The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance

by Momchil Yoskov

  - I'm not exactly your type; plus I'm nowhere near your age and... for God's sake, you're my teacher!

  - Age and status are just labels. Everyone likes to put labels and paint people. All I want is you. I want... to be all yours.

  She then began talking sensually in Italian in Ronnie's ear, until he burst:

  - Listen to me!

  Ronnie's eyes lit up.

  - I'm not the one!

  Azzurra shook her head several times. It seemed that the mind controlling had ceased. Now she was confused.

  - What happened? Why are we... are we in the library?

  - Yes, we are.

  - Why?

  - I believe it's important that I tell you something about you that happened. It was really strange. You wanted to come here to look for some text we needed to translate, but instead you dragged me here and wanted to...

  Ronnie's eyes were full of guilt, while Ms. Abbatucci was extremely embarrassed.

  - Oh God, what have I done? I'm so sorry.

  - No...

  - I've violated a student!

  - Listen to me! Catch a breath.

  He held her hands, as she followed his instructions and once she calmed down, he resumed his speech:

  - You did nothing wrong to me. That's a fact. But whatever it is that you told me and supposedly wanted to do to me... that's an impulse.

  - I'm going to lose my job, I know it....

  - It's alright. No one saw us. I won't say anything to anyone.

  - You're saving my life. You've always been such a good student. And now I'm convinced that you're a good boy who behaves like a man. It's a shame I don't meet a lot of mature men like you.

  - Well... if only I was 15 years older...

  Azzurra laughed. Ronnie was always happy when he could make someone laugh and smile. They both walked quietly out of the library with a book from the Italian Renaissance period. Azzurra was relieved and was smiling. She never expressed an interest towards Ronnie beyond that as a teacher, but once Ronnie mentioned that he will most likely drop out of university due to, in his words, "unforeseen circumstances" and "irreversible changes within himself and the family", something clicked in her head.

  - Are you normally a busy person, Ronnie?

  - That depends on how you define the word "busy". Well, no, not really. What do you have in mind?

  - If you have some time to spare... we... we could... get to know each other better... if you're interested, of course.

  - "Say... what? No way!" Hm... well, I'm sure I'll find a couple of hours that I normally spend behind the laptop screen, so that we could talk in a more comfortable environment. How do I contact you? My phone unexpectedly broke, so that's not an option.

  - I use Skype, if it works for you. It's written here.

  She pulled a business card from the inside of her jacket, which had her phone number, email address and her Skype nickname.

  - I'd hate to hold you up. Also I have other matters to attend to.

  - Understandable, Ronnie. I hope to see you soon.

  Before she walked back inside the room, she smiled warmly at him as he looked back. While he strode to the main entrance of the university, Ronnie could barely understand how things turned around:

  - "I hacked the dean's phone and computer, controlled the mind of my Italian teacher, made her feel guilty and now I got her phone number? Wow, I'm an asshole, that's for sure!"

  Garret and Tyler were waiting in front of the university, much to Ronnie's surprise.

  - Oh... you two are here!

  Garret responded:

  - Were you expecting a lady? We could always leave, if you want.

  - You overestimate my luck, dude. Let's go - I don't want to see Mr. Grumpy upset again. - said Ronnie.

  Mr. Grumpy was a reference to Stromak. Before Ronnie walked out of the building, Tyler spoke to Sable and he told them to use their jetpacks, instead of waiting for transport to HQ. They did not need to worry about oxygen masks or space suits, because Immortals could easily survive the vacuum of space through the emission of a magnetic field. Tyler wanted to know what happened, but Ronnie decided to leave the story for later. First he had to change his clothes.

  ***

  The Gossip Crew never slept. They were constantly observing, constantly watching. Unfortunately they saw Ronnie talk to Ms. Abbatucci. And seeing as their prime objective was to judge and ridicule, this was yet another opportunity to exercise their craft: Ashlynn just came out of her last lecture.

  - Hey girl, we got some super fresh news for you. Like, super fresh. - said Sharon.

  - What happened?

  Ashlynn was the kind of person who got easily worried. She thought someone died.

  - Some weirdo just talked to that new Italian teacher. He looked like a student.

  - Yeah, some... guy. He had a black face, red eyes and a hoodie. Who would wear a torn hoodie with a shirt? Is he some greasy goth metalhead or something? - added Zoey.

  Ashlynn quickly realised the girls were talking about Ronnie. They had no idea that he had undergone those changes. Unfortunately, now that Ronnie had no phone and going to his house would have been obnoxious, she could only wait at home on Skype until he appeared online. She revealed that that guy was actually Ronnie.

  - Your... boyfriend? - Abigail could hardly believe it. - Well, if that really was him, why was he dressed up like he's going on a date, but forgot to get rid of half of his Halloween costume and make-up?

  Ashlynn could not say the truth. She ran home.

  - What's up with her? - Sharon wondered.

  - She's hiding something. They both are. - Abigail declared. - Isn't it weird that none of us have seen Ronnie around campus several days in a row? This whole story has to be very deep and we are going to find out why he's wagging his tail around a teacher.

  The usual stories roaming around the universities were put to the side. What they had was a potential gold mine.

  ***

  The brothers waited in front of Ronnie's house, so that he could change his clothes. He changed to the jeans that he wore at the stadium and left the house shirtless. While he was changing, the brothers tried to see what it was like to use jetpacks. Garret, as someone raw with an affinity for anything and everything that was fast, heavy and noisy, was itching to try flying.

  - Let's see how this is done. Man, this is going to be so awesome! - he said.

  The jetpack was fairly simple in design. It consisted of an almost aeroplane-like fuselage with sizeable wings and a jet engine. An additional four could pop out, provided there is a need to escape a dangerous situation through timed use of thrust vectoring or reach a destination in a shorter amount of time. After all, once a sticky situation arises, speed is essential. Those were not the only engines that the boys could use. An additional two pairs were integrated into their heels and heel tendons. Unfortunately that meant a ton of trouble for the inexperienced Garret, who had to deal not only with the enormous thrust, but also with the thrust vectoring that caused his first attempt at flying to be quite wobbly.

  - Um, uh, uh, lift off... Lift off!

  In fact one could say that he did lift off, though in reality he was only hovering a couple of inches above the ground, until he hit a tree face first. It all looked belly-laugh inducing and Tyler couldn't help but laugh at his friend:

  - I don't think jet engines can receive voice commands, lad! Unless we're a different case. We should ask Sable about it, don't you think?

  - It's not funny, asshole! - Garret dusted himself off, once he stood up. Ronnie missed the accident, but he could tell that something happened. Tyler felt disappointed that Ronnie wasn't using his abilities:

  - Why do you not use what you're given, Ronnie? We all have x-ray vision. Me and Garret tried it out on our way to the university. We could see people's organs functioning, the blood running through their veins, their bioelectric impulses...

  - Or maybe naked female skin is what you were looking at, Tyler.
/>   That honest remark compensated for Garret's slight discomfort after his crash and it made him add:

  - It's funny, 'cause it's true.

  - No, it isn't!

  - Oh yes, it is, Tyler.

  - How do you know?

  - Just read your mind.

  - Aw, come on!

  Laughter filled Garret's and Ronnie's lungs, which was quickly incinerated by Stromak's anger over the radio:

  - Will you immature scum move it already? Sable has been waiting for quite some time in the training room and you're not making your service any easier by laughing and doing nothing!

  - We're going, we're going! Hold your horseflies. - Garret replied.

  - Now... von Richthofen... how did you unfold your wings? - Tyler asked through his giggling.

  - It's, um, like... well, I flexed my shoulder blades and it, sort of... worked. Something appeared on my display that said "Propulsion" and I turned it on.

  Tyler gave it a try and in an instant his jet propulsion system unfolded on his back. It was completely identical to Garret's. His attempt was far more spontaneous and explosive - he flew about 15 feet skywards, before he cut off the engines and fell on the grass. This resulted in laughs and giggles. Stromak heard and saw their attempts at understanding the principle of jet propulsion, though thankfully Sable calmed him down:

  - Give them some breathing room, Stromak. They have yet to learn a lot - they'll fall, they'll be broken, devastated, crushed, but they need to learn every bit of their new selves. It's a long and daunting process and they have yet to enter the world of violence. Their path is full of obstacles and challenges. Let them enter at the appropriate pace. I am sure that the youngsters will do what they have to do - after all, they gave a promise to us.

  The boys, meanwhile, steadily flying into the stratosphere, were wondering what was it like to fly into outer space with no space suit. The answer was: not too different compared to normal flying, except for the fact that the Earth was beneath their feet and Ronnie felt dizzy.

  - I'd suggest not looking down - it's not healthy. - he said.

  The brothers disregarded that piece of advice and looked down. The New Hope mother ship was orbiting Mars. That meant that the trip would have taken a while, had it not been for the miniature warp drive their engines had.

  ***

  - Hey, Ray. You're unusually silent today.

  - I'm just... tired, Jared. Didn't have enough sleep last night.

  Jared was Ray's co-worker. On a quiet day the store received anywhere between 15 to 20 customers. That was one of those days and what the employees did was indulge in what every middle-aged man was concerned about - their children.

  - How's Ronnie doing in university?

  - He's holding up, but I'm worried about his social interactions. He'll soon graduate and he has yet to figure out what he wants to do in life.

  - What about the ladies?

  - He's dating this girl, a year younger, but... I have doubts.

  - Why so?

  - He scooped her up at a Halloween party and you know how unstable relationships, birthed by one-night stands are.

  - Ray, if your son has loyal and good friends, it doesn't matter what the outcome is. He'll have support, if things go wrong. Plus you're still around and he still listens to you, I'm sure. Hang on, we have a customer.

  The customer wanted a monkey wrench. Once he paid for it and left the store, Jared continued:

  - Listen, man, I get where you're coming from with this, but there's no need to be that worried about the kid. After all, he's not stealing, snorting drugs or - hell - murdering, because of a satanic cult, is he?

  - What? No, of course not! He may be silent, but he's not cold-blooded enough to draw blood!

  - There you go! I'm sure that, provided he wants to talk about anything, he will.

  ***

  The boys boarded the ship and headed straight for the training room. Strangely enough, only Sable was there and no one else, waiting in silence. Tyler looked around the hall. He was expecting something to happen, but did not know how to prepare himself. Sable was staring at the walls and didn't utter a single word. Ronnie believed that every apprentice began their path with a speech by their mentor. Sable knocking down Garret proved him wrong.

  - Whoa, hold on! - Tyler could not adequately assess the situation and did not focus on self-defence. Sable exploited that brain fade and thus he broke his shoulder by twisting his arm and his hipbone with a single, well-aimed kick. Garret pulled out one of his maces and tried his best to hit Sable. He repeatedly swung as hard and as fast as he could, though his attempts were fruitless. Just like Tyler, his attempt ended with bone fractures - four ribs and a femur. Ronnie was the only one standing. He set his arms on fire and charged. With a few punches he was able to singe Sable's face and chest, though his damage stint only lasted that long. Soon afterwards he was tripped and Ronnie hit his head.

  - Is that your usual way of saying "good morning"? - said Ronnie.

  - That was lesson number one: always be prepared for anything. It goes for all three of you. Now stand up, so we can continue - you have a lot to learn today, so fooling around won't help you.

  Tyler came to the conclusion that Sable saw how he laughed at Garret for his crash in the tree. Their mentor was serious and when things got serious, he got serious and forgot about his usual sarcasm.

  Sable began explaining in great detail what they were capable of. The first weapons that he discussed were the elemental powers - fire, ice, acid and lightning:

  - You have already noticed that you can manipulate fire and ice, but you also can control acid and lightning.

  Garret covered his hands and then his arms in acid. It was toxic green, complete with poisonous fumes.

  - The potency and chemical composition can be altered...

  - Hey, Sable! - Tyler interrupted him. - If acid is a weapon, how come Garret isn't shrivelling in pain?

  - The safety levels can be manipulated by various degrees. I disabled the weapons safety, so that you can come to grips with your weapons in a safe environment and not harm anyone but yourselves. This is your chance to use your powers to their fullest, learn your limits and even raise them. Go ahead and familiarize yourselves with the elemental powers.

  Garret was still getting used to the fact that his arms were covered in a substance that could easily kill a normal human being within a fraction of a second. He could not dare to do anything, apart from waving his arms and seeing how the fumes disperse. Then curiosity took over his mind:

  - What can we do with the use of... the elements?

  - By combining them with your telekinesis: almost anything. I have never had these abilities. However, I do have a few ideas that will come in handy to you. Give it a try and see what you can do - it should not be too difficult. - said Sable and took a few steps back, so he could let the boys discover the possibilities for themselves. Garret formed a circle and shot it towards Ronnie.

  - Ow, aw! What was that for?

  - We're in a safe environment, remember? Now pipe down and show me what you got.

  Such words were enough to make Ronnie's blood boil. He covered his arms with ice and froze Garret's legs, so he could not move. Then he punched him twice and kicked once in the chest. Then Garret stood up, pulled out a pair of XM1014s and perforated Ronnie's shoulder, stomach and chest. In his rage Ronnie growled and accidentally breathed fire. As a result he was startled and so was Tyler:

  - Since when could Bashful Junior inhale kerosene and exhale flames?

  The fight was not over and it would have been too early for Sable to stop it. This was a perfect opportunity for him to witness the effects of rage and fury on the boys, to see how far they would go. Ronnie was on fire - literally. He stacked two AK47 rifles on each of his shoulder blades, two UTS15 shotguns and turned his index fingers into Desert Eagles and began spitting lead. It should be noted that the two's accuracy was far from what Sable had witnessed during their respective
predecessors' lifetime. On the plus side, they seemed competent enough and understood the very basics of the elements and what they can do. The fight lasted roughly about three and a half minutes, before Sable broke it up:

  - Alright, you can stop now. Ronnie, stop it!

  He snapped his head towards Sable. His anger was still burning and it would have taken a while to dissipate.

  - Put away your weapons and come to me.

  Ronnie stood motionless for a few moments, until his weapons folded away and disappeared back into his body. Then he strode back to Sable and anchored his eyes to the ground.

  - Kugen, it's your turn. - Sable said.

  Tyler wasn't sure how to react to the fact that Sable used that name. Maybe it was more comfortable for him... or maybe he did not want to break any more bones that day. With a brisk pace Tyler approached Garret and resumed training. As the brothers began their sparring match, Sable expressed some criticism in regards to Ronnie's unfocused aggression:

  - You don't seem very focused today.

  - I have a lot of things on my mind.

  - Such as?

  - It's personal.

  - You can't hide anything from me, not because of a ludicrous and senseless law of New Hope, but because it does not help your spiritual state, let alone your mental and physical training... Ankonian.

  - My name is not Ankonian.

  - Though sometime in the future it will have to be. You'll be forced to use it in front of your own kind, because you won't be the same anymore.

  - Are you deaf or something? MY NAME IS NOT ANKONIAN!

  That yell froze Garret and Tyler in an instant. Sable urged them to continued their sparring match and not to pay attention to their conversation.

  - Something has happened earlier today. You can't deny it, young one.

  - Alright, then - do you want the truth?

  - Go on.

  - Earlier today I went to university. It's an educational facility. Without any conscious effort I was able to hack into the database of the facility and gather data without being caught. Then, somehow, I have no idea how it happened, but...