by Paul Ormond
“It finished now. Easy, yes?” Drak asked Mitch.
“It seems simple enough. But who am I supposed to give this to? I’m not going to go around handing this stuff out to kids. I’ll get arrested for sure,” Mitch said.
“When time is right, you will know what to do. Things changing quickly,” Drak said as he took the phone out from the sphere.
“How am I supposed to believe you? Of course this is pretty impressive, but how am I supposed to know you’re not the bad guy here. You could just be some lone wolf schizo that wants to blow up the world,” Mitch said while looking directly at Drak.
“Ha, good question. You always have many questions. That good,” Drak said as he re-engaged his device. “If I lie, then this pretty good lie. Lot of work to make lie like this,” Drak said as he raised himself off the ground. “I show you how to use weapon system now. This very dangerous, but must know,” Drak said as he made his hands into fists in front of Mitch.
“I can’t believe I’m going along with this. It’s just so nuts,” Mitch said while he crossed his arms over his chest.
“You need stop thinking that way Mitch. If you continue this way you will be caught unaware and then it too late to fight back,” Drak said as he hovered nearby.
“Well, give me a break. It’s not every day that somebody comes along and drops a bomb on me like this,” Mitch said. He felt himself lift off the ground and then he easily began to move around the room. The technology was intuitive and once Mitch had gotten over the initial shock of being above ground, all he had to do was imagine himself doing it, and then he was able to do it. He moved about the large space in a slow circle.
“Well, it is hard to deny that this stuff is beyond impressive,” Mitch said.
“You only scratching surface,” Drak said. “Watch what I do and copy.” Drak made two fists in front of him and his hands were immediately enveloped in a blue glow. “Do as I do Mitch,” Drak demanded. Mitch realized that he was staring and quickly raised his arms and made two fists, but nothing happened.
“You must think it and it will happen,” Drak said while looking at Mitch. “Imagine that your hands are weapons and believe that it is so.”
Mitch looked at his hands and then he thought of Death World. His character had just unlocked the snake armor and with the armor came the snake sword. Mitch imagined the sword in his hand and instantly a long blue blade extended from his hand. He recoiled in shock and the blade disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“You must stay focused on what you imagine. If you lose your concentration, you will lose control of tech. It is you in control of device. Without user tech is nothing. It is your energy that powers tech. Use your power to control device,” Drak said as he watched Mitch closely. “Try and imagine that your fists can shoot.”
Mitch thought about DeathWorld again. His character could also cast spells from his hand and he imagined himself shooting out the energy as he had in the video game. A pulse of light shot out from his hand and it knocked over several stones nearby. Mitch gasped with astonishment at what he had done.
“Imagine it and it will be so,” Drak said.
Drak raised his hand at Mitch while his hand glowed. “Defenses are the same. Imagine a shield and it will appear,” he said as he placed his forearm in front of him. “Fire at me. It no problem,”
“Are you sure?” Mitch said.
“Yes, do it. It fine. Worst thing happen, you kill me right?” Drak said and a grin flashed across his face.
“Oh man, don’t talk like that. I don’t want to be a murderer too,” Mitch said. He took a big breath and imagined himself casting the spell again and a ball of light shot out of his hands as quickly as he thought it. It went directly at Drak whose shield took the blow and absorbed the light.
“Again,” Drak said. Mitch sent another ball of light at Drak. It was easily absorbed by the shield. Mitch imagined more balls of light shooting from his hand and he was surprised and delighted when a burst of orbs shot forth from his hand. The orbs hit Drak’s shield and their force pushed him backward causing him to stumble to his knees.
“Ok, maybe you getting the hang of this. Now, it your turn,” Drak said and he grinned again. “Ready your shield.”
Mitch gulped and held his arm up to protect himself. He thought of his DeathWorld character again battling against the massive foes he faced in the game. The character always carried a shield to protect itself against any attack. Mitch imagined himself doing the same and a clear blue shield appeared around his arm. Drak fired upon him. Mitch cowered behind his shield and closed his eyes. He felt the impact of the blast, but no harm came to him.
“See you smiling again, Mitch,” Drak said as he aimed at Mitch. Mitch raised his shield quickly as Drak sent a burst of orbs his way. He easily deflected every shot and then he laughed out loud.
“System very strong and easily adaptable, but you still take damage,” Drak said. “See here.” Drak brought up his control panel and several gauges could be seen showing various stats. “This system status panel. You can see shield percentage and you can see how much energy left in device. Device will recharge using your energy field, but need time to do. If take too much damage or use too much energy, device will fail. Must be careful not to take to many hits or go too fast or too far.”
“What happens if your device fails?” Mitch asked.
“Well, you fall out of sky and crack head on a rock or opponent takes your head off,” Drak said with a grin. “Device has safety features. It stores small amount of energy if shields fail or if energy lost. If either happens back up shield will engage, but all system functions will be lost until device has enough energy restored. Now, let’s have some fun,” he said and his grin seemed a little more menacing. He fired upon Mitch and he easily deflected the blast. “Fire back, Mitch Mythic. You can do it.”
Mitch thought of his character again and fired a blast from behind his shield. Drak blocked his shot again and laughed.
“Is that all you’ve got?” he shouted at Mitch.
“I’m just getting this thing going,” Mitch said as he shot at Drak again.
“You think you can defeat me?” Drak grinned.
“Well, I can definitely try,” Mitch said. He imagined the snake sword from his DeathWorld character again. It was a fluid sword that had snake-like movements and its blows were heavy and lethal. As he thought of the sword, a snake-like blade extended from his arm and danced menacingly in front of him. He raised his arm and the translucent blade moved with him. Drak slowly began to circle him and he raised his shield in a defensive position. Drak fired on him again. Mitch deflected the blows and swung out with his sword. The sword connected with Drak’s shield and the force of the blow staggered him. He caught his balance and looked at Mitch in surprise. He grinned again and readied himself.
“Now we see what you can do,” he said as he moved forward with his shield up. A long blade appeared in his hand as well. Mitch raised his shield again and Drak struck out. Mitch deflected the blow again and made a counter strike.
“Ha, now it’s on,” Drak said.
“Bring it,” Mitch said through gritted teeth.
CHAPTER TWENTY
MindHIve’s massive transport helicopter made a slow pass over the fairground. Robert could see the circle of domes spread out below him. He was happy to see that he was getting some use of his multi-billion dollar investment. Maybe someday, they would be able to settle Mars, but in the time being, Kingsford would have to do. As the helicopter began to lower onto the landing zone, Robert looked around the large cabin space and inspected his strike force. Of all the things that he had been able to realize during his career, this team was the one he was most proud of. They were all elite soldiers on their own, but when equipped with weaponized inReal tech, they were living gods. Each member had been outfitted with protective jumpsuits and helmets that had been emblazoned with the MindHIve logo. The suits were made from a stretchable metallic alloy that MindHIve had been
developing for some time. The suits were meant for space travel but they were fully appropriate for the strike team to make their glorious introduction to the world.
The helicopter settled onto the landing pad and Robert looked out the window. A large crowd of reporters and onlookers had gathered for this arrival. Robert planned on making a grand entrance. “Alpha team prepare to disembark. Bravo team get ready cause you are going next,” he commanded. All of the members of Alpha team stood and moved to the rear doors of the helicopter. On top of their tactical training, the strike team had been preparing for this entrance for the last few days. If Robert was good at anything, it was making entrances and this entrance was going to be his greatest yet.
“Engage your tech and prepare to exit as planned,” Natalie Babcock shouted. Robert had made a her a squad leader after her exceptional performance during hand to hand combat.
“Open the doors,” Robert ordered the pilot. The pilot pressed a button on the dash of the helicopter and the large bay doors began to swing open. “Alpha team go, go, go,” Babcock shouted as each member of the alpha raised themselves off of the deck and shot out of the helicopter. There was an audible gasp from those gathered outside and then people began to cheer madly. Beta team moved into position at the doors.
“Get in position,” Lieutenant Davis ordered. Robert had made Davis the other squad leader as the retired navy seal had proven to be a soldier of outstanding calibre.
“Beta team, let’s move” Davis shouted and Beta team shot out of the rear doors and into the bright morning light. Robert crossed his arms over his chest and engaged his device. He shot out of the helicopter and made one large swoop around the landing zone, coming to a resting position between the two teams of soldiers who hovered in mid-air about 30 feet from the crowd in ready positions. The crowd of people cheered with approval.
Robert stepped down to the ground and disengaged his tech. He removed his helmet and the crowd gasped again as they realized who he was. He grinned as he walked up to the crowd. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I know that you must have a thousand questions. I would love to answer them all right now, but you are going to have to wait until the convention starts. Behind you is the MindHIve inReal security team. Along with all of the other surprises we have in store for the world, the inReal tech can also provide protection and mobility. This team of elite security advisors will be on hand at all times to ensure the safety of all convention participants and the town of Kingsford as well. We’re not expecting any trouble, but this is an excellent opportunity for the inReal tech to be used in a real world situation. I told you before that inReal will change the world and as you can see, it already has. Thank you very much for coming out and get ready to be amazed over the next few days,” Robert said as he engaged his device again and raised himself above the crowd. He saluted everyone and he moved backwards to join the strike force.
They paused for a moment and then at Robert’s command, they all moved forward above the crowd and slowly circled over the domes. Robert instructed his team to come down next to the large center dome between the interlinking tunnels where a group of MindHIve employees stood waiting for their arrival. The strike force descended into the compound while the cameras continued to roll. Robert could see Gerald Tobero’s bald head glistening in the sunlight as he descended to the ground. Allan stood beside him holding his clipboard. Behind them were several MindHIve executives and the inReal engineering team. As Robert stepped back down to earth and disengaged his device, his security advisor stepped forward to greet him.
“Welcome to Kingsford, sir. I hope you enjoyed making the grand entrance you planned for,” Gerald said while he shook Robert’s hand.
“Of course I enjoyed it, Gerald. Why do always have to be such a killjoy? It was a spectacle for the world and I’m certain that it was jaw dropping in every way,” Robert said as he took off his helmet. “Bring me up to speed on the security protocols, but keep it brief. I’ve got a lot of fish to fry today.”
“We have been monitoring the subject and no changes have been observed. We should be able to contain and apprehend the culprit as expected,” Gerald said as he and Robert strode toward an entrance which lead to the main dome.
“That’s good to hear. I’d like to have our little problem contained before the convention kicks off, but I also don’t want to rush anything. When do you think we should make our move?” Robert asked as they entered main chamber.
“I think it would be best to wait for our subject to show himself before we spring the trap. He, and I’m assuming it’s a he, will most likely attempt some type of reconnaissance. In order to do so, they will have to engage their device in some way. Even if they don’t engage their device, our satellites should be able to pick up any traces of energy should they enter the perimeter surrounding the trap. When we detect anything, we will deploy the strike force to obtain the subject, on your order, of course,” Gerald said while keeping pace with Robert. They passed through a large doorway and entered into the main dome of the complex. It was a cavernous space and workers were crawling all over the place preparing the dome for the opening ceremony.
“Once again, this is why I pay you all this money. How did your wife like the beach house by the way?” Robert said while removing his gloves.
“She was delighted, sir. She said that I should keep doing my best to make you happy,” Gerald said.
“She sounds like a good woman, Gerald. I look forward to meeting her,” Robert replied. “How is the drilling going? Were we able to get deep enough to access the energy field?”
“Yes sir. While we still have a little ways to go, we should be deep enough within the allotted time frame. The generator has been installed and it is currently powering up. We will still need to drill deeper in order to draw enough power for the procedure, but the readings indicate that there is more than enough energy present,” Gerald said.
“Gerald, I don’t know if I could do any of this without you. You truly are worth every penny,” Robert said. “Keep me posted of any developments, even if they seem insignificant. Now, if you’ll forgive me, I have other matters that require my attention.”
“Of course, Sir,” Gerald said as Robert stepped up onto the massive stage which sat in the center of the dome. A series of bleachers that rose to staggering heights within the dome surrounded the stage on every side.
“Allan, has my speech been prepared?” Robert asked. “I hope those spineless writers made the changes I requested.”
“I believe everything has been updated. It should be ready for the opening ceremony tomorrow,” Allan said.
“It better be ready or I’ll have the entire writing department executed. I cannot stress the importance of tomorrow’s opening ceremony. The whole world will be watching and I plan on starting us off with a bang. After the little taste we gave them this morning, everybody will be salivating over the possibilities inReal has to offer. But enough of that, have my quarters been prepared? I need to change out of this space suit. I want to do a full inspection of the facilities myself.” Robert said as he strode off of the stage.
“Yes sir. Everything has been prepared as you requested,” Allan said as he followed after Robert just slightly behind and a little to his right. “There have been a lot of technical difficulties in setting everything up. We still don’t have enough bedding for the participants and there are some problems with the lavatories. Apparently, the toilets were designed with Martian gravity in mind and we’ve had few problems with waste disposal.”
“Are you telling me that the most important tech convention in MindHIve’s history is about to be smeared by human feces?” Robert said as his upper lip quivered. He hastily stalked down the long white tunnel which linked to an adjacent dome, designated for MindHIve staff.
“We managed to get an engineer from NASA flown in and they are working on the problem. It looks like it should be fine before things get under way,” Allan said while trying to keep composed.
“Aside from the po
op, what other pains in the butt do I have to contend with?” Robert snapped as they entered the next dome. The entire space was abuzz with activity. This dome was meant to be a working and living space. The dome’s spherical wall arched overhead. The wall was lined with sleeping coffins for MindHIve’s employees. The arched window of each coffin emitted a soft blue glow creating a hive like environment in the space.
“Well, participant intake has been a bit of problem. We’re still setting up the security protocols and there appears to be a problem with the local infrastructure. Although our facilities will accommodate the participants and the support staff, the town just wasn’t meant to handle this much outside traffic,” Allan said.
“So, not my problem then. I’m sure the good folks of Kingsford will thank us for all the business we’re bringing in. If they don’t like money, then these aren’t the kind of people I want to deal with. Where are my rooms already? I hope no one is expecting me to sleep in one of these coffins.” Robert said. The MindHIve employees all immediately noticed that their boss had just walked in the room. They all stopped and stared as Robert strode in wearing his metallic suit.
“Right this way, sir,” Allan said as he led him past a row of work stations. “We’ve prepared the Captain’s Cabins for your arrival.”
“Well, that sounds more like it,” Robert said as Allan led him through a set of double doors that were guarded by two towering security officers. The captain’s quarters were spacious yet spartan. There was a desk with a phone and several hutches were built into the walls.