Unity

by Carl Stubblefield

  He had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths to calm himself of the panic that threatened to overtake him. Actions had consequences. As if his grandfather was lecturing his recent folly, the words returned to him again, almost accusingly.

  …There is always responsibility, regardless of whether there is great power or not.

  Gus sat reeling, glad no one could see him sitting there in the virtual sand.

  What the hell am I doing? One of these times I won’t get lucky and other people are going to pay for it.

  Being a super was no joke and he couldn’t just keep making things up as he went. It would only work for so long. How close had he come to dooming Prime to a life of possible slavery, all because she trusted him to be competent enough to get the job done? What would happen to her daughter when Mom mysteriously disappeared? What other things did the Crew keep to themselves that made the frivolous risks Gus was taking much bigger gambles than even he knew?

  He needed to get to know the others better. Despite how uncomfortable that made him feel, it was his duty and they deserved it. They had earned the right to have him know the stakes which depending on him required. Gus looked down at the gem he was clutching in his hand. His hand gripped it tightly, the strain of his guilt manifesting in his clenched fist.

  I will do better. I have to do better. I need to make some plans and find some direction for a change.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Under Pressure

  Gus opened his eyes and looked at Prime just inches away. Blinking, he wondered how long he was under for this time.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Get in there and get the information,” Prime said through grit teeth, pulled ostensibly in a forced smile for those watching them.

  “How long was I gone?”

  “Gone? You didn’t go anywhere.” The light pink fur bunched on her furrowed forehead, and Gus could tell she was having some doubts in putting her faith in him.

  Totally justified doubts, Gus thought.

  “I mean, how long have I zoned out for? It felt like I was in for a couple of hours.”

  “Are you joking? You just asked Aurora to watch over you, and then I said ‘be safe in there,’ and then you closed your eyes and opened them. That’s it. You’re telling me you got it? That quickly?”

  “I… I guess so. Time in these cubes is trippy and weird—”

  “You’re totally certain? Do you need to check? I don’t want to tell them we have it if we really don’t…”

  “Let me double check,” Gus pulled up his display, noting with comfort that everything was back to normal. Living without a display was unsettling. It was such a part of his life now that he felt incomplete without it.

  “Nick, a little help, please,” Gus asked mentally and Nick highlighted the tabs and settings to open. Sure enough there was a yellow file and a directory he could tell was the Quorian cube, just like a remote drive.

  “I got it, Prime. Confirmed.”

  She nodded and turned away from him to face the court.

  “We have the information agreed upon. I will stay while my companions follow up on your proposed lead. Upon their return, we will exchange the information and our transaction will be done.”

  “Fine,” Prime’s father growled through pursed lips. With a nod, the gorilla steward proceeded forward and handed something to Gus, bowing and then returning to his place.

  Prime’s mother leaned forward, as if she were about to pounce, eyes widening as she unconsciously licked her lips. “Do not trifle with us, manchild. We expect you back within a day, or I will send my hunters after you.” She sniffed the air while staring directly at Gus. “I have your scent. It has been too long since we have had a hunt, and my hunters would thirst for prey of your ‘variety.’ If you are not back, my daughter stays with us and I will have your head on my wall as a trophy. Have no doubt of that, little rabbit.”

  Gus locked eyes with the cheetah woman, determined not to lose the stare down, but Aurora gently grabbed his arm and coaxed him to leave. Unwillingly, he turned and let her lead him out.

  The rusty door slammed shut behind them, Sir Rhino taking more confidence now that Prime was no longer with them. He definitely was using more force than was necessary to close the door in as obnoxious a way as possible. The three stood there staring at the empty alcove where their ship had been, totally vacant. Attempts to raise anyone on comms were met with silence.

  “Well that’s just great,” Aurora blurted, stomping her feet and clutching her fists beside her.

  “I know! It’s been one of those days,” Gus added.

  “Okay, everyone stay calm. It’s probably nothing. Let’s not assume the worst. They could be circling around, having to make way for some other delivery or something similar.”

  “No, it is bad as you expect,” a voice whispered into Gus’ ear.

  “Gaaa!” Gus swat reflexively at the disembodied voice as Grimdark phased into view. The ghostly voice elicited a squeak from Aurora at his sudden appearance which quickly transformed into anger.

  “You do that on purpose, you creep! You know everyone hates it!” Aurora fumed.

  Grimdark just smiled sardonically and shrugged.

  “Transport had to leave. Competitors found us and were very mad. They arrive and offer disappeared, being marked fulfilled. Since Crew parked right outside the doorstep, you see. I vanish while they fled, leading others away. Almost one hour ago and no communication since.”

  “Damn you, Leto! This whole job sucks. We can’t win for losing!” Aurora griped.

  “Do not kill messenger,” Grimdark remarked, shrugging again.

  “Well, what do we do? Fly on our own?” Gus suggested, stepping between Aurora and Grimdark.

  Grimdark raised a finger. “I slow you down, so will stay here.”

  “Anyone have any better ideas?”

  “Waiting isn’t really a great option, as we are once again on a time limit. I’d say rent another car, but I don’t know how we’d do that without Yuki’s help. Or how we’d pay for it.” Gus put his hands on his hips and looked up into the ever-present fog, trying to think of what to do next.

  “Where are we even going, Gus?”

  Gus took a closer look at the item in his hands. Gus followed the prompts and found another entry next to the Quorian cube. Opening it, he found the drive the ape steward had given him had a single file with map coordinates. He slid the nav-point to his companions. “I don’t know what Kenway is, but that’s the next stop on the tour.”

  “How do we get there though? We can’t fly and maintain any kind of stealth,” Aurora added.

  “We walk,” Tempest replied without emotion. “Look at the coordinates, we can make it from here.”

  Gus looked at the dark alleys ahead of them, and a rumble of thunder mirrored what he was feeling inside.

  “Let’s go.” Tempest began walking down a gangway leading off into the gloom. Aurora looked at Gus, grimaced, and then followed. Another rumble of thunder followed by almost instantaneous rain was the cherry on top as Gus blinked and shook his head.

  “Okay, I guess we’re doing this,” he muttered as he stepped past the others. He clicked the coordinates on his display and blue chevrons appeared along the path to indicate where to travel. The small size of the number indicating the destination further dampened his mood.

  The group began traversing narrow alleyways that provided dubious support, as they were connected to the adjoining walls with rusty plates. Every once in a while, Gus would peek between the gap between the ground and the buildings and see a glimpse of something zipping by below, illuminating the mists as whatever it was sped by. The gap was a good six inches, maybe not enough to fall through, but one could easily lose something if they were careless.

  Despite the aged and weathered walls, there was no rubbish to be found littering the alleyways. Either it was washed away by the ever-present rains or there were stiff penalties for dropping trash into the void, as it
could hit someone or something. Maybe they have their own version of the beachcomber robots.

  Besides there being no trash in the alleys and passageways they snaked through on the way to their destination, they were relatively abandoned. Perhaps they were at a high enough level in Hinansho that the powers that be had “managed” the homeless population, forcing them to a more suitable level where they would be out of sight and out of mind.

  With the amount of rain that was constantly falling on their path, he doubted anyone would stay in this particular stretch of alleyways for long unless they had an established shelter. As if in response to his thoughts, the rain began to fall harder, rattling off the sheet metal roofs like a sustained paradiddle.

  The trip soon became monotonous, tall buildings blocking anything but the narrow path ahead, then splitting and continuing. Occasionally, they would be moving upwards, other times they were making a series of labyrinthine turns, trusting the directions to lead them to their destination. While the rain let up on occasion, at times a drain emptied in the center of the path, and it was impossible to avoid as the drainage water from above hit the path and splashed everything in a large radius. One just had to embrace the fact that they were going to be wet and miserable as long as they traveled these alleys and walkways.

  Gus rubbed his tongue along his front teeth, wishing he could at least use some shielding to keep the rain from constantly falling and pulling his hair into his eyes. Whether it was the foul weather or the cold, his headache returned. It started at the base of his skull and began to creep up over his head, turning the driving rain into a unique variation of Chinese water torture. As it progressed, he began to feel crushing pressure from his temples.

  He shook his head to flick off some rainwater and the pain flared, driving deeper into his head.

  “Gus, your neurotransmitters are taking a huge dip,” Nick advised.

  “Of all times.” Gus sighed as he swiped water off his face, wary of moving his head too much.

  “Evaluating the feedback from the Mandrite core event, I have been trying to determine what alleviates and what exacerbates the effects. Using the Telepathy skill provided the most significant benefits. Perhaps this allows your brain to sync to a normal baseline somehow and reset, to an extent. Thus allowing you a reprieve from the psychic stress of the excess abilities pushing for assimilation.”

  “Probably not the best option with everyone wide awake, Nick,” Gus thought in reply.

  “After this, Ether Crafting offers a benefit, followed by your use of Electric Mind in conjunction with the Quorian cube. But these are an order of magnitude less than Telepathy.”

  “Anything to make this go away,” Gus pinched his eyes shut and had to lean over and take some deep breaths when a nasty surge of nausea-inducing pain blurred his vision.

  Aurora turned, pulling a large swath of wet hair behind her ear. Seeing Gus bracing himself on his knees about fifty feet back, she signaled for Tempest to stop.

  “Gus, are you okay?” she asked, jogging over to him. He only lifted a finger, unable to respond with his eyes screwed shut. After a minute, he gasped as whatever was bothering him ebbed.

  “What is going on? Gus, talk to me!”

  “I… I don’t know,” Gus lied. “Stress headache, I think. The rain isn’t helping, either.”

  “It’s been a stressful mission; it can be very overwhelming,” Tempest confirmed. “We’re getting close, do you need us to help you walk?”

  “Nah, it is fading a bit more now. I think I can make it. Let’s just go before it comes back.” Gus groaned, forcing himself to stand.

  Tempest nodded, giving Gus a pat on the back. “You let me know if it starts again. We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us. Got it? We’ll get BoJack to take a look at you as soon as we all meet up. I’m hoping we get the information and we can all get the hell out of here. I’ve had enough of Hinansho to last me a lifetime.” Tempest waved Gus forward and they continued on their slog.

  He knew they were watching him, keeping an eye on him in case he stumbled or showed any signs of relapse. At first it was irritating, but as time progressed, he began to doubt if he wouldn’t pass out at an inopportune moment.

  As Gus checked the distance to destination, Tempest was right, they were much closer now. Gus picked up his speed, eager to be finished. The alley finally spilled out into a wider courtyard area. Repurposed bits of technology and materials were used to great effect, and the group began to see more individuals stirring about.

  The presence of augments and hybrids, even disheveled and dirty, lifted Gus’ spirits a bit, making him feel more secure they were on the right path, despite the display’s mapping trail being ever-present. The lack of locals in the alleys set him on edge for some reason in such a big, bustling city. Even this group in the courtyard seemed to cluster together, as they opened their tiny stores and workshops which appeared to double as their homes in the off hours.

  Following the blue chevrons, this area of Hinansho became more and more developed, giving way to actual storefronts and more foot traffic. At the end of a large intersection, they realized they were at their destination. A large transport resembling a pirate ship was embedded into the nearby shops. With the overgrowth of shops and walkways that stretched overhead to different buildings, the ship’s traveling days were long past, but it was an impressive sight by its sheer size.

  A large gangplank led up to the second story opening. A garish holographic sign lit up letter by letter, announcing they had arrived.

  Chapter Forty

  Jack Sparrow

  Walking off the gangway, they stepped onto the creaky wooden floor and took in the ambiance of Kenway’s place.

  The esthetic was decidedly nautical—to the extreme. Though it would have no place on an actual transport, there was a large wooden mast in the center of the room, and upon the bow an individual that could only be Kenway sat in a large throne. He was obviously an augment, and he pet a large tiger at his side as he watched his men work.

  Different hybrids were rushing to and fro, stacking items into different piles as they assembled orders. Crates were loaded and checked, wrapped with a dark cellophane, then transferred to levitating pallets.

  “Aaah, I get it now,” Gus hit his head, nodding. “I wondered why Kenway sounded familiar.” as he took in the decor.

  “Does he have a gun instead of a peg-leg?” Aurora whispered, squinting as she looked up at the figure.

  “It’s an RPD, and my scan shows that it works,” Tempest confirmed.

  “I haven’t seen someone who screams ‘I’m overcompensating for something’ like this in quite a while,” Aurora said while shaking her head.

  Tempest elbowed her. “Not the time…”

  “Sorry,” she whispered, eyes looking back at Kenway, trying to detect if he had heard her with some augmented senses, despite being over two hundred feet away.

  Curled up by the side of the throne was a large tiger. Gus noticed it also equipped a similar, albeit electronic, eyepatch. The large animal raised its head and peered at them with hungry eyes. Well, one hungry eye and the other emanated a ruby colored beam, with servos enlarging and constricting around the synthetic eye.

  Seeing them enter, Kenway motioned them forward with a mechanical hand. Gus could see different attachments folded along Kenway’s forearm, among them a blade, a hydraulic clamp, and other attachments he couldn’t make out from this vantage.

  As the group approached, it was more evident that the throne was the head of some large robot, the lower jaw jutting forward to form the base of the seat. Kenway leaned forward and spread his arms wide.

  “What can I do for you today, my esteemed guests?”

  “We are looking for someone; we were told she was in Hinansho.” Tempest said, stepping forward.

  “Well then you have come to the right place!” Kenway said as he sprang to his feet. Or foot, in his particular case. “That is what I do. I find things, often very difficult
things, and match them with those who want them.” He held a finger out as if lecturing a naughty child. “One thing I must ask though, who referred you to me? It determines your rate. My services are not exactly inexpensive…”

  “The Aslan clan sent us.” Aurora admitted, her eyes betraying her distrust of the man.

  A stormy expression darkened the cyborg’s features for the briefest of seconds, then warmed back to his used-car salesman grin.

  “I… owe them some favors. I assume they gave you something to find me?” He held out his multi-tool hand; the articulated human hand folded back and an extension with a USB port and other connectors folded out in its place.

  Gus fished out the drive and stepped up to plug it in.

  “Aah, yes. There it is. Ooh. You must have done something substantial; this is a valuable marker. This pays off a sizable portion of what I owe, so consider me your humble servant. I do believe I can help you. If this person you seek is in Hinansho, I can tell you where they are. I am probably one of the few people who could do this, so the clan was wise to send you to me. Come, let us discuss the details and I will get started.”

  Tempest stepped forward and Kenway motioned him to follow. The large throne, which was obviously a death’s head now that it was unoccupied, was a large helm with wooden spokes extending around. With an adjustment, the wheel rotated horizontally to form a table. The center irised open to reveal a large circular screen.