by Charlie Wood
“I think about my mom,” he said. “And my friends. And Bill. And the people I work with. And then I think about that place we visited, Gallymoora, and how that could be my friends’ houses and their families’ houses. I think about that, and...” He took in a breath. “I’ll try.”
The old man smiled.
“Yes, you will. And you will succeed.”
As Orion put an arm around Tobin’s shoulder, they walked into the main hall of the museum.
“I knew you would help us, Tobin. I never had any doubt.”
“Well, that makes one of us, then, ‘cuz I’m pretty sure I just made the worst decision of my life.”
Orion laughed. “We’ll have to change that. Come on, let’s go and find the others. We have a lot of work to do.”
As they walked out of the museum, Tobin and Orion passed by a giant glass case holding the remains of what appeared to be a ten-foot-tall praying mantis.
“By the way,” Tobin asked, “what the heck is that?”
“Oh. Your dad and I stopped that once from destroying Quantum City. There were three of them, actually.”
“Is Vincent as terrifying as that thing?”
“No. He’s about a million times more terrifying.”
Tobin shook his head. “Great. What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
The small boy looked around the massive auditorium. There were thousands of other people seated around him, and many of them had lightly green-tinted skin, just like him: he recognized his teacher and his next-door neighbor and the grocer from down the street. They were all gathered, anxiously but excitedly, in front of a stage with a podium at its front. There were also black banners on the stage, and each one of these banners had the head of a green, tiger-like beast on it, which the boy knew represented him and his home. But they were so far from that home now, in this strange new world, and the boy was confused with all the seriousness and commotion.
“Who’re we waiting for, Grammpa?” he asked. “Why are all these people here?”
“I told you,” his grandfather said with a laugh, sitting up to get a better look. “We are here, just like everybody else, to see the man I have been telling you about. The man who is going to change everything for us.”
The boy remembered the stories his grandfather had told him back home, about the man who used to lead their home country of Rytonia.
“And that’s why we’ve moved all the way here? Just to see this man?”
“Well, in a way. We’ll only be living here for a short while longer, because this man is readying a new home for us. It is going to be safe and wonderful, even more wonderful than our old home, and we will be free to live there exactly the way we want to, with nobody telling us what is right and what is wrong.”
“But how do we know it’ll be so much better?”
“Because he has promised this to us. Never once has he failed to live up to his word. He is a great leader and has been ever since I was a young man.”
The opening notes of a song were heard, and the boy knew this song as the one they used to play back home before sports games. The people around him stood up, so he did, too, but he was too small to see the stage.
“Here,” his grandfather said, lifting him onto his shoulders. “Get a good look. We may never get this chance to see him in person again.”
From his new perspective, the boy could see a hulking, giant man walk onto the stage. He knew this man’s name was Rigel, and that he was very important, but he was not the man they were waiting for. They were waiting for a different man, and when he walked onto the stage, the people in the auditorium erupted into applause. It was the loudest cheers the boy had ever heard.
Vincent Harris, wearing his black-and-green uniform, walked to the podium, smiling and waving. As the people clapped and hollered, he waved his hands up and down, motioning for them to quiet. When they finally did, he lowered the microphone toward his mouth.
“People of Rytonia. I know how long you have been waiting for this moment, because I, too, have been waiting for it. It has been difficult, and long, and tiring, and I know this is not what many of you expected, to make this long journey here only to hide and wait.
“But it has all been worth it. In only a few more days, all of our waiting will be rewarded. We will all find a new home.”
The people cheered. The boy saw that many of them were crying.
“This has strengthened us,” Vincent said. “We have sacrificed, and we have suffered, but we have done it together. We have taken hardship and turned it into determination, and now we will use that determination to build each other up. At the most crucial of times—this time—we have come together to help our fellow people reach for heights that we didn’t even know existed. These heights are within our grasp now, waiting for us to seize them.”
The cheers came again, and this time Vincent was still, waiting for them to fade.
“I believe in us,” he said. “I believe in Capricious, and I believe in what that world once stood for. And even though that place as we knew it is gone, we can now work together to recreate that once great world. As we carry the memories of the old Capricious with us, we will bring light, strength, and unity to this new world—to this New Capricious. The wait is over: the dawn of a new day is here!”
The people stood and applauded. The boy realized that his grandfather was right—this man, this Vincent Harris, was a great man.
“It will not be easy,” Vincent said. “The people of this new world will resist us. They will fear us. Many of them will even fight us. But it will be a fight worth fighting. We will face it—together—and we will triumph.
“We will bring this world truth. Fairness. Honor. We will bring it the future.”
The people leapt with joy, hugging one another and raising their fists in celebration. As the boy walked out of the auditorium with his grandfather, he looked back to the stage, to get one more glimpse of the man who was changing everything.
When the final person left the auditorium, the doors closed, and Rigel and Vincent were left alone.
“So,” Vincent said, “all of our planning comes to this: a fistfight with a world that doesn’t even know we exist, full of people who won’t understand why we are there.”
Rigel opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He let Vincent think.
“The army must be ready,” Vincent said. “Have we received the Gores from Capricious yet?”
“Yes, sir,” Rigel replied. “They arrived early this morning.”
After they left the auditorium, Rigel and Vincent traveled down an elevator into the lowest level of the skyscraper. At the end of a long corridor, they reached a reinforced metal door.
The room behind the door was open and cold, with concrete walls, damp floors, and metallic walkways crisscrossing overhead. Up and down the room, in row after row, there were dozens of cages filled with quick-moving creatures. These creatures were five feet tall and wearing hooded cloaks, with no facial features visible in their hoods except for glowing, red eyes and the occasional glimpse of a blunt, lizard-like snout. As they hissed at each other, they were gripping the bars of their cages with their two-clawed, vulture-like hands.
Vincent and Rigel walked down the rows of creatures.
“The Gores are ready at any moment,” Rigel said, “and the Eradicators only need to be awakened.”
They reached another room; this one was clean and white and filled with silent robots dressed in black armor. The robots were as tall as a man, with gas masks on their faces and laser blasters equipped on the tops of their hands. As they stood motionless, the bright glow of the fluorescent light bulbs around the room was gleaming off of them.
There were also several Rytonian scientists in the room, standing near the robots and checking on the readings of several computer stations. The computers were attached to the robots by wires.
“What we are doing is savage, Rigel,” Vincent said. “Make no mistake about it. But we are doing what must
be done. These kinds of problems require these kinds of solutions.”
He placed a hand on one of the robots.
“It will be clean,” he said. “A new start.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TOBIN WAS CROUCHING BEHIND A stone pillar, clutching his bo-staff. On his body he was wearing a dark blue costume made out of a durable, stretchable cloth, and on his face he was wearing a mask—only his eyes and hair were visible above it. After moving to another pillar, he peeked out and scanned the room.
A robot was looking for him; it was a six-foot-tall humanoid, with one glowing, blue eye, and a laser rifle in its hands. As it weaved around the pillars, its heavy footsteps were clanging on the floor.
When the robot was close enough, Tobin rapped his knuckles on the pillar and darted back behind it.
The robot marched toward the boy. It readied its laser rifle, but then Tobin leapt out and struck it with his staff. The machine stumbled, firing its rifle, but Tobin flipped around the room and avoided the searing laser beams. He had only been training for a week, but his speed and agility were amazing.
With lasers zipping by his body, Tobin planted his feet on the ground and decided to try something. This part of his training had been difficult, but he thought he had it figured out, so he closed his eyes and concentrated.
Suddenly, a burst of electricity crackled from Tobin’s boots and sent him flying upward. Thrown fifteen feet into the air, the boy narrowed his eyes and reached for a ladder that was leading to a platform near the ceiling. But, his leap was not strong enough, and he was only able to grab the bottom rung with one hand. Struggling to bring his other hand up, he felt his shoulder twinge with pain as it was struck by a laser blast from the robot, which seared a hole through his shirt.
“Arrgh!” he grunted. Swinging his body to reach the next rung, he looked down and saw the robot coming toward him; it was smashing its fists into the wall and climbing upward.
The boy thought it over. The wound on his shoulder was killing him, and his entire body was heaving with exhaustion.
“Screw it,” he thought.
When the robot was halfway to the ladder, Tobin let go. As he fell to the ground, he held out his bo-staff and ignited it with electricity. Thanks to the momentum from his fall, he was able to slice the robot right down its middle. In a hail of sparks and smoke, it fell, plummeting to the floor.
Tobin landed only a few seconds before the robot, which hit the ground with a metallic CRASH! Pushing its body upward, it got to its feet, still determined to take out its target. As it raised its laser rife, it aimed the scope at Tobin.
Gripping his bo-staff like a baseball bat, the boy swung it forward across his body and sent a blast of blue energy scorching out from it. The electricity thundered across the floor, barreled into the robot, and sent a shockwave through its body.
The robot stood still a moment, trying to recalibrate its failing internal systems, but then fell, cut into two pieces. When the halves of its body hit the floor, they burst into flames.
Exhausted, Tobin took off his mask and sighed.
“Whoa!” Scatterbolt said. “Holy crap, Tobin, that was awesome!”
Tobin turned to the doorway of the training room; Scatterbolt and Orion were there. Orion was carrying a blue duffle bag over his shoulder.
“How long have you been watching?” Tobin asked.
“Five minutes or so,” Orion replied. “You did very well.”
“I sucked.”
Tobin threw his mask to the ground and headed for the exit. Scatterbolt passed by him, running to the burning remains of the training robot and putting out its flames with a little fire extinguisher on his hand.
“It took me almost an hour to stop the stupid thing,” Tobin said, as he and Orion walked into the main hallway of the museum. “It almost got me like seven times.”
“That’s perfectly normal, Tobin. You’ve only been training for a week. These things take time.”
“I still can’t lightning jump. I tried to underneath that platform, but ended up smashing into the ladder like an idiot.”
Orion laughed. “Yeah, and jumping fifteen feet into the air is some kind of huge failure, right? The lightning jump is the hardest ability of all, Tobin. It comes last.”
“Whatever. I still sucked.”
Orion changed the subject; he motioned to Tobin’s costume.
“How’s everything fit?”
“Great, actually.” Tobin looked down at his shirt. “But two pieces of it are missing.”
Orion reached into the duffle bag, pulling out a black cape and a dark blue vest. The vest had a white lightning bolt on it in the shape of an “S.”
“Here. This is what I got from Aykrada while we were in Gallymoora. They haven’t been used in a while, but they’re still in pretty good shape, I think.”
Tobin pulled the vest over his head, then tied the cape around his neck. The cape reached down his back, and its edges were cut into ragged triangles.
“Cool,” he said, inspecting the lightning bolt on his chest. “This is awesome.”
“And just in time, too.”
Orion pressed a button on the wall, causing two training robots to emerge from doors inside the training area. Scatterbolt ran out into the hallway in a panic.
“Hey, what the heck are you trying to do?! Get me killed by one of my own kind?!”
Tobin laughed. “Tell Keplar I’m gonna beat his old record,” he told Orion. “Someone has to show him up sometime.”
With a grin, the boy ran into the training area, in full costume for the first time.
Pleased with Tobin’s enthusiasm, Orion walked out of the museum and onto the sky-ship landing area. Keplar was there, lying underneath the Sky-Blade and working on its underside with a wrench. His clothes and fur were smeared with grease.
“I was watching him earlier this morning,” the dog said. “He looks good, O. Damn good. I can’t believe how fast he’s learning everything.”
“I know,” Orion said, “but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We still have a lot of work to do, and it looks like we might not even have as much time as we originally thought.”
Keplar slid out from underneath the ship. “Uh-oh. You go to Earth today?”
“Yes. A group of Gores have gathered in the woods near Tobin’s friend’s house—the girl, Jennifer. There’s a small army of them, just waiting there.”
“Waiting for what? That’s way too obvious and risky, especially for Vincent.”
“I know—it’s a trap, nothing more. He’s only trying to get Tobin’s attention.”
“Well, that won’t work. The kid’s too smart for that.”
“I hope so, but let’s not mention it to him, just in case. Especially since it has to do with Jennifer.”
“Hey,” Tobin said.
Orion and Keplar spun around. Tobin was standing near the Sky-Blade.
“Those last two robots were pathetic, Orion. I’ve seen tougher appliances in my kitchen.”
He shot Orion and Keplar a look.
“So...what has to do with Jennifer?”
“This is bull!” Tobin shouted. He looked across the Sky-Blade’s cabin at Orion, who was standing with Keplar sitting next to him. “An army of creatures around her house? And you weren’t even going to tell me about this?”
“No,” Orion said. “Because she’s not in any danger, Tobin. And I knew it would interfere with your training, just like it has.”
“I can’t believe this,” Tobin said, shaking his head. “I thought you told me if you went to Earth, you’d die? That’s the only reason I agreed to do this stupid thing, because you said you couldn’t! What else have you been lying to me about?”
“Hey!” Keplar shouted. “Take it easy, Tobin! That’s enough!”
“No, Keplar, I won’t! Why should I? No one seems to be telling me the truth around here!”
“We haven’t been lying to you about anything, Tobin,” Orion said, trying to not ra
ise his voice. “I can travel to your world for very short periods of time, you know that. The only reason I’ve been doing it at all is to make sure your friends are safe.”
“Yeah, an army of demons around Jennifer’s house—sounds like you’re doing a great job to me.”
“All right!” Keplar said, standing up. “Tobin, you really need to shut the hell up before I—”
“No, it’s all right,” Orion said, putting a hand in front of Keplar. “He should be mad at us. We should have told him. That was my mistake.” He turned to Tobin. “I’m sorry, Tobin. I am. But they are completely safe, I promise you.”
“Whatever. I’m going to Earth with you tomorrow to check on them.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Why?!”
“Because it’s a trap, Tobin: it’s exactly what Vincent wants—for you to go to Earth when you aren’t ready, so he can take you out and be done with it. You’re wasting your time. All of this time we’ve been arguing, you could have been training. So let’s go.”
Orion held out Tobin’s bo-staff, but the boy didn’t take it.
“C’mon, Tobin. Let’s go and—”
The boy pushed past the old man and knocked the bo-staff to the ground.
“You guys treat me like a damn baby. I’m outta here.”
Tobin walked out of the ship and down its ramp. Keplar and Orion followed.
“I’m surprised, Tobin,” Orion said. “I thought you’d be smart enough to understand this.”
Tobin spun around. “Forget understanding it! I don’t wanna sit here, doing nothing, while my friends get killed! We need to go back now!”
“You aren’t ready,” Orion said. “You aren’t going.”
“I am ready! I could go back right now, by myself!”
“Then prove it.”
Orion pushed a button on a remote control; a door opened on a cliff jutting out from the mountain, and three training robots emerged from it. Tobin ran to the cliff and leapt onto it, taking on the robots with his bare hands. Screaming with rage, he punched one of the robots right through its metal chest.