by Pal, J
When my first Charge Launcher projectile made the centipede on Arjan’s back squirm, I hit him with another. Several needle-like legs came free from his back, raining blood on the floor. Most of the pressurized liquid vaporized into red mist as soon as it left his body, while the rest lay on the ground in sludgy clumps. This was going to work! I had the tools to defeat the monster before me, and I was bloody well going to do it.
First, I took my moment of respite to spray myself top to bottom with the healing fluid from the Gloop Shooter. It cooled my body and soothed the many patches of burnt skin. Even though Arjan hadn’t landed a direct hit on me, his fluctuating temperatures continued to leave bits of my exposed skin singed. The skin on my neck, jaw, and cheeks burned. I could feel tightness among them, too, as the outer layers dried and cracked. I hoped Kitty would still find me attractive if the battle left me horribly scarred.
The centipede reattached itself to Arjan’s spine and burrowed deeper into his neck. More blood poured for a second before his temperature skyrocketed, searing the wounds closed. Arjan’s eyes glowed white, and the hair atop of his head burned away. Spikey yelled in German when a wave of unbearable heat pulsed out from Arjan. The pleading words went ignored. I fired the Charge Launcher at Arjan again, but he ripped a chunk of wood from a nearby pew and blocked the projectile. It caught on fire from Arjan’s high temperature, and he threw it at me.
Instead of launching myself away, I blocked the burning wood with the Sonic Barrier Projector. The increasing heat had me sweating bullets as my body tried to cool itself down. I could feel myself tiring rapidly as well. Time seemed to stop when Arjan roared and charged at me. I looked between him and the ceiling. Was it worth it? Even if I won this fight on my own, chances were I’d leave forever scarred and crippled. I wanted to help and perhaps save humankind. At the same time, I didn’t want to sacrifice myself while doing so. It would be noble, but I’d be dead or not far from it.
“Screw this!” I mumbled and launched myself over Arjan at the stone church’s exit. The Pogo Heelies wheeled me forward as soon as I landed, increasing the distance between Arjan and me. He roared incoherently behind me when I reached the door and pulled. It didn’t budge. “C’mon!” I begged, hitting it with the Sonic Shotgun next. The screen on the ceiling flashed. I guessed the Alvans had trapped me in.
I turned on Arjan as he got close, and the skin on my face protested. The prosthetic had started heating up too, and I could feel it through the socket that connected it to my arm. A Sonic Shotgun blast deterred Arjan. The second pushed him onto his back. Within moments he was getting back up. My heart wasn’t far from beating out of my chest, my head felt tight from dehydration, and the burning in my eyes made it difficult to see. This wasn’t going to end well. My tests with the door all ended similarly. I was about to launch myself away towards the ceiling when it shook.
Arjan froze, looking between it and me. The stones around the door trembled as something banged on the other side. When Arjan backpedaled frantically, I understood what it was. My friends were here at last. I shot the door with the last charge in my Sonic Shotgun, and it exploded. Diesel charged in, barreling at Arjan. David followed, making a beeline for Spikey. He swung the enlarged multitool-club with all his might, making the centipede-person fold in half. Then a bolt exploded through the bastard’s belly, cutting him in half. Winnie leapt off the man, and the “Disassemble” option on my visor flashed.
As soon as Morpheus entered the room, I sprayed the damaged plates on its front with healing salve.
“Thanks,” Kitty said before charging at Arjan too.
The golems weren’t going to work against him. They’d only buy time until he got them hot enough to melt. It was a good thing time was all I needed. Now that I had my friends with me and help to keep Arjan busy, I could focus on putting him down without running around. Once again, my new Supercharge ability came in use. I dropped into a kneeling position and used my left arm to stabilize the prosthetic. Then I switched to Charge Launcher and fed it Tech Energy. The weapon hummed, and sparks danced off the muzzle. The tool was a part of me, so I didn’t want to overload and damage it. Yet, the burning in my lungs encouraged me to go as far as I could.
When I released the projectile, it glowed with a gold and blue light, unlike anything I had seen before. It was as if the Charge Launcher—my first Creation—had directly added Tech Energy to the shot. It zipped through the gap between Morpheus and Diesel before hitting Arjan and exploding. Kitty had the sense to guide her mount behind her newest golem when the bolts of electricity exploded in every direction. Miley jumped off Diesel, forming a wall to reduce the onslaught further.
Arjan screamed, falling to his knees. Then he went silent as the king centipede leapt off his back. Diesel lunged at it, but, unfortunately, his knees locked up. The biometal-covered creature made a beeline towards me. When I tried powering up the Charge Launcher again, it wouldn’t respond. The prosthetic refused to switch to a different weapon too. As a last-ditch effort, I activated the Sonic Barrier Projector and Pogo Heelies simultaneously, launching myself into the air. Much to my surprise, the centipede king didn’t try to attack me. It fled through the open door, disappearing from sight. It moved a couple of steps under superspeed, and much to my annoyance afterwards, I was too surprised to catch it.
Chapter Forty-One
Aftermath
David tried chasing after the centipede but froze at the door. He scrambled backwards, eyes wide.
“What is it?” I asked. A visible shiver ran through his body when he looked back at me. “Is the church still moving? Did you just have a near miss?”
David shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“What the hell is going on, Matt?” Liam asked over the comms. I was surprised he hadn’t followed the others into the church. “What did you just do?”
“I killed Arjan. The king centipede got away, though.” My body burned, and my joints ached. I gave up on trying to stand upright and succumbed to the wobbling in my knees. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Anna, but I’m sorry. I know how much you want him gone.”
“That’s not important right now, Matt. Half a dozen flying saucers emerged out of nowhere, and two nearby pylons appeared for a couple of seconds. It’s the aliens, mate. They’ve landed.”
Either the Alvans could hear our conversation and had a flair for dramatic timing, or it was pure coincidence, but a trio appeared in the doorway. David ran past me, taking position next to the golems. Even though the three figures were the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, I didn’t let my guard down. Instead, I sprayed my entire body with the Gloop Shooter’s healing fluid again. The women looked too perfect and flawless, more like the new lifelike sex dolls than real people. I didn’t trust them one bit and prepared for another fight.
Now that I thought about it, were the Alvans really the sexy space elves they portrayed? Considering their technology, telepathic prowess, and general superiority, the Alvans’ appearances were probably a lie too. Perhaps they’d found the best form the planet’s hot-blooded, hetero males would like best and modeled themselves to look as such. It made a whole lot more sense than encountering an alien species that resembled humans as much as they did. Knurven didn’t resemble any creature native to our planet. What were the chances of the Alvans looking so much like us? I made a note of asking my beloved sponsor about it if we got out of the mess alive.
It took me a moment, but I recognized the three Alvans as they glided towards me. They were the trio from the broadcast in Piccadilly Circus. I tried to cycle power through my prosthetic and get the weapon systems online but failed. It wouldn’t respond. The Gloop Shooter’s healing fluid was all gone too. If this devolved into a fight, I’d have to rely on my mobility, glue, and lab coat to survive.
“That was an excellent show, MAD!” The lead Alvan exclaimed. “We at Survival Planet are impressed with your resourcefulness and tenacity. Congratulations on winning our show
’s first-ever Sector Showdown.” The sounds of a whooping crowd and applause echoed through the room as the screen above flashed. “Do you hear that?” she asked. “That’s the sound of all the people celebrating your victory against one of our most fearsome creations.”
I had spent many a night going over what I’d say if I ever faced one of the Alvans. How could they sit by and let so many innocents die? What kind of messed-up species or organization could profiteer from such a show? I wanted to know how they could be so despicable and tell them they disgusted me for messing with an entire planet’s minds. Unfortunately, none of that came out. Instead, a smile spread across my face as new skin grew over it, replacing the blackened bits that fell off.
“Thank you for giving humanity the power to defend itself,” I said. “Granting every Sector Showdown’s winner a Hub Core will certainly help them survive the horrid beasts you—” I feigned surprise at the slip of my tongue. “I mean, the System, brought to our planet.”
The lead Alvan’s jovial expression didn’t waver. Her friends remained impassive too. “We’re making the announcement to the rest of the planet as we speak. The System has insisted that as their savior, we broadcast a live message from you to them. It’ll be no more than twenty seconds. The System believes it’s important they know who is responsible for this gift.”
I nodded. “I’m ready whenever.” The idea of speaking to an entire planet sent shivers up and down my spine. It was a huge responsibility, and I already knew what I wanted to say.
A fist-sized sphere floated out of the Alvan’s sleeve and stopped two meters away from my face. She nodded, her bright blue eyes watching me intently. A little red light flashed on the sphere, but they didn’t tell whether it was time to start or not, so I took her initial gesture as my cue.
“I go by the alias MAD and am responsible for the Sector Showdowns.” My voice quivered as I spoke. “I’ve won the first one, and the System has compelled our alien overlords to make it available in every sector. If you want a chance to win against your local monsters, summon your System Assistant and demand a power upgrade. The C-rank abilities we have aren’t enough. A single McGuffin will be sufficient for your upgrade, and it will make your lives much easier.”
I exhaled loudly, looking past the camera at the Alvans behind the camera. “Friends, family, and everyone else out there, good luck. There are no evil aliens coming. They’re already here—”
“I’m afraid that’s all the time you have.” The smile disappeared off the lead Alvan’s face as she interrupted me. She raised her arm, and five glowing McGuffins floated out of her sleeve into my hands. “That’s our half of the bargain taken care of. Despite the betting pools running around the galactic web, we wanted to assure our viewers: the Survival Planet production team doesn’t renege on an agreement.”
“Isn’t the System standing by to reinforce the terms?” I asked. “It’s a shame you didn’t let me finish the message, by the way. I know the limiters you put in everyone would make most people forget the truth, but it would’ve been too damaging, wouldn’t it?” Antagonizing the Alvans was probably not a smart idea, but they were pretty pissed off at me already. Besides, I, as a human, had the System’s protection. They wouldn’t let an advanced species further harm a member of a newly assimilated race—or so I hoped. “It was the information about the powers that took precedence. Thank you for letting me get that out.”
“Now that we’ve dealt with the official matters, MAD, we wanted to request a piece of information,” the lead Alvan said. “Who is your sponsor, and how did you get in contact? We suspect foul play on the part of the System and System staff. There are blackouts on our feed and we can’t allow it. You will be sufficiently compensated for the information of course. We’ll upgrade all your friends to A-rank and stay out of your way. You can liberate the locals, do whatever you want. As long as people are watching the show, we make money. However, we do not tolerate people who break the terms of an agreement or try to cheat us.”
“No,” I replied in a heartbeat. “As amazing as it would be to have all my friends strengthened, we’d rather not gain such a boost by betraying someone who’s helped us until now. Figure it out for yourselves.”
Searing pain pulsed through my skull. David and Kitty yelped too, and I recognized it as a psychic stab. Our protective devices were meant to defend against long-range and constant attacks, not something close range. The assault ended just as suddenly as it had started. One of the silent Alvans screamed as golden energy appeared from the ceiling screen and struck her. Her body unfurled, ripping her clothes and revealing a large, fleshy mass.
I was right. They weren’t humanoid! The Alvan turned out to be a starfish-shaped collection of five tentacles with an eye at the center. After spasming for a solid thirty seconds, she collapsed in a smoking heap. The System had recognized the psychic assault and come to our defense!
“The Survival Planet production team doesn’t renege on an agreement, huh?” I asked. “Just because the viewers can’t see psychic attacks doesn’t mean they don’t take place. I’d like to thank the System for saving us.”
The lead Alvan didn’t say a word. She turned around and pointed a finger at her still-writhing comrade. A blast of green energy flew from the digit, turning the person into ash. Then she marched out of the church and her surviving friend followed. We watched the patch of exposed skin on the surviving underling’s back writhe. Was that a fear response? I couldn’t tell. As soon as they exited the building, orange light burst through the door, and the screen above our heads disappeared. It was sunlight. The evening was upon us, and we’d won.
“Let’s go home, Matt,” Kitty said, walking up behind me and placing a hand on my shoulder. “It’s over. For now, at least.”
“Get out here!” Liam exclaimed. “Now!”
Heeding his request, we ran out of the building. Several flying saucers floated above us, and we caught a glimpse of the Alvans disappearing into the largest one. It wasn’t them that Liam wanted us to see, though, but the three pylons that had appeared near us. The furthest one was thicker than the other two. It was our target. As soon as the flying saucers zoomed through the clouds and out of sight, the pylons disappeared. I needed to figure out what gave them the power to hide.
As far as we could tell, all the centipede-people were dead. A few centipede-controlled auranthers had escaped, but they no longer had any human puppets. David, Liam, and Kitty had managed to kill everyone who’d had attacked them. The ones pursuing us had followed Caitlin, Anna, and Jay back to the Hub. Whatever they didn’t slay, the turrets and ankylopus had put down. They’d managed to kill the centipedes too and had arranged them all for dismantling. We ended up with a plethora of enchanted, altered McGuffins on top of the thirty-six from the platyhawk nests.
“That was brilliant, Matt,” Jay said when we returned to the Hub. He took my right hand and gave it a firm shake. “It was a good decision to tell the world about power upgrades. If they can get their hands on Hub Cores and find a way to work together, we’ll have a fighting chance.”
“Things will get a lot more violent too,” Caitlin said. The System must have sent out screens detailing the Sector Showdowns and my message. “No offense, Anna, but people like her old friends will get boosts too and use it to wreak havoc on others.”
“Hopefully not as much as before,” I said. “Think about it. If these people have a Hub, they’re going to be locked in a sector. Chances are, they’ll already be the ruling party there and won’t want to cross borders looking for fights. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be fights, of course.”
“We might soon have Metalsmith and her lackeys knocking at our door, but it was a necessary move,” Kitty said. “I’m with Matt on this one. There will be fewer humans dying to monsters.”
“But more people killing people.” Caitlin sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you, but, being pragmatic, the Alvans sort of twisted this loss to their advantage. Sectors where
humanity has won but live as separate factions will soon see a whole lot of violence. I just hope they limit it to these small gladiatorial matches instead of all-out war. Hub Cores are going to be a lot more valuable than McGuffins.”
A shiver ran down my spine as a tingling feeling spread through my right arm. It was the prosthetic. The device was coming back to life, and I could feel the device more intimately than before. It was as if channeling Tech Energy through the weapon had deepened my connection to it. Following my mental prod, it shifted back into its arm form. When I touched the thumb against the fingertips, I was sure it had gained a sense of touch.
“Speaking of McGuffins, I’m going to invest in upgrading the Hub,” I said. “My first priorities are the movement systems and getting all the accompanying perks, then getting a long-range cannon. I reckon that’ll take more than half of what we got. Do any of you have any requests of devices you’d like?”
“Something that boosts mobility for me, please,” Caitlin said. “I don’t want to be in that position ever again. I doubt I have the balance for anything like yours. Perhaps a jetpack or a hoverboard.”
“If you’re making hoverboards, I’d like one too, please,” Anna said.
“What about you, David?” I asked. “Would you like one too?”
He shook his head. “I think it’s time I make my final artifact.” He looked down at the floor, shoulders drooping. “The last fight would’ve gone a whole lot quicker if not for me. I need mobility and defense. It might be time I make some power armor.”
I smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be Iron Man.”
“That might be copywritten,” Liam added. “Disney is a tenacious entity; I’d stay away from that name.”
Only Kitty and I laughed. The other three looked at us with their eyebrows raised. David claimed four McGuffins. One for his new toy, two to upgrade Kitty’s bow, and another for his multitool. Jay, as usual, didn’t want any. He was happy acting as the rescue service and running the Menagerie. If we had any left over, I planned on making him a protective device. He was a good guy and deserved something, even if he didn’t want to get involved in fights.