Like a lighting strike to the brain, abruptly it clicked. Everything clicked. Sam finally got it. His cold skin, his healthy diet with no change in physique, his reluctance to get in the water, his disproportionate strength and speed. With Richard there truly was more than met the eye.
“Ok, get up. We need to leave.”
Richard was, once again, back at her side picking her up. This wasn’t her Richard, though. He stood tall, muscled, and ruggedly handsome. The fat from his face was gone, his hair color different, and he handled Sam with forceful strength and surety. Sam looked him up and down but quickly whipped her head skyward. Her face went beet red. Richard was bare butt naked save a black bag in his hand.
For all that was holy, he was naked! She tried not to look but she couldn’t help but watch him. He had scars on his body. Healed wounds from the looks of it. His skin was tanner than it should have been, and warm. His body was incredibly warm.
A short distance away, the fat Richard, or parts of him, were stacked in a heap on the, ground burning like pig fat. Far from just a costume, Sam could see intricate biomechanical infrastructure, wires, leads, and other devices all meeting the same fiery fate as the fake skin. Sam was at a complete loss. She didn’t know what to do anymore. Sam looked back and forth from the burning pile of artificial flesh to his body as they retreated back into the hallway.
Richard surveyed the area, looking for any hostiles. Sam allowed herself to be led. Satisfied she wouldn’t run, Richard let go over her and proceeded to put on clothes, which he pulled out of the black bag.
Richard quickly dressed in a plain black shirt, pants, and boots. He then placed several pieces of equipment on his person. They were weapons she had never seen before, at least in real life. She had seen these guns on the classic 2D movie channel, but she didn’t know any of them still existed.
The sounds of fighting could still be heard off in the distance.
“Richard, you’re so skinny.”
Richard didn’t look at her as he checked his weapons. “Yes, sixty kilos of biomechanical weight tends to make you look chubby. How observant of you.”
Without warning, Richard pulled two pistols up to eye level and pointed the guns in her direction. Sam reacted, trying to move out of the way, but Richard was too fast, more gunfire ripped the air.
“Sam, stop moving.” Richard pushed forward and shot his arms out to each side of her head. The guns were loud and echoed off the enclosed space, deafening her.
The figurative dust settled and Sam turned to see what Richard had fired at. She saw three downed individuals at the end of the corridor. Once again, Sam’s breath caught in her throat. She tried to look back at Richard but was having difficulty.
Smoke trailed up from Richard’s guns. His thumbs touched the side of each weapon, causing metal columns to fall out. Richard popped two more back into the bottom and pulled the tops of the guns backwards. He placed the weapons in holsters on his thighs.
Richard turned his attention back to Sam. “Listen closely, because I am only going to ask you this once. Do you want to live through this little experience?”
Despite Richard’s voice sounding like it was trying to escape from a thick blanket, Sam nodded.
“Good. If you want to live then you need to do exactly as I say and stop flinching every time I get near you.”
Sam’s felt her skin go hot. “If you don’t want me to flinch then stop pointing guns at me. Anyone would flinch in that situation. And who says I need you to stay alive?”
Richard laughed. It was cold. It made her skin prickle.
“You think you can survive this? Fine, go on, I’ll leave on my own.”
Sam froze. He couldn’t be serious could he?
He was. Richard walked away, again displaying a grace and smoothness she would have never thought possible from him.
“Wait,” she called out, attempting to be heard but to not over do it. They were still in danger after all.
He stopped but didn’t turn to face her. He merely looked over his shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Please.”
“Please, what?”
“Please don’t leave me alone.”
Richard returned to her side. “Remember you said that. Now follow and stay behind me. If I move, you move. That’s it. Do you understand?”
Sam nodded.
“Then move.”
They wasted no time returning to the courtyard. The smoldering wreckage of Richard’s artificial body was little more than ash. Richard stalked past, not sparing it a glance. Sam used all her will power not to throw up; she couldn’t help looking. They approached the tree line more cautiously this time. Richard led, a pistol in each hand, the guns sweeping the area. Once clear, they moved from cover to cover as they crossed the courtyard.
Sam snuck a glance at Richard. No hint of expression, no acknowledgment of her existence. He came off calm, cold, and calculating. Scary. She was scared to be with him. Then again, right now, she was scared to be without him. Maybe she could ditch him once they made it to safety. If they made it to safety.
She and Richard entered one of the side doors on the far side of the courtyard. They were in the eastern wing now, hopefully far away from anyone else. Suddenly the report of gunfire rattled her. Flashes of bright light, the sudden starts and stops of screams, and then silence. She found the courage to open her eyes. Four more soldiers lay dead in front her, all with gunshots to the head. Richard was reloading. He holstered them and gestured to her.
“Come here Sam,” he said, walking over to one of the dead soldiers. “I want you to put this on.”
He removed a belt from one of the dead men. It was of the same make and model as the dead soldier’s out in the courtyard. He wrapped it around Sam’s waist and clicked it into place. His hands touched her exposed skin just above the line of her skirt. She became abruptly aware that her shirt was cut open, exposing her bra to Richard.
“What are you doing?” she said, sounding more embarrassed than she would have liked.
Richard glared at her but didn’t answer.
Sam rolled her eyes, exasperated. “Ok, so I know you’re the new super-Richard, but if you ignore me I’m going to continue to ask you questions until you kill me or answer me. Would it be that much harder to answer me than kill me?”
Richard cracked his neck. “Yes.”
“Yes? Yes what?”
“Yes, it would be more difficult to answer your questions than to kill you.”
He took a deep breath, apparently calming himself.
“This is a Jadian Oscillation Shield. The Jadians pride themselves on their martial talents so most of their weapons and tactics highlight those particular values. The Plasma Scimitars I was using earlier are a prime example of this. What I’m putting on you now is standard issue defensive equipment for Jadian Special Ops. The belt is like a force field that uses energy to absorb, displace, or flat out block projectiles. It does have some – ”
Sam interrupted him. “ You mean like body armor? That doesn’t make any sense. How can energy be used as armor?”
“Sam, energy and matter are all made of the same thing. If harnessed in the right way, energy can be just as effective as a plate of carbonized steel.”
Richard engaged the belt. “This will keep you safe. The belt can withstand most low velocity energy weaponry with near impunity. It will even take a strike or two from a plasma scimitar. Just be careful and watch the gage.”
He slapped a sort of wristwatch on her. “100%” appeared in the screen of the watch.
“Keep a close eye on this gage. If the number goes down to zero then take cover immediately.” He pointed to the watch. “Any center-mass hits after that and you’re dead.”
She still didn’t really understand but she figured she really didn't have a choice. They proceeded on their way.
***
Skinny Richard was like no one Sam had ever met. A personality and person so unique it was borderline
exquisite. Ironically enough, this was exactly the same feeling he had cultivated the first time Sam met him so many years ago. Fat Richard had been so different in personality and action he couldn’t help but stand out. Skinny Richard was more of the same, but in different ways. Incredibly different ways. Violence, aggression, and the single-minded certainty he displayed burned at her nerves and inflamed her fight or flight response. He intrigued her even while he instilled the fear of god in her. Yet she followed him without hesitation. She did not know why.
This whole escape experience was surreal. If she didn’t know any better she could have sworn they were in an especially intense game of Combat Tag. This feeling was only exacerbated when Sam actually saw weapons of similar make and model to the ones used at the combat range. The weapons didn’t act the same though; there were no minuscule doses of incapacitating energy or subdued prickling feelings after the light blue balls of semi-solid energy hit. No, these weapons used by these soldiers, these… invaders, were just as their title indicated. These were weapons; equipment designed to kill, and they fulfilled their purpose enthusiastically.
Soldiers continued to appear, only to be cut down by Richard with his archaic weapons. It was miraculous on every plane of reality, imaginary or otherwise, and it seemed every encounter would end the same. A gunshot wound to the head. Sometimes Richard fired once, sometimes as many as four times. Regardless of who stood before him they fell like bricks.
It felt like hours had passed when they finally made it to the large underground building made to house personal transportation modules for those students privileged enough to have a personal vehicle. Richard hopped on a two-person open hatch rocket with the name —
“Dyson?” said Sam, scandalized. “You’re going to steal his bike?”
Richard nodded and put on a helmet. He threw a second helmet to Sam. “He owes me for not killing him.”
“Kill him? Why would you—” Comprehension dropkicked Sam in the head, closely followed by anger, then rage. She punched at Richard, who dodged her hastily thrown fist.
“You jerk!” she shouted. “That’s why Dyson never actually hurt you, isn’t it? ISN”T IT? Do you know how worried I was? How I thought—”
Richard was upon her, his hand over her mouth. Again he immobilized her. She thought that he had drugged her again but she didn’t feel any sort of poke or injection. How was he doing this?
“We don’t have time for this,” he whispered in a deathly voice. “This is your last chance, Sam. Do you want to stay with me and live or stay here and die? Your choice. Make it.”
She tried to take a deep breath but even that was hard. Richard seemed to feel and understand this. He released her.
“Sorry,” she said. “I will be good for now on.”
“Good,” was all that Richard replied. “Now get on.”
Richard and Sam climbed on the bike and sped away from the main building of Academy 676.
***
I could feel the rumble at the behind my knees and in my thighs as we roared down the road. The power of the turbo-charged hydrogen engine screamed as he throttled the bike, the whine of the gears pitching higher and higher as the speed increased.50, 100, 150 kilometers per hour. I didn’t know how fast he could go, but I could barely catch my breath as we pushed forward into the darkness. I held him tight, feeling muscle so taut it couldn’t be real. My body and mind was like the aftermath of a warzone. I was hot. I was sweaty. I had bruises on my arms and shoulders from the grip of the soldiers. The soldiers who had tried…who had tried to…I could not say it. I would not say it. Saying it would make it all the more real. I buried my face in his back.
I did feel comforted. Those soldiers wouldn’t be after me, not anymore. They wouldn’t be after anyone anymore. I felt tears form at the corner of my eyes, tears that were instantly swept away into the night lost to the wind and road. Lost like me.
My body shivered from the churn of rushing air pouring over my sweaty skin. My shirt was split, whipping up behind my back and exposing my skin to the torrent of the artificial tempest. The violence blocked my senses. I couldn’t feel any more. I was numb; at least that’s what I tried to tell myself. Actually, I was scared. I was scared of what might be following us up the road.
How many were dead? How many were gone? The faces of my friends one after another played over and over in my mind. Cammie. Oh, Cammie you were so good to me even though I was from Partial Palace. Coda, dirty minded Coda, how will things develop in the future with you and Lacey. Are you in love? Are you ever going to realize Cammie’s feelings for you? Are you even alive? Mother, oh my poor lonely mother for some reason I can’t—remember your face.
The bike coasted, coming to the crest of the highest of the hills that circled the valley. We slowed unexpectedly to a stop at a place where I could see the valley we had just traversed. The lights of the city and the twinkling of the stars fought to hold my attention. Both of them, the stars in the sky and the lights of the city on the ground, sparkled in their respective element. Beautiful.
More tears formed on my face. I longed to speak. I longed to ask the question and finally found the courage to do so.
“We can’t ever go back, can we?”
He didn’t say anything. He just turned to look at me, the faint glare of the bike’s headlights barely illuminating his face. We sat there staring until he opened his mouth and said a single word.
“No.”
He spun the bike around and ripped down the backside of the hilltop to the inter-way. Once again, my breath was lost to the wind. We tore our way along the backcountry whipping along the road faster and faster. My worry seemed lost to exhaustion, fear, relief, and then sadness. I didn’t know anymore. I didn’t care anymore. I let me hands go of his waste feeling them catch the air as it rushed passed. I felt the urge to let go completely. I just wanted to be free from all of this. Without warning, the bike skipped and skidded. I opened my eyes as I screamed and felt myself lifting from the seat as we tumbled over the steep cliffside.
#####
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Harmonics: Rise of the Magician (Harmonics Series Season One) Page 20