This World

by Lee, TD

My hand grabs the data drive and holds it up into the air. Something grabs it as it’s just floating in the air before my eyes.

  I knew killing that Mariana would prove to be very useful to me. It caused all of this to happen and then some. Beautiful. How beautiful.

  Though I must ask you. Why stop me?

  Shit! I can’t do anything. This guy is insane, does he really think that having everyone think the same that things would be better? I need to get out of this mind control, but I can’t! I can’t grab the earbuds and I can’t move!

  I really can’t do this can I? I just can’t. I failed everyone. Sorry Adele, you trusted me with the data drive and I failed. Sorry Dom, Ainia, Drake, Kirika, Shiko, you all fought so I can get here and I failed. Sorry Sadie, you deserve to be in a world better than what’s going to happen because I failed. I’m sorry Hiro, I wanted to try to help the world, but I failed.

  “No you didn’t!”

  Chapter 31

  Hiro?

  “Yup.”

  How are you talking to me?

  “Well, it’s what you need right now so I thought I’d stop by, you definitely seem like you could use it.”

  I do, I really do. How am I supposed to do this Hiro?

  “It’s not like you’re finished. You can still come back from this.”

  No I can’t, I’m the only one here. I’m at this alone.

  “You were never in this alone Ridley. You got a lot of strong people in your corner. Hell, you have my favorite superhero backing you up! That’s the best kind of support you could ever get.”

  But I just can’t do this.

  “You can! Remember you’re not alone. You have to stop thinking that it’s all on you because it’s not. Just have faith in the people around you because they certainly have that faith for you.”

  Yeah and I failed! King has me pinned down and I can’t move. He took the data drive! How am I supposed to fix all of this?

  “You’re in a tough position, but that doesn’t mean that’s it’s impossible to get out of. Someone can come and save you!”

  That’s like hoping for a miracle!

  “Or it could just be that you have people that are amazing and can help you. Remember, you’re not in this alone. Everyone has been fighting and getting you to this point because they all believed in you and are helping and supporting you, even right now. Even if you can’t do something, maybe they can. You have to believe in them, just like how they believe in you.”

  But that just doesn’t seem possible. They’re all fighting. They’ve put this stupid blind hope in me thinking that I can finish the job, yet I couldn’t. I was the wrong person for this. This should’ve been Adele. She should’ve done this.

  “Maybe she could have, but remember it’s Adele. She’s smart and chose you to do this. I’m sure she thought full well that she could’ve done this instead of you, but she chose you anyway. There’s a reason for that and that’s because she knows you can do it and needed to do it.”

  What do you mean, needed to do it?

  “This, probably. Needing someone to talk to you about how you’re more than capable of doing great things such as saving the world. That’s pretty awesome.”

  But why? I don’t get it. Why did it have to be me?

  “Because you need to do this. You need to grow and understand what it is that you need to do. Not just now with the Seeker, but with your life. You’ve heard everyone’s story for the most part. You have that respect and compassion for superheroes now. You’ve grown so much that right now saving superheroes is quite literally your job. You’re doing amazing things and you’re capable of doing amazing things.”

  But I’m failing right now.

  “Are you? Or are you really just buying time for King to just keep blabbing on about his master plan? Remember, supervillains love to just keep talking about how smart they are and how great their plans are. Someone will come help you, much like you’ve helped them.”

  I haven’t helped anyone.

  “You have. Everyone told you that you’re easy to talk to. It’s not secret now. And I couldn’t be more proud at the fact that you’ve become someone that people go to. You’ve helped them just by being someone they can confide it. That’s amazing. So someone will come. Someone will help you.”

  But what if no one comes? What if no one saves me right now so I can save the world?

  “Then I guess I’ll be seeing you soon. But I doubt it.”

  How are you so sure?

  “Let’s just say. I have a good idea about this. I’ve always kept up on superhero stuff after all. Whenever things look like they’re about to fall apart, that’s when things will be fixed and the people in the right will be the ones to succeed.”

  Maybe.

  “Not maybe. For sure!”

  But…but what do I do Hiro? I have no way of getting out of this situation, King has full control over my body. Even if I wanted to tackle him so he could stop, I couldn’t. If anything I’ll just be a pawn in his scheme. I don’t want to be that again.

  “Maybe you don’t actually have to physically do anything. Yeah, you don’t have any actual superpowers, but I don’t think you really need any right now.”

  What do you mean? Superpowers are probably the only way to get out of something like this.

  “Think about King for a bit. What do you know about him?”

  That he’s a mind controller.

  “What else?”

  That he’s hell bent on trying to take over the world?

  “What else? Think about his personality.”

  Personality? Well, other than being an asshole, he’s pretty arrogant and really likes to talk a lot. It just never seems like the guy would shut up.

  “Then use that against him. If he wants to talk a lot, let him talk a lot. Even if it’s annoying, you can buy time for someone to help you just by having him talk more than he ever should. Let him do that villain speech that they all have.”

  Let him talk huh? That might actually work.

  “Never hurts to try, especially in the situation you’re in right now.”

  You’re right. Thanks Hiro. Thank you for everything.

  “It’s all you, you don’t need to thank me.”

  Hiro, how are you talking to me like this? Is this really you?

  “In a way yeah, but this is all you. This has always been you. The Hiro you see right now is your version of him, the encouraging friend that you’ve been missing for so long. It's what you need so here I am.”

  I see. I’ve gone insane haven’t I?

  “No, you haven’t. You miss your best friend. You needed the encouragement. All things that really point that you just really need someone in your corner. Just know that the people that got you to where you are right now, are all in your corner. They’re all your friends and support. They believe in you, and you need to believe in them.”

  Friends? Can I call them that?

  “No reason you can’t. You did hear a lot of their life stories. And if anything, you guys will be better friends after all of this. It’s not like this is the end for all of you.”

  Huh. Friends. I guess they are.

  “You can do this Ridley. A lot of things are depending on it, which I know is a lot of pressure, but you just have to keep going.”

  I love you Hiro.

  “Love you too Ridley.”

  Chapter 32

  Someone is coming. Someone has to be. I can’t let things end like this, but I know I can’t move at all.

  My, my. Aren’t you just a bit too optimistic to be thinking that someone will be coming to save you? What a fool. There is no one left. Everyone in your entourage will be defeated and they will all come under my control. We will all live in peace under singular thought

  Does this guy ever shut up?

  No, no I don’t.

  So you’re in my head. Great. So tell me then King. Why are you doing all of this?

  Humans are fascinating creatures. People want to be diff
erent, yet they want to fit in. Uniting everyone is the goal, yet we berate those that think differently. The world is filled with this constant back and forth of embracing the differences, yet hating them as well. Strength in unity, but divisive if someone thinks otherwise. What a contradictory world.

  People wish others would think the same way they do, be united that way. So, why not have that? Why not have everyone think the same thing? Why not just allow me to unite everyone once and for all. We could all live in peace if we all just thought the same. That is my give to you all, the gift of absolute peace through collective and mutual thought.

  You say you want to bring everyone into a collective, mutual thought but wouldn’t’ that be such a boring world?

  Not at all, for you do not see the bigger picture. This world with its potential can only expand from here. Once this planet is under my discretion, we shall take to the cosmos! I deserve to be the ruler of this world. This world needs someone to maintain it and keep it from destroying itself. I am creating a utopia. I am its savior!

  How are you exactly a savior if you’re using your powers to kill people? Isn’t that counterproductive to what you’re trying to achieve? Death of your people is just making you dwindle down your numbers. Even now, people are dying left and right just because you just want your way for some hypothetical utopia that probably won’t even work out.

  Some deaths are necessary in the grand scheme of life. Such is the truth for several that you know.

  That I know? So you were the one behind Hiro’s death!?

  But of course! He was an obstacle, an insect that must be removed for my utopia!

  You killed my best friend just so you could live out some dumb fantasy of being a world tyrant? Are lives just that meaningless to you if it’s not your own?

  My life is supreme over any others. No one is as valuable to this world than me, I am the world’s savior. No one else. Those who follow me are my tools.

  You’d even sacrifice the lives of the people who would be stupid enough to follow you? Is that what happened to Mari? Was it even really her choice to follow you, or did you force her to with your mind control?

  Mariana proved to be a very valuable pawn. Even at her last breath, she released herself to me so my plan could come into complete fruition.

  So you made her kill herself? Her death wasn’t caused by Adele, it was you. You controlled her to kill the cops and then herself. But you framed Adele so she would get caught. Mariana really was just a pawn in your game.

  Of course, and she died knowing that her life went to a good cause. Lives are expendable as long as they result in your victory. What are lives, if not simple conduits for a greater cause? I am the greater cause, therefore, people are nothing but my tools to use at my disposal.

  You’re disgusting.

  I am God.

  No, you’re just some spoiled brat that just so happened to have a powerful superpower. You’re nothing than just some kid who can’t stand to have things not go their way. You’re selfish. You wanted Adele locked up just so she couldn’t go against you because she’s been on your tail for so long that she scared you.

  Scared? That woman doesn’t scare me. She’s a thorn in my side and very much another insect to be crushed. Things would have been easier if she would have just accepted my proposal.

  Proposal?

  If only she had sided with me, she could stand next to me as my fellow Queen. We could rule this world and reach out into the cosmos together. We could reign and rule the entire universe already had she become part of my master plan. However, she refused. Thus, I had to go at it alone. Such a cruel fate.

  Are you serious? You’re even more dumb than I had thought. Adele made a great choice steering clear of you. She’s smart, unlike you.

  She’s foolish. I had given her everything. Information, wealth, a future. And she threw it all away.

  No, you’re the fool. Now I’m starting to understand how Adele obtained so much information as she was able to. She used you to gain the upper hand then. She knew what she was doing and made the correct counterattack. She outsmarted you. She played you for a fool, and in her plans, you became her bitch.

  Ha! A woman like her cannot trick me like that. I had outsmarted her for she is the one at the brink of death as we speak. Only a fool would send someone like you, an uncultured feeble mind, to confront me. You’re weak with nothing to show for. You have nothing extraordinary about you.

  You’re right, I am pretty underwhelming as a person. I have nothing to show for and definitely no superpowers. But maybe that’s why Adele chose me to come here. Maybe that’s why Adele knew that even though I have nothing special, I would be able to do something against you.

  And she was wrong. You cannot do anything to me.

  Not particularly. But I know someone who can.

  Drake flies in, pretty much on cue to make my thought-speech so much more bad ass and takes the weight off of me. He continues to fly until he reaches the chair that sits in front of the large computer. Some sort of helmet-looking device gets flung into the air. Emerging in his arms is a sickly thin man that’s trying to punch and struggle his way out of Drake’s arms.

  “Ridley, now! Put the data drive into the Seeker!” Drake orders, holding King tightly.

  King got so startled that he lost his mind control on me. I quickly grab the earbuds that fell out and place them back in my ear. I quickly get up onto my feet and sprint for the computer. I lunge for the Seeker. Everything is resting on me now. I scramble to find the port, there’s nothing obvious to show me that there is a port.

  I can hear fast footsteps coming from behind me. I take a quick glance and find the woman superhero running after me quickly.

  “How are you resisting my control!?” King yells at Drake.

  “Many years of mind control and manipulation does that to you,” Drake says, I can see him squeeze King tighter.

  My focus returns to the Seeker and finding the port. There has to be one, why else would Adele make such an important thing into a data drive? Come on Ridley!

  Drake dives towards me and uses what he can to tackle the woman superhero back just to buy me some more time. I can’t let this go to waste, I need to find the port on this thing. Who knew such a simple task would take me forever to do? I carefully look over every single inch of the Seeker that I can. And there it is, finally the port that I’ve been looking for. Without any hesitation, I place the data drive into the port.

  All of the screens on the Seeker blink in and out. The screens all over the room turn black. I hope I didn't break it. The screens all slowly turn back on and have a calming blue glow to them. Then I hear Kirika's beautiful song echo throughout the entire room.

  D-did I do it? I hope I did it.

  I look back, finding the woman superhero rubbing her head and shaking it out of the daze that she was in. Drake is still holding a struggling King in his arms.

  “My powers, they’re not working!” King exclaims, frustrated and angry.

  A long sigh escapes my mouth. It seems like I did it. Not that I did much considering all I had to do was put a data drive into a computer, but something so small made a world of a difference. Literally.

  The woman stands and asks Drake. “Meteor? What are you doing here? What happened?”

  “This is King, a mind controller. He used the Seeker as a way to mind control everyone around the world. You were under his influence. Now, he’s as apprehended as he can be,” Drake answers.

  “Yeah, I know. I was standing on top of that kid and tried to kill a lot of people today,” the woman gasps. “Oh God, what have I done?”

  “Now’s not the time to be loathing yourself okay? I need you to get your cuffs on King now so I can go check if everything on the surface is okay.,” Drake commands with a confidence that I haven’t heard him speak in the time I’ve known him.

  The woman nods, “R-right.” She reaches behind her and out comes a glowing pair of handcuffs that she promptly puts
on King’s wrists

  Drake hands over King to the woman and says, “You lock him up, I need to go see if everyone else is okay.”

  Drake quickly runs over to me just to pick me up. He flies out of the room not even waiting to hear what the woman has to say. Although, it the brief moment that I can look at her face, I can see a relieved smile. King, on the other hand, was disgruntled and fighting to get out of the handcuffs he was placed in.

  As Drake traces his way through the hallway to get back to the elevator shaft. A bunch of people that were in some of the rooms look around, confused. The big guy that Drake fought when I ran into the room with the Seeker is slowly regaining his conscious, but he looks just as confused as everyone else. Each of them chattering and wondering what had just happened. Drake doesn’t stop to explain and continues to fly over them all.

  When we make it to the elevator shaft, Drake flies up and we’re met with the elevator that we were in. He holds me tighter and he crashes through it, using his durability and strength to break through the top of the elevator.

  All along the way to the doors of HERO are the confused people that were our opponents not too long ago. All of them are just so confused, and I don’t blame them. That’s what mind control does to you after all, leaves you feeling a bit empty and dazed. Plenty of them are checking on each other, making sure they’re all okay and not super injured. Although, I can tell that a lot of them are either knocked out or struggling to move because everyone had done such a number on them considering they were out to kill us versus us just trying to incapacitate them.

  We finally make it outside and I find a very pleasing sight. All of the mind controlled people are recovering from being controlled. All of them consoling or being consoled. Drake descends down and we’re greeted with warm, smiling faces of our team. Never did I think I would see Dom or Ainia smile at the same time, but I’m glad I am now.

  Drake lets me get back on my feet and I’m immediately hugged by Kirika. “Oh thank goodness,” she manages to say. She pulls away and I can see that she’s pretty beat up and tired. She’s no longer in her Spectral Singer outfit and she has plenty of cuts and bruises all over her arms, face, and legs. But she’s smiling widely with a bit of tears forming at the edge of her eyes.