by Drew Hayes
“Beats me. When I was stuck in here, it was like drifting through darkness, being stuck in the space right between dreams and waking. Time meant nothing, and I wasn’t particularly inconvenienced, so it probably won’t be so bad.”
“What you experienced wasn’t a true purge, though. She’s made that abundantly clear.” Nicholas gestured to the spot where Professor Stone’s image had previously appeared to deliver her verdict.
“Yeah, that’s why I said ‘beats me’ when you asked. Probably, we’ll feel nothing, or we’ll just be stuck in this dome forever. Pre-Lander us will get control and everything will be like it was before.” Nick was surprised by the sadness in his voice. It had been so long since he’d accidentally showed genuine emotion that he wasn’t prepared for it.
“Here’s hoping we’re just destroyed then,” Nicholas said. “I do not take much shine to the idea of being stuck here until our body dies.”
“At least the company is amiable.”
“No offense, but there are a lot of other people I’d prefer to be stuck with.”
“Ditto,” Nick agreed.
“Since we’re here though, I do have a question for you,” Nicholas said, turning to look at the man who was so identical and yet so different from him. “Before the chains popped out, you said you weren’t conflicted about who we are, about what we’ve done. How? I’ve read the files, and I’ve met your friends, and nothing I’ve seen would indicate something that would provide such a serious personal shift. We’ve always been devoted to the work of the Family, but it weighs on us just a bit. Why do you seem so much lighter?”
“Several reasons,” Nick replied. “Personal growth certainly helped, as did getting a little perspective outside of our Vegas life. Not to mention, surviving the HCP meant I didn’t have a lot of time for inner dilemmas. But really, I think it was realizing that I have a place in the world.”
“I’m going to need a little more than that.”
“You read the file about when George kidnapped Mary and Hershel, and saw the memory of us fighting him. What I didn’t put in there is that I originally decided not to go. I was going to sit it out, run back to Vegas, and never set foot on Lander’s campus again. Then, when I was sitting in my room, go-bag in my hands, I realized two things: the first was that I didn’t want to leave the people I cared about behind, which was a shocker in itself. The other was the bigger revelation, though. I realized that they needed me. In order to pull off that crazy escape attempt, they needed my brain, my trickery, and my talents. Powerful people, aspiring Heroes, and my criminal skills would be what pulled them from the fire.”
“That doesn’t sound so surprising to me,” Nicholas remarked.
“Words don’t really do it justice. It was just the moment of understanding that there was a place in the world between outright criminal and saintly Hero. That it was possible to be a bad guy and do good things. In that moment, I realized I could be my own kind of criminal, my own kind of man, and find a place in the moral spectrum where I made the rules.”
“Sounds like . . . actually, it sounds like the sort of thing Gerry would get behind.”
“I think he was trying to teach us that for years before we left,” Nick agreed. “Poor guy, he’s going to have to start all over when this is done.”
They both looked up at the slowly closing gap in the sky. There was no real time here, yet they still realized that they didn’t have much of it left.
“Since we’re getting wiped anyway, will you tell me the secret you figured out that was so vital it had to be destroyed?” Nicholas asked. “Nathaniel’s presence and your intrusions made getting anywhere in the research damn near impossible.”
“Tsk tsk, making excuses about failing a mission,” Nick chided.
“Technically, I still had another semester.”
“You know as well as I do that Ms. Pips considers dying without finishing the job to be failure.”
“Says the one who got taken out first.”
“Ouch, below the belt,” Nick said. “Don’t feel too bad about not figuring things out, though; I doubt you ever could have.”
Nicholas made a large gesture of rolling his eyes.
“I’m not being mean. You just don’t have the perspective I do, and without it, you’d never put the pieces together.”
“I have nearly all the information you possessed.”
“That might be true, but you’re missing the empathy,” Nick said.
“Empathy? That’s the trick to figuring out the big secret?”
“Understanding emotions is. Not just how to manipulate them, but how they actually impact you. You only got a taste of it in the memories; I lived in a cesspool of the stuff for two years. Hate, friendship, jealousy, devotion, a miasma of the gunk coming from all directions. Being infected was ultimately inevitable.”
“You’re talking in riddles,” Nicholas accused.
“Sorry, it’s my final moments of consciousness; I’m allowed to wax philosophical a bit. You know my only real regret right now?”
“Getting us destroyed?”
“Not in the slightest. No, I wish I’d never pulled you back to college in the first place. I wish I had just left things as they were when I left Lander. It was all nice and sewn up, but now my friends will be stuck with this fresh, painful ending. They don’t even get another round of goodbyes.”
As Nick spoke, Nicholas noticed a shadow on the ground beneath him, one growing steadily in size. His eyes darted up, expecting to see the dome finally completing itself, but what met his eyes instead was far more bizarre.
“If you’re still channeling luck, I think you can stop.”
Nick glanced at Nicholas, who was still staring up, then followed his gaze through the gap in the dome. There, plummeting toward them at high speeds, was a tangle of bodies belonging to Mary, Hershel, Roy, Vince, and Alice. They shot through the gap and slowed just before landing, all setting down with the lightness of a sunbeam. Nick stared at them all, seeing his friends through his own eyes for the first time in over half a year, and spoke before he could stop himself.
“This service is completely unacceptable. I called for a ride hours ago. Your manager is going to hear about this.”
That was all he could get out before the others swarmed him in a hug.
143.
The moment finally passed, and the group released Nick. Alice spoke first, her voice echoing eerily off the icy landscape. “Okay, I’ll be the one who bites: what the hell is all this, anyway?”
“I’m not totally sure of that myself,” Nick admitted. “A second chance, maybe, or some sort of test of character?”
“You’ve never been short on character,” Hershel said.
“No doubt,” Roy agreed.
It was at this moment that, amidst all the craziness that was his life, Nick Campbell finally got taken completely by surprise. He jumped back a solid foot, nearly yanking his chain taut in the process, and stared dumbfounded at the two people who were supposed to be one.
“Yeah, that was about how we reacted too,” Alice said. “Our best guess is that since Mary pulls in minds, not bodies, Roy and Hershel both got to come along for the ride.”
Nick took a minute to compose himself, reasserting his calm demeanor after having effectively shattered it into pieces. He was out of practice dealing with these weirdos, and it showed.
“Leaving behind the philosophical and pragmatic questions about Roy and Hershel being two separate people—which I promise you we will definitely be circling back to—when did Mary learn to drag others into her coma-walking power?”
“A few weeks ago,” Mary said. “I’ve also gotten good enough to do it when people are sleeping, not just rendered unconscious by Rich’s ability.”
“Well . . . duh. Didn’t you see that possibility the moment you first discovered the power?”
“Remind me why we’re here to save you again.”
“Because he’s our friend,” Vince said. He’d been
studying the chains that bound Nick, and the point where they were shackled to the hunk of ice. It seemed like perfectly normal frozen water, but even he understood that, in a world composed of thought and imagination, there were bound to be some rules that worked differently. “And while we’re on the subject, we should probably get to work. I don’t know how long that hole in the ceiling will last.”
The others glanced up and noticed that, while there was still ample room left, the place they’d entered through had grown slightly smaller.
“Roy, can you come hold this for me?” Vince asked. The taller Daniels brother walked dutifully over and scooped the chain up in his hands. Even resting on Roy’s sizable digits, the ice-chain was disproportionately thick. On instinct, he gave one link a careful squeeze, expecting to feel it bend and crack under the pressure of his enhanced grip. Instead, it held completely firm, as though he weren’t crushing it at all.
“This stuff is strong,” Roy noted, pulling the chain taut, so there was a large section stretched between his hands.
“I thought it might be. But strong or not, it’s still ice.” Vince’s right hand seemed to glow as a sheath of orange flames wrapped itself around his lower arm. Keeping as clear of Roy as he could, Vince grabbed the chain firmly and turned up the heat, releasing a steadily increasing amount of fire. By the time he pulled his hand away, Roy was sweating just from standing so close, and Roy was not easily affected by little things like heat.
The chain, unfortunately, was as firm and frozen as it had been when Vince started. He took a step back, face inscrutable as he stared at the unyielding restraint, then surged forward. Vince delivered a perfect blow, striking the chain dead center and unleashing a tremendous blast of kinetic power. It was all Roy could do to hold on, the attack nearly tearing the chain completely out of his hands. The chain was the only one unaffected by Vince’s strike, showing not so much as a single crack in its icy facade.
“At least I don’t feel so bad about not being able to budge mine,” Nicholas said, watching the spectacle from a sitting position on his side of the altar.
“Seems like brute force isn’t going to work here,” Mary surmised. “Not even the level that Vince and Roy can deliver.”
“Can we just reshape this place so that Nick isn’t held anymore?” Alice asked. “You and I are able to change pretty much everything we want when you come into my dreams; no reason why we couldn’t do the same here.”
“Actually, there’s a very good reason,” Nick said, jumping in before Mary could. “Dreams are just that: dreams. They’re open-ended swirls of thought with no defined direction. This is an unconscious representation of what’s happening to me. Professor Stone set the whole thing in motion, and since I was a bad boy and failed her little exam, I’m getting my mind wiped all the way.” Nick leaned back and looked up at the dome and the narrowing piece of open sky, cupped his hand to his mouth, and yelled to the darkness: “Isn’t that right, bitch?”
A few feet away, the image of Professor Stone shimmered into view, causing several gasps of shock from his friends. It surprised him as well—he hadn’t been expecting her to reappear—but he was able to maintain a composed expression. It made him feel slightly better about his reaction to Roy and Hershel earlier. The image began to speak, and for a moment, Nick hoped he’d tripped some hidden trial where he was supposed to curse out the professor, but then he realized she was merely repeating her verdict.
“You have failed. You will both be sealed here, as will all recovered memories from your time at Lander. A full-wipe is occurring, and when it is done, it will be as if Nicholas Campbell never set foot on the Lander campus. All memories of time in the Hero Certification Program will be forever sealed.”
“Whoa, hold the hell on a minute,” Alice said. “Did she say all the memories that are here?”
“Yup, that’s what a full-wipe means,” Nick said.
“No, but . . . we’re all here. I mean, not physically, sure, but mentally. Mary, this is your power, you know best, will that thing trap us too?”
“It’s hard to say,” Mary replied. “I’d guess somewhere between maybe and probably. Since we do disconnect from our bodies when I do this, it is possible that pieces of us could get caught, at least theoretically. This is exactly the sort of question I would ask Professor Stone.”
“Everyone, relax,” Vince said. He’d walked back over to the group, with Roy a few steps behind. “This changes nothing. We just have to figure out how to get these chains to break before the hole closes. We’ve still got time.” Vince looked at Nick, who was a bit surprised at the strange sense of reassurance he felt just by having his friend near. “Nick, you’re always the one talking about games, and that’s what this seems like to me. There has to be a way to win it, right?”
“That’s been my theory since the beginning,” Nick said. “If there wasn’t some method for beating this, then Professor Stone wouldn’t have created it in the first place. I just haven’t managed to figure out what she wants from me yet.”
“Start at the beginning, tell us everything that’s happened,” Mary said. “Maybe going over it again will help you figure something out.” The short Super chanced a quick glance upward and noticed the hole had shrunk again. “But maybe talk quick, and skip the boring parts. We’re on a bit of a clock here.”
144.
“It seems like you’re supposed to say that you’re sorry,” Alice surmised as Nick finished relaying the basics of the labyrinth he and Nicholas had run through. He’d purposely left out and obscured most of the details from his pre-Lander memories; there were things about him that even his friends didn’t need to know.
“No, I’m supposed to be sorry,” Nick said. “This is my mind, one of the few places in the world where I can’t just bullshit my way out of a problem. If Professor Stone wants me to repent, I’m pretty sure it will have to be genuine to have any effect.”
“Plus, he tried apologizing several times before you all got here,” Nicholas added.
“That too.”
“You said ‘if Professor Stone wants you to repent.’ Do you not think that’s what this is about?” Mary asked.
“I don’t know. It could be, sure, but then why bother? What does it accomplish? Good people in the HCP get wiped every year, and I highly doubt they go through this kind of ordeal. Even if I did somehow decide to be a totally different person, why would that make me more deserving to keep my memories? It just doesn’t add up.”
“Maybe it’s about what they think you have the ability to do,” Hershel said. “You managed to survive two years of the HCP, and you probably could have gone further, using mostly just your mind. That could mean they think there’s a place for you in the Hero world, if you can get your morals in line.”
“If that were the case, then I would never have been wiped in the first place. Numbers and Transport would have grabbed me as soon as our exam ended and given me the hard sell.” Nick noticed everyone except Mary looked confused at his statement. “You guys still haven’t figured out what they do, have you? Jeez, you really are useless without me. Just trust me, there is a place in the Hero world for people of my flexible nature, but I seriously doubt they bother with these sorts of games in their recruiting procedures.”
“Then what does that leave us with?” Roy asked.
“Fuck if I know.” Nick shrugged his shoulders slightly, rattling the chain as he did. These words were not entirely true, as he did have a slight suspicion of what Professor Stone wanted. That theory would be sealed away with the rest of his memories, though; it was too dangerous to be spoken.
“So . . . what’s the plan, then?” Hershel looked up and noticed that the hole was now significantly smaller. “We’ve tried force, fire, and figuring out the trick; all of which have come up empty. Time’s running out. What are we going to try next?”
“Something I’ve always been particularly shitty at.” Nick walked over to Hershel and took the smaller man’s hand in his, giving it
a firm but gentle shake. “Goodbye, Hershel. You were always a nerd, and I mean that lovingly, and you had a good head for strategy. Try and keep them out of too much trouble.”
Nick turned to Mary, who he patted lightly on the head. “You are the biggest pain in my ass I’ve ever had. Thank you.”
He rotated to Roy, who was staring down with a grim expression as understanding set in. “You’re a good guy, when you work at it. And you can hit like nobody’s business. Strongmen get played out a lot in the Hero world. Go remind them what a solid punch can do.”
Nick hesitated for a second as he moved to the next person. He had to say goodbye to Alice last. If he didn’t, he feared he would lose his composure, and composure was necessary to get his friends to safety. So instead, he spun to face the silver-haired young man who was his best friend.
“Vince, you—”
A sudden blow to his stomach cut off Nick’s words. Vince caught his friend’s shoulder with his left hand, even as his right was still imbedded a few inches below Nick’s sternum.
“Sorry about that, but we really are running short on time,” Vince said. He looked at his friends, who were staring at him with unmasked confusion. “What? You know if I hadn’t incapacitated him, he’d have tried something crazy.”
“Vince . . . he was telling us goodbye. He was telling us to go,” Mary said softly.
“I know. That’s also why I stopped him.” Vince carefully set Nick on the ground as he gasped and wheezed, trying to get his breath back. “I don’t need a goodbye. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You understand that if you don’t get out of here, your memories could be sealed along with his, right?” Mary asked.
“I understand.”
“You damn idiot . . . you can’t stay.” Nick had to wheeze between words, but he still managed to get them out.
“No, Nick, what I can’t do is leave. I won’t let you be here alone.”
“You’re going to throw away your career?” Nick’s words came faster as his breathing returned to normal. “They won’t let you restart the HCP, you know. You’re the son of Globe, and you’ll lose your memories going after someone who was expelled. You’ll never be a Hero.”