Heroic- Zero

by Ted L C

  The ropes over the boy’s hands loosen. Derek makes his way toward the doorway.

  * * *

  “Welcome to cruiser Hailstorm,” a hologram of a large rectangle surrounded by rings manifests over a coaster in Liam’s hand. “Let me begin with apologizing for not coming to rescue you earlier from Faxian. Due to the lack of signal on Faxian, Reivscere found it more difficult than anticipated to find the location of two HESTEKS in a different galaxy.”

  Alyssa’s arms cross over one another. Her eyes follow Liam’s fingers jabbing at different sections of the cruiser.

  Yet you found us before.

  “What class is this cruiser?” her noose loosen, falling to her side. “I explored a bit of it earlier to find the cafeteria, Reiv. outlet shop, and barracks.”

  “This is a Behemoth A class. Now, as for the pl—”

  “Why would Reivscere need a portable military base? I was not aware that a conglomerate needed a military. Let alone, an A-class Behemoth cruiser. And don’t tell me because it’s an explorer’s vessel. You turned half of the continent of Barter into glass when firing at that Temple.”

  “Are you aware of the troubles—” Liam takes a step toward Alyssa.

  Derek’s nails rake across the hair on his cheek. Does that mean there’s no hope of finding Rain’s body?

  “Most conglomerates nowadays have their own personal armies. Are you not aware of Reivscere’s step into its fortune?”

  “I am aware of what made Reivscere rich. Asteroid mining.”

  “Correct, and with no regulations as claims to asteroids. Countries and other corporations would hire mercenaries to sabotage Reivscere’s equipment. Quarterly, this cost us over two-kay Reivs. The equivalent of one-billion U.S. Dollars.

  “Thus, we found it cost-efficient to build our own class A cruiser to safeguard our claims to asteroids. Furthermore, from what our research has discovered with Adalfieri’s origin, we’re going to need the protection—”

  “Oh stop it with your alien theories—”

  “Think about this. Zeresh has been alive for over a thousand years. He made numerous clones of himself. At one point, he transformed five-kilometers of land in Antarctica to a military base.

  “Does any military possess the firepower to counter one who knows everything about every terrain? One who as more experiences with battle than any General in existence? Reivscere’s underground tier is dedicated to bringing down Zeresh’s rogue forces.”

  “Why not just go level his base?”

  “Since this vessel was made on Clarum, once I fly within range of Earth’s, cannons will label it as an alien vessel. Thus a threat due to its military equipment.

  “Anyway, you and Derek will teleport to Germany, eliminate Jinzo as fast as possible, and go to Japan before Tsubasa’s attack. That way they will not be able to warn each other and gather reinforcements.”

  “You still have not answered my question—”

  “There is a right time when one reveals themselves—”

  “Why wouldn’t Zeresh stay in his base?” a grin creeps across Alyssa’s face. “I could scout the base and see if he’s there, then we can eliminate the threat to the Earth people—”

  “I wanna know why they want Germany and Japan,” Derek’s voice sends shivers through her spine.

  “Both cities contain vital spaceports which are passenger bays for diplomatic vessels,” Liam’s finger brushes the coaster. The hologram disintegrates. “I sense the fear in you, young man. However, I have a story that will hopefully ease any worries you have.

  “There were once two farmers. One day they both took a visit to a gypsy in the east to get a prediction on the weather for the season. The gypsy told them the same answer. The weather would be horrendous for planting fruits. One of the farmers had a thought that said fruits of the seeds he sowed wouldn’t grow, but he planted them anyway. The other believed the gypsy, and feared the weather; thus he didn’t sow the seeds to his fruits.

  “As the season went forth, the farmer who sowed his seeds prospered; his seeds became large, ripe fruits. He was able to gain profit and feed his family. The other farmer had nothing because he feared the seeds he would have sown wouldn’t have become anything. The farmer’s fear sealed his fate; whereas, the one who faced his fear, lived for many years successfully. Despite the gypsy’s prediction.

  “What I’m trying to relay to you is to conquer your fears and take risks, otherwise you will never gain anything.”

  A hologram form of streets with L.E.D.s spelling the words ‘Roadblock’. Atop of it, sits the German translation.

  “We do not have any more time to waste,” Liam shifts his gaze toward Alyssa. “Their attack will begin at any time. Lass, grab on the boy’s arm.

  “You’re completely dodging my questions, Liam,” Alyssa’s tattoo dances as her stare glues itself to Liam’s face.

  “Would this be what your parents want?” his pupils transform into miniature obsidian spheres. “If Zeresh conquers Earth before the two of you intervene, his forces will become powerful to the point where I cannot help. He will take diplomats for ransom. Prevent trade of essential resources needed on other planets, forcing people to starve. Is this what you want, lass?”

  “If you don’t do this, I’m going alone,” Derek says.

  Alyssa’s fingers dig into the veins lining the boy’s arm.

  * * *

  Trembles hurl the duo forward and skyscrapers seesaw. Alyssa mashes her palms into the black honeycomb panels embedded within the ground.

  “The hell are you doin’?” Derek echoes.

  “Look around us,” Alyssa’s neck moves in an arch. Her nose guides Derek to many figures garbed in charcoal uniforms.

  They dash through the streets with their rifles raised toward the two.

  “On the ground, HESTEK trash,” a modulated voice utters in German.

  * * *

  Hell Realm

  Derek’s eyes roll sideways to see a glove blended with metal panels and liquefied soil.

  Reddish orange clouds leak from the base of a massive structure. As the tip of it collapses, a horde of uniformed figure’s sprint.

  Gray particles mixed with smoke flows through the arena.

  Microscopic legs brush against the duo’s necks. A stinging sensation fills both of their bodies.

  “Something bit me,” the two say in unison.

  “No time,” Alyssa’s palm grips Derek’s. “We need to proceed!”

  A darkened doorway appears ahead of the two.

  “Where are we?” Derek turns toward the sealed sheets behind him.

  “The large vents on the upper left side indicates that it’s a factory of some sort,” Alyssa’s eyes follow swarms of round robots floating overhead. The amount of machinery shifting upwards doesn’t stop. “And being as tall as it is said it has to be a manufacturer for cruiser parts. But I’ve never seen one this big—let’s explore.”

  “What?”

  “Did I stutter?”

  “Think about the security—”

  “It’s either that or we go outside to the mercenaries armed with worse weapons.

  “Think with logic. If there’s hostile security, and if they’re in a facility this large constructing a cruiser. Who knows what will happen if we stop their productions.”

  Her finger shifts toward ribbons of steam circulating through vents lining the walls.

  “We make our way through the vents, then make our way to the next floor. To give us a height advantage in case some mercs decide to bust through that door. Then we draw the attention of a drone. From there, you catch it, I hack into it, then the location of a control room should be revealed.”

  “Control room? Furthermore, wouldn’t that steam burn off your skin?”

  “It’s coolant, not boiling steam,” Alyssa’s fingers brush the streams of mist flowing through her appendages. “Each factory is equipped with numerous control rooms for security purposes. From there, we can get an eye on what
’s going on. Who’s in charge of productions and why they haven’t stopped to send home the staff.

  “Guards will most likely be equipped with stun rounds in AK-200s. Make sure you disarm them any way possible before they hit you. Even with Stellar armor, the voltage will paralyze your body for half of the normal duration. Which would be one and a half hours. Other than that, don’t worry about rail weapons or fifty-cal. snipers. They don’t want to puncture any of their equipment. Therefore, they’re just for show.

  “Need me to clarify anything before we get going?”

  “Why wouldn’t the drones still be working? I thought they would be autonomous like every other factory. Furthermore, does this mean you’re ability locked?”

  “The parts in these factories are sensitive. Thus, there needs to be human quality control behind the drones.

  “Ability locked? Like not being able to use Adalfieri? If so, I will be able to go translucent since these factories have the best air purification in the planet. I can also use my oils to induce poisons.

  “You, however, need to be careful. Remember to control your body and mind when engaging. Don’t execute anyone. Every Normie here could have the information we need.

  “If the scenario occurs where I’m stunned, ’port me to here and guard me. Are you ready?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I hate cramped areas.”

  “Into the vents!” she says.

  His fingers grip the top and bottom frames of the metallic sheet. They pull toward opposing directions. As the metal stretches, Alyssa slides through the opening. In the corner of the boy’s eyes, a collection of small flesh-colored bumps form on her arms.

  “Don’t you wish you had a jacket?”

  “Save the small talk for later, you ivory heater.”

  Derek drifts into the breach. A force pulls him downward. While falling, a lagging fan blade hovers above the nose.

  As the building’s size expands, darkness consumes everything as Derek’s arms slam against a metal object.

  * * *

  Various taps resonate throughout a box. His body brakes as it collides with a squishy surface.

  “Laura,” Derek mutters. “Echolocation—”

  A collection of thin lines form a figure within his visor identical to Alyssa’s heart-shaped face. It peers through a series of crevices lining the wall.

  “Herd them to the corners,” she says. “I will deal with the security.”

  “What?” his voice reverberates.

  A clunk surges through his ears as Alyssa vanishes. His butt slams against a tough surface. Derek’s legs pull themselves against a ledge, sliding his body into an open area.

  Alyssa’s feet carry her through a doorway. The Revelator materializes manifests as he makes his way toward a group of people dashing to a box.

  Numerous cracks fill the hall’s exterior.

  “Everybody to the left corner!” the Revelator’s tip aims at a corner of intercepting white walls.

  “Keep running!” a woman cries.

  Derek appears ahead of the collective. A guy wearing overalls falls to the ground as his body collides with the boy. A dink drowns the sounds of footsteps. The band of Normies shifts their eyes toward his sword.

  “We’ll tell you where she is—” a man says. “Just don’t kill us! I have a family I need to provide for.”

  “Where who is?” Derek mutters.

  “The HESTEK girl—our boss wanted to keep her here as a morale boost to his soldiers. They’re also interrogating her in an attempt to look for someone.”

  “What’s your name?” the dark bags lining Derek’s gaze locks with the man facing him.

  “Jackson—”

  “Alright, Jackson. Answer my three questions and I’ll let you and your coworkers live.

  “One, where is this prisoner. Two, who is your boss. And three, why are they interrogating her.”

  “W-we don’t—” a woman’s voice flows among the others.

  “I’m talking to Jackson—no one else,” the Revelator brushes its teeth against the bottom of the man’s chin.

  “I-I don’t mean to come off as rude, sir. When you transported your matter, we saw a bright light. We turned for a brief second to see a rift of energy collapsing. Exactly what the girl did when she came in here a few hours ago. Until the Gladiator captured her.”

  A hologram projects from a ball of a blueprint. The man moves his fingers downward by two floors from a group of bright red dots and to a massive room. “That’s where the prisoner is.”

  “Thanks, but what’s your boss’s name?”

  “P-please don’t make us tell you—” a coral tint consumes Jackson’s face. “We’re better off jumping off these catwalks and killing ourselves, rather than saying, ‘his’ or ‘her’, name.”

  “I would like to know—” the Revelator presses against the man’s skin.

  “Please!” a voice echoes. “Don’t force him to tell you. I’ll do anything!”

  Derek’s stare moves to a woman. An image of Alyssa’s eyes materializes inside of his thoughts as his gaze faces the figure.

  His side rolls over the metal rods. The bottom of the building expands as a flight of catwalks passes his peripherals. His face shifts toward three men wearing sunglasses. He vanishes.

  Upon reappearing, the Revelator flings at the guns with an appearance of the ancient Ak-47. The barrels separate from the rifles.

  Derek’s body transitions into a blur as it moves forward. A dink echo as a ball appears on the ground ahead of him. The room fills with a bright light as an object slams itself into his chest.

  As the glow fades, a five-story tall door comes into existence. Swarms of Nanos flee from his hand as he presses it into the chilled cobalt surface. Liquid metal oozes from the massive structure. A crater forms within the sheets as a frigid breeze submerges.

  A hole appears, revealing a strand of raven hair encasing a nude body.

  “Jinzo—”

  Low voltages of electricity run throughout his bones. The figure bursts into a silhouette of ash.

  “Helloo, there, old friend!” a voice bounces across the walls.

  A palm made of ice tightens against the boy’s shoulders.

  “Ach—”

  “Answer me a question, child—”

  “OK,” Derek’s eyes turn to meet Achilles’, coated in a pallid tint.

  “We played a game of ball upon the hills of a marsh. What was inside of that ball?”

  “D-do I answer—”

  “Of course you do!”

  “What you call ‘the Devil’s cabbage’—”

  “You are Derek!” Achilles’ icy blue retinas return. “I heard that dick mangling glasses-wearing frog, genocide inducing piece of shit got aboard of the Reivscere capital ship that picked you up and kidnapped Eri.”

  “The Lycanthrope?”

  “Yes, Derek. The fucking Lycanthrope. He’s going around, pretending to be people again. This time, it was probably you. Because it would take a lot for Eri to get captures—”

  “He snuck aboard the Reivscere ship in Faxian?”

  “Yeah, man,” a cylinder of ice materializes in Achilles’ hand. “a bunch of us snuck aboard when that ship landed in the Temple of Yama. That geriatric cow fucker must’ve gotten the idea to sell the powerful HESTEKS to the Chinese or Reivscere.”

  “So that was Eri?”

  Achilles presses his cheek against the hole within the metal door. “Yup, that was Eri—”

  “Derek!” a voice travels throughout the room. “And my pal, Achilles!”

  An aura of bleached powder engulfs Achilles’ body as he turns toward an onyx suit.

  “Derek—” a symphony of wheezes vents through Achilles’ lips. “You should run.”

  “Why?” Derek and the man say.

  “You tricked my believers you cum guzzling whale!”

  “I-I c-can’t breath,” Derek’s body collapses as vapors pulse through his n
ose.

  Darkness flashes within his vision.

  As he returns, the image of a human popsicle with Derek’s face forms.

  An onyx tint fills the lad’s sight. Achilles’ hands tighten against the stem of a mallet conjured from ice, trudging toward the frozen statue.

  * * *

  “Derek!” a blurry cinnamon-tinged face appears. “Are you with me?”

  “Achilles!” Derek’s arms jack his body upward. “Where’s Achilles? W-where are we?”

  “Achilles?” Alyssa’s head jerks to the side. “Where—”

  A symphony of muffled cries echoes throughout the stone buildings surrounding the duo. A girl with the appearance of a 12-year-old manifests with hands shrouding her face.

  The boy’s eyes shift to the legs crossed underneath the character’s black dress.

  “She’s just a little girl crying,” Alyssa takes a step toward the figure. “Young lady, why are you crying?”

  “Because the two of you made Jean-Zoey bored!”

  “Bored?” the duo says.

  “Jean-Zoey placed you two in that abandoned warehouse over there to serve as a playpen. But Jean-Zoey got bored after you finished your objectives.”

  “What were your objectives?” Derek’s gaze drifts to the large black bow attached to the top of her head.

  “The gothic lolita, Jean-Zoey,” Achilles voice murmurs within his mind.

  Jean-Zoey. Gin-zoh. Jinzo—

  “Alyssa, we’ve been pronouncing her name wrong the entire time!” Derek tightens his arms against Alyssa’s stomach and pulls backward. “It’s Jean-Zoey, not Jinzo—”

  “Jean-Zoey doesn’t like it when people call her ‘gin-zoh’,” the girl says as she rises. “I am not an alcoholic beverage. You two are privileged to see Jean-Zoey’s real form. With the other playmates, Jean-Zoey makes them see the scary monster.”

  “Why are we privileged to see your real form, Jinzo?” Derek’s hands release Alyssa’s body from his grip.