Sidekick

by Carl Stubblefield

  “Well, what do you want to know?”

  “Everything. What did she look like?” Gus hung on her next words, vaguely aware that he probably was acting creepy or weird, but not caring.

  Aurora felt a pang of sadness that he had lost even that simple knowledge. Her own mother’s slack face on the couch was as clear to her as if it had happened yesterday. Why did Daphne have to remind me of that? Sometimes forgetting is good. She shook the memory away and began. “She was about my height, maybe an inch taller. She had brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair with blonde highlights. She liked to sing a lot too, I remember that.”

  As she spoke, a memory floated to the surface of Gus’ mind.

  The whole family was sitting together, watching one of the Generations channels. They specialized in only playing movies, music and TV shows of a particular decade. Mom’s favorite was the 80’s. Grandpa was there sitting next to him on one side, then Mom with her arm around Gus. His father was on a nearby armchair, smiling and laughing with the rest of them. He seemed so different, as Gus watched his expressions. He was happy. Gus felt happy as well. His older brother Alan lay on the ground in front of the screen playing a portable gaming system. Mom started singing the theme song from some show as it started to play:

  “I bet we been together for a million years,

  And I bet we’ll be together for a million more.”

  Gus remembered he really wished he would have that feeling for a million years. Grandpa reached over and squeezed his shoulder, and gave him a wink and turned back to the screen.

  Life had been good. How did things get so screwed up?

  “And then she—” Aurora started. “Are you okay?”

  Gus looked over at her and noticed he had started to tear up.

  “Gus, I’m sorry.” She leaned over and gave him a hug. If he wasn’t so emotional, he probably would have done something awkward, but he simply returned the hug numbly and held her as he thought of the past. Like a crack in the dam, with that memory, more came to the fore. He tried to choke back tears and not break down, but he was unsuccessful. Damn it. Way to keep it together, Gus. You must love the friend-zone, dude.

  He remembered birthday parties, her reading him stories in bed, and how he would bargain and cajole her into reading just one more chapter, just so he could stay up a little later. Family trips, getting fixed up when he got hurt, and listening to him rave about something his favorite supers did. Memories rushed out as if angry they had been suppressed and longed for freedom. At last, he let go of the hug and swiped away some tears, trying to mask his face to maintain some semblance of dignity.

  “Sorry about that, everything started coming back at once.” He tried not to look at her, embarrassed about his red eyes, and his now-runny nose. Even with the new memories, there was still a lot he didn’t know. But her face! He could remember her face again. The thought threatened to spill more tears and he took a deep breath, trying to tamp down the emotions.

  “What happened to her?” Gus asked, unsure he wanted to hear the answer.

  “No one really knows. She just disappeared one day. I think I had been in the academy for two or three years. The rumor was that she was on a mission, deep in cover. Her absence was a big transition for me. It hit me hard, and it made me realize how much I relied on her. As I said, she treated me like I was her daughter too. When you were on the station, I knew you were her son and wanted to let you know about what a difference that she had made in my life, but Graviton was kind of a jerk about ‘fraternizing with regs.’”

  “And she died on that mission,” Gus finished.

  “Oh no, I don’t think so. We handle that a lot differently when that happens in Purple Faction. No, your dad took some time off and came back after a couple weeks. He was different afterward. Harder, and sadder.”

  That was the Tempest that Gus knew well. Maybe he had forgotten more than he thought he had. He had totally forgotten how his father had been happy when Mom was there.

  The doors opened, and they stepped into the training arena.

  Gus nodded. “Let’s put a pin in this for now and come back to it, I have so many questions,” he said.

  Aurora nodded and they moved on.

  As he entered, he found Jet was leaning against the wall of the arena, next to the sensor he always stood by to assess his skills. He could have sworn that he had left it up in his room. Running his finger along the engraved silver grip he thought about how he could use Jet in his fights with the supers in non-lethal ways. He would have to keep them alive to use Leech, so it wouldn’t do to kill them outright. He wasn’t against giving them a vicious cut, as long as he could still Leech them, but his fighting style would have to change. Remembering Aurora’s huge HP pool though, perhaps he wouldn’t have to pull as many punches as he thought.

  He could do a lot of damage before incapacitating someone. Leech didn’t take that long to activate, so how much time did he need? Plus he could see his opponent’s HP bar, so he could hold back if he was doing too much damage. He felt more confident and wondered if it would be easier to subdue and Leech a weakened opponent.

  “Why don’t you do one of your regular training sessions so I can see what you can do?”

  Gus nodded and moved to the center of the ring to warm up.

  He practiced some katas, getting the feel for Jet once again. He hadn’t had a chance to use the polearm in battle since he defeated Methiochos and it was almost comforting to go through the familiar routine. He began to modify his routines, using fewer headshots and more attacks designed to disable or maim an opponent.

  Jet felt lighter, and the forms flowed even more smoothly than normal. The naginata glided through the air as if it was on tracks, following the motions seamlessly. Gus got to sections of the kata where he made a slight modification so he could activate Sweep the Leg after blocking. The stun effect would allow him to close and get the contact he needed to activate Leech.

  He combed through his abilities as he practiced feeling his body go on autopilot as it moved through the forms. What else could he work into his fighting style? He reviewed one that especially seemed useful, for the stun effect at distance.

  Wrecks and Parks (Level 1)

  Deals (100 x skill level) HP worth of damage on a target up to 20 feet away, then freezes the target in place for (20 x skill level) seconds.

  Wrecks and Parks would also be invaluable for the same reason, especially since he could do it at range. He viewed the requirements for the skill.

  50 MP per activation, no refractory period.

  Not that expensive either, and no cooldown was definitely a plus. He found breaks in the routine where he could fire the ability and flow back into movement, giving himself time to use Dash to rush in and activate Leech.

  He would have to be careful to get the timing right, so as not to fire it so far away that the stun effect would be too short to sap their powers. If he could level Wrecks and Parks even once, it would give him substantially more time to react.

  Gus felt himself slowing down, the additional concentration for the timing removing him from his effortless flow. He would have to perfect this new style, so opposite the old way of fighting by keeping distance and headshots to immediately down a foe. Now his goal was to get in close, disable, and drain. His eyes pinched as he anticipated taking a lot more hits in his near future. He was glad he hadn’t spent his points as yet; he could see a lot going into Constitution soon.

  Gus lost himself in training for a while, not gaining any new abilities, but it evolved into a form of meditation, letting concerns over what the future held in terms of Aurora, invading supers, and other uncertainty slip away. All that mattered was keeping his rhythm. His halting progress slowly increased in speed. Hours later, he saw that it was getting late and Aurora was gone. He hadn’t even noticed.

  Turning on his internal communication, he told Aurora, “I think I’m going to turn in for the night. I’m sorry I zoned out there, I hope you didn’t wai
t too long for me.”

  A high-pitched squeak answered him. “Oh, you startled me. Geez, it is getting late. I didn’t want to disturb you. I took some notes on things we can work on, but I’m impressed with your focus. It should make some things easier for you. After about an hour, I could tell you were in a groove so I left to get some other things done. I found a new outfit and cleaned up a bit. Right now, I’m in the command center looking at all the facility options.”

  “Okay, we’ll meet up tomorrow, and I’ll let you know what I’ve found.”

  Gus retired to his room and slept, eager to see his new abilities on waking.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Invisible Touch

  Gus awoke, his room still dark. After about ten minutes of lying there, he realized he wasn’t going to fall back to sleep. He was up for the day. He looked at his watch and noted it was 4:14 AM.

  This was becoming his new normal and he would have to think of something to fill the time. He’d have to ask Aurora how much sleep she needed and if it had diminished as she leveled up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, a message popped on his display:

  New abilities assimilated!

  Camouflage (Level 5) [3 MP/minute]: Blend seamlessly into your environment. Note: At your current level, you will be detectable during movement.

  Vivid (Level 4) [Passive]: Enhanced dreams, often providing special benefits, including: temporary stat increases, insights, crafting epiphanies.

  Phase-Shift (Level 4) [10 MP/minute]: Shift partially out of the current dimension to avoid detection. During shifts, cannot be damaged by projectiles or melee damage, but will still be susceptible to area-of-effect damage.

  Advanced Flight (Level 1) [60 MP/minute]: Can control trajectory and speed of flight. Lowered MP cost to maintain flight and increased carry capacity as levels increase.

  4 new abilities assimilated.

  4,000 XP awarded.

  8,000 FP awarded.

  Current Nth ability capacity: 27%.

  Gus rushed to the mirror and activated Camouflage. He became transparent and, if he maintained minimal movement, only saw the wall behind him in the mirror. Waving a hand, he saw the shape of his arm ripple as the light imperfectly refracted around him. There was a little fudge-factor so he could keep breathing, and small movements of less than an inch in any direction appeared undetectable. He wondered at what level he would be undetectable while moving.

  Next, he tried Phase-Shift. His ears popped and everything took on a blanched appearance. He winked out of the mirror and had none of the telltale shimmer from movement. His MP bar drained noticeably faster. He reached for the faucet on the sink and met a slight resistance as his hand passed through it, reminding Gus of moving his arms underwater. He found he could not interact with any objects that were not in his possession when he entered Phase-Shift. Dropping out, he grabbed a brush and reactivated the skill. The brush now passed through the faucet the same way his hand had.

  He was eager to see how Advanced Flight differed from Basic Flight. Is there an Intermediate Flight? he idly wondered as he went to the balcony.

  “Gus, I know you’re excited to try out new abilities, but until you get regeneration or some kind of healing, maybe don’t try jumping out of a window on your first go around, yeah?” Nick warned.

  Gus sheepishly took his foot off the balcony railing. “You’re probably right.”

  “Knowing how to do something is not the same as being experienced with the same skill. You will need time to make these abilities your own and learn the nuances of how they work. Don’t let their easy acquisition make you get lazy with the work it will take to master them.”

  “Hey, lazy bones, you’re finally up! Ready to train a bit?” Aurora’s voice sounded in Gus’ head. Looking over he saw he had left his mic channel activated last night.

  “Yes, let me get ready though. Meet you at the arena,” he said and clicked off the mic. He’d have to be careful not to leave that on, wondering what he had been inadvertently broadcasting to her unawares. Looking in the mirror, he saw that he was looking a bit rough around the edges. His hair was a mess and his facial hair made him look like he was a contestant on Survivor. He took a quick shower and dressed equally quickly.

  He ran into the arena and skidded to a stop. Aurora was already there, highlighted by the bright light shining down on the arena. She was practicing against some of the pillowbots there. Form-fitting spandex left little to the imagination as she flitted around, fighting multiple attackers. Her hair whipped to the side as she jumped and planted a foot on the chest of one attacker, springing off and simultaneously kicking the face of this pillowbot. Using the face for support, she launched into an aerial roundoff and landed on the shoulders of another. She trapped its head between her thighs and spun, flinging the figure to the ground as she punched the back of its head all the while.

  As another pillowbot reached for her from behind, she rolled forward, timing a donkey kick perfectly into the crouching figure with a loud crack. In short order, she had taken down the three attackers, and she stood and waited for the scenario to reset. Brushing her hands off, she assumed a sparring stance and saw Gus for the first time.

  Closing his mouth just in time, he stood there and gave her a slow clap. A chime sounded while Gus slowly approached the arena. “Aurora… You… I mean, that was amazing! You’ve got to show me how to do that!”

  She moved to the side of the arena, rearranging her hair back into a ponytail. “I’ve seen you practice, now let me see what you can do against something that fights back. Then I can figure out what to show you first.”

  Gus got ready and the attackers rushed him. Without thinking, he tried to do the same attack he had just seen Aurora do. Surprising them both, Gus managed to mimic the kicks on the first pillowbot. His roundoff was less stylish and ended with him crashing into the other attacker, but still knocking it to the ground. He felt a TimeSight warning but was already rolling forward and his donkey kick connected with a satisfying crunch. He stomped the last pillowbot he had crashed into in the head and it stopped trying to get to its feet. Looking to the side of the arena, it was Aurora’s turn to have her mouth hang open.

  “Where did you learn those attacks? I thought you just got your powers!”

  “Just now, I guess. I realize it wasn’t as graceful as yours, but I’m surprised it worked at all.”

  “You got that all from just watching one time? No way. Here, watch this and try to copy what I’m doing.” Aurora went over to the console and entered some parameters. The pillowbots changed formation and froze until Aurora started her attack.

  With inhuman speed, she sped toward one of the attackers. Getting close, she swayed to one side then abruptly spun in the opposite direction, rotating around behind the pillowbot as it attempted to punch where it thought she would be. She clasped her arms and braced them around the head of the pillowbot in a choke hold. Gus wondered if this would have any effect on the construct, but it must have been programmed to respond the same way as a normal combatant because it flailed about, trying to get her off its back. She was able to pull the pillowbot backward while maintaining the hold, keeping the pillowbot bending backward like it was in a perpetual limbo contest. With a heave, she moved the body of the pillowbot between her and the other attackers. At last, the pillowbot stopped struggling and Aurora picked her next target.

  Instead of letting the pillowbot drop to the ground, she lifted it up then kicked it in the back towards one of the other pillowbots. It flailed limply toward the attacker, causing it to jump backward. The distraction was all she needed to slink toward the other pillowbot and she unleashed a flurry of punches. It reminded Gus of someone using a speed bag with how quickly her arms were pistoning into the face of the pillowbot.

  The hapless bot raised its arms like a boxer to shield itself from the onslaught and she sidestepped, ducking slightly behind and planting her forward foot along the instep of the dazed pillowbot. She then braced her back foot in the
same fashion on the other leg and sunk into the splits with a sudden crash. She caught herself before touching the ground but the pillowbot was not so fortunate. The shift in its center of gravity caused it to topple to the ground and she rolled over and ax kicked the prone form right in the neck, and it rose no more.

  The last pillowbot was wary and kept its distance, waiting for her to make the first move. She changed stances again and charged the last pillowbot. It fled, and Gus laughed a bit as she chased the cowardly pillowbot. It had to slow around the fallen forms of its comrades, and Aurora was able to grab one arm. Jumping up, she straddled it sideways, carrying it to the ground. Rotating in mid-air, she landed on her side and clasped her arms together, pulling the pillowbot’s arm in close over her shoulder, pinning it. She held on like a hungry tick and kept exerting pressure until there was a loud click.

  Did she just break that machine with an arm lock? After the noise, the pillowbot stopped moving and Aurora got to her feet. She allowed the pillowbots to reset and the last attacker, or more accurately, the last victim, disappeared into the wall as panels opened and another took its place. Once again, she walked to the edge of the arena, folding her arms, her smile a bit more smug this time.

  Gus bounced into the arena, shaking his shoulders back and forth, trying to loosen up. When he was ready, he dashed toward the first attacker, just as Aurora had. In a similar fashion, he found that he intuitively moved much like she had done and could reproduce her fighting technique. Until he got to the part with the splits, that was.