Of Minds and Masters

by Paul Ormond

  Mitch opened his eyes and looked up to see Gareth approaching him.

  “We’re gonna need a lot of luck to pull this thing off,” Gareth whispered as he crawled over and sat next to Mitch.

  “There’s no such thing as luck. We all make our own destiny,” Mitch said. His eyes steeled over as he looked out at his friend. “Someone once told me that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible. I didn’t believe him at the time, but I’ve been through enough in the last while to know that he was right.”

  Mitch reached into his suit and pulled out the black cube that housed the payload. He held it in his hands for a second and looked intensely at his friends. The light in the cavern had grown stronger as they had crouched on the ledge. Mitch slowly raised himself up and peered over the rock again. He could see that the column was pulsing with energy and the light was much stronger than it had been before. The generator had begun to power up. Mitch indicated to everybody that it was time to act and everybody came forward from the shadows and crept to the edge.

  “Sage, take your guys and head to the left. Draw them to you. You don’t need to engage them just keep them busy. Darren, do the same on the left, but wait until Sage has gotten their attention. Double-Cheese, you stick with me,” Mitch said as he engaged his inReal.

  He brought up the directory and accessed his MindHIve account. He tapped the live video feed and pressed the record button. The light began to flash and Mitch began a live video feed. “My name is Mitch Mythic. You may know me as #epiccrotchshot boy. I know that people have been saying a lot of crazy things about what is happening at the MindHIve convention, but if you are watching this video, you are about the see the truth. I’m not going to say too much more, but just know that we are here to put an end to this and I’ll let everybody out there be the judge of who is right and who is wrong,” Mitch said directly into the camera and then he looked out at his friends and he leapt up onto the rock he had been hiding behind.

  “Just believe and everything else will follow,” Mitch said as he turned and leapt over the ledge. He immediately pushed himself up towards the ceiling of the cavern. He looked down and he saw Sage and his team shoot to the left as they had been instructed. Gareth followed closely behind him and he pulled up next to Mitch as they rocketed towards the roof. Mitch looked down and he saw Darren leading the other team towards the right. Mitch spotted some cover amongst a group of stalactites and shot towards them with Gareth hot on his tail. “Once both teams have gotten the attention of their new playmates, we’ll be heading straight towards the top of the column,” Mitch whispered at Gareth as they pressed their backs against the ceiling of the cavern.

  “Got it,” Gareth said as he peered around the rock. Mitch watched as the guards noticed the swathe of kids flying at them and both teams began to draw fire from the MindHIve security forces.

  “Now’s our chance. Time to move,” Mitch said to Gareth as he pushed off of the rock and shot towards the column.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  A small group of men and women dressed in dark suits looked down on Drak from a platform as he was led into the main dome. Aside from the group of onlookers the dome was vacant, but a large contingent of the MindHIve security force was on hand and they hovered in the air in strategic positions throughout the dome. All eyes were on Drak as he was lead towards the stage. Two guards walked in front of him while two guards followed him from behind. He was still bound at the wrists and an inReal collar had been placed around his neck. His body floated off of the ground and he was unable to move. As he neared the stage, he could see Robert standing in front of the same generator he had tried to sabotage only a few days earlier. The CEO of MindHIve grinned as he watched Drak being led onto the stage surrounded by security guards.

  “Ladies and Gentleman of the board and our esteemed guests. Please allow me to introduce you to a very special person. He is the reason we are all gathered here in the lovely little town of Kingsford. You could say none of this would be possible without him, but that would be giving him a little too much credit. Please give a warm round of applause for Drakon Trendago! He’s a long way from home and we’re about to send him off on a journey that he won’t forget.” Robert said as he looked up at his audience. The small group of people were all initiates with special access, captains of industry and Heiresses of fortunes that had funded Robert’s grand project. “We all know why we are here. We’ve been over it before, but there are some safety precautions I want to warn you about. You’ve all been issued a special pair of glasses. Please don’t take them off because it might get a little bright. We’ll be sealing you inside an inReal protective bubble while the process takes place. This is for your safety. Once you are inside, you won’t be able to get out so if you need to go to the bathroom, I suggest you go now.” There was a bit of shuffling among the initiates and several individuals made their way to the exit before they were sealed inside the inReal bubble.

  Robert turned his attention to his engineering team who were readily preparing to turn on the generator and begin the process of opening the portal. “Are you eggheads ready for this or do I need to remind you how easily I can take away your yearly bonuses?” Robert snapped as he watch several engineers stumbling over each other around the generator’s control panel.

  “We’re almost ready sir. You have to understand that this is an incredibly delicate procedure,” Andrew, the head engineer, said. “Even the slightest miscalculation could compromise the process. If we are off by even a fraction of a …”

  “Yeah, yeah, we’ll all get sucked into oblivion,” Robert said cutting him off. “Just get it done. The clock is ticking. We need to start the generator in the next five minutes or we risk missing our window.”

  “Understood, sir. It won't be much longer,” the engineer said.

  “Get this sorry excuse for a prisoner in place before the generator,” Robert commanded his security personnel while he glared at Drak. Two guards came forward and grabbed Drak by his arms on either side and dragged him to the mark indicated by Robert in front of the generator. “Keep a close eye on him as well. He is as dangerous as they come, but you wouldn't know it just by looking at him.”

  As Robert glared at Drak, he received an alert in his inReal. He tapped his arm and a face appeared in front of him. “Sir, we’ve got action in the sub-level. I’ve deployed every available asset, but the situation is critical. We are under attack. I repeat. We are under attack,” Gerald Tobero said into the camera.

  “Just hold it together down there. We’re about to kick-start things up here right now. Who is perpetrating the attack?” Robert asked.

  “It appears to be a group of kids led by your protégé, Mitch Mythic,” Gerald said as his eyes darted back and forth.’

  “Mitch Mythic has returned. This is going to be fun. I’m pretty sure you can handle those little punks. If you happen to get over powered by a bunch of hick kids, you’ll lose more than your beach house, Gerald. Do you understand?” Robert shouted into the camera.

  “Understood, sir. We won’t let you down,” Gerald said as he ended the conversation.

  “We’re ready to begin the process sir,” the engineer shouted to Robert.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get this party started. It looks like we’re in for an interesting night,” Robert said with a grin.

  Just then, a blinding flash of light filled the auditorium and everybody present covered their eyes. The flash was followed by deafening boom that knocked everyone off of their feet. As Robert stood back up, he looked up to see the now familiar glowing green orb with a petite Asian female hovering at its center. She was flanked by several kids on both sides and they all hung above the generator with their inReal engaged. “Well, look at what we have here,” Robert said as he gazed upon his new guests. “I thought that prom was next week, or did I get that wrong? Either way, if you came to dance, you came to the right place. Get ‘em,” Robert shouted.

  Robert quickly walked over to Dra
k who had remained seated on his haunches while he had watched the events around him play out. “Jackson, Baldwin, stand guard over this one. I’m going to show our new friends how we handle uninvited guests,” he shouted as he stepped back. He crossed his arms over his chest, and quickly raised himself into the air. SoHee had been lobbing balls of fire down on to the security forces, but she quickly took a defensive position as she saw Robert rapidly approaching.

  “Is that all that you thought it would take?” Robert said as he shot towards Sohee. “You think that you could just drop in here and do whatever you like and get away with it,”

  “I think that I’m not afraid of you,” SoHee said as she shot a ball of light at Robert.

  “Well, you should be,” Robert said as he charged at Sohee. As he pushed forward, he made several distinct hand gestures and the field of energy around him changed rapidly. It began to expand and take on a red hue. Robert paused in mid-air and swirled around slowly as he watched his new powers begin to manifest. Massive surges of energy pumped along his arms and two huge clouds began to form underneath his fists. He raised his arms up above his head and then he began to laugh.

  “Did you really think that you could come here, to my house, and defeat me?” Robert said as he hovered in front of SoHee. All around him, his security personnel blasted at the youthful trespassers.

  “That’s the plan,” SoHee said as she commanded her orb to send several bombs of light at Robert.

  “Well, I love your enthusiasm, but you’re naivety is beyond explanation,” Robert said as he made several gestures with his arms. “Either way, I was hoping that you guys would drop in. I’ve got an upgrade that I have been itching to try out.”

  As he spoke several pulses rippled over his body. He extended his arms and his fists of energy expanded at an alarming rate. “Who wants to play with my new friends?” Robert said as he raised his massive fists into the air. He screamed as he brought down his fists with a furious rage. The impact sent everyone in the vicinity sprawling backwards, all except for SoHee, who had somehow managed to hold her ground.

  “Well, look at Miss Science,” Robert said with a laugh. “Do you want to play, little girl? I’ve got a few moves I’ve been dying to try out.”

  “Let’s see what you got, old man,” SoHee said as she readied herself.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  A firestorm blasted out at Mitch and Gareth as they shot towards the pulsing column. “Shields up Double-Cheese. Things are gonna get hot,” Mitch shouted over the din. “They’re coming at us. Let's duck under and come around. Follow me.”

  Mitch changed his course and headed down towards the floor of the cavern and Gareth followed suit. They continued to draw fire from the security guards overhead, but they were able to gain cover among the rubble.

  “They’re on our tail now,” Gareth shouted as he looked back over his shoulder.

  “That’s where we want them. Keep moving,” Mitch shouted as he pushed ahead.

  Several MindHIve guards began to chase them as they rapidly approached the column in the center of the cavern. Sage and Darren’s teams had managed to draw the majority of the security force away from the column, but some of the soldiers had spotted the two of them shooting towards the column. Mitch and Gareth dodged back and forth to avoid taking too many hits as the column of energy towered up in front of them. As they got closer, Mitch was shocked by the sheer size of the pillar. Waves of energy rippled across its surface and Mitch could clearly see the flow of some type of matter within the membrane of the column.

  Nearby Sage was taking fire from all directions. He and Candace had led a group of kids to the left of the pillar and they had immediately drawn the attention of a swarm of security guards. The kids had spread out around the cavern and the guards had given chase. Sage could see Mitch and Gareth rocketing along the floor of the cavern while he dodged shots from several incoming guards. Sage was surprised at how intuitive it was to use inReal and once he had gotten over the fact that he could maneuver in any direction he was able to combine high velocity turns with precision moves making him even more elusive. He deftly avoided the first onslaught and as he came out of a turn he shot back a volley of his own. The older men who pursued them seemed to have a more mechanical approach to the technology, and the kids were able to easily keep them at a distance, frustrating their assailants to no end.

  Candace was particularly adept at using inReal. She used her long frame to bend and maneuver in directions that baffled her attackers and she had found that her volleyball skills could easily be applied to the technology. Sage watched her spike several balls of light at the security guards who came after her. As he watched the guards get knocked away, he let out a whoop of encouragement. His joy was quickly wiped away as he saw Mitch shooting towards the base of the column. Sage looked up to the apex of the pillar of energy and spotted a slew of guards entering the cavern from the ceiling. “Mitch is in trouble. We need to help him. More of ‘em are coming in from the top,” he shouted as he came near to Candace. “Up there. let’s move.”

  As Mitch neared the base of the column he looked back to see that Gareth was taking fire and the security team had been able to close in on them. “Follow my lead. We’re going up,” Mitch shouted at Gareth as he quickly changed his course again. Gareth followed after him with the MindHIve guards hot on his heels. “Keep close to me. Let's try something out,” Mitch said as he began to circle around the pillar. Behind him the security guards were still pursuing, but he and Gareth were able to avoid their fire by continuing to circle the column.

  “Get ready to slam on the breaks,” Mitch said. “On the count of three, let’s drop down. Three, two, one, go.” They both dropped down the column several feet and in doing so they were able to get behind the security guards who had continued to climb up the pillar. They came around the column and immediately opened fire on the unsuspecting troops from below and they were able to take out several guards who plummeted towards the floor of the cavern clearing the way to the top. “We’re almost there. Cover me while I get the payload ready,” Mitch shouted at Gareth.

  “I’ll shield you. Keep moving,” Gareth shouted back.

  Mitch reached into his suit and pulled out the small black cube and dragged his hand over its surface. It immediately unpacked itself and the ball of light hovered in Mitch’s hand. He and Gareth continued to circle around the column as they climbed up towards the roof of the cavern. Above him, Mitch could see where the pillar connected with the rock. The simulations had indicated that this point was the ideal location to deliver the payload and Mitch was determined to get at it close to the mark as possible. “We’ve got to get the top. Keep me covered as we get close,” Mitch shouted.

  They continued to coil their way around the column in order to gain cover from any assailants, and as they neared the ceiling, Mitch readied himself to shoot the payload into the energy source. He reached back and clenched his teeth. It was an easy shot, but he only had one chance and he didn’t want to blow it. He pulled back his arm, but as he was about to release the ball of energy, he felt something heavy and hard slam into his back. He screamed in horror as he watched the payload slip out of his hands. He began to spin out of control away from the column and he looked back to see Davis rocketing after him.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Mythic?” Davis shouted at him as Mitch righted himself.

  “I’m putting a stop to this,” Mitch said as he dodged Davis’s lumbering attack.

  “You think you can stop this? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?” Davis said as he quickly came back at Mitch. “You’re the most wanted terrorist on the planet right now.”

  “Is that what they’re saying?” Mitch said as he shot away from Davis in search of any sign of the payload.

  Sage and Candace along with several other kids had rocketed towards the top of the column to help Mitch, but they had watched in shock as Mitch had been knocked towards the floor of the cavern by the attackin
g security guard. Mitch tumbled towards the ground and he was pursued by a lone guard. Sage gritted his teeth and prepared himself to attack the guards that had set up a perimeter around the apex of the column. As he approached the pillar he saw a ball of light shoot past them from a distance. “Is that what I think it is?” he shouted at Candace.

  “It looks like it,” she shouted back.

  “You guys keep ‘em busy. We’re gonna go salvage this mission,” he shouted over at his friends and he turned back to retrieve the payload before it was lost into the wall of the cavern.

  Without the payload, Mitch knew that they didn’t stand a chance, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He swiftly ascended towards the ceiling of the cavern and he smiled as he saw his friends closing in on the tower from a distance. The security guards were setting up a perimeter around the top of the column. It seemed that they had caught on to the kids’ plan and they rapidly formed a defensive shield to stop the onslaught. Mitch looked in the other direction and he saw Darren Francis and his group heading towards the ceiling as well. “Well, we can at least give them a fight they won’t forget,” Mitch said to himself. He hoped that the live video was getting out there and that somebody, somewhere, was watching it.