“We got it then?” I asked.
“Yeah, you got it,” Ward said. “And you saved my life. I owe you . . . so much. Thank you.”
I was embarrassed by the praise. It was unexpected. “I’m pretty sure I owe you for saving my life. Shoulders or not, there was a real chance I would have died from blood loss if you weren’t there. Speaking of, how am I healed?” I remembered Ward was there when I was first affected by the Nano-virus, but I didn’t think he did anything at the time. I also thought he was a medical professional and not a healer. This was before I knew anything about people having superpowers.
Ward smiled, “Then I suppose this bit of information will make us even. I have two abilities. One is Barriers and the other is Wards. I know it sounds strange to say they are considered different abilities given the words mean more or less the same thing. Except that my interpretation of the abilities is different. My Wards reject damage. Therefore, I placed a ward over your wound and the damage was rejected, effectively healing you. With my other ability, I use my Barriers to prevent damage.”
Ward was right. It was strange. Intriguing, but strange.
“Alright, enough already, Davis has food waiting for him,” Hammer said. “And you better cultivate every bite or I’m going to snap you like a twig. Am I clear?”
“Got it, cultivating every bite,” I promised.
Focusing on cultivating every bite was probably the only thing that kept me from vomiting after every bite. It was nasty. The meat was tough as hell and tasted like a leather shoe coated in urine. Still, I cultivated every last bite. When it was done, I still wanted to puke.
Then came the moment of truth. I gave the mental command, status.
Davis Malory
Aliases: N/A
Occupation: N/A
Alignment: Neutral
Milestone: 18th
Nano: 1,763,471/1,975,000
Body
Athleticism: 13
- Strength: Average
- Agility: Above Average
- Accuracy: Above Average
- Speed: Above Average (2/10)
- Stamina: Average
Resistance: 2
- Physical Resistance: Average (1/10)
- Energy Resistance: Above Average
- Mental Resistance: Above Average
Recovery: 1
- Physical Injury: Average
- Nano Energy: Average
Ability
Power: 41
- Time: Average
Time Compression: 65%
- Space: Above Average
Void Burst: 3.5-Uses at Maximum Size
Spatial Awareness: Passive senses may be enhanced for up to 5-Seconds
Control: 64
- Time: Average
Time Compression: 20-Seconds Uncompressed Time
- Space: Below Good (13/25)
Void Burst: up to a 68-Foot Range and up to a 5.8-Inch Diameter
Spatial Awareness: up to 68-Foot Range
I was . . . shocked. More than shocked. How was this even possible? If I was reading this correctly, I just gained 24-enhancements to my power and 47-enhancements to my control. More, I got 5-enhancements to my speed as well, which explained how that little monster was able to react to me so quickly.
“What? What’s wrong?” Light asked, shaking me from my study of my status. “Did you not get enough?”
I shook my head, not sure how to answer.
“Well, don’t leave us in suspense,” Hammer butted in. “Spit it out. What did you gain?”
I told them.
“You want to repeat that?” Hammer requested.
I told them again.
“Are you two hearing the same crazy numbers I am?” Hammer asked, looking to an equally stunned Light and Ward.
“It shouldn’t be possible, right?” Light asked, finally saying something.
“I’ve never heard of the like,” Ward replied. “But then again, how many bother hunting beasts specific to their ability.”
“Okay, tomorrow we’re going after an elequake,” Hammer said instantly.
“What’s an elequake?” I asked.
“A very large beast that can cause minor earthquakes with every step it takes,” Ward answered, then mumbled under his breath about searching for something called an armadeer.
“Think we could find a phoenix?” Light asked, sounding hopeful.
“Phoenix?” I asked, that was something out of legend, wasn’t it?
“Sometimes called the sunbird,” Light answered not really explaining anything.
“Are these all rare and extremely difficult to hunt beasts?” I asked.
“Yes,” Hammer replied with a nod. “Though, I’ll need to get approval to change locations,” Hammer mumbled and clicked his tongue, pouting he added, “Major Miracle will never approve it.”
“I’m just going to go see if I can make a portal now,” I said, slowly backing away from the crazy heroes.
I made my way to the top of the wall and had a seat. I may be able to cultivate with my eyes open now but trying to figure out new abilities required focus. It didn’t take long to follow the path and feel out my Nanos. This time, portals came easy to me. I had more than enough power to tear a hole in space and step through unimpeded though I only went from one end of the wall to the other. I had a feeling I could go quite a bit further than that, but it was enough to test my ability.
Then I thought about what that warp hunter was able to do, which made me wonder if that was something I could do as well. And according to my Nanos I could.
Power: 41
- Space: Above Average
Portal: up to 3.5-Foot Diameter
Teleport: 3.5-Uses
Control: 64
- Space: Below Good (13/25)
Portal: Travel 0.48-Mile Range
Teleport: 68-Foot Range
That made me grin. I could Teleport. I could use Teleport almost four times. That was incredible to me. Sure, it didn’t have much range, but it didn’t need a lot of range. I had Portals to travel distances.
And of course, now that I had a new toy to play with, I was going to enjoy it. Get down from the wall? No problem, Teleport. Move to the cookfire? Easy, Teleport. Scare Hammer in a way that makes him scream like a little kid? Unbelievably easy, Teleport.
I never slept so well as I did that night. I was regretting my actions the next morning when Hammer got a little payback.
“Well now that Davis is a master of his abilities, I figure we can let him do the heavy lifting from now on,” Hammer said, smirking in victory. “Also, you’ve got about a week to get your Milestone up where it needs to be. Good luck, I’m going back to bed.”
20
The windowless vehicle bothered me this time. I had spent so much time outside over the last few weeks, that being closed in was uncomfortable. I earned my 31st Milestone just that morning. I was as ready as I was ever going to be at that point. Between the food and tougher beasts, I had gained quite a few additional points, not to mention the enhancements I spent with each Milestone.
Davis Malory
Aliases: N/A
Occupation: N/A
Alignment: Neutral
Milestone: 31st
Nano: 7,501,135/7,875,000
Body
Athleticism: 25
- Strength: Average (3/10)
- Agility: Above Average
- Accuracy: Above Average
- Speed: Below Good
- Stamina: Average (1/10)
Resistance: 3
- Physical Resistance: Average (2/10)
- Energy Resistance: Above Average
- Mental Resistance: Above Average
Recovery: 6
- Physical Injury: Average
- Nano Energy: Average (5/10)
Ability
Power: 64
- Time: Average
Time Compression: 65%
- Space: Below Good (13/25)
Void Burst: 5.8-Uses at
Maximum Size
Spatial Awareness: Passive senses may be enhanced for up to 5-Seconds
Portal: up to 5.8-Foot Diameter
Teleport: 5.8-Uses
Control: 64
- Time: Average
Time Compression: 20-Seconds Uncompressed Time
- Space: Below Good (13/25)
Void Burst: up to a 68-Foot Range and up to a 5.8-Inch Diameter
Spatial Awareness: up to 68-Foot Range
Portal: Travel 0.48-Mile Range
Teleport: 68-Foot Range
Ward interrupted my review of my status, saying, “We’ll be meeting with Major Miracle as soon as we get back.”
I nodded in understanding, then asked, “How much have you told him about my status?”
“Not much,” Hammer said. “Your growth is unusual thanks to the warp hunter you consumed. That beast must have been at least a 70th Milestone with probably a Master rank in its Teleport ability, not to mention its Speed.”
“Will we be informing him of everything when we get back?” I asked.
Hammer shrugged. “It’s up to you really. The only thing he’s going to care about is that you now have the ability to create portals.”
I nodded again and waited. Not fifteen minutes later the vehicle came to a stop and the door opened. It looked like an underground parking garage and based on the half dozen windowless boxes all around me, I assumed that’s exactly what it was.
Further inside the building, I met Major Miracle and another man I didn’t know inside of a conference room.
Major Miracle started with a simple, “Welcome back, Mr. Malory. I hope your time in the wilds wasn’t overly harrowing.”
Great, I thought with a roll of the eyes, we were back to what I had come to call ‘Hero Speak’. Trying to suppress my annoyance, I said, “Those monsters will provide nightmare fuel for years to come, thanks for that.”
The Major looked surprised by my reply, as if he expected me to alleviate his guilt in some way. “I am sorry for the circumstances that brought us to this point, I truly am.”
Not wanting to go into it any further, I changed the subject. “What’s next? The sooner this ‘mission’ is done, the sooner I can go home.”
Major Miracle nodded. “I understand, allow me to introduce you to Para-Hypno,” he said, motioning to the man next to him.
Para-Hypno was shorter than the Major by a head. He had a thick five o’clock shadow that could almost be called a beard. The rest of his face was hidden by a black body suit that covered his hair and eyes, not that you could see much of his eyes under the wide-brimmed brown hat. All this was finished off by a long brown trench coat. His look felt like something out of an old detective noir film.
I was about to greet him when he cut me off with, stating firmly, “Skip the pleasantries. I am here to prep you to become Dr. Portal. Starting now, that is what everyone will call you. Get used to it. If you don’t respond immediately to that name, you’re as good as dead. Am I clear, Dr. Portal?”
I nodded.
Para continued, “Second, if you’re going to be Dr. Portal, you need to speak like him, walk like him, and if you can squeeze enough brain cells together, think like him.”
I didn’t care for his insulting me like that, but I accepted what he said. I asked, “And do you have any recording or video of him I can study?”
Para grunted, tilting his head to the side. “Well, you already sound like him, but I suppose that makes sense, you are his doppelganger. Alright, come with me,” he said, walking to the door only to pause and look back, stating, “Only him.”
I hadn’t noticed at first but Light, Ward, and Hammer had all started to follow along. None of them seem to like being told to stay behind until Major Miracle said, “You three stay here, we have some things to go over.”
I followed Para higher into the building and into a small office. “Alright, Dr. Portal. Before we begin, let me make a few things absolutely clear. I don’t trust you. I think you might be the real Dr. Portal and you’re just using us. I don’t know how you lost all your Milestones or how you became younger, but I know it’s you.”
I was startled by the accusation. “But I’m not him,” I protested lamely.
Para snorted. “So you claim,” he said harshly. He took a deep calming breath before speaking again, “But I have my orders, even if they are a complete waste of my time. So, let’s get to work.”
I didn’t have much choice in the matter.
Para set what looked like an old slide projector on his desk and aimed it at the wall. “This was your debut as a villain,” he said, flicking a switch on the projector and a video came to life. It was me, a little older than I am now. I wore a light purple bodysuit with some kind of pistol strapped to my thigh. My head was uncovered, except for my eyes which had a simple domino style mask, at least I think that’s what the mask was called.
“Greetings, citizens of New Haven,” I shouted to a scared looking crowd of people, or the me on the screen shouted. Dr. Portal was standing on top of a counter and addressing a scared crowd.
“Is that a bank?” I asked.
“Yes,” Para answered.
“Who’s filming this?” I asked as the video shook.
Para sighed, sounding annoyed, but he answered, “We don’t know. The video was handed over to the heroes after you got away.”
I wanted to ask more but the me on the screen seemed to be done scanning the crowd. “I . . . am Dr. Portal,” he shouted. “If you could not already tell, I am a villain . . . no, a supervillain. Today begins my bid to conquer New Haven, and you are but a steppingstone to taking over the world!”
“Do all villains sound so . . . cliché?” I asked.
“Yes, you do,” Para answered. “It’s good for scaring the citizens, makes them more compliant.”
“It’s ridiculous,” I said.
Para snorted. “I agree, but the psychology of speaking this way has been ingrained into society. Heroes speak one way to reassure and calm, Villains speak another, though very similar way, to get a different reaction. It’s something we learn as children. Now, stop talking and pay attention,” he finished, pointing firmly at the screen.
One of the citizens stood up, looking angry, he shouted, “The heroes will stop you. You won’t get away with this.”
Dr. Portal grinned viciously and said, “They can try.” Suddenly a portal opened under the citizen that spoke and the man fell through. Another portal opened near the ceiling and the man fell out, landing on the hard floor with a crunch and howling in pain, both of his legs clearly broken.
Looking back to the crowd, Dr. Portal asked, “Anyone else want to praise the heroes?”
The video cut off a moment later.
“Was the man okay?” I asked.
“He was fine,” Para replied, ejecting something from the projector and replacing it. It looked like a cassette tape but more cubed.
Then I asked something I was afraid to ask, but it needed to be asked anyway. “Has . . . has Dr. Portal ever killed anyone?”
“Not that we know of,” Para answered absentmindedly as he tried to force the square cube thing into the projector. He grumbled under his voice, “I hate this device. Damned cubes never go in right.”
“Can you tell me more about him?” I asked.
“Don’t know much about him. He appeared about five years ago. Never knew his real identity. He was probably from another fortress city and moved here. If he has any relations, he probably left them behind to keep them safe. He’s never killed in the public eye, but that’s not to say he hasn’t done so in private. There are more than a few unsolved murders where we can’t figure out how someone got into or out of a high-security area,” Para answered, then sighed before continuing, “Look, Dr. Portal was a middling villain at best. But he was smart and careful. His ability to open portals made him popular with a lot of higher-powered villains. Still, he never partnered with any of the really dangerous villains, at least not that
we know of.”
“I see,” I said slowly, digesting what I’d just been told.
“Ah, finally, stupid device,” Para said triumphantly, flicking a switch and starting another video.
Hours passed with plenty of footage to be viewed. I got to see how Dr. Portal fought. I rarely saw him use the pistol and when he did, he wounded, not killed. He liked to use the portals . . . a lot. I noticed that when someone shot at him with something, be it a bullet or an energy projectile, he always teleported it behind himself and angled at the ground so it wouldn’t carry further and possibly injure someone not involved. It was an interesting dichotomy. He was a villain, but it seemed like he did everything he could to avoid permanently injuring anyone.
“Alright, now we come to the most interesting footage,” Para said with an excited grin as he exchanged cubes, this time without any fuss.
Planet Hero- Civilian Page 14