The boombots hit before I did, turning everything on Magnus’ side of his shield into roiling red, orange, and white fire.
Ironically, I didn’t feel the explosions at all. He’d protected me from my own blasts.
While they didn’t hurt him, his eyes widened, and he turned around, shouting, the explosions adding to the surreal feel. Not seeing an attack from that side, he turned back to me.
His eyes widened as my sword hit the shield between us. Continue reading Magnus: Part 6
To my surprise, I understood what was going on. Artificers started out with physical bodies, but after a certain point, they used them only when they needed them.
This all had something to do with how they linked up with alternate versions of themselves. Whether they created one entity with an infinity of different forms or a composite formed through infinite connections, I didn’t know.
I did know that if he didn’t die now, we’d have a much bigger problem. On the bright side, joining up an infinity of different beings would take time. If I were lucky, it might not even be possible in here. Continue reading Magnus: Part 5
I didn’t know how much Magnus knew about electricity, but he had to know about rivers. Flooding caused massive problems in the ancient world. It wasn’t great for dams in the modern world either.
Overloading electrical components wasn’t the same, but loose parallels existed. Anyway, if he pulled in too much power at once, he’d be the component that burned out or the newly shattered dam.
On the other hand, if he could handle it, I was screwed. Continue reading Magnus: Part 4
I couldn’t see any hint of a connection to the energies that Artificers used, so I knew that the sword wouldn’t do much of anything.
Thanks to the suit, I wasn’t short of normal ways to hurt people. I fired off a series of goobots. For all I knew, these guys were important to history in some way I wasn’t aware of.
The gray lines spread out from the bots, covering them in layers of sticky goo. They twisted, pulling against them, finding that they were stuck, then changed tactics. Continue reading Magnus: Part 3
With a wide smile, Magnus continued, “You might think you can avoid submitting to me, but are you willing to allow your friends and family to die for your freedom? If I were to strike the first Rocket with my power, you’d cease to exist.”
Then he began to laugh. “So what is it hero? Give me the ability to trust you or risk your very existence? Not to mention making me kill your grandfather.”
He smiled again. “Or you grandmother. It truly doesn’t matter which. What’s important is the end result.”
He frowned, glancing outward. Continue reading Magnus: Part 2
Magnus kept on talking. Ray hadn’t been wrong in calling him a blowhard.
I couldn’t complain. It gave me time to figure out the next step, whatever that turned out to be. It was supposed to be distracting Magnus so Ray could backstab him. That might still be the plan, but Ray didn’t seem to be in any hurry. Continue reading Magnus: Part 1
On a completely theoretical level, you could imagine that with me pulling power from the device to cut and Magnus pulling power from the device to protect himself we’d be equal.
Anyone who’s ever designed anything knows that’s utter garbage, though.
The amount of power you can get out of something depends on where in the system you’re pulling it from, how you’re using that power, what you’re using it on, and too many details to list. With more complicated devices, your access level to the control systems and your level of skill matter, too. Continue reading Singularity: Part 20
Energy built and then spread outward in an explosion of power, but fortunately not a physical one. Well, sort of fortunately, in the sense that it was a lot of energy that I’d rather not be hit with. It was less fortunate in the sense that Power Burst, Jody, Amnesia Angel, Artemis, Scream Eagle, and maybe again Ray had absorbed a lot of energy and I had little doubt they intended to transfer it in my direction.
If I hadn’t been flying and aiming lasers at the Cabal, I might have tried to reach in and cut off Magnus’ power. That might end the fight, depending on how giving out powers worked. If empowering minions were more like lighting a candle than plugging in a radio, it would be harder. Continue reading Singularity: Part 16
Red Lightning grinned, “I’ll be ready. We can’t lose. We’ve got two of you.”
Grandpa laughed. “Glad you think so. I’m feeling behind the times, myself.”
It felt good to see a whisper of the friendship I knew they had. They might have had a conversation, but that’s when the Cabal soldiers all jumped in our direction—not directly at us but close enough that they’d figure it out soon enough.
And that meant that the time to start was before they figured it out. Grandpa had come to the same conclusion. Continue reading Singularity: Part 15
Magnus leaned forward and as he did, I could feel energy moving around him, and remembered being told that despite losing the ability to influence with his voice, he could still do it somehow.
He could. As he spoke, everyone within the shimmery glow responded. Some turned to watch, but other reactions were more subtle—a pause before the next step, a blink, an indrawn breath.
As he did though, I saw energy move from the spheres above into the throne and to him. In the same instant I realized something else—the throne wasn’t real. Continue reading Singularity: Part 14