Heroic- Zero

by Ted L C

  “As I’ve said at the beginning of our story, I have trouble sleeping without my sensory deprivation chamber—”

  Derek pecks his chapped lips against hers. “I hope helps in some way. Good—”

  The boy’s body collapses. A series of crunches dribble throughout the cavern. Alyssa’s narrowed eyes glue to the sleeping giant.

  She curls her legs while pressing her forehead against her knees. As her eyelids collapse, the image of her resting a palm against Derek’s face forms inside of her mind.

  Until next we meet, my prince.

  * * *

  “What the hell is this?” multicolored blocks of ice the size of boulders lining the borders of a square shaped indent pulls Derek’s gaze.

  “I think—” she turns facing the pale powdered field surrounding the duo. “It’s a puzzle of some kind—no doors to signify what it unlocks. See any clues?”

  “Twelve options—” Derek’s shoulder pushes a green block inward.

  An ice stalactite springs from the ground before him as the slab shatters.

  “What just—happened?” steam clouds radiate from Derek’s face.

  “You screw up, you suffer the consequence,” Alyssa’s fingers press against her temples and rotate. “Eight green, eight red, one blue, and three green boulder blocks with eight empty slots to use. We can’t use the four corners and we can only push one block adjacent to the corners inward at a time.

  “Push the second block below the one you pushed inward.”

  Derek makes his way toward the green block. He heaves his arm into it, thrusting it forward.

  As the block slides toward the center, the green tint transitions into a golden glow.

  “I thought Stellar is supposed to be the strongest metal on Earth?” Derek brushes his finger against the indent within his arm.

  “It’s durability weakens in temperatures under temperatures of 258 Kelvin,” Alyssa’s tattoo shatters. The NanoLites swarm to her hand, conjuring a series of moving blocks. “This is bull shit.”

  * * *

  Hours pass

  “R.G.B.?” Alyssa pinches her chin while crossing the opposite arm. “In Sehkemet’s name, I hope not.”

  “Aren’t you cold?” Derek’s palms mash into both knees as he arcs his upper body downwards.

  “Why are you straying away from the task at hand? We must do this puzzle, Derek.”

  “It’s always wise to take a break once in awhile. Right? I’m sure we’ve been at this for at least an eternity, so far.”

  “Fine. To answer your question, when I was fifteen, I lived in a cabin in the middle of a forest alone. Was colder than this,” Alyssa utters. Flesh-tinged bumps multiply behind the raven mesh sleeves shrouding her upper arms.

  “So the cabin—” Alyssa lowers her arms and hurls her butt into the snow behind her. “I was on the run because I joined a pro-freedom group in China. Assassinated fifteen politicians, then I was put on a wanted list. With that being said, I had to stray away from any city, contact with people, technology, et cetera. Until those who wished harm upon me were buried—”

  “Why didn’t you just set up a fake suicide or something along those lines?”

  “I was young and reckless, and I didn’t have the resources. Moving on, so I found an abandoned cabin in the woods of Moscow, where I crafted my own weaponry. I survived off fruits and nuts.

  “I don’t know how many years later it was, but a man approached my cabin. I swore he was going to turn me in, but the first words he said to me were, ‘I know who you are’. Being scared, he calmed me. By saying fear is far worse than any hungering cold, then he introduced himself as Kashanbo. I believe to this day the figure was Achilles.

  “For awhile, he taught me the basics of manipulation and creation, which led me to cultivate my first plant. From there, I only went forward after being able to hasten the growth of my plants to near-instant. This created an unlimited source of food, natural energy, and every other purpose you can think of from mother nature.

  “One night, the trees trembled. I went outside to see what was going on. That’s where I saw it—a herd of Russian mechs and hover tanks. The commander made his way to me speaking perfect English, asking me what I’m doing here. I told him I was stranded during a hunting trip and proceeded to ask what year it was. He said 2032. From there I was able to go back to—”

  Alyssa’s neck shifts downward. I can’t keep him entrapped in this facade forever. What’s wrong with me? Perhaps I should end things here now—

  “To what?” the boy says. “You can’t have a story like that and end with nothing.”

  “Push the green block adjacent to the bottom blue one forward.”

  A stalactite propels into Derek’s visor.

  “What have I done?” Alyssa’s voice moves through the skies as thunder.

  The tip of the icicle disintegrates as the third block evolves into a golden cube.

  The hills ahead of them disperses, unveiling a cloud of ivory flakes.

  * * *

  A faint bleached ball of fur with beady eyes hovers toward the two. Alyssa cradles the creature and rubs her cheeks against its. The Arkan’s eyelids collapse.

  “The hell is that thing, again?” Derek inches a palm to the creature’s coat. “All I remember is if you catch it, you’re having good luck. So your luck rating must be through the roof since you caught three.

  “Two, Derek,” a warm sensation flows throughout Alyssa’s body as hair softer than a kitten’s sweeps the bumps lining her arms. “Two. How do you not know about Faxian wildlife?”

  “I had no idea what the hell this place was until that Asian guy told us. The Andromeda Galaxy was mentioned a few times in my history lessons. Nothing about the planets, features, or creatures, though.”

  “Arkans, they reproduce asexually. Their blood contains an element identical to ours. Except for theirs have a set skill—density manipulation. It transfers through birth. Whereas our Adalfieri ailments are based on our parent’s psychological triggers. To put it simply, fear.

  “Their diet is best compared to a cat on Earth’s. They eat rodents, fish, and gras. One different staple of their diet is the Achilles’ Heel—”

  “What’s Achilles’ Heel?”

  “It’s a red circular fruit that warms your internal body temperature—” a rumble emanates from the ball. “This guy must be hungry—that means.”

  “What?”

  “We’re close to Harbin. Due to wildlife, the fruit in the region’s condensed to farms just outside of Harbin. Which is a village set up by Achilles’ worshipers—”

  A harmony of squeaks exudes from the Arkan. Alyssa’s arms expand, the creature floats forward. “Let’s follow it. Perhaps we can obtain some knowledge from Harbin.

  “Anyway,” Alyssa’s legs hurl themselves forward, lifting her ankles from the snow. “their fur coat keeps them warm in dire conditions like this. Along with their black skin. Since their arms and legs are so short, their skill to manipulate their density is vital for survival. Otherwise, predators, for instance, polar bears, will eat them.

  “Though they don’t move fast, it serves as a great escape tool. It allows them to float upwards, eluding predators. Funny to watch some of them, because they’ll toy with other animals.”

  “There are regular ole’ Polar Bears here?” Derek brushes both palms against his upper arms. “Is this Arkan male or female?”

  “What polar bear do you think I was talking about?” Alyssa arcs a brow at the boy. “Neither, it has no male or female reproductive organs. Moreover, as I said, they reproduce asexually.”

  “Usually Arkans are hostile toward humans. They are attracted to the scent of almond oil. Whenever I was making rounds through Faxian in the past, I made sure to soak myself with almond oil. You saw the one back at the beach dug its teeth into 629. The wound on her leg looked easily an inch deep.

  “Do you wear almond oil?”

  A series of clips stream through the lad’s mind
of him weaving numerous parts of his body with Alyssa’s.

  “Hell no,” Derek’s contracting pupils shifts. Drifting to a transparent oil-like coating on his gloves. “It seems like animals love me for some reason. My dad—caretaker’s cat would come around my desk more than the thing did to my family. Rainy’s girlfriend’s dog would always jump on me and lick my face when I went to go drop her off. “

  “Interesting—so there’s a connection between the species of the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way. Since there were PECA galactic restrictions on the scientific study—”

  The being floats toward a tree coated in many different sized brick tinged balls. Its teeth sink into the edge of the fruit as a coral tint engulfs its fur.

  “Of all the years I spent here,” a grin creeps across Alyssa’s face. “I’ve never had the chance to see an Arkan eat an Achilles’ Heel. Heard it’s super cute—”

  “Git off mah farm ya heathens!” a voice pulses at the duo from a distant wooden shack. “These fruits are fer sacrifice.”

  “Run run run run run!” Alyssa’s hand yanks Derek toward a cliffside.

  “The hell are you doing?”

  “That hick will rally the village,” Alyssa tugs the boy to the cliff’s edge.” in addition to the possibility of Achilles—”

  “I’m not gonna commit suicide over—”

  A giant icicle springs from the ground behind the two. Clouds of pallid flakes engulf the trees also to the area surrounding the duo.

  “In yer sweet glorious name, you’ve come!” the farmer echoes.

  “The hell was that?” Derek scans the desolate fields.

  A massive fist made of ice flings through the snowstorm toward the boy. It rams a pile of white dust before the duo.

  The skies’ dandruff in the boy’s vision spin.

  Upon stopping, a pile of small icicles expands with size as his feet lose contact with the ground.

  A force plunges itself into Derek’s shoulders. His body collides with the snow.

  A stalactite springs from the earth, piercing the center of the being’s palm. The tip of the stone curves inward, forming a hook. It curls itself against one of the appendages.

  The hand remains still. A stampede of ice conjured zoo animals heave their bodies into his.

  “They’re distractions!” Alyssa’s voice barely surpasses the sound of light beats the snow.

  Derek thrusts his body backward. The Revelator reveals itself within his helmet’s reflection.

  A symphony of war drums emits from his chest. The lines emitting from the vector images mouth on the head’s up display quickens.

  “Stellar Nano Lite armor?” a voice flows with the stampede as it fades. “How fascinating—from its flat black appearance, it appears to be noncomposite. Perfect, my sword can cut through it!”

  Frosted boots with chocolate tinged crust on the toes form in Derek’s vision.

  Behind the shoes, Alyssa’s legs carry her through the snow. Movements appearing as a Leopard.

  The boot shift. She jerks herself sideways and faces her side toward Derek and the being.

  “Derek—stop being paralyzed,” Alyssandra’s murmurs circulates through his ears. “I could use your help.”

  The figure yanks his arm toward her.

  She leaps backward and propels herself forward like a jet. The knife halts in midair as an ice block forms, surrounding the character’s fist.

  She drops her dagger, throws herself to the ground and dig both palms into the snow. A stone stalactite discharges, propelling into the man’s rib cage.

  “Cannot believe—it,” the man says with a voice as scarlet juices drain from his robe. “Taken down by a s-simple man-made weapon—”

  As the flurry dissipates, a distant orb made of ivory bricks materializes.

  “You and Alyssandra were great foes—worthy enough to take down a Beta.”

  “What?“Derek utters.

  An ear-piercing shriek releases from the man. A cloud of dancing snowflakes approaches from the west. The scream transitions into a deep roar, echoing throughout the blanketed terrain.

  An ebony stain forms on the figure’s face.

  “Didn’t you tell me Betas are the most powerful HESTEKS alive?” Derek’s feet ascend him from the snow covering his ankles. They deviate toward the bleached orb.

  “Yeah. There’s three of them; Alexander, Zeresh, and Achilles. But, this guy died like a bitch. Not to a man-made weapon. So would he really be a Beta?”

  “This guy’s last words were ‘we were worthy to take down a Beta—’”

  “Something’s suspicious about the way that he died—” Alyssa’s eyes shift to the igloo. “His Closing Requiem was weak, he didn’t use a Final Offer, and he wasn’t a pompous douche like Achilles usually is.”

  “In that case, how do we know if Achilles just didn’t give up? What if he didn’t wanna fight anymore because he’s been alive for so long?

  “Also, what’s that black goo on his face?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Theorists never emphasized Betas having a brand. Which is part of what differentiates them from the rest of us. Moreover, I would love to know it’s origin.”

  Making their way through a pallid archway, the duo’s eyes move to a U.S.B. stick. On the bottom, it has a piece of masking tape with ‘Initium’ written in a faded black marker.

  “Interesting,” Alyssa tightens her fingers against the object. “A U.S.B. drive. I wonder if it works.”

  “Initium?” he faces the object. “How do we watch it? Aren’t U.S.B. ancient technology used in the twenty-first century?”

  Alyssandra flashes the thin transparent gadget from her cleavage and rests it on a block of ice. The image of a female U.S.B. port illustrates within her mind. Nanos swarm from her arm. Linking like ants, they form a hollowed rectangle. Her fingers burst into caramel blurs as they glide across the clear device.

  “Is this going to be one of those types of movies where the figures come outta the screen and suck us in?”

  “What’re you talking about, Derek?” she slides the U.S.B. drive into the device’s indents. “Silly boy.”

  “Got me thinking about the game, Warlordism—feels like we just downed a raid boss and this is an artifact item.”

  “An artifact item?”

  “It’s the rarest item you can get from a boss. It’ll make your character O.P.”

  “Perhaps I should embrace a simpler lifestyle as you had once this is all over,” Alyssa curls both legs under her butt. “Escape from this painful reality.”

  A hologram of black and white noise materializes. The number three forms within a circle. Two follows.

  “Need someone to keep you warm?” Derek brushes his arm against Alyssa’s.

  “Shh,” her shoulders vibrate. “Don’t ask a million questions as you did during that Holo-Flick about the Warden.”

  “One question before we get started.”

  “Yes?”

  “Will you make me an Achilles’ Heel? I wanna try one while we watch this. Keep me warm, you know?”

  “Fine,” burrowing palms into the soil, a small tree erupts, sprouting many brick-tinged spheres. “There.”

  “Thanks,” his fingers clamp the squishy surface of the ball and yanks.

  Time to make a bong out of one of these.

  Alyssa’s eyelids tighten as a large cloud of vapor expels from her lips.

  A nudge inches the girl’s body toward the pelt of a creature identical to a Polar Bear.

  * * *

  Initium

  LOADING…

  FILE: FOUND!

  Metadata:

  Memory of: ALEXANDER REIVSCERE

  Encrypted: YES

  Date: —

  ERROR: CORRUPT DATA

  HOLO-FLICK STARTING—

  A nudge inches a towering figure to the edge of a box coated with bear pelts.

  A jolt spirals through the character’s spine. Eyelids open as wide as they can while the being hur
ls its body upward.

  “Who dares to wake me at this hour?” a grafting tongue says in Greek. “I will have your head for this!”

  A small flame in the room’s corner dances. It unveils a being wearing an ebony veil resting their bony palm against the surface of a wooden desk.

  An almond aroma flows throughout the room. The figure faces the man occupying the bed, makes their way to the cot, and presses a finger against his cheek.

  His eyes burst open. They avert from the cloak into a crystalline hickory gaze.

  “Midna, you returned?” the man says.

  Her arms press themselves clamp the man’s body.

  “My time is nigh, my lord,” Midna says in a Coptic tongue. “I come to say goodbye before I face my pharaoh in judgment.”

  “Fear not, your gods will protect you.”

  She hurls herself at the ground, crawling underneath a fold aligning the tent’s left flank.

  Rapid footsteps patting hard cracked soil echoes through the encampment. A smack comes from the distance, followed by a high-pitched whinny.

  “An assassin fled from king’s tent,” someone says. “Pursue him!”

  The man’s robe drags the gravel while making his way into a triangular opening. Eyes shift to the left. Two armored figures heave their legs over the sides of multicolored horses.

  “Halt!” the thunderous grafting voice sends shivers through their bodies. “She is a spy of mine, not an assassin.”

  A full moon’s glare reflects off a guard’s copper armor.

  The guard slides a short sword into the sheath of his hip. “A spy my lord?”

  “Yes, she tells me the time to strike is now. Wake Achilles from his slumber. Tell him the king seeks his audience at once.”

  “Achilles cannot be found anywhere my liege. Not even in his tent,” the armor-clad figure’s gaze beckons toward a tent in the distance.

  Stepping into the fort of pelts, a faint lit image of an armored young man with short raven hair appears. His eyes dart through a map while running his index finger through the middle.

  “Do you not have a map?”