Variance

by Josen Llave

  Soldiers appeared and dispersed the crowd. They stared at the family for a second before walking away. The thugs congratulated each other in the distance with cheers and laughter.

  Paul tried to fight his way out of Ryan’s hold. “Let me go. How could you let this happen again?”

  “So that you can end it all. It’s time to go home. Let’s go.” Ryan shoved Paul away from the family.

  Paul managed to stay on his feet as Ryan led him back to the ship. Siren hovered next to him in sadness with her arms crossed over her stomach. The family remained on the ground. As with the situation with Corda, he knew Ryan had expected this event to unfold.

  “You know them. You would let that happen to your friends?”

  “Yes. If I have to set an example of them to get you mentally prepared to change this forsaken world, then their sacrifice is a benefit to humankind. Nyle, Pela, and their son, Cyprian—they deal with this shit every day, and they don’t fight back. As for you, you will fight back.”

  Paul tried to walk in front of Ryan despite the dense crowd. “What kind of friend are you? At least check up on them.”

  For a moment, Ryan stood still. “I’m the friend who wants to free them from their suffering.” He pressed his finger into Paul’s chest. “Don’t you get it? The power is in your hands now. Father Kaiser believes you’re the one who can stop this. It’s time to prove it.” He continued walking through the crowd at an increased pace.

  “If Kazats hate Utopians, why did the thugs end their inhuman acts upon the soldiers’ arrival? Why didn’t the soldiers join in?”

  “DM participants have some mild protection. But that won’t stop Kazats from doing their thing.”

  “Their thing? The family participates in Divine Might?” Paul could not comprehend beating on innocent people as a norm. He tried to keep up without bumping into anyone. “Where are we going?”

  “Forever Spring.”

  5

  Differences

  INSIDE THE SHIP, PAUL ENDED an exercise prematurely. He was doing horribly anyway. Siren vanished with the exercise. He could not focus. He stared beyond his Visuals and into the dense clouds surrounding them.

  “So Kazats really believe that we’re not meant to live in the same universe?”

  Ryan stretched out his legs. “After a long time of Shadow’s propaganda, I don’t think Kazats will think twice before stabbing you in the heart. There’s only a small percentage of Kazats who actually believe genocide is evil. It’s sad, really.”

  Paul rubbed his chin. Everyone talked about Shadow being responsible for the Crimson attack and the anti-Utopian movement. “So there’s evidence that Shadow’s the one behind the anti-Utopian movement?”

  “You want evidence?” Ryan pitched the ship high and rocketed out of the clouds. “Look down.”

  There was a reason the clouds were dense. Gigantic fans and terraformers prevented moisture from entering the region, along with dams blocking water sources. Everything outside of the desert region appeared lush with deep green wilderness and lakes. Shadow’s resourcing capability of accomplishing such environmental control grandly declared his desire to end Utopians forever.

  “No one else could authorize this but him?”

  “Only him. He has a military hidden within the surrounding forests, waiting to attack within the next couple of days. Probably after the championships. Either he’ll blast us to death, or he’ll send his soldiers underground.”

  Paul could not help but release gas from his asshole.

  Ryan continued. “Believe it or not, governments have no control over Xameeshee. A fucking sport runs this world. If you control the sport, you control the world.” Ryan steered the ship back down at a steep pitch in the middle of the abandoned trees.

  “Should we slow down? We’re going to crash.”

  Ryan remained silent.

  “Ryan, please slow down.” Paul wanted to hang on to something, but there was nothing to hang on to. Unless Ryan had been hired to kill him, Paul was sure that Ryan was on his side.

  “Ryan? We’re going to crash!” His asshole tightened as he screamed and closed his eyes.

  Siren raised her hands in the air and cheered. Maybe she knew something Paul did not.

  Ryan let a long exhale out of his nose. “Did you just fart?”

  Paul screamed as they approached the ground. Everything around them turned dark. The ship descended through a vertical transport shaft lined with dim red lights. They exited the shaft and hovered before Legacy, Controller, and Frequency battle suits, in a bay of blinding white lights. The lights dimmed, and Ryan flew past the guards and landed in a flight deck.

  “Welcome to Forever Spring.” Ryan stood up and escorted Paul out of the deck. “Oh, and don’t forget your bowling ball.”

  Everyone they passed was wearing an Azurian suit or dress, and they all stared at the newcomers with curiosity and enthusiasm. Strangers pointed at the sphere and watched it float behind Paul. Others shook Ryan’s hand or gave him a hug.

  The floors and walls displayed scenic views of rolling hills covered in multicolored flora. The air smelled fresh with pleasant scents. Everything felt like home.

  They reached a circular corridor, the exact infrastructure of a tree. The abandoned tree must’ve continued deep within the ground. This was Utopia’s hiding place.

  Siren measured the elevation in comparison to a thermonuclear bomb. “They chose this depth so that they could survive a blast.”

  Nuclear blasts were the last thing on his mind. “Thanks for the information, Siren.”

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled and disappeared to continue coding.

  After Paul followed Ryan deeper into the underground tree, his head ached with a sharp pain. Siren highlighted his medical interface, which showed an increase in blood pressure and an enlarged cerebral cortex. He knelt to the ground and kept his eyes shut.

  “Woah. Are you all right?” Ryan helped Paul stand up.

  Paul’s eyes drooped for brief moment, and he was able to open his eyes again. “It says that I have a severe migraine. But it’s subsiding, so I should be all right.”

  “For a Utopian, you’re showing too many symptoms of a failing Cellular Infinity.”

  Paul groaned. “That’s why I’m here. Otherwise, I would be too kindhearted to fight.” He and his family probably would have been dead. “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to eat in my training facility. But first, I need to see what you have to offer to determine whether or not you’re ready for Divine Might.”

  “I’ve been improving on my brain-training sessions.”

  Ryan scoffed. “Masturbating doesn’t constitute practice for having sex.”

  “What is he talking about?” Siren researched the words masturbating and sex in Paul’s knowledge database, which resulted in multiple images and descriptions.

  Paul discarded the information from his Visuals and looked at Siren in surprise. She cowered in embarrassment and vanished into the Variance sphere. What if his training had no value since he had not practiced under pressure? What if Ryan was right? Was Ryan suggesting that he masturbate? He scratched his head.

  They entered a hallway that expanded into a large metallic chamber. Parked before them, a Legacy, a Controller, and a Frequency suit stood tall, with plenty of space to fit several more Legacy suits.

  A drone flew over Ryan, and he grabbed on to the sides. Ryan flew high above Paul until he reached the shoulder height of the Legacy suit. The chest opened, just as the one on Corda’s suit had, and the drone lowered him into the cockpit. A loud rumble shook the ground as the Legacy suit’s engines activated.

  Ryan spoke through Audials. “This chamber is protected by steel and concrete, so don’t worry about causing damage—not like you’ll be able to with that puny suit. I mean, I’ve seen some amazing Abstract
fighters, but compared to the rest of the suits, you look like a little bitch.”

  Little bitch? As in the dog or an inferior person? Probably the latter.

  Ryan moved the Legacy suit away from the other suits and faced Paul. Every step shook the chamber like a small earthquake. “I don’t know if you’ve tested your suit before, and frankly, we don’t have the time. If you die in the testing process, well, I guess you die in the process. I’ll try to push you to the limits gradually so that you’re not overwhelmed. Are you ready?”

  Paul looked up at the towering giant. “Should I start here, or should I go all the way back to the opposite end?”

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Go to the far end.”

  Siren gave Paul a nod. “Systems are ready. Cells are functioning properly.” In an instant, the sphere encapsulated him, and turbines formed on his back. He flew toward the far end with intense acceleration and deceleration. A defensive bubble of random shields formed all around him, with straight umbilical cords attached to each plate. The material turned invisible.

  Paul’s pulse skyrocketed. He took deep breaths. “I’m ready. What’s the objective?”

  “Live.” Ryan fired projectiles toward Paul from weapons positioned everywhere on the suit.

  Because of his reaction training in space, Paul readily moved at the first flashes of light emitted from the Legacy suit, evading the measured trajectories of each active weapon. Lines of bright bullets pinged the wall behind him as he evaded and flew upward.

  Inhale. Exhale.

  Several energy beams contacted his shields, making them visible for a few seconds. Ryan adjusted fire and added a volley of missiles and rail guns.

  Explosions and dust erupted all around Paul. The wall blasted into pieces. Although forces randomly pushed and shoved him everywhere, he maintained his course toward Ryan in a spiraling approach. He drew closer and watched his energy meter drop significantly as Siren cycled damaged material for recovery. “Prepare for disarmament.”

  He reached the Legacy’s hip joint and burrowed into the hip, severing major power transmission and mechanical lines as he worked his way up to the cockpit. Material wrapped around the cockpit and severed it from the suit. He cut a hole through the back and lowered the cockpit to the ground. The Legacy suit stood lifeless.

  Ryan kicked one of the hatch panels out and looked at his terminated suit. In a hysterical voice, he approached Paul and said, “You broke my suit!”

  Paul lowered himself onto the ground and revealed his face. He must have done something wrong, although he had expected Ryan to be amazed. “I’m sorry. You said to live, so I lived. I executed what my suit was designed to do.”

  “Dickhead, do you know how much this motherfucker costs? Utopians are supposed to be the smartest people in the universe, and Kaiser gave me a fucking dumbass.” Ryan’s arms spun and jerked all around him. He pulled at his hair and paced in a circle.

  Paul looked up at the suit and the wall in the distance. Sections of concrete snapped and crashed to the ground. Sparks flew all around the suit’s chest. Ryan’s guns created streaks of black and damaged wall sections. Paul did not bother looking up the word dumbass.

  He hoped to continue training. “Should we try the other suits?”

  “Are you fucking crazy? Absolutely not.” Ryan walked away, mumbling with his hands in the air. “Try the other suits. This fucking joker. Go get your own fucking food.”

  Siren shrugged. “On a good note, we obtained valuable data. Great job on the execution, Paul. Now I just have to figure out how to conserve energy, or else we’ll die in a real event.” She hugged him and disappeared to upgrade the suit.

  “Okay.” Sparks from the Legacy suit fell onto Paul. He wasn’t sure what to do. He watched Ryan approach the gate. “Are you going to try the Controller suit next? I’m ready when you are.”

  “Fuck off.” Ryan raised a middle finger.

  Paul and Siren looked at each other and then looked at their own middle fingers.

  Somewhere in Forever Fall, Paul stood alone at the edge of a balcony at the world championship arena. Situated on the inner diameter of a twenty-kilometer ring structure, thousands of balconies stretched endlessly at his sides, filled with millions of spectators. He could not even see the opposite end beyond the moon’s curve, let alone the top and bottom balconies.

  Beautiful weather accompanied Prism’s bright sparkles. Lines of Prism’s diamond structures stretched from the horizon and crossed the entire sky. Cool, crisp air brushed against him and alleviated the putrid stench of poisonous beverages. The low hum of the terraformers hovering in the skies overpowered the crowd’s chatter. He snapped photos of the view to send to his family in a future transmission.

  Siren collected data of the arena and kept to herself. He felt uncomfortable leaving Variance in the ship.

  Paul entered the suite and found Ryan standing next to the entrance. Ryan stood with his arms crossed and one hand cupped over his mouth. It was not normal to catch Ryan in deep thought.

  “I studied the rules and regulations. I don’t think there’s anything prohibiting our meeting with Shadow, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Paul said. He prepared the manual on his interface.

  “Rules in Divine Might were made to be broken. That’s what worries me. Oh well. With a minute remaining, there’s not much we can do. Let’s go.”

  They traveled in a transit line meant solely for Shadow’s personnel. Soldiers in Abstract suits surrounded them as they sat down in their assigned seats, away from each other. Hundreds of other trains zoomed by. Thousands of spectators lined up at multiple security gates. Some of them chanted and played music, and some wore outfits and costumes with matching colors. The sight excited him as he daydreamed about entering the sport with people cheering for him.

  The train stopped, and a soldier escorted them to an elevator. The elevator opened, and the soldier motioned for them to enter. Paul felt nervous, especially in his stomach, as the elevator soared to an upper level. He wanted to vomit.

  “Hey, are you all right? You look like shit.” Ryan tapped Paul on the back.

  Paul nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “Deep breaths. Remember, only talk when he addresses you. He’s a murderer and a torturer. A downright dick bag. Don’t let his personality fool you. Hold strong to your purpose of why you’re here.”

  Deep breath. Exhale.

  “I’m here to fight and protect our families against persecution and to secure a future in our solar system.”

  “Good. Don’t fuck this up.”

  The doors opened, revealing a luxurious penthouse complete with a restaurant, a waterfall that led to a swimming pool, and hundreds of holographic screens. Lively people dressed in professional attire crowded the wide balcony. Music boomed everywhere. Paul could not hear his own footsteps.

  Ryan led Paul past the crowd to a set of doors and two Crimson guards. Paul’s eyes grew wide, and he grew tense. “What’s wrong?”

  “Crimson scouts.”

  Paul tightened his fists. Siren calculated his survivability and assessed the area.

  Ryan grasped Paul’s arm. “Calm the fuck down. Put your little fists away. You’ll have your chance. I promise.” The doors opened.

  Inside the room, an elder with short white hair and a matching groomed beard stood in front of a desk. A Crimson guard, who was half the elder’s height, stood nearby. A window of the arena dimmed Prism’s light. The elder gestured for them to enter and sit down. He wore a gray suit and a tie and moved about in a slow and peaceful manner.

  “Welcome, Mr. Creed and Mr. Benedict. I’ve been anticipating our meeting since our Azurian visitor’s arrival. My name is Shadow. May I get you anything? Xameeshee water?”

  They exchanged handshakes. Paul had expected someone mean looking, young, and muscular—traits of a champion. Shadow’s grip was
noticeably strong for an elder. Shadow’s eyes remained with Paul’s as Paul smiled while remembering Azure’s chaos. His anger shifted to nervousness. He did not want to ruin the fragile opportunity of asking for mercy.

  Ryan waved his hand in rejection. “We’re fine. Thank you.”

  “I’ll have water, if that’s all right.” Paul was thirsty. Ryan shook his head.

  Shadow stepped over to a wooden desk carved with depictions of all the battle suits. He poured himself and Paul glasses of water. “Enjoy.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Paul drank all his water. The fluid burned his throat, shocking him with a mild dizziness, and he repressed the urge to cough and vomit. His Cellular Infinity activated, focusing on his stomach and liver. For some reason, he felt uninhibited. He did not know where to begin.

  “So tell me. What brings you here?” Shadow leaned against the desk.

  “Why do you hate us so much?” Paul replied, the words rushing out of his mouth. “Can’t you just let us live in peace?”

  Ryan slapped his forehead. “Fuck.”

  The guard leaped over the desk and tackled Paul with its feet. All the water rushed up and out of his throat as he tried to raise the guard’s foot off his chest.

  Siren wanted to fight back as she hovered close to the guard. “I’ll summon the suit.”

  No. Let things play out.

  Shadow stood close to Paul. “Hate is a strong word. I don’t hate your kind. I am an exterminator trying to get rid of pests.”

  The guard stepped off, hovered, and picked Paul up by the throat. Paul held on to the guard’s hand, struggling to support his weight off his neck. “There’s a reason Utopians existed,” he said, fighting to breathe. “We needed to prevent extinction. We had to rid ourselves of all sins.”