Sidekick

by Carl Stubblefield

  “Well, I should figure out what defenses I can use. I should throw everything we’ve unlocked in the manor at him. No use holding things back if he overruns me and takes the manor away.”

  “What are you going to do about Aurora? Are you going to try to save her?”

  “I don’t know, Nick. She wouldn’t want me to, I know that. It’s hard to accept, even though I know she has much more experience working on teams. She escaped their headquarters, so she should be able to handle whatever limited restraints they have here.”

  “Do you trust her to take care of herself?”

  “Part of me says no, since she let herself get captured. The other part thinks that I have to. Even if I wanted to, the stakes are too high. Aurora’s words burned me the last time we argued, but I think they hurt so much because she was mostly right. I can be too optimistic about things, and I’m not dealing with honorable people. Basileus might not be mentally stable from what she told me before, so how do you negotiate with someone like that? I’ve always avoided confrontation, but I’m going to have to face more and more of it. Especially if I’m going to change anything when I get back home—if I get back home. Anyway, I might as well build those skills now, and part of that is making hard decisions and trusting those who follow me. Hell, she made me promise I wouldn’t overdo the heroics at the cost of the mission.”

  “So what’s next?”

  “Let’s give this bully a fat lip,” Gus declared, his eyes glinting. His knuckles popped as he clenched his fists with his resolution. Gus made a beeline for the control center. He had trouble figuring out what Aurora had done until he selected the ‘Recent Updates/Unlocks’ tab hidden among the multitude of open facility info tabs. He smiled as he read the devious little things the invaders had in store when they returned.

  An hour later, Gus headed to the Foundry and programmed the items he needed. Once they were finished, he placed everything in its proper place, preparing for Basileus’ return. He fiddled with placement, until things seemed just right as the light for the day faded.

  He took a long shower, and thought that Basileus must think that he was dreading the upcoming fight. He was actually looking forward to it a little. For a chance to stand up, instead of folding in defeat. Gus knew he would get roughed up, no doubt, but it would be worth it to see that smarmy smirk wiped off his arrogant face. That vision accompanied him as he drifted to sleep.

  New abilities assimilated!

  Dick in a Box (Level 12) [25 MP]: Encase an enemy in an invisible, impenetrable box. Duration at current level: 5 minutes.

  It’s All in the Tips (Level 22) [10 MP]: Fire beams of energy from fingertips.

  Kitty’s Got Claws (Level 7) [20 MP]: Increased damage and poison transmitted to wounds for continued damage over time.

  Shapeshift (Level 18): Change your physical form at will by temporarily reconfiguring connective and hard tissues. Mass must remain constant and may result in condensation as matter is temporarily converted.

  Meld (Level 8) [40 MP]: Temporarily gain properties of a selected item. Duration depends on the type of material utilized and energy requirements to affect transformation.

  Ice Shard (Level 16) [15 MP]: Use ambient moisture to create dagger-like weapons. MP cost doubled if insufficient ambient moisture and ether must be converted to water to create effects.

  Amber (Level 8) [20MP]: Create a viscous substance that rapidly hardens, trapping enemies inside.

  Command (Level 17) [10MP]: Compel targets to obey instructions. Success rates increase with higher levels of Intelligence.

  Mimic (Level 5) [20 MP]: Impersonate others by adopting their outward appearance. At higher levels can match vocal patterns and mannerisms.

  Photoelectric Shielding (Level 11): Energy below a certain threshold state will be absorbed by shielding, sufficient energy will result in a retaliatory burst of photoelectrons causing radiation damage.

  Lightskate (Level 8): Move effortlessly on any surface on photonically charged ether.

  Drafting (Level 34): Creates a wake behind you that allows teammates to travel at the same speed. Cannot be utilized without an established team and is unavailable to enemies to exploit.

  12 new abilities assimilated.

  12,000 XP awarded.

  6,000 FP awarded.

  LEVEL UP! Congratulations, Level 20 reached!

  1,000 FP awarded.

  You have (5) additional stat points to assign.

  19,700 XP to level 21.

  Gus hesitated with anticipation as nothing happened. He got up and looked in the mirror.

  “I expected it to happen when I hit level twenty, but I guess not,” Gus said as he looked at himself. The silence drew on. “Nick, are you there?” Still nothing. There was a sudden vibration and his watch came to life, flickering on and off. Finally it formed a familiar oval window to the side of his body. A voice he now recognized as his mother’s said:

  Requirements met…

  Dimensional unfolding progressing…

  Fractal unfolding level two…

  Gus felt the tight feeling of compression again but was not scared, knowing what to expect this time. He braced himself for the upcoming pain.

  It hit him like a brick wall, even more intense than the last time. Gus caught sight of himself in the mirror as furrows on his skin appeared to tear, but there was no blood. He gasped, unable to even scream as the pulling sensation intensified. At last it was done and he dropped to the floor, collapsing.

  Nick’s voice sounded. “Assembling Nanobot Interface Construct.”

  “Reviewing a suitable framework based on scan history and personal preferences…” Nick continued. Once again Gus felt like he was losing a friend.

  The voice shifted to Nick’s less formal style. “And you, Gus, you… you’re gonna miss meeeeeeee!” the voice sang, then faded and morphed into another.

  “Evaluation complete, assessing suitable mentor framework…” Nick said with a slight accent Gus couldn’t make out at first. While it compiled, he took a glance at his new stats, putting his five points for level 20 all into Intelligence.

  Agility: 57 (52+5)

  Constitution: 61 (56+5)

  Charisma: 33 (28+5)

  Strength: 42 (37+5)

  Perception: 41 (36+5)

  Intelligence: 64 (59+5)

  Luck: 42 (37+5)

  HP: 1200/1200

  MP: 1180/1180

  Stamina: 1200/1200

  Not bad at all.

  “Tertiary nanobot interface construct will be patterned after Chiun.”

  Who the hell is Chiun? Gus thought blearily.

  “Next evolution is set at level 30. Don’t just lay there boy, stand like a man!” Nick ordered.

  Gus rolled over and stood. “Who are you supposed to be?”

  “Always asking questions and never learning. Perhaps it is better to be doing at this time.”

  “Okay,” Gus mouthed slowly as he got ready as quickly as he could and headed down to the arena and started a brutal session of Adaptive Training. He was determined to include all of his new abilities, especially when the pillowbots adapted.

  Except Chiun forbade it. Somehow, he even grayed them out, making them unavailable to use.

  “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Gus asked, throwing his hands in the air. “I need to be resilient, as strong as I can be. I don’t get jack for XP if I don’t use these new abilities. These supers are highly trained—”

  “Exactly, and you know none of your fundamentals well. Reset!”

  If Gus hadn’t known better, he would have assumed Chiun was the personification of Chop Chop, who was suspiciously absent…

  “Fight!” Chiun commanded, and the pillowbots sprang to life.

  Gus pushed himself until the arena went dark. He did have to begrudgingly admit that he was more adept at switching with his more familiar new skills and how to i
ntegrate them. He checked the time. It was still early, now all that was left was to let all of his bars refill and double check on his preparations. Despite Chiun’s quirks, things were falling into place. I love it when a plan comes together.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Hide Away

  “Nick, if I erase some things out of the system, can you restore them at a later date?”

  “Why?”

  “I want to erase any maps and informational directories from the database, but it’d be nice if you could store these somewhere as a backup.”

  “Ah, I see. In case you are tortured and are too weak to resist. Yes. This can be done. Direct search cannot be erased but they must know the exact name.”

  “Yes, do that now! How long do you need?”

  “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

  “What the hell does that mean? I have both in short supply!”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “Thank you. Can we encrypt something so that they can’t change any settings or access the control system?”

  “No.”

  “No, you won’t, or no, you can’t?”

  “The manor is protected with redundancies that prevent lockouts.”

  Gus tried to think up what else would hide vital information. Nick’s silence was deafening. “If you could help in any way, I’d appreciate it.” Still nothing. This Chiun kind of sucks.

  “You are the first victim of your anger,” came the emotionless reply.

  Gus shook his head and thought. He got some ideas but Chiun turned them all down. What kind of name is that, anyway? Something fluttered in his thoughts. Name. Could I rename a system so that it is not easily found after directories are missing, though?

  “Please tell me I can rename some system folders so they’ll be harder to find.”

  “That is… acceptable.”

  Gus exhaled a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. “Okay, Gus, what would help me and hinder them?” His mind kept returning to the scanners. “I need a way to stay out of sight, but I would like to know where they are. Can I hide scanners and tracking so that I’ll be the only one to access them?”

  “Just state the new name for the file for those processes,” Nick said sternly, like he was trying patiently to deal with a small child.

  “Man-boobs.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Man-boobs. I knew a guy who hid important stuff in a file named that because he knew no one would ever look there.”

  There was a grumble of dismay. “Man-boobs it is.”

  With that being done, there really wasn’t much left to do. Gus made his final run to the cafeteria and loaded up on blue, pink, and red gels before heading to the inevitable confrontation.

  Gus made his way to the beach to meet Basileus and crew again. He wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, but he knew what he was going to do.

  Basileus was waiting on his little dais, smiling with an expression that just begged to be slapped off his face. By all appearances, he looked like everyone’s version of a hero: handsome with perfectly-styled hair, impressive jawline, and the physique to complete the package. He was even sitting upon a throne of all things as he looked down at Gus, his outfit gleaming in the tropical sun. The effect was supposed to make him feel intimidated, but something seemed off.

  Mercs stood around him like the little toadies they were, trying to look menacing and dangerous. A metal contraption that resembled a loader sat on the right side of the dais, and its arm extended out over the water. Aurora was gagged and bound by her hands hanging from this loading arm, suspended one-hundred-fifty feet above the water. She kicked and struggled as she dangled there.

  “I am glad to see you are reasonable, Gus. We can solve this misunderstanding like gentlemen,” Basileus gushed, secure he had won.

  Gus probed at Basileus with his new Telepathy skill. He was tentative at first and unsure it would even work at this distance. As he was about to let the ability go, he got faint shades of emotions, which became more distinct, but flickered from one extreme to another. There were traces of fear, uncertainty and doubt, resolve, anger, pride, all swirling together.

  As Gus intensified his focus, he began to get impressions of motives. Under the emotions, there was the strong feeling that Basileus was putting up a brave facade to fool everyone, including his own men. That wasn’t all though, there was a resonance…

  And somehow Gus just knew. In a flash, he saw that he would have been just like this guy had things gone differently in his life. As he always imagined they should have, with his mother never disappearing and him getting powers like his older brother. He too would always be searching for ways to make his father proud. And he would never find them.

  Gus pulled back out of his probe, shaken. What was that? A chime sounded, but Gus was so struck he didn’t check it.

  “Now he begins to see,” Nick said. “You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.”

  Gus shook his head to clear it. This wasn’t the time for riddles.

  Focus! Basileus was hiding something, so he probably didn’t really want to kill Aurora. Or he had no intention of keeping his promise if Gus did hand over the manor. He didn’t want to hurt Aurora; his plan was probably to turn her to his side if he could. That had to be it.

  Gus cleared his throat, trying to sound bold. “I am afraid I’ll have to disabuse you of your assumptions. I’m not giving up the manor.” Gus shrugged and put his hands on his hips, awaiting the response. He knew it would push Basileus’ buttons.

  “Who do you think you are? That manor is no more yours than it was Methiochos’. My father paid to have it made and sacrificed more than you can imagine to design it and all it contains. You will never be able to utilize its full capabilities. It is wasted on someone like you.” Basileus spat, all composure gone.

  Gus could see his balled fists start to spark by his sides. Just a little bit more agitation… “Last I checked, possession was nine-tenths of the law. If I hadn’t done what I have to clear the island and take down the bio-stasis field, you would have gone along without ever having access to the manor. So in my book, you lost ownership when you first lost the manor. You didn’t try to contact me to work something out and now you’re trying to coerce me under duress of harming someone close to me. And you think that makes me want to trust you? I’m not the idiot you seem to think I am. Get bent.” Gus tried to ooze smugness, folding his arms and plastering a huge grin on his face.

  “You don’t think I’ll do it, do you? Don’t push me, you won’t like it when I push back,” Basileus said through clenched teeth, veins visible on his reddening forehead as he began to become angrier and angrier. He reached out an arm towards Aurora, as if to emphasize his threat.

  “Do whatever you damn well please. You’re going to anyway, regardless of whether I concede or not. There’s a reason people don’t negotiate with terrorists. If you don’t have any morals, what’s left to create a basis of trust that you’ll honor any agreements? If you harm her, what will that leave you as far as negotiating power? Nothing. So shut up and get out of here.”

  Basileus became an even deeper shade of red and flung both hands out wide over his head. Energy arced between them, magenta and purple-hued streams connecting his fingertips.

  “Ooooh. I’m impressed, fireworks,” Gus hollered back, trying to pack the words with sarcasm.

  A sparkling storm of blueish energy built up larger and larger and he flung it at Aurora. She brought her legs up, crunching into a fetal position and there was a large flash as the plasma ball collided with her and the loading arm. When Gus blinked away the photo-bleaching effect of the bright explosion, he saw only a burned rope swinging at the end of a partially melted metal loader arm. Nothing substantial remained to even make a splash in the water below.

  “You see now, boy? I will have no mercy with you either.” Basileus panted, winded and drained from the massive expenditure of MP.

  Gus stared
at the spot where Aurora had hung. No! He looked back and forth at Basileus and the empty loading arm. The smile crawled back on Basileus’ face, his anger gone seeing Gus’ distress.

  “Not what you expected, is it?”

  That shouldn’t have happened! I read his thoughts! He was bluffing, he had to be. I was sure of it!

  “Now let’s discuss your surrender, here and now, boy!” Basileus commanded. “You have worn my patience thin.”

  He felt emotionally sucker punched as he looked at the tiny cloud rapidly dispersing over the water. I did this. I pushed him too far. Aurora would have had a chance if I could’ve kept my big mouth shut. Why did I drop my telepathy probe? Would I have sensed him change his mind?

  Doubt and questions continued to barrage Gus and he stood there shell-shocked at what to do. The other supers around Basileus took a small step back, uncertain what their volatile leader was going to do next as well.

  “Now what?” Gus asked, mostly to himself, not really knowing where things would go from here. He was alone again. His bravado evaporated away as reality sunk in on his situation. He reminded himself that he only had to deal with a couple dozen supers, and that he had managed so far, but the thought gave him no comfort. At least Aurora got her wish, he thought sardonically. I didn’t sacrifice the manor for her, she would be happy. Wouldn’t she?

  “I weary with how often people disappoint me.” Basileus gestured to one of the mercs.

  “Your plan,” Nick reminded him.

  Gus nodded, waiting for just the right time.

  “I am done playing games. I will gather everyone and remove you from the manor by force.” Basileus touched his ear and said something without amplifying it, then folded his arms in front of him with confidence. In less than a minute, Gus saw a large craft appear in the distance, moving to rendezvous with Basileus.