Variance

by Josen Llave

  “Is he going to keep his word?” Paul asked as he looked up at Prism’s surface. “He accepted my terms without rebuttal.”

  Ryan thought for a moment with a grimace. “He’d better. Or else the world would riot. See those drones up there?”

  Paul noticed the dark dots in the sky.

  “The media has live coverage. Everyone knows about the contract. You inspired Xameeshee. You’re a hero to many.”

  “I’m a hero only to my family and yours. Just because a Utopian wins in a sport doesn’t mean fans no longer hate Utopians. The moment I fail, they’ll remember, and they’ll be quick to shit on my people.”

  Ryan nodded and stared at the ground. “About my family—they are on their way. Our new team members should arrive afterward.”

  “Team members?”

  “No one enters global championships alone. Are you crazy? Only a champion can do that.”

  Paul’s cloudy mind thwarted the need to ask questions about his team. He had trouble processing thoughts. For a while, they said nothing.

  A hint of anger crawled in his bones. He looked at the hovering drones and spoke through Audials. “He’d better bring this secret weapon of his, with him piloting the thing, whatever it is.”

  “What if we can’t measure up to it?”

  Paul spat a clump of yellow phlegm into the grass and said, “I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”

  Ryan hummed.

  Paul wanted the day to end quickly. He wanted Ryan’s family, supplies, and his new team members to arrive. He wanted the championships to end. He wanted all this to occur with no breaks.

  Who was he kidding? His body would fall apart. However, Siren had upgraded his suit. Maybe this time, his chances of survival were better. But then again, who knew what the battles had to offer? Where was Siren?

  Siren appeared with Sol’s orange glow until she took her full human form. “Morning. Sorry. I’ve been busy.”

  Paul responded through Audials. “Thank you for everything.”

  “I wish I could give you more.” She gave him a hug and faded away.

  “So what’s it like?” Ryan pointed at Paul.

  “What is what like?”

  “Having an AI in your mind all the time? With Visuals, is it overwhelming?”

  Paul thought of the way Siren’s hair floated, the way she bit her lip, the feeling he got when she looked into his eyes, and her lust. She was a digital mind fuck of his emotions, and it was starting to drive him mad.

  “It’s different.”

  “I bet. Not a lot of people could live with an AI connection. All of the multitasking and crazy things people think of usually never work. I’m glad it’s working out for you, especially through the chaos of Divine Might.”

  A typical moment with Ryan consisted of stress training, rushing, and cursing. Paul figured he probably wanted to make small talk until his family arrived. His somberness felt awkward and out of place.

  Was Paul’s experience with Siren normal? He knew she read his thoughts, every single one of them. What were the crazy things people thought of? What were the interactions of other AI companions? Was companions the right word?

  “Listen.” Ryan placed a hand on Paul’s shoulder. “I’m going to fight till the end by your side, even after this is all said and done.”

  “When this is over, Xameeshee will be safe. There should be no more fighting after this.” Paul was surprised Ryan had joined the championships.

  Ryan’s grip tightened. “With Kazats, the fighting never stops. We may have peace here and there, but war’s part of the cycle. I know you always think positively and hope for positive outcomes, but this is life. This is not Utopia.”

  Shadow will not keep his word. Paul’s yearning to kill grew stronger.

  A small ship descended in the distance and landed over the brown grass field. The ramp opened. A woman with two girls wearing white dresses and a boy wearing a white suit stepped off the ramp and shared the same surprised reaction at Ryan’s presence. They ran toward each other.

  The family met in an embrace, something Paul hungered for. He walked up to the family as Ryan analyzed everyone’s face, noting changes. Everyone cried and exchanged hugs and kisses in repetitive haste. They appeared healthy and well kept for prisoners of many years.

  Ryan said, “Paul, I want you to meet my wife, Elise.”

  Paul tried to shake her hand, but instead, she gave him a hug. “Thank you so much for your courage and sacrifice.” She possessed delicate features pleasing to the eyes and flowy brunette hair. Still, her appearance was nothing compared to Amaryllis’s beauty, especially when she would catch him gazing at her in her simplest moments. He would have never guessed that Elise was Ryan’s soul mate. She wiped her tears away.

  Ryan motioned his tallest child closer to Paul. “This is Venera.”

  Paul shook her hand, which was moist with tears. “Nice to meet you, Venera.”

  “It is an honor to meet you, sir.” Venera reminded Paul of Statice. She was confident and reserved, except Venera’s eyes were too soft. Statice’s eyes were sharp and determined.

  Ryan’s middle child, his son, stood close. “Thank you, Mr. Benedict, for saving us.” He put out his hand for a shake.

  Paul accepted the boy’s firm hand. “Don’t thank me. Thank your father. He helped me get this far.”

  Ryan patted his son’s head. “Bennett always wanted to be a Divine Might champion. He favored the Legacy suit.”

  Paul smirked. “There’s nothing like raw firepower.” He tried to make eye contact with the smallest child, a little girl who stood behind her mother.

  Elise moved aside and introduced the girl. “And this is … Tell him your name.”

  “Aria. Nice to meet you, sir.” She smiled and returned to her place behind Elise.

  Paul knelt down. “Nice to meet you, Aria. I’m a friend of your father’s. I have a daughter named Lily who has an older sister named Statice, just like your Venera. Hopefully, you’ll be able to meet them in four days. I bet you two will make good friends.”

  Everyone smiled in response but said nothing more. He felt their appreciation of the reunion, though they seemed to be exhausted. He stood and opened his arms wide. “Come, everyone. Let’s go inside and talk over lunch.”

  Elise ushered the kids toward the building.

  Inside, they sat on cots, and Elise shared her experiences in prison while the kids walked around the Legacy suit’s feet. “I guess they have rules for how to treat prisoners. They kept us together all the time. Gave us fresh clothes daily. It seemed that living in prison was better than living in any of the Kazat regions. I expected life to be at its worst, but”—her blank stare accompanied her confusion—“it was the complete opposite.”

  Ryan held her hand.

  Elise’s experience deepened Paul’s confusion about Shadow. Something was not right. Shadow treating Utopians with respect? Ryan should have noticed the cause for suspicion. Ryan’s joyous emotions probably had driven away all logic.

  “What’s going to happen now?” Elise glanced at Aria and Bennett, who were running in circles around the suit’s foot.

  The children should have had signs of trauma, both physical and psychological. Elise should have had bruises, as Pela did. Ryan looked at Paul.

  Paul responded. “Ryan, myself, and a few others will fight starting tomorrow. The three events will have a half-day break in between for rest and recovery. The last battle should end on the morning of my family’s arrival.”

  “Do you know where they’ll arrive?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t even know where they are, except that they’re inbound.”

  Siren appeared, walking around Elise, and told Paul, “She’s probing you. Be careful.”

  Elise noticed Paul’s eyes following Siren. “Isn’t it dangerous fo
r your family to be here?”

  “Try to end the conversation. Come with me. I have something to show you.” Siren walked toward the open gate, and the sphere followed her.

  Why was Elise asking so many questions? Maybe her questions were innocent. “Yes. I apologize. Excuse me for a moment.”

  As Paul walked away following the sphere, he heard Ryan mumbling to Elise about Variance and how it worked. He followed Siren beyond the transport ship and toward a row of trees with vibrant orange leaves.

  He tried to make sense of everything. “Is the message ready for delivery? Can we trust Ryan? What’s going on, Siren? What did you mean about Elise probing me?”

  Material protruded away from the sphere in an elegant display of weaving threads, filling Siren’s digital body from head to toe. The glossy white material turned into her clothed human form. All the details of her body, from her eyes to her skin texture, appeared real.

  “Not only did I work on Variance for combat effectiveness, but I also worked on something for myself. Touch my hand.” She placed an open hand in front of her.

  He expected to feel plastic. Instead, he felt her smooth skin and the ridges that made up her handprint. “Siren, this is amazing. I don’t think this has ever been done before. You’re a virtual and a living robot.”

  Siren jerked her hand back, offended by his comment. “I’m more than just a robot.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry, Siren.”

  “Anyway, this robot of yours prepared the message for Kaiser. The prototypes at Forever Spring should be ready for mass production.” Siren turned away with her head down and walked into the woods. She disconnected from his mind and left the remaining sphere in place.

  “I’m sorry.” He had not expected the word robot to be offensive.

  Something tickled his nose. He took in a deep breath and sneezed, spraying mucus into the wind. After his fifth sneeze, accompanied by a simultaneous fart, he took a deep breath to regain his composure.

  He began to feel like shit, but the good news was that Kaiser and Forever Spring could fight back. Despite uncertainty and doubt, everything that needed to be in order was in order. That gave him some comfort. The only thing not in order was Siren.

  Paul returned to the building to summon Ryan. Ryan met Paul at the gate while tickling Aria. “What’s up?”

  “The message for Kaiser is complete. We’re ready.” Paul transferred the message.

  “I’ll take my ship into the exosphere for a clear shot.” Ryan held Paul’s shoulders with both hands. “Look at you. You transformed into a dragon slayer. This is our stand.”

  Paul nodded slightly with a light smile. He was definitely transforming into something more than just a dragon slayer.

  Ryan turned around. “Hey, kids, do you want to join me in space?”

  All of them cheered in unison.

  “Ellie? Come join us.” Ryan collected his children in his arms.

  With arms crossed, Elise declined. “Must be important,” she said. She looked tired.

  Ryan nodded. “It’ll be a quick flight to see the stars.”

  She waved her hand. “You guys go. I’m going to get some rest and enjoy the air. Besides, you’re expecting guests, right?”

  “Any moment now.” Ryan picked up Bennett and hung him upside down.

  “I’ll host them until you return.”

  “Thanks. I love you. Come on, everyone. Tell Mommy that you love her.”

  The family chanted in unison, “I love you, Mommy.”

  She giggled. “I love you all very much. Have a safe trip.”

  Paul and Elise watched Ryan load up and depart from another gate. Ryan’s ship soared into the clouds. Paul walked toward a gate on the opposite end for his teammates’ arrival.

  Elise closed the gate and followed him.

  Something felt awkward behind him. He turned around. Elise’s dress formed dozens of spikes like an Abstract suit that shot toward him. He dodged several spikes to his head and took impacts to his stomach and legs.

  “Please stop, Elise. What are you doing?” He summoned Siren and his suit.

  Elise cried, “I can’t help it!” Her dress swung a series of parallel blades toward him, and he leaped into the air.

  The sphere blocked the blades and moved him away from harm. He landed on his feet, fully armored. With a display of his spherical defense and wings of blades, he stepped closer.

  “Stand down.”

  “I can’t.” She growled through clenched teeth, her voice weakening. “I can’t.”

  Elise and Paul charged at each other with a series of blades. Just before Paul’s blades weaved around to push Elise’s torso with a flat plate, Siren dove into her and electrocuted her. Elise’s head hung loosely in Siren’s hands.

  Siren lifted Elise off the floor. “She’ll fight to the death. It is better this way.” She returned Elise’s dress back to normal, without the rigid blades and spikes. “The whole family could be rigged.”

  He lowered his defenses. Of all the methods of attack, Shadow had used innocent people. That fucking coward. Rage filled his eyes with tears.

  “From here on, stay on guard. Lay her down on the cot.” He cleared his throat.

  Siren walked toward the cot, and he followed. “I shocked her enough to break whatever’s controlling her, and I disabled the suit. She should be fine.”

  “Just when things were getting better. I knew something wasn’t right.” He paced back and forth.

  Siren laid Elise down. She placed a pillow under her head and a blanket over her. She walked up to Paul. “Things are getting better. We can’t let obstacles like this get to you.”

  Paul rubbed his eyebrows as a headache ensued. “His family—Shadow used Ryan’s fucking family to get to me. Who knows what his kids are programmed to do?” He pulled his hair. “That old fucking man.” He did not want to ruin Ryan’s first hour of the reunion. “We will keep this to ourselves.”

  Siren shook her head. “We should tell—”

  Paul stepped close with his index finger pointed at her. He spoke in a firm tone. “We tell no one. Understand?”

  Siren stared into his eyes, probably calculating the logical emotional reaction to comprehend his reasoning. “All right.” She stepped back and sat on the floor next to Elise. “Is this how you’re going to treat your family when they arrive? Like how you treat me with your rage?”

  His level of frustration climbed exponentially, breaking barriers of patience, open-mindedness, and empathy. “Siren. What the—” He reminded himself that he needed her to stay alive. “Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  Siren’s eyes released a few tears. She wiped them from her face as she looked away from Paul.

  He refused to take part in her drama. “This moment is important for Ryan. Let’s just give him this one damned day.”

  She leaned her head against the cot. “What’s happening to you, Paul?”

  “Whatever. This will be done in a few days anyway.”

  Siren mumbled something he could not hear.

  He raised his voice. “What? What did you say?”

  “Just go, Paul. Several suits are approaching.” The features of her body and hair turned white, and the material rolled into a small sphere. A combination of high pitch and deep roar from jets and engines shook the bay.

  A Legacy, Frequency, Controller, and small Variance prototype suit landed in the grass field. The Legacy chest plates swirled away and revealed Corda. She descended thirty meters and landed on her feet with dust rising into the air. Her metallic face mask made up of multiple colorful sections and bright lights peeled away. Her long braided hair followed the breeze as she walked.

  Drones around the Controller’s cockpit crawled away to reveal Pela. A stairway of drones formed in front of her as she stepped
down with deliberate steps, maintaining her balance. Her transparent face mask melted away to reveal a fragile complexion. How could she be a Divine Might fighter?

  A honeycomb pattern of material vanished in front of the Frequency suit, and Nyle ducked under the cockpit hatch and jumped off. His straight posture and focused eyes made his slim yet muscular appearance intimidating compared to the passive image he had carried in Forever Summer.

  The Variance prototype’s material streamed down into a sphere, revealing Cyprian. The boy who’d been beaten to the ground appeared to be one who would initiate a brawl—he had straight brows and a tightened jaw and showed no emotion. Everyone approached Paul.

  “Good morning, everyone.” Paul stepped toward Corda for a handshake. “Miss Corda, I never had the chance to say that I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Corda squeezed the air out of him with her hug. “You’re so inspirational to everyone. Thank you for all that you do.”

  When she released him, he took a deep breath. “Thank you for joining us.”

  He turned his body toward Nyle. “Mr. Nyle, I appreciate your support at Forever Winter.” He put out his hand.

  Nyle accepted the handshake. “We’ve been waiting for a moment of salvation.” He extended his arm to include his family. “We will do everything we can to help you succeed, even if it means death.”

  Pela nodded in agreement with her clasped hands positioned over her waist.

  Cyprian stepped close and looked up at Paul. “Ryan promises that you will teach me how to become a fighter. I’ve been practicing for years with an Abstract suit.”

  Paul made a fist. “You have a strong fighter spirit.”

  “Yes, sir.” Cyprian stood tall and brushed his long hair aside.

  “I’m guessing you have a seriously defective Cellular Infinity?”

  “Defective and ready to kill some Kazats.”

  Nyle patted Cyprian’s hair. “Defective all right, but he’s still maintaining his immortal health somehow, just not his Utopian hormones.”