Heroic- Zero

by Ted L C

  “Wake up! We aren’t clear, yet.”

  She cycles his body to the side.

  “At least his clothes are warm,” her eyes transfer to the left. A herd of Arkans floats toward the direction of Harbin. “Most likely anxiety. Years of being out of combat must’ve taken away his sense of being present—his edge. Hopefully, this won’t be a common occurrence. Such potential—”

  An illustration materializes in Alyssa’s mind Liam and her stare through a window. Derek’s abdomen jerks him left as a knife flashes by his helmet.

  “Wha—” she says.

  “What do you think of his potential?” a grafting voice flows through the girl’s head.

  “It surprises me,” she aims a nail at Derek as an android dash at him. “For a low-life stoner who doesn’t do much other than play video games. More potential than ninety-nine percent of the HESTEKS I’ve encountered. Needs to release some rage though—even a demon gnawing at his insides.”

  “Tell me some of the HESTEKS you’ve encountered,” Liam’s fingers curl against his palm and toward the floor.

  “Who’s the one-percent who has more potential than him?

  “I met three HESTEKS on Faxian; two men and a woman,” Alyssa’s gaze shifts to the Revelator. It dances with the robots’ arms behind the transparent wall. “One man uses Glaciokinesis. The way he puppeteers his tether is beyond belief—inspirational I might say. His movements are swift and display his knowledge of fighting.

  “Another man uses Aerokinesis. The way he calms himself and lets the elements take over impresses me.

  “The third is a woman who specializes in Hydrokinesis. Her connection to nature itself makes her a deadly adversary for anyone who crosses her path. Once I saw her conjure two disks of water with enough force to tear through Stellar armor.”

  “Impressive analysis. Glaciokinesis—that almost describes the Beta, Achilles. Yet, there are hundreds throughout the three bloodlines who could have similar abilities. Furthermore, the right mindset for training.

  “As for Derek, I agree with your rage analysis, but I know the same goes for you. From the second I met you, I could tell you possess demons. I hypothesize you would like to free them from the way your facial expression changes. The way your eyes darken, whenever I mention Zeresh.

  “I want the boy to train his body, mind, and soul to have complete control to combat future threats. I feel you want to keep him the way he is, except more attuned to his elements to ward him off your past. Is my analysis correct?”

  “N—”

  “I could identify a psychopath in a group of 100 in less than a minute. The features are obvious. Whatever reason you have for tracking Derek, is unknown. Traveling to Matoma and squirming into a partnership with him, I cannot comprehend. People’s true intentions are never known until they do whatever it is they do. Yet, I hope you lead Derek down the right path.”

  “If you’re guessing my intentions, why did you offer me to help?”

  “Because you are a manipulator. You radiate more strength than any Peon HESTEK and Gladiator I encountered. Whatever your intentions are. I know if you partner with him, he will learn everything about controlling the elements. That along with passing along lore of our curse.

  “Is what I am saying true?”

  Alyssa’s pupils wander throughout the empty emerald fields within Liam’s eyes. “Depends. What are you going to do with my information?”

  “My insinuation is nothing. Why do you not trust me?”

  “I don’t trust Reivscere, period. Since I’ve been put under the spotlight. Many years ago, I took a tour of Reivscere, because I was suspicious. Weary it was fueling the conflict between China and India during their ‘reunions’. I believe you were provoking them through falsified media buyouts. Spreading fear-mongering propaganda through both countries. So I took a tour of Reivscere to see if I could learn anything—”

  “I am curious about what you learned. Emphasize.”

  “Nothing—I learned absolutely nothing from my visit. Should I have?”

  “A little secret about Reivscere. The fact it includes the word corporation in its name does not incur that it is pure evil. Unlike most conglomerates, you are fluent with. To ease your worries, the Reds needed to fall at the time.

  “Since one of my bases of operation was in Nepal. Since the U.S.A. revealed China’s plans to invade and capture India. That meant I was between the warring countries. I needed to intervene before the situation was out of hand. I invested thousands of Reivs to provide India with technology greater than China’s. Bringing forth the newest age of weaponry.

  “This took two weeks. By then China’s military forces were ready. Their hackers also kept pecking at India. Since I invested over 300 Reivs into India’s cybersecurity. Since I had a play on that front; those Reds were not able to gather any secrets.

  “Once the expected date for China to strike took place, due to intel. I obtained, they backed away. That is how efficient I was with masking this war. You would only know if you were a government official from either country. Or a manufacturer for Reivscere.

  “All you did was breach security in an attempt to gather intel., which fails when I invest as much as I do into my security. There’s a reason why I am the richest man in all four galaxies. Because I am intelligent. I know where to position my pieces.

  “Do you want to know another secret? I invest my money into what I say I do. Even though I could buy an army large enough to conquer all habitable planets in every galaxy. I hope I eased some of your worries—”

  “I suppose so,” the vines on Alyssa’s tattoo seesaw. “Until the next time Reivscere exhibits strange behavior—”

  “That will be the day the Earth stalls,” rows of pearly whites form between Liam’s cheeks. His forefinger and thumb brush against each other within his beard.

  “Ahhh!” Derek’s voice echoes as the memory fades. “They won’t stop.”

  “The memories?” Alyssa levels her face with his.

  “Yes—I want them to go away—but I can’t k-k-keep—calm.”

  “Sit in a comfortable position, rest your eyes and take in the sounds surrounding you. Inhale for four seconds until the breath reaches your stomach. Finally, exhale while counting to four in your head.

  “Only focus on your breathing. If you feel your heart beating uncontrollably, ignore it. It’s just your mind playing tricks on you in this scenario. The mind—the ego, can be our best friend, yet our mightiest foe”

  “I will see you on the other side, my princess,” an image of Derek’s glistening smile with teeth forms inside of his mind. “I love you.”

  Revelator manifests as its maw leap at Alyssa.

  A gust yanks a ribbon of Alyssa’s raven locks and into the snow.

  Her palm fires downward until reaching contact with soil. The picture of massive roots draws themselves in the girl’s thoughts.

  White-capped treetops seesaw, hurling ivory dust from their branches. Rocks lining the hills collapse into the pallid lake.

  Snow provides me with the disadvantage of not being able to stealth. But nullifies Derek’s thermal-based abilities—

  A cloud of spikes carves the sides of Alyssa’s cheeks as she coils her waist to the side.

  Vines erupt from the ground and propel at the boy. As they latch to the lad’s armor, they sling him against the wall.

  “What have I d-done!” the greatsword disintegrates. “I don’t know what came about me. After you told me that stuff, a bunch of nonsense went through my head. Even thoughts I don’t remember ever experiencing. Like it was a different life. Then it just overwhelmed me, causing me to see what wasn’t actually there.

  “My mind blamed you for something, then it went—”

  “Into a state of anger,” Alyssa caresses the boy’s cheek with a finger’s tip. “When the ego is afraid of falling back, it’ll go into a state of fight or flight. Doing whatever it can to survive. I understand your anxiety, Derek. Because of me, you’r
e a wanted criminal on Earth. Because of me, Rainy is dead. Because of me—”

  The vines bounding him withdraw into the stone surface. She extends her arms outward. “I am sincerely sorry about everything, Derek. If you must strike me down then—”

  “I won’t,” Derek makes his way toward her. He weaves all fingers with Alyssa’s. “Despite everything that’s happened. Despite the hopeless situation we’re in, I feel like we’ll make it out of this alive. Eventually, we’ll have our charges dropped on Earth. Eventually, Alexander, Jinzo, and Tsubasa will be gone. From there, we can start a new life.

  “Alyssa—”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t regret what we did in the bathroom.”

  A coral tint permeates throughout her cheeks. I thank you for it.

  * * *

  Realm of Animals

  “I can’t wait until we can sleep,” Derek’s pupils magnify. “If there was a substitute it, I’d be happy ”

  The boy’s reflection appears on the SAP’s mirrored surface. Gashes appear across his cheek and purple rings reside under his puffed eyes.

  Alyssa’s fingers gyrate while pressing against both sides of her temples. He’s right. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to make it with being awake for forty-eight hours straight.

  “I was warned about you,” a voice glides across the lake ahead of the duo.

  A rock wall detonates from the ground and surrounds the two as sounds of rushing water echos.

  “Blitz,” she says.

  “Come again?”

  “Teleport us to the hills we were at earlier!”

  A searing sensation fills their bodies. Mounds of snow appear as the earthen barrier disperses.

  “Close one—” Alyssa hurls legs over the cliffside. Her contracting pupils face the distant body of water.

  “Was that Alexander?”

  “You must be deprived of sleep,” a flea appears amidst the island in Alyssa’s perspective. “Whenever Alexander is around, an intense aroma of frankincense flows through your nostrils—”

  “I don’t even know what Frankenstein smells like,” Derek’s hand shovels a handful of snow and bats it into his face. “If it’s not Alexander, why should we worry, then? We took out a Beta earlier.”

  “No, smart ass,” she lays the back of her hand on the hilt of her dagger. “Furthermore, after watching that recording, I’ve had a revelation. The locations of the scars on Achilles’ and that person’s body were different. I’m pretty sure it was Lycanthrope.

  “Aside from that; I value life, Derek. When I know someone is more powerful and has obvious advantages, I separate myself from the situation—”

  “Quit being a wuss.”

  “Excuse me?” Alyssa’s feet hurl herself upward as she glues her chest against his. “Are you calling me a bitch?”

  “Yes, you don’t wanna be a wuss, do you? Then come help me with this ‘Blitz’ person; otherwise, I’m going in alone.”

  “Why do you even want to fight her?”

  “I need to get stronger, Alyssa. If there’s a threat that even scares you, I wanna take it on. Otherwise, we might encounter it in the future when we’re not prepared—”

  “We’re running off no sleep. How is that prepared—”

  “It’s an obstacle,” Revelator manifests in Derek’s hand. “What’s this person’s abilities, anyway?”

  A flick streams itself in Alyssa’s mind. Her and a pale-skinned girl dash through an abandoned town—

  “Whatever,” he bursts into a silhouette of ashes.

  “Where are we going, Alyssie?” Blitz’s wide sapphire gaze faces Alyssandra’s.

  “We can’t let Alexander get to you—” a figure garbed in golden armor materializes a centimeter in front of the two.

  “I won’t let you control—” a massive metal mold of the Reivscere logo sways toward the duo. Fluids ooze from Alyssa’s shoulder as a maroon liquid paints the crescent of the design’s tail.

  A shimmering gauntlet tightens against the pale girl’s cobalt locks. Her legs scrape the concrete as the armor-clad figure makes its way to the darkness.

  “Until next we meet, Alyssie—”

  “Blitz!” Alyssandra’s thunderous voice fills an alleyway.

  Please don’t fall, Blitz—wait. Derek, please off her.

  A geyser erupts from the lake. The flea’s body flashes toward different directions.

  I need to get down there!

  * * *

  A pale nude body transforms into fluid as the Revelator bites the character’s shoulder. Derek appears on the beach. His gaze shifts to a collapsing liquid silhouette.

  Alyssa bolts toward the sand, flashing both daggers and holding them backward.

  I hope she hasn’t learned how to tether since my last visit, which could mean instant fatality, even for Derek.

  A monstrous wave inches in Alyssa’s direction.

  Derek appears beside Alyssandra. The duo appears on the opposing side of the lake.

  “Alyssie,” the water goddess’s voice fills the arena.

  “What?” the boy’s neck rotates, facing Alyssa.

  “Are you with this—boy, now?” Blitz echoes while pressing her palms together, appearing to be starting a prayer. “I see—so those years were useless then.

  “This is my perishing melody to you then!”

  An army of miniature twisters spiral upwards. They gyrate toward the island as Blitz kneels.

  The watery vortexes mold the shape of a being. The upper half of a man, and the lower, the tail of a shark.

  A frigid gale brushes the lake’s surface, transforming it into a sheet of ice.

  Webs of lightning discharge, skittering throughout the space adjacent to the boy. Climbing among each other, they interlock. The dancing strands of plasma form the appearance of a humanoid having a bird head.

  A staff materializes within the bird-headed figure’s hand. It swings at the water conjuration.

  Thick mist erupts from the collision as the water conjuration bursts into a cloud of steam. The lightning creature disintegrates as the boy’s legs collapse.

  Glass coating the beach shatters as vibrations cradle the sand in a seesaw motion. The trees surrounding the arena mimic an identical tempo. A roar sends a constant ring through his ears.

  A colossal cobalt tinted beast springs from the clouds. Having the form of a serpent and the face of a dragon.

  A tongue the size of a car brushes its own lips.

  Blitz arcs her arm, aiming her fingers at Derek.

  His foot shifts backward. “Is this a conjuration or hallucination?”

  “Welcome to the wildlife of Faxian,” Blitz’s murmurs passes through the boy’s ears.

  The beast springs forward.

  A pair of arms shove Alyssa’s body to the side.

  An image of the water goddess sketches within the boy’s head. His body vanishes as the creature’s teeth clench against each other. Crimson fluids splash from the beast’s mouth.

  “Derek!” Alyssandra hurls the front of herself into the beach.

  * * *

  Complacency

  “Stick a cat’s prickled dick in my ass!” the sensation of an electric jolt blossoms from Derek’s forearm.

  He moves a finger toward a section of exposed muscle and jabs it. A shockwave surges through the boy’s arm and billows throughout his spine.

  The crevices lining the SAP emanates a cerulean glow. Pulsing lights reveal a massive forked tongue.

  They press against spikes the size of a tall human and red walls lined with a collection of bumps.

  Electricity is plasma.

  “With the right amount of focus, you would be able to control other being’s minds with the correct amount of voltage,” a grafting voice says. “With your abilities, you nearly have the potential to be equal to God himself—”

  A web of blue electricity surging through the water dragon’s body paints itself in Derek’s mind. Following that, Alyssa’s
face, and another of the beast’s maw acting as a guillotine as it tears through Blitz’s body.

  * * *

  He appears adjacent to a large stone Alyssa stands by. The beast expands its jaw. Eyes with the appearance of giant Strawberries dash to Blitz’s sapphire locks.

  “Alyssie—” the upper half of her body transforms into a burst of red juices as the beast’s teeth retreat its maw. Legs without a body collapse into the water.

  Alyssa sprints the opposite way. The lad’s eyes transfer to a geyser propelling through the Jialong’s skull.

  An ear-piercing scream drives across the lake.

  The NanoLites lining Derek’s armor crawl toward his SAP as a cloud of mist pulses against his face.

  “Shit—” his legs dart to her. They halt upon reaching the edge of the waterfront. “Alyssa! Where are you going?”

  “Get away from me—” her voice echoes as her feet crash into one another. Two of her fingers press against Alyssandra’s neck.

  “Are you OK?” Derek’s ankles go into the shallow water. Tiny waves slosh his legs with malachite and ruby juices.

  A warm sensation emanates from his cheeks as the pace his breaths release delay.

  “P-palpitation. No, p-pa—” a symphony of different toned wheezes expel from her lips. The girl’s arms trembles as she swivels. Her body collapses face-first into the water.

  Currents carry Alyssandra toward the island.

  “Balls,” the boy makes his way into the azure void, until his body, except his neck and face, submerges. “Not the type of arc progression I’m looking for. Couldn’t I just save a bunch of kittens from a—”

  Can I shock the water and Fibrillate her? Wait. Putting a plugged in cellphone in my bath as a child nearly took me out—kinda—bad idea—

  “She’s dead,” Alyssa’s voice floods the biome.

  “How can you be so sure?” his gaze averts itself to her heart-shaped face, who faces the sky. “I thought you were dead—”

  “Are you mentally challenged?” the girl’s body floats toward the island. “A Jialong snapped her body in half. Furthermore, she released her Closing Requiem. You couldn’t tell?”