the source will stop the flow of nanites.”
Wide-eyed, Carla nodded her head vigorously. “I promise I won’t go down to the lake without you.”
“Last thing. I’d like for you to sleep up here. I want to keep an eye on you throughout the night and make sure you’re safe. Scarlet will do the same with your griffon. I recommend you eat a big meal and send your griffon to do the same before nightfall. Normally, the meal is more important when enhancing Body, but it’d be a good idea to prepare for any eventuality.”
Carla made to leave and do Jared’s bidding, but he stopped her. “You should be able to communicate from here.”
“Really, how?”
“You already know how to use telepathy with touch. It’s the same way with your companion. Focus on the bond you share and push your words in the same way you do through touch. This will only work with your companion because of the bond. We’re close enough you should be able to reach him. When you’ve upgraded telepathy more, then you’ll be able to project thoughts to anyone, like myself and Scarlet, without touching them.”
Carla wrinkled her brow in concentration, creases appearing on her forehead and the corners of her mouth. The intense concentration on the little woman made him smile. Carla appeared to give everything her all. She held nothing back when putting her mind to a task. The moment Carla’s eyes lit up in joy, Jared knew she’d heard her companion.
“Okay, now, tell him to remain with Scarlet. She’ll accompany him to find food. Then, have him come right back here and stay with her overnight. Guessing by the size of your creature, he no doubt has a lot of unassigned nanites and the changes he’ll undergo tonight will significantly improve his mental prowess. Let’s hope it’s sufficient for him to understand at a more cognitive level.”
Wrapping up, they walked back into his bedroom to join Vanessa and Elle, who had eavesdropped on their conversation. They’d sat in rapt attention, drinking in his words. Elle seemed especially thoughtful as she fiddled with something none of them could see.
“Elle?”
“I work on Mind. We got more nanite hunting done while you went with Scarlet. I make changes like you say too.” Jared grinned at Elle and Vanessa. Ever since she’d moved into his living space, it felt like having a little sister. Their biggest challenge was education. She’d also picked up a lot of bad habits during the years spent with Kitty, and it would take quite some time before her knowledge caught up to her age.
“We will go hunt now.”
“Thanks for letting me know. Please stay safe out there, and make sure Carla’s griffon—” He wanted to say make sure he doesn’t escape, but Scarlet beat him to the punch.
“I will not let him or Kitty out of my sight.”
“Thanks.”
Jared returned his attention to Carla and Elle. “Scarlet is taking our companions out on a hunt. They’ll be out for a few hours.”
Carla protested, but he anticipated her argument with a raised hand.
“I know you’re concerned, but I promise you that Scarlet will take care of him. She’s promised not to let him out of her sight.”
Although the words calmed her some, Carla still looked worried. Any time he and Scarlet were apart for any length of time, that same worry set in. It wasn’t strong now, especially as she was just out on a hunt, but he understood Carla’s fear. The worst experience of separation had been when Razael nearly overtook his mind. Though Scarlet had remained by his side for the weeks under his influence, they couldn’t talk or share anything across their bond. It had been a miserable experience and not one he ever wanted to repeat.
“Jared?” Vanessa beckoned at him from their doorway. “It looks like everyone’s out here waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“They want to know the plans for bonding. You did tell everyone you’d brief us.”
“Right, sorry. I didn’t think that meant tonight. All right, let’s do this, then.” Jared left his room with Elle and Carla in tow.
“Thank you for coming, everyone. I know all of you are excited about Carla’s new companion and want to get a closer look at him. Again, thank you for heeding our wishes to give him some space. The griffon’s mind is predatory. Although intelligent in its own way, it does not have an intellect like Scarlet, or even the mind that Kitty developed over the years. It will take time before it can achieve that level of cognizance. Please consult with me or Carla before you attempt to approach...” Jared paused. He tired of calling it “the griffon.”
He glanced behind him at Carla. “Do you have a name yet?”
Blushing, Carla looked down and whispered his name. “Attis.”
Jared had never heard of the name before and wondered at its meaning. Curious,
he reached out to Scarlet and informed her of Carla’s choice.
“Scarlet, Carla has chosen the name Attis for her companion.”
“A fitting name.”
“You know what it means?”
“It means handsome. My mother was a fan of Greek mythology and became fascinated with their time period. The term dragon is of Greek origin—”
“Sorry,” Jared interrupted. “I would love the history lesson, but I’m in the middle of speaking with everyone. Let’s chat later tonight?”
“As you wish.”
Picking up where he left off, Jared continued. “Please ask Carla before you approach Attis. It is a fitting name that means handsome. You’ll see that she chose well when you’re able to get a close-up view of him. He really is incredible. He’s also very fast and stealthy. On our way back, Carla flew circles around Scarlet and me.
“Now, the main reason you’re all here.” Jared’s voice had an edge of seriousness to it. Everyone stopped their side conversations, and the room went silent. “The bonding for Carla differed significantly from my experience, and it could’ve ended badly. The nanites did not affect Attis right away, and he leaped into the air with Carla on his back. It was everything she could do just to hang on while he flew in erratic patterns through the air.
“Not only that, but while she was on Attis, a drop ship flew overhead. I don’t think Scarlet showed that to you earlier, but no doubt you all heard the ship and hid like we practiced.” Many heads nodded around the room in agreement. “Thankfully, it didn’t appear as though they saw Carla clinging to the griffon’s back. If they had...”
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 3