Cutlass Sharpened

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  “I won’t keep you more than an hour.” Stephanie promised. “Alright this scan is done. Put the blade away and let me scan your multi-tool as it repairs this crystal I purposely shattered.”

  Oliver looked down as Stephanie uncovered a pile of chunks, dust and shards of some kind of pink crystal on the table. “What did it do before?”

  “Not telling.” The archeologist responded. “You’ve used the multi-tool in one direction so far. You told it to do something with intent. This time I want to see if it can work another way. Let it tell you what it can do, not the other way around.”

  “You want it to guide me?” She nodded vigorously and stepped back.

  How would that work? How could I tell it to do something without an objective. Making is easy. Repairing is different. His gaze dropped to the blackness surrounding the entire forearm. Can you help me? A strange sense pressed upon him in a good way. Like when he thinks of Renee’s scent. The way her hips sway when she walks. The way the swell of her breasts bounce. It gave a similar feel, but empty at the same time. It had no desire other than to do the bidding of the wearer. That was the vambrace’s function. To create. To serve.

  Oliver allowed the sense to work freely and intended to put the broken object back together.

  Metallic blackness flew towards the debris and soaked into it. Unlike before, this time clear as day images popped inside Oliver’s head like some great puzzle which his mind began piecing everything together three dimensionally. With the speed of his subconscious the parts began clambering, fitting to each other in a swirling storm. Pieces formed clumps of different sizes, doing multiple fittings simultaneously. The pieces grew, those that clumped fit together inside his mind seamlessly.

  Once the pieces were whole, new information stored in the material began lining up. Data was corrupted due to innumerable cracks, but his mind seemed to have just the right kind of adhesive and solution to patch everything back together as best possible.

  All this occurred in ten seconds. As the vambrace began absorbing into its original shape there was left behind a flawless disk of pink holding hundreds of facets to show off its beauty.

  Stephanie picked it up on the palm of her hand and said “Wedding day.” Lights showed up and created the hologram and music of Jessica and Stephanie’s wedding and honeymoon all captured and stored in the gem. “Cancel.” It went dormant. “I see you learned something.”

  “I did. It was like when I was learning what is taught in schools. The fifteen screens this makes.” He touched the tablet. “My subconscious figured it all out, but I saw it all mentally.”

  “This proves there is little limit to what it is capable of. How much did it tire you?”

  “Not as bad as when I broke down your show to make coms or tried cooking a strip of meat.”

  “Conservation of energy. The more required, the more it’ll extract.”

  Oliver continued helping Stephanie further her research, noting Stone and the others whispering with Jessica. He could still hear, but didn’t show he could. Jessica nodded, pulled out her own tablet from a pocket and began tapping away.

  At ten in the morning Stephanie officially said “Thank you for all the help, Oliver. I’ll let you know what I find out. Babe, you ready?”

  “Sure thing. Have fun, boys.”

  Deegen said as soon as the two women moved off “Since we have just a week, Ms. Menann gave us full access to the training room. Usually we get just three hours, but since you need it more than anyone else, we got full access.”

  They hurried back inside the ship and hopped a ride on the elevator to the lowest level. Level ten. Reaching it showed Satellite waiting among two other animals. One was an golden eagle and the other was a large grey wolf.

  “Oliver, these are our companions. You already know Satellite.” Stone said as the falcon landed on his arm.

  “Mine is Bell.” Deegen said as the grey wolf loped over and bowed slightly. The animals were greatly intelligent.

  “And this is Visor.” Steven said proudly as the large eagle landed on his shoulder.

  Hunters, nearly all, had companions. Animals genetically modified with humanlike intellect and had telepathic abilities with only their human partners. As an added bonus they too had the additional chromosomes though their psionic prowess was in telepathy. Birds were mainly companions since they could speak clearly, but wolves were no less intelligent though they were difficult to understand as their tongues and muzzles couldn’t articulate certain letters like B, V, Y.

  Some called them Neo-companions or Neurologically Enhanced Human Companions.

  The training room had a full running track, holographic target capabilities, gravitational adjustments for a wide range of situations. Weights and wooden weapons were up on one wall. A pool also circled the track. Walls were still wooden, but were covered in thin protective matting. One area held sand and another was a rock climbing wall.

  “Let’s set the right mood.” Deegen grinned as he tied his hair back. He walked over to the wall holding colorful displays. He punched a few buttons and music began blasting. Music that set the soul afire. The beats gave one so much energy they had no choice other than to move. Stone, Steve, Satellite, Bell and Visor got into it by rocking their heads and grinning like maniacs. “This should be appropriate.”

  Stone noticed Oliver’s clothes reverting into battle mode, the cape unfurling and cloaking him. He said “You have yet to learn how to run and feel what it is like. Go to the track and wait for my signal. I want you to run just as fast as you can, Brother.”

  Deegen stood by the displays as Oliver moved to the track and said “I’m going to crank the gravity. Tell me when it feels right.” Oliver signaled he was ready and Deegen used his finger on the screen to push up the bard controlling gravity around the track with lines. The increasing lines went from white to pink to bright red when Oliver grinned absently. “SHIT! He’s standing at nine point six gees!”

  “It feels real good.” Oliver meant it. He could no longer see himself flying off and into a wall. He could only jump about a meter from a standstill straight up before slamming on the ground. Stone and the others knew without a doubt they’d be unable to stand, let alone retain consciousness. “Can I start yet?”

  “Have at it.” Stone allowed.

  Oliver knew proper running techniques and took an athlete’s staggered running start, but absorbed his cape before he took off at a shot. Music infused him with the need to push harder, go faster and leave nothing behind. He hit the curve, feet pounding the track and still he pushed. Faster, stronger, harder.

  Steven lifted his armor’s screen and let its velocity instruments to ask “Boys, how fast is he running? My screens must be off.”

  “UNBELIEVABLE!” Deegen yelled. “One hundred and four point nine two nine kilometers per hour. That is as fast as a cheetah! And he’s doing it at over nine gees!”

  “Renee, you should be reading this.”

  “I’m right here.” She said coming in at that moment. “Stephanie just told me what you all planned.”

  “How the hell can he run so fast!?” exclaimed Shorty.

  “His tendons and ligaments are far more elastic and tight. Extra cartilage act like cushions as well as springs. Think of them like springs. Our ligaments are thin, but his are much thicker. Whatever planet he adapted to was harsher gravity-wise than any of us could dare to relax and live on. He is fast, but doesn’t he seem to be enjoying it? Look at that shitty grin.” He winked at her in the next pass he did every few seconds.

  Oliver ran for ten minutes before coming to a stop and bent over to catch his breath as sweat dripped off the tip of his nose. He heard Renee say ‘Bring it down.’ And slowly he got lighter and lighter, gradually adjusting. “I like that.”

  “I like running too.” She explained.

  “So what’s next?”

  “Balance building.” Stone informed. “Deegen, give us zero gravity.”

  “Whoa!” Oliver lost all s
ense of direction as he began flipping end over end. Only the pool and sand pits were unaffected by the rooms shift. In one pass he found Renee with her arms and legs spread out and she looked completely at ease. The animals also seemed in full control of themselves. The only one grounded was Deegen at the controls.

  Getting dizzy was not fun. It started making him feel sick and knew why. His insides were floating like the rest of him, unable to know direction.

  He followed the example of others and jerkily spread out his arms and legs. Things slowed to much more manageable levels. It was still disorienting as everything was askew. Eventually he contacted the wall and wanted to stick and suddenly his boots latched on. He wasn’t alone as Stone, Steven and Renee all stood either on a wall of what was the ceiling. “Your objective is to catch me.” Renee said without further adieu. “All the while Steven and the others will knock you around.”

  “Come on, Renee. Give Oliver some incentive. Men with something to strive for always fight harder.” Visor the golden eagle chirped.

  “True. Fine, Oliver, if you catch me I’ll give you a… kiss.” She laughed at his deer in the headlights expression. He wasn’t alone, every set of eyes turned on her. “What? It’s not like everyone doesn’t already know he wants to be my mate thanks to a bunch of people with too big mouths. A little sexual frustration will make him work harder.”

  “I’ll do it only if you promise no psionic cheating.”

  “Have it your way, Oliver. If you catch me I’ll give you a big wet kiss. But only in here. Outside this room and we’re back to no touching.”

  Oliver grinned, bulged his thighs and sprang right at her.

  Renee didn’t move as she grinned brightly. He overshot and she didn’t have to move. The next time he was dead on. She leapt and moved like a dancer and before he could come at her again Satellite tackled his little body into Oliver’s exposed back and used enough force to send him in Bell’s direction where four feet slammed in Oliver’s gut. The wolf showed off her teeth in a mocking way. Finding a wall, he moved right for Renee again, but not before Steven blindsided him with a sharp elbow to the ribs, grabbed by the waist and kicked away.

  Hours and hours passed when gradually Oliver learned the slightest movements made the biggest changes in no gravity. Pounding music taught proper timing and it made dodging or doing counterattacks more efficient. Body awareness gradually developed. Still, he got no closer to claiming his prize. Renee taunted him the entire time. Blowing kisses were bad, but slowly glossing rosebud lips with her tongue was maddening. She was an insufferable and infuriating woman.

  Oliver fell in her many traps and not once did he get near enough to snatch a single red hair.

  “It’s time for dinner.” Renee suddenly said, ending the session.

  Deegen slowly replaced gravity so everyone could settle back. It was strange returning to weighted conditions. He said. “Not bad for a session.”

  Oliver though came to a decision as he went to a water fountain to get a much needed drink. “You all go on ahead. I’m going to keep working in here. If I need you I’ll give you a call.”

  “Don’t kill yourself!” Renee shouted as she left the training room.

  “Do be careful, Brother.” Stone said. “Oh, before I go. Go grab one of the exercise balls with a five kilo weight. Toss it up and down in different gravities. I’ll help adjust to different gravities. I know it helped in my training.”

  “Thank you for the advice.” Everyone filed out and Oliver worked on training his body to learn muscle memory. But first he returned to zero and first learned to move.

  Chapter 6

  “Has he been here all night again?” Renee asked as she came up to the training room to find Sparky and his mate Rose outside the door. Rose was a pink scaled Drake much smaller than Sparky, as is normal for female Drakes.

  “You expect something different?” Stone said first.

  “You gave Oliver an incentive that was a prize he cannot let go. This whole week he’s trained and you, my friend are screwed.” Sparky hissed a chuckle.

  “Doubt it. He hasn’t touched me yet.” Renee shrugged. “He’s barely slept ten hours all week. Sleep deprivation will not help him.”

  “Should I tell her?” Stone smirked.

  “No. Let it be a surprise.” Rose told him privately.

  “Tell me what?” Renee stopped tugging on her flight suit and stared in suspicion. When the three didn’t acknowledge her she snarled “Bite me.” And pushed them aside to make the door open.

  Immediately her eyes fell on the naked chest that had her raw from wet dreams and was the cause of a great deal of masturbation. His body though was marred with dozens and dozens of purple and yellow bruises. Renee’s heart gave another sudden lurch as it took on a mind of its own at such a specimen of testosterone. In the week of needed repairs his scalp had started growing thick brown hair, but was months from an ideal length. At her request he spent some time under the solar lamp beds which turned his pale skin a mouthwatering bronze had had her wanting to lick the sweat off his eight pack abs. His eyebrows were coming in, but he had thick eyelashes she would kill for. At the moment he was pulling himself from the pool, water cascading off the hard lines of a sculpted body.

  Aside from learning how to move, Oliver was being taught to fight. The cause of all the many bruises. Like first attempts to jump out on deck, fighting was just as pathetic to witness at first and often would someone cringe as he was cracked over the head or body over a clumsy mistake. He was awful with quarterstaffs, but less so with wooden swords like his own he never let out of sight.

  Renee remembered how she found him still working the next morning after the first shot in the training room. He’d worked all through the night, using holographic simulations to fight against. He’d done so every night when she, the Hunters and companions chose to leave. It had become a home for him. A home rarely left in seven days. He did take breaks to help out Stephanie and complied with Renee’s medical checkups, but all free time was left in here.

  By day three he had mastered zero gravity chasing and Deegen started sudden shifts to the gravitational fields from zero to four gees and all in between. Renee and the Hunters were accustomed to it, having similar training. Theirs was for combat, but hers was as a medic and Phantom in event of a ship in danger and had gravitational instability. Oliver, when confronted with the change of weight, struggled to change, but overcompensated and veered off course. She knew he set the console to randomly change the gee forces even after Deegen left the display.

  Holographic challenges were made of small, soft blocks shaped like people gave him the challenge needed for extra practice. He fought them while chasing a ball. A game invented three hundred years ago called Zero Ball, the game was to capture a ball of light and throw it through a ring just a meter wide. The game was full contact and the holograms hit pretty hard. It really helped boost confidence.

  Renee, even now, could hardly believe how fast Oliver adapted in the week. He no longer walked with a ramrod stiff back and in fear of shooting off with each step. Now he had a confident, liquid gait that made him at last seem comfortable in his own skin. She watched droplets fall from his body like falling stars in the bright room smelling of sweat and hard work, a scent she rather enjoyed.

  Oliver’s smile came alive as soon as he took notice of her. It had recently began to brighten her own dark moods. He hadn’t lost the innocence to hide the fact she was still the center of his attention, and she privately hoped it would stay that way. Mostly so she could keep taunting him. She loved busting balls and was a pro, but still she found she was beginning to like his company, even if it was during the hours of playing chase.

  “Morning, Red. You sleep well?” Red becoming her nickname she allowed him to drop every now and then.

  “Better than you, Cue ball. Let me guess… you were up all night again?”

  “No, I took about five hours shut eye actually.” Oliver grabbed a towel and wiped himself off
. “Just got done stretching out with a swim. You’re looking as beautiful as always.”

  Renee found herself giving him a wolfish smirk that put even Bell to shame. “Oh, I know you’re feeling good if you’re back to try flattering me. It didn’t work last time you attempted to throw me off my game. It won’t work now.”

  “Just take the compliment already.” Oliver rolled his eyes. “It won’t hurt you to say ‘Thank you.’”

  “Where’s the fun if I deny myself the pleasure of screwing with people? I can’t help teasing. It’s in my nature.”

  “No shit.” He laughed. “Before we get started can you rub out my shoulder? I over extended it this morning.”

  “Park it.” She pointed to a bench and he sat down. Renee moved over and probed his right shoulder this time and said “Minor swelling. You swam to limit it huh?”

  “Yeah.” He let out a groan of more pain than relief as her own strong fingers worked out the knots in the shoulder with no bedside manner. But as Renee worked the tense knot out it began to release. She then slapped it for good effect and he yelped. “Better?”

  “It was getting there before you slapped me.” He rolled the shoulder, then swung the arm in full circles.

  “You know you like it a little rough.” She winked and sashayed seductively.

  “Damn, you’re an evil woman.”

  “Thank you!” Renee winked again.

  “You won’t take beautiful as a compliment, but evil you will?”

  “Basically.” She laughed.

  Just then Deegen, Bell the grey wolf, Steven and Visor perched on his shoulder came right in behind Stone, Satellite, Sparky and Rose. As usual the Hunters were always in armor and armed with their choice of weapon. Steven made his spear collapse in on itself down to what looked more like a dagger with a leafy blade. Hooking it onto his hip he said “Ready for another fun filled day of getting your ass kick again, Oliver?”