From where she stood next to Nataw, Kee smiled. “You met him in the future, and he chose not to kill you. I think Govan will be reasonable, provided we’re talking to the version of him who spared you. If we’re about to talk to a version of him that doesn’t know anything about that, it could become messy.”
“Great,” I thought back to her.
The dog observed the hand and sniffed it, but didn’t lick it. Tiger was smart enough to know he didn’t want to taste the metal-and-ceramic gauntlet.
Within a few moments, everyone had arrived: the old Heroes’ League, the new, Prentkos, and both Jody’s and Colette’s unconscious bodies. Talk about not being able to save everyone. Being turned into Rook’s mind-controlled cyborg was still in this Jody’s future. Though I didn’t need to, I made a check, changing that future had the same problems as saving Travis. I checked on Colette, too, but hers wasn’t any different.
I could do it, but it wouldn’t be worth the price. Continue reading Engine: Part 5
As the stone touched my gauntlet, I connected with it and through it the Galaxy Core Device (GCD) itself. How did it feel to use a device that could destroy galaxies and create new ones?
You’d think it would be a moment of enlightenment or maybe ascension, since you assumed powers that you’d normally think were reserved for gods.
What surprised me is how normal it felt. I’d been absorbing knowledge from my implant on demand for years now. I’d been training with Kee to understand what Artificers could do for years and while I’d only been interfacing with Abominator and Artificer technology with those skills for a few days, it felt natural. Continue reading Engine: Part 1
Our first problem with following Magnus? The window. Amy and I rose to find Sean, fists clenched, staring at the window and the empty room behind it.
The window wasn’t moving at all.
And look, that wasn’t as stupid as it seemed. The frame around the window might have been made of metal. It wasn’t, but it could have been.
Colored black, but it appeared to be ceramic to me.
With a wordless scream, Sean punched it. His hand bounced off, and Dayton said, “Whoa, dude. Let them try.”
Sean wasn’t listening. Continue reading Stage Three: Part 5
Victor’s mouth opened without saying anything. He closed it, sighed, but asked, “Do you think it’s possible?”
I looked over at Cassie, who’d frowned but then started talking, “It depends. We’d need to make sure our birthing chamber has the right templates available. I’d say yes if we had the one you’d used. We all know what happened to that one, though.”
Over the implant channel, Sean asked, “What happened?”
“It’s not in working order,” I said. Continue reading Stage Three: Part 4
Jaclyn added, “I’m not pulling you all again—not unless we know what we’re running into.”
We didn’t. Due to limited fuel supplies, a limited number of bots, and any hints that the place existed, Hal hadn’t sent any down here.
“Everybody flies?” Haley asked.
It wasn’t a bad idea. Between camouflage and not touching anything, we’d avoid a lot of potential triggers.
A voice said, “I’m here to bring you to Magnus.” Continue reading Stage Three: Part 3
Then he started laughing. I’m pretty sure I even heard a “Mwha-ha-ha” somewhere in there. Then the communication ended, leaving me to hope that it was an ironic “Mwha-ha-ha,” because an unironic “Mwha-ha-ha” would be a cliche.
It called up mad scientist vibes at best and at the most horribly wrong end, it reminded me of how Artificer technology had been designed to destroy civilizations either through madness or temptation and runaway self-interest. Continue reading Stage Three: Part 2
Cassie looked down at the ground and then back down the hallway, “That’s what the muddy footprints were? That’s so gross.”
Then she said, “Who wants to get the door?”
Marcus shifted into a pile of goo that seeped in the door’s direction but stopped just in front, asking, “Is it booby trapped?”
Daniel frowned, “I can’t tell.” Continue reading Stage Two: Part 9
I wondered how much of a walk this would be, and a map Hal had created while using my bots as scouts appeared in my head. By taking out the Nine’s central command, we’d ended up on ground level. Magnus’ and the Nine’s leadership’s rooms were located on the top floor.
Well, unless they’d evacuated to the bunker below the main complex.
Knowing that the fight in the control center hadn’t been quiet in any way, I had to bet on the bunker. Either way, the stairway at the end of the hall went both up and down. Continue reading Stage Two: Part 8
Edward said, “I’m hoping the same. If Dr. Mind did survive, Brian’s advice to you guarantees that we’ll be executed by one or more of the Numbers. Though if Dr. Mind is gone, there’s an opening for Number 4, so they may be too busy killing rivals to care.”
Brian glared at him, “Thanks for telling them my name!”
Edward raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure they know already. The Heroes’ League appears to have done its homework. They attacked with overwhelming force while in disguise and went straight for our Control Center. Not only that, but they did it while we were distracted with a myriad of other concerns—which in retrospect, they may have engineered.” Continue reading Stage Two: Part 7