《Cennet's Cyborg》


 Level 01 – Last Beacon Dims

    Thursday, ten o¡¯clock, I was in the faculty room getting lectured, or ¡°advised¡± as my teacher, Mr Andino called it, on admitting that I was being bullied. Was I? Yeah, every day. Truthfully, I was scared out of my mind. Petrified, really. So here he was again, trying to get me to squeal on the suspects. And here I was again, covering up the injustices done to me with silence.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got four more years to go, Ugo,¡± Andino rubbed his forehead in stress, like he had a headache, ¡°one¡¯s already passed and you still won¡¯t say a thing.¡± He rolled his sleeves up, laid back onto the sofa opposite mine and crossed his legs, staring defeatedly into the ceiling. ¡°If the formula doesn¡¯t work, you change the formula,¡± Andino said, sounding like he snatched a quote from somewhere. He brought his head upright again, peering at me. ¡°Doing nothing is the worst thing to do. Get outta here,¡± he nudged his head to the side, signalling my dismissal.


    What the hell can I do anyway? I slugged at myself, sauntering through the winding corridor, fully entreating my mind to the ease that convincing myself there was no better alternative brought. Breaking the miasma of repetition might conjure demons buried deep below that I abhorred with every fibre of my being.


    There were, however, little things I could do, things I could focus on. Hacking corporate systems, mechanical engineering, and technology saturated my brain into a world so vast and intriguing that I¡¯d forget all about the fact that I had the cries of the innocent burnt into my psyche. This went on for years, so I got good at it eventually. At first, ¡®hacking¡¯ was just taking my mother¡¯s work laptop but it eventually evolved into the actual thing. At first, ¡®engineering¡¯ just meant taking apart toy cars and small appliances until I began trying more adventurous things.


    Those were what made me procrastinate on facing my fears. They helped me escape myself. My hands were dyed in shades of guilt and whatever pathetic excuses I told myself would never rid its blackened hue from my conscience. That very guilt soon escalated and thrashed my urge for the charms of somnolence, like it would every night.


    Every single night, some half-baked insomnia struck me. And when I did fall asleep, dark residues of the past would fill my mind to remind me of the forsaking of my innocence long ago. Yet, even after I forsook it, I would still suffer laughably basic human emotion. Not emotions of joy, contentment, happiness, but emotions that exemplified the pith of self-loathing.


    I cupped my hands with water and spread it across my face in the school restroom, observing the ragged features carved into my face by insomnia. This appearance wasn¡¯t too welcoming. I hated mirrors, those damned things always reflected my true self, a rotting pylon of human excrement. All those nights I spent with my deconstructive thoughts only proved to push me closer and closer to thoughts of my end.


    Suicide.


    Really, it sounded so peaceful, to be uninhibited by the fetid mire conjured by my very own conscience. But every single time I held those scissors to my jugular, I would contract my desire to end this pain. Cowardice, in its finest form. Yeah, I wanted to die but I was afraid of that too. Fear blocked me from making a compromise; from challenging any adversity in my life.


    It wasn¡¯t all gloom, though. Despite the enigmatic disappearance of my father, and the emotional negligence my mother employed to fuel her conglomerate, the housemaid treated me like her own. I could weather the everyday bullying and harassment. She was my reason to look forward to that freakishly large castle of a home. The one beacon of light amidst the everlasting stormy seas.


    This was my day when I wasn¡¯t jumped by bullies for my allowance, or when I didn¡¯t slither down the mossy pit of depression far enough to skip school entirely. Today, my beacon of light picked me up from school. I opened the door and jumped into the backseat. Theresa greeted me with yet another warm smile, ¡°Enjoyed your day, Jared?¡± she would ask, almost like a ritual. I¡¯d grown attached to hearing that question every day. It conditioned me to relax.


    ¡°Yeah, it was great!¡± I replied, summoning whatever positivity I¡¯d gathered for the day. But as if she was some seer, my fa?ade was broken through quite easily. It must¡¯ve been the bags and dark circles under my eyes, or my dishevelled hair.


    She sighed, exhaling with a piteous look in her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweetie?¡± she posed her question, cutting into my fragile inclination to speak. I fumbled with the words, their essence of pronunciation just hovering over my tongue ready to roll off the lips, but being stifled by last-minute hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s alright, but be sure to take your medication, alright?¡± Theresa advised, taking her eyes off the rear-view mirror and driving off.


    Like a deer caught in headlights. Pathetic, I thought to myself, finding it utterly poor that I hadn¡¯t even the courage to at least answer the person I was closest to. If I failed to tell her about just one day, then how could I ever tell mom about what I did?


    Evening progressed like usual that day: homework, dinner, and extensive computer use. Like other nights, I tinkered with robotic parts and read up on any new research in UGO, my mother¡¯s conglomerate. Their security was easy to bypass after the first few times I hacked into them, or at least found a backdoor. Only in those moments, where I could brainstorm and contemplate where the research could be furthered, what new things could be created and what prototypes could be stabilised, did I find solace from my troublesome conscience behind my workbench, behind the pixels of my monitor.


    The first time I got into the servers, I spent the rest of my vacation days, non-stop researching, reading, until the thirst to feed my mind this new high forced my hand to start building small contraptions. In the years, that experimental spirit snowballed into bigger and better devices.


    Before I knew it, the darkness in the sky was being whisked away. I hadn¡¯t slept a wink, but I did finish up the schematics for a prototype still in hypothetical stage. With restlessness just starting to kick in, I stood up and left the basement. Just as I was about to touch the door handle, a knocking was heard. Just in time, I thought to myself with a faint smirk. Theresa always came to check on me around that time, oft with a couple cups of coffee in her hand. We sat around the kitchen, on the stools and gazed at the sunrise as we did every morning.


    As I grew older, I found it more and more amazing that she let me stay up those outrageously long hours instead of scolding me to bed. It felt like the only time in my life where I didn¡¯t have to think about anything. ¡°What did you do this time?¡± she asked, genuinely interested in what interested me. Really, what more could I want? I¡¯d ask myself that sometimes, and knew damn well if my own mother even pinched a little of Theresa¡¯s attention onto me, her own recipe, I¡¯d have been in unbelievable jubilation.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Finally finished the first prototype for TS, well, just the plans anyway,¡± I said, trying to mask my sense of pride with modesty.


    She rubbed my head, ¡°What you¡¯re doing is nice, you know? I¡¯m really proud of you,¡± she said. Those words, even in their simplicity, evoked an inexplicable joy, totally inverse of my life¡¯s state. It was almost saddening to see how badly my heart craved some sort of reassurance.


    In a couple hours, I was back at school, mindlessly striding through the morning periods. On breaks, I¡¯d be ducking and weaving through the crowds to avoid the eyes of the unwanted in order go through the day as smoothly as I could. Occasionally, I could avoid those bullies, but the onslaught that my conscience wrought tirelessly, day after day was something that was inescapable. That was my life for years, since I lost myself. But in the coming few months, things would¡¯ve changed.


    A day after school, just as any other, disguising itself so neatly in my repetitive world, Theresa was driving me home. She talked about a new recipe she was working on, it appeared to be just another day. That, was wrong.


    She lost control that day, or more accurately, control was seized from her. The car¡¯s steering usurped power from her. I remembered seeing the indicator¡¯s light flashing on the dashboard, and the steering wheel turning to the extreme right. We broke through the highway''s barrier and fell from one flyover to another, then from that road to the ground. By the time the car stopped tumbling, Theresa was already passed out, but thankfully still breathing. The shock and adrenaline nulled my pain. One arm refused to budge and one eye was bloodshot. I knew not the extent of my injuries because I couldn¡¯t feel anything. My phone was out of reach and my body was clamped down.


    When next I awoke, it was at the dark of night. The only sounds accompanying me were the occasional beep of the heartrate monitor and some crickets off in the distance. On the screen, oxygen levels, heartrate, pressure, all the basic things I knew of looked to be in the coveted range of operation. What the hell happened? I wondered, a headache beating my mind like a drum. I sat up on the bed, then slowly stood up, still monitoring how my body kept up. I felt a little different. There were plasters and bandage all over my body from bruises and an especially huge one at my left temple. I took it off partly, peeking into the reflection of the monitor after I turned it off and noticing a rather familiar chip attached. I covered it up again.


    Ah, right, the memories flooded back after a few minutes of standing. Theresa! Is she okay?! My mind raced, but I soon calmed down and thought rationally. This place didn¡¯t have the usual traffic of a hospital, it was deathly quiet. It didn¡¯t even smell like a hospital. I removed my monitoring constraints and perambulated out the room. The white and grey minimalistic design of the corridor struck me immediately. UGO¡­ That explained the chip on my head. I designed the damned thing.


    I was in UGO¡¯s medical facility, but why? That question drilled my mind, but I was more concerned about what happened to Theresa. The cold ground pierced my train of thought, derailing it a little. Most of the workers had gone home already. I traced my memory for the blueprints of the building, borrowed a laptop from the presentation room and made my way to the toilet. Gaining access to their security footage with it was different than usual, but still quite simple. It¡¯s, three in the morning, Sunday, I took note of the time and date. According to this footage¡­ I looked at the moment I was admitted to this facility, Tuesday afternoon. So, it¡¯s been a few days. I ran over the footage once again, but failed to find any trace of Theresa. I was here alone, with absolutely no inkling of her condition.


    Suddenly, an alarm blasted through the building and over the sound system announced a man¡¯s voice, ever so frantic, ¡°Patient seven-ten is missing! Patient seven-ten is missing! All available personnel please keep an eye out and report to control if you spot the patient! Do not initiate contact!¡±


    I looked to my wrist tag, and sure enough, number seven hundred and ten was printed onto it. Don¡¯t initiate contact? What am I? A deranged convict? I wondered, sighing. Calmly, I returned the laptop to the presentation room and began walking back to my room. Just as I was about to turn the door¡¯s handle, a man, probably a member of their research and development team, broke the corner and spotted me. He stopped, looking almost like he saw a ghost.


    ¡°Relax, I just went for a walk,¡± I told him, and opened the bland white door, returning to the gloomy cage.


    I nodded off to sleep, after taking some sleeping pills recommended by one of the doctors, but the sleep of an insomniac was short-lived. I awoke a couple hours later and spent a couple more trying to piece together what happened.


    Eventually, the door to my room swung open, startling me. Mom rushed to me, the furrows on her brows and the twist to her lips telling a tale of worry and anger. ¡°Are you okay, Jared? Are you in pain? Why did you just get up and walk like that?!¡± she stood next to my side, her research team and trained security pouring in by the second. Talk about late. ¡°Well?¡± she asked impatiently, ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    My hazel orbs dove into hers then traced along the somewhat anxious demeanours of the rest of individuals in my room. The variety of thoughts stampeding through my mind was of kaleidoscopic range, but one of them burned the brightest despite my mother¡¯s sudden twist of personality, demanding my attention.


    ¡°Where is Theresa?¡± the question slipped out, almost robotically. Mom¡¯s face warped a little and she closed her eyes, shaking her head.


    ¡°Theresa, didn¡¯t make it, Jared,¡± she said, resting a hand over mine in an attempt to comfort me. A frigid silence slipped through the cracks, starting the deterioration of my already demented mind. Slipping through my lips was a chortle, one so glaringly out of place that even I had trouble understanding it at first.


    ¡°When I passed out, she was still breathing. What happened?¡± I inquired, not even noticing my tone lower.


    ¡°She, died after she got to the hospital.¡±


    I see. I see¡­ My mind walked around the topic, looking at it like a detective, wondering how exactly I could tackle this problem. I wanted to believe this was just another engineering issue that I could solve with some creative thinking, that the grief I knew was incoming could be curbed, but deep inside I knew my mind would hit a wall it couldn¡¯t climb over. That thought horrified me.


    Mom signalled for her employees to leave, but I still had some questions that needed answering. ¡°Wait,¡± I held half my face, as if trying to de-stress, ¡°there¡¯s a TS chip on my head,¡± I pointed to my temple, ¡°who installed it?¡±


    A lab coat raised her hand slowly, ¡°I-I did,¡± she answered jittery. I raised my head and removed my hand from my face to look at her. She was definitely the youngest of them all, a budding prodigy by the looks of it, doubly so by the fact that they gave her such a responsibility.


    I sat up to offer her my full attention, but first, looked at mom and sighed. Whatever, there¡¯s no real need to hide it. ¡°Your name?¡±


    ¡°Anna,¡± she said, stepping forward a little.


    ¡°Anna, it¡¯s, nice to meet you. If the chip is on my head, then I take it the TS itself is at least halfway functional?¡±


    Anna confusedly looked at mom, noticing her confuddled face and wondered if to disclose that information to me. Mom nodded at the young engineer after a while and Anna continued, ¡°Y-yeah. Motor skills are good, but could be refined a bit more to reflect that of a servant. Our main issues are dialogue, user-training and self-training.¡±


    I see. They haven¡¯t done what I said. No wonder development is slow. A fire lit under my nerves, severing my ties with restraint and logic. I balled my fists, ¡°Dammit, mom! Dammit! This could¡¯ve been avoided! The technology in the chip isn¡¯t just to read emotions!¡± Theresa could¡¯ve been saved if they¡¯d just do what I said from the get-go!


    She looked addled, but had a hint of suspect about her. ¡°Jared, what are you talking about?¡± she looked me in the eyes when she asked, in a tone that told me she already figured out what was going on.


    ¡°The schematics! The programming! All those instructions in your email! Those are mine. I¡¯m Ban!¡±

 Level 02 – Ban

    Time stopped for a few seconds, then resumed with the muttering of the lab team. For years, I¡¯d hacked into UGO¡¯s servers, databases, emails. Most of their innovations in the past years was due to a hacker calling himself Ban, leaving solutions to problems UGO was having, giving them new ideas and helping to further the company. It frustrated me immensely to know that a simple chip that could read and pick up on biological issues was just thrown to the wayside when it could¡¯ve helped the doctors save Theresa. What was I to do now?


    ¡°Jared¡­¡± mom trailed off, her amber eyes peering at me, ¡°you¡¯re Ban?¡± she asked, as if the reality just struck her. I¡¯d thought she would place more worry on the fact that Theresa died, but she quickly made me remember why we never had a close relationship to begin with.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Ba¨Cdoes it matter?¡± I sighed, ¡°Did her family have the funeral already?¡±


    She nodded at me. At that point, I really stopped and wondered if there was a reason that I was alive. I needed to take my mind off of this tragedy, if only for a couple hours.


    ¡°Take me home,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Home? You can¡¯t leave ye¨C¡±


    ¡°I can. My vitals are fine. I¡¯ve been stable for days. And yes, I¡¯ve already accessed my records so I know the truth. Please, just, get me home.¡± Perhaps it was the pleading in my voice that struck a maternal nerve, but I had my way.


    We arrived home quickly, escaping the flow of traffic by going away from the city. She didn¡¯t fail in sternly questioning the source of Ban¡¯s emails and highlighting the illegalities of what I¡¯ve been doing. After seeing my setup in the basement, she got visibly angry and fumed about the wrongs I¡¯ve done, but when she calmed, the thoughts of losing my advice filtered through the cracks of her wall of emotion.


    ¡°Okay, Jared, listen,¡± she placed her hands upon my thin, small shoulders, ¡°you¡¯re only thirteen, what you¡¯re doing is highly illegal and although I begged everyone at the medical facility to stay quiet about it, this information could still go to the board of directors. If they don¡¯t like what you¡¯ve been doing, we could be in some big trouble. However,¡± her hands squeezed a little tighter as she looked down, breaking eye contact, ¡°it¡¯s true that this ¡®Ban¡¯ has allowed UGO to make bounds and leaps in the right direction.¡±


    I tilted my head, curious as to where she was going with this. For someone who hardly ever spent time with me to speak, this much was astounding in itself.


    ¡°Come to UGO on your days off from school and help us perfect the TS. We can always say you just like observing robots,¡± she smiled. Perhaps, at such a young age, I knew too much. Behind that smile I knew perfectly well that all she cared about was Ban, not so much Jared Ugo. Yet, as if my feeble and childlike mind couldn¡¯t control its nature of dependency, I took her offer.


    My choice had me a little baffled, and presented an argument I¡¯d try to avoid, that is, I¡¯m helping UGO, not as a means of coping and taking my mind off my restless conscience so I could forget my past sin, but as a means of earning my mother¡¯s attention and love. That argument smothered my mind and blotted out its creativity for the day.


    Once again, I leapt through the wee hours of the morning, finishing a program to augment the user¡¯s control of the TS by phone. I shutdown my computer and opened the basement¡¯s door. ¡°Theresa?¡± I called aloud, wondering where she was. How stupid of me.


    Oh¡­ Right¡­ It stung. A bitter taste of reality that wouldn¡¯t just linger in your mouth, but would get stronger as time passed. I stared along at the high-top chairs lining the kitchen counter we¡¯d sit on every morning, my eyes watering without pause. ¡°Dammit! Theresa!¡± I slumped to my knees, heartache seeding its way into my day. It was so empty and quiet without her, yet, my head was filled so much noise that I couldn¡¯t hear or feel the presence behind me.


    ¡°Ban?¡± the voice called. I quickly wiped those unbecoming tears and turned around, noticing Anna from the UGO medical facility. Why is she here? My thoughts trampled over each other. The look she gave me was one of pity, but one of awkwardness as well. Her interpersonal skills didn¡¯t look to be something she was proud of. Her two-mindedness was ripping itself apart, debating whether or not to try comforting me. I took notice and stood up, ¡°I¡¯m alri¨C¡±


    Before I could finish, she rushed into me, holding me so tightly I actually had trouble breathing. I tapped her shoulder desperately, like a fighter held in submission so that I might clear my air paths again. When she finally let go, her jagged movements pulling her back, she apologised. I rubbed along my neck and dismissed her apologies with a whisk of my wrist. I wanted to know why she was here and exactly when during the day she popped up, but somehow, a torpor viciously ripped out that very primal part of me. I was tired.


    She glared intensely at me, right in the eye, a strange action for one with such a timid nature. ¡°Are you really, Ban?¡± she asked. I was at odds with myself, about whether to answer that question or not. Whether to go through with supporting UGO, whether to even continue existing. My arms, autonomously, prepared a cup for myself. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± I finally answered, after an unnerving moment of silence, ¡°coffee?¡± I asked her.


    She shook her head, ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve already had a cup,¡± politely declining.


    I looked up at her, squirming about in my mind again. ¡°You¡¯re here to babysit me, then?¡± I asked, my face¡¯s emotional coordinates directing deadpan.


    ¡°No!¡± she answered briskly, ¡°Yes, uh, I¡¯m not sure?¡± her hands shot up in a surrendering position. She was so lively that I found it a little painful. One minute I¡¯m spiralling down the chasm of anguish and the next I¡¯m fighting the urge to laugh at her antics. Short, let-down, shoulder-cut bright blonde hair with not a follicle acting on its own. A simple white shirt and grey skirt, coupled with her lab coat oozed the aura of maturity, diligence and control. Yet, her character and body language were so jarringly opposite that assumption; I found it difficult to keep my snigger in and ultimately failed. If my smile was what she was going after, it worked, at least a little.


    ¡°I guess, you¡¯re bad with kids,¡± I commented, sipping on the bitter brew.


    ¡°No,¡± she said dejectedly, ¡°I¡¯m just bad with people,¡± she emphasised, making me spit a little of the liquid over the counter from my inability to contain my laughter. Usually, the more someone speaks, the better you know them, but Anna produced a mystifying uncertainty the more she spoke. Perhaps it might¡¯ve been my mistrusting eyes misguiding my judgment, but she¡¯d come across like quite the cold and calculative type that wouldn¡¯t think twice of sacrificing you for her own goals. Though, those one-off moments of doubt were but a sliver of a second amongst the many minutes we talked.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As my black coffee began turning brown, and I saw the white ceramic below, I brought myself back to the burning question. ¡°Anna, right? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re here to just cheer me up. Is there something I could help you with?¡±


    She scratched her neck nervously, looking downwards, ¡°Well,¡± she sighed, ¡°yeah. The team, really likes your work. I mean, really, likes your work. Your mom, well she¡¯s pretty straight-laced, and well, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Just tell me what you want,¡± I shrugged a little.


    ¡°We want you to complete the TS with us. I know, it¡¯s pretty hard because you lost someone important, and miss Ugo will probably roast me if she found out I asked you to help, but, we all want to do this. You¡¯ve got the ideas, we¡¯ve got the tools, what do you say?¡±


    The invasive sunlight spread its mild warmth on us, casting me in a silhouette. ¡°I already said yes. Mom basically asked the same thing already,¡± I said dismissively and I guess she picked up on it. It was getting increasingly harder to maintain this conversation but it was a good pick-me-up.


    She gleamed brightly and thanked me, leaving shortly after. The summer vacation would start soon and I wouldn¡¯t be able to attend school until I was totally recovered, according to the doctors at UGO Medical.


    The attendants of the house woke up after a while and did their daily rounds, but I would simply live in the basement during the following days. Sometimes I forgot I had a room of my own. The road to recovery was sure, and the only thing that bothered me was that accident, or rather, murder. Theresa was murdered, and I had yet to tell anyone a thing. Adding paranoia to my already mountainous hodgepodge of issues didn¡¯t prove helpful.


    A murderer. Where do I even begin? Who do I tell? What do I do? These questions racked my brain constantly. The car that crashed was fortified with security features from UGO, hacking into its systems and achieving a manual override was something inconceivable to me, but not impossible. After all, I did it before, but that was because I already knew the thinking, practises and general layout of UGO¡¯s security systems.


    In the coming days, I let my mind become a slave of computer engineering, changing out parts, tweaking and enhancing the lifeless TS into a more vibrant, natural and seamless android. Within the course of a few days, it was animated perfectly. After honing its movement, my next focus was commands. I wired its CPU to the chip on my head, providing it several methods of communication in case one connection was broken. After a couple hours of re-writing the code, I unexpectedly came across a working one. I loaded the program and turned the TS on.


    ¡°TS, make me a cup of coffee, black,¡± I issued my first real order. It stood up, using an arm to help lift itself off the chair it laid on, quite humanlike movements. Knowing the layout of the UGO building, it walked to the staff kitchen and scanned the cupboard in seconds, locating the instant coffee. The whir of its gears was near silent as it grabbed a mug, making sure to grip the slippery ceramic with its silicone fingertips, turned it over and suddenly paused and warned, the following from its electronic voice, ¡°I do not know how to complete this process.¡±


    This was where the most revolutionary feature of the android came in, and the very reason we called it Trainable Servant, TS for short. ¡°Watch me,¡± I said, a simple command for its ¡®Watch & Learn¡¯ feature to kick in, which recorded the movements of any bipedal creature and replicated it with slight variations to compensate for a difference in things like hand size, cup size, grip strength, and speed, to name a few. I then brewed a cup and set it to the side, then gave the command to make the coffee again, and the TS did so perfectly.


    After achieving that, I decided to take a break and simply brainstorm some ideas for other projects. Maybe it was the achievements I made to the TS that exhausted me, but I actually felt sleepy for the first time in a long time and pounced on the opportunity, descending to the lounge at the bottom floor and securing myself a dark corner to curl myself into. I awoke around mid-day and walked out from behind the little space I hid myself. There were some workers in the lounge but no one from the team I worked with. Their questioning stares were understandable, but my mind didn¡¯t really process my environment yet.


    I ambled back upstairs to the labs and noticed mom staring intently at the TS. I forgot, to put it away. They didn¡¯t exactly know I was working on him, in fact, they didn¡¯t know I was in the building at all. My quiet gait behind them made sure my footsteps didn¡¯t distract them from staring. There were eleven of them, including mom.


    ¡°B-Ban?¡± I heard Anna¡¯s voice call. I looked up, moving my unkempt hair from my eyes.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I answered.


    ¡°What exactly are you doing here, young man?¡± Mom looked like she wanted to scold me to the ends of the earth. Without a word, I simply pointed to the unfinished hybrid of metal and wires I left on the seat. Judging from how unchanged the place was, it looked like they only just got to that lab in particular. She put two and two together, realising I didn¡¯t just arrive, but was here for a while.


    ¡°When did you get here? And what exactly did you do?¡± she interrogated. I was starting to get a little worried now, because she certainly looked like she¡¯d throw a fit in front of everyone.


    I could lie, but, I sighed mentally, nah. ¡°I got here last night. Buses are always running. I finished the movements for TS and I¡¯m currently setting up how it takes commands. The watch and learn feature works quite well, it has enough finesse in simple micro-movements to brew coffee after seeing someone do it. But I tested this in a brightly lit place and my speed when it recorded me to learn was slower than average. It still needs to be tested in the dark and with a brisk person. Physical variations to suit a particular situation seems to work fine. There¡¯s only one real issue we¡¯ve got to deal with now. Experience. We need a dedicated server for uploads and downloads of experience, this way, the minute a customer gets hold of a TS, it would be able to apply a broad range of functions at the drop of a hat.¡±


    I rambled on, way longer than I intended, and only realised how much I spoke after Anna rubbed my head, with a smile plastered over her face. That simple gesture pulled me back into reality for a moment. Was I that desperate for like-minded people to surround me? Had I been neglecting myself this badly? Was I so starved for attention? Was Theresa not enough all these years? Enjoying myself here felt like spitting on her grave. I took a step back, as if only coming to pay heed to their focused stares, boring through me so effervescently with eyes of stupor, wonder, and specks of admiration. All these years, I assumed contentment with just Theresa, I thought it for the best that I survive without the emotional support, to exterminate the notion altogether that mother would ever come remotely close to those traditional mothers I¡¯d seen in television shows or even in real life. Unbeknownst to me, there was a glimmer of hope still stubbornly enduring, prolonging its life against my wishes. But forgetting my mother wasn¡¯t really a wish, it was a compromise, it was something I had to settle for.


    How childish I was, to think for a second mother would have a similar look of awe upon her face like her team did. What am I doing here? I wondered, what do I want from this? My mind slipped deeper into itself, but something grabbed it, forced it to focus its attention and violently ripped it from its cavity of introspection.


    ¡°Good job.¡± Just two words. So simple. Yet, my reactions inside was an alien feeling of complex how¡¯s and what-ifs. The ever-tightening chest I suffered through felt like it unravelled, it felt huge, for the first time in my life there was room to breathe. A compliment that any other individual would just brush off, or not even take notice of, seemed to delete years of accumulated data, causing a system failure.


    Mom walked off to a computer, and a few of the coats tried asking me questions, but my mind was blank. Completely wiped. I needed a minute to recuperate.

 Level 03 – Trainable Killer

    The weeks incoming had been fruitful. I continued working after everyone left and eventually completed the TS halfway through summer vacation. For the last month until school reopened, the team of coats were given their personal TS to use at home so we could gather a better experience pool. Updates came through every day, but the one at my house learned the most from copying all the servants. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, gardening, changing light bulbs, even driving, the list went on. By the start of school, the TS was a well-rounded, functional product we were ready to market. The only thing left was different designs to suit the tastes of different individuals, but I left that up to them.


    For the first week of school, my tax collectors had some heart, and took only what they came for. The second week, when funds began running low, the beatings started. It pained more than usual somehow, perhaps the months of indulgence in UGO softened me to the harsh realities of my school life. My body was stained in bruises, those awfully familiar kicks and punches didn¡¯t absorb like I¡¯d hoped it would over the years of experience. Curling up on the ground also seemed to fail at numbing the pain. On the days that I suspected this to happen, long-sleeves or hoodies were my choice of attire to conceal the unwanted attention my discoloured skin sought. For the marks on my face however, well, the wretched looks of sympathy from passers-by couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    The third week was ushered in with the unforgiving resilience of time. Bright and early Monday morning, before classes even started, the PA system singed into my ears, summoning me to the staff room. That never happened before. The unpleasant mix of curiosity and nervousness brought forth a queasy feeling. There I saw something I¡¯d never imagine. Two of my bullies, one¡¯s arms folded and the other¡¯s hands buried in his hoodie¡¯s pocket, with a sickening grin about him. Andino, the man so fervent about solving my own problems that I had no zeal to solve myself, called me over to that wretched counselling room with a nudge of his head in the direction.


    My heart skyrocketed, yet felt like it dropped right out of my body. I wobbled over, mustering whatever strength I had. My legs felt heavy, immovable. The obstacle in front of me felt like a lion, and I was the rabbit who threatened it. I encroached them, looking to turn to the room, when a loud shattering of glass pilfered everyone¡¯s attention. There was someone out the window, hovering somehow. The burglar proofing was cleaved through in two precise strikes and the person jumped into the room, landing with a tactical roll.


    My eyes, adjusting to the once silhouetted character, made me gape in discombobulation as I realised who, or rather, what, it was. A TS! What is a TS doing here? And why, my mind searched its banks of information, does it, have a gun?!


    It grabbed the gun from its back, pointed it to the far left and splayed bullets from the automatic rifle across to its far right. They flew right over my head. Some people yelped in pain from picking up, some dropped like flies from being hit in the head. Andino pushed all three of us to the ground. My body was utterly frozen. My own damned android robot, murdering people left and right!


    It looked right at me, as if seeing through Andino¡¯s desk, and walked over, brutally shooting the two guys and Andino, then grabbed me up by my shirt. It placed the gun onto its back again and flew out with me, literally. I¡¯d recognise the sound of the small jet boosters under its feet anywhere. It was something I designed for UGO a while back, a complement to speed up drone delivery. We soared over the skies and I had no idea why, nor where it was taking me. To say I was panicking, passing mere inches away from the top of skyscrapers, was an understatement. Eventually, I passed out from the shock but was awakened again by the sounds of a construction site.


    ¡°Dammit! Put, me, down!¡± I yelled, and it suddenly stopped, then descended to a nearby park. It actually put me down, as if I commanded it. Of course! I remembered the heavy countermeasures I put in place for misused TS androids. My voice, any TS would recognise it as its absolute commander, I embedded voice recognition into every single piece of technology used in the TS, to ensure that if someone was smart enough to find a couple of them and rip them out, chances are, they¡¯d never find all. It was too bad I realised this all too late. The rogue TS flew off again.


    Where am I anyway? I asked, noticing the stares of nearby denizens. I should call Theresa and ask her to ta-¨CI paused, inhaled deeply, and gave myself a mental smack about the noggin. With a few taps on the screen, I dialled Anna¡¯s number after a few unanswered calls to my mother. Figures¡­


    ¡°Ban? What¡¯s up? You never call,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Listen,¡± I said in a little draggy voice, ¡°something, happened. Can you get mom on the phone?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. She¡¯s in a marketing meeting for the TS, she¡¯s finally pitching the idea!¡± Anna said in an excited voice. I groaned internally and told her I¡¯d call back, preferring to have some thoughts with myself about the incident.


    A TS, with a gun. The watch and learn feature would allow them to wield one perfectly. Now, who has access to a TS? I wondered. Only the team of coats under mom came to mind. They were the only people with a TS android. Now let¡¯s see, if the product launches, the survivors would be able to recognise the TS android immediately. The police would also have copies of the school¡¯s CCTV recordings. I knew lawsuits would be incoming, so launching now would only cripple UGO, the very opposite of what I wanted the TS image to become.


    I hailed a taxi and set my course to the headquarters. This shows the holes in my creation. I¡¯ll have to revisit it. The intricacies of technological security behind the TS certainly bothered me. How do I fix those flaws? I pondered, exiting the taxi a half hour later to enter UGO. Of course, revising the TS was of great importance, but the fact that I had two strange experiences within the span of a few months perturbed me to the point where I gave every one I passed by a second look. Someone else is good enough to bypass UGO security, and judging from the last attempt at whatever they want, I know that the culprit is most likely a coat.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Said coats waited in their labs for mom to return from the meeting room in anticipation of good news, which it was. The project was green-lighted by the executives judging from the ecstatic looks on their faces. I grabbed a nearby laptop and plugged my flash-drive into it, preparing my tools. If the authorities had those CCTV recordings, the situation could possibly rage out of hand, so the first thing I did was secure those recordings of the attack, but delete the school¡¯s own. The tapping of keys swept their focus to the source of the sound.


    ¡°Mom, I need to speak with you.¡± I said simply.


    With a stern adamantine glare, she questioned my being here, and not attending to my duties as a student. Once again, with a deeper, lower and more fatigued tone, I repeated my sentence. After a glare from her, we went up to her office on the top-floor, surrounded by glass. She sat at her desk with a straight face, or more importantly, like I was just another employee she was seeing.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to postpone the TS launch,¡± I said, immediately robbing her of her half-baked effort at attention, to me at least.


    She crossed her legs, leaned onto her palm and asked me, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Slowly, I took a deep breath and returned her stare. ¡°Mom, a TS just broke into school, murdered people and kidnapped me. Can you get me information on everyone who received a TS?¡±


    She glowered, her entangled fingers tightening their grip in clear annoyance. ¡°You dared to skip school to come here and say something so stupidly outrageous. If anything from your statement deviates from the truth even a little, you will be dealt with accordingly,¡± her booming, yet composed voice smashed into me.


    My lips parted from each other, my tongue arched, ready to roll words off, but they just wouldn¡¯t come out. My mind flailed about trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, or even how to interpret what was just said to me. Did she, or did she not believe me? The only trait sprouting from her was a cold, calculative and tenacious attitude, sprinkled with mild ire if a situation steered away from her liking. I couldn¡¯t recall her smiling, much less for laughing. An educated guess just couldn¡¯t be evoked in my mind, so I just asked instead of smiting my brain further. ¡°You, don¡¯t believe me?¡± I inquired, standing up.


    ¡°I am not inclined to,¡± she replied, apathetically. I took a couple steps backwards and eventually turned my back, covered my hands in the warmth of my jeans pockets and made my way to the elevator. With every word exchanged between us, I felt like I remembered clearer, the reason I wanted to give up on her. Incorrigible, she was. What would she have thought, said, or done if I told her the car crash wasn¡¯t an accident?


    Fine then, I¡¯ll just figure out what to do myself. I stepped out into the parking lot and my phone rang. Anna? I wondered what she called about before answering.


    ¡°Hey, buddy. Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. No. I, don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She giggled, ¡°What¡¯s with that answer? Tell you what, I was just about to leave for lunch, wanna grab a bite?¡±


    I smiled, for a few seconds in silence, but my wariness didn¡¯t accept her to truly be a good person. Especially knowing that the culprit behind my attempted murder and kidnapping was probably a coat. I couldn¡¯t just rule her out of the equation on the mere fact that she got along with me. My life was in danger, and this invitation meant to accept the risk by going somewhere alone with the potential criminal. But what did it matter? My life must¡¯ve been irrelevant anyway if my own mother couldn¡¯t heed the words of her son. I agreed, and we went to a pizza joint a couple blocks away.


    ¡°Well?¡± she spoke with her mouth partially full, ¡°You wanna tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t, but I will. Not sure about this but, I think someone wants me dead,¡± I told her, staring at the slice of pizza in my hand. She choked a bit, and washed down her pizza with some soda.


    ¡°Are you crazy? What makes you say that?¡± she asked, looking genuinely concerned. My next few words were chosen carefully, to attempt reading her body language as accurately as possible.


    ¡°The car accident, wasn¡¯t an accident. Someone controlled the car,¡± I explained, observing all the signals she sent in her gestures, ¡°and recently¡­¡± I sat back, slouching a little, ¡°Well, even more people are dead and I¡¯m at the centre of it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, what are you talking about? If something¡¯s happening, you should talk to the police. Would you like me to go with you?¡± she asked. With every passing minute of conversation, the odds that she was the culprit kept plummeting.


    ¡°We can¡¯t. It won¡¯t solve anything. The person behind all of this will be a ghost to them. What I need, is¡­¡± I stopped when I noticed her attention was caught up in a news report.


    ¡°Ban, isn¡¯t that, your school?!¡± she asked, her fingers flaccidly pointing to the television. The lids of my eyes brought themselves together as if to negate the realities being shown. I nodded my head at her.


    ¡°Anna, the reason I went to mom was because a TS was the culprit. I noticed its design the moment I saw it. If we launch the TS now, we¡¯ll get really hard backlash.¡±


    She went quiet for a while and looked at me, ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± she inched closer to me, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the person behind it is in UGO?¡±


    ¡°Think? No. I¡¯m sure of it. The TS had other technology developed for totally different projects attached to it, working in tandem with the rest of its build. The person definitely has physical access to not only UGO facilities, but the lab in particular where all the robotics work is done. Mom doesn¡¯t realise the mess we¡¯re in if we don¡¯t catch this person.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you intend to do?¡± She asked, her face fraught with worry. I, couldn¡¯t answer her question. What should I do? It felt like this matter was way above my head. All I wanted was to frolic in metal and wires. How did it come to this? Why would anyone want to kill me? I asked myself, but then realised who my mother was. There would be numerous answers to that question, so much so that focusing on it was counter-productive.


    I clenched my fist. If this can¡¯t go to the police, ¡°I¡¯ll just have to,¡± or mom doesn¡¯t believe me, ¡°protect myself.¡± Just thinking of being on my own, with the identity of that culprit masked in darkness sent shivers to my spine. I grew scared as I thought of the reality, of dying, not by my own whims but by the hand of another. How ironic¡­


    A strange sound emanated from outside. Anna dropped her pizza and looked on in stupor, her mouth gaping. I turned around and peered out the window. The assassin TS, with perfect aim, slipped bullets into everyone he could see around me. Without thinking, I covered Anna with my own body and hoped for the best. Glass and rounds sprinkled onto the ground, people screamed in anguish and horror as the metallic murderer waltzed inside the establishment and finished off any squirming victims anywhere close to me.

 Level 04 – Suffer

    What the hell¡¯s going on?! The words itching to escape my mouth were trapped by fear. The killer android tried aiming at Anna, but my body broke its line of sight. It kept the gun cocked. Anna¡¯s nails dug into my flesh. She was terrified and trembling, unable to process the situation. That little pain seemed to revive my nervous system and override the chains locking my brain in place. I kicked the table down as a barricade, ¡°TS, halt! Place your firearm on the ground and walk ten metres to your right!¡±


    I finally began standing up, but Anna¡¯s hand gripped onto me with titan strength, ¡°D-don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go there!¡± I looked back and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll both be fine. Trust me, okay?¡± I asked of her. I guess I wasn¡¯t too believable with wobbling knees, but I sucked it up and stepped out. The TS had done as I ordered.


    ¡°State your ID and owner,¡±


    ¡°My ID is TS7. My owner i¨C¡±


    Huh? It stopped, powering down. Whoever terminated it hit the kill-switch. I picked up some paper towels and hit the manual kill-switch myself, ensuring no hopes of it suddenly resurrecting. ¡°Anna, it¡¯s alright now,¡± I said to her when I sauntered back to our table. Her arms shot up from below and hugged me, a ridiculously tight hug. ¡°You idiot!¡± She said, her tears dripping onto my head.


    Within a few minutes, sirens were blaring and it had become a crime scene alarmingly quick. Anna and I were put through the barrage of questions, only to continue the questioning down at the police station.


    Mom only seemed to care after the fact, so a little of her worry leaked out from her usual persona just to make sure I was okay, then she was back to herself.


    The detectives working the case knew about the school attack. They knew I was kidnapped because whoever survived in the staff room must¡¯ve told them. I was under their radar the most, for good reason. All I said to them was that the robot attacked, carried me off, then attacked again, but suddenly shutdown. Thankfully, where it shutdown was in a blind spot from the cameras, so they believed me when I told them I only wanted to see it closer up.


    At times like these, I really wished Theresa was there. Two attacks in one day, I didn¡¯t know what to do, what to think, or who to turn to, but there was one thing I was sure of; I wouldn¡¯t be caught off-guard again.


    Later that day, I checked out the team of coats under mom¡¯s wing for the first time. What I saw had my mind split, at a crossroads with what my next step should be. Cennet. One simple name made me feel to hurl. Were my past demons finally coming to dismember me and sever their reins of hesitation? Is he really that boy¡¯s father? I wondered, pulling up whatever information I could on him.


    Life had funny ways of telling you it could¡¯ve destroyed you at any time it so pleased. Under my nose all this time, David Cennet lurked, the father of the very boy I murdered with my own hands.


    What a haunting revelation. I felt like I was hyperventilating with the ridiculous way my lungs expanded and contracted. Over and over, I kept looking at the article detailing the mysterious death of a boy behind a school, futilely hoping the names on the screen would magically change. A vengeful spirit was looming over me, dark and unchanging, malicious and frightening. Do I even have the right to fight back, or to even run away?


    The pouring rain outside set a sombre mood. I meandered upstairs, out the basement for some fresh air. The flashes of lightning outside would occasionally light the house a bright azure, and light my mind with flashbacks of my sin. Jonathon, his name was, just a regular kid, yet, still, I let the tip of the lead gash into his throat. If only I¡¯d just taken it, if only I didn¡¯t fight back, he¡¯d have still been alive. The nightmares, hallucinations, flashbacks, and insomnia wouldn¡¯t be so attached to my psyche. Blood stained my hands at only five years old, yet I walked around with not a crumb of suspicion directed to me, or so I thought. Did Jon¡¯s father know all along? Was he keeping an eye on me all this time?


    ¡°Dammit, Jared,¡± I cursed myself softly. How I wished it could¡¯ve been undone. It happened so fast, not even doubt had a chance of saving him. The only thing existing in my simple little mind was to swing at him with all the accumulated choler pouring out; I never once thought the pencil would strike his jugular.


    Entrapped in bitter memories, I couldn¡¯t even smell the stench of death behind me, a hot, pulsating pain tearing through my arm. My ear rang for a while, I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but that quickly changed when I saw the barrel of a pistol gawking at me. He placed his hand over my mouth the moment he realised I would scream out in pain from the gunshot wound, muffling what could double as cries for help. He pushed my head down onto the counter with gargantuan strength and shot a couple through me leg. My body wriggled in reflex, but the pain and weakness overshadowed the slight second-wind my adrenaline graced me with.


    ¡°If you scream,¡± his low rumbling voice was one I couldn¡¯t place, ¡°the next one won¡¯t be a flesh wound.¡± More bullets reigned, the torture so insufferable I couldn¡¯t keep track of how many times I was shot. Tears paraded down my face, snot, saliva, and blood crept down my mouth and throat.


    Shouldn¡¯t I? Shouldn¡¯t I scream? All those suicidal thoughts tempting me to end myself, wasn¡¯t this what I wanted? Death? Then why was I so scared? Why didn¡¯t I scream? Maybe I was too petrified to do so, but even if I wasn¡¯t, would I have opted for death? The scalding muzzle burned a ring on my cheek when he pressed it against me, ¡°Open wide,¡± he said. Trembling in fear, I opened it slowly. That horrifying sound mashed through my ears again, puncturing both cheeks. The gun receded. He emptied the magazine.


    He released his hold on me and simply walked off, his black coat swaying as he simply walked through the front door. I laid there, still somewhat stupefied, but too weak to do anything. He avoided fatal areas, it was simply to make me suffer, and so I did. The pain was unending, excruciating. I never felt so utterly helpless before. I guess escaping two attacks sucked all my luck dry for the day.


    After the attacker left, the servants ran to me, and in a few minutes, I could hear sirens. It was something I grew to hate. I submerged into the sea of unconsciousness many times, picking up a few words here and there. Doctors, I guess.


    Then I finally awoke. Like time played a trick on me and rewound itself, I found that similar greyish-white walls surrounded me. Bandages were everywhere. UGO Medical again? I wouldn¡¯t be here unless¡­ I felt for any piece of tech attached to me, but all my hands rested on were bandages.


    My vision was blurry, but I could make out the movements of someone sipping tea beside me. ¡°Murderer,¡± the voice whispered into my ear, despite the person¡¯s distance. I shook my head, my heart plummeting as I realised this person wore a lab coat. ¡°Criminal,¡± someone said in a grainy, strained voice, the voice of a child. To my left was Jonathon, with a broken pencil sticking out of his neck. He pulled it out, pointed it towards me and swung with all his might. My body jerked, and I jumped out of sleep in an erratic state.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The hell¡­ A dream. When I awoke, Anna was next to me. Pangs of agonising pain rummaged through my limbs and I lost focus on her worried eyes. ¡°What did mom say?¡± I asked, curious to know her take on recent events. She placed her palm atop mine, ¡°She¡¯ll be here soon enough, Ban. You can ask her yourself. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like shit.¡± I replied flatly, sitting up a little, ¡°Are there any changes to my body I should know about? Any, installations?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± she replied. I sat through the pain, thinking of what the point of attacking me was. It clearly wasn¡¯t to kill, so then why? Just thinking back to how helpless I was frustrated me to no end, siphoning a growing worry into my heart.


    Minutes later, mom rolled in with the team of coats, and in the midst of them was Cennet, David Cennet. Mayhap it was just my imagination, but he sported a faint devilish grin. I jumped back, and they all looked at me strangely. I was incredibly tense, expecting anything to happen. My eyes darted about the room, periodically stopping on the middle-aged man¡¯s half-rimmed spectacles and scouring his wrinkled face and scruffy stubble. They surrounded me, all of them somewhat relieved to see me. The stubborn muscles in my face refused to form the visage of a weak smile. My nerves denied any attempt of my mind to assuage those around me. There he was, hiding in plain sight and no one but me knew a thing.


    My horrid bed hair and aloof reactions to their questions and comments caused a titter from a few of them, lightening the taut mood I projected. The worm smiled and laughed along with them, blending in effortlessly. Screaming my lungs out and pointing a finger at him in my state wouldn¡¯t make the least of differences besides making me look deranged for accusing someone of attempted murder. How laughable that situation was¨CI couldn¡¯t wait to get away, to get home despite recent events.


    Police escort carried me back home after a couple days. The security to the estate was tightened tenfold, not even a fly could get past the gates, and even if it did, armed special forces littered the yard. I sat in the basement, looking at the wounds on my arms, remembering that horrific night. If I was afraid to die, I thought, remembering the dark hollow of the gun, then there¡¯s no way I can ever kill myself. I concluded and sat up, firing up my workbench again. This time, I didn¡¯t work to escape my troubles, but to face them.


    I trudged over the concrete floor into a dark corner of the basement and tugged off an old dusty white-turn-beige cloth from a project I casted aside. Just like my bullies, I was afraid of its power. Never once had I thought a reason to use it would present itself¨Cnor had I even fathomed the sheer fortitude to wield it was buried somewhere inside my pusillanimous disposition to every single threat ever presented, like lost treasure.


    For all intents and purposes, it was a sword meant for murder, but not remotely close to the traditional ones. This one, was sharp. In the handle was a special type of energy that could be focused in extremely accurate lines. UGO energy, I called it¨Cnot having the wits nor the desire to partake in originality. I held onto the silver twin-pylon sword I dubbed ¡®Z-21¡¯. The letter because the first cuts I made were reminiscent of such¨Cthe number because it was my twenty-first iteration that turned out to be the final product. The real meat of the blade was missing, allowing the energy to run between the sharpened two-feet edges and enveloping those edges with the azure energy it radiated, like a honed and controllable laser. This wrapping of energy around the two edges made it extremely sharp, so much so that cutting through bricks gave little to no friction. Cutting butter with a hot knife was still harder than slicing through steel beams with the Z-21. But, without the energy focused around it, it was just another harmless toy. I made sure the edges were visibly dull and the point was almost non-existent, forming a near flat top.


    Defence, however, was another story, not just a one-trick pony like my Z-21. I had homemade grenades, not the kind to kill, but the kind to stop. EMP grenades, sleep-powder grenades, and my personal favourite, hallucinogenic grenades, all self-explanatory. My last finished invention that would probably prove the most useful to me, was a shielder. A vambrace with a small protrusion of the flatter side of a spheroid. It used UGO energy like the Z-21, but formed a semi-spheroid of protective energy around the user when activated like an armadillo¡¯s shell.


    I made sure to wear shielders at all times and wherever possible, carry the Z-21. Later that night, I fell asleep, so unbelievably easy you¡¯d never think I was stricken with insomnia in my life. Morning came coupled with the incessant vibrations from my phone. Anna, I read to myself as the harsh light burnt my retinas without mercy. A second earlier and I¡¯d have gotten the call, but I was just too listless to evoke a quick response. The screen switched back to the lock-screen and my eyelids curled up, seventeen, missed calls? What could she have possibly wanted that badly? A hearty yawn escaped my dried lips and I called her back within seconds.


    ¡°Jared!¡± she screamed my name into the receiver. Jared? I wondered why the change of names after a quick retreat from the speaker. She¡¯d always call me Ban before.


    ¡°Anna? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I wheezed the words out, my voice engrained in grogginess.


    ¡°Jared!¡± she whispered, ¡°Your mom! HQ! The TS are¡­ I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°S-slow down,¡± I sat up, ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything you¡¯re saying.¡±


    She breathed, slowly, deeply and answered in one simple sentence. ¡°The TS we made, something went wrong and now they all have a lot of people hostage!¡±


    I paused, my mind crashing with her last word. Did she say ¡®hostage¡¯? Thinking about the incidents of recent, it wouldn¡¯t have been illogical to think some androids held people at UGO hostage. This, no matter how I looked at it, was a ploy to lure me out, but for what reason? To leave the security of my home? I doubted someone with the intelligence to manipulate my TS was someone who waned at the sight of security personnel. This was a call to me, but, one thing bothered me. By now, the perp would¡¯ve known my voice overrides any command given to the TS. He knows this will fail once I get there, so what is he really up to? It couldn¡¯t be to kill me, he¡¯s had multiple chances to do that.


    My brain rattled futilely about this matter for a couple minutes, but alas, the unease of sitting and doing nothing got the better of me.


    I slipped into jeans and a hoodie, then bolted downstairs to ask the security guys to drive me to UGO, but they readily declined, stating that they were ¡°specifically told not to let you leave.¡± There was no time to argue with them, so I stole a little idea from my enemy and installed the boosters beneath my personal TS¡¯ feet to kidnap myself. After five minutes, I got them working. After ten minutes, it learned to fly through somewhat limited trial-and-error runs inside the spacious mansion.


    I set the flightpath on the map and flew off, clinging onto the TS for dear life. With a less than stellar landing, I crept through the helipad entrance on the roof and made my way down the stairs to mom¡¯s office, preferring stealth than a risky run-and-gun tactic. The office was empty, so my next course was set for the lab. Taking care to remain undetected, I snuck through the halls and peeped around the corner and into the huge glass encasement that held the lab. Not only were there TS with guns pointed at dozens of employees, including the coats, but there were actual hired guns, and judging from their clothing, their training was nothing short of militant.


    The entrance was unguarded, horribly so. All their backs were turned to me, which I found hauntingly odd¨Ca trap, most certainly. What now? I leaned against the cold wall and severed my mind from rationality for a moment. Something stupid and flashy was just what I needed. I whipped my phone out and made my TS follow me, activated an EMP grenade and counted the timer. Three, two¡­


    I tossed it right at the centre of my enemies, disabling their TS androids and flying headfirst into the fray, my android clutching me to its side. They turned their attention to me in an instant, and the yellow sparks of death ablaze from their guns'' maws.

 Level 05 – A Simple Truth

    My blood was soaked in adrenaline, yelling at my muscles to put its guard up through a shielder. The bullets ricocheted off the cerulean field of energy and smashed against the walls, machinery and computer systems. We collided with a couple of the men and tumbled along with them, serving a conundrum to their allies on whether to shoot or not.


    I rolled out of the way as we came to a halt from our disastrous acrobatics to get behind my TS, then slipped off one of my shielders and flung it behind me at mom, ¡°Hold the button!¡± I yelled. Within seconds, my TS was embroidered with holes and I put my remaining shielder up before I too met a similar fate. Three, I counted the remaining men. Their fire ceased when they realised my shielder¡¯s energy field made their guns obsolete.


    What now? I thought, my heart growing weaker with every passing second. The longer I took to deploy some sort of action, the calmer they would become¨Cthat¡¯d be a dangerous scenario. My serpentine arm snaked into the side of my backpack and I activated a sleep grenade, then another three seconds later. The slow, suspicious movements I made had them on edge, but ultimately, I had the upper-hand since they could only react, not predict. I threw the first grenade and only deactivated the shielder for a split second. It exploded, spraying upwards at them and forcing them to decamp their immediate area to seek the safe solitude in a farther corner of the lab. The minute my eyes took notice of where they sought to go, I threw the other grenade there, somewhat cornering them. They were shocked, and a little confused by what exactly the grenade was supposed to do and that panic of theirs gave me just enough time to aim the Z-21. It was capable of shooting a bolt of energy, almost like a railgun shooting forth a laser. Certainly, a well-aimed shot would kill anything it came into contact with. I had it cocked and ready to fire at the closest man, but I just couldn¡¯t do it. How could I? Repeating such a foolish mistake was not an option, despite wanting to protect the hostages¨Cthe greater good of the situation. In fact, just being in the mess meant I was arrogantly overstepping my boundaries.


    But was this really the time to quiver in my pants? Failing here wouldn¡¯t just mean the possible death of those behind me, but the death of me, which I detested so, when the barrel of that gun simpered at me. I knew this, and as these thoughts burdened my mind, the aerosol-like white of the sleep grenade began fading, giving them ample vision of me. Their silhouettes were easy to make out because of the outside light, so I had a clear shot. I aimed the sword at one and charged the UGO energy shot for a measly couple of seconds before an ear-rattling gunshot sounded from outside. One of the men fell forward. Two more shots were heard, and subsequently, the other two hired guns fell to their impending deaths.


    Cennet strolled in, calm as ever, with a silver pistol swinging in his hand, ¡°What a useless bunch,¡± he commented, dragging something behind him, something heavy. I rose from my crouched position to see over the desk that blocked my line of sight. ¡°How long has it been?¡± his pistol-wielding hand forsook its job and rested the weapon on a nearby table, ¡°Seven? Eight years? You¡¯re thirteen, right?¡± he asked, releasing the grip on Anna¡¯s hair¨Cher head thud on the ground. She was passed out, and he had her hostage.


    He was way too close to both Anna and that gun for comfort. Moving suddenly could be the death of her. How erratic he must¡¯ve been to go through with all of this, yet contrary to that, the sheer amount of planning and calculation needed paid heed to how calm his state of mind was.


    ¡°Jon would¡¯ve been thirteen too,¡± he said, throwing his lab coat to the side, picking up his gun and casually sitting atop the table next to him, legs crossed. That name, my heart dropped. I knew it would¡¯ve probably been about Jonathon, but to hear those words escape his mouth in reality shook me in a way I couldn¡¯t handle. This very situation were my demons coming back to set things straight, in their own malefic way. To think he¡¯d just blurt out nonchalantly, something I¡¯d buried deep inside for so many years was, crippling. It felt like dark hands wrapping around my heart, not to kill, but to maim. ¡°So, how did it feel?¡± he asked me, motioning me to sit on a chair a bit at my right¨Cnot exactly the best position to mount into action. I backed up, slowly, giving a man with a hostage the respect he deserved.


    ¡°Come now, don¡¯t stay silent. I¡¯m being open here,¡± he urged me, with his usual pleasant smile. I knew exactly what he was asking me, but what in blazes had he expected of me? What was I supposed to say? It felt good? It felt bad? No description here would soothe his heart and give me the chance to escape a situation like this. Talking about how it felt to kill someone with their father was madness incarnate and would only feel like salt in the wound. The atmosphere was biting, the stares of those behind me shot arrows through me.


    Without even looking, he pointed his gun at Anna and pulled the trigger, jumping everyone. Whether he missed on purpose, or for the dramatic effect of being totally random, I didn¡¯t know, but it worked. ¡°Wait! Wait,¡± I put my palm up, pleading, ¡°don¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me how it felt, Jared,¡± he repeated, his calmness escalating the totally opposite effect in me. What an unreasonable question!


    ¡°I-it was¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, boy,¡± the metallic gun pointed at Anna again. I curled my fists and gritted my teeth, knowing my back was against the wall here. He wanted me to admit in front of everyone what I¡¯d done. He stood up and pulled the hammer back, ¡°Answer me!¡± he shouted, incredibly loud.


    My pores raised, my heart exploded with each beat, a wave of unexpected choler washed over, ¡°It felt good! It felt great goddammit! Jon wasn¡¯t exactly innocent either!¡±


    He smiled, gently put the hammer back into place and sat down again, ¡°I know. I spoiled him rotten and didn¡¯t have the time to correct his ways. He was no saint. But I still loved him. Does that sound familiar? She shows no love, no smiles, no care. She ignores you. But she still loves you.¡±


    What is he talki¨C


    ¡°I believe in balance, Jared.¡± His eyes, those dead orbs that seemed to only live for living¡¯s sake peered right at mom, then back to me, ¡°How do you think it would feel for her if you died right here?¡±


    Just as my mouth was about to open, mom beat me to it, ¡°Jared, what is this about? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Cennet didn¡¯t take his glaring eyes off of me, only shifted his head to mom and back, gesturing me to answer her. At this point, there was no running, no escape. Chagrin engrained into me, digging my nails into the chair arm. Relax, I told myself, just, say it.


    ¡°I-I killed his son.¡±


    Her lips quivered, she wanted to say something but the words drowned themselves in befuddlement. For someone so unnervingly apathetic, her eyes¡¯ reaction was one of severe affliction. Surely, she didn¡¯t expect me to be a murderer. No one expected that. Yet, after overlooking me for so many years, how dare she even act surprised?


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± I muttered, ¡°You, don¡¯t have the right. Don¡¯t pretend you care now,¡± I warned her for I was unsure of what impetuous action might spring forth from my body if she poured herself into this situation.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t pretend I care?! I¡¯m your mother!¡± she yelled angrily across the room. My nerves screamed at me with their everything, to the point where my legs vaulted up. I stood up and faced her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother! You never were! Theresa was! And you let her die because you didn¡¯t treat her at UGO! You think I don¡¯t know you didn¡¯t want to cover her costs?!¡± I screamed back, the well of shame and rage spilling over in my eyes, ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than a stranger with a title!¡± I didn¡¯t know where these words for coming from, and even if I did, I doubt I¡¯d have been able to recognise the festering mess that was the origin of my bittersweet resentment for her. The five-year-old me who hoped and begged for his mother¡¯s love and affection after he¡¯d murdered someone without a second thought was slipping farther and deeper into an inescapable oblivion.


    So blinded I was by this built-up wrath, the rise of the rogue androids flew right over my head.


    ¡°Well, my job is done, for now. Diana Ugo. Jared ¡®Ban¡¯ Ugo. It¡¯s been a pleasure, really. Until next time,¡± he waved his hand and left through the helipad a couple floors up. Even if I wanted to give chase, there was no way I could after that maelstrom of dismal truths emptied itself out into the open so brazenly.


    Even with all the hardship I knew awaited me in the near future, one thing still bugged me. Who killed Theresa? That¡¯s all I cared about, yet, asking the question completely slipped my mind. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I needed to ask who did, but there was some much-needed closure that slipped right through my fingers. How insufferable.


    What now? I looked at the dead mercenaries and the shaken hostages near mom. Police, I guess. No, wait, the details are still blurry. I was only five. It didn¡¯t take long for me to realise that I could never be prosecuted like an adult¨Cor prosecuted at all for that matter. At the time of my sin, I was just about to leave kindergarten. Young, brash, impetuous and ignorant. I didn¡¯t know any better. They won¡¯t do me a thing. Even though I realised this, regret¡¯s claws had long since sunken into my flesh, like a garrotte. Thinking about it objectively, I knew I suffered a lot for it. I knew it wasn¡¯t totally my fault, but it felt that way and I couldn¡¯t just shake that feeling. Why the hell did I do that? A pencil to the neck would kill anyone. Even at five, I knew that much! Then, why? Why, Jared? Was I really afraid of being caught? Or afraid of seeing myself with blood on my hands again? I often thought of the me that killed Jonathan Cennet as a totally different person as a way to distance myself from the truth-¨Cfrom me. The maiming recollection of that loathsome smile I donned after sticking him with the pencil, after seeing him choke and grip onto my arm in total shock actually made me happy. I felt free of his curse, but not so much the next day. Relief turned into remorse in the blink of an eye. ¡°He deserved it. He deserved what he got.¡± I kept thinking to myself for weeks¨Cmonths after the boy died. Eventually I couldn¡¯t persuade myself that my action was justified, and my heart crawled in fruitless search for the attention of my mother. Mother. What a sacred thing a mother is. I wanted, so badly, so horribly and desperately to confide in her, to spill everything. To tell, the truth. But I knew she wouldn¡¯t care, because she never did. What kind of single-mother only sees her only child a few times a year? Mine. My mother, one who would sacrifice her life for the corporate UGO, but never her son. Now, with some kid¡¯s death she didn¡¯t even know, she suddenly cared? Bullshit!


    The murmurs kept getting louder as Cennet left and the workers eventually began getting up, out of the corner. Gently, I slapped Anna to wake her, and made sure she was alright. After that, I walked over to my still stunned mother and took my shielder from her. Then I left, without another word. The sun was scalding that day, scraping the skin off me as I sat mindlessly in the park. There were no thoughts, only white noise. There were no feelings, just existence. There was no past or future, just the present. A present of nothingness. Expectantly, it didn¡¯t take long before I was found. Just a normal police officer, probably still a newbie, approached me with one palm facing me, in attempts to calm-. But, the other hand rested firmly on his firearm. He said he was just here to help, that I could believe in him. What a joke, I thought, noticing the arrival of tactical police not long after the officer¡¯s slow and steady approach. What exactly was the description they used for me that earned the attention of these riot officers had me intrigued for a couple seconds.


    Slowly, I dropped to my knees from the bench, then laid flat on the ground, placing my arms behind my back without them saying a word. The sub-machine guns they had pointed at me painted a clear picture in my head that this was an apprehension and not a rescue. Z-21 and my shielders, along with my pouch of grenades were confiscated. They handcuffed me, placed me in the rookie¡¯s vehicle and escorted me to the station. The questioning went on for about an hour, with different interrogators taking the chance, but my lips refused to cooperate with them. I was burnt-out. Never would I imagine I¡¯d survive a car crash, two android attacks, and a hitman that was only out to make me suffer. And now there was this situation, a brash decision to attempt a hostage rescue, which somehow worked out, for both me and Cennet. His plan was to get me to admit my wrongdoing in the first place. It was something I should¡¯ve seen coming. It was something more agonising than everything I managed to pull through before; something I didn¡¯t want to relive.


    Not long after, they released me and returned the Z-21 and my shielder, since they couldn¡¯t understand what they were in the first place. The grenades however, was another story, but mom seemed to take care of them. Money talks, after all. The grenades were returned a while after.


    Mom and I were escorted home, and security was ramped up to near military standards. She apologised incessantly, and emphasised vividly, that she would act the way I wanted her to, all these years. She took leave from work even, just to prove this. I didn¡¯t know why she did those things. Could it be because the shrink she had me see recommended a lax suicide watch for me? Or could it be she actually wanted to change, and that unattainable love was actually in reach? Even if I wrung my heart out, trying to find some kind of reprieve in my heart, it wasn¡¯t there. The forgiveness and acceptance she sought from me just was not there; it couldn¡¯t even be faked. I was becoming a husk, a hollow cask of null and void. After confirming my will to live, it felt like there was nothing to care for anymore, a devastating combo of purposeless living.


    The psychiatrist visits were futile. Her constant love and care, or perhaps her acting, didn¡¯t help. The talk of new projects and new technology was a squandered effort to relight the fire of creation I usually exhibited. The coats tried too, especially Anna, despite my unresponsiveness to every failure of stimuli they tried tempting me with.


    I woke up, did the required things like eat and shower. Most of my days in the coming weeks were just staring out my bedroom window, looking for something; mayhap, not looking at all. Early at night, I would go to bed, as I was not stricken by insomnia as heavily. This cycle repeated over and over, until mom could no longer stand it. I knew it brought tears to her eyes, but I couldn¡¯t react to them. It¡¯s like I was dead inside, or a part of my brain responsible for the interpersonal and intrapersonal facets of my life had gotten swept away by Styx.


    She took me out for a drive, a stupidly long one at that, consuming near half the day. We arrived at a rural town, worlds away from the estate as it was getting dark. She held my hand and brought me to a house, its aquamarine door standing out from the rest of houses. With a hesitant look in her eyes, she knocked a few times, her grip slightly tightening with each passing second, with each footstep the person on the other side of the door made. His white t-shirt was black with engine grease. His hair was low and his frame short and stocky, yet somehow compact.


    ¡°Diana,¡± he said, his tone quoting a contemptuous line from whatever old hatred he seemed to have. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked, wiping the dirt off his hand with a towel and tossing it inside somewhere.


    Mom let my hand go and moved behind me to rest her palms on narrow shoulders, ¡°Help,¡± she said, a faint whimper of desperation in her voice. At that point, I knew he looked at me, almost like he wanted to pierce through my skull with his eyes, but my head almost always hung low, so he hunched over a bit to get a better look at me.


    His eyelids shot open, ¡°Is, this¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought money could fix everything. I thought it was all we would ever need, so I-I,¡± she paused, ¡°was wrong.¡± Her sentence seemed to switch ending. ¡°I messed up, really bad. You were right. I know all the begging in the world won¡¯t change your view on me, but at least, find it in your heart, please¡­ to love him like you always wanted to.¡± There she went again, seeming to change what she was originally going to say.


    ¡°After all those years, you suddenly decide I¡¯m good enough?¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m desperate! You don¡¯t have to forgive me, but please, don¡¯t hate your son for the choices I made!¡±


    He exhaled wearily, ¡°How could I?¡±

 Level 06 – Father

    Disgraceful. Passed around from person to person in hopes that I could be fixed. Was I some pile of scrap metal? At the time, I might¡¯ve been. The whirling pains, revelations and genesis of everything that¡¯s happened kept my mind incredibly busy during the years, until it could no longer withstand the constant self-criticism. I came to a screeching halt in my thinking, as if abandoning the very concept of thought itself. In this state, there were no ifs and maybes, no right or wrong, no black and white¨Cjust, existence. Crossroads laid before me, imploring me to make a decision.


    Mom had passed the baton onto dad and distanced herself, albeit, she wasn¡¯t very far away. How strange the coming days were. A man whose eyes I¡¯d never seen, whose existence I questioned very early in my childhood. A ghost. She must¡¯ve exhausted all her options to resort to including someone I hadn¡¯t heard even a whisper about before into my life.


    A handyman by the looks of it, simplistic in every sense of the word, a stark contrast to mom. Painter, plumber, electrician, mechanic. Because of his helpful nature, he was well known and received in the neighbourhood. You name it, he did it. I didn¡¯t know this man, but still, even in my aloof state of mind these past days, I understood that my mere presence was a danger to those around me. For him to become entrapped in this dangerous game Cennet played was something that scared me; it would mean gravitating towards a choice I wasn¡¯t able to make yet. My dilemma wasn¡¯t a very complex one. I had two choices in the matter, two choices I posed to myself in order to move forward with my life.


    The first was to resume my life in the pretence that I did not kill Jonathan Cennet. It was a life where I wouldn¡¯t be afraid to fight for the things I wanted, one I contrarily wouldn¡¯t be afraid of losing those things either. Mom was one of those things. Do I become strong? Do I forsake the notion in my head that fighting for my desires would revert me back to that sadistic smiling Jared that bloodied his hands? Was I willing to become him again so that I might get what I want?


    The second was a game of fleeing. To stick my head in the sands and assume any of the attacks didn¡¯t really exist. To distance myself from everyone, everything, to blind myself to the harshness of life and live in the bliss of ignorance. To forgo the ever-growing worm that wanted vengeance for Theresa. To forgive and forget all the bad that¡¯s ever pounced into my life and gnawed on my bones. I could transfer schools, live far away, start a new life. Mom had the money to do it, and recently, certainly had the willingness to accept whatever I might¡¯ve asked¨Cif I said anything at all.


    Those were the paths I saw paved before me, and the latter certainly seemed better. It was easier to just disappear. The days skipped on by, and my mind went from an empty wasteland to those two paths. The only difference between them was, one path was thorny with hardships and challenges, but it led to an oasis. The other path was an oasis, comfortable and safe, but it led to a fen of thorns and brambles. Thinking like this, the answer was terribly obvious, but I was terrified. Because to me, the answer wasn¡¯t obvious. I couldn¡¯t choose, and both paths were locked in a stalemate, vying for my attention. If I ran, the regrets of my guilty conscience would latch on and torment me all my life. If I fought, it meant running the risk of adding even more to my conscience¡¯s repertoire.


    The pangs of thought, naturally, incurred the will to rid myself of the ones that were troubling. For the first time since I came to this man¡¯s house, I ventured into the storehouse where he kept his clients¡¯ goods. Mostly appliances that people wanted him to take a look at. Attached to a washing machine, was a little note with ¡®Annie¡¯, written on it. In the wee hours of the morning, I pulled out dad¡¯s toolbox and got to work on the prehistoric machinery, probably older than me. In a few minutes, my cell rang. I stared absentmindedly at the number I never saw before, then reluctantly answered, without actually speaking.


    ¡°Jared? You okay?¡± dad asked, his talkative personality embedded his voice deeply to the point where it was hard to miss. ¡°Where are you?¡± he asked. In my mind, I wondered why he would call at this absurd time. How did he know I wasn¡¯t in the room? Was he watching me while I slept? ¡°I was about to wake you up for breakfast, but you were gone,¡± he said to me, making me glance to the small ventilation blocks above. Morning light pierced through them. Had all that time really passed by?


    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± I muttered, then hung up and went back to the house to eat. Perhaps my tinkering time pulled me out of my rut a little. I¡¯d decided to finally answer the few texts mom sent, and eventually tackle the mountains of text I stockpiled from Anna.


    On days where there wasn¡¯t much work he had to do, dad would bring me with him, despite my silence. Mom must¡¯ve given me to him on certain conditions, one being that he never told anyone our true relation. Dad never introduced me as his son to anyone in the community, albeit I met near all of them. He took on some compromises, even though I knew it burned him every time he said I was the ¡°son of a friend who¡¯s visiting¡± to them. The look in his eyes killed him inside. But every time I saw that he was hurting, I always asked myself, how? He¡¯d only known me for a few weeks now, and not much of me that is. Why did he take it to heart so much? Why did he try so hard to bond with me if I just sat there staring blankly into my own convoluted mind-maze?


    Just who was I, anyway? Who was Jared Ugo? These were the questions to the answers I sought after I realised day-in, day-out, dad tried to get me to open up to him. What was it about me that made him want to do that? There was no way mom could¡¯ve had that much sway over him. The mere look of disgust in his eyes when he saw her told me enough. Was he trying so hard for my sake, or his? Either way, was I really that interesting a person to exert that mountainous amount of effort on? Was I worth their time?


    Six weeks passed, and these questions revisited me on a daily basis, pushing the choice of which crossroad I should walk to the backburner. It agitated me, greatly, until I could find no better alternative of finding out than asking the man himself. Between breakfast, I posed the question. ¡°Why do you try so hard? With me.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    His jaw paused and his eyes locked-on to mine. His fingers curled in, making a fist and he released a drawn-out sigh. ¡°Why else?¡± the edges of his lips curled up a little, ¡°You¡¯re my son.¡±


    What a half-assed answer. I thought to myself, but it would appear he read my expression with pinpoint accuracy. He placed his fork down, ¡°Not satisfied, eh? W-well, I¡¯m not really good at these talks, and it¡¯s really hard to say these things for me. I never really had the chance to before, you know? I guess what I¡¯m saying is,¡± he reached over to me, ¡°I love you. Doesn¡¯t matter how far we¡¯ve been, how long we been away from each other. I¡¯ll do anything for you, at any time, any place, so long as I breathe,¡± he patted my head and made my already bad bedhead even worse.


    ¡°You say those things, yet you were nowhere to be found at any time in my life. Why is that?¡±


    He smiled, a wretched one that felt like I threw salt in his wounds. ¡°I, tried. So many times, I tried. You were still a baby and she holed you up in that damn palace,¡± he emphasised. It was the first time I heard any trace of anger in his tone. ¡°The security turned me away every time, every time! She wouldn¡¯t take my calls. The maids and butlers would say she¡¯s busy. I got my lawyer and involved the courts. Didn¡¯t take long before I lost. Winning custody isn¡¯t really easy for men, especially if the mother¡¯s rich. But to be honest, all I wanted was to pass by from time to time,¡± his eyes watered, ¡°and check up on you. That¡¯s all, but I couldn¡¯t even do that. I was denied all rights as a father. I got desperate, and got violent with the estate security and forced my way into the house one day. Of all the days that she had you cooped up inside, it wasn¡¯t that day. Cameras caught me, court got involved. That was all she needed to have me legally restricted from you. It¡¯s hard to win in the court of law. It¡¯s a money game. Diana won hands down. Well, I knew that would happen.¡±


    In the back of my mind, I hoped that story was a lie. Who would deny someone something so simple? She denied me someone who would¡¯ve seen me through my guilt without hesitance. My life might¡¯ve been chockfull of happiness instead of self-depreciating hatred for so many years. ¡°If you knew it would turn out that way, why did you bother trying?¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡± he shrugged, ¡°The harder path is almost always the better one. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always get stronger.¡±


    ¡°¨Calways get stronger, huh?¡± I thought on his words. I guess the answer was there, under my nose the whole time. Seeing this man try so hard after getting beat down every time, the images of a crossroad wasn¡¯t there anymore. There was but one road available to walk.


    After breakfast, I returned to the storehouse and continued fixing regular old appliances, until I eventually ran out of things to bury my mind into. ¡°You, did all this?¡± dad asked, creeping in from behind when he returned home from his jobs. His hairy arm passed over me, ruffling my hair with his elbow, ¡°No way! You genius!¡± he joked, earning a little titter from me as I fought him off. That¡¯s how it went for the days to come, he did outside jobs and I took care of any electrical issue. His work days became much shorter and his free time increased, which he used to inveigle me to see a movie, learn to skate at the local rink or just hang out. It was a weird feeling that I didn¡¯t know how to handle, but I ran with it anyway. Compared to my state before, I was a lot happier now.


    Getting into this new groove finally made my creative juices run again. I missed my little lab in the basement, yet it felt a little painful to leave the minute my spirits lifted, but I had to, else my brain would go crazy if I didn¡¯t give my fingers the experimental flow they were used to. ¡°Charlie,¡± I said, grabbing his attention the minute we pulled up in the driveway for the evening, ¡°I need to¨C¡±


    ¡°Return home?¡± he finished my sentence in a question. ¡°Yeah, I sensed it coming the past couple days.¡± He got out of the pickup, as did I. He didn¡¯t seem perturbed by it at all.


    ¡°I, guess you knew. But it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t visit again, now that I know you exist,¡± I chortled, ¡°there are just some inventions waiting to be made and my hands are getting restless.¡±


    ¡°I know you are. That, can¡¯t be helped, huh?¡± he smiled.


    The morning after, a car was waiting outside the house. How weird. If I wanted something in this little town, I¡¯d have to get up and get it myself. There was a sense of independence that covertly invaded my habits when I was with dad. With mom, however, everything was handed on a silver platter.


    Mom stood outside the car, waiting for me, and dad stood at the entrance of his house, with me. He looked right at her, but spoke to me, ¡°I know my lifestyle was pretty simple and boring compared to your usual life but, I¡¯m still really glad I met you, Jared.¡±


    ¡°Gah, stop it. I¡¯m not good with this stuff. Can¡¯t we just shake hands?¡±


    He tilted his head with a sly grin plastered on his face, ¡°Nah,¡± and brought me in for a hug before I could do anything, ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, kiddo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too,¡± I paused, an awkwardly long one, ¡°dad,¡± I finished, finding it hard to call him that after a measly three months. But, it felt like a hurdle I had to cross at some point, and this was a good time to do that.


    We said our goodbyes and I walked over. Mom opened the door for me, a big smile and big sunglasses to ward off the sun, and perhaps anyone trying to read the message her eyes might have told. We took off in silence, until she suddenly turned to face me, ¡°You two seem to get along,¡± she commented. I could tell right away she wanted to snoop around the conversation for information on how my stay went¨Cparticularly the details of her that dad and I might¡¯ve talked about, probably.


    ¡°Yeah, we do. Hey, mom,¡± I turned to her, in the exact manner she faced me in, ¡°do you love me?¡± I posed the question. Maybe I became a lot bolder since living with dad. Maybe I wanted to topple her mind off her objective.


    ¡°W-wh-what are you talking about?¡± She stuttered, ¡°Of course I love you.¡±


    ¡°Then, I have three favours to ask,¡± I said, then handed her a list of things I needed for my newest project, ¡°first, these things.¡±


    ¡°Ten construction boots¡­¡± she read to herself with a furrowed brow, showing some bewilderment as she continued down the list.


    ¡°Okay, not a problem. What are the other two favours?¡±


    ¡°A lab. I want a fully-packed lab with all the high-tech tools I might need, like in UGO. The basement isn¡¯t enough anymore.¡±


    ¡°Jared, honey, are you hearing yourself? Do you have any idea how much that would cost?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. Less than ten percent of the profits UGO made with Ban¡¯s inventions. Even less if you renovate the abandoned lab near the pier. Besides, I have a lot of things I consider junk that you could market and sell, things that would make your previous earnings look like child¡¯s play.¡±


    She crossed her legs and rested her cheek on her fist, audibly exhaling with a grimace-turned-smirk, ¡°Did he put you up to this?¡± she questioned.


    I laughed, its abruptness startling her a little. ¡°Would that change your answer?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shrugged, ¡°just curious.¡±


    ¡°Well, no, he didn¡¯t. I always wanted a better workspace but it wasn¡¯t exactly easy to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright then. Ban did help us a lot, so sure, I can invest in the lab. What¡¯s the last favour?¡±


    ¡°Anna. I want Anna.¡±

 Level 07 – The Ball’s Rolling

    Images of my goal weren¡¯t entirely fleshed-out, but I could say with unyielding certainty that my workspace would never collect dust. Mom knew this and shrugged at my requests, ¡°You realise Anna is a living, breathing human and not a hunk of metal, right?¡± she asked a question she assumed would bring my thoughts back down to ground level. But I stood fast, adamant. ¡°For one thing, Anna is a genius on the team. What she lacks in experience, she makes up for in creativity.¡±


    ¡°That just makes me want her more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Jared,¡± she sighed, ¡°the point is convincing the board to let her work with you, a child. They don¡¯t know you¡¯re Ban, remember? The only way they¡¯d even consider losing such an asset is for me to tell them who you are, and expose your hacking.¡±


    ¡°None of that matters anymore,¡± her pessimism was casted away, ¡°tell them everything. If it doesn¡¯t work in my favour, then I¡¯ll just work alone. Just tell me when the meeting will happen.¡±


    She nodded, unable to find any more to say. Despite being silent, her eyes held a piteous tone to them, making me wonder just why I¡¯d need sympathy.


    The coming months would be fraught with work. There were three major projects¨Call of which were somewhat interlaced¨Cthat had my attention. The first was an upgraded, and better-rounded version of the TS controller chip that could be stuck to your head. I dropped the battle for size and instead made a headband out of it, though it was thin. This strip of flexible circuitry, chips and sensors acted as the crown to the other two projects.


    The headgear had two main purposes, the first being medical. Like the TS chip, this one scanned the body much better, and could pinpoint irregularities in the body that the brain picked up on. In hospitals, this would be indispensable. The other purpose, was its ability to control the TS. This function was mostly already developed, all that I needed to design were prosthetics that tied in with it. The headgear and limbs were to appease the bigwigs at UGO.


    The third project, however, was for myself. The construction boots on my list was only the start of it. I sliced along the thick sole and inserted an anti-gravitational plate that was connected to a proximity sensor. Turning the switch on pelted the boot into the air and smashed a light bulb¨Cjust another day. I had to adjust the initial power that caused the lift-off, and tweak the sensor to read about one foot off ground. After concluding the exact areas that made a difference, all that was left was a simple but tedious process of trial and error. Getting the plate to levitate on its own was easy. Levitating whilst in the boots was thrown off because the boots¡¯ weight wasn¡¯t centred. Getting it to maintain levitation with my weight was a whole other story. All in all, those ten boots were destroyed in about a week. Only on my twenty-first pair of boots did I achieve levitating perfection. Twenty-one must¡¯ve been my lucky number, considering the Z-21 and all.


    Despite how busy mom was with the renovation I wanted, and with her own work, she still found time to visit me every day. No doubt, I was warming up to her, though my mind still kept its distance in case she chose to betray the predictions of the heart.


    With my behavioural improvements of late, servitude of the school system returned and those prolonged hours in study started again. Admittedly, it was a cosy feeling. Like my life was piecing itself together again, like my comfort zone expanded a little. Maybe the main bullies who died in the first android attack made me unconsciously relaxed. Not having them around didn¡¯t force my mind to stay on edge and look over my shoulder or my feet to tread lightly around corners. For some days I went to school, returned home and continued work on Grav. That was what I¡¯d decided to name the anti-gravitational boots, its name being pretty simple to figure out. Before the hour reached ten, I¡¯d review both schoolwork and features on Grav. After that I¡¯d exercise for a bit. My time with dad made me realise how horribly unfit I was. Painting wasn¡¯t easy. After that sweat, I¡¯d wash up and head to bed.


    That horribly linear cycle continued for a couple months, until mom notified me about the meeting. Of course, no one had told Anna about my wishes yet, so there was no guarantee she¡¯d agree to break her routine and work with me even after the board deemed it fine. Still, it was what I wanted. I¡¯d have rather not bother her, or anyone in UGO for that matter, especially after Cennet and I had that theatrical show in the lab.


    On the day of the meeting, I snuck out of school at lunch and went to UGO headquarters. The minute mom told me of the meeting, I stashed a bag with the headgear and prosthetics inside the building.


    I got to the floor and looked at mom through the huge glass panels. The twelve other executives made a semi-circle, encasing her as she spoke to them near the whiteboard. She spotted me outside and she ceased talking, earning the weird stares from her audience. I could see a very faint simper adorn her mouth. She excused herself and met me outside.


    ¡°Jared. The fact you¡¯re here means you have something planned, I take it?¡±


    ¡°I guess, but it¡¯s not failproof. How much have you told them?¡±


    ¡°You came at the right part,¡± she said, holding my hand and bringing me inside. Middle-aged to senior was within the only age group I could see. Though, I was surprised, since I¡¯d done my research on all of them prior.


    ¡°Pardon the interruption. As I was saying before, UGO has experienced a huge boon in sales over the past five or so years. Most of these profits originated from achievements in my team, the engineering department. Regrettably,¡± she paused, and sighed a little, ¡°that is false information. I¡¯ve kept the truth from you over the course of those years.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Murmurs cropped up, of course. One of them, a man with his hands in a lot of businesses, took a look at me, ¡°And your son is here because?¡±


    Mom placed her palm on my shoulder, ¡°Since we¡¯re short on time I¡¯ll just summarise my part. There¡¯s been rumours for those five years, about a hacker that primarily targeted UGO, one we couldn¡¯t track down. That hacker has been known as Ban. And, that hacker is my son, Jared Ugo. The majority of devices and technology we¡¯ve developed those five years weren¡¯t our own, they were his. He caused those sales.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! What drivel are you speaking? How can a chil¨C¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Richard,¡± I stepped forth a bit, ¡°whether or not you believe I¡¯m Ban is irrelevant. The reason this meeting is taking place is because I asked for it, to ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to allow the transfer of Anna Stone to my personal lab, a subsidiary of sorts.¡± I was calm, unbelievably so. Perhaps my study on them made me feel like they weren¡¯t strangers, but close friends.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I feel like we¡¯re missing something here,¡± a woman folded her arms, ¡°why were you involved in those incidents earlier this year? We¡¯d like to hear everything, from the top. And don¡¯t worry, we have nothing more to do but play miniature golf in our offices. We have more than enough time.¡±


    At that point, although fully expecting the conversation to swing in this direction, I felt exhaustion piling up already. ¡°Well,¡± I dropped the bag down, pulled a chair for mom to sit, ¡°it all started with this kid at kindergarten,¡± then took a seat myself, ¡°I killed him¡­¡±


    A thousand questions later and we finally reached to the present, ¡°¡­and here we are.¡± Those who were a little edgy, became so engrossed in the topic that they¡¯d forgotten all about their schedule. ¡°Well?¡± I leaned back, slouching a little, ¡°Can we get back to Anna?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, forgot about that,¡± one of them chuckled. They seemed like such important people, but they sure were a carefree bunch.


    ¡°Well, seeing that you¡¯re actually Ban,¡± another started, ¡°I think getting you a lab is a good investment, so long as the work you do benefits UGO in some way. But with Anna¡­ Well, we¡¯ve already lost David Cennet, losing Anna Stone too is a heavy blow.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to get a new team?¡±


    ¡°We could also get some internships for young people.¡±


    There they went, deciding things for themselves. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I broke their brainstorming, ¡°the conditions and personnel in my workspace wasn¡¯t up for negotiation. It¡¯s Anna or nothing. I brought these inventions,¡± I grabbed the bag of prosthetics up, ¡°to sweeten the deal,¡± and placed them onto the table. I stood up and walked behind them, ¡°This is the headgear. It can control every single motion of the prosthetics with thought alone,¡± and placed it on Carol¡¯s head, a woman I knew had family missing a limb or two. She imagined it, and the fingers of the prosthetics began wiggling about. After a minute with it, she got the hang of it.


    ¡°This, is amazing! How did you eve ¨C never mind. I won¡¯t understand all that technical stuff. Anyway, I¡¯m sold!¡± she exclaimed, making the prosthetic do a thumb-up. The rest of them tried it out whilst mom and I sat back.


    ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself this time,¡± she commented.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even explained its main function yet,¡± I laughed a bit, but one of them heard that statement and I could almost see the dollar sign in their eyes when they told me to explain it.


    ¡°Its main function is scanning the body, so to speak. It reads signals from the brain. Whatever abnormality of the body that your brain picks up, it will also pick up. For example, Richard, you have sore muscles, especially your legs. Solange, looks like you sprained your wrist a while back. Abigail, you had a really heavy lunch. And Todd, well, you can go pee. Anyway, this should become a staple in the medical industry once all tests are done.¡±


    That ended the meeting, and I was assured I¡¯d have what I sought, albeit, they wanted my continued support on the headgear and limbs even though they would have all the rights to it.


    ¡°By the way, did you sneak out of school?¡± mom asked. A little late to ask, I thought.


    ¡°N-no. Perhaps¡­¡±


    She sighed, gently clunking me on the head with her clipboard, ¡°You could¡¯ve just asked. Anyway, go talk to Anna, see what she thinks.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I opened the door to leave, then stopped, ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, then promptly left. There was but one obstacle now, sitting alone at a table in the lunch room. I pulled a seat and it jumped her, but after realising who I was, she breathed in relief. ¡°Jared, it¡¯s just you,¡± she calmed, ¡°wait, what are you doing here? And are you alright? You haven¡¯t texted in forever! What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, one question at a time. Anyway, what I was doing isn¡¯t important, what¡¯s important is this,¡± I showed her a photo on my phone. ¡°That¡¯s the file UGO has on you. It says ¡®discover a new energy¡¯ as one of your goals. Anna,¡± I put the phone down, ¡°is it still one of your goals?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± she swallowed her food, ¡°yeah, of course. Why do you ask? And what¡¯ve you been doing? How did you get that? Did you hack into the systems again?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say one question at a time?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her. ¡°I just came from a meeting with the board about you. How would you feel abo¨C¡±


    ¡°Board? What board? Like, board of¨C¡±


    ¡°Directors, yes.¡± I finished her sentence, as I was saying, I want you to joi¨C¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you pull that off?! Why was it about me?¡±


    I bent over and grabbed her cheeks, pulling them about, ¡°Well that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to get to but someone keeps interrupting me!¡±


    ¡°Ouch! Shorry!¡± she apologised, her speech unclear due to her cheek movements. I stopped, when I realised a pleasant smile forming on her face. She purposely aggravated me as a test of sorts to see how I was doing, mentally. That I knew perfectly well, but felt a little stupid because I fell for it. ¡°Anyway,¡± I cleared my throat a little and sat down, ¡°I want you to join me. I¡¯ll be getting an actual lab soon and I want us to work together. I got permission from mom and the board and I just had to ask you, so, that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, for the board to even consider something like that,¡± she put her hand to her chin in a thinking, yet playful manner, ¡°you¡¯d have to convince them you actually know your stuff. Even then, that¡¯s not enough. If I were you, the most effective way would be to admit I¡¯m Ban. So, did you?¡±


    She scared me a little at how much she could read me, and how much her mind could sneak around and manipulate me, so to speak. I really looked up to her for some reason. ¡°Yeah, I did. I told them everything. I gave them two new projects too, so they¡¯d let me do what I want.¡±


    ¡°Aww, Jared! You did all that for me?¡±


    ¡°C-can you not put it like that? I did it for my lab!¡±


    We spent some time chatting, which mostly consisted of answering her humdrum of questions. Suddenly, mom swung open the lunch room¡¯s door, staring at me and in turn, earning the ogle of the other people there. Her face contorted, then she looked down at her feet, then up to me again and finally decided to walk over.


    ¡°We¡¯re under a cyber-attack,¡± she said, balling her fist in quiet fury.

 Level 08 – Declaration of War

    Her suspecting eyes latched onto me. Somehow, the words curled beneath my tongue wouldn¡¯t come out, it was glued there indefinitely. Unsettling, it was a strange feeling of calmed rage, slowly severing itself from its chains of bondage. I stood up, my hands still resting on the table and looked at her to the side. Just when the weakest link in the chain began breaking, Anna slipped between the cutthroat glares, ¡°Ma¡¯am, we couldn¡¯t track Ban for all these years¨C¡±


    ¡°So, what makes you think you can track me now?¡± I stifled my urge to yell, largely disappointed in how quick my own mother was ready to accuse me, even after my attempts at accepting her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s, take this somewhere else,¡± Anna said to mom, then looked at me and held my wrist, ¡°alright? Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± She gently pulled me out the lunch room. Mom followed close behind as we went to the elevator. Deathly quiet, this atmosphere itself could take down the strongest of men.


    We entered the server room, with rows of servers lining the walls. That incessant whirring of the hard drives and air-conditioner drowned out some voices on the far end of the immaculately clean room.


    ¡°How does it look, Ron?¡±


    ¡°Everything we¡¯ve tried so far has failed. We don¡¯t know where its coming from, but we know they have almost admin-level access right now,¡± the technician answered, his casual and lax clothing showing he was probably on a day off. There were two others deep in concentration, peering diligently at the lines of code across the screen.


    Mom folded her arms and shook her head, ¡°Jared, you¡¯re used to doing this. Can you take a look at it too?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared I¡¯ll do something I shouldn¡¯t?¡± I snapped back, my tone denoting a calculative intention with its immediate thrust into the conversation. But, Anna simply placed her hand on my shoulder and leaned her lips near my ear, ¡°She¡¯s confused and needs your help, Jared. She¡¯s just afraid to show her soft side to her employees, so don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±


    Even with the thought of her uncouth personality riding the waves above my ability to understand how communication works with her, I still at least afforded Anna the time of day. After about a half hour of reading the spacey white text, I saw something interesting. A comment that disguised itself as an actual line of code, reading, ¡®Thank you, Ugo.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s what it says,¡± I pointed to the line, ¡°also,¡± I scrolled down to the balance of the code, ¡°it has a condition here that basically cancels the entire code so long as the server is online. This code literally does nothing but say thank you.¡±


    ¡°What do you think it means?¡± Anna asked, probably seeking a hacker¡¯s point of view. Their eyes all traced me for a while, until I shrugged, ¡°But, no one¡¯s gonna thank someone for nothing. The hacker most likely got what they wanted already, or is absolutely sure that they are going to.¡±


    Mom felt about her chin with her wrinkly fingers, deep in assumption. Suddenly, her eyes fleshed open, ¡°Could it be?¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°We¡¯ve had three attacks on our shipments in the past month.¡±


    Shipments? ¡°Shipments of what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Parts and materials for the lab. They were what we ordered in bulk. Materials for TS production, but there was that incident¡­¡± she went quiet, thinking I would feel a way about it. She was right.


    ¡°Then we know the author of this message,¡± I said. Three android attacks, a hitman assault, and not to mention endangering lives at UGO, I grew tired of David Cennet¡¯s lust for revenge. ¡°When¡¯s the next shipment?¡±


    ¡°Monday coming, we put a lot more security to escort the container this time, all TEOs. TEOs? She asked for their help? I wondered, perusing the reports of their savagery in the past. They were the Tactical Enforcement Operatives, a special unit to solve special emergencies. For her to get their help, money must¡¯ve been passed beneath the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m, going home. Anna,¡± I looked back after I trekked some distance away, ¡°at least think about it, okay?¡±


    After a while, mom found me outside, her breath a little heavy after hurrying to catch me, ¡°Wait!¡± She breathed, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride!¡± she said, one hand outward to stop me, and the other on her knee to catch her breath.


    We rode home in silence, until I stepped out of the vehicle, ¡°Jared. I¡¯m, sorry. I¡¯m sorry for doubting you. You¡¯ve only ever helped the company, yet, I thought you were responsible at first.¡± She gripped the wheel tighter, finding it difficult to hold eye-contact in the latter part of her apology.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I said, a highly ambiguous answer given my previous state of mind before meeting dad. She must¡¯ve known, that piteous smile that she offered up proved that she knew I wasn¡¯t fully bought.


    Besides, I had something else on my mind. It was time to take action, and to do that, I¡¯d need something fast. The levitation alone in Grav was great, getting me to sprinting speed easily, but by no means was it something challenging to a vehicle. At some point, I had to install the boosters, but not just the usual one with normal propulsion schematics. This one had to run off of UGO energy, like most of my important inventions. The installation was a breeze. Perfecting flight with it, however, was a totally different story. I was like a plane with engines and no wings. Sure, Grav¡¯s boosters were more than enough to lift me, but there was no control. I needed a way to change course easily, and to maintain levitation using the boosters instead of the anti-gravitational plates. I thought about placing them on various places on my body, but none were more practical than simply placing one near the front of the boot and one near the heel. All I¡¯d need to do was connect the boosters to my headgear and simply decrease or increase the power to make whatever turns I wanted to. It worked wonderfully, though I still made some crash landings in the expansive backyard.


    Finally, the day had arrived. Maybe I wasn¡¯t thinking straight. Perhaps all the training I did made me feel obligated to carry out this journalistic mission to the end. But I ended up shadowing the container and its band of police cars and armoured vans. The trucker came to a rather long and lonely road on the journey. At the sides of the roads were thick forests, the perfect place for an attack. But, my prediction was proved wrong, it was only until we reached close to a city that I found the movements of the TEOs were strange. Suddenly, they all just made hard lefts, slamming themselves into ditches, shops, drains and the like. Even when the TEOs were immobilised, the truck driver kept going.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Is he controlling the truck too? I thought it impossible, to control something that big, but still, it was modern, and had an electrical system like any other vehicle, one capable of remote control. Five minutes of driving later, the truck stopped and two TS swooped down upon it. I immediately grabbed my phone and began recording the spectacle. They opened the doors easily, like it wasn¡¯t even locked, and grabbed the driver and his partner out, flying away with them. Some seconds later, four other TS nosedived and landed atop the forty feet container, cutting the top open in a matter of minutes. I flew above them and recorded on the roof of a nearby building.


    They hooked themselves up, one TS to each corner of the large wooden box. I leaned my phone in a way that kept my cameras¡¯ lens directed at the scene and decided to do something about it, even if just to stall for the TEOs to catch up. After they attached the chains to the box, I dropped a couple EMP grenades. One hit the container and bounced off, affecting none of the TS, but the other put two of them out of commission. I flew down, unsheathing my Z-21 from my back and slashing through a torso, then spun around behind it and fired the powerful energy bolt from the Z-21. It shot a clean hole through the head of another TS. The energy bolt, unfettered by the failure of a barricade the TS formed zoomed up into the nearby mountains and destroyed a couple trees.


    There were just two more TS to deal with now. One of which was still under the effects of the EMP. I turned my attention to the functioning TS, its snow-white, deadpan silicone face looking right at me, with its gun drawn of course. I stepped out from behind the one I took out first, then activated a shielder, charging right to the shooting TS that emptied its clip like there was no tomorrow. As I got close, it jumped and activated its boosters, only be denied the chance of escape because of the box it tethered itself to earlier. I hit my boosters and met with it in the air, bashing the semi-circular energy shield into it then stabbing right through its energy core at the centre of the chest. With its dying breath, or rather, cell, it said something that chilled me to the core. ¡°Charlie is watching,¡± it said, choppy, but still clear.


    Charlie? I questioned. Why does Cennet know about dad? Immediately, I phoned dad, but it just rang and rang. All ten times I called, he never picked up. It was of great concern, but something else rattled my brain. Those truck drivers. Were they okay? Where were the androids taking them? I flew upwards to see over the houses and buildings, but those androids had already disappeared from this town. Scores of onlookers crept forward after the commotion subsided to marvel at the scene. Leaving the open container with the goods inside perturbed me, but I¡¯d rather not have my face captured and rampant on the internet, so I flew right to UGO the minute I retrieved my phone.


    I really need goggles, I thought, soaring through the sky. Grav¡¯s speed was no joke. Having three boosters on each boot fuelled by UGO energy didn¡¯t help either, but speed was very much needed at this point. How do I even tell mom? Should I just call the authorities? Wait, no, the TEOs should arrive to secure the container so it should be fine. Bet they already told mom too, but what they don¡¯t know is¡­ I trailed off when I finally reached UGO headquarters. I sped through, using levitation instead of boosters to glide my way through the hallways and into the elevator. Of course, I could¡¯ve phoned mom, but I was afraid our conversation would be monitored.


    The elevator finally dinged, and I glided to her office at the top. She just came from a call, and was storming out the office. ¡°Jared!¡± she jumped when I appeared out of the corner, ¡°You startled me. What is it you want? This is a really bad time.¡±


    I could guess what happened now. ¡°TEOs just called?¡± I asked nonchalantly. She furrowed her brows and gave me troubled eyes glazed in suspicion.


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± she said, dragging the word out, ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask how you know anymore,¡± and sighed. ¡°Anyway, another shipment got attacked, but they said all the materials are there, untouched. The drivers are gone though. Jared, the locals said there was a flying boy fighting some robots,¡± she got unnervingly close and glowered at me, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know who that is? Hmm?¡±


    I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my head, ¡°Not a clue,¡± I shrugged


    ¡°Incorrigible,¡± she muttered under her breath and grabbed my hand to drag me inside. ¡°Tell me exactly what happened.¡±


    I smiled and rummaged around my pocket, ¡°I don¡¯t need to say anything, really. I can just show you.¡±


    Her jaw dropped and she passed quick eyes on me, then back to the video. It was just a few minutes long, but it seemed like she took an eternity re-watching every little detail. ¡°Anyway, do you see the last TS I fought? He said something to me. ¡®Charlie is watching.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what he means, but Cennet is a cunning person, right? I¡¯m worried he¡¯ll target dad.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried? About him? Really?¡± She put the phone down and held her forehead like migraines afflicted her, ¡°You mean you¡¯re worried about a man living light years away in the middle of nowhere? Don¡¯t you think you should worry about this kid,¡± she pointed at the screen, ¡°who is just thirteen, might I add, that decided to play hero and put himself in serious danger for some damn materials?!¡± Her fist dropped down onto the table in anger.


    ¡°No. That kid has two shielders that can give almost three hundred and sixty degrees of protection against anything. But that man in the middle of nowhere? He has nothing. In fact, the stuff you¡¯re worried that could¡¯ve happened to the kid, is probably already happening to him. You¡¯re filthy rich, you can afford to get him some security, at least for a while.¡±


    Mom stood up angrily and paced about the room, slowly retaking her calm nature. ¡°You know, Jared. If I knew you would turn out this way, I¡¯d have shown you all the love you ever wanted and made sure you never touched even a screwdriver. You¡¯re at that point where what I say goes through one ear and out the other. But, I guess that¡¯s to be expected,¡± she exhaled, a defeatist tone to her previous words, ¡°but, don¡¯t think for a second that you¡¯re some hero. I¡¯m still your mother, what I say goes. Do not involve yourself with this anymore. I will deal with Cennet myself. Just go back to bei¨C¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± I said, shooting down whatever she was about to say, ¡°I¡¯ve decided there¡¯s no going back for me. I¡¯m not going to run anymore. I¡¯m not going to hide anymore. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I respect your wishes. But I will never sit still if he targets you, dad, or Anna.¡±


    ¡°And should the day come where he targets any of us, what would you do? Huh?! Will you kill him? You aren¡¯t five anymore, Jared! There will be consequences. You will be a criminal!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I retorted, rather composed, ¡°if that¡¯s what it means to protect you all, I¡¯ll become a criminal a hundred times over. It might be stupid, because compared to Theresa, I still feel like you three are just acquaintances. But, I want to see what would happen overtime. I want to see the life that I wasn¡¯t able to see before, one where I could trust myself to love again.¡±


    She gave me a squeamish face. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know,¡± I told her, almost as if to calm her upcoming words before they could slip past her lips, ¡°it¡¯s pretty stupid. If I get myself killed anyway, then what I¡¯m fighting for won¡¯t mean a thing. So, let¡¯s make a deal, okay? You get dad security and make sure he¡¯s safe. Anna too. And of course, yourself. Then I¡¯ll put all this behind me and just focus on the lab. And on my studies too, I guess.


    ¡°See? What I¡¯m saying goes right over your head.¡± She hit me on the head, then shrugged, ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t have a problem with that. Just at least promise me to never leave the house without those shielders. And those special boots may come in handy. Keep those on too. And you should go back to school, make some friends. You know, friends your own age.¡±


    That doting side of her, was something I craved for years, then eventually gave up on. How laughable. The minute I didn¡¯t want it, she gave it to me.

 Level 09 – Games

    ¡°Hey, Jared,¡± Anna held me by the collar, stopping me from walking off, ¡°I¡¯m going over to see my family in a minute, come with me.¡± The way she said it made me feel like this was something completely normal. I¡¯ve never met her family before, or go to anyone¡¯s house for that matter.


    ¡°Are you, asking me or telling me?¡±


    ¡°Telling you,¡± she said, so blatantly. Sure, we became close friends ever since she transferred to my lab¨Cwe¡¯ve been working together for just over a month now. But, her house? I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m speeding here? I wondered if it was something people usually did. Maybe I overthought the matter. Assuming that was the case, I gave her my okay.


    Her old house was in a suburb on the outskirts of the city. Passing through the tranquil neighbourhood made me realise just how nice a peaceful life could be. Ever since the incident with the shipment, three months of inactivity passed by. Cennet did nothing, at least in concern to what¡¯s visible to us. My parents were safe, Anna was safe, and so was I. UGO¡¯s board was happy, mom was happy, so I could spend all the time in the world working on whatever I wanted.


    Anna parked and we got out, strolling up the walkway. To say I wasn¡¯t anxious would be a flagrant lie. The door opened, and Anna¡¯s splitting image answered it, despite being a brunette. Both of them released an ear-rotting shriek and hugged each other with not an ounce of restraint, jumping up and down playfully.


    ¡°So,¡± the brunette grinned at me, ¡°who¡¯s this? Introduce me!¡± she said, slapping Anna on the arm. Despite how similar they looked, she was a stark contrast to Anna personality wise. Anna would have to cross a mental mountain to get on the side of natural sociability and spontaneity. This person on the other hand could probably walk up to head of state and talk like she knew the guy her whole life.


    ¡°What do you mean who?¡± Anna chuckled, ¡°This is Jared, numbskull!¡±


    ¡°This is Jared?!¡± She stopped smiling suddenly, her jaw dropped and she inched closer to me and grabbed my hand, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I, I didn¡¯t know,¡± a tear formed, ¡°my sister was such a perverted cougar!¡±


    Not a second later, Anna smacked her upside the head. ¡°Ugh, Jared, this is Marissa, my sister,¡± she introduced, rubbing her temple in dismay.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jared Ugo, it¡¯s a pleasure,¡± I stuck my hand forth. Marissa shook her head negatively and pushed my hand away, bringing me in for a hug instead.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re a bigshot rich kid, huh?¡± she asked, and I looked at her a little puzzled. ¡°I mean, that would explain the carload of bodyguards there,¡± she looked over my head.


    ¡°Oh, ah, yeah, I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Wow it¡¯s even worse than I thought. So, sis is actually a perverted cougar gold-digger. Wow!¡± she exclaimed, earning another smack about the pate.


    ¡°Violent too,¡± Marissa uttered. ¡°Anyway, come on in!¡± She pulled us inside. Their parents didn¡¯t seem to be home yet. We sat around talking, though I hardly had any input. They had a lot of catching up to do. Marissa though, went quiet for some reason, and her eyes were magnetised to mine.


    ¡°Hmm, you know, Jared, you look really familiar,¡± she said, crawling towards me on the couch to get a closer look.


    At this point I could only cackle at her shenanigans, being nervous would be ridiculous. ¡°Oh yeah? Maybe we met before,¡± I teased her.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m actually serious now. You look just like the guy on that video recently.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I scratched my cheeks, my nervousness returning, ¡°What video is that?¡±


    ¡°You know! The video with the robots that blew up on the ¡®net. It even made it to news!¡±


    For a girl so airheaded, she was ridiculously sharp. My face wasn¡¯t easy to recognise because of how much the zoom pixelated the image, but my general features were there. Short, dirt-blonde hair, small frame.


    ¡°No way!¡± I denied it, ¡°besides, the video didn¡¯t get my face properl¨C¡±


    Did I really just, slip up? I asked myself after realising my choice of words. Marissa¡¯s eyeballs were ready to pop out of the sockets. She dropped her can of soda and screamed out, a shrill cry of excitement. My blunder made Anna place a palm to her face, as if to hide her own eyes from the spectacle unfolding.


    ¡°You¡¯re the blue sword guy! Oh my gosh! I can¡¯t believe it!¡± she ranted on and on, giving me an earful. It was a strange feeling, to be praised like that. It certainly wasn¡¯t bad, but the attention wasn¡¯t needed either. ¡°So, can you really fly?¡±


    I nodded, and made a little show for her with the levitation. She was amazed to say the least, but called me out after she checked the infamous video. ¡°Hey! That isn¡¯t it! There was a blue thing coming out your shoes in the video!¡±


    ¡°Those are the boosters, Rissy, and he¡¯s not going to use that indoors, you maniac.¡±


    Just then, my phone buzzed on the blackwood coffee table. Mom was calling me to come over and explain some things at UGO. The headgear was still going through extensive testing, especially for safety. With that, I¡¯d decided to call it a day and leave. They showed me to the door. I unfastened the headgear strip from around its inconspicuous position my neck and put it on my head, then flew off to UGO.


    I did my consulting and prepared myself for an upcoming test at school. My attendance plummeted, but mom managed to have them overlook it, given her position and my good grades. The morning of the exam jetted on and I aced that paper, at least I believed I did.


    It was just after mid-day, that¡¯s when I had an unlikely visitor on the one day I went to school in months. The PA system summoned me to the principal¡¯s office. I creeped up to the door, and entered the wood-themed room like a stealthy assassin. What I saw made the previous months of unspoken concord flash before my eyes like dying memories. A man walked up to me and spoke, very gently, but still accenting urgency in his tone, ¡°We have a situation,¡± he said, to some great anguish by the way he closed his eyes in regret and gave a slight squeeze as he rested his hand on my shoulder. That line of his wouldn¡¯t have set fire under me if he didn¡¯t have on that bullet-absorbent hauberk and clutched onto a sub-machine gun.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I sighed, one so draggy it painted a look of question on the TEO and principal¡¯s eyes. ¡°Does it, involve robots?¡± I asked the officer.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he bent over a little, ¡°you know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Nah, brief me on the way, will you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this unexpectedly well,¡± he commented.


    Waiting outside the school was an armoured van. We hopped in the back and the two opposing benches were occupied by other TEO¡¯s, and mom. My mind halted for a second, then its gears began turning again. Figures.


    ¡°Cennet?¡± I asked. She nodded at me.


    ¡°At twelve today, we got reports of hostage situations. Robots have seized control of three places simultaneously. One in Chef¡¯s Square downtown. One in a Charlotte¡¯s Park. One in the parking lot outside North Sky mall. All open places. Each of them is about ten minutes from each other. There¡¯s around twenty-five hostages in each location, and a dozen robots each, half of which are embedded into the crowd so we can¡¯t open fire like that.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re here because?¡±


    ¡°One person at any of the three locations is fatally shot every ten minutes. The condition made by the robots was to deliver you two to the square.¡±


    ¡°How many died?¡±


    ¡°Two. The countdown has been suspended until you get there.¡±


    They¡¯re negotiating? The TEO? ¡°If they¡¯re willing to wait, get me to my lab first.¡± We drove there, in an atmosphere quiet enough to hear the thoughts of doubt leak from the minds of the TEOs. I¡¯m sure in their guidebook it stated getting more civilians involved was an issue and should not ever be attempted. Their backs must¡¯ve been against the wall. At least that¡¯s what I thought.


    I armed myself, although, should those androids simply tell me to remove any potential weapons I might have, I¡¯d have no choice but to comply. Even so, being somewhat prepared is better than making a poor entrance. The mere fact I brought a sword to a gun battle would¡¯ve been insanity in itself had I not the shielders to give myself some leverage.


    ¡°Can I speak to your tech support?¡± I asked the fellow who dropped by the principal¡¯s office for me. He put me on to them through his earpiece.


    ¡°Hey, this is Jared, one of the people you guys picked up,¡± I introduced myself.


    ¡°Uh,¡± he said, confusedly. The ever-shifting voice of a thirteen-year-old didn¡¯t help his puzzlement, as he was expecting to talk to TEOs only. ¡°You, uh, you¡¯re the kid? I¡¯m Randy, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Have you found any traces of the person behind this?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re still working on it.¡±


    ¡°Scan the frequencies, see if you see anything out of the ordinary,¡±


    ¡°We did, we checked everything. There are no traces leading back to anyone. The robots are operating independently.¡±


    His words seemed like the logical thing, but it didn¡¯t make sense to me. Why would the robots ask for mom and me, then stop the countdown just because the TEOs said they were going to get us? For the TS to actually make that decision, someone had to be there, seeing what¡¯s going on, hearing the exchange between the criminals and the officers. For now, I left it at that, and returned the earpiece to the guy next to me.


    In a few minutes, we got to the square. The entire area was closed off. Scores of onlookers, despite the danger, gathered around the police that formed a tight-knit rope around the vicinity. Media of course, was out in their full glory on ground with camera crews and in the air with helicopters hovering above. The hostages were crammed into a circle, and between them were the six androids. The other six stood on the outside, in case the hostages themselves caused a ruckus. In such plain sight, yet so untouchable.


    Finally, mom and I were escorted to the centre stage, in the middle of the barren square. In front of us were the terrified hostages, gun nozzles eating at their sides. One of the TS on the outskirts walked over to us, then pointed up at an electric billboard. There was a text file opened on the computer it was running on. The letters formed a question that placed the country¡¯s eyes on me. ¡®How does one atone for murder?¡¯ it asked, then below that question were three simple words, ¡®By saving lives.¡¯


    Cennet, was someone I couldn¡¯t figure out. Did he want revenge or not? Why encapsulate my life in these grandiose schemes? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier, to just kill me? I asked myself, then quickly dismissed that thought¨Ca thought that was quite reminiscent to the past me.


    The same android that directed our attention to the sign, brought it back to himself once again, ¡°We will play a game.¡± It said to me, the words of Cennet himself, ¡°One TS will fly away with a hostage. Rescue that hostage in sixty seconds, or the others will be killed. This is your chance to save everyone.¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± I yelled out, but a TS already grabbed a gentleman from the crowd after injecting him with something to make him fall asleep. The white-silicone robot flew off, and the countdown was ticking on the billboard. I stood there in absolute shock for a few seconds, then took the headgear off my neck, to put it onto my head.


    ¡°Jared! Jared don¡¯t do this!¡± Mom screamed out as I walked off, and I could only smile at her, because I was at a loss for words that would soothe her frantic heart. The moment I connected the clip on my head, I flew off, the boosters going at full throttle. I neared the airborne TS some blocks away, but it opened fire at me, making me falter to my right, grazing the walls of an apartment complex.


    So that¡¯s your game, Cennet. It flew into one of the windows, breaking through the glass with the hostage in arm. I followed along, and was met with bullets, but not before I put a wave of energy from the shielder up. The TS sprinted through the apartment, going out into the hallway and running towards the stairs. It jumped over the railing and I followed behind it like a madman, switching the shielder on and off where necessary. Down we both fell in the middle of the huge spiral. I tried aiming the Z-21, but couldn¡¯t get a clear shot with all the twists and turns. The TS hit the floor and immediately flew off to the main entrance, smashing through the door and making a hard right.


    Time was running out with this intricate game of tag we played, people¡¯s lives hung in the balance. I had to think of something quick. Getting up close wasn¡¯t a problem. Grav had two more boosters on each foot, powered by UGO energy nonetheless. I also had no extra weight to slow me down. The issue was grabbing the man away from the TS without getting myself killed in the process.


    The TS fired its gun again, this time though, expending all his rounds after they ricocheted off my energy shield. I sped up and crashed into it, then stuck an EMP grenade deep into the nape of its neck since there wasn¡¯t much metal or silicone blocking that part. I wrestled the man halfway off the robot, then rammed my two heels into it, finally rescuing the man from his captor. The grenade exploded, putting the TS down for a few minutes.


    I put my boosters on full and flew back to the scene, but the timer was already saying zero by the time I got there. Dammit, dammit! I curled my fists in agitation and already began thinking of what I could do, but alas, with the hostages at North Sky mall and Charlotte¡¯s Park, I couldn¡¯t make a move. Should they choose to kill the hostages right before my eyes, there was nothing I could do. That hauntingly powerless feeling scalded me so much. However, to my surprise, all I had to do was rescue the man in time, not bring him back, ¡°You passed,¡± the announcing TS said. ¡°You now have to do the same at the mall and park. Good luck, Ban.¡± That name¡­


    Suddenly, all the androids in the square flew off in separate directions, making it hard for the TEOs to pursue all. A few got shot down, but most escaped.

 Level 10 – Flight

    I used to feel like there was a bad omen around my heart, but instead of attacking it directly, the omen would squeeze my arteries and veins, clogging them and slowly pushing me to an impending death. This situation felt like that omen, but I brushed it off in light of the necessity to focus.


    The wind in my eyes couldn¡¯t distract from the thoughts of failure, horrible crippling failure. It felt like I was short of breath, short of ideas. The greenery of the Charlotte¡¯s park was easy to pinpoint in this concrete jungle. Though, the natural human instinct to relax around nature was missing in action at the sight of those damnable TS. The city looked so small from above, yet when I landed, this situation was behemoth.


    Before I could properly assess my surroundings, a kid, no more than ten years, was picked. Whether it was random, I don¡¯t know. Her dad screamed out and pushed a TS away to get to her. He balled his fist, anger seeping out his eyes, but, his heroism was rewarded with a bullet to the head, right before his punch connected. His limp body fell, blood began pooling on the ground. I could feel like the flashbacks wanted to smite me, but the blasts of the TS¡¯ boosters wrested my attention from those memories. They¡¯d already injected the girl whilst I was focused on her father.


    I was hot on his tail, deflecting the intermittent bullets with the shielder. It kept low, as if trying to avoid detection from radar and made a sudden right into an alleyway. The minute I made the right myself, I saw the little girl dropping right at me. The TS actually released her. I put my arms out to catch her but this was all in the plan. Having my arms like that, my shielders couldn¡¯t protect me. I could use the shielder, but the girl would just fall on the azure shield and be in the line of bullets. The dastardly robot aimed, and waited until the girl was at the perfect range. It shot one, grazing me on the arm. I grabbed the girl, fumbling with her, but the TS flew down at us, grabbed her by the ankle and raised its knee, smashing into my cheek at a ridiculous speed. I rotated so much I couldn¡¯t make sense of the whirling scenery, so I just curled into a ball and activated both shielders. I landed and skated a good distance into the streets and stood up in a frenzy.


    Some onlookers, simply pointed me in the general direction the TS flew. I flew by a couple blocks and suddenly heard gunfire. My shielder went up again and I avoided a fatal one. It was high up, hiding out on a rooftop whilst raining down bullets, this time from a sub-machine gun, but soon stopped and went even higher into the air, suddenly dropping the little girl again. I stopped tailing the robot and nosedived to save the girl. Just as I suspected the TS was doing the same to remedy my state of consciousness with another blow. However, this time, his leg smashed onto the shielder energy field and bounced off just enough for me to grab Z-21 from off my back and strike down the middle of the android, leaving him a sparking mess in the centre of the street.


    Back to Charlotte¡¯s Park I sped, landing on the cobblestone pathway and earning yet another passing grade from this hellish game. With the same pattern of diverse flightpaths, the TS slipped away. The TEOs who manned the park didn¡¯t bother shooting. I released the girl and wiped the blood off my arm, but only managed to spread it thin.


    Finally, I was left with just one more situation to deal with. My mind and body were up to the task, but somewhere inside I felt like I hadn¡¯t properly realised how scary this all was. Two people were shot dead before we arrived, and one after, despite that it didn¡¯t seem like it all properly caught up to me yet. Maybe my mind wouldn¡¯t allow it¨Cshifting my focus elsewhere at that point would be a blunder that might¡¯ve brought about irreversible mishaps.


    ¡°Kid, you alright?¡± a TEO asked, after a few of them gathered around. I must¡¯ve looked absent-minded, gathering my thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathed slowly, ¡°yeah.¡±


    I could tell his lips held back words he knew not the composition of. Trying to figure out a soothing yet realistic combination of words to mollify my unsteady heart was a task even I couldn¡¯t fathom. What did I want to hear in that moment anyway, that everything would be alright? That someone else would take care of it? That I wouldn¡¯t have to fight anymore? Merely wishful thinking that only served to project phantasmal glimmers of what could be. Reality was nothing of the sort and he knew that perfectly well. Hence, a simple, yet reassuring tap on the shoulder replaced those words of inspiration without selling me dreams.


    I whisked away my brow¡¯s sweat with the unsoiled sleeve and bolted away, closing in quickly on North Sky mall¡¯s parking lot. Traffic was being routed elsewhere, and the entire mall was isolated. Not a soul was able to get in nor near. Every exit from the mall itself was closed off except the exit farthest from the danger. As in the previous two situations, there was a group of hostages with armed TS androids placed strategically in the group, making outside interference null, and androids surrounding that group of people on the outside, forcing their captives to remain docile. There was only one difference in this scenario¨Cthe rather uncanny presence of one David Cennet and one Charlie Foster. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think or how to feel, far less for what to do. Their proximity to each other was a daunting sight; shoulder to shoulder they stood.


    What the hell¡­ So many thoughts passed through my mind whilst I slowly descended. What was Cennet thinking? What did he do to dad? What did he say to dad? Did they, know each other? Maybe I was just overthinking, and he only set things this way to knock me off my game. Either way, I pretended not to notice them and focused only on the TS.


    ¡°This one will be different,¡± one of them said, the clutch holding his weapon changed from a one-handed, relaxed disposition to two-handed readiness. ¡°Survive.¡±


    A simple command, yet a horribly overbearing one. It felt like time slowed and space twisted inside my mind. The gun was rising, slowly coming to aim at me from the chest up. My hand, in turn, began ascending and the blue translucent energy shield formed in front of me. That first amber flash of light blackened my peripheral vision, forcing my eyes to focus dead centre at the TS. All sounds were filtered out except the helicopters¡¯ propeller beating the wind downward and the blasts of gunshots from the TS. It flew towards me, going over my head to find the edge of my shielder¡¯s layer of protection, but a simple turn of my arm stopped that move from prevailing. The robot switched its boosters off to drop quickly, landing on my shield and bouncing off, resorting to close handed tactics.


    I drew Z-21 and fuelled a strike to the shoulder of my enemy but it stepped back, blocking with the machine gun. The sword cut clean through the machine gun and sliced off a forearm with the remaining momentum. Its arm sparked randomly and uncontrollably, but androids felt no pain and its missing limb didn¡¯t faze it a bit. The functioning hand reached for a pistol and fired off a couple rounds, the first grazing my shirt and burning a hole through it. The second bullet was deflected off my shielder on the sword arm.


    It flew up, putting its boosters on full-blast and blocking my already tunnelled state of attention to the oncoming TS. It tackled me from the side and into some nearby brambles across the street. We rolled until we came to a stop, smashing into someone¡¯s picket fence. It grabbed a knife behind its back and attempted to stick me right in the neck while it had the mounted advantage. I blocked with both arms instead of the energy shield so I could curl my legs in and place my feet against its chest. My boosters activated, blowing out the android¡¯s core through the back. Its body became limp and it fell down on top of me.


    The jet-like sounds of boosters scraped the air of any other noise, making me converge my focus upwards. I hid as best I could, under a trampoline, but alas their thermal sensors found me quite easily. The louder their boosters became, the more I realised they located me, so I whizzed out, trying to locate my dropped Z-21 from an aerial view, but the slow speed I employed to find the damned sword allowed them to catch up to me in the blink of an eye. I placed an arm behind my neck and brought forth the energy shield to protect me from any fire from above. But I was mistaken to think they¡¯d waste their bullets unless they had a clear shot.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    One of the three cut under and then upwards at me, throwing me off by forcing me to bank to the right, off-route to Z-21 that was dropped at the edge of the parking lot. Damn! I continued banking to manoeuvre behind them. As I closed the gap, that¡¯s when they opened fire, making me use the shielder. The air resistance it incurred made me much more sluggish than needed.


    I broke off pursuit on them and sped towards Z-21, but one smashed into my shield from above. I was on a slow descent downwards. Even if I wanted to maintain a straight travel path, the TS¡¯ main thrusters pushing me down versus my auxiliary boosters¡¯ attempts to keep me levelled was an obvious loss on my part. I deployed the other shielder below me and before I hit the road, skating on my energy shield with the TS on top of me.


    There were now two shields, one protecting me from the TS above and one keep me from the asphalt, but in between there was a small but obvious flaw. The shields weren¡¯t perfect semi-circles, they were like turtle shells, and so, could not totally encase me. My sides were open, and this was exploited by the low-flying TS that had its forearm cut off. It zoomed by, spraying rounds from a machine gun it supposedly got from another of its metallic comrades with just that one remaining arm. I rolled to my right, moving the vulnerable spot to an aerial picking. That was a mistake. The bullets were shielded successfully from the vengeful TS, but the rounds that rained from above was something I couldn¡¯t foresee, or react to for that matter. A couple hit my left shielder and destroyed it, but luckily, I was still unharmed, not considering the cuts and bruises.


    I spun the clingy TS off my back and flew right into it, flipping my body around before I rammed into the robotic soldier so Grav could finish it off like the one before. I burst forth, destroying its core and speeding towards Z-21 in one fell swoop, not forgetting to shield myself the minute I heard the release of bullets. Finally, the sword was back in my hand, however, I was down a shielder and could no longer use the near-perfect defence like I once did.


    I got used to their speed, their tactics and teamwork. It was time to go on the offense, especially seeing that I¡¯d have to make do with just one shielder, making this a war of attrition wasn¡¯t in my favour. The TS whose arm I sliced was the first in my sights, and the easiest to do away with. I flew towards him, and he in turn flew backwards and upwards, going right into the one of the many news helicopters that gathered above like vultures. The pilot made a sudden jerk to the left to avoid us, but the TS was too fast and too sudden. It ended its own life in attempts to save itself from me by colliding with the tail rotor. The bird began spinning out of control. Shit, shit! I flew to the tail and steadied the spinning, but it was plummeting fast. I jetted down then caught it from underneath, bringing it down much slower, but the remaining two TS wouldn¡¯t have my blatant disregard for the presence. One began shooting at me from behind, to which I could protect myself with the shielder, but I couldn¡¯t possibly do anything else about the one in front of me because I had one hand touching the belly of the news helicopter to slow its fall.


    The one in front of me flew farther away for some reason. I kept my shield up against the barrage of bullets bouncing off the shield to my rear until its clip emptied and it had to dig around a pouch it was carrying for more ammo. The faraway one seemed to wait for this chance, as it bolted toward me at full speed. He went farther away to build speed? I knew it planned on tackling me away from the helicopter, but what exactly could I do? Should I take the chance to move my shielder arm towards the oncoming TS and risk giving the gunner enough time to reload and blast me to oblivion? Or do I stay my hand and hope somehow to weather the suicidal tackle? Either way, it looked like the people in the helicopter would die, or I would die. If only I had my hand, I could just sho¨C


    Of course! It¡¯s risky, but¡­ The idea wasn¡¯t exactly failproof, but it was better than choosing my life over the reporters or vice versa. I slammed my back against the belly of the ¡®copter and kept my feet facing downwards to keep it from freefalling. With this awkward and uncomfortable position, both my hands were somewhat free. I kept the shielder to the shooter, and aimed Z-21 to the tackler. It was a shot I couldn¡¯t take the chance to miss, so I had to wait until it was close enough to dismiss the chances of dodging. Using that laser wasn¡¯t something I wanted to resort to in a populated area, but I could only hang onto the chances that it wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone.


    Just a couple dozen metres away, I let the blast go and it made a hole straight from the TS¡¯ face to the hip, snapping a leg off and throwing off the trajectory so it missed me. The laser though, continued on strong, but thankfully it appeared to have landed in undeveloped land. There were a few bullets that hit my shield, but the minute I shot down the android, the marksman stopped shooting. Their ¡®watch and learn¡¯ was a horrifying thing in the hands of Cennet. Had it just been regular programming that they ran on, it would have most likely wasted the rest of the magazine.


    As the buzzard got closer to ground, I used more of my booster to pad the landing as best I could and shimmy my way out from between its legs afterwards. The last TS just stood there, as if actually thinking of strategies to remedy my arsenal of gadgets, or mayhap receiving orders. It walked forward, a calm air about its already apathetic silicone face. What was it planning, I wonder?


    ¡°Hey, kid, thanks!¡± a man from the helicopter said, as the crew stepped off and ran towards the encirclement of TEOs. I didn¡¯t even bat an eye at them, as my focus was solely given to the confident TS. I held my sword back and put my shielder forward, inching my way closer as well. Suddenly, it whipped forward with human-like fervour, then began zig-zagging with just one booster to change direction more easily. On the last turn, it used both boosters for an unexpected speed boost and gripped its gun with one arm, sinking its fingers into the energy shield for some grip as it swung around me with incredible speed. I began falling and raised my sword arm but it kicked my wrist away, then got its gun inside the shield, pulling the trigger and shooting my shielder itself, and managing to bury a bullet into my exposed flesh on the inside of my forearm just before I swung my sword again, cutting away his gun like I did the first TS.


    I felt a slight heat from the wound, but the adrenaline made it almost numbing. With both shielders down and the TS¡¯ gun destroyed, I was at a clear advantage with Z-21. At least so I thought. It threw a piece of its gun right to my face, then clutched both hands together and swung, colliding its metal knuckles with my cheekbone then tackling me, powered with boosters immediately after. We landed on the ground with the TS mounted on me. I couldn¡¯t get my feet up to blast it away with Grav this time. All I had was a wounded arm to somewhat defend with.


    I activated my boosters and we both traversed the road. My shirt tore and my upper back¡¯s skin was left bloody from the grinding against the ground, but I was able to slip under a van and smash the TS into the front of it. Admittedly, the van being there was pure luck, I was no longer sure my mind could process any stratagem. Like the first TS said, all I was thinking of at the moment was surviving. I rolled out from underneath and ran around to the front to engage it again, swinging Z-21 the moment I was in range. It stepped back, and avoided the blow with just a few inches of space. My mind was starting to feel woozy, my body was becoming increasingly numb. I gave it a taste of its own medicine and tackled it. We slammed into a lamppost and I slowly slipped the tip of the sword right into its chest, watching it slowly die.


    Just when I thought it was all over, yet another android landed in front of me. My breath was heavy, but I was prepared to go again. ¡°You have passed,¡± it said, then flew off again. The loud sound of boosters turned my eyes to the sky. The rest of them finally left. This impossible task was finally over.


    I flew over to the hostage group, making my way through the people. Dad was there, it seemed like it was his turn to give his statement, but the moment we crossed eyes, he paused and began walking my way. His burly arms wrapped around me, and I placed one around him.


    ¡°I¡¯m, glad you¡¯re safe,¡± he said. He could¡¯ve scolded me to the ends of the earth. He could¡¯ve interrogated me until sundown. He could¡¯ve broken down and cried miserably on my shoulder. Yet, he chose those words. He was concerned about my dealings with this dangerous turn of events, of course, but he put it behind him for this moment, simply to tell me he¡¯s happy I¡¯m alive. Well, I couldn¡¯t agree more.


    Mom on the other hand gave me an earful when I called her. I don¡¯t know if it was her incessant quarrelling that didn¡¯t give me time to have my own input, or if it was the weakness from the constant blood running from my arm, but when I noticed my vision becoming fuzzy, and black static encroaching from my peripheral vision, I knew it was the latter. I blacked out.

 Level 11 – Hero?

    I was trapped in a web, the more I struggled the more it entrapped me. A dark figure prowled slowly towards me, ready to consume me with bloody, dripping mandibles. My hands and legs bound, the web cut into them. In my obscured vision, the figure loomed over me, impaling my spine with ghastly chills. Yet, despite the clear danger in front of me, there was something that frightened me even more. Falling. I didn¡¯t want to fall, but the minute the thought passed my mind, the web broke and my cocooned body began entering the depths of passivity, of nothingness. I screamed out, and jerked awake from that nightmare.


    It was dead silent in UGO Medical, so much so my own thoughts on that nightmare was the only thing I could hear. I couldn¡¯t help but associate falling with regression, back into the pitiful state my mind often frequented before. At my side, on a table was a bottle of water and some painkillers, which I immediately took. My cheekbone especially hurt from being swollen, the same applied to my bruised back. There was a ticklish sensation in my arm as well.


    Right, I was shot. Oh yeah, there were the hostages too. What a frantic state I was in; all I cared about was keeping my parents safe at that time, but that care extended to those strangers in the heat of battle. Never in my life had I thought I¡¯d rescue hostages and stop a helicopter crash. Never did I think so much regret would set in for a stranger trying to save his daughter. Never did it cross my mind that Cennet would pull such a stunt, but I guess it was pure naivety to assume all was fine.


    Not even the damn TEO could do anything. What now? I wondered indeed, who¨Cif anyone¨Ccould actually protect me. Cennet¡¯s appearance with dad proved that he could easily get to my family. That thought alone made me want to hurl. But I¡¯d already made my choice, I decided on the thorny path, one not easily traversed but easily regretted.


    I picked my phone up, and realised it was already midnight, so I didn¡¯t bother contacting anyone. Waiting around for hours didn¡¯t sit right with me, so I popped my sleeping pills and waited until somnolence dragged my mind into solace once again.


    ¡°¨Cwork to do?¡± I heard the end of someone¡¯s question when I awoke, but couldn¡¯t place the voice.


    ¡°Eh, he won¡¯t mind if I take some time off to check up on him,¡± another person replied, giggling a little. I knew that was Anna the minute I heard her voice. My eyelids creaked opened, rather sluggishly. Her sister? I wondered, not exactly expecting to see Marissa in my short list of visitors, especially not those who¡¯d rush to come first. Figured mom, dad, or Anna would be the first, but it looked like I was only partly correct.


    ¡°How did you end up there, anyway?¡± Anna questioned, her arms folded and legs crossed. The bubbly sister shrugged, ¡°I like mixing up my jogging routes. A little adventure, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh¡­ I want to smack you so hard right now! Ugh! You¡¯re unbelievable!¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Marissa picked up an apple out of a basket and chomped onto its shiny scarlet, ¡°I knew I would¡¯ve been fine. Wasn¡¯t worried at all, somehow,¡± then leaned onto the window sill, ¡°but, man, after it all went down I was shakin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, just be sure to thank him. And that¡¯s his apple you¡¯re eating.¡± Marissa kind of felt the air about Anna and boiled down her usually cheery personality. It was a little hard to watch. I didn¡¯t know Marissa much, but I knew she was trying to remain her usual happy self so she could take Anna¡¯s mind off the incident.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, turning their heads, ¡°I¡¯m itching for pizza anyway.¡± Marissa¡¯s jaw paused and Anna stared in amazement as I sat up and eventually walked over. ¡°And Anna, you¡¯re acting like I nearly died. You¡¯re ruining your sister¡¯s mood, so stop sulking,¡± I lightly brought my hand down onto her head in gentle a karate chop.


    ¡°But,¡± she clenched her fists, ¡°you were in danger! Don¡¯t jus¨C¡±


    I chopped her again, a tad heavier because she was in the motion of standing up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t avoid that. What¡¯s important is that I¡¯m alive now,¡± I cringed a little when I thought of the three casualties though, ¡°and besides. I¡¯m in a good mood, I don¡¯t want anyone moping around me.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Marissa agreed, ¡°besides,¡± and walked over to us, ¡°he¡¯s basically a hero now, you shouldn¡¯t be so glum.¡±


    That¡¯s a funny description. Hero¡­ I was anything but that, yet, the thought persisted for a while, ¡®til mid-day swept in.


    My parents stepped into the laboratory-reminiscent patient room and found me absentmindedly gazing out the window. They were whisper-quiet, but dad wasn¡¯t the best at subtlety and eventually gave away their presence with a heavier than needed footstep on the tiled flooring. My attention went to them in a second, yet I felt like I was fishing for thoughts, or reactions rather.


    Whilst I stood there, dumbfounded and stricken with petrification from the burning questions of how to act, what face to make and what to say, mom¡¯s face entered a kaleidoscopic range of emotions from dimmed anger to pitiful worrying that all converged through a prism of relief. She grabbed me in and hugged me tightly. Even after all these months, even after my big secret was revealed, I knew she changed and was still trying hard to change for my sake, yet her sudden breakdown and burst of loving ebullition still shocked me out of the present, forcing my mind to wander planes of the past and marvel at how much she¡¯s changed. Really, to go against her workaholic nature was a miracle in and of itself, born from pure willpower. In fact, the more she showed this coveted love to me, the more I saw things from her perspective and tried to understand her. How ironic. I was just like her, hellishly focused on work and loving every minute of the challenge it gave, and loving even more, the feeling of accomplishment when I triumphed over my task. That feeling, was intoxicating. How ironic, I say, shunning her past ways only to come to understand those ways by realising I¡¯d inherited them like a curse.


    Would it be selfish to tell her to stop? If this role of a doting, cardboard cut-out mother was something she was trying her best to perfect, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to say ¡°it¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to do anything you don¡¯t want to.¡±? Well? What was it I wanted at this point? My emphatic desire to obtain that lost love drove me against a wall, and I lashed out against her. Of course, she¡¯ll change for you, Jared, I bashed myself for my self-centred thinking, she¡¯s your mom, of course she loves you. You didn¡¯t need to make her show it. As these thoughts hit my mind, so did Cennet¡¯s words when he went rogue in the labs at UGO. He was right, I thought, letting a tear roll down my cheek in front of everyone, quite a contradictory sign from the little act I gave to Anna. I remembered his words vaguely, but his message was embedded, she doesn¡¯t show love, but she loves me. It was so stupidly simple to understand, yet, I just couldn¡¯t. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m, sorry. I¡¯m really, sorry!¡± Those words slipped out, even though I hadn¡¯t intended them to.


    She pulled back a bit to see my face when I apologised, and showed a concoction of concern mystification. ¡°What for?¡± she asked, holding onto my hands, ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to apo¨C¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± my voice raised a little and my fingers squeezed around hers, ¡°I was selfish, wasn¡¯t I? I disrespected you, didn¡¯t I? I put you and everyone here in danger, didn¡¯t I? I, forced you to change, didn¡¯t I?¡± I clamped my eyes down to stop the low-viscosity tears of regret, but that horribly failed. Mayhap, it only made more burst from the banks.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Mom¡¯s grip loosened a little, making me open my eyes a little. She was smiling. ¡°You¡¯re right. Out of nowhere, you started disrespecting me and making me feel like I wasn¡¯t really your mom. That felt horrible, you know? I had some sleepless nights, thanks to you,¡± she said, salting the wound without qualm. ¡°So, yeah, you did force change on me. But,¡± she lifted my chin up with her finger, ¡°I¡¯m really glad you did. You were right, even if I knew I loved you, you didn¡¯t. I failed to show it. That was inexcusable.¡± Stop, mom. Stop¡­ ¡°All the work in the world wouldn¡¯t stop me from being there for you. I know this new me can¡¯t make up for all those years, but I¡¯m still hoping you¡¯ll forgive me,¡± she wiped a tear from my face and I grabbed her hand and looked down in shame of my immaturity.


    ¡°Stop, please. There¡¯s nothing to forgive you for. You did nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°Wow, can you believe this is the same guy who said he doesn¡¯t want you moping?¡± Marissa said, giving a pretentious whisper into Anna¡¯s ear, and earning a swift elbow to the gut. Her playful shenanigans broke the tension off in just a sentence. Even I laughed at myself.


    ¡°Well? No love for me?¡± Dad asked, his arms wide open.


    ¡°Uh, men don¡¯t hug,¡± I told him, retracting a little.


    ¡°Says who?¡± he grabbed me in a bearhug anyway and spun me around. Mom and Anna¡¯s face were aghast and they immediately scolded him and eventually me, since I began to hysterically laugh midway through it. I was wounded after all, but the painkillers did a pretty good job. He put me down after a while and we got to sitting.


    ¡°Dad,¡± I said, a burning question ripping at me, ¡°what were you doing there?¡±


    ¡°The mall? Well,¡± he scratched his cheek, ¡°I was planning to surprise you with a visit, but I wanted to pick up a gift too. That¡¯s when the robots came flying in and made us gather outside in the parking lot. Why?¡±


    ¡°Did anybody strange talk to you?¡±


    He scoffed, ¡°What am I, a six-year-old? I did bounce up an old friend though. He was with me when it happened. So, what¡¯s with the questions?¡±


    ¡°Last question and I¡¯ll answer you. What¡¯s his name? Your friend I mean.¡±


    ¡°David Ce¡­¡± he trailed off, having difficulty remembering the last name, ¡°Cedeno? I can¡¯t remember his surname. You wanna tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s behind those android attacks. Assuming his name¡¯s Cennet and not Cedeno.¡± Mom explained the scenario to him, from start to present, despite Marissa¡¯s being there. I guess she was a little less secretive about it, and so was I. Hidden or not, I didn¡¯t think it was something Cennet himself cared for, especially after pulling this last stunt.


    After that experience, it didn¡¯t take long to realise how horribly outgunned I was. He could¡¯ve killed me, anytime he wanted, I thought, realising the sheer number of TS involved was nothing short of thirty to say the least. I only had to rescue two hostages, really. And that last scene at the mall¡­ Wow, just five. I only fought five TS in total. He took it easy on me, really easy. Plus, he showed me he can get to dad. I don¡¯t know where the security mom despatched to dad was, but they obviously couldn¡¯t shadow him for all eternity. Cennet pounced on the one time of solace and staged this huge commotion. It was painfully clear now I had to up my game. I have to, protect them myself, I thought, looking at the reality of it. But, to do that, I would need time. To face him properly, I needed time and patience, which, I did not have.


    ¡°Guys,¡± I said, too softly apparently. They continued talking, about me, about my past, about how we got here. ¡°Guys,¡± I yelled mildly, until I caught their attention. I have no choice. This is the thorny path. ¡°I¡¯ve decided, to take the fight to Cennet, and for that I need time, resources, information.¡±


    Dad simply shook his head, a similar reaction to Anna but hers was a stronger sigh with her forehead sitting gently into her palm. Mom¡¯s face wringed in abhorrence to that statement. I knew they didn¡¯t see the situation to be as dire as I did, they didn¡¯t see the dangers and needed convincing. Their help, I needed it, but if push came to shove, I would do without it. This horrendously passive way of life, taking everything that was thrown at me without uttering a word¨Cthat was over.


    ¡°Listen, at this point, I¡¯d make do without your help. All I ask is that you,¡± I said, looking at mom and Anna in particular, ¡°rethink that hostage situation and realise the position we¡¯re in.¡±


    Thankfully, my wounds weren¡¯t serious enough to warrant more than a week of stay, so I was finally discharged. The minute I stepped outside the facility¡¯s gates, media swarmed around Anna and I as we walked to her car. I was so taken aback that I froze on the spot, and would¡¯ve been completely surrounded had Anna not push me along. Their multitude of questions just slipped in one ear and out the other. Frankly, it was impossible to even make out their words when all of them talked at the same time. But one question weaselled out of obscurity, ¡°The people think you¡¯re a hero, do you think the same?¡± she asked, her microphone pushing its way past the others.


    Hero, huh? ¡°It depends on what your definition for it is,¡± I answered, making sure to be ambiguous. The minute I returned to our lab, I headed straight for my notes on UGO energy and Z-21. It didn¡¯t seem like I was being supported on my decision to face Cennet myself, so I took matters into my own hands. That restless week at UGO Medical sprouted some ideas within me. There were two new inventions just waiting to be made and existing creations to be upgraded.


    The first thing I did was repair the shielders, not being sure when Cennet would pull a stunt like his last scared me. Next, I moved on to the main course, what I reckoned would take half a year to finish. Just thinking of how long that was had me terribly uneasy.


    I began designing a chassis, one that made the TS look like a malnourished teen. ¡°What on earth are you doing? Were you, here all night?¡± Anna asked, resting her purse on a nearby workbench when she came in for work.


    I nodded, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have the time.¡± It took a week of constant redrawing and rethinking, redesigning and evaluating to come up with a good chassis. I sent off the schematics to the local smithies and they made an easily created, mock version for me to see at real size. As I thought, I found issues with how I¡¯d fit certain components into this new android, so the schematics was done once again. During these two-day waiting periods, I upgraded the technology in Z-21¡¯s energy blast and placed that into a small cannon. It was no bigger than a small bottled water.


    ¡°Why are you so stubborn? Just let the professionals handle this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I sighed, ¡°I tried that already. Did you see the TEO that day? They couldn¡¯t do anything. The TEO and I were totally outmatched. I¡¯m not getting sit on my ass and do nothing while Cennet can do whatever he wants. I¡¯m not risking that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re putting yourself in unnecessary danger!¡±


    ¡°And what makes you think you aren¡¯t in danger too? What makes you think you¡¯re safe? You think I¡¯m doing this for me? If he could kill people who had nothing to do with this, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be easy for him to target those close to me?¡±


    She quieted down, but I knew there were words itching to get out of her. It was the same for me after all. For the next few days I lived in the lab, only going home to freshen up and get a change of clothes, maybe grab a bite. After a month, the design on the chassis was finalised and I picked it up in a couple weeks and finally began fitting together the parts. To power the monster, the Trainable Knight as I dubbed it, I used three cores of UGO energy to power it. A small one in its head, and two larger cores in the chest and abdomen. To me, he was going to be lion amongst Cennet¡¯s TS.


    The TK was to be a bulwark of impenetrable grit, yet brandish an arsenal of offensive power. He was as much a weapon as was he a protector. Putting him together, wiring the legs and every other little step to the creation of a perfect war robot, made me realise how sickened Cennet might¡¯ve felt. For me to point my weapon at the man I wronged in the first place, was, pure insolence. I knew it, yet, I couldn¡¯t risk being unprepared again. It scared me, not knowing when he would appear, or what he would do.


    Days, weeks, months, I drowned myself in creation. The media shadowing me died down, the news and commotion was slowly phasing out. Mom and Anna¡¯s concerns about me slowly withered away. Even Cennet seemed like a mere poltergeist. It was almost like the only people remembering him were me and the police, since they¡¯d come by to ask questions every now and then. Things ran rather smoothly and the TK was near completion in just over four months. It really only missed the training part of it all, and that was accomplished¨Cat least as much as the internet allowed¨Cin a couple weeks.


    Retractable cannons on his shoulders shot blasts like Z-21 did, though the power was adjustable this time. Two bigger and stronger boosters were installed on his back acting as a jetpack along with the same booster arrangement Grav had, achieving just over Mach 1 speeds. I was giddied with pride, and relieved at the same time, especially after his near perfect performance at a shooting range.


    The ball was in my court. It was time to take the fight to David Cennet.

 Level 12 – Changes

    A cold northern wind traced the nape of my neck. I sat leisurely on the balcony, gazing out at the pier and the calming sunset-soaked waters. The seagulls were unusually quiet, and my coffee was quite bitter. Was Anna trying to keep me up all night? We¡¯d do this sometimes, just quietly look out at the waters for a change of pace, but it looked like Marissa was nagging her to get home so she left earlier than usual. Bitter because she¡¯s not here? I thought, eyeing the mug in my hand then laughed it off.


    Afterwards, I¡¯d decided to fly around the city little. What I thought was chilly temps before was paltry compared to these higher altitudes. Looking down, all there was to see were lights, so many lights, yet it felt like the darkness wasn¡¯t cleared up. TK flew at my side, greatly slowing his speed to match my Grav-only speed. Really, the only change I made for myself was just a pair of goggles to block the wind. All my work¡­ well, our work¨CAnna couldn¡¯t bear to watch me work on my own¨Cwas focused toward TK.


    After a few minutes of scouring the city, I retreated for the night and went home. In my light sleep, I was awoken by my door opening, not exactly in the subtlest of ways. It slammed against the wall in my room. Anna was running to me, her hair a mess, no make-up, still in her bed clothes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone?!¡± she yelled at me as the maidservants gathered by the doorway. Somniferous eyes couldn¡¯t focus well, and it took a while for them to really notice how flustered she was. My mind was just idling in neutral until she shook my shoulders, ¡°Wake up!¡± and finally forced me into first gear. I rolled to the edge of my bed and stood up, rubbing my eyes, ¡°Calm down,¡± I told her. A servant offered her a glass of water and she finally sat on a nearby chair, trembling with her first sip.


    ¡°Jared,¡± she said, a lot more composed than she was, but brittle nonetheless, ¡°something happened.


    ¡°Well, I can guess,¡± I said, a bit snide, ¡°so tell me,¡± I leaned against the desk she was sitting at, ¡°what made you leave from your bed to come straight to me?¡±


    She placed the glass down and looked up at me. ¡°Things, are going to change,¡± she spoke softly, meekly and gave her phone to me. Before I could play the video clip she had up, she motioned me to sit. The solemn air about her made me a little uneasy, but the early morning rendered most emotions nil.


    The first couple seconds were pretty dark, until I heard the faint click of a switch and the lights came on. There were two people kneeling down, bags over their heads and hands supposedly bound behind them. A man leisurely strolled left and right behind them, ¡°Oh great hero, Ban,¡± the man said, and I could tell immediately who he was despite his head being above the camera, ¡°I have before me a decision I¡¯ve made, one I thought long and hard about,¡± Cennet announced, ¡°but I¡¯ll spare you the theatrics.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe he was doing this again, but what could I possibly expect after what he pulled? Nothing would be able to surprise me anymore. He pulled the bags off the hostages¡¯ heads, revealing their faces for but a few seconds, then quickly sank a bullet in the back of both their heads. The two of them fell, and my mind began caving in on itself. ¡°We¡¯ll meet each other soon, won¡¯t we, Ban? Oh, and in case it wasn¡¯t yet obvious,¡± he walked toward the camera, and stooped in front of it, making it focus on his face, ¡°I caused that car crash.¡± With those words, the video ended.


    I knew the future was not something man could foresee, but mine was becoming clearer with every passing second, or more accurately, my many choices in life were dwindling with every passing second this anger ate through my restraint. ¡°Is this real?¡± I asked. Anna stood up and embraced me, not saying a thing. ¡°Anna, is, this, real?¡± I asked once more. She still refused to say it, only nodded. I felt her head move up and down beside mine. A farrago of emotions built up, bubbling right below the lid, but that lid didn¡¯t know which one to let out so it just stifled them all underneath.


    By the time I¡¯d gotten wind of the news, the crime scene was already vacated. According to the authorities, dad¡¯s phone went off the grid about midnight, and mom¡¯s phone about one in the morning. The recording timestamp showed that they were killed just after two o¡¯clock and UGO¡¯s website was hacked an hour later, with the video literally on every page of the website. Marissa found it and woke up Anna to show her, and Anna came straight to me.


    I looked at their pale bodies at the morgue, feeling even more dead than they actually were. My face was void of emotion, but my heartbeat was on a rollercoaster. Was it anxious or calm? I couldn¡¯t tell what was going on inside me. It felt like the minute my feet graced the street outside the morgue, I was already in front of hundreds of people clad in black for dad¡¯s funeral. This stuffy church, this dauntingly tall podium, the melancholic atmosphere joined with their suffocating eyes and unwavering attention made me more uncomfortable that I needed to be. Telling them the little I knew about Charlie Foster, my father, my dad, was bitingly acrimonious pain. Part of me felt like I didn¡¯t deserve to stand there and talk like I knew the man, yet the other part felt like it was obligatory. About an hour later, his casket was lowered six feet under. He really did know a stupendous number of people. I couldn¡¯t recall the how many of his friends extended their condolences. That night was a sleepless one.


    The next day was mom¡¯s turn. Nothing less than a cathedral would suffice to provide seating the multitudes I saw. So many suits gathered under this one roof. Today, my nervousness seemed to win me over little by little. I stood behind yet another podium, though this one was equipped with a step-up, giving the audience a better view of me; that didn¡¯t help. Most of the faces I saw didn¡¯t exactly show signs of distress. I knew whom I was addressing, which made it even harder to do. I looked at the paper and tried reading, my mouth only inching open and stopping midway. It felt like the world was capsizing. The priest patted my shoulder, ¡°Take your time son, we understand.¡±


    Do you? I asked him only in thought, then looked back to the crowd, do they? I inhaled, then breathed out slowly, then flipped the paper with my speech over to the blank side. Those words on it, the pretty flowery scene it painted took away something I thought it shouldn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone, thank you for coming. Diana Ugo, founder and CEO of the UGO conglomerate. Chief of the greatest team of engineers in the world. Pioneer of robotics that would lead this world to a bright future,¡± I paused and looked at them, noticing a few nodding their heads in agreement. ¡°I hated that woman.¡±


    The muffled sounds of whispers made their way to my ear. ¡°I didn¡¯t consider her my mother, I considered one of the maids she hired to take care of me my mother.¡± Their murmurs and gasps really showed that I had their attention now. ¡°Really, I didn¡¯t know what she was. I¡¯m sure most¨Cif not, all of you¨Chave seen videos circulating the ¡®net with me fighting those robots. So, the apple didn¡¯t fall far from the tree. I didn¡¯t love the CEO of UGO, but I absolutely adored her work. I was obsessed with it. Every time I saw the things she did I always thought on how it could improve and began doing experiments of my own. A few years of that and I began sending emails to her at work, but she didn¡¯t know it was me. To her, I was just someone named Ban. That was my little secret. Those emails had ideas in them, ideas she loved. I thought that, if I couldn¡¯t get the love and attention of my mom, then maybe Ban could get it from the head engineer of UGO.¡± I chuckled, ¡°But of course, that wasn¡¯t enough. Before the hostage situation you all know of, there was another situation in UGO headquarters. That day, mom found out that I¡¯d taken the life of a boy when I was just five.¡±


    There, was where I revealed everything, ¡°So, I came to realise Diana Ugo, mom of Jared and CEO of UGO was the same person. I realised people don¡¯t need to change for us to appreciate them. I realised I wanted her to do what she wanted to do, whatever made her happy. I realised I loved mom.¡± The priest offered me a napkin, and only then had I realised a long tear made skid marks on my cheek and dangled at my chin. ¡°I talked way longer than I intended so I¡¯ll just end here. But there¡¯s one thing I want you all to take home. The family and friends you love, give them a second look, appreciate them for who they are. Thank you all for your time,¡± I ended and stepped down to a loud applause. Some weight was off my shoulders, and the media who covered the event certainly had a scoop.


    Two burials in two days wasn¡¯t easy, and the downpour that came along with mom¡¯s was quite cold, yet, it took quite a while before I realised an umbrella sheltered me. Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for Anna, I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d have done. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she¡¯d say, hugging me.


    The chauffeur picked us up a while after. In the next few days, we went over to dad¡¯s house with some movers to get his stuff. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re Jared, right?¡± one of the movers asked and I nodded with questioning eyes. ¡°I guess this is for you then,¡± he gave me a small jewellery box with my name written onto it. There was a note atop a silver ankh necklace. ¡®What you love is a direct reflection of who you are. Never forget who you are.¡¯A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    A simple message, one I didn¡¯t quite understand until I saw ¡®Ban¡¯ etched onto the back of the ankh. I held the pendant tight, so too my tears. It joined my headgear strip around my neck that day.


    For further legalities, most of it was controlled heavily by mom¡¯s will. Her lawyer, a seemingly sheepish but extremely stubborn man ensured things went the way they should. The cheques she wrote to him were no joke. Most of mom¡¯s assets, UGO or not, went to me, a few to her team of coats ¨C including Anna of course ¨C and two proposals; one to me and one to Anna.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Anna asked me, as she read her part of the proposal to me. Guardian, huh? I thought about it.


    ¡°I¡¯d like that. I¡¯d really like that. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t be happier with anyone else,¡± I said, noticing the edge of her lips curling up, ¡°but,¡± her head drooped a bit, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should, for your own safety. I can¡¯t risk yo¨C¡±


    ¡°Not happening,¡± she placed her palm up, blurting out her counter without even giving a reason. ¡°To be honest I wasn¡¯t totally sure about it, but after hearing you say that, I¡¯ll do it. Definitely. You need me after all.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who can¡¯t keep a normal conversation with people. Well, anyway, what¡¯s the other one?¡±


    She giggled, ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to deny that. As for her other proposal,¡± Anna beamed a childish happiness, ¡°she wants you to do her job.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°She wants you to lead the team, be the next head engineer. I understand why, too. They¡¯re kind of old and out of ideas.¡± She wanted me to become her, at least that¡¯s what I thought.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m underage so that can¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Since when did that stop you from doing anything?¡± she asked. A fair point, but I couldn¡¯t accept that out of the blue, it was out of place. My state of mind was also focused on something else entirely.


    Things calmed down in the weeks to come, except the interviews for mom¡¯s position. The board decided to include me in them along with a couple of the older coats. The candidate just leaving was probably the eighth one in a series of back and forth meetings. ¡°This is stupid,¡± I commented, slouched in my seat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always got something going on in that head of yours. Your silence on this matter was a little weird, for all of us. So how about you tell us what you think?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking questions, expecting another Diana Ugo. That can¡¯t happen. You¡¯re expecting the perfect balance of innovation and conservatism from candidates above forty.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest we do, then?¡±


    At that point I sighed a little, ¡°Just pick Anna already. She¡¯s the obvious choice. And yes, before you say it, I am biased towards her, but even with that, I still see no other clear alternative. She has more than enough creativity, and is plenty rational after dealing with the lot of my experiments. Other everyday CEO things can be learned from the secretary.¡±


    One of the older heads turned in his seat, ¡°She¡¯s only twenty-five though,¡± he said, worried her age would bring lack of experience.


    ¡°Well, you guys have been doing this way longer than I have so I trust your judgment if you choose someone else. But, remember,¡± I sat up properly, ¡°your most profitable years came from the inventions of a kid.¡±


    I took an early leave from that meeting. A look at my schedule made me feel like there was no rest for the weary. I had a shrink visit early afternoon, the TEOs also contacted me and there was another meeting with Anna and mom¡¯s lawyer. At particular times, my attentiveness would drop and my mind would blank out. A cold ruth would escalate and feed upon itself to snowball into a smothering haze I couldn¡¯t breathe or see through. Anna often had to snap me out of that bog. I¡¯d appear quite indifferent to those I conversated with. It was the second time it occurred whilst I talked to mom¡¯s lawyer. ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, standing up to retreat, ¡°I¡¯ll do this another time,¡± and simply walked out of his office. Anna tussled with some papers laid about on the desk and came out to meet me soon after.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± she yelled out the moment I was about to fly off. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to fly?!¡± She seemed a little angrier than needed. I wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°Do you want to crash land again?¡± she asked and held my hand, pulling me downwards to her. Her keen eyes could see the pain swelling my face. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m here with you. You¡¯re not alone,¡± she comfort me with those words, words I¡¯d began depending on to calm myself. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take you home.¡±


    What¡¯s she talkin¡¯ about? I wondered, particularly on the crash-landing part. Did I ever crash land using Grav? That topic weighed on me the entire trip home. I fetched myself a glass of water and sat on the sofa in the living room, my legs crossed and my head leaned onto the backrest as I slouched. ¡°Hey, um, uh, well,¡± I initiated but didn¡¯t quite know how to ask what I wanted to so I breathed slowly, ¡°how long has it been since, the funerals?¡±


    Her brows showed her answer was going to be one of playful mockery like we usually answer each other, but she second-guessed herself and chose to reply seriously. ¡°It¡¯s, been three days, Jared.¡±


    The cogs in my mind halted, to pay ample respect to this enigmatic delusion. Three? I pondered, how could it possibly be three days when I¡¯ve spent the last two weeks in interviews, shrink visits, grave visits and legal consulting? What exactly was she telling me? I posed these questions to her, earning a look of honest concern. She showed me the date on her phone, its digits seemed to be jumping. With a squeeze of my eyelids, I focused my sight, truly discerning the correct date, and coming to believe Anna¡¯s claims. How blind was I? Was I asleep the whole time?


    ¡°Did I, meet the board of directors today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied in a questioning tone, ¡°you had about seven or eight applicants to interview with the board, did you forget already, silly?¡±


    I gave her a weak, almost forced chuckle, ¡°I, I guess,¡± and downed the rest of the water. At that point, I honestly asked myself if my mind was that warped. The undying fire fervently searing my chest was such a horrid agony, yet I¡¯d only just gotten through three days of it!


    Later that sleepless night, into the wee hours of morning, I crept into the basement, a place of solace for me and screamed my chords into turmoil, shattering the vague delusion of stoical resistance against this heart-wrenching loss. I cried, like a baby, loud and unrestrained. It was so disheartening to force myself into realising time and time again that all this was real. It was real. My parents were, murdered. Mom and dad weren¡¯t coming back, they wouldn¡¯t magically reappear when I opened my eyes, no matter how I yearned it to be so. I clasped hopelessly onto the na?ve notion that all this malice and bitterness derived from a mere phantasmal experience. I balled my little fists and wept for an eternity, slumping to my knees in weakness and curling up into a helpless child, dreaming of the warmth I felt whilst my parents had their arms around me. No one said it would be this hard, this bad. My ideas of good and bad were all mixing and swarming together into a convoluted black cauldron of selfishness. How I lingered on regret, wishing I had never met my father. Maybe then, he might¡¯ve still been alive. What even was the point of bonding with my mother when she was going to die anyway? It only made her death harder to swallow. Those were my thoughts, for a while, until I realised how repulsive they were. How could I even think that? I wondered, feeling like with every passing second a new domain of obscurity would reveal itself, and the harder I looked at this undiscovered part of me, the more I noticed how unbelievably thick it was coated in stygian enmity.


    Anna entered a few minutes after with a blanket and glass of water; she sat next to me. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    I took it and drank a bit, staring into space for a minute. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, not giving any such context, but she understood.


    She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Jared. No one knows. All we can do is grow stronger from our hardships. And, you won¡¯t have to do that alone.¡± She hugged tighter and threw the blanket over us, ¡°I¡¯m here with you. You¡¯re not alone.¡±


    Every time Anna went to bed, I¡¯d check the date to ensure my internal clock wasn¡¯t going bonkers. This time, a few weeks actually did pass by with nothing noteworthy happening besides the board¡¯s attempts at convincing Anna to take up even more of mom¡¯s responsibilities. ¡°Have you made a decision?¡± I asked her, zipping up my hoodie to combat the frigidity of the CEO''s office.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she grinned, a malignant aura emanating from her, ¡°but I got a condition.¡± I raised my brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s CEO of UGO, shouldn¡¯t you be grabbing it up? What condition could you possibly have?¡±


    Her smile grew even darker, ¡°Accept the head engineer position, and I¡¯ll be CEO.¡±


    I moved my lips to the side in a disapproving but still indecisive gesture. ¡°It''s head engineer of UGO, shouldn¡¯t you be grabbing it up?¡± she hit me back with my own line.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll do it, boss,¡± I agreed nonchalantly, I wasn¡¯t opposed to it nor was I for it, but I was interested. I thought for a minute ¨C a pattern I was rather fond of ¨C that this new venture would take my mind off things, but that¡¯s not what I wanted, not this time.


    Anna finally sat down in the boss¡¯ seat. I lost a partner but gained a guardian and looked on at her in pride, genuinely happy for her. But, of course, there was one glaring issue. The clear, perfect weather outside lighted the beige room perfectly as I stood in front of that desk, my attention locked onto Anna. I touched dad¡¯s ankh lightly, and made my way to the edge of the building to get a look at the city, leaving a long uneasy period of silence to go on, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill David Cennet.¡±


    She too, took an unreasonably long time to reply, almost to ensure my words soaked into her mind properly. ¡°And then what?¡± she inquired, ¡°You¡¯re going to stoop to his level? You¡¯re willing to risk your life by going to kill again when you know, that you¡¯re afraid of it?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer; there was no need. Yeah, sure, I was afraid of it but there was something else I was even more frightened to see come to pass ¨C her death. She knew there was nothing she could do to change my mind. ¡°Fine,¡± her footsteps grew louder and she stood next to me, peering out at the city as well, ¡°but at least tell me why you¡¯re doing it. Is it vengeance?¡±


    ¡°It is, but not the only reason.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the other reason?¡±


    ¡°You,¡± I replied and walked off, making sure to congratulate her on her new position before I exited the room.

 Level 13 – Lost Ones

    For some weeks now, I wracked my brain over that UGO scandal, trying to find some real trace of the hacker¡¯s whereabouts. I was good, but this level of anonymity was godlike. In actuality, I found many traces, hundreds of them, from practically every country to exist. I know he didn¡¯t leave the country at that time, but that doesn¡¯t mean the hacker was in the country. Narrowing down and eliminating the search was what I really did all this time, until a call came through.


    The voice, a calm and clear one, asked of my identity, but after my silence it spoke again, ¡°I¡¯m TEO field captain, Ferris Andino, an¨C¡±


    ¡°Andino?¡± I asked, finding it funny at first but shrugging it off as mere coincidence.


    ¡°Y-yes, you were my brother¡¯s student at school, it seems. He¡¯s told me about you. But enough of that, we have bigger problems, and I¡¯m afraid they share a similar nature to the previous time we met.¡±


    Of course, nothing went smoothly in my search for Cennet, but it looked like an opportunity to anchor onto a lead presented itself. ¡°Send your location,¡± I told him and zoomed over to the other side of the city.


    Outside the building, Ferris waited for me. ¡°Did he specifically call for me again?¡± I inquired of the TEO, referring to Cennet. He shook his head, ¡°We did. He does have hostages again though, so we¡¯re in a bit of a pinch.¡±


    ¡°Did you locate them?¡±


    ¡°No, my team is working to secure that information now,¡± he told me, slowing down a bit as we walked past a room. There were some people inside, gloom quite present on their faces.


    I ceased right there, ¡°Why am I here?¡±


    Ferris stopped, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not putting you in danger, not again. We got enough flak from the higher-ups for that move.¡± He turned around, his hairy arms folding into each other, ¡°I just want you to talk to my team; figured you might know why he¡¯s still doing this.¡±


    Those thoughts permeated my attentiveness and made me an aloof husk every so often throughout the days, wondering if Cennet¡¯s vengeance was satiated with my parents¡¯ death, with my suffering. Of course, if the answer was no, then Anna was the next obvious target, which I absolutely rued. But, to think he¡¯d target completely unrelated people after shaking my world as much as he did, made me conclude a couple things.


    ¡°He¡¯s either got some grandiose plan,¡± a fellow stated, nearing us with a strong-scented brew of coffee in his hand, ¡°or, he¡¯s still not over what happened to his kid,¡± and took a sip, ¡°in both instances we¡¯d have to worry. He¡¯s already proven his cunning,¡± the lanky man pointed out, which I knew all too well.


    Ferris kept a little quiet, and only switched eyes occasionally from the young mind to me. I guess this was the main person he wanted me to speak with. ¡°Psychologist?¡± I asked the towering man.


    ¡°Something like that. Child genius?¡± he countered, somewhat.


    ¡°Ha,¡± I gave a one-off laugh drenched in sarcasm, ¡°nothing like that. What did you want to know?¡±


    ¡°The exact materials you need to make the TS,¡± another said, this one a stark contrast to the brown-skinned, lean criminal psychologist.


    ¡°Tech guy?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said, crunching down on the last bit of his lollipop. Quite the eclectic group of individuals, Ferris certainly had his hands full with their confidence.


    ¡°Agent Sean Murray,¡± Ferris pointed at the well-dressed and immaculately groomed psychologist, ¡°and agent Randy Mortiere,¡± then at the unkempt, chubby technician, ¡°they¡¯re basically married,¡± he joked.


    According to the technician¡¯s question just now, it looked like they¡¯d been digging up in the zeroes and ones of UGO, using their persistent molars to grind as much information into one sensible whole.


    ¡°So, you hacked UGO,¡± I mentioned to Randy, ¡°I¡¯ll have to tighten our security.¡± Sean laughed, turned his back and walked into a room, knowing I caught his friend¡¯s slip of tongue when he mentioned the TS. After all, UGO never revealed the TS was something they made.


    We entered a separate room and there was yet another person waiting there. Just from the way she carried herself, she was a clear no-nonsense pain in the ass that Ferris was probably forced into letting join the fray. She remained seated even at our arrival, and totally ignored a simple gesture for a handshake. Her eyes were kept buried into a file, screening through pages and didn¡¯t afford me the time of day. ¡°Sit down, kid. I want full disclosure on every piece of tech UGO has and all their R&D on¨C¡±


    That was all I heard her say before I walked out and closed the door. ¡°Wait!¡± Ferris called out, walking briskly after me, ¡°Wait,¡± he grabbed my arm, ¡°are you really going to walk out on those people?¡± he pointed to the families of the kidnapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m not walking out on them,¡± I replied, ¡°I have my own methods. Besides, that woman intends for this to be a one-sided partnership. Her bullshit intimidation tactics won¡¯t work on me. Not only do you hack UGO, but you expect me to divulge information as if your fingers weren¡¯t already in our servers. Until she¡¯s off this case, the TEO gets no help from me. And after today you won¡¯t be able to access UGO anymore. Now please, let go of me,¡± I asked of him, but he didn¡¯t. In fact, his grip tightened.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said softly and broke off eye-contact, ¡°when you join places like the TEO, you become unhinged from society. There¡¯s an air of bravado that comes over you. You think you¡¯re indestructible, above the normal sheep.¡±


    What was he getting at?


    ¡°You think you¡¯re invincible,¡± he finally let go, ¡°and that might be right, but then something comes along every now and then to remind you that you can be broken indirectly.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point,¡± I edged him on to end this conversation.


    ¡°He has my niece. I cannot,¡± he emphasised, ¡°let anything happen to her. So please, help me find her.¡±


    ¡°The number you called me on, is that your personal phone?¡± I inquired, removing the headgear from my neck and placing it over my head. He squinted in confusion and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if I get anything new. What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Cindy. Andino.¡±


    With that, I left back to my lab, and played a video that haunted my dreams for weeks on end. I leaned forward, sitting on the edge of the chair and rested my elbows on my legs. Fifteen minutes later, I was at the murder site, caution tape still running along the middle of the room. The little coffee table was the only thing there. I spent a while in the abandoned flat, looking for something, anything. There was nothing there ¨C or so I thought ¨C when I turned around to leave, my footstep sounded a little, different. I backpedalled, with louder, smaller steps, and found a certain part of the floor seemed hollow. At the corner of the room, I upturned the carpet and found a small cellar door with a note taped onto it.


    ¡®Love brings life, and hatred, death.¡¯ A simple message, yet the word ¡®Ban¡¯ below tossed me into a conundrum and made me look at the note in a totally new light. What¡¯s he talking about? I pondered, pulling the string switch hanging near the entrance of the basement for some light. On the sole table inside the dimly lit room, was yet another note reading, ¡®But sometimes, hatred brings life, and love brings death.¡¯


    The thought alone that I had to endure this man¡¯s madness pushed me away from deciphering these cryptic notes. Glimpses of an ugly, detestable side of me flickered a few times each day, increasing in frequency as time went by. Flickering images of a still Cennet, and a bloody Z-21. These vengeful emotions I wanted to bury kept inching closer to the surface each day.


    Flipping the note over, there was the number eight written on it, which made these already horrible clues even worse. I called it a day and returned to work. The next couple days I picked my brains out, examining the curvature of every line, the words, the meaning of the notes Cennet left behind. On the verge of giving up, was when I noticed something interesting. An ambulance from a private medical facility with a rather intriguing logo. It drove by as I watched from the balcony, sipping my bitter evening coffee. I looked down at the paper, then up at the van. My eyes opened wider as realisation set in.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    I was holding it wrong the whole time! I sighed mentally and rotated the paper. It wasn¡¯t the number eight, it was an infinity symbol, the very symbol used as the logo of the private hospital. How likely would it be that the private-run hospital had any sliver of connection to that madman? There¡¯s no way, I thought, but I was weak to the temptation of curiosity. Quickly, I succumbed to the urge of ruling out every possibility and checked up on all three major hospitals under the name Boundless Hope. Hmm? My eyes scanned the text wrapping around an image of the closed-down clinic ran by the same company. The article was too long to cope with, and so I scrolled through, inhaling only the keywords and ensuring my memory tasted it thoroughly.


    Later that night, I ventured there with my TK, opting out of a speedy course in favour of discreet manoeuvres through the old parking lot. The place was eerily dark, planting a discomposingly paranoid seed of hesitance as I climbed atop a dumpster and latched onto an outside iron staircase. Afterwards, getting access was a simple matter of carefully slicing the rooftop door¡¯s lock open and making my way down the dusty, cobweb-ridden stairs. The top floor was mainly empty offices, records management rooms, and storage rooms. It was dark and lifeless. What was I expecting? I asked myself and turned around to creep back out, but there was a quiet muffled sound coming from the very stairs I just came from. Something was on the bottom floor.


    I snuck downwards, slowly, and noticed a dim light emanating far down the hall. Hugging the walls, I made my way towards that one room. ¡°Ugh, shut her up, will you?¡± someone¡¯s voice swerved out the open room. I peeped, and noticed someone strapped onto a bed, tightly, almost as if they wanted the belts to stop the person¡¯s blood flow. What the hell¡­


    Another man was there, clothed in a scrub and mask. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, after his colleague injected the fidgeting woman with something that put her to sleep.


    ¡°How did patient nine go?¡±


    ¡°Bad. I think the dosage might be too strong,¡± he said, flicking the syringe and spilling a little out the needle, ¡°I reduced the concentration for now. I don¡¯t think number nine will make it. If she does, she¡¯ll probably be comatose.¡±


    ¡°What do we do with her then? Should we get rid of her?¡±


    The man stopped and thought, then looked up at his partner, ¡°Nah, we need as much information on the reactions as possible, even the failures. When you get a chance, bring in number ten and eleven, will you?¡±


    ¡°Gotcha. I¡¯m heading out for a bite after, you want anything?¡±


    ¡°Cheeseburger, two.¡±


    The assistant began walking out the room, and I panicked a little. Shit, I looked around quickly, and spun around, going inside another dark room. The man walked by, the swishing of his scrub being the only proof of his passage as the sound of footsteps failed to touch my ears. He entered the room opposite the operation room the surgeon ¨C or the mad scientist ¨C was in. A sedated boy, probably around my age, was wheeled into the surgery room on a stretcher, and a minute after, a little girl.


    I wasn¡¯t completely sure if this hospital was connected to Cennet, nor was I sure if these ¡®patients¡¯ were the kidnap victims the TEOs were searching for, not until the assistant read out something on a clipboard. ¡°Number ten, Jamie Alphonso. A little history of asthma but nothing to be concerned about. Safe. Number eleven, Cindy Andino. History of panic attacks. Diagnosed with depression after her brother died. Otherwise, safe.¡±


    Right on the money, I thought, phoning Ferris Andino immediately. The first two tries went unanswered, but the third time, an angry girlfriend picked up, ¡°Who the hell is this?! Ferris is busy!¡± she yelled, and hung up the phone.


    You can¡¯t be serious right now. I rang yet again, ignored. By then, the assistant made his way outside, probably for food. Persistence eventually won Ferris¡¯ girl over, and she answered again, ¡°Do you want his niece to die?!¡± I exclaimed, in a whispery voice before she had a chance to say anything, ¡°No? Then put him on the damn phone!¡±


    ¡°Ferris speaking. Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Ugo. I found the place, I confirmed your niece is here, or at least, the man about to operate on her did. It¡¯s the old Boundless Hope clinic on the edge of the city. The guys should be on break now, I¡¯ll send you my location. Do not cause a scene, I don¡¯t want them to destroy anything we can use as evidence. Also, if you don¡¯t reach in time, I¡¯ll take action myself.¡±


    ¡°No, no, just hang back. I¡¯ll get a few guys and meet you there,¡± he warned, a fair bit of worry in his voice.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    After a couple minutes, the surgeon came outside and lounged in the lobby, having a smoke. I breathed a sigh of relief and kicked back for a while. Fifteen minutes later, the assistant returned with a few bags of fast food. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in, aye?¡±


    They ate in about half an hour and began getting ready to return to their duties. Where the hell is t¨C


    Just when I was thinking where Ferris was, my phone vibrated from an incoming call.


    ¡°You close?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Sixty seconds. Everything good?¡± he asked, but before I could answer, I overheard one of them say, ¡°Initial shot ready, let¡¯s hurry up and go home.¡±


    Damn, I was torn between what to do now. ¡°I, don¡¯t know, give me a sec.¡± I prowled towards the operation room and peered in. They had a few syringes lined up and ready, tapping the forearms to administer whatever vile concoction was in those plastic tubes. Well, I hit the countdown timer on three of my sleep grenades and threw them inside the room, sorry Ferris, I said to him mentally before slamming the door and locking the suspects inside.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± They banged on the door incessantly, pulling with all their might, but I stuck Z-21 inside the handlebars so they¡¯d stay inside. After a minute or so, I looked through the transparent plastic in the door and saw their bodies collapsed atop each other. Ferris and his team were outside, apparently picking the lock on the front door, which I eventually just opened for them.


    Three guns were pointing right at me when the door swung open, but Ferris told them I wasn¡¯t the enemy in a hushed voice. ¡°What the hell, Ugo?! Didn¡¯t I say to stay still? Why are you at the front door?!¡±


    I pointed back with my thumb, ¡°They¡¯re asleep. Any second later and they¡¯d have injected her and another person with ¨C I don¡¯t know ¨C something. I didn¡¯t want to take the chance.¡±


    His squad bound the two sleeping suspects. Ferris breathed relief, yet his features seemed to be fraught with worry anew. ¡°They were sedated or something, plus my sleep grenades probably made it worse,¡± I spoke of the patients, ¡°but they¡¯re both breathing fine. They should be okay. There are other rooms with other patients who underwent experiments of some sort. We should probably keep our distance from them, in case we¡¯re exposed to anything,¡± I advised.


    At that point, I was at an impasse on whether to stay or make myself scarce. On one hand, I wanted very badly to peruse the deadened facility for any other clues Cennet might¡¯ve left. On the other hand, my gut wrung itself inside out, telling me to leave; I should¡¯ve listened. That audacious woman in charge of the case not only disappointed me with her mere presence, but had me detained for questioning as well, despite Ferris¡¯ clear indication that I was not a suspect, instead the very person who pointed them to the kidnapped.


    My wrists were tied, sitting in the back seat of an all-black SUV weaving through traffic. I got dumped in an interrogation room just like the two quacks, my gears taken away. She barged in a few minutes later, ¡°What¡¯re you doing, kid? Why were you at the scene?¡± she folded her arms and sat on the edge of the table, at the side of me. I really began despising this woman.


    Silence intruded into the room for a while, almost fixating the onlookers¡¯ attention to how much tension rose between us ¨C that¡¯s assuming anyone was even witnessing this interrogation through that haunting one-way glass. ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing but help this precinct ¨C which, might I add, asked for assistance ¨C why do you insist on focusing on me?¡±


    ¡°Who do I focus on then, Ugo?¡±


    I squinted my eyes at that question, ¡°How about the two suspects who were playing doctor? That¡¯s a great place to start, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    She slammed her fist against the metal table and startled me, ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass, boy! Yes, you know Cennet the best ¨C assuming he¡¯s behind this mess ¨C but don¡¯t you ever think you can run with the grownups. Either you help us from the side-line or bail out,¡± she got up, ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you mixed up in any of this again!¡± and stormed out the room.


    What the hell just happened? I asked myself, not sure what her anger was directed at.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to ya, buddy,¡± Randy came in, lollipop in his mouth as usual, ¡°she¡¯s always cranky. You know, she probably hasn¡¯t gotten any lately.¡±


    Sean elbowed him in the side, ¡°If I ever have kids, I¡¯m not letting you near them,¡± he said to Randy, sighing wearily before he unlocked my cuffs. ¡°He¡¯s right though, Ugo. Don¡¯t let her get to you. Her son died because he played hero during a stick-up. After that, she became notorious for being a bossy control freak and gives us crap for anything we do deviating even the slightest from policy. One-man teams are a thing of the past now.¡±


    Ferris came in after a while with all my gear, and as natural as breathing, they began talking about the case. I zoned out for a while, not exactly thinking about anything, yet unable to focus on their conversation. There was a moment of clarity for me, yet that moment, by some stroke of illogic, managed to perplex me even more about my very own goals.


    The thorny path? Or the oasis?


    Those questions, to that very moment, still inflicted shards of doubt scattered about my mind. With some aloof movement, I equipped the shielders onto my forearms again, grabbing my other gears too.


    Despite the irregularities of my life, I found that tonight stood out for some reason. ¡°Did you do a headcount?¡± I inquired, somewhat breaking apart the flowing conversation amongst the three.


    ¡°Yeah, all the missing persons were found. Some are dead though,¡± Sean replied, removing his leg from a crossed position and leaning forward to really show his attentiveness to me. ¡°Let me ask you a question, Ugo.¡± He interlaced his fingers and peered right at me, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°From what?¡±


    ¡°From life.¡±


    I paused, only just attaching the satchel of grenades to me. There was some silence, only the ambience of the air-conditioner having any say. A lot of different scenarios played out in my mind, some peaceful and loving, others gruesome and saturated in angst, and some a culmination of both. But, ultimately¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I said, shrugging it off, ¡°I¡¯m thirteen, should I?¡±


    ¡°Come on. You engineered most of the successful products for UGO, and some for UGO Medical. You broke into security systems by yourself. You went through a lot of shit.¡± He paused just a little longer as if thinking twice about the words to follow, ¡°You killed,¡± he pointed out, leaving an even longer period of silence for that fact to be engrained into the atmosphere. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have even the smallest inkling of what you want.¡±


    Of course, I do, I thought, finding his prying questions and unwanted comments to become a little irritating. ¡°When I figure it out, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

 Level 14 – Vasc

    ¡°Jared? Jared! Wake up, you have guests,¡± a maid shook me awake as gently as she could. I¡¯d seen her around before, but with all that unfolded, many of the mansion¡¯s attendants¡¯ identities were a blur to me. I pushed myself upright quite unenthusiastically.


    Guests? I wondered who they might be. With recent events, the estate security wouldn¡¯t let just any John Doe in, unless specifically instructed to by a resident of the Ugo estate. My natural curiosity and knack for tinkering around the what-ifs slowly pushed my mind towards a more attentive state as I sauntered down the stairs in sleepwear.


    ¡°Ugo,¡± the TEO greeted. It was Ferris Andino, but he wasn¡¯t the only Andino present. His brother, my teacher appeared behind him. I was a little surprised when I saw someone somewhat hiding behind my teacher too.


    ¡°It was really shocking,¡± Samuel said five minutes into our conversation, ¡°when that robot attacked. I¡¯d never think you were involved in such a situation,¡± he said, staring blankly into his cup of tea. He was speaking of when this all started, when Cennet programmed a TS to kidnap me from school. Thinking back on it then, it felt like something that happened ages ago. ¡°I mean, you were, er¨C¡±


    ¡°Just some kid who was bullied and too weak to do anything, right?¡± I finished what I was certain were the thoughts in his mind.


    ¡°Y-yeah, sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯d have thought the same. But you know, Mr Andino, there was something you said that always stuck with me. I remember those words clearly. ¡®Doing nothing is the worst thing to do.¡¯ You said that to me when you were trying to get me to squeal on my bullies. It¡¯s strange, that I never fought back there, yet I chose to fight an enemy ten times more dangerous.¡±


    A snigger came from Ferris, ¡°Are you for real? You¡¯re a weird kid, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I laughed, ¡°more than I¡¯d like to admit.¡± I turned to look at Samuel Andino¡¯s daughter, ¡°Cindy, right? How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m, good,¡± she replied softly, hardly able to make eye-contact.


    Samuel giggled, ¡°Hahaha, she¡¯s just nervous. She became a big fan of you ever since you started blowing up on the ¡®net.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, your uncle, Ferris has my number. You can talk to me anytime you feel like,¡± I encouraged with a pleasant smile on my face. ¡°So, Ferris, I know you¡¯re an opportunist, so¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t I just come by with my bro for a simple visit?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong I guess,¡± he admitted. ¡°Those fellas we brought in said some interesting things. For example, a little project called Vasc. According to the suspects, it¡¯s just ¡®one side of the coin¡¯. Not even they know what the other side is.¡±


    ¡°What is Vasc?¡±


    ¡°A formula that¡¯s supposed to grant the user regenerative abilities. Aside from that, they don¡¯t know much else. Apparently Cennet gives them a concentrated version of the drug, shows them how to dilute it and tells them to test it out and send him reports.¡±


    To test something like that, they¡¯d have to cause damage to see if it works. The hell is Cennet doing?


    ¡°We got a location too,¡± he added, a bit chipper, ¡°we¡¯re going to smoke him out real soon.¡±


    If only he knew what would happen, he¡¯d have never allowed that raid to happen.


    The next day, I was in my private lab working on some minor improvements for the TK and got a phone call from Cindy of all people, weeping in the dead of night. I could barely make out her words. Her dad had to relay the message to me.


    I slipped the goggles over my eyes and full-throttled the Grav with my TK easily keeping pace. How ironic, that the hospital chosen to nurse the twenty-three injured and store the bodies of eleven dead TEOs was Boundless Hope. Thankfully, Ferris was amongst the living.


    ¡°It happened earlier today, ¡®round noon,¡± Samuel said, looking piteously at his gravely injured brother who laid unconscious. ¡°We got the call not too long ago. They raided a lab outside the city, but,¡± he balled his fist and furrowed his brows a little, not wanting his daughter to worry even more from showing his own emotions too much, ¡°they were set up. Cennet knew they were coming. I was told all of this happened in under five minutes.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m sorry this happened,¡± just then, a slew of people came into the ward and circled around, friends and family by the looks of it. ¡°I should go. Call me when he¡¯s awake, will you?¡± I asked and promptly left.


    My curiosity almost killed me in the couple days I waited for that call, and when I got the call it only served to rekindle that fiery ensemble of questions sneaking about in my mind. How exactly did David Cennet overpower a task force from the TEO?


    When I arrived at Ferris¡¯ bedside, only Samuel and that old coot that¡¯s in charge of the case were there. ¡°What is he doing here?!¡± she annoyingly questioned the very person she came to visit.


    She stood up, ¡°This is official police business, and not within visiting hours, so I suggest y¨C¡±


    ¡°Esther!¡± Ferris yelled softly to get her attention, ¡°I asked Samuel to call him.¡± With that, she boiled down a bit, then took her seat.


    ¡°You saw what happened on the body cams. Cennet is no longer normal. Even his damn robots are too much for us. Frankly, there¡¯s no way we can do this without the help of another abnormal person. That¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°He spoke to me,¡± an old man with hair as white as snow walked into our little meeting, ¡°about this young lad. Let me make this clear, Jared Ugo. We need your help if we want to catch David Cennet. Either you work something out so that we can use the equipment you make, or, you help us. I¡¯d much prefer the first option though. If you decide to help us yourself, know that you must be covert about it. Should you be injured, or die, know that we will fully deny ever allowing you to work with us. You¡¯re a mature kid, I¡¯m sure you understand,¡± he patted my shoulder. ¡°That is all. Oh, and Samuel, welcome back,¡± he left right after, leaving me with a decision to make.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, kid. There is no benefit for you,¡± Esther warned immediately, ¡°they¡¯re just trying to use you. Don¡¯t be a hero.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± after all, a hero is far from what I am. ¡°So, what exactly happened?¡± I asked, and they showed me collective recordings of the raid. I watched it again and again, like an addicting show.


    ¡°You said he was developing a drug for regeneration. You didn¡¯t say it was for super strength and super speed too.¡±


    Cennet barehandedly, albeit not singlehandedly, destroyed the TEO task force. His kicks and punches were inhumanely fast and powerful, enough to have his opponents airborne after a heavy strike. The TK¡¯s thick hide could probably take a few blows from him, but me? Definitely not. That uncouth little thought that marred itself onto my conscience, seemed to dwindle away every time I replayed the video. How am I supposed to get revenge on a monster like that? I thought, wracking my brains about my next move.


    ¡°Have Randy send me these videos. And tell me if you¡¯re making another raid again,¡± I stood up and looked at Samuel, ¡°I take it that ¡®welcome back¡¯ means that you were TEO before?¡± I inquired and he answered with a nod.


    With that, I began flying back to my lab to brainstorm some ideas but the TK¡¯s voice caught my attention mid-flight, ¡°Something is following us,¡± it warned. And as if my ears magically worked again, I finally heard the sound of a projectile headed for us. I turned around and put both shielders up, my TK doing the same. A rocket beelined towards us, but against the energy waves of four shielders, there was no way it would even scratch us. It blew up, pushing me downward. Right then, a group of TS swarmed us, restricting my TK¡¯s movement and assaulting me with a liquid in some vials. They broke those thin glass tubes over my face and a powder escaped, which unfortunately I inhaled.


    I woke up some time later ¨C I wasn¡¯t sure when ¨C in the middle of the road, causing a huge traffic jam because my TK would not allow anyone to move me or even drive near me. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I said, holding my head to somewhat ease the rippling headaches, ¡°stand down,¡± I said, slowly getting up. There were a few TS bodies scattered about the road. ¡°How long was I unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Approximately seven minutes, sir.¡±


    The crowd of cameras and phones made a circle, chattering away. Married with the honking horns of angered drivers, my headache ravaged me even more. All of my gear was still there, nothing was out of place. What the hell was that about? I checked around my clothes quickly to make sure no tracking device was placed on me, then hurriedly flew away. The minute I touched down at the lab, a worried Anna phoned me and I had to spend a while convincing her I was okay.


    Later that night, I fell asleep tracing up schematics for another device.


    A sweltering heat waved over my body. I was soaked in sweat. A headache, throbbing and unrefined randomly targeted areas of my brain and pulsed in agonising pain endlessly. I awoke from that, in dizziness and confusion. ¡°Ugh,¡± I said, holding my head as the intensity steadily increased. My body¡¯s temperature was skyrocketing and my skin was becoming increasingly sensitive to the touch, to the point where just a simple touch to the arm was painful. The headaches didn¡¯t stop, neither did my temperature. My vision was blurry, but clear enough to see my bloodshot eyes in the mirror as my hands clumsily grabbed onto the first-aid cabinet. Was I sick? Why was my body acting this way? Thinking I could press through, I curled up on a chair, haplessly trying to absorb the pain, but it persevered to my points where my bones felt like they were deconstructing. My skull had a hand in it, squeezing down on a random part of my brain every few seconds. My heart was in full swing, as if it was competing with the gushing waters of a busted fire hydrant. My eyes burnt, simply inhaling burnt. My muscles began sporadically contracting and expanding, causing immense agony with each contraction all over my body. That was when I realised this was no passing fever or flu and that something really was wrong with me. My arms and legs jerked about uncontrollably. My back and core muscles began doing the same, weird convulsions over my entire body as if I was poisoned.


    ¡°T-TK! Take me¨Chospital!¡± I said, my words broken, my speech slurred. I arrived there and was given some medication, probably pain-killers to weather the storm whilst they hopelessly tried to figure out what was wrong. They even questioned TK about my health record, but there was nothing of the sort. The painkillers weren¡¯t as effective as I¡¯d have liked them to be, but they did at least make it so that the pain didn¡¯t warrant the screaming I entered the hospital with. I was now silently squirming about on the bed, gripping onto the bars in futile hope that whatever this was would subside.


    Thankfully, the sleeping pills did their job, and the pain eventually went away. When I awoke the next morning, my skin was covered in dried blood.


    ¡°Well, looks like I got company,¡± someone joked. It was Ferris, one leg in a cast whilst Cindy wheeled him over to my bed.


    ¡°Well, this is weird. I didn¡¯t even see which hospital I got admitted to. And to end up in the same ward as you too, are you sure you didn¡¯t infect me with something because you were lonely?¡±


    We all shared a laugh, but he turned serious after a while, ¡°What happened? You were on the news lying unconscious in the middle of the road.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, some TS attacked. They had sleep powder or something. Next thing I know, I¡¯m on some street with my TK over me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find that weird? The minute we raid¨Ctried raiding his lab, you get attacked and then get some weird illness.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I was injected with that thing?¡±


    ¡°Vasc. It¡¯s likely.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not feeling like I¡¯m healed, so it must¡¯ve been a failed test drug he injected.¡± There was a silence, a little cease in speech that spelled the importance of the words to come.


    ¡°Jared, you may die,¡± he said, quite solemnly. I wondered why words so morbid did not faze me. Was I becoming too accustomed to these mishaps? To suffering? No, I thought, dismissing that misconception. Deep down I acknowledged that whatever wrath was brought down upon me by Cennet was fair, considering what I did to his son, Jonathan. Skulking around in the back of my mind, I knew that whatever happened in our little war was nothing either of us could complain about. I knew that this colossal drive ¨C this thirst even ¨C was slowly sawing the already thinning reins on my conscience.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Cennet won¡¯t kill me. If he wanted to, I¡¯d have been dead years ago.¡±


    Ferris was about to mouth something, but decided against it; he instead shrugged, ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard, eh?¡±


    We chatted like that every now and then, whenever I wasn¡¯t suffering the symptoms of Vasc. In all honestly, I expected to be discharged within two days for the most. That thinking was horribly misconstrued. I¡¯d been hospitalised for a month, the attacks worsening each time. I¡¯d never seen Anna as distraught throughout my stay. Thankfully, the drug¡¯s effects diminished drastically at the end of the third week, but not all of the effects.


    The pain went away eventually, but in turn I had become, stronger. My muscle, as meagre as it was, became ever so slightly bigger and much hardier. It became obvious during my last few attacks. Once the pain and burning reached a certain level, it almost instantly subsided. It felt like a combination of my body involuntarily numbing the parts that hurt, and somehow removing the source of the pain itself. Now more than ever I became curious as to what I was injected with. The doctors, after dozens of tests, figured nothing out.


    Many of the injured TEOs, including Ferris, were discharged before me. I was home for a few days, under strict warning from Anna to stay away from the lab for the time being; easier said than done. The quaint feeling my lab gave off was too much to possibly resist, so I ended up back there anyway.


    After watching the bodycam videos, I couldn¡¯t pinpoint any tricks. It was all raw physical strength and speed. How do I defend against that? I pondered, then realised how much he made me feel like I was driven into a corner with my only option being to survive. Just how much did he know of me? How little did I know of him? Cennet¡¯s cunning was maddening. It always felt like he was a few steps ahead of my every move, yet I knew there was something he was waiting for, some reason he couldn¡¯t yet do what he wanted. ¡°What are you waiting on?¡± I thought out loud.


    ¡°For you to become strong,¡± a voice echoed across the room, ¡°otherwise killing you wouldn¡¯t taste as sweet as I want it to,¡± Cennet said, emerging from behind one of my machines.

 Level 15 – White

    My head was smashed against a thick glass wall, Cennet¡¯s spider-like fingers held fast like a vice grip to my temples. My hands shot up in reflex and squeezed futilely on his wrists. The blow was so distracting it was like I forgot I could actually fight back. Despite how intense and heavy a pain the back of my head endured, it died off in a few seconds; Vasc¡¯s work most likely. However, that feeling like the sides of my head were sinking in didn¡¯t change. If this continued, my skull would probably crack from his grip alone.


    I bit down on my lips to jolt myself into action, then activated Grav and brought my feet up toward his face. He switched arms in a flash, grabbing me by the neck before I could react and flung me aside like a ragdoll. I finally put the headgear on, affording myself much more versatility. ¡°Your struggle to live is so unsightly,¡± he said, walking forward, ¡°yet it relieves me,¡± tightening his leather gloves. ¡°Clench your teeth,¡± I was warned, but I put a shielder up instead.


    He grabbed the top of the energy shield and forcefully brought it down. What the hell?! The ease at which he proved my beloved defence obsolete was unsettling but I didn¡¯t have the time to gripe about it so I put the next one up in hopes that I¡¯d somehow induce my creative juices to stitch together some sort of stratagem. But I didn¡¯t.


    With his other hand, he touched the top of my second shield, and pulled himself upward. And with some gymnast-like elasticity, he swung around those shields effortlessly and planted both his feet in a half-powered dropkick of sorts. I knew it was half-assed because of the limited space he had to work with, but the way my body flung made it feel like a vehicle had just ran me over. He wasted no time, not even waiting until I hit the floor. His feet stamped down onto a shielder whilst I was still riding the kinetic waves that smashed me into a nearby workbench.


    My motion finally stabilised, my eyes regained focus after those highspeed movements. I had no Z-21, I had no grenades, just my Grav and one somewhat trusty- shielder, against an enemy whose potential nor current strength I could even see. It didn¡¯t take much for me to realise my skeletal integrity had been compromised. Two or three ribs, maybe? I thought, figuring they were broken by the force I collided with. The odds of surviving this was becoming increasingly bleak, but I¡¯d made my mind up long ago that the thorny path, was the only path.


    I put my legs up as best I could and placed my boosters on full blast, which served to increase the pain of the injury I was just dealt. However, to Cennet, it drowned out the sound of every single booster on TK. My android tackled him from the side, driving him straight through the lab¡¯s concrete wall and out into the streets.


    I stood up, hobbling over to where the Z-21 was, grabbing both the sword and my grenade pouch. In just about a minute my bones had already reformed, almost painlessly. The numbing agent of whatever he injected me with was superb, and only lasted for the required time. Its potency made me even more wary of him. I slipped my goggles on and flew out afterward, simply looking for wherever the commotion was. The TK was horribly outgunned in the city. It could fire off its cannons, but Cennet¡¯s inhumane agility and extremely close proximity made it difficult.


    If I had any hopes of winning this, I¡¯d definitely have to make coordinated attacks with TK, but to utilise that teamplay it¡¯d have to use its cannons at a far range. The thought of casualties occurring whilst we both hashed out our bitter differences made me pitch the idea of moving our squabble elsewhere to him. Especially since people nowadays would rather risk their lives and record such events instead of simply running away.


    He remained quiet, and simply pulled his phone out, tapping on the screen for a while, then tossing it to me. A video-call was on, and on the screen, was Anna¡¯s sister, Marissa, horribly unaware that there were TS ¨C god knows how many ¨C surrounding her house.


    ¡°I already killed your parents. No matter who I kill now, it won¡¯t make you suffer as much. So, you have my word that I won¡¯t unnecessarily kill anyone you love again, hopefully,¡± he said, removing his jacket and tie, ¡°but that¡¯s only if you fight me right here, right now. I don¡¯t have time to tolerate your fake compassion for others.¡±


    I flung his phone back, an unusually calm air about me. ¡°TK,¡± I mumbled, ¡°level one artillery,¡± it flew up. Its two cannons emerged from its shoulders and began raining blasts down. Cennet simply smiled, and burst into a sprint right towards me, vaulting onto a parked car and leaping towards me. My shielder came up and negated his kick but the force made me stumble back a bit. A blast from above passed inches away from him, hitting the road. He sidestepped, dodging the second, and the third blasts with relative ease, but the minute I employed Z-21 his movements became much more conserved and concise as I would strike in whichever direction I thought he¡¯d dodge to, but even then, his reflexes made it so Z-21 couldn¡¯t even touch him. To escape another blast, he ran off, escaping the semi-rapid shots from above with a roll here and there and swung around a post to sprint back to me, zigzagging to make sure a hole wasn¡¯t burned through him from TK. I put my shield up, took a lowered stance, and awaited him. He sprung upwards, into yet another dropkick, but doing it one step too late for me to suffer the full brunt of it; his legs wouldn¡¯t be able to extend early enough. But, instead of meeting his expectations and blocking, I deactivated the shield and stepped aside, swinging down with my Z-21 where his body was sure to pass. I guess we both had different things planned than what our initial moves advertised. Z-21¡¯s trajectory was calculated for his torso, I was resolved to kill, but I should¡¯ve taken his legs instead. Aiming for his upper body only gave him enough time to kick my sword arm away. He capitalised on his momentum and grabbed onto my shoulder, bringing me down as he swung himself behind me and swiftly dislocating my shoulder then aimed to break the elbow joint, but a blast was incoming. I used Grav to push myself out of harm¡¯s way and he simply jumped back.


    He grunted in slight frustration as even more blasts rained down into the streets and bolted towards the building closest to TK, scaling it like a monkey but being careful to jump and latch onto other protrusions as a way of avoiding the cannons and climbing at the same time. I placed my hand on the ground and held my elbow steady, taking a deep breath before I popped the dangling arm back into the socket. The jolting pain made me yelp out, but Vasc¡¯s numbing quickly came to the rescue after a few seconds. I flew up towards Cennet, swinging Z-21 with fervour I hadn¡¯t even realised enveloped me but he jumped from the wall and latched onto TK¡¯s foot, a blast grazing his stomach because he managed to jump with just enough spin applied to his body to avoid a full-on blast. I did the same, somewhat using the building¡¯s wall as a means to quickly switch direction, but by the time I got there he¡¯d already damaged a booster on the TK. They were both falling now because of Cennet¡¯s weight and TK¡¯s imbalance. This was an opportune moment that I didn¡¯t let pass up so I flew towards the dangling man, making him pull himself up to seek refuge behind TK. The android placed a shield up to secure itself, which made me deactivate the UGO energy spanning along the sword¡¯s blade and so the shield went down as a response. I used TK¡¯s shoulder as a pivoting point¨Cas Cennet did me¨Cto curl myself around the android. The sword¡¯s closeness forced out many options and he could only squeeze to get away from its edge, but that wasn¡¯t enough; I slashed along his chest, deep enough to kill, but not deep enough to severe his body entirely. Whatever Vasc had in it would ensure he¡¯d recover, if I let him¡­If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He and I both rolled to negate most of the impact, making it less of a crash-landing. Despite all that movement, he wasn¡¯t out of breath in the slightest, and neither was I. He ripped his torn shirt and waistcoat off and I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw. I knew Vasc heals us, but¡­ I drifted off in awe of how it did that. His blood, literally looked like it was stitching the cut and smoothening it out at an outrageously fast rate. It made me wonder ¡°what the hell did he inject me with?¡± out loud.


    ¡°Vasc, short for vascular. It makes you a living tank and should you be hurt or injured in any way, it will repair you, even replace missing limbs, given enough time. Well, except for decapitation. Robotics are an amazing weapon, Ugo, but it will ultimately always fail compared to physiological advancement and human instinct.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so it wasn¡¯t some failed test drug you injected?¡± I asked. TK mirrored my actions with a ceasefire without me even realising.


    Cennet snickered, ¡°Of course not. I don¡¯t want you to die. You absolutely cannot die by anyone else¡¯s hands but mine. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fully push the limits of White if I gave you some trial version of Vasc, now would I? You and I both have the final thing coursing through every cell in our body.¡± He began walking forward again.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s White?¡±


    ¡°If Vasc is the shield, then White is the sword. Simple, right? Now, how about we kick this up a notch?¡± He took his glasses off and dashed towards me in newfound speed. My shielder arm began coming up and the blue energy hadn¡¯t even properly formed yet before he changed directions in a flash, aiming for TK instead. He jumped over its shoulder, flipping upside down and breaking a cannon by yanking it out, then spun a kick towards the other cannon, defanging the TK in one fell swoop. Whatever chance I had of winning was just lost in an instant.


    His aim quickly turned towards me. He sent a barrage of strikes at me, but I blocked them with the shielder, stumbling back from the sheer power in almost every blow he sent my way. After a while, he went for a wide and powerful kick, to probably throw me off balance so I removed the shield and dodged, leaving his side open after he missed and struck downward at him. But that was all just a feint, he turned back around effortlessly and caught Z-21 by simply shoving his fingers between the opening in the sword, stopping it and lunching a kick to me. I released Z-21 and flew back a few metres. ¡°It¡¯s not hard to figure out the edge of the sword is the real problem,¡± he commented, looking around the handle and finding the switch to manually turn it on. ¡°Amazing, I must say,¡± he complimented, then rushed me with it. His physical prowess and the severing ability that sword possessed was a frightening marriage.


    The first attack hit my shield, and he suddenly backed off, ¡°Guess the only thing it can¡¯t cut is that shield, huh?¡± He laughed and ran into me again, forcing me to put the shield up, but frankly, his speed and dexterity was hard to defend against without two shielders. Before I knew it, my forearm was gone with a swift cut and caught the minute it was cleaved off me. The pain was so intense I could hardly yell at first, but I eventually did, slumping to my knees in disbelief but very believable agony. ¡°I guess this is a problem,¡± Cennet said, undoing the shielder from my crudely amputated arm and smashing it to bits under his foot. ¡°Here,¡± he threw my arm back, ¡°reattach it before you begin growing a new one, it¡¯s a lot faster.¡±


    In about a minute, it reconnected everything. Bone, muscle fibres, nerves, everything felt normal again. My mind was hitting highs and lows so quickly that it was paying less and less heed to the danger right in front of me. I had nothing now, just the grenades, which he would never fall for. He went into a running stance and burst forth again, and even though I tried my best to avoid it, he was much too quick. His uppercut sank so deep into my abdomen that he raised me off the ground. Blood immediately spurt out my mouth. A fist was then buried into my face mid-air, making me spin, then another one to the belly that felt like it ruptured some organs. He grabbed my shirt and slammed me into the ground, stamping down on my ankle with herculean strength. I was defeated, but he didn¡¯t stop. The punches rained in after he mounted me, and I began blacking out the more his fists collided with my face. Vasc numbed it after a while, but my brain shook like it had hypothermia and I eventually passed out.


    I was woken up by water to the face. I coughed because I inhaled some by mistake, getting up only to realise the situation hadn¡¯t changed much. He just placed me under a hydrant and busted it so water would spray out and land on me. ¡°I was wondering if to electrocute you with some wires up there,¡± he pointed to the powerlines above, ¡°but I¡¯m not yet sure if Vasc would protect your brain against something that strong. Anyway,¡± he looked at his phone, ¡°I suppose we¡¯ve made enough of a scene. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I have business to attend to. Take care now, Ugo.¡±


    A couple TS picked him up and flew off somewhere. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, that monster finally left me alone. That crippling fear again felt like it maimed me. It wasn¡¯t a fear of myself like before, it wasn¡¯t a fear of my bullies, no; not exactly a fear of dying either. It was, explicitly a fear of David Cennet and how easily he could make me walk the plank to a fate I couldn¡¯t avoid. Frankly, his tactics were dirty, disgusting and degrading to most people. They were tactics I wasn¡¯t willing to mimic. How could I involve the innocent and uninvolved? It was an inhumane act; however, one thing was certain and horribly clear after our fight¨CI was losing, badly.


    What I thought would protect me simply couldn¡¯t. Gabbing in the back of my head was a little voice telling me my entire frame of thinking had to change in order for me to survive Cennet. All these devices I had weren¡¯t good enough. My passive-aggressiveness failed me, but also consolidated that my choices of war had narrowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± I calmed down after I phoned Marissa and she answered.


    ¡°Course I am, I don¡¯t have classes today after all!¡± she playfully replied.


    ¡°Check outside your windows, tell me if you see anything strange.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Hey, you alright, buddy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I, uh, gotta go. Later.¡± I hung up. TK had fallen over yonder. I briskly picked up Z-21 and whatever scraps was left from my destroyed shielder. I flew back to my lab with TK to provide some balance.


    I gave a long, absentminded look at Z-21. Beheading is the only way, huh?

 Level 16 – State Affairs

    Anna¡¯s fingers interlaced and her elbows rested on the table. She placed her forehead on those fingers in dismay, trying to piece together the information she just received. Her head raised after a minute of gathering her thoughts, ¡°I want to scold you so badly right now,¡± she clasped her hands together in anger and irritation, ¡°but at the same time I¡¯m grateful,¡± she admitted, almost trembling. Marissa weighed heavily on her mind, and the thought that Cennet could snuff her sister¡¯s life away was no doubt the deciding factor in her leniency towards me. That thought was also the reason I couldn¡¯t say sweet words of comfort to her, it¡¯d feel like a lie to tell her everything would be okay; it would be a lie.


    The door opened and that straight-laced woman stepped in. ¡°Hi,¡± she greeted, ¡°I¡¯m Esther Serrette,¡± giving a quick handshake to Anna. ¡°I¡¯ll just get straight to the point. Word has come from the higherups about that incident. We don¡¯t know what they plan to do, but we know that the minister of national security is now involved. Nine of out ten times, nothing good ever happens when orders come from people out of the field. Because of the videos circling around it¡¯s hard for government to cover up anything, so they¡¯ll make a statement to the public soon enough. Just,¡± she looked at me, ¡°expect anything.¡±


    And that¡¯s how my house-arrest began. Sure, I didn¡¯t have a tracker tied to my ankle, but it felt that way. The security minister, Michael Asher, made his statement, announcing the confiscation of all my equipment and lab apparatus. Actual soldiers were placed around my house for the coming week and of course UGO was under heavy investigation. In this time, they hunted Cennet down like a dog, but he was quite elusive. The few encounters they had with him ended in the demise of any officers he faced up against. He was becoming more and more of a monster than they realised.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the TEO, Esther visited me, along with a Michael Asher. We sat down in the living room and Esther placed a tablet on the table in the centre. They were both quiet, but much more so for the minister. His bodyguards didn¡¯t even step into the house. This is personal, I thought.


    ¡°Well?¡± I asked impatiently.


    ¡°Play the video,¡± she pointed at the device. The minister¡¯s face looked like all the colour in it was drawn out, his very life essence missing. What the hell happened?


    I tapped the centre of the screen and leaned forward to see properly.


    ¡°Good evening, honourable minister.¡± I should¡¯ve known¡­ It was Cennet, his face taking up most of the space.


    ¡°Now I know you¡¯re quite the busy man so I don¡¯t wish to take up too much of your time. It¡¯s a beautiful day out so I decided to have some evening tea with these two lovely young ladies,¡± he moved away from the camera¡¯s frame to show a young girl and woman strapped tightly to chairs. ¡°Now,¡± he moved towards them and rubbed the woman¡¯s shoulder gently, ¡°Michelle, I understand your husband has taken away important things from an important person in my life, and we can¡¯t have that, now can we?¡± Cennet reached into his jacket and brandished a pistol, shooting the girl adjacent in the head without a moment¡¯s hesitation. The woman began screaming muffled cries through the cloth wrapped around her mouth. ¡°Shh, shh,¡± he tried quieting the woman, ¡°it¡¯ll be okay. You can just make another one.¡± He walked back to the camera and propped his glasses up, ¡°I don¡¯t mind burning down the whole family tree. You know what you must do, minister.¡±


    The video ended.


    None of them said anything, and neither did I. I internalised it for a couple minutes. It was obvious those two were his wife and daughter. It was obvious they came here because he felt like he had no choice but to adhere to Cennet¡¯s demands. But I had to ask anyway, ¡°Why are you here?¡± I glared right at Michael Asher.


    ¡°Ugo, we nee¨C¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± I raised my hand up before Esther, ¡°I want him to tell me.¡±


    He was slouched forward, his head hanging down without shame. Silence continued to reign supreme until I balled my fist and slammed it against the table, his meekness agitating me, ¡°Answer me!¡± I yelled out, ¡°Why are yo¨C¡±


    ¡°Why do you think?! Why do you think I¡¯m here, boy?!¡± he bellowed louder than me in a fit of rage and stood up, ¡°I don¡¯t have a fucking choice, do I?!¡±


    ¡°You always have a choice. There are always two paths. One easy, and one difficult. If you¡¯re here, telling me that the minister of national security is giving up on a criminal because he lost his daughter, then you might as well resign,¡± I said calmly, contradicting my ebullition seconds ago.


    He pocketed his sweaty palms, ¡°Giving up? Who said I was giving up? I want an execution. And for that, I need all the help I can get,¡± he clenched his fists inside his pockets, as if it would hide his seething choler. The white in his eyes were pink from tears shed earlier on. He was more than ruffled about the situation. ¡°You¡¯ll get your lab back, you¡¯ll get all the support you need from the military. In turn¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me to commit murder in the name of justice? Or are you asking me to avenge your daughter?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the same thing,¡± he composed himself, ¡°either way, you don¡¯t have to be the one to do it. Just lure hi¨C¡±


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ll do it. Now,¡± I leaned back, ¡°when you say military support¡­¡±


    ¡°Round-the-clock protection. Acquisition and transport of any materials or machines you might need.¡± He handed over a business card, ¡°You can directly contact me with the number on the back,¡± then promptly left.


    In about an hour, I flew back to my lab and a military truck returned all my equipment. I had a while to think about my strategy in the week I was home. The real issue is his speed. Once I can find a way to slow him down or stop him, then not even Vasc can¡¯t save him from Z-21. But how the hell do I do that? I wondered as I began repairing the TK. My mind then drifted on the search for Cennet, and the fair ease at which the military found him. Either they were better equipped than the TEO or he purposely let himself be found.


    In a few days everything was back to normal. All my gear worked again and the gaping hole in the wall was fixed. Physiological advancement, huh? I juggled those words in my head, looking at my repaired TK. Sure, I thought about evening the playing field and trying to get a vial of White, but despite Cennet being easily found, wherever he kept Vasc and White was impossible to locate. I called it a day and headed home, hoping a change of scenery would foster some revelation.


    Submerged in my thoughts, the doorbell¡¯s ringing got drowned out in the noisy oceans of my mind. Sean Murray was picked up on the camera. ¡°Do you always take this long to answer?¡± the lanky man nudged his glasses up with his index and middle finger.


    ¡°I was busy, and still am,¡± I hinted at him to get to his point.


    He helped himself to a bit of coffee, ensuring I was in full view. You¡¯d think they¡¯d send someone else, I thought to myself, knowing fully well this was their own way to perform a whatever mental stability test they needed to.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    He brought me a mug and I looked deep into the swirling dark, inhaling the punchy aroma in stride. ¡°How are you feeling about the other day?¡± His legs were crossed as he sat opposite me in my little lounge area of my lab, the mug of coffee resting on a saucer.


    ¡°Psych eval?¡± I bluntly placed what I thought was going on to the forefront.


    His eyes opened slightly in surprise, but a sigh of relief and faint smile followed soon after, ¡°You¡¯re growing up way too fast, Ugo. Yes, I¡¯ve been sent to evaluate you. Orders from up top. However, that¡¯s not the only reason I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I took a sip, ¡°too sweet,¡± I mumbled under my breath. ¡°I want to get back to work quickly. Ask your questions, doctor Murray.¡±


    His face contorted mildly, ¡°Please, we¡¯ll probably be seeing each other more often. Just Sean is fine. You didn¡¯t tell me how you felt about the incident.¡±


    ¡°How I feel?¡± I leaned forward, elbows on my legs and my mug clutched in both hands to combat the air conditioner¡¯s cold. Really, I scoffed at myself for running through every single turn this conversation could take in my head, for turning to lies so that others could never see or know the real me. Frankly, telling the truth about my feelings was equivalent to giving others a sword and removing all of my armour, then painting a nice red target on my jugular. I sat there, rubbing along the rim of the coffee mug for a good minute as I simulated this conversation. What¡¯s the point? I asked, becoming tired of myself, of having to look both ways before crossing, of having to highlight my hardiness and apathy as a means of distracting others from what I really was ¨C a coward.


    ¡°I¡¯m terrified,¡± I finally admitted, but donning a less than convincing face.


    He nudged his head down an inch, ¡°Of?¡±


    ¡°Cennet, who else?¡±


    ¡°Ugo,¡± he said my name, as if to pull my eyes from the coffee to his eyes, ¡°you¡¯re not afraid of David Cennet, no. You¡¯re afraid of something he¡¯s capable of doing, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    His gaze blotted out some thoughts I sought to answer with. Just be honest to yourself. ¡°Your accuracy is disgustingly good.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you afraid he¡¯ll do? Are you afraid he¡¯ll kill you?¡± the man asked, reflecting my initial frankness.


    ¡°No. At this point, I feel like I¡¯m the very reason Cennet hasn¡¯t killed himself.¡±


    I¡¯ve done some stupid things since Theresa died. I went through a lot of shit. But I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever feared someone as much as I feared Cennet. I kept drawing up plans but they all had holes in them. I kept asking myself what would¡¯ve been of my life had Jonathan lived.


    ¡°You told the media about your bully in kindergarten,¡± the slender and prying man leaned forward. ¡°Murder. Is that something you would do aga¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about time I get back to work¡­¡±


    He glared me right in the eyes, with an expression I couldn¡¯t make head or tails of, then sat upright again. ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± he placed his mug on a nearby table, ¡°and coffee. I¡¯ll see myself out.¡±


    I wondered for a bit who sanctioned his visit here, but the thought slipped away as fast as it was conjured; the phone rang.


    ¡°Ugo speaking,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Hey, sword kid!¡± Marissa replied, chipper as ever. ¡°How you mind accompanying two beautiful ladies to lunch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so, Anna and her mom then?¡± I joked, purposely leaving her out.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! You got a thing for older women, huh? But isn¡¯t that a little too old, though?¡±


    Geez, I can¡¯t keep up with her. I obliged, and met up with them. Soldiers drove me over to a simple burger joint. Marissa and Anna were already seated inside. I got out the vehicle and peered at them, and all the other civilians with them. Reluctance weaselled through my nerves. Some people might¡¯ve viewed me as a hero because of the hostage situation I was involved with, but it more felt like I was a walking hazard. The frigid air prompted me to slip my hands into my pockets and make my way inside. Thankfully, the soldiers wore normal clothing.


    ¡°C¡¯mere!¡± Marissa pulled me into the seat and treated me more like a giant teddy-bear than an actual person with the need to breathe. ¡°Look at you, walking around the place with,¡± she lowered her voice, ¡°those big scary guys.¡±


    ¡°Rissy, leave him alone,¡± Anna said, looking at the menu. Marissa still didn¡¯t let me go though. We all chatted, and eventually asked the two soldiers who came inside with us to just sit because they attracted more attention standing like statues. They refused politely.


    We left soon enough. Anna and Marissa went back to their vehicle and I went to mine, or the government¡¯s issued vehicle at least. But before I could enter, a woman came running towards me, her heels giving her a hard time. The soldiers immediately stopped her at gunpoint, ¡°Wait, no! I¡¯m just a reporter!¡±


    ¡°Interviews are off-limits ma¡¯am,¡± one of them said, and the other ushered me into the vehicle. We drove off and left her there, but somehow or the other, she seemed familiar. I paid it no mind and got back to business at my lab.


    ¡°Can you send over the interrogation files?¡± I asked Ferris, but his brother and my ex-teacher dropped it off instead.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± he asked, the soldiers with me weary of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Coffee?¡±


    ¡°No, I, uh, gotta be going soon,¡± he folded his arms and took a look around my lab. ¡°Ugo, why did¡­ No, how did you get clearance for those files? How¡¯d you even know about it?¡±


    The soldiers quickly told him it was classified, answering on my behalf. Sometimes I forget he¡¯s a TEO again and not a teacher. ¡°It involves Cennet. Cennet wanted me to be involved. Can¡¯t tell you much more than that.¡±


    ¡°Nothing new then.¡± His fists balled for a second then returned to normal, ¡°Be careful, Ugo.¡± I didn¡¯t know how to answer his concern. A simple nod would¡¯ve had to satisfy him, because I could not guarantee my own safety.


    How did things get so far? I asked myself, but shunted the thought after playing the recording of the interrogation. The abandoned Boundless Hope facility where the two men tested drugs on children didn¡¯t give us any good leads. All we had was this interrogation video. Most of the questions were answered with the men feigning ignorance of many things. But a few questions yielded interesting answers.


    ¡°Does David Cennet have anything to do with the malpractice you were involved in?¡± The interrogator asked and the suspect finally looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°He is a fool.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Why? Mr policeman, what would you do if you had the power to recover from anything? What would you do if you could run faster than a jungle cat?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Win the Olympics maybe? What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Sell the secret and make a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that would David Cennet is doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me, cop. You know what he¡¯s doing.¡± The man leaned back, somewhat tired of the conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Do you know what he plans to do?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡±


    The policeman propped his glasses up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to remind you how dire your situation is. You illegally practised unethical medical procedures without the consent of the parents nor the children, some of which are dead. The list of charges will make sure you get a lifetime sentence. That can change if you cooperate with this investigation, like your friend is.¡±


    A long period of silence followed, until the man decided to finally reveal what he knew. ¡°Fine. Cennet¡¯s a lunatic. He¡¯s damaged up there. That hero kid from the videos, the man¡¯s obsessed with him. Now, I don¡¯t know where he¡¯s hiding the finished versions of Vasc and White, but I know that the boy is your key to finding it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say he¡¯s the key?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he be? That boy is the only person besides himself that Cennet gave the completed Vasc to. I¡¯d bet he knows where to find White as well.¡±


    But I don¡¯t¡­ I sighed. After it was just useless drivel in the video. The other suspect outright refused to speak a word without his attorney. The TEO lied about him cooperating to get his partner to talk.


    I thought back on our fight in the streets and how one-sided it was. Should we even be looking for White? If the military runs into him every now and then, all I have to do is find a way to beat him and go on their hunts.


    The minute I decided to focus on stopping him, an email came through to my phone. ¡®Don¡¯t go, kid.¡¯ A couple minutes after viewing the email, it vanished from my inbox. I didn¡¯t know who the sender was and what they were warning be about, but I¡¯d soon find out. A knock was heard on my door. Esther Serrette, the control-freak of a TEO barged in after showing her ID to the soldiers stationed outside my lab.


    ¡°Ugo. We have a problem downtown.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    She leaned in, not wanting others to eavesdrop, ¡°Bomb threat in the subway. It¡¯s Cennet most likely. The minister of defence told us to have you on standby.¡±


    ¡°Standby for what?¡±


    ¡°In case more of those robots appear. Or Cennet himself does. Listen, Ugo. The head of the TEO already told you, but if something happens, we will deny ever having put you in danger. And so will Michael Asher, I¡¯m sure. Tread carefully.¡±

 Level 17 – Flickering Hope

    We finally arrived after weaving through traffic with the sirens at full blast. Part of me wondered if they even asked Anna about this. I couldn¡¯t picture her allowing it. Police and TEO blocked off a large perimeter, along with the entrance to the subway. I stepped out of the vehicle and high above us, a glass pane from a skyscraper broke, and through it a TS flew down to us. Its hands were up, in the surrendering position. Even though it wasn¡¯t armed, the TEOs still attempted to detain it.


    ¡°Halt,¡± it¡¯s robotic voice warned, ¡°I am here to instruct how to defuse the bombs. I am aware that you have no experience with this type. Allow us to do it.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡± Serrette asked the android.


    ¡°Myself, and Jared Ugo. Only he holds the key to defusing them. Also,¡± the TS opened a part of his chest to reveal a device, ¡°this is a bomb as well. If you attempt to do anything to this robot, the bomb will be detonated, as well as all the bombs in the subway.¡±


    Hmm. How elaborate. The android and I walked toward the subway¡¯s entrance. Esther Serrette followed grasped onto my shoulder to stop me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Ugo!¡±


    The bomb squad officers kept their ballistic shields up at all times and their guns cocked at the pale android. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of a choice. You should probably stay up here. You know¡­¡±


    She calmed down, and somewhat accepted it. The TEOs didn¡¯t question it much, but they were still required to shadow us. At the train door was a bomb laid on the ground. ¡°This device has a proximity sensor. I will defuse it remotely.¡± The TS stopped for a couple seconds. ¡°Device has been defused. You may enter.¡±


    So, I followed its instruction and entered. There were three people with devices on their laps, trying their utmost best not to divert the attention away from the bombs. ¡°Those without bombs on them may leave,¡± the TS announced, and people rushed out, bouncing one a young man a device on his lap. An explosion blasted several people away and stole my sense of hearing for a while. But my eyesight would still work unfortunately. It was horrific.


    Blood, entrails, brain matter, and everything you can think of was scattered about the car. The smell of burnt metal from the surroundings and iron from the blood wafted over to us. The car was painted wine-red. Screams was the first thing that entered my ears when they returned to working as usual. ¡°The devices on the people are detonated if the metal sphere touches any of the walls, therefore, the victim must maintain balance to keep the sphere from touching. To defuse it, you must input your blood into the container at the side. Only your blood will do. Good luck.¡± The TS¡¯ instructions were heard, but it was hard to pay attention with the car adjacent to us in shambles. I was bothered by it, but not to the point where I couldn¡¯t function. That composure made me a little scared of what I¡¯d become. But that was the path I chose to follow ¨C the thorny path.


    ¡°What the hell do you want from me, Cennet?¡±


    After a few seconds, the android spoke. ¡°I want Jonathan back.¡±


    I closed my eyes and hung my head down, taking a deep breath. Of course. ¡°It defuses after sensing my blood, right?¡± I asked, rhetorical. A knife from a nearby TEO would do. My wrist was slightly slit open, but healed in seconds. If I wanted to fill the miniature container, I¡¯d have to cut deeper. My hands were trembling as the sharp pain hit me, but it began numbing soon enough. The first blood container was filled, and the device powered off. The TEO quickly confiscated it and brought the petrified woman out the subway.


    At this point, paramedics were rushing to the scene. Those that were first to scamper from the car only had minor injuries, except one man whose leg was close to being totally blown off. I tried my best not to look at the gore. In order to complete this¨Cwhatever this was¨CI¡¯d have to filter out all the distractions, no matter how much I abhorred it.


    Next was a young kid, probably no older than seven. He was the calmest of all the people here today, even after all the people in his car abandoned him.


    ¡°Hey. My name is Jared. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Timothy,¡± he answered. ¡°Will I be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course you will. You just need to stay like this a bit longer, okay? Make sure to keep the ball away from all the walls and we¡¯ll be just fine.¡± I proceeded to dig into my wrist again and his eyes shifted to me. ¡°Focus on the ball, Timothy. You¡¯re doing a great job!¡±


    After a few tries, the bomb was defused and automatically powered off. The TEO got him out of there immediately. I breathed a great sigh of relief, despite a clear failure at first. The officers immediately aimed their guns at the TS when we walked out the subway, but we needn¡¯t remind them what would happen if they shot at it.


    Serrette had just gotten off the phone and sighed at me. ¡°Kid,¡± she said, calling me over. ¡°There¡¯s another problem.¡±


    ¡°You mean besides the fact that the army nor the TEO can¡¯t catch one guy?¡± I glared at her, but I knew fully well my anger was misplaced.


    Her face contorted, despite her trying to mask how hard my question hit her. ¡°There¡¯s a bomb attached to a news helicopter,¡± she said calmly, refusing to make any comments on my earlier question.


    ¡°And only I can defuse it, correct?¡±


    She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, her fists balling in frustration. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I sighed, looked at the TS and awaited it to say something. ¡°This TS is no longer needed,¡± its mechanised voice explained, ¡°however, if it does not return to where I¡¯ve set it, this country shall have some bad surprises. Ms Serrette will keep you updated. Good luck, Ugo.¡± It took its leave afterward, and all we could do is watch it fly away.


    I placed the headgear on, calling my TK over as well. ¡°Well? Are you going to give me the details or not?¡±


    The question seemed to jar her out of her own mind. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± She explained that the bomb was found only when Cennet contacted her and she contacted the television station. The news team and pilots didn¡¯t even know until someone told them.


    ¡°Two hundred?!¡± Is she crazy?! I asked myself, then realised I directed my displeasure at the wrong person again. Is Cennet mad?! My head leaned back onto the SUV and I wondered how I would defuse a bomb on a helicopter than wasn¡¯t allowed to drop below two hundred kilometres an hour. That was insane. ¡°Wait¡­ Why don¡¯t they just throw it out?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s another bomb hidden somewhere on the bird. Cennet won¡¯t tell us ¡®til we defuse the first one.¡±


    ¡°How do I track it?¡± I made my resolve, focusing on what to do next instead of the ridiculous situation.


    ¡°One of the reporters are sharing her location.¡± The old grumpy woman who especially hated when people tried being heroes had no choice but to accept what was going on, as was the army. Cennet had them by the throat, as he had me. She threw her phone to me, ¡°Make sure and bring that back to me, you hear?¡± She commanded just when the TK arrived.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± I flew off with the TK next to me, fixing my goggles and full-throttling straight to the location. The helicopter kept circling some mountains away from the city, but couldn¡¯t go too far away lest they have problems with mobile connections. Around seventy-five kilometres after, we got to that mountain and saw the helicopter circling a particular range. Like true journalists, they immediately began recording once I was in sight, but at least they were kind enough to remember and open the door¨Cnot at easy task at that speed. The TK shadowed us from outside.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    When the door closed, they gave me a headset to speak through.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jared Ugo, right? You know how to disarm that thing?¡± Someone asked, but I was busy looking for the actual bomb so I didn¡¯t know who did.


    ¡°Um, I suppose so. If it¡¯s anything like the previous three, then I¨C¡±


    ¡°Three?!¡± the woman cut across me and I looked at her, finding her somewhat familiar.


    ¡°Never mind! Where is the bomb anyway?¡±


    The cameraman gulped and pointed downwards.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t see it!¡± I complained.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s stuck underneath the chopper!¡±


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me?!¡± I immediately got agitated, but had to swallow the bullet. ¡°Do you have anything here I can store liquid in? Like a bottle or vial?¡±


    The woman handed me her water bottle.


    ¡°Thanks! Hope you¡¯re not planning on reusing this!¡± I chuckled and she gave me a strange look. That strange look turned into a gaping stare when I emptied the remaining water and began cutting my wrist to extract some blood.


    ¡°Why the hell are you cutting yourself?!¡± the reporter yelled.


    ¡°Why the hell is it healing?!¡± the cameraman followed up. I didn¡¯t bother answering.


    I had no idea how much blood Vasc could rebuild, but I could only have faith that it would do a good job. Seeing as I would have to fly underneath the helicopter, I¡¯d have expected some of the blood to waste from the air resistance and turbulence, so I filled up more than I did for the previous couple bombs. I got a little dizzy, but it faded within half a minute.


    The co-pilot grabbed a parachute and began attaching it to me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this!¡±


    ¡°You are not going out there without one!¡±


    ¡°But I can fly¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you can do, kid!¡± He continued strapping the parachute on. I shrugged, and let him do his thing. Once he instructed he how to use it, he opened the door for me and I jumped out, favouring the side without the tail rotor.


    The minute I jumped out, the cameraman followed, without a parachute even. My heart almost failed me and my grip on the bottle tightened. Thankfully, with quick wits, I was able to make the TK catch him. Even then, he still recorded nonstop. My first thought was to get him to safety, but I didn¡¯t want to take the risk of my TK leaving us even for a moment. Did he, do that on purpose? I questioned, catching up to the helicopter again.


    When I got close, I opened the bottle, popped the lid off the container on the bomb and tried to pour my blood into it. Even with the mouth of the bottle touching the rim of the container, the air resistance made sure most of the blood was wasted. I had to find a way to block some of the wind, but unfortunately, only two ideas came to mind. My first thought was to simply raise an arm with my shielder, so that the field of energy would negate the turbulence, but that would mean sacrificing the use of an arm. The only other option would be to use the TK¡¯s shielders, but its shielders were embedded into the chassis.


    What a pain! How do I do this?! I wondered, imagining the type of position the TK would have to take. First, I let it block with its body, but that still invited a lot of air resistance. I knew the shielder would throw the helicopter¡¯s trajectory off-course, but the pilot would have to deal with it. The TK took an awkward position in front of me, close to the front of the bird, but slightly lower than me. The shielder turned on and the helicopter began gaining altitude. I had to work fast. The helicopter wavered in its direction, forcing the pilots to try balancing altitude and shaking the bird in response. The TK held the reporter with just one arm and flew upside-down, with its back facing the ground. Its free arm held onto one of the landing skids for stability.


    Just when I began pouring my blood, the reporter¡¯s hat flew off and hooked onto the bottom of the bottle, springing it out my hand. Shit, shit, shit! I flew behind it, pushing my boosters as much as I could and finally grabbed hold of it mid-air. Just a little remained in it. This better be enough! I rammed my hand against the mouth of the bottle and found myself below the helicopter again. Into the container, the rest of my blood went. But it didn¡¯t defuse! Whatever device he had in there to scan my blood didn¡¯t do it. Is it busted?! I inspected it closer and realised the tube at the bottom of the container was kinked and didn¡¯t allow my blood to pass through. Once I rolled it a bit, the kink disappeared, but the blood wasn¡¯t going in. That¡¯s when I realised, this bomb was essentially upside-down as well, but the blood container for it was turned the other way. There didn¡¯t seem to be a pump to push the blood where it needed to go either. We needed gravity¡¯s help.


    Refusing to touch the device that may cause our deaths too recklessly, I instead figured I¡¯d get the pilot to turn the bird upside-down, so the bomb would be right-side up. Cennet, you piece of shit! I cursed him mentally for putting me through all this. I decamped that spot and flew at the side of the helicopter, where its inhabitants could see me. I mouthed, ¡°Hold on,¡± and motioned it with my hands as well. I then went farther to the front of it so the pilots would see me and gestured with my hands for them to go upside-down for as long as they could. Then I eventually did it myself, to make sure they understood.


    At that point, I noticed many other helicopters, some military, some from news channels circling with us.


    The pilots began doing what I said, and the TK helped them stabilise once they were turned over. I looked at the bomb intensely, wiping the bug or two off my goggles. Finally, the lights on the device switched off. I immediately ripped it off the helicopter, but didn¡¯t throw it away just yet. The cameraman and I went back into the helicopter and I texted Cennet¨Cor who I supposed was Cennet¨Cfrom TEO Serrette¡¯s phone to ask where the other bomb was.


    ¡®There is no other bomb. Congratulations, Ugo. You saved the day. Somewhat. Best get that phone back to the owner.¡¯ I breathed the biggest sigh of relief when that text came through. We jumped out the bird and my TK carried me back to the subway scene at its full speed. Probably shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve done that, I regretted, landing on the blocked-off street and feeling a bit woozy. The minute I touched down, Serrette directed me out the immediate area. Anna rushed out of a vehicle and grabbed me in a hug with the intentions of squeezing the life out of me.


    ¡°Hah, missed me?¡± I wheezed. She released when she heard my straining voice. Her lips formed but couldn¡¯t mutter the word she wanted them to. Instead, she simply hugged me again.


    ¡°Ms Stone,¡± Serrette got our attention, ¡°we¡¯d like to ask Jared a few questions at HQ. Would you mind?¡±


    Anna looked at her in the most scornful way imaginable, but contradictorily agreed. It felt like she gave up on trying to control the situation. And so, in the bright afternoon sun, we were escorted to TEO headquarters. I met with the bland interrogation room again. Samuel Andino walked in while after.


    ¡°Hey, Ugo. Nice to see you in good health.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, Mr Andino. How¡¯s Cindy going? She alright?¡±


    He tittered, ¡°Cindy¡¯s great. So, Jared, we want to ask you a few questions.¡±


    My face turned serious at that point. I looked around the room, occasionally knocking my finger onto the table. ¡°Those were bombs, Mr Andino. Now I know how antsy people get when those things are concerned, so I know that there are bigwigs behind that glass. I also know that it wasn¡¯t your decision to question me like this, but it¡¯d be nice if you guys could not treat me like a suspect. I¡¯d rather just, have some coffee while we discuss what you guys need to discuss, all you guys.¡± I emphasised, finally glancing at the one-way glass.


    Mr Andino palmed his face and chortled, ¡°What the hell kind of kid are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something,¡± I smiled, ¡°I¡¯d like to know myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, guys. You heard him. What¡¯s your decision?¡± Mr Andino spoke to whoever was listening in. They took a while, probably considering it, then finally allowed it.


    I entered the room finally, and of course, so did Anna. To no surprise, Michael Asher, the minister of national security was there. Franklin Donovan, the TEO¡¯s director who I met when I visited Ferris in the hospital was there also. He was the one who allowed me to work alongside the TEO to find and stop David Cennet. Whilst Michael Asher wants me kill David Cennet, or help him do it. No one knew of the agreement between Michael Asher and I. But a select few knew about the agreement between the TEO and I.


    Not surprisingly, they allowed Samuel Andino to stay, assuming it would give me some reassurance of safety so I could answer whatever questions they might have more accurately. He was my teacher, after all. I sat between him and Anna.


    The most shocking though, is the military¡¯s involvement in this meeting of sorts. I could sense the animosity between Franklin Donovan and Esther Serrette in concern with the three decorated military officials that Michael Asher had with him. That would explain the bodyguards outside the room. The TEO commander, Esther Serrette started off, introducing the entire table to Anna and I.


    A knock was heard on the door and Sean Murray, the TEO¡¯s criminal psychologist entered. That¡¯s, weird. I didn¡¯t expect him to carry a platter with coffee, but he did. He gave Anna one of the two. When it was my turn, he rested the cup down gently, almost like a waiter, and dropped a small listening device on my lap in the guise of the platter. ¡°Please excuse me,¡± he said and took a quick exit.


    Soon after he left, Franklin Donovan began speaking to Michael Asher, highlighting¨Calbeit subtly¨Chow audacious and inappropriate it was to have military officials be part of a ¡®meeting¡¯ that would be deemed confidential, and therefore not for military ears. Like that, they began bickering between themselves. I stayed out of it, as did Anna. In fact, she hadn¡¯t uttered a word since we took our seats.


    Looking out the glass wall of the room, someone important-looking encroached with a couple bodyguards around her. One of the bodyguards opened the door, and she came in. Everyone stood up, and I was in the middle of taking a sip of coffee. I was late to the party, but I stood up as fast as I could anyway.


    ¡°Home Secretary,¡± Franklin Donovan smiled.

 Level 18 – Home Secretary

    The TEO director helped the home secretary get into her seat.


    ¡°Please, be seated,¡± she gestured, then nodded at the TEO director as a quick thank-you. She had a folder in her hand that she laid on the table. Her dark eyes acknowledged all of us, especially Anna and I.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see the hero here. That¡¯s a pleasant surprise.¡± She didn¡¯t even take her eyes off me, ¡°Perhaps I missed the memo.¡± It was obvious that she was throwing shade at the TEO for not updating her on this change, but she proceeded to ask for a report of the events anyway.


    ¡°Four devices found, three defused and being investigated by our bomb squad. One was detonated in the subway,¡± Esther Serrette brief her.


    ¡°Casualties?¡±


    ¡°Fourteen.¡±


    A pause of silence came, and this home secretary looked at me once more. Even with age beginning to sabotage her, she was still a rather beautiful woman. I fumbled a bit with my coffee as our eyes met.


    What the hell, J? Are you in love or something? I snapped myself out of it and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Mr Ugo, I sincerely thank you for your courage today, and also for your presence here.¡±


    Something just snapped in me and I took a longer than usual sip of the coffee. ¡°I¡¯m honoured, Home Secretary.¡± I cleared my throat gently, ¡°Uhm, you¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t quite catch on to the social cues of your usual conversations, but are you asking that I leave?¡±


    She took quite a while to answer compared to her usually snappy conversing pace. ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    Once again, she took a while to answer. ¡°I am,¡± the truth revealed was set naked, ¡°but, I think I¡¯ll change my mind if you tell me something.¡±


    Now I took a few seconds until I answered her. Don¡¯t like where this is going. Is she trying to get an answer out of me by appeasing my curiosity of this meeting? These damn bigwigs. I should storm out, but then I wouldn¡¯t know what question she¡¯s going to ask. Still, it wouldn¡¯t be a question of any great interest if she¡¯s in a meeting where they¡¯re taking minutes. Hmm¡­


    ¡°Mr Ugo?¡± she brought me out of my mind.


    ¡°Yes, Home Secretary. Please, ask what you wish.¡±


    She smiled, quite a devious one. ¡°Are you actually an accomplice working together with David Cennet?¡± she inquired. A direct and bold attack of thoughts I didn¡¯t even think they¡¯d conjure up.


    ¡°Wow! Ma¡¯am, that¡¯s an interesting question! I¡¯m curious as to what you¡¯d do if I said ¡®yes¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve proven yourself a smart and able person, Mr Ugo. I¡¯m sure you already know what we¡¯ll do.¡±


    I squeezed my lips together and shook my head, ¡°I¡¯m still just a kid. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m that familiar with our judicial system. Perhaps you can elaborate at a time,¡± a faint smirk appeared on my face, ¡°more convenient.¡±


    ¡°Mr Ugo,¡± she leaned forward, ¡°are you asking to meet the Home Secretary on more, personal grounds?¡±


    ¡°I guess I am.¡±


    She relaxed her body a bit, ¡°That can be arranged.¡±


    ¡°Splendid!¡± I stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could afford an adoring fan a handshake?¡±


    ¡°Why of course, Mr Ugo,¡± she stood up and we met on the half to shake hands. Before getting up, I stuck the little recording device in the webbing of my thumb and index fingers, away from the prying eyes of our audience. We shook hands, and she placed her other hand on the back of mine and gave an extra pump. ¡°A pleasure, Mr Ugo.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Home Secretary. Goodbye.¡±


    As we let go, she took the device. Reckless, yes, but I knew that plan would either blow up in my face or work out perfectly. It was a risk I was willing to take, and also somewhat of a test to see the kind of person she was. As for why Sean Murray handed it to me, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Anna and I left for home in an escort. A housekeeper saw us in and we plopped onto the couch. Anna got a drink of bourbon from the bar.


    ¡°Well, this is a first.¡±


    She looked at me, wordless, then placed her eyes down into the drink. ¡°I¡¯ll resign as CEO.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?!¡±


    ¡°Because, Jared, there¡¯s not enough time to be CEO and be there for you. You¡¯re going off on your own,¡± she began tearing up, ¡°to fight terrorism! That¡¯s not your job, Jared! It¡¯s not¡­¡± her hand squeezed the glass and she dropped her head on the counter. ¡°It¡¯s not your job. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re turning into. You know things kids your age shouldn¡¯t know. You know people kids your age wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at! You¡¯re suffering, and I can¡¯t do anything about it. I¡¯m, usele¨C¡±


    ¡°Anna!¡± I yelled, jumping her. ¡°Those aren¡¯t the things a mom is supposed to say.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± she went quiet, ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You want the truth?¡± I grew tired of her sombre mood. ¡°Here¡¯s the truth. My truth. You¡¯re right, you¡¯re useless to me, practically speaking. When I¡¯m flying about the city and rescuing hostages or taking down Cennet¡¯s TS, you¡¯re not there to help. When I¡¯m defusing bombs, you¡¯re not there either.¡± She curled within herself even more. ¡°But you know what? I don¡¯t want you to be. Hell, I want you to be as far away from that as possible!¡± She finally looked up. ¡°Anna, I don¡¯t want you to be some superhero who comes down from the skies and fixes everything. What I want from you is to simply be alive, well, and happy. What I want from you is to go home after hard days like this one and see you. What I want is for you to hug me, and tell me everything will be alright. As long as I have that, I can live through anything anyone throws at me. Now,¡± I sat next to her and grabbed a glass and the bottle of bourbon, ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink, yeah?¡±


    Before I could pour any, she snatched it away. ¡°You¡¯re too young for this, mister!¡±


    I smiled, then burst into a bright guffaw, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± I hugged her, ¡°Thanks for being here with me. And don¡¯t drink too much of that. The CEO,¡± I emphasised, ¡°shouldn¡¯t miss work.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She returned to work to finish up what she had doing, somewhat tipsy. The day ended with me going down to my old lab in the basement and recollecting the things that happened. The next day started with a phone call waking me up.


    ¡°Hello?¡± my morning voice.


    ¡°Oh, goodness. My apologies for waking you, Mr Ugo.¡±


    My eyes shot open, ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not nice to keep a lady waiting, Mr Ugo.¡± She hung up.


    What the¡­ I got up and meandered outside the basement, appearing in the living room. The stairs towards the bedrooms upstairs had a bodyguard standing at its plateau. I paused when I noticed him. ¡°She¡¯s up there, isn¡¯t she?¡± I asked and saw the home secretary walking back to the stairs.


    A couple minutes later, we sat with tea and coffee on the sofas. She sat about an arm¡¯s length away from me.


    ¡°So, Ban sleeps in the basement,¡± she commented.


    ¡°You read my file, Home Secretary. I suppose I should feel honoured.¡±


    She took a sip of her tea, ¡°You took quite the risk, giving me that thing. I bet you thought it couldn¡¯t be traced back to TEO Sean Murray, since it wasn¡¯t their standard issue device.¡± A couple blocks of sugar and she stirred, inhaling the tea¡¯s flavourful aroma.


    ¡°Hmm, yeah. Fingerprints, right? I realised that could¡¯ve been the only way you could figure out who gave it to me. What will you do about it?¡±


    She took another sip, giving a small nod to confirm her passing of it. ¡°For now, nothing. Not until we figure out what his reason for giving it to you is. As for why you passed it to me, the one person in the room you definitely shouldn¡¯t have passed it to¡­ Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here to find out. I knew it wasn¡¯t mere bravery. That was a calculated risk. A risk I want to uncover the meaning behind.¡±


    I rested my mug back onto the saucer, snickering a bit, ¡°One of the reasons, was to somewhat size you up. Before making it a problem, you sought to find out if it was a problem in the first place. I don¡¯t mind disclosing things to someone level-headed. But, trusting you is a whole other story. Plus, I get the drop-dead gorgeous Home Secretary all to myself. I do feel a bit special.¡±


    She looked right at me, and I at her in response. ¡°You said ¡®one of the reasons¡¯. What are the others?¡±


    ¡°No response on my compliment? Level-headed indeed. The other reason, was to actually hear the recording. I needed to know what the higherups would decide to do about David Cennet.¡±


    ¡°We plan to stop him of course. But that much is obvious, isn¡¯t it? So why do you want to know what we¡¯re deciding to do about him?¡±


    I looked forward and took my coffee up. ¡°Because, Home Secretary, I may have to stop you from pursuing him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± She came closer to me, ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not in cahoots with him. But I¡¯ve seen what he can do. I¡¯ve felt what he can do. He is cunning, and will not engage if¨C¡±


    ¡°Get to the point, Mr Ugo.¡±


    I sat up properly and looked her right in the eye, our faces barely close enough for our eyes to focus. ¡°I don¡¯t want the Andino brothers to die. I don¡¯t want anyone else to die. Unless I know for certain you have ways of subduing him or killing him without getting the police, TEO, or military killed in the process, then I¡¯ll allow you to do just that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll allow it? Are you saying you have the ability to disallow it?¡±


    ¡°No. I will not directly confront any authority. But I can heavily slow you down until I take out Cennet myself.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll interfere with the work of national security in order to save people you barely know?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered stoically, unmoving in my resolve.


    She sighed and smiled, looking forward. ¡°You remind me of my late husband.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Home Sec¨C¡±


    ¡°Rosa. Just call me Rosa. Doesn¡¯t feel right for a thirteen-year-old to call me by my job title. He¡¯d also call me that, jokingly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me to marry you, Rosa.¡±


    ¡°What if I said I do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to say no.¡±


    She cackled, a laugh I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d hear. ¡°Tell you what, Mr Ugo, if¨C¡±


    ¡°Jared. Just call me Jared. Doesn¡¯t feel right for Rosa to call me by my surname.¡±


    She guffawed yet again, trying to hold her laugh to a more ladylike standing. ¡°Quite the joker, aren¡¯t you? As I was saying,¡± she placed the device on my lap, ¡°if you find it in yourself to trust me and tell me what you know, I can pull the plug on Cennet¡¯s investigation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want his investigation stopped. I just don¡¯t want anyone to try to go out and confront him if they¡¯re not going with a failproof plan. Investigate all you want.¡±


    She curled the corners of her lips upward, ¡°You¡¯ve been hacking and seeing how far along we¡¯ve gotten, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    I winked.


    ¡°If you have access to the TEO records, then you¡¯re most likely ahead of everyone with intel. I doubt I need to tell you this, but don¡¯t play hero. If you find a way of beating him, share it with us. Do not go alone. Just as you don¡¯t want others to die, others don¡¯t want you to die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, Rosa.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the tea,¡± she stood up, and I followed.


    ¡°Until we meet again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s such a morose tone.¡± She winked, and walked out the house.


    Okay, what just happened?


    The military drove me to my lab at close to the pier, and when I entered, Michael Asher was there, waiting on me. I heard the toilet flush before we could say anything to each other, and the white-maned Franklin Donovan came out the washroom. ¡°Oh, Ugo. Glad you didn¡¯t take long,¡± he fixed his tie.


    ¡°We know you met with the Home Secretary this morning,¡± the minister pointed out. It appeared he was of a lesser power in the cabinet than the Home Secretary, so I knew if I had to really depend on anyone, it would most likely be Rosa. Seeing the TEO director bootlicking for favour made me realise Rosa was indeed the person to be feared. And seeing him also argue with Michael Asher over who held the rights to pursue the David Cennet case made me realise they probably competed more often than I thought, giving them both around the same level of power. Besides, one wanted me to kill Cennet, and the other calmly said he would deny ever having me assist the TEO if it ever came to light that we worked together. Not too ethical.


    But now, for some reason, they both gathered under the same roof, on their lonesome, to see me. I hung my coat over the back of my chair, ¡°I can¡¯t imagine your knowledge of the Home Secretary¡¯s whereabouts would please her security team. So, how can I help you gentlemen?¡±


    ¡°By keeping your mouth shut. Let¡¯s get something straight, ¡®Mr Ugo¡¯,¡± Michael Asher mocked Rosa, ¡°if she, or her office, finds out about the deals we made with you, Cennet would be the least of your worries.¡±


    I stared at him, deadpan and unmoving. ¡°Does he speak for you as well, TEO Donovan?¡±


    ¡°That he does,¡± the man replied snappily.


    ¡°Minister Asher,¡± he glowered at me, ¡°you said Cennet would be the least of my worries. Should I take that as a threat?¡±


    He stood up, ¡°It would be in your best interest to,¡± and walked past me to go outside.


    ¡°I believe we have an agreement?¡± The TEO director extended his hand.


    I shook my head, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the tap run.¡± I refused his handshake, so he walked past and wilfully bumped into me.


    What a pain in the ass. So, I have to look out for them as well. I sighed mentally. I should get them out of the way as soon as I can. The first thing I did was search the office and lab for any listening devices. Once I was sure no foreign objects were left behind, I went to an internet caf¨¦ in a mall and began digging up all the articles I could find on them. Any dirt I could get would be helpful. However, all of it was simply alleged, no one ever truly found their hands in anything dirty, which would explain why they still had their positions. After I compiled all the information I could, I whipped out a laptop with the tools I needed to get into their personal computers. It took all damn day, unfortunately, but I was able to gain access they couldn¡¯t pick up on as long as their computers were turned on.


    Day turned to night, and the caf¨¦¡¯s shift changed. I had dirt on both of them to give myself more than enough leverage. Transactions, a lot of them, to and from shady people with traces of incriminating conversation. Plus, I had the visit they made to me earlier that morning on record. Considering I got it done in one day, it wasn¡¯t really that hard. They probably refused to get help from techies at their jobs, so they hid it with the knowledge they had themselves, which wasn¡¯t enough.


    Unfortunately, I had to shunt aside what I¡¯d plan to do that day because of them. I decided to return to the lab when an email came through from what was clearly a throwaway account. There was an address, date, and time on it.


    Flying over there, I noticed it led to a motel a bit in the countryside. Seven thirty, I thought, noting the time before I knocked on the door. The TK was nearby in the parking lot, using the guise of darkness to shroud itself.


    The door opened and an overweight man answered. He¡¯d grown a stubble and his ponytail was longer than the usual. ¡°Ban, good to finally meet you, man. I¡¯m Xeno.¡±

 Level 19 – LocalHost

    Xeno? I only know one Xeno. ¡°Really? What¡¯s your favourite show?¡±


    ¡°You doubt my identity?¡± He laughed. ¡°You know I love the warrior princess.¡±


    I extended my hand, ¡°Pleasure to you, Xeno.¡± We shook and he invited me in.


    ¡°Guys, the hero¡¯s here,¡± he announced, and they turned to see me. But one in particular was rather excited.


    ¡°Ban?!¡± he said, jumping over the cough and running up to me. He pulled my cheeks, ¡°My love! You¡¯re everything I imagined you to be! But you need a haircut dude¡­¡±


    ¡°Says the guy with long flowing hair.¡±


    ¡°Did you guess who I am yet?¡± He beamed, teeth in full show.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not ItHertz, then hell must¡¯ve frozen over,¡± I chuckled. He matched his online persona perfectly.


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s so sweet. Hey, ByteMe!¡± He turned around to yell at a woman, ¡°I think I¡¯m in love!¡± What a comedian he was. And he¡¯d always pester her too. They were polar opposites, but they were the only two to meet each other in person, until now.


    ¡°Well, I guess your cover¡¯s blown,¡± I commented, and shook her hand.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever. When are we gonna get down to business?¡± Her indifference was infamous, and the username ByteMe truly suited her.


    I walked to the other two and greeted them. ¡°Hey, nice to meet you.¡± I shook a woman¡¯s hand. She looked to be the oldest of us, somewhere in her forty¡¯s. She nodded, saying ¡°likewise¡± under her breath. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re Cryptic. Makes sense. So then, that leaves Backslash, huh?¡±


    I walked over to him and shook hands. ¡°You¡¯re nice to meet. I-I mean it¡¯s nice to meet you, Ban.¡±


    ¡°You too, buddy. Did ItHertz freak you out too?¡±


    ¡°K-kinda, yeah,¡± he said, quite nervously.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not nice! No pizza for you guys!¡± ItHertz snapped back, grabbing up the boxes of pizza and pretending to run off with it.


    These people were the ones that showed me the ropes and helped me out when it came to hacking. Most of the things I know came from that group, LocalHost. We¡¯d share whatever tools we made or came across and developed an arsenal of decryption software.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up? Why are we here?¡± I asked them.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t been online in forever, my dude!¡± ItHertz bit down on some pizza.


    Xeno, the one who first started the group, nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯ve been all over the news.¡±


    ¡°You build stuff for UGO right?¡± ByteMe poured some soda out for me. She might act tough, but she was a sweet person at heart. ¡°Focus on that then. We¡¯ll do all the software stuff. We¡¯ll send over an app to you.¡±


    ¡°Yup, Backslash made it,¡± ItHertz pointed out, his mouth full of pizza, ¡°so you know it¡¯s secure as shit. Like a nun¡¯s panties.¡±


    I guffawed. He certainly had a way with words. But he was quite right. No one in the group was as paranoid as Backslash when it came to securing all our conversations and making sure all the not-so-ethical hacking we did was untraceable. We¡¯d have probably been busted by now if not for him. Dare I say he was the most advanced out the group.


    ¡°Thanks guys. Really, I appreciate it. But, uh, listen. This is real. All of this is real. Cennet is a psychopath, a damn smart one. If any of this comes back to any of you, I cannot guarantee your safety. Thank you, for setting all this up, but we shouldn¡¯t¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already been decided,¡± Cryptic spoke up.


    ¡°You need our help, Ban. Just accept it.¡± Xeno urged me. But deep inside, I couldn¡¯t help thinking that Cennet might get to them, just as he did my parents.


    ¡°Listen, you little shit,¡± ByteMe grabbed a slice, ¡°we¡¯re doing this whether you want us to or not. So, if we get murdered and you didn¡¯t work with us, I¡¯ll haunt your ass after I die. Now, eat,¡± she handed me the slice.


    I opened my eyes wide, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± and accepted the pizza.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. That¡¯s for old people.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But you are old!¡± ItHertz tilted his head in faux-confusion and she literally tackled him to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys all I have on Cennet. Hopefu¨C¡±


    My phone rang. It was a blocked number.


    ¡°You¡¯re not at home, or your work. Or any of the UGO facilities. You¡¯re a hard person to track, Mr Ugo.¡±


    Rosa¡­ ¡°I find that hard to believe. How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been a development. TEO Serrette will contact you in the morning. Be cautious, Mr Ugo.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, thank you for your concern.¡± I moved the phone from my ear. ¡°I should, probably get going. Send over that app, will you Backslash?¡± I took my leave and sped home to listen to the recording of the meeting.


    My mug of coffee was almost spilled halfway through the recording. They were quite actually discussing the chances that I¡¯d be allied with Cennet, all in a ploy to execute some grandiose scheme. They were speaking about how to handle me, detain me, and should I resist, if to kill me. A chill ran through my spine. Of all the things I¡¯d been through, I could say almost assuredly that Cennet didn¡¯t actually desire to kill me. Yet, actual law enforcement agencies that were tasked with holding the hand of justice close to their hearts were seriously considering me as a threat to national security. So, when she asked me if I was allied with him like that¡­ I realised Rosa¡¯s nonchalant and direct question about my alleged allegiance was actually to inform me that it was indeed a matter they felt they had to bring to the table. Even though Rosa had power above them all, it was still handled democratically.


    Hmm. My weapons are the issue. Indeed, the TEO and military could be much better killers if they so choose, but fact remained that my weaponry was built on UGO energy, a font of power that showed unmatched potential. They fear I¡¯d use it wrongly? As much as I hated to admit, that fear was only fair. In the end, all they see is an unstable mind with more power than he should have.


    I thought about how to protect myself from them. I thought about asking my mom¡¯s attorney and giving him this recording, but it would be dismissible in court because I wasn¡¯t supposed to record in the first place. Heck, I even thought about finding White and making even more tech to ensure I wouldn¡¯t be killed even if they tried. How do I tackle this? I questioned myself, then questioned what Rosa meant by ¡®a development¡¯. Does it have to do with them suspecting me? Are those two¡­ Thoughts of TEO director Franklin Donovan and minister of defence Michael Asher passed on my mind. It would make sense that they¡¯re the ones responsible for pushing the idea of me being a danger. How do I better myself to fight Cennet whilst looking less dangerous?


    A headache smit me across the head thinking about it. It was damned stupid. Just like that, I began losing faith in the system I thought would be out to protect me. Shit, they couldn¡¯t even do anything to protect me from Cennet in the first place. Am I really alone in this? There¡¯s no one to¡­


    I slammed down on my knee to banish the thought with the prevalence of pain. Tumbling back down into that depressing state was something I couldn¡¯t afford. Of course, you¡¯re not alone, J. There¡¯s LocalHost backing you. Rosa might not be totally trustworthy yet, but she hasn¡¯t done anything to make you think otherwise. The Andino brothers both have your back. You could probably ask Sean and Randy for favours as well. I took a deep breath. And at the end of it all, you have Anna. My eyes darted towards the clock. The night was young, and I felt an overwhelming urge to begin cooking up new recipes and revising old ones.


    But first, I had to get dinner.


    After Anna and I ate, we lounged on the sofa, watching some drama she¡¯d been hooked on. I laid down, using a leg of hers as a cushion. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. Should I call you mom, or Anna?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She paused the show and eyeballed me, pushing a bit of her blonde her behind her ear. ¡°I, don¡¯t know, actually.¡±


    ¡°Whatever I feel like, then. Listen, um, we should have a party or something. You, Marissa, your parents. The Andinos. TEO Sean Murray and Randy Mortierre. Even UGO staff. Just, everyone.¡±


    Her eyebrows curled, ¡°What¡¯re you up to?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just feel like, if I don¡¯t do it soon, I won¡¯t be able to do it in a very long time.¡±


    She groaned. ¡°Fine¡­ But only because you¡¯re mixed up in all this crap.¡±


    ¡°End of the month?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± I hopped off her and stretched. ¡°Do I have permission to spend the night in the lab?¡±


    She twisted her head in quite the condescending way. ¡°You¡¯re pushing it.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I gave her a sly grin, which I¡¯m sure didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Give me a reason to allow it,¡± she sat up and steeled herself against me. My grin faded, and I became serious, or rather, a bit sympathetic that she¡¯d have to hear why. But I figured keeping her in the loop of things would be for the best.


    ¡°There are people who think I¡¯m dangerous, people in high positions. And as such, they are holding talks on whether or not to view me as a threat. I doubt it will go through, but worst-case scenario is they shoot me if I become a threat. And I don¡¯t mean shoot to subdue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± she said, hardly believing a word of it.


    ¡°Here is the recording for the rest of that meeting we were in. The only people who know of it are me, you, Sean Murray and the Home Secretary. I want to go to the lab to work on better equipment, to ensure they couldn¡¯t kill me even if they tried. Do I have permission?¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Do what you must.¡±


    I nodded at her, and left before she changed her mind.


    My TK followed close behind as I zoomed through the wintry skies. After sending over what I had on Cennet to LocalHost, I asked them to look for White and crosscheck it with Vasc.


    For the rest of the night, I focused on improving my own equipment. The last scuffle that Cennet and I had, he was easily able to defang the TK. Revisions for it would take much too long. I sat in thought. Maybe the issue is trying to fight him in his field. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m winning a fistfight. Ranged then? I scoffed. All I had was Z-21 and some grenades. There¡¯s no way he would fall for grenades. Constantly firing Z-21 would be, not too convenient, I thought. It was, in essence, a sword after all. That¡¯ll be a great deterrent if he gets close though. Hmm, but if I¡¯m to stay ranged, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get too far away else he¡¯ll just take cover somewhere. A pistol¡­


    I decided on a handgun, although it would have to be a somewhat lengthy one. Eight, maybe ten inches long. Maybe with some extra chin to put a small power core. Hmm. No trigger, in case I drop it. I didn¡¯t want anyone else to use it. That presented an entirely new problem. Only my headgear would be able to operate it. In fact, if that became loose on my head, I¡¯d have a lot of trouble operating Z-21, Grav, and the shielders. That had to be left for another time though. The pistol was my primary objective. I drew up the plans for it, revisiting the placement of components over and over until I found a size and shape that¨Cin theory¨Cwould work perfectly. So, I finished the schematic and emailed it off the smithies for a rushed draft.


    Now, I began taking a look at my defences. Really, a full sphere of protection from the shielders would be the ideal thing, but no matter how many different methods I tried, the energy would never meld together perfectly. That meant, I had to figure out how to get one shielder to form a complete sphere of energy. Ugh, if I could just get this damn thing to float on¡­ My thoughts swayed.


    ¡°Of course! Float! But¡­¡± I wondered if using the same metal as the anti-gravitational plate in Grav would allow me to form a little metal ball that could hover right over my shielder. Yet another email would be sent to the smithies. The type of UGO energy my shielder used was a rather safe one, unlike the high-temperature blast of the Z-21 or the TK¡¯s cannons. That meant it was safe to interact with humans. The only issue is, me. Won¡¯t make sense if the energy shield is interrupted by my body or something. It can¡¯t be a sphere at all. That¡¯s just basically a perfect circle. I have to stretch it like the ones on I have on Grav right now. I searched up the correct term. Ellipsoid, huh? Brainstorming things and trying out what I can into the night, I eventually fell asleep.


    A knocking on the door woke me up early next morning. I took a look through the peephole. The reporters¡­ I felt horrible waking up so early. They didn¡¯t even give the sun a fair chance to fully emerge.


    I hit a button and the door unlocked.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some bed hair, kid.¡± The woman laughed a little.


    I motioned them inside wordlessly, wobbling across to the coffeemaker. Not until I took my first few sips of the tantalisingly aromatic drink, did I open my mouth. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to answer all your questions. And I¡¯m not okay with video recording. Voice only, please.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Literally the entire country knows your face,¡± the cameraman pointed out.


    ¡°Fair point. Alright then,¡± I grabbed a nearby lab coat to fight the air conditioner¡¯s blizzard. They took their time and set up everything. Even brought lighting equipment. I felt a bit sorry for the guy because I knew it probably wasn¡¯t light. ¡°So, who¡¯s interviewing me?¡±


    ¡°Your friendly neighbourhood cameraman, Jack Mendez,¡± the daring cameraman who never stopped recording while my TK carried him introduced himself with a thumb¡¯s up, peering us through camera¡¯s display screen.


    The woman, staring at herself through a mirror and fixing issues I couldn¡¯t possibly hope to notice, introduced herself as well, ¡°Hana Koizumi. Pleasure to meet you, I guess? Don¡¯t you remember me?¡±


    I raised my mug from my mug and ogled her, ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    She sighed. ¡°You rescued me from a helicopter crash in North Sky mall. Those robots took people hostage and we were covering the event.¡±


    As I recollected the series of events, my eyes widened. ¡°Wow. You must like helicopters, huh?¡± I joked. ¡°Maybe you should try out drones.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± she returned to fixing her hair and pulled her phone out. My curious eyes involuntarily glimpsed at the phone, then back at the swirling black of my coffee. Her wallpaper had someone familiar in it, so I gave a second look and who do I see? Backslash?


    ¡°Backslash?¡± Hana repeated.


    Crap! I thought out loud. I rubbed my jawline nervously, ¡°Hah, I was just thinking of how to use my sword better,¡± I told her, trying to play it off and continuing to drink the almost finished coffee.


    But she placed her mirror down and faced her entire body towards me. ¡°You know my son, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I almost choked. Why the hell does she know that? Did he tell her? But he¡¯s always so careful. Hmm, how do I answer¡­ ¡°Oh, that¡¯s your son?¡± I simply feigned ignorance under the pressure. ¡°You named your son Backslash?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me,¡± she folded her arms.


    ¡°Geez,¡± I had to laugh it off knowing I was busted, ¡°you¡¯ve been a reporter for too long if you picked up on that so easy. Hana,¡± I put my mug down and faced her, as she did me, ¡°how much do you know?¡±


    Thankfully, she didn¡¯t know much. Nothing past simply having knowledge of his username. I politely refused to disclose that information, but I knew she¡¯d probably try to pry it from Backslash at some point anyway. If she found out, she found out, but her involvement did make me worry about her safety.


    The interview went on and finished about a half hour later.


    ¡°Your guardian has to sign a form for us to do anything with the footage. We¡¯ll put it up once we get that sig.¡± Hana stretched and stood up.


    Later that day, after noon, the smithies finished the frame for the pistol. I promptly flew over and collected it. Looking at it more fiercely back at the lab, I didn¡¯t find much issues. I fitted a power core within it, as well as a dial at the base of its grip to control how much power the core was allowed to expend every shot. Its barrel was a big long, but it needed a certain length to ensure the shot of energy came out as stable as possible.


    I¡¯d picked up the metal spheres from the smithies as well, but effectively speaking, focusing on the pistol would be of much greater benefit. I made a call to Samuel Andino for him to secure a shooting range for me. His position as a TEO would buy him an outdoors venue, but would buy me unnecessary company as well. Ferris Andino joined in, which, didn¡¯t bother me. However, the appearances of Esther Serrette and military officials almost made me go the opposite direction.


    ¡°Hey, guys,¡± I greeted the Andinos.


    ¡°Ugo. Sorry about this,¡± Samuel apologised.


    ¡°They¡¯re here for what now?¡±


    He walked closer and lowered his voice, ¡°Well, ¡®observation¡¯, according to Serrette.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I placed a hand on my waist and took a moment to process certain things. ¡°Mr Andino, I¡¯m cancelling this appointment. I apologise for wasting your time and I¡¯ll owe you.¡±


    My TK and I flew to a beach that vehicles couldn¡¯t access. The testing went better than I anticipated. The rounds, so to speak, didn¡¯t stay totally straight after TK analysed their trajectory, but the human eye couldn¡¯t recognise it anyway. The difference only really began showing when the laser-like blast reached far out into the ocean. For the range that it was intended to cover, its aim was almost perfect. After spending most of the evening testing the weapon at various levels of power, I had a lot of notes written down.


    At minimal power, I could shoot it one hundred and twenty-five times. At maximum power, I had a paltry fifteen attempts. But there was absolutely no possible scenario where I¡¯d need that kind of power. It was comparable to anti-tank rounds. There were eight levels of power on the dial; minimal power was enough to cause bad burns without killing. The second level seemed like it would kill if aimed certain parts of the body like the head, or may cause the target to bleed out. The third level and higher would definitely kill.


    After a bit of target practise with a moving TK, I returned to the lab and pondered what to do with the spheres for the shielders. I kept hitting a wall on how to make them perfectly suspended in the air. Even if I could get that to happen, sudden movement would be an issue. I leaned back on my chair in frustration. What the hell am I missing? Should I even bother? Truthfully, the shielders are good.


    I decided to go home when it began getting dark to catch up on some sleep in an actual bed. Ever since the bombing incident, I kind of realised having military escort everywhere I go was nothing more than them monitoring me. That idea was concreted even more after the meeting with Rosa.


    I hovered down onto the cobblestone in front my house and realised a few cars outside. Hmm? Estate security would never let anyone in without permission from a resident of the house, with the exception of certain people. My phone vibrated as I touched the front door¡¯s handle. Anna was calling me, but I didn¡¯t answer because I saw her inside with someone else. Unable to identify the person from my position, I simply entered.


    As I closed the door, I heard a voice. ¡°Mr Ugo. What a pleasant surprise.¡±


    Rosa sat at the dining table, looking straight at me with that smirk of hers. She sure wasn¡¯t a fan of telling you when she was coming over.


    ¡°Jared?¡± Anna called out and leaned a bit to see me? ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve been trying to get you all evening. You weren¡¯t at the lab either. Where have you been?¡±


    I was about to open my mouth and answer, then I realised I didn¡¯t actually know the name of the beach. ¡°I¡¯d need a map to tell you where.¡±


    ¡°Well, what were you doing then?¡± she continued. Rosa¡¯s smile grew even more mischievous.


    ¡°Doing a field test for some equipment.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she said, totally unconvinced. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll find out after dinner. Go freshen up and join us.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

 Level 20 – Where the Lines Blur

    We sat around that table and chatted all evening. After we were done and the servants carried the dishes away, Rosa stood up and excused herself to the washroom, asking that I show her where it was. Well, this is it, I guess. I imagined she waited until we were alone to tell me the real reason that she paid a visit, so I entered the washroom with her as well. We eyed each other through the mirror.


    ¡°Do you intend to assist me here as well?¡± she asked. I couldn¡¯t help but avert eye-contact.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind assisting a beautiful woman like you anywhere, anytime,¡± I replied, trying to keep in character.


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡±


    I leaned back onto the wall near the exit, ¡°So, why did this dinner happen?¡±


    ¡°The meeting regarding you and David Cennet will be held tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t suppose you wish to give me some listening device of some sort, do you?¡±


    As she asked that question, it made me remember something I was supposed to give to Anna and Marissa. I had a few extra, so I decided to give her one. If she was to be on my side in this, then making sure she was safe would be to my advantage. ¡°I do have something for you, actually. But,¡± I snickered, ¡°not a listening device.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she walked over to me slowly, ¡°And what would that be?¡± she asked, giving me a stare in the eyes I didn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°A tracker,¡± I said, removing myself from that situation, ¡°it¡¯s in the basement. I¡¯ll go grab it.¡±


    What¡¯s she thinking? I wondered, but shrugged it off as her just being a tease. Once I got the devices and decided to return. Rosa was already back in the dining room, saying her goodbyes to Anna. I gave her the device disguised as a bracelet with a jewel. A firm press on the gem would send a message to my phone and allow me to track it. She thanked me, and promptly left.


    I gave Anna hers and went to bed after.


    The morning after, a message from Backslash came through in the software he designed. ¡®I didn¡¯t tell her anything. But she won¡¯t shut up about it.¡¯ I cackled. His mom, Hana, was quite the handful. There was more interesting information to be had in the group chat. Cryptic sent over some files. Apparently, she found out who Cennet¡¯s bombmaker was. Harold Mason? ¡®Cherry on top, hes in the teo bomb squad¡¯, Cryptic¡¯s message read. After a quick look myself, I confirmed she was right.


    Hmm, now what do I do with this information? I knew I couldn¡¯t tackle it recklessly. Ah, I¡¯ll deal with that later. For now¡­ I phoned Marissa and asked her where she was, then set off to meet her. The grounds of her university were littered with people. Am I in the right place? I wondered, slowly my pace to a crawl to ensure I saw ¡®Library¡¯, seeing that¡¯s where she told me to meet her.


    The TK¡¯s camera zoomed-in to the building and confirmed my suspicions. It was indeed the library. She did this, didn¡¯t she? I sighed. How was I to find her in that crowd? I checked my phone, and she asked me to simply land in front the library. She definitely did this¡­


    The crowd went wild with cheering when I came into their sights. I let the TK land on the library¡¯s roof and I slowly descended into the crowd. They made a little circle for me to land in, fearing contact the UGO energy emitting from my Grav.


    The minute I turned it off and relied on the anti-gravitational plates, they swarmed me, not even giving me the pleasure of probably landing. Girls pulled me down, like quicksand I drowned into them. Luckily, I gave Z-21 and the pistol I had yet to name to the TK; I feared someone would¡¯ve tried to relieve me of them.


    A bunch of questions bludgeoned me once I got there. Mostly trivial things like age and if I had a girlfriend. The demographic of the crowd made me wonder just what sort of online persona the internet created me with. They were mostly young girls, and half of them were recording me with their phones. I politely made my way towards the library, and just before I could grace the small stairwell, a hand clasped onto mine. ¡°There you are! Finally¡­¡±


    Marissa placed her lips at my ear, ¡°Fly me away,¡± she said, throwing her arms around my neck. I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but I held that urge in and obliged her. Once I held her up properly, those surrounding us moved away a little and I was able to fly off. Midway through the flight, she made it her business to record a little clip of us soaring through the skies. All this just to give her a bracelet, I tittered under my breath while she gave a silly face to the camera.


    After showing her how to use the tracker, I dropped her off at a coffee shop and made my way to UGO to see the test data on the headgear and prosthetics I gave to them. Seeing the coats again was quite a nice change of pace. Just after ten o¡¯clock, I was reworking some code for the headgear¡¯s communication in the prosthetics to optimise small finger movements and how much pressure the user wished to exert in gripping force. Just when my brain reeled from a headache after thinking of formulae, my phone beeped. Rosa¡¯s tracker was pressed.


    At first, I didn¡¯t pay it much mind. How much of a coincidence would it be that the very next day I gave her the tracker, something happened? I returned my concentration to the code running across the screen, only to be disturbed once again by my phone. Three more messages came through, telling me that Rosa basically pressed the button a bunch of times. That can¡¯t be a mistake, I thought. ¡°Tell Anna something came up,¡± I told one of the coats and rushed downstairs to the exit, promptly flying off.


    Gripping onto the TK, I basically allowed it to go at a much faster speed than what Grav¡¯s boosters allowed. Near five hundred kilometres per hour in a straight line got me to the scene in just a couple minutes. Rosa¡¯s convoy was under fire. The vehicles to the front and back were ablaze, but not the one in the middle that Rosa was in. I took a deep breath, then had my TK drop me from mid-air. It began blasting the men swarming around the home secretary¡¯s car with its cannons and I focused on getting Rosa away from there.


    The car¡¯s windows were busted from gunshots, so my voice could reach her even amidst the noise. ¡°Rosa! This is Ugo! If you¡¯re there, answer me!¡±


    ¡°U-Ugo! I¡¯m, here!¡± she said, her voice broken in fear.


    ¡°Alright, everything¡¯s going to be just fine! I¡¯ll need to get you away from here! Just hold tight and keep your head below the windows!¡±


    Bullets kept bouncing off my shielder. I tried opening the door, but it was locked of course. I stooped below the window and wormed my way toward the driver window. The gunfire coming from the other side of the car couldn¡¯t be stopped by my shielder. If I stood up to see the armrest of the driver¡¯s seat so I could unlock all the doors, I¡¯d just risk getting shot through the opposite window. The TK had already dealt with near half the men, but I had to make it focus elsewhere. It took the other side of the car and placed its shielder up. That way I could stand and quickly unlock the doors. Once I got that out of the way, I let the TK continue to take down Rosa¡¯s attackers.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Finally, I got the door open, and she crawled out, in the protection of both my shielders. In my stooped position, I ordered her to get on. ¡°Grab onto me! Don¡¯t let go, okay? You¡¯re alright,¡± I reassured. Once her arms and legs were clasped around me, I flew off, guarding both sides with my shielder and heading right for where the TK already cleared a path.


    We were out of sight in a few seconds and it would take me only a minute to find the nearest police station. Even when I walked her inside, she still clung to me and only stood on her own when a couple officers came to our aid. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, okay? Nothing¡¯s going to happen to you. Let¡¯s take a seat,¡± I guided her and she only answered with a nod every now and then. She was petrified and I was infuriated at myself for ignoring her call for help at first. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t sustain any injuries. But her driver¡¯s spilled blood on her face surely did some mental damage.


    Once the officers came to us, I fixated my mind on those men who attacked her. ¡°These gentlemen will take your statement. Is it alright if I go and¨C¡±


    She grabbed my wrist with lightning-quick reflexes and simply shook her head.


    ¡°Okay. Okay, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered. When she gave her statement, I was right there in the room with her, hands still clutched together. The convoy she travelled with apparently had explosives underneath them. The men who acted as a firing squad all came out at the same time at that particular place. Someone was trying to kill her.


    Eventually, she was able to return to her house with beefed-up security detail. She fell asleep after taking some medication. I was able to leave and return to the crime scene. The TEO wanted to take my TK as evidence. Esther Serrette closed her eyes and exhaled. ¡°We need it to rule out your involvement in this.¡±


    ¡°My involvement?¡± I scoffed and had the TK fly right back to me, outside the crime scene tape. ¡°This place is littered with cameras. Get the owners to share the footage.¡±


    The minute the TK landed, they all pointed their guns at me. Something in my mind just snapped. Following my movements, the TK¡¯s shielder energy formed after mine did. I brandished Z-21. ¡°This is how you repay me?!¡± I snarled, and just then, my phone began ringing again.


    ¡°Anna¡­¡±


    ¡°Jared! Are you doing something crazy again?¡±


    I laughed, and sheathed the Z-21. ¡°I did, but everything¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? The police are refusing to tell me anything! I hope you didn¡¯t¡­¡± her words faded as did my attention to her. A hand resting on my shoulder was the culprit. I looked around and the hooded figure smiled at me. My heart dropped and my hand itched for Z-21, but attracting attention was probably a bad idea.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked Cennet.


    ¡°Come now, there¡¯s no need to take such a derisive tone. I¡¯m here on friendly business.¡±


    ¡°Give me one reason I should kill you where you stand!¡± I kept the phone to my ear, pretending to talk to Anna. She must¡¯ve been addled as to my sudden change. But I couldn¡¯t hide my animosity. Just seeing his face reminded me of Theresa and my parents. I wanted his head, badly.


    He placed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. ¡°I have information that would prove useful to you, Jared.¡± After that statement, he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.


    ¡°Anna, I¡¯ll call you back.¡±


    A text message came through telling me to go to the parking lot north of where I stood. I obliged, leaving my TK with TEO Serrette. I¡¯d rather they didn¡¯t look for me. Breaking the corner, I saw Cennet once more.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Your girlfriend, Rosa Sorrentino.¡±


    ¡°The Home Secretary?¡± I became even more suspicious of him.


    He smiled and pulled on the tip of his hat, ¡°If you want her alive, you¡¯d better stick to her like glue.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± he held his laughter in. ¡°What reason would I have to kill her? My prime targets are you, and, another that I cannot mention just yet. The reason I¡¯m telling you this, is because if she were to die, my plans would be stalled.¡± He handed over a flash drive to me, ¡°Do not trust the TEO, nor Michael Asher.¡±


    ¡°Why did you kill his daughter?¡± I asked the minute he mentioned the minister of defence¡¯s name.


    ¡°Why? Because he imposed on you. We can¡¯t have that, now can we?¡±


    ¡°But does that really give you a reason to kill someone?¡±


    He glared at me enough to make it uncomfortable and suddenly chortled. ¡°This misguided morality of yours, I look forward to meeting a Jared who has graduated such restraints.¡± He removed a hand from his pocket and suddenly stabbed me in the leg with something.


    ¡°Wha¨C¡±


    Before I could ask a question, my eyelids began feeling heavy.


    ¡°Besides, she¡¯s not dead,¡± he said. I barely heard it, but I made a mental note of it before I passed out. About an hour later, I awoke with an oxygen mask over my face in the back of an ambulance.


    Before I could even thank the man, I checked for all my gear. Everything was in place, fortunately. I pulled the mask up a bit, ¡°Take me to UGO Medical.¡± I told the man monitoring me. With some shaky movements, I placed my headgear on and checked my phone to see my body¡¯s status. What the hell did he do?! My fingers trembled trying to find what I needed. It reported abnormalities throughout most of my body, but to me it only felt like slight muscle contractions and an increased heartrate.


    What a foreign world this whole thing seemed like. Not too long ago I was the target of bullies; unable to fight back, but still in a somewhat protected bubble compared to all these catastrophic events taking place now. With Theresa around, I could¡¯ve weathered any storms. Now, the beacon I clung to in order to ensure my sanity stayed intact was undoubtedly Anna Stone. Sometimes I couldn¡¯t help but think that she didn¡¯t deserve this. She didn¡¯t need to be sympathetic towards some snotty rich kid who always found himself in harm¡¯s way. She needn¡¯t empathise with his hodgepodge of wilting emotions. Yet, I knew if she turned her back, Cennet would win, hands down. I¡¯d become an individual so far away from anything I¡¯d known that it horrified me even thinking about it.


    Those thoughts afflicted me until I got to UGO Medical. I realised suddenly that there was a need to take the security of those I love to the next level. A shooting like that in broad daylight? I digested the folly of it as I had some time to wiggle around my own mind. Who would want the Home Secretary dead? The answer could be any number of people, but it had to be something that occurred recently. I just ruined that person¡¯s plans. No doubt I¡¯m on the radar now. Those thoughts reinforced the notion to ensure Anna and Marissa¡¯s safety even more.


    Finally, we arrived at our destination. The paramedics passed me off to the staff at UGO Medical along with a little checklist of my symptoms. I knew that UGO Medical was more of a research facility than an actual hospital, but they still had superior technology. And knowing Cennet, there was no way the hospital had a chance of figuring out the cause and formulating a treatment, much less a cure for whatever he did. Once the usual apparatus was hooked up to me, my symptoms subsided a little. Perhaps the numbing agent from Vasc did its work as well. I advised the staff who looked after me that I was stable after I took a more detailed look at the headgear¡¯s reports.


    I fell asleep after a while and awoke a few hours later. Marissa was asleep on my hand and Anna was off to the side, peeling some fruits. ¡°That looks delicious,¡± I commented. Marissa woke up in a daze.


    ¡°Forget that,¡± she said and waltzed over to a nearby table, ¡°I got you some real food!¡± She beamed, dropping a box of pizza on my lap.


    ¡°Rissy!¡± Anna was about to complain but changed her mind upon seeing the grin I sported. ¡°Ugh, whatever. Anyway, mister. Do you have any idea what you got yourself into?¡±


    My jaw paused from chewing the scrumptiousness that is pizza, ¡°Nah. But when you say it like that¡­¡± I prompted for her to continue.


    ¡°The Home Secretary, Rosa Sorrentino. Just what is your relationship with her?¡± Anna eyed me.


    Marissa placed a hand over her mouth and smiled mischievously, ¡°Is that jealousy I smell?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s concern!¡± Anna snapped back without letting me out of her sight.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually not sure what our relationship is. I don¡¯t fully trust her, but we¡¯re helping each other out.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I told myself I¡¯d give you your space to do what you have to do, but jumping in the way of ex-militants with assault rifles?!¡± She curled her fists up, closed her eyes and faced downward, ¡°Dammit, Jared!¡±


    Ex-militants? ¡°How do you know they¡¯re ex-militants?¡±


    Marissa pulled up a news article about it. Guess who was reporting? Hana, with the TK in the background. I grunted, but as I listened, it was quite true. Throughout the article were several videos of the incident, all from different perspectives. Some of them focused on the TK, and others, on me. CCTV captured when the start of the attack began. Bombs, huh? Bombs were placed somewhere beneath Rosa¡¯s convoy, but not on her actual vehicle. I somehow doubt they had difficulties getting one under her car. So, was this all to scare her? Is it to scare her from doing something or make her fear someone?


    I pulled the equipment off me, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit her.¡±

 Level 21 – Schemes

    I grabbed my shielders and gave Marissa and Anna one each, ¡°You guys know how to use it, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re, going to visit her?¡± Anna asked softly and my body halted. Was I taking advantage of her? For a second, I put myself in her shoes. How absurd was it that a thirteen-year-old boy would randomly visit the Home Secretary? Why did I attempt to save her? I must¡¯ve had a death wish, I thought. But in truth, I didn¡¯t think about it at all. My body moved without my command.


    ¡°If you say I can¡¯t go, then so be it. I can only hope you understand that there are things I have to do.¡±


    Marissa threw an arm over her big sister. ¡°Go ahead, hero. Before she changes her mind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I have to make a detour and retrieve the TK first then dip in at the lab. Once I reach her house, I¡¯ll text.¡± With that, I took my leave.


    GPS said TK was at TEO headquarters, so I flew there. I¡¯m surprised she didn¡¯t ask why I was in UGO Medical. That damn Cennet. Thinking about our meeting made me even more curious as to what was on the flash drive he gave me. But first, I landed in front the TEO¡¯s main building.


    Esther Serrette saw me and motioned me into her office, then gestured me to take a seat. ¡°Well?¡± My feet began lightly tapping the ground. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t like you at first, kid. You¡¯re damn arrogant and reckless.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    She sighed in frustration, ¡°After those meetings with Michael Asher and the director, I found their behaviour a little weird. They leaned towards the notion of authorising lethal force against you.¡±


    ¡°Can you cut this short? Just say what you want to say,¡± I folded my arms.


    ¡°Impetuous too,¡± she commented on my behaviour. ¡°What I¡¯m saying, Ugo, is I¡¯m on your side. Providing you don¡¯t do anything to make their suggestion of lethal force justifiable. Your robot¡¯s in a containment unit. Take a left and go straight.¡±


    I stood up and briskly walked. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to her before exiting the office. Three men were surrounding the TK when I entered the large cell. They held drills and tried to get at certain places on the TK.


    ¡°The fuck are you doing?!¡± I shouted. They turned around curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s that kid.¡±


    ¡°This is your toy, right?¡± another asked.


    I had to take a breath and calm myself. Getting in a scuffle with them would make Serrette¡¯s newfound allegiance with me nil. Just then, Randy Mortierre, the TEO¡¯s techie strolled in from another entrance.


    ¡°Oh, Jared. Sup, dude?¡± he placed his fist out and I obliged, bumping fists with him. ¡°You here for this guy, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yup, but¡­¡± I looked at the trio in front of us.


    ¡°Oh, no probs, man. Go ahead,¡± he said, chomping on some potato chips.


    ¡°What?!¡± one of the men walked up to us. ¡°This is part of evidence in a murder scene!¡±


    Randy looked at the brawny guy and laughed, a wheezing one. ¡°Evidence my ass. You just want to see what¡¯s inside. Besides, who the hell¡¯s brave enough to walk in HQ and just take something without permission? He wouldn¡¯t even make it in here. Anyway, I¡¯m goin¡¯ for some lunch, fellas. Later!¡±


    What a carefree guy, I thought. I placed the headgear on and the TK followed behind me. Finally, I was able to go to the lab and see just what was on the drive. There were photos, audio files, and a few bank statements showing extravagant amounts of cash transfers. No one transfer was below two million. Franklin Donovan and Michael Asher¡¯s names were on different accounts, and sometimes there would be transfers between themselves. A third party called Dennis Ida also received and transferred cash to both their accounts. After listening to the phone calls, I learned they both conspired to scare the Home Secretary from forcing the police to investigate brokerage firms suspected of money laundering. Dennis Ida apparently owned those firms and put both men on his payroll. They didn¡¯t actually wish to kill Rosa for fear that eyes would fall on them because they were the most likely to take her position. They didn¡¯t want to be investigated.


    How did you get in possession of this stuff, Cennet? Why give it to me? If he was good enough to procure incriminating evidence like this, then surely, he was good enough to send it to Rosa without being traced. What¡¯s your plan? I made a copy of everything on my laptop and stored the flash drive in a safe place.


    I also placed the dirt I dug up on Franklin Donovan and Michael Asher. What I found on them was proof that they were involved in political lobbying and embezzlement. Those guys were as dirty as they came.


    I closed the laptop¡¯s lid after a while and flew to Rosa¡¯s place. I was stopped by the first line of security. ¡°Come on, man. Just tell her it¡¯s Mr Ugo,¡± I pleaded with the steadfast guard. ¡°I know you¡¯ve seen at least one of the videos.¡±


    ¡°Again, she¡¯s not taking visitors.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Dude!¡± I was about to argue yet again but simply rubbed my temples to ease my thinning patience. It would take nothing for me to just fly over anyway, but that probably wouldn¡¯t end up good for me.


    Thankfully, the guard next to him was not as suspect of me. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯ve a visitor called Mr Ugo.¡± He said, and waited patiently for her answer. ¡°Roger that! I mean uh, yes ma¡¯am,¡± he answered whatever she said. Mayhap he was new. ¡°You can go in, but uh¡­¡± he stared at the TK, then shook his head in disapproval.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Thanks a mill, man.¡± I left my weapons with the TK and proceeded inside.


    Rosa looked devastated even now, but still afforded me a smile and welcomed me inside. She invited me to have a seat with her, but remained silent. Looking at her dresser, I could see the bottle of booze already half-opened and lipstick marks on the glass next to it. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    She looked at me seemingly absentminded for a long time, a habit that might¡¯ve been engrained through all her years politicking. I sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep formulating the perfect answers to every question, you know? Just, tell me how you feel.¡±


    She sniggered meekly, ¡°I¡¯ve never felt so scared in all my life. In my position, you get the usual protest from those who don¡¯t like you. Or maybe a few people throwing eggs or something. But this¡­¡± she pulled her legs up and hugged them. ¡°Someone tried to kill me,¡± she kind of spoke to herself. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± Her body trembled, as if feeling a chill. ¡°Jared?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, stealing a couple glances at me then sighing.


    I wonder¡­ I asked myself then shrugged it off. If I¡¯m wrong, then I¡¯m wrong. ¡°I¡¯m not one to boast but,¡± I scooted around to her and wrapped both my arms around her, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m a better hugger than your legs.¡±


    A weak, trembling chortle sounded, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day a thirteen-year-old had to comfort the home secretary.¡± She gently hugged back.


    ¡°Me neither, I guess. But no matter who you are, you¡¯re human first and foremost. Nothing¡¯s wrong with needing help or wanting someone to comfort you. Besides,¡± the sides of our heads somewhat rested on each other, ¡°I wished someone would¡¯ve done this for me when I needed it, so I won¡¯t hesitate to do the same for you. It¡¯s alright now. I¡¯m here with you. You¡¯re not alone. Everything will be okay.¡±


    Her embrace tightened, tremendously so. ¡°Where¡¯d you learn to talk like that?¡± she giggled. ¡°Stay with me for a while, will you?¡± her whispers touched my ear.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed, ¡°but not in this position.¡± I pulled her down onto the couch and we laid facing each other. Her eyes kept shifting between mine and periodically they¡¯d bounce down to my lips and back up. ¡°What? Nervous?¡±


    ¡°Jared, I,¡± she paused and held my hand a little tighter, ¡°want you to know that¡­ I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand. This is, purely platonic.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I held her closer, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rosa. The fact that you felt like you had to say it makes me think otherwise. Well, either way, today¡¯s been tough, right? Don¡¯t think about that and just relax.¡±


    ¡°Relax, huh?¡± She wiggled a little, getting comfortable. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be telling him that?¡± Her eyes gestured down then back up to my eyes.


    ¡°Says the lady getting even closer to him,¡± I retorted. ¡°It¡¯s a natural phenomenon anyway. You¡¯re going to have to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡± she inquired, not taking her piercing eyes off me.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve never done it, so it would be hard for me to explain. It would be easier to show you.¡± The mere air began feeling a bit heavy. My heartrate surged. Even if only words were exchanged, those words were leading to something one with as little years as I only fantasised about. Her head inched closer, as did mine.


    After a few minutes of indulging in something I never imagined was possible, I carried her off to bed. The alcohol had done a number on her and she was quickly asleep.


    My phone began vibrating on the dresser. I stopped it quickly so Rosa wouldn¡¯t wake. It was a text from Anna, asking me how I was feeling. With that, I decided it was time to return to my lab and continue working. Cennet¡¯s flash drive was left in Rosa¡¯s hand and I jetted from her house.


    Once I replied to Anna, my focus converged on Cennet¡¯s actions today. Why would he help me? Should I even consider it help? How would getting rid of Donovan and Asher help him? I knew they were investigating him for his crimes but he must¡¯ve known ¨C as well as they ¨C that they couldn¡¯t trace him. Nothing about it made sense. And what did he really inject me with? That liquid, I recalled, it made my muscles go a bit crazy. I sighed, coming to a conclusion after properly looking at myself in the washroom¡¯s mirror. He used White, I realised, especially after flexing a little. My muscle mass had increased ever so slightly; unnoticeable with clothes on. I knew Cennet was no such fool, though. He wouldn¡¯t even the playing field. It meant he still thought he could outdo me in some form. What are you up to? I wondered. Thoughts of sinking Z-21¡¯s edge into his flesh haunted me every day, but I would supress the snowballing thirst for vengeance as best I could. There were others things that demanded priority.


    My phone rang yet again. Samuel Andino¡¯s number popped up, ¡°Mr Andino?¡± I answered, but nothing came through. Just as I was about to hang up, I heard a faint voice, so I decided to record it so that I might bump up the sound on better hardware. Playing back the recording, I heard Cennet speaking to Samuel Andino. Things were getting weirder by the minute that day. Cennet and Mr Andino? Just when I began pondering about what they would possibly have to talk to each other about, I was somewhat let down realising that their conversation was merely to arrange a rendezvous under a bridge. But at least it was something I could follow. The meeting wasn¡¯t until ten o¡¯clock that night, so I had a little less than four hours.


    I leaned back in my chair and placed a couple fingers on my chin, brainstorming what to do. Alas, following my recent pattern, I bought up small recording devices, most of them meant for audio only and flew over to the great bridge. The graffiti made it easy for the devices to camouflage once I stuck them to dark places of the artwork. The mini-cameras were tucked into corners to get the best vantage point and I made myself scarce.


    After warning Anna that I¡¯d be out late, I fixed myself a comfortable spot higher up the river, out of anyone¡¯s site and honed in on the signals from the devices. On the screen, Cennet sauntered into the camera¡¯s frame, propping his glasses up. A couple minutes later, another man appeared. But it didn¡¯t seem like Mr Andino. He handed something over ¨C a file by the looks of it ¨C to Cennet. ¡°No one saw you?¡± Cennet asked the young man.


    ¡°No,¡± he answered flatly and turned to walk away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to remind you what your existence means. That little girl knows too much already. Take care of it,¡± Cennet said, earning the attention of the young man. He seemed appalled, or stricken with fear.


    ¡°And what of that little boy, huh? He¡¯s an even bigger liability! Why don¡¯t you kill him?¡± The man argued, losing just a bit of his temper.


    ¡°Jared Ugo?¡± Cennet laughed. ¡°He has quite a big role to play in my plans, Stan. He is an asset, not a liability¡± Cennet suddenly stared directly at the camera, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Jared?¡±

 Level 22 – Resurrection

    What the hell¡­ I got caught off my guard a little. Cennet showed no signs of realising I bugged their rendezvous point, yet he knew somehow. Whatever. I flew out, my TK at the sides. By the time I got there, the young man Cennet called Stan was already gone, but he remained.


    ¡°I trust you don¡¯t believe that flash drive makes us friends¡­¡± I greeted, brandishing the handgun and aiming it at him.


    ¡°Oh Jared,¡± he smiled, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡±


    My TK¡¯s cannons pointed at him, firing only after I did. Cennet was hit in the shoulder from my shot. It almost seemed like his skin and muscle dematerialised, leaving only a carmine opening atop the shoulder. He was able to dodge the TK¡¯s blasts after, which only proved he simply wanted to test me.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting toy!¡± He ran around one of the columns and one of his TS picked him up, flying off with him. Immediately, we gave chase, but his head-start in front of us put him near a building under construction. The TS released him when they got close to the building and he landed on one of the concrete floors, rolling and skating until he found his balance again. I flew in, Z-21 in hand and swung sideways once I got close enough. In reflex, he put a hand up and it was cut clean off. He flinched, giving me the perfect opportunity to then aim for his neck, unfortunately, the speed was going at didn¡¯t allow such a convenience. I had to make a hard brake and turn around, but he was already running away from me. Like a madman, he leapt¨Cputting Olympic long-jumpers to shame¨Cand sled down a crane. Shooting after him would only result in property damage, so would Z-21 if I tried to decollate whilst he scaled down the jib.


    I followed along with Grav, flying around him but he kept putting the crane between both of us as he kept jumping downwards. His TS flew to me, tackling me and going straight to the ground. Instead, I redirected our nosedive and we slammed into the crane, keeping me somewhat close to Cennet. I was about to stick Z-21 into the android, but figured that would be a waste of time. ¡°TS, stand down!¡± I commanded and it obeyed without fail. ¡°Power down! TK, hit the manual kill switch and carry it. Follow and do not engage!¡±


    At that point, Cennet already landed on the ground safely. I flew towards him again, gaining on him quickly. Z-21 was aimed right at his neck this time, but he simply ducked, then stuck his hand up and gripped me by the ankle, making me smash into the ground face-first. I turned around, ready to slice his other hand off, but he stamped down on my wrist, totally breaking it and forcing my release of Z-21. I yelped in pain, but didn¡¯t let it stop me from drawing the pistol and shooting two blasts of Ugo energy at him. The first one missed, the second hit him right in the sternum but he batted the gun away before I could release a third shot. He coughed blood right onto me, but didn¡¯t afford me the luxury of fighting back. Despite the very damaged sternum and ribs, he kicked the living daylights out of me. Dammit! Not again! Fuck this! I rammed my elbow into his shin with all my might, breaking it. Oh, I forgot I have White now. He hopped back on his good leg, but I clipped his ankle with my feet, making him fall over. Right there, I made Grav power up to simulate a blast of UGO energy. It ruined it other feet, the ankle barely hanging on in its grotesque state. However, it blasted be back a few metres, making me flip over on my stomach. I stood up and grabbed Z-21, levitating towards him. ¡°Die!¡± I yelled, coming down from the levitation to end him.


    Just then, another TS tackled me, sending me airborne then smashing a bottle of some type of liquid in my face. It sprayed out, as if the contents were pressurised. In reflex, I inhaled, then blacked out.


    When I came to, there were some bystanders surrounding me, but refusing to help. The TK stood over me like a guardian angel, the powered-off TS still slung over its shoulder. I figured that¡¯s the reason they didn¡¯t attempt to help me. And the TS probably couldn¡¯t relieve my TK of the android it captured without Cennet¡¯s help anyway, so it was left for dead.


    By the time I awoke, my body was already fully healed. My TK gave me back my pistol. Without hesitation, I returned to the place under the bridge where Cennet¡¯s little drop-off was held. Too bad I didn¡¯t grab that damn file, I rued, but at least the devices are still here. Without wasting any time, I phoned Mr Andino, but no one answered. After this repeated a few times, I called his brother, Ferris, to ask for his home address.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I sent the TK to the lab to wait, then flew over to Mr Andino¡¯s neighbourhood. Once I was close enough to his residence, I switched off Grav¡¯s boosters in favour of simply walking. My blood-stained shirt wouldn¡¯t have been something I wanted seen, so I steered clear of street lights. Sneaking around his backyard, I couldn¡¯t see any activity inside. Suddenly, I heard a scream. Cindy?! I thought, judging from the shrillness of it. I cut open the window¡¯s burglar proofing then jumped inside, unsheathing Z-21, but not turning it on. Cutting Cindy by mistake would be no joke. I opened a bedroom, but there was nothing going on there. Another scream pierced the air and I rushed towards the living room, not minding my footsteps. Considering the size of the living room, I opted for my pistol instead. Just before I hit the corner, I stopped, then suddenly broke the corner and aimed my pistol only to see a pistol aimed right back at me.


    Mr Andino was lodged behind his couch, expecting company. We froze in our positions, guns pointed, and that¡¯s when I noticed he was watching a horror movie. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Ugo?¡± His eyes squinted trying to discern that it was actually me with only the television¡¯s light working in service of him. We both put our weapons down.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I waved awkwardly and pointed back, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for your window. Anyway, is Cindy safe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t she be?¡± she shrugged, a hint of suspicion buried in his eyes.


    ¡°She called me to¡­ Well I thought she called me to¡­ Who the hell called me?¡±


    ¡°Slow down, Ugo. Take a seat.¡± He offered, but I refused on the notion I¡¯d be out of there quickly.


    ¡°Got a call from your number this evening. There was a conversation between you and Cennet to meet up under the big bridge. I thought Cennet forced you into something and figured Cindy called my phone so I could hear what was going on. But after that I never got through to you. You weren¡¯t even at the scene.¡±


    ¡°H-hold up right there, mister. What are you, a detective? You can¡¯t jus¨C¡±


    ¡°Mr Andino!¡± I raised my voice just a little bit, enough to stop what he was saying but not enough to sound disrespectful. I still had respect for the man. ¡°Please understand, I¡¯ve been past the lecture stage ever since my parents died. So tell me, do you know who ¡®Stan¡¯ is or am I wasting my time?¡±


    Mr Andino¡¯s mouth gaped open. His knees buckled and he dropped his gun, following it onto his couch afterward. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± Samuel muttered so I moved in closer to hear him, ¡°Stan¡¯s my son. Or was. I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I placed the pistol back into my makeshift holster and laughed at myself, ¡°That¡¯s why he sounded just like you.¡± I borrowed his computer and showed him the video. ¡°Does that look like him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him! What the fuck¡¯s going on! My son¡­¡± he went through some emotions that night. From anger to anxiety, touching the surface of morose and running along the paths of curiosity. But, one thing that didn¡¯t change, was his newfound resolve to find out what the hell really happened to his son and get him back.


    ¡°Today¡¯s been a wild day,¡± I leaned back, then suddenly stood up after gathering my thoughts. ¡°Okay, I gotta head home. Anna¡¯s probably worried. Listen, uh, your son¡¯s case, was it under investigation by the police or TEO?¡±


    ¡°Us, the TEO,¡± he replied a bit despondent.


    ¡°Okay, good. I don¡¯t know what Cennet has to do with your son, but more than likely he has an inside man in the TEO. Otherwise the false reports of his death wouldn¡¯t have been planted like that. I¡¯ll need you to send me everything you have on the case, but be careful. Trust no one. One other thing¡­ I¡¯ll need you to get those files in a way that would leave a trace to you. Well,¡± I pocketed my hands, ¡°that¡¯s if you even want to know who the inside man is at this point.¡±


    He nodded, getting a little quieter. I worried that he would show that side of him to Cindy, but it¡¯s not like I knew anything about being a father so I didn¡¯t open my mouth about it. Instead, I just quietly left for the night, making a mental note to pay him back for the window.


    When I got home, Anna was already in sleepwear, but peering out the balcony. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if the light wasn¡¯t on. I landed next to her and she hugged me immediately. ¡°Wait!¡± I tried to push her off, ¡°The blood will get on you!¡±


    ¡°Blood?!¡± She took a step back. ¡°Jared¡­ whose is that?¡±


    ¡°Cennet¡¯s.¡± I stretched my arms upward and rubbed my eyes into a yawn. ¡°There¡¯s so much to tell you, but, uh,¡± I looked at her up and down, ¡°looks like you¡¯re ready for bed.¡±


    ¡°You mean there¡¯s more after the big shootout which you clearly shouldn¡¯t have been involved in?¡±


    I nodded my head and she simply sighed. ¡°Go freshen up and tell me everything.¡±


    That¡¯s all I wanted to hear, really. When I came back to her room, she was reading some emails on her laptop. CEO work never seemed to slow down. She patted the side of her bed. ¡°From the top. I want to know how grounded you should be.¡±


    I chuckled nervously. But in truth, telling her this felt like a big weight off my shoulder. We talked until I fell asleep.

 Level 23 – Bowing Before Terrorism

    By the time I woke up, she was gone. She left a note on the dresser where my phone charged. ¡®You¡¯re not grounded. Not yet anyway. I need time to assess the mayhem. Please don¡¯t do crazy things today. Love you.¡¯


    A snigger escaped mentally. Love you too, Anna. With that note, and some coffee, my day was off to a good start. I went to my lab and removed the storage drive from the TS that my TK brought back to the lab last night. There were a few videos saved. I don¡¯t know how many TS Cennet had, but he surely didn¡¯t let just one accompany him everywhere. In the off chance that someone would do exactly what I¡¯m doing now, he probably switched up his TS many times so that the information we would get would be minimal. The video on this one showed someone sitting behind a computer, but the silhouette wasn¡¯t enough for me to know who it was. At least, not until the man turned around. I palmed my face. I laughed, finding it a bit silly how Sean Murray was trying for my trust the other day through his psychological evaluation, yet I found him here working for Cennet. The two spoke about someone named Charlene Jefferson in conjunction with Michael Asher.


    Charlene Jefferson? I rang the name a few times in my head because it sounded familiar, but simply chose to look her up online instead. ¡°Wow¡­¡± I sighed. The minister of education now? Don¡¯t tell me he wants to kill someone in her family too? I should warn her, but how?


    Just then, Rosa called. Oh, right. I can just ask her to warn that woman for me.


    ¡°Ugo speaking,¡± I answered, and I could almost hear her smile on the next end.


    ¡°I know by now my number shows up on your phone. You need not be so polite, Jared.¡±


    I tittered, ¡°You caught me. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Brunch?¡± she asked and I gave a quick look at the clock.


    ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡±


    ¡°See you then,¡± she hung up. I took a step back. Brunch with the home secretary. I¡¯ve been doing some crazy things just like Anna said. If she knew about Rosa¡­ I stopped right there, unable to even conjure the reactions she¡¯d have in my head.


    Before heading out, I stashed away Cennet¡¯s TS, changed my slightly bloody Grav for a new pair and got myself another pair of shielders. Attacking him yesterday without good defence was stupid in retrospect, but at least I didn¡¯t die. In fact, I had the upper hand. The first time I fought with Cennet, I didn¡¯t have the resolve to kill him knowing that a few of his TS had Marissa¡¯s house surrounded. But our scuffle yesterday was another story. However, I refused to let it make me overconfident and still prioritised one-upping him in terms of power. Though, I couldn¡¯t rule out that White played a big role in improving me. I¡¯d imagine getting injected with White without having Vasc running through me would have me bedridden.


    Once again, I found myself at the front gate of Rosa¡¯s house, being patted down by security. ¡°Sure, sure,¡± I handed off my sword and gun to the TK. If they knew my entire body was just as dangerous, they wouldn¡¯t let me through at all. Once I knocked, she let me in and closed the door. She locked it and turned around, pressing her lips against mine and sliding the zip of my hoodie down. ¡°And here I thought we were going to have brunch.¡±


    She grinned, ¡°We are.¡±


    She brushed her hair back to normal after we were done and I stepped out the shower. ¡°In the report with you, it was said that you were injected with Vasc. Is that why you¡¯re so good?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I said, in the process of putting my clothes back on but once she had that look about her; I didn¡¯t get a chance to. ¡°Did you,¡± my words being broken up by the vile pleasure, ¡°check the files, on the drive?¡±


    She didn¡¯t even stop, only answering me with ¡°mhm¡± so she could focus on her current task. We repeated everything as if stuck in a loop, but I could finally dress after the second time that morning. We finally ate actual food.


    ¡°I saw what you left for me. I¡¯ll have them prosecuted, but we can¡¯t say the information was from David Cennet. We¡¯ll have to think up a good story for how we got the evidence.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, remember how you found Sean Murray¡¯s fingerprints on the recording device I gave you?¡± She nodded. ¡°Turns out, he¡¯s Cennet¡¯s inside man in the TEO. That¡¯s probably how Cennet got all that dirt on Franklin Donovan. I don¡¯t know how he got dirt on Michael Asher though.¡±


    ¡°How do you know all this?¡± she questioned. I retold the events of yesterday, after I left her house.


    ¡°I see,¡± she folded her arms and leaned back. ¡°Charlene Jefferson, is it?¡± she looked up at the ceiling in thought, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she tightens up security for her family.¡± Just then, her phone rang, and following in its footsteps, my phone did as well.


    She answered hers and I removed my arm from around her, expecting her to stand up and walk away for some privacy, but she pulled my arm right back where it was and didn¡¯t move an inch. Ferris Andino was calling mine phone, so I answered but spoke as softly as I could, not wanting our voices to be heard by the person Rosa was speaking to. ¡°Ferris?¡±


    ¡°Ugo! There¡¯s an emergency! I mean, it doesn¡¯t concern you, but it concerns David Cennet. It¡¯ll probably reach back to you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I turned on the call recording and listened to what he was saying. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be on standby then.¡±


    ¡°Standby for what?¡± Rosa questioned after I hung up. After seeing my deer-in-headlights expression, she sighed. ¡°Someone told you about parliament?¡±


    I nodded slowly. Ferris had just informed me that dozens of TS had members of parliament hostage, including the prime minister, minister of defence and minister of education. ¡°I know Cennet does some insane things, but something about this whole thing feels different. Anyway, I¡¯m heading over to TEO HQ for now.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± she stopped me before I touched the door knob and pecked me, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid!¡±


    I looked her in the eyes and took a moment to gaze upon her. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked me, and I took a step back, looking at her entirety.


    ¡°Did you, get sexier?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Just go save the day, Mr Ugo.¡±


    With that, I left for the TEO¡¯s headquarters. Two van loads of them drove out, their sirens blaring. Thankfully, when I got into the building, Ferris and Samuel were still there. The very room we had the meeting with Rosa in before was littered with people.


    I placed my hands in my pockets and peered inside. One by one, they began noticing me, their heads turning like a stand of flamingos. I decided to wait and see what their decision would be. If I would be omitted, then so be it. After all, Cennet didn¡¯t ask for me this time and neither was he seen. However, his actual presence would make me head over there no matter what anyone said.


    In my peripheral vision, someone approached me. ¡°Hello?¡± I heard a woman¡¯s voice and turned around. She was probably in her twenties, ¡°You¡¯re the hero, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, so I¡¯ve heard,¡± I replied, and she steeled herself.


    ¡°Can I have a photo?¡± she pointed to her phone.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± And so, we took photos. I posed with my shielders and an energy-less Z-21. Didn¡¯t want anyone touching it by mistake and losing their fingers. As I did, more and more employees swarmed around me and we continued taking photos. I even gave autographs to some of them. I¡¯d no idea I was at the level of giving out such things.


    ¡°Ugo, what the hell are you doing?¡± Ferris poked his head out the briefing room. ¡°Get in here, man.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I dismissed myself from the little crowd and stepped into the room. The TEO director was less than pleased to see me, but even he wanted my help for something this dire. Their commander, Esther Serrette did most of the talking, as they planned out strategies for getting the members of parliament to safety. ¡°The police have already blocked off the area to the public, so we¡¯re safe to go with this plan. Once Willard is in place, we can proceed.¡±


    Randy suddenly had a mischievous grin on his face. I didn¡¯t know who Willard was, but he must¡¯ve been important. Serrette began knocking some papers together, ¡°Ugo, your silence is bothering me. Us.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    I could feel her almost wanting to look at the director, but she refused do it. ¡°I want you to say you have our backs.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± I continued.


    Her lips began forming a word, then stopped. Yes, they wanted me to go fight like a tactical enforcement operative, but they knew full well having a civilian in harm¡¯s way ¨C underaged no less ¨C would get them on the wrong side of the law. But, in truth, I was a special case. I certainly refused to give them any of my equipment, so that left them with putting the lives of their operatives at higher risk or sending me out to reduce casualties as much as possible. ¡°Your best,¡± she settled for an ambiguous answer.


    ¡°Cennet didn¡¯t call me for this time. So that means, this is the authority¡¯s problem. Your problem,¡± I looked at Franklin Donovan, then back at Esther Serrette. ¡°How equipped are you to ensure you minimise death and injury?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be more ¡®equipped¡¯ if someone shared their equipment!¡± Donovan, wordless, now spewed words. I didn¡¯t even bother giving him the time of day and continued looking at Serrette.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re going with the plan we discussed when you came in. TEO are as armed as they can be for the location of the emergency.¡±


    Just then, my phone rang. ¡°Ugo speaking.¡±


    ¡°Ban? ItHertz here. We got some info for you, hero. Your buddy, David Cennet, we found his hideouts. So, come on, praise me!¡±


    ¡°G-good job, man.¡±


    ¡°Oh you!¡± I could picture him doing something girly with his hands. ¡°Hey! Tell ByteMe you love her. She¡¯s in desperate need of male attention. The well¡¯s run dr¨Cahh!¡± he yelled out after seemingly getting hit from her. She must¡¯ve snatched the phone away from him.


    ¡°Ban, I¡¯m sending you the locations now. But don¡¯t hang up or I¡¯ll skin your ass alive, okay honey? Great!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°What did I tell you about that word?!¡± She scolded and I could only laugh.


    I was about to walk out when Ferris called out to me, asking what my phone call was about. Should I involve them? Shit, do I really even have the leisure to stand idly by and do nothing while the TEO kill themselves? I held onto the ankh father got for me and felt the engraving of the word ¡®Ban¡¯ on it. His words from the note flashed across my mind. ¡®What you love is a direct reflection of who you are. Never forget who you are.¡¯ A snigger escaped from me and I wondered why on earth I remembered it then and there. I couldn¡¯t let those men endanger their lives unnecessarily, and neither could I pass on up the opportunity to discover Cennet¡¯s hideouts and destroy them.


    After a grunt of frustration, I steeled myself into a more proactive position. ¡°Okay. Are there any reports of human targets?¡±


    Ferris shook his head. ¡°Alright,¡± I rubbed my temples, ¡°I¡¯ll go help deal with the TS. Just make sure your people don¡¯t attack without me, yeah? Did Cennet say what he wanted yet?¡±


    Ferris repeated his action, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I made my way out the headquarters and soared toward the great hall of the parliament.


    On my way there, ByteMe notified me of some robots outside one of Cennet¡¯s five hideouts. They were soaking the place in gasoline according to the CCTV there. ¡°Better hurry. We got no eyes on the other four places. Good chance he¡¯s doing the same thing there. Chop, chop!¡± she hurried me.


    I paused midway, then darted back the way I came. I commanded the TK to assist only in protecting members of the police, TEOs, and military. The things I was about to do would have to be done on my own.


    The city seemed so unfazed by the situation in parliament, so ill-prepared for Cennet¡¯s deeds. Why did innocents have to pay the price for a mistake I made? Letting my angst against Jonathan overcome me for just one second caused all this. It happened so fast that there was no time to halt my movements. No time to stop and change my mind. That bog I dug myself into showed its most repugnant state in the form of innocent lives lost. Even then, even at that point in my journey through Cennet¡¯s deranged play, there was still doubt laden within me; truthfully, it never left. I¡¯d only managed to ignore it in the face of my self-appointed responsibilities.


    Before long, I came across the first of the five places that LocalHost pointed me to. It wasn¡¯t locked, which raised a red flag for me, but I still proceeded inside. The smell of gasoline was indeed quite prevalent. On flicking the light switches on, there were several rooms sealed off behind clear glass, seemingly bulletproof. Inside it laid a wide arrangement of plants, vials, chemicals and what seemed to be a freezer with body parts. The HAZMAT suits off to the side made me think twice about entering those rooms. Sure, Vasc could¡¯ve probably helped me in the case that I became infected with something, but Vasc was probably made there in the first place. There¡¯s no telling what substance may cause an undesirable reaction. This place was definitely not a place I could report to any authority. As much as I disliked the thought of agreeing with Cennet, I believed this place should be torched. Truthfully though, I¡¯d have been stupid to leave all the research data there, even if I wasn¡¯t apt at that line of work. I pulled the files from the computers and placed them on my phone.


    I set off to the nearest target once more and discovered a small warehouse of equipment. By equipment, I meant human equipment like body armour, tactical gear, high-powered rifles, grenades and the like. It was labelled meticulously just like the stuff in his biology lab was. However, after giving the place a quick scour, I found nothing tying Cennet to it. There were no data or anything to take away from this place. This was something I could call in, but I didn¡¯t do that just yet. It would¡¯ve made more sense to gather as much information as I could about these hideouts of his before getting the authorities crawl all over it.


    My next target was a building in the middle of the city. It seemed to be a hub for different businesses. In a place where most people wore office attire, my hoodie stood out like a sore thumb. But I either had to pick standing out with the hoodie protecting my face or risk being identified by random people. If they reacted anything like the desk-workers at the TEO headquarters, it would surely hinder me. I checked along all the seven floors of the building, but found nothing off-looking. However, there was but one place that was empty. It was lined with computers and cubicles and laid in darkness. Not a soul was there. In curiosity, I turned the door handle and it opened without issue. At that point I was convinced Cennet knew I would be visiting those places and left things just the way he wanted them to be seen. Whatever I saw or gathered from these places, I had to assume it was what he wanted me to see. There¡¯s no way in hell someone as crafty as him would simply leave the door unlocked. Still, I perused the place, stealing data indiscriminately in favour of saving time.


    The other two locations were close to each other, but quite far from the city. In fact, they were in closer proximity to another city, but still resided far enough away from any metropolitan area. The first one I got to was situated in an industrial complex a bit close to train tracks. The building was a bit dilapidated. Entering through the broken window, I stopped a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, I saw before me a farrago of parts in a section of the building. Another section contained wooden boxes. I stared intensely at it, trying to focus my eyes in the darkness until I grew tired and switched my phone¡¯s flashlight on. Inspecting the crates showed a lot of raw materials covered in foam. My eyes opened wide after ogling the contents for a minute or so. They were the materials that Cennet¡¯s TS were stealing. He was somehow able to procure all he needed without robbing UGO¡¯s suppliers, since the stolen material reports stopped. Exploring the rest of the place, I could see almost eighty or so TS already assembled and a few dozen close to being finished. This place was where he built his army of robots.


    Finally, I turned my compass to the last hideout. It was marked to be in an old airstrip-turned-junkyard. Flying over the pile of destroyed airplanes and vehicles, I noticed a hangar with a clear walking path to it. I landed in the dirt and entered the enclosed hangar. It was quite huge, but much the same as outside with a bunch of junk metals inside. Entering the place, I could hear a banging as I grew closer to the centre of the uncomfortably hot hangar. It was soft and muffled, but I tried my best to follow the sound. When I neared the back-end of the hanger, I realised the sound came from underneath. Going through the piles of junk and keeping my eyes peeled to the ground, I finally found greasy and oily piece of cardboard covering a door leading underground.


    I entered opened the place, and I could hear people¡¯s voices calling out weakly for help. What the hell is this. They came one by one to the exit and I helped pull out the weakest ones. A young girl, probably around Marissa¡¯s age caught my eye, so much so that I peered into her eyes as my mind darted off elsewhere, refusing to be in the present. ¡°Help me or move out of the way!¡± she brought me back to the present. So, I helped her out of there.


    ¡°Sheesh! You¡¯re welcome, I guess.¡± I continued assisting others out, even those who seemed to be in worse condition than she was. She peered down at me, not doing anything in particular, so I sought to question her as she looked to be in an okay state of mind. ¡°Who put you guys down here anyway?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? A bunch of random goons. My dad is so gonna kill them!¡± She huffed and puffed in anger.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I pulled yet another grown man out with just the strength of one arm. White was an amazing elixir. ¡°Who¡¯s your dad?¡± I questioned her.


    ¡°Michael Asher?¡± she said in tone that suggested everyone should¡¯ve known that. My ears perked up in response. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she continued, ¡°the minister of national goddamn security! Those guys are so fucked!¡±


    I looked around at her immediately and just like she said, she was Michael Asher¡¯s daughter, alive and kicking. And quite entitled too. ¡°But¡­¡± my eyes looked to the cardboard I brushed aside and my hand touched onto my chin in wonder, ¡°Didn¡¯t you die? You definitely died. You got shot point-blank to the head.¡±


    ¡°The hell you talkin¡¯ abo¨C¡±


    ¡°Jared?!¡± a woman¡¯s voice sounded through, echoing a little.

 Level 24 – The Living Dead

    Like a madman, I jumped down into the darkened room. ¡°Who just called me?!¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Is that any way to speak to your mother?¡± Diana Ugo scolded me. My body paused, my muscles barely functioning to keep me standing upright. But my mind went into overdrive.


    Mom? Mom! Mom? My mind¡¯s wishful thinking and perspective of reality began battling each other, in a vicious fight for dominance. Mom¡­ Ugo. Diana Ugo. Mom is alive! But, she¡¯s dead. She died. Her body. The funeral. Her will¡­ It didn¡¯t make sense. I saw my parents die. Yet, they didn¡¯t? At that very moment it felt like my mind was shattering soundlessly, unable to truly understand what was in front of me. It was absurd. Is this real? My mind took a step back from everything and questioned the legitimacy of reality from the moment I stuck that pencil into Jonathan¡¯s neck. The very fabric I based truth on was becoming unwoven, tangling into a conundrum of a mess that couldn¡¯t be sewn back together.


    Warm hands gently touched my cheeks, then my entire body was entombed in something I was despairing for ¨C love. Whatever lies I told myself to try and get over her death were now gloating at their triumph over my pathetic attempt to pull the wool of moving on over my very own eyes. I didn¡¯t move on at all. I was still grieving incessantly, hiding away my regrets of not being a better son and stockpiling all my misery into an inescapable monolithic creature that would eventually corner me if not for her simple hug. All the stains and residue that refused to vacate the delicate entrapment they were placed in were now all melting away by the second. Mom! The waves of relief washed down the banks of my cheeks. Mom! Quivering arms even more robotic than my inventions warped around her back. ¡°Mom! Mom! I missed you!¡± That was it. That exact moment was the end of the thorny path I trekked. That exact moment was the destination. That was the oasis.


    But alas, life¡¯s hand was indifferent. Fate cared not. ¡°Ban?! Ban! Our position¡¯s been compromised!¡± Cryptic from LocalHost yelled into the microphone. ¡°Someone managed to trace back to us!¡±


    ¡°Cryptic!¡± Xeno screamed. ¡°Come on! Leave all this stuff here!¡±


    ¡°You guys go ahead! Someone has to destroy all the data! Leave!¡± she commanded and I could hear the sound of footsteps getting softer.


    Mom sighed, ¡°Looks like you got work to do, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Hey,¡± I finally let go of her, ¡°what about dad?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± his voice entered my ear, ¡°I¡¯d be the worst person imaginable if I interrupted that touching reunion. C¡¯mere!¡± he grabbed me into a hug, leaving me only the awkward position of tapping his sides with the palm of my hands. I was amazed at how I hadn¡¯t even noticed him. In fact, once I saw mom, my brain blacked out everything else.


    Unfortunately, I had to cut my time short with them, something I rued even imagining. It felt like it would be okay to just give up on everything at that point. It would be fine if I let the army and TEO deal with Cennet. Everything would be fine. But, I knew, despite the absurdities of seeing my parents and Asher¡¯s daughter alive, that there were still very real casualties because of Cennet¡¯s actions. My fight wasn¡¯t over.


    I rang up Mr Andino and asked for assistance, making sure to state that there were people in poor health and heavily dehydrated. I sent my location to him and he told me he¡¯d handle the rest. At that point I could only trust that he would forego the TEO in favour of my request. After all, he owed me one for saving his daughter Cindy, and bringing to light the existence of his son, Stan.


    ¡°Here,¡± I gave my phone to dad, telling him not to give it to anyone besides mom of course. I made my way over to another motel that LocalHost stayed at.


    By the time I got there, police and paramedics had already swarmed the place. The only person of the group who remained was Backslash. I landed near him, and of course the police immediately pointed their guns at me. Backslash informed them I was a friend and they at least put away their guns. ¡°Sorry, Ban,¡± he apologised, seated in the back of an ambulance being patched up. ¡°I tried to stop him but, he¡¯s, not human.¡±


    ¡°Cennet?¡± I asked, and he nodded in response, a forlorn look about his eyes. ¡°Did anyone die?¡±


    ¡°Die? Well, no, but¡­¡± he sighed. ¡°They¡¯re all in critical condition. He didn¡¯t go easy on them, unlike me¡­¡±


    I balled my fists, truly getting fed up of his sick games. ¡°Did he say anything?¡±


    Backslash nodded, exhaling as he closed his eyes. ¡°Indifference is a sin onto oneself, yet, the greatest blessing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for putting you through this,¡± I placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Go home and get some rest, okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry,¡± he brushed my sentiment away. ¡°Just make sure my mother¡¯s okay. She¡¯s probably covering the story at parliament right now.¡±


    I smiled. Despite his timidity, he was strong. ¡°Gotcha.¡± My eyes turned back to the direction of parliament. Without my phone, I wouldn¡¯t be too accurate in retracing my flightpath back to the scene, but once I got to the city, I¡¯d be fine.


    The past couple days has been¡­ I thought, not truly knowing what to think about the highs and lows of it. It was quite the whirlwind of surprises. My goggles began feeling tight around my head, having them on for this long. The headgear underneath it felt like it dug into my skull, but such a thing was but a mere inconvenience when weighed against the situation in the city. I sped through the overcast forests at Grav¡¯s full speed.


    Alas, I reached the city and used certain landmarks to navigate my way back to the scene of the parliament. It was still very much a stalemate of stares. But the TEO and military now properly surrounded the entire area. I landed near the first encirclement and questioned where the reporters were. ¡°You the hero-kid? They¡¯re around back, on Eastman,¡± a policeman pointed to another street.


    Landing in the midst of them only made them surround me, the shutter of their cameras and questions absolutely drowning any hope I had of my voice making it through the storm of sound. Hovering above them, I eventually spotted Hana Koizumi in the melee. She was feisty, but in truth, her cameraman, Jack Mendez was truly the person to worry about. His jumping out of a moving helicopter just to get a good viewpoint painted his recklessness vividly.


    I was stopped, of course, trying to go through the encirclement at the entrance of the hall, but Esther Serrette was there. She waved me through. ¡°They¡¯re having trouble with Willard,¡± she spoke softly, infuriation not too subtly intonated, ¡°the fucking minute we¡¯re about to start!¡± she kicked the steps. ¡°Hey, you know about that kind of stuff right?¡±


    ¡°What kind of stuff?¡±


    ¡°Electrical engineering? Don¡¯t know the name. Think you can have a look at it?¡±


    My eyes squinted. She certainly felt like a different person when crunch time called for it. ¡°Willard isn¡¯t a person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an EMP,¡± she began walking to the back entrance where they put the device so others wouldn¡¯t stop me. ¡°Good luck,¡± she wished me. The device was no larger than a rugby ball. Just when I sat down with the other TEOs to try and figure out what was going on, an announcement was made from one of the TS¡¯ robotic voices.


    ¡°Good morning, members of the parliament. I am David Cennet, a simple man who seeks change. I have with me a file that introduces a change in policies in concern to the safety of students and staff of all educational facilities. It is my wish that you read and implement these policies. If members of parliament refuse to review these regulations here today, I¡¯m afraid the message sent would show nought but the incompetence of this country¡¯s security and above all, the indifference of the leaders. For members of the public that wishes to know my intentions are just, you may see the documentation at ¡®forjaredugo.com¡¯. My best wishes.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if to take that seriously or not, but of course, it had to be checked. Serrette pulled her phone out and went to that website, and sure enough, the policies that were presented to the members of parliament were online for all to see. ¡°Fuck! He¡¯s streaming this live! Looks like security cameras. How the hell¡­¡±


    Every single camera in and around the building could be accessed by anyone. The ministers inside eventually came to a conclusion on the matter after a half hour or so reviewing the gist of the documents they were handed. They chose to remain unflappable and refuses to give Cennet ¨C whom they viewed as nothing more than a terrorist ¨C the time of day. On the feed that he streamed, one of the ministers spoke collectively for the group and said they¡¯d never pass the bill of one such as Cennet. He went on to explain that being forced to do so in that manner was in itself showing the incompetence of their leadership and showed the public that no one could just force their radical ideals of change. A compelling argument, answered by a bullet to the head. One of the many armed TS in the great hall fatally shot him without so much as a comment to his answer. The bodyguards of other ministers retaliated and shot back at the TS around them ¨C a grave mistake.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Gunshots rang out as the TS began slaughtering the bodyguards or any other people who were armed. The TEO and military rushed in but were blown away by bombs planted all over the building. My TK and I rushed inside after it smashed open the backdoor. We entered, guns blazing. Midway through killing off the TS and having the TK protect as many people as it could, the sounds of rifles pilfered my attention from my current battle. Yet, I couldn¡¯t satiate my curiosity. There were still around ten or so TS remaining inside the building.


    Any enemies close enough to me would be dissected with my Z-21 after I flew into them. My shielders only came off when I had to attack and even then, I made sure not too many other TS had a clear shot at me. Finally, inside was secured, somewhat. There were still around seventeen or so casualties inside alone. When I ventured outside, the streets ran red with blood. The skies casted shadows of androids, many in number, discriminate in murder. The trained and combined forces of soldiers and tactical enforcement operatives looked like a joke compared to these flying death-bringers. Cennet was no longer joking. The heinous crimes he committed before all seemed like child¡¯s play when compared to this. Are these, the TS from that warehouse? I should¡¯ve destroyed them! I thought, my body stiff with apprehension watching as bullet after bullet collided with the flesh of the uninvolved.


    This wasn¡¯t me. All of this insanity. I was a thirteen-year-old in a warzone. The stench of death made me nauseous. I puked over the pavement, coughing out the last bits. All my receptors of fear felt like they were finally working the way they were supposed to. I was petrified. A searing sensation hit the top of my calf and made me slump in pain. That sharp pain sucked me back from my pitiful state and gave me a presence of mind once again. TK immediately flew next to me and activated its shielders. The retreating remnants of TEOs and soldiers painted a bleak outlook. After a few deep breaths, I held my bearings and flew off, commanding my TK through the headgear¡¯s connection.


    It stayed on the ground and covered me with its cannons, only moving to ensure the occasional tackle from the flying TS was dodged. I flew up, thrusting my boosters to the max for the best agility I could garner and began slicing apart my robotic foes one after the other, like an enraged psychotic. They began focusing on me and pointed their automatic rifles, emptying magazine after magazine futility against the azure shell of my shielders. Once enough of them stopped to reload, I bolted to my side and began shooting them out of the skies. The pistol being on level three in power output ensured a hole was blasted through even the most reinforced places on the TS. One of them tackled me, even with my shielders on. I busted through the side of a building, glass surrounding me and the robot clearly trying to disorient me. ¡°Stand down!¡± I yelled, but there was no response. Truthfully, I wasn¡¯t surprised that he removed my voice recognition data. The sun touched my skin again as we crashed through the other side of the building.


    I switched the TK to level two artillery instead. It was a bit dangerous, but I noticed that a lot of the TS were now focused on me, probably sorting out the priority targets as those most threatening. I grabbed the TS¡¯ gun arm and squeezed until it broke, then flung the android away from me, blasting a couple holes through its torso. My next objective would be to lead the bulk of the robots back to the parliament hall, as the place was already evacuated. They followed me like a swarm of bees, but thankfully, my Grav was much more powerful than their boosters. Sweeping down onto one of the dead TEOs, I stole his earpiece.


    ¡°Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not Sampson¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead! I¡¯m leading the TS towards the river! Get the injured out of here! You¡¯ll have to deal with any robots that remain!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Jared Ugo aren¨C¡± I slipped the earpiece out to focus on what I was doing. My TK eventually caught up with me, but didn¡¯t shoot its cannons in that concrete jungle. Once we made it past a certain point, the fight began yet again. Seeing them packed together like that concreted there were around a hundred of those things out for my blood. I¡¯d no idea when their number increased. We flew over the surface of the water, the mere resistance causing a ripple as we sped by. I flew sideways, making my pistol work double-time and trimming their numbers as much as I could whilst we made our way along the centre of the river and into the ocean. Finally, flying far out put me far away in position to begin what I truly had planned.


    But as with everything in life, nothing went as expected. Choppers were inbound. I rolled my eyes, truly annoyed and sought to hurry up and end the battle before they were close enough to be included in the maelstrom. I made TK fly around the hovering TS. My shielders went up and I protected both my front and back, leaving only that small circle between vulnerable. The TK was closest to the city, facing out to the ocean at the TS that surrounded me and myself. Alright, buddy. Blow them away. The third and most powerful level of artillery from the TK¡¯s cannons was engaged. The place was lighted blue. I made damn sure I kept my shielder up. Those blasts and explosions pushed me away pretty damn easily. Finally, I made the TK go back to level one artillery, eventually looking at the dregs of enemies left. ¡°Four?¡± I questioned, but realised my eyes did not lie to me after glancing into the oceans below. It was a simple matter of shooting them out the skies. Cennet¡¯s robots didn¡¯t stand a chance, and neither would the city if I chose to use the third level of the TK¡¯s cannons without first going to a safer place.


    The first couple helicopters to get to me were military, then at least four news helicopters beating the sweet silence away. To no surprise, Hana was in one of them. I went over to it and boarded the bird. They all greeted me. It seemed to be the same crew, even down to the pilots. Jack, the cameraman, gave me a little thumbs up but didn¡¯t say anything for he was much too busy recording. I borrowed Hana¡¯s phone to call my own and mom answered. Once I ensured everything was alright, I called Backslash next, the topic of conversation being much the same. He told me the rest of LocalHost were in stable condition, a huge relief off my shoulders. The man who assaulted them still wasn¡¯t found anywhere despite the huge mess he made.


    I leaned back to take a breather. It¡¯d been one hell of a day. After I closed my eyes and relaxed for a couple minutes, I realised we were flying over the parliament building again whilst they covered the story from a bird¡¯s eye view. I suppose I should get going. My first stop was just below. The injured was already gone, so I flew to the TEO headquarters. To my surprise, Mr Andino¡¯s son, Stan, was there. I didn¡¯t bother to question it. Any new information to process felt like too much at this point. ¡°Is Serrette alright?¡± I inquired of the same woman who¡¯d asked me for a picture not long ago.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not dead, thankfully. It looks like she got hit pretty bad though.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± I made a mental note to visit her. ¡°Say, did you notice Sean Murray today?¡±


    ¡°Sean¡¯s home sick. Picked one hell of a day,¡± she joked about it.


    ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± After I flew over to the neighbouring city where the people in the basement of that hangar were hospitalised.


    My parents were a bit weak and had to stay the night for observation before they could be discharged. They sat in their hospital beds next to each other and chatted as I walked into the ward. ¡°Well, you two seem friendly,¡± I commented, resting down some fruits and pillows from a last-minute stop before I came in.


    ¡°And you seem,¡± dad stared at me and rubbed his chin, ¡°a little bloody. Is it just me or do you seem a little bloody right now?¡± His sarcasm level was so obvious I had no choice but to cringe a little inside. My clothes were pretty bloody after helping some of the injured bodyguards though.


    ¡°Jared,¡± mom said my name and I could almost hear her feet impatiently tapping the ground despite them being on the bed, ¡°what did you do?¡±


    I exchanged looks between them and truly smiled, happiness welling up within me. Not once did I imagine I¡¯d be so happy to be questioned about my actions by my parents. ¡°I spent so long thinking you guys were dead, so you know what? I¡¯m not even going to talk about me right now. Besides, visiting hours will end before I have the chance to finish everything you missed. So, mom,¡± I switched the topic, ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know in advance that you have another mom to compete with. I¡¯m not going to choose. You¡¯ll both be my mothers.¡±


    She looked appalled, but still wrung a giggle out. ¡°Sir, yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°And dad,¡± I placed the pillow behind his back, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to hang out with you again. A vacation away from all this stuff in that small little neighbourhood is what I need right now. But uh,¡± I held the necklace he gave me.


    ¡°Hmm? ¡®Uh¡¯ what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re technically dead, so, your stuff was moved out.¡±


    ¡°Aw shucks! Guess I¡¯ll just live in the hospital then,¡± he shrugged, propped his pillow up and relaxed.


    Mom and I made eye contact. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your house,¡± I pointed to her, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna say it.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± mom combated, ¡°it¡¯s your house now, remember? I placed it in your name in my will.¡±


    I eyed her with derision, ¡°That¡¯s a sneaky way to avoid the subject. Well,¡± I threw a pear at dad, ¡°guess you¡¯re comin¡¯ home with us after the hospital evicts you.¡±


    We chatted, making more small talk than anything else in the limited time we had. When visiting hours were over, I got them a pair of disposable phones and took mine back. There were a lot of missed calls. Most from Anna and a few from Rosa. I phoned Anna first to put her mind at ease, and gave her the good news of my parents still miraculously being alive; that was a mystery I had yet to unravel, but I simply accepted it for now.


    She literally screamed in my ear, then immediately took a sombre tone.


    ¡°Are you uh, on your period?¡± I questioned as politely as I could.


    ¡°Jared! That¡¯s rude! Well yes, I am, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m like this. Anyway, we¡¯ll go visit them later this evening, alright? And my god! Could you not do something dangerous for one freaking day?!¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    The sound of her palming her own face came through the line with a sigh following right after. ¡°Yes, Jared. I love you. See you later, buddy.¡±

 Level 25 – A Father’s Wish

    I sat down with Rosa having afternoon tea after I made all the statements I had to make.


    ¡°Not to your tastes?¡± she leaned forward in the posh and quiet restaurant. I was severely underdressed, but that mattered not due to the lack of customers at the time. Apparently, we were also located in a separate room for VIPs.


    ¡°It¡¯s,¡± I smiled, ¡°an acquired taste I have not yet acquired.¡±


    ¡°Says the boy who drinks coffee daily,¡± she hooked her hair behind an ear. ¡°Well, Mr Ugo, I know today has been a tiring day for you so I¡¯ve got some good news.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve decided to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me now.¡± Her eyes swept to the right and left, in a dilemma on which of my own to focus on. ¡°I¡¯ve the perfect story to validate the evidence you¡¯ve provided against Asher and Donovan. We need not tread lightly.¡±


    I admired her beauty for quite a while, but internalised what she just told me with the recent events. ¡°Donovan, you can sink. But not Asher.¡±


    Her eyebrows raised slightly and her fingers intertwined on the table, ¡°You¡¯ve a preference? Why is that?¡±


    Because¡­ ¡°Look at what¡¯s happened today. A few ministers died. I most certainly don¡¯t put it past Cennet to target the ministers of defence and education in particular, since they¡¯re the ones who would be primarily responsible for granting his request should it be passed. Their lives are most in danger. I don¡¯t care much what happens to Asher, but, after I found my parents and his daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she sipped her tea, ¡°it would leave a bad taste if he was to die right after learning that his daughter¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I leaned back and allowed the waiter to replace my tea with afternoon coffee.


    ¡°Quite the big heart you have for your enemies. Alright then. I will not proceed until you tell me to. But I will use my own discretion should the situation call for it. You should know, having them sentenced to a maximum-security prison is likely the best way to keep them safe from David Cennet.¡± She took a glance at her wristwatch, ¡°I best get going.¡±


    I bid farewell and she began walking off, but stopped not too far away. ¡°Ms Stone mentioned a little party you wish to keep,¡± she pointed out, holding her clutch with both hands. ¡°I do hope it goes well.¡± She stood there for a while before turning around again.


    ¡°Forgive me. I wasn¡¯t aware madam Home Secretary had the time or patience for such things. If it eases your mind, the thought of inviting you frequented me more and more as the days went by.¡±


    ¡°Thoughts don¡¯t put me at ease, Mr Ugo,¡± she said my name formally because our conversation at that range would be in earshot of the waiter, ¡°results do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d best clear your schedule, then,¡± I replied. She gave a toothless smile of contentment and left. Who¡¯d have guessed the home secretary would feel left out because she didn¡¯t get an invite to Jared Ugo¡¯s party?


    The two hours of visiting time in the evening came around and I became a little busy. Anna left work early to visit my parents, but I couldn¡¯t go with her. The first visit I made that day was to Esther Serrette. We didn¡¯t see eye to eye at first, but along the way we learned to respect each other. Some of her friends and family was there, along with a few TEOs ¨C quite the turnout for one I couldn¡¯t imagine people liking at first. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get much time to speak with her in the presence of her close friends and family, but at least the photo lady was there to keep me company. I¡¯d never bothered to learn her name, though.


    My next stop was LocalHost. I messaged Backslash to find out which ward they were at and found out he hadn¡¯t left the hospital since they were admitted. Their injuries included haemorrhaging, broken bones and fractures. But Xeno got it the worst of all. According to Backslash, he was kicked in the spine and couldn¡¯t move and even at this point was currently in having emergency surgery. ¡°Hey, Jared, wanna know a secret?¡± Backslash asked me. ItHertz and ByteMe¡¯s ears perked up, but not Cryptic. She listened to us but didn¡¯t talk too much, which was nothing unusual. I was over on her side and Backslash sat between the other two. ¡°ItHertz has the biggest crush on ByteMe I¡¯ve ever seen but he¡¯s too afraid to tell her.¡±


    ¡°Even though he¡¯s the most talkative person in LocalHost?¡± I asked, not wanting to drop the ball of conversation. But inside, I had the biggest shock I¡¯d ever had. Even Cryptic was looking on with anticipation and a slight grin.


    ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s strange!¡± Backslash exclaimed, continuing to nonchalantly drink his bottled water.


    ByteMe¡¯s eyes looked right past Backslash and tethered themselves to ItHertz, but the young man didn¡¯t budge except for curling his fists. His foot slung up didn¡¯t help his cause either. ¡°Backslash you conniving little piece of shit! I¡¯m gonna fuckin¡¯ kill you!¡± He tried to reach over at to him, but all attempts were made futile when Backslash simply leaned away a bit.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± ByteMe asked and ItHertz finally settled. He sighed, busted and unable to hide his feelings behind his usual gregariousness.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°And you waited until they tied me up like a goddamn mummy to tell me?! Shit, you didn¡¯t even tell me. The shyest person in the group had to do it for you!¡±


    ¡°Way to rub that in,¡± ItHertz said sarcastically.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ByteMe simply warned. ¡°Stop hiding behind that happy-go-lucky persona and be serious with me.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± he groaned in annoyance. ¡°Yeah. I like you. I really like you. Ever since we first met, I liked you. But I figured it was just infatuation so I second-guessed myself and the longer I took the harder it became to appear as someone other than a ¡®happy-go-lucky¡¯ guy. Figured at that point you¡¯d never take me serious anyway, so I just kinda tried to let it go and forget about it. But that didn¡¯t happen. The more I told myself we¡¯d never date was the more I wanted it. Plus, I thought you¡¯d never be interested in a younger guy.¡±


    Right as he said that, Cryptic and I busted out in laughter and earned their attention. We simultaneously waved our hands in front of our faces, in attempts to dismiss their curiosity. It almost looked planned. I laughed particularly because I knew that Rosa didn¡¯t give a damn, and I¡¯d imagine Cryptic did something similar herself. Whilst we knew ItHertz¡¯s worry about age difference was understandable, we both knew he was overthinking.


    ¡°Once we get outta here, we¡¯ll have a drink together. Since you¡¯re too spineless to ask a girl out!¡± ByteMe somewhat fumed.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I rubbed my chin with an impish look about me, ¡°someone seems pretty mad they didn¡¯t get asked out.¡±


    Cryptic guffawed this time, not at all hiding her whites. We chatted and laughed until the hour was up. I left them and made my way back to my parents. On my way there, I picked up some items to make their stay and comfortable as possible. Anna and a couple of the coats were there, as well as a few friends. They were in the middle of laughing about something until I stepped in. ¡°Why¡¯s everyone staring? You weren¡¯t talking about me, were you?¡± I interrogated and Anna smiled, averting her eyes elsewhere.


    ¡°Anna was showing us a video of you flying next to a helicopter,¡± dad said, with a beaming smile as if he was proud. I wondered if he ever questioned the danger of it.


    ¡°Which one?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Which one? There¡¯s more than one?¡± mom interjected.


    ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± I scratched my neck, ¡°not get into that. Anyway, here¡¯s some¨C¡±


    ¡°Ms Ugo and Mr Foster?¡± A doctor came by. ¡°Pardon me. We¡¯ve received the test results. It¡¯s nothing serious, so you can be discharged. But your bodies are a bit weak. Please eat properly and on time,¡± he placed his clipboard behind his back and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to stay hydrated. Avoid strenuous activity for a day or two until you start feeling stronger. If you experience anything out of the ordinary, please consult a certified physician. Please take care of yourselves.¡± He then stared at me, as if trying to remember where he¡¯d seen me but walked off without saying anything.Stolen story; please report.


    Ah, speaking of taking care of yourself¡­ I unstrapped my shielders and gave one to each parent. I should make some more and make sure they have a pair at least¡­ Dad inspected his shielder heavily and eventually tightened the straps onto his forearm. ¡°Alright,¡± I got up and stretched, ¡°I¡¯ll go get some clothes. Hospital clothes aren¡¯t too sexy.¡±


    As I stepped away from the ward, I heard mom¡¯s faint voice commenting on how much it felt like I was a different person. I juggled that thought in my head a few times whilst in the department store grabbing up clothes and busting my brain about what sizes my parents were. By the time I was done, it looked like I was a spoiled teenage girl with a bad spending habit considering all the bags I carried.


    We finally made it home and we were greeted by the irresistible aromas of dinner. Anna probably told the maids to prepare something after she learned my parents would be discharged. Once a fork was in hand, I pigged-out even more than my parents. Their appetites hadn¡¯t quite made it back yet, so they ate as much as they could but it wasn¡¯t a lot.


    The next day, mom¡¯s lawyer came over to discuss things with all three parents. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t stay to find out what the latest development would be. Instead, Mr Andino and I had to have a talk about his son, Stan. I opted for tea instead, already having my morning coffee at home. Mr Andino had just returned home from dropping his daughter to school.


    It was so quiet in the house that we could hear nothing more than the chirping birds and ticking clock. ¡°I should really get back to work soon, so¡­¡± I hurried them along. Stan, short for Stanley of course, leaned against the wall whilst his father, Samuel Andino and I shared a cup over the coffee table in the centre of the living room.


    ¡°Does he really have to know?¡± The cautious, almost paranoid Stan questioned.


    ¡°He¡­¡± Mr Andino paused and sighed, resting his cup down on the table. ¡°Stan¡­¡± he began speaking again but couldn¡¯t finish.


    The young man sighed, ¡°Alright, alright.¡± He bounced off the wall using his shoulder alone, ¡°Listen, kid. Cennet only really knows robotics and stuff like that. His real strength comes from his network. He knows people. He picks his prey carefully, and always chooses those with family.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you saying?¡± I questioned and he finally stopped pacing the room and looked me straight in my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, most of the people working for him have had the safety of their family threatened in some way and aren¡¯t in a position to refuse their service to him. He knows people at multiple morgues and top-notch costume designers. How do you think you were able to bury your ¡®parents¡¯? They¡¯re dolls, fake corpses. Every single person he made a show of killing weren¡¯t actually killed. The only people he¡¯d actually kill were never his targets.¡±


    A lot more stuff made sense as he explained it, but so many more questions rushed to my head as well. ¡°Why were you working with him then?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was blackmailed into it.¡±


    ¡°And the files you gave him? What was that?¡±


    He looked at his dad, his face contorting slightly. ¡°An investigation on each member of parliament¡¯s family habits. If they don¡¯t meet his demands, he¡¯ll find some way to slaughter them.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d he blackmail you?¡± his father questioned.


    ¡°Cindy,¡± Stan replied and Mr Andino gritted his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s how he got me in the first place. Once my death got staged and I changed my appearance a little, I could be the perfect person to steal and gather information.¡±


    ¡°And? What makes you resurface after all this time?¡±


    Stan paused, looked away and found it difficult to answer.


    ¡°Answer me, boy¡­¡± Mr Andino was boiling with rage, but kept the lid on.


    ¡°David Cennet wanted me to kill my sister. That¡¯s when I called it quits. Plus, he made an enemy of the state publicly. I figured that was the best time to get out.¡±


    A wintry moment of silence encapsulated us at that moment. It¡¯s been, three or four years since he went missing, according to the data. I recalled the information about the case that Mr Andino pulled for me. I stood and up and yawned, stretching some languor out of me. ¡°Thanks for the tea.¡±


    There were still so many unanswered questions, but what Stan said about the dolls answered the most burning ones. I requested him to summarise his time working for Cennet into a report of sorts, so I could sort out all the data I had. Especially the things I found from the hideouts such as the biology and computer labs. The warehouse with the abundance of TS was also a concern to me. In fact, I flew over there immediately after.


    Sitting atop some wooden pallets, I cussed in frustration as the scene wholly painted the truth I didn¡¯t see before. Every single TS I saw there the day before, were still there. The place wasn¡¯t touch. That meant, all the androids Cennet had under his control weren¡¯t any from this litter. No, he had a supply of it from elsewhere and the only people I could depend on to get me that information were now hospitalised. At that point, his five hideouts that we discovered yesterday probably weren¡¯t required assets for him. It meant, that any purpose they served, could be replicated in another place.


    Computers? Bah, I shrugged that one in particular off. After all, he could have hackers do his bidding anywhere. The same goes for a random place to keep people captive, like the hangar in the old airstrip. The only places worth tracking down was another place to assemble the TS parts, another weapons depository, and another biology lab. Once we found those, we could defang him a great deal.


    I envisioned my fingers tightening around his neck and lost myself for a minute. He was infuriating! Before I could properly enter a rabbit hole of anger, my phone rang. Hana was calling for another interview. ¡°I¡¯m here with Diana Ugo and she says you found her. In fact, you found a lot of people we thought Cennet killed,¡± she mentioned.


    ¡°You¡¯re with Diana Ugo, you say? Then put her on the phone,¡± I told the reporter, failing to believe her. But she proved me wrong and mom answered the phone. Now why on earth would you let a reported in the house? I sighed, but didn¡¯t actually ask that question.


    I returned home close to noon, and sure enough, Hana and Jack were there. She was taking a smoke break whilst Jack reviewed some shots. ¡°Oh!¡± She jumped a bit, ¡°You scared me, kid!¡±


    ¡°And you constantly scare me,¡± I said, a testament to her persistence when it came to her job. ¡°What¡¯d you tell security for them to let you in, anyway?¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like me here?¡± she smirked devilishly. ¡°That breaks my heart, kid.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this up,¡± I said and entered the house. She put her cigarette out and scurried behind me, immediately fixing her hair. It didn¡¯t take very long for her questions to start rolling in. Anna eventually went to work so it would just be Charlie, Diana, and I. I sat between them, laid back a little on the couch.


    ¡°Have you seen the entire contents of David Cennet¡¯s proposal to the government?¡±


    An eyebrow went up, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any of it actually. Why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she questioned. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the TEO¡¯s statement? They¡¯re suspicious of you having ties to Cennet because you knew where his weapon stash and his hostages were.¡±


    What absolute bullshit is that? They said those things on TV? ¡°Intriguing. And who, specifically, said these things?¡±


    ¡°The police commissioner,¡± Hana answered. ¡°Does this come as a surprise to you?¡±


    I took quite the moment, reminiscent of Rosa¡¯s unshakeable habit. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to point fingers so others won¡¯t see your own incompetence.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the police force is incompetent?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m saying their backs are against the wall and they¡¯re confused.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Hana smiled a little. ¡°Some of our viewers are interested in knowing, now that your parents are back, will you continue to thwart Cennet¡¯s plans?¡±


    I looked her right in the eye, my expression unmoving. ¡°Thus far, all the incidents I¡¯ve been in, I¡¯ve been in because I had no choice.¡±


    ¡°And this last one?¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°You really know which buttons to press, huh?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment,¡± she replied, smiling in turn.


    I leaned in a bit more, ¡°This last incident was voluntarily. I got information about Cennet¡¯s hideouts and checked them out¨Cthe hangar and weapon storehouse. When I returned to the parliament downtown, it was never my intention to participate there but simply to ensure you were safe.¡±


    ¡°When you say ¡®ensure your safety¡¯, do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you,¡± I pointed, ¡°the reporter, Hana Koizumi.¡±


    ¡°W-why?¡±


    ¡°You know why.¡±


    She stopped, closing her eyes and swiping her fingers at her neck for Jack to kill the recording. ¡°Is that why he was in the hospital yesterday with those strangers?¡± Her suspicions were answered with my nod. ¡°So, my son¡¯s involved in this whole fiasco?¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Fuck, Jared!¡± She stood up suddenly, her fists curled. ¡°I¡¯m, going for a smoke¡­¡±


    By the time she did that, I visited the website with Cennet¡¯s proposal to the parliament. It wasn¡¯t as long and complicated as I imagined. To summarise the changes in policy he wanted, I could simply mention two points. One was to have cameras set in such a way that there would be no blind spots in places that students were required to be in. Classrooms, hallways, gyms, and the general grounds. The next change would be to hall monitors, actual adults certified in some way to quell conflicts between students should any arise. They simply had to be present for break, lunch, and an hour or so after the school dismisses its students. Cennet pointed out numerously, the effects of bullying and no matter how much I painted this man in the colours of a despicable criminal, he was right. These things he wanted to implement were good things. I couldn¡¯t help but think that, if these measures were put into place before, Jonathan would still be alive. The solution to most of the bullying problem could be implemented like this, with simple surveillance. It wasn¡¯t the cure by any means, but it was a damn good place to start.


    ¡°Why like this?¡± I thought out loud, pondering why he¡¯d go to such lengths. Sure, the legal route would be insufferably slow, but it could¡¯ve been achieved, couldn¡¯t it? Why should a parent think that holding politicians¡¯ lives at ransom was needed for implementing something as logical as this? Many schools already had cameras and student-based hall monitors. This wasn¡¯t too far a stretch for the government nor the treasury and the results would be greatly appreciated by parents everywhere. Why? I asked myself again but wasn¡¯t quite sure.


    Suddenly, a message came through with a location. ¡®Halogen Towers¡¯, it read, a skyscraper located deeper in the city. Hana came sprinting inside a few seconds later and turned the television on, ¡°Something¡¯s going down!¡± she exclaimed, as if forgetting about her son already.


    There was a little video to the corner of the news anchors, showing five people dangling from Halogen Towers.

 Level 26 – Responsibility

    The line of text running across the screen at the bottom of the news channel asked if the hero, Jared Ugo would save the day.


    ¡°You¡¯re a hero now, huh?¡± Mom chuckled weakly and rubbed her temples, trying to reduce the stress. She looked at the unconscious people bound with rope and contemplated what to do in her head.


    ¡°If you have to think this much about it, you may as well let him make the decision,¡± dad suggested. Although, they both knew what decision I¡¯d make. Mom¡¯s face contorted whilst I put the headgear and goggles in place.


    ¡°I want to have lunch somewhere nice. So be back before one!¡± she commanded. With their permission, I flew off to the scene. Even I, who seemed the most willing to go, had doubts about continuing these insane stunts, so I figured I¡¯d come to a compromise. Did I want to help those in need? Of course. But getting tied up even more after being publicly labelled as Cennet¡¯s associate was not a good look. My best bet was to just lay low.


    So, when I got to the scene, I inspected everything from the safety of another building, idling by as firemen and police flooded the building; I left them to their jobs. Nothing changed for near half an hour and I had no idea why.


    I heard shrill cries from the crowd gathered below; the TK with its enhanced zoom reported that someone was falling. My body jerked forward without my permission and I was freefalling as well until Grav gave me some control. I beelined for the victim, flying downwards with her so as to minimise stoppage force. I held her with both arms and even as we stopped falling, she still remained unconscious. Immediately after, the other dangling people began falling. Before I could ask myself ¡°how?¡± they were already close to me. I froze, my mind ripping itself apart trying to think about what to do. My two arms were already at use holding someone, but four more people falling simultaneously? What a ludicrous situation. Yet, I had to risk it.


    I lowered Grav¡¯s output to near nothing so I could gain falling momentum, then grabbed another woman with the assumption that they would be lighter than their three male counterparts. My TK followed my movements and clutched two of the men by their midsections. Their arms and legs dangled. With our arms full, I had no idea how we were going to rescue the last feller. Thankfully, the faller surely had an inkling of what to do. As he neared us, he grabbed onto my shoulders, shifting our collective centre of gravity and making me lose balance. Expecting impact with Halogen Towers glass wall behind me, I loosened my hold on both women and caught them by their ankles instead, lifting them up in front of me with all the strength and adrenaline I could use. Something like that would be deemed impossible for someone without Vasc and White coursing through their veins.


    We made impact, and the man cushioned everything. In that limited timeframe, I couldn¡¯t think of a way to save him from crashing onto the wall of the building. I could only hope he wasn¡¯t hurt badly. With two women hanging upside-down, I slowly descended onto the trampoline some firefighters brought out and gently placed the women onto it. Once my trembling arms were relieved of them, the man who clutched onto me like a vice grip finally let go. The TK, not having to worry about tiring out, did his job with much more grace than I could ever hope to have.


    The overwhelming cheers of onlookers snatched my attention away from the approaching police officers. I waved a little to appease the crowd, until I noticed the TK¡¯s cannons locking onto something. When I turned around, what I would see were the cops¡¯ guns all converging their targets on me. The TK, with my thoughts, immediately rescinded its cannons and flew back home. They were unable to do anything about it. For me, I raised my arms in surrender, turned around, and kneeled as the officers ordered. Cameras captured the entire scene from simple smartphones to professional equipment utilised by the press. Although, I had to admit, being arrested wasn¡¯t a good look. The booing crowds certainly didn¡¯t approve of it either.


    Sorry mom. I knew I wouldn¡¯t make it home in time for lunch.


    So, I was detained and questioned by a random cop I¡¯d never seen. After I refused to answer their questions, I was placed in a holding cell. Looking at the outside free world behind bars was a perspective I never thought I¡¯d see. I was completely helpless as they took every piece of equipment I had. Before that though, I made sure my TK absolutely locked my phone down with several layers of security remotely. I could only hope they didn¡¯t tamper with my gear, but I also disabled all of it prior to the arrest. Thankfully, I¡¯d gotten chance to remove the manual switches so that all my gear would respond only to commands from the headgear, except for the shielders. I wanted no one getting a hold of that technology, for it was one I wished to totally hand over to Anna.


    A couple hours later, someone opened the cell and I was escorted back home. My phone and gear were only given back to me after reaching home. I was mighty confuddled, but chose not to ask any questions; at that point I didn¡¯t even care to know. Stepping out of the car, a house arrest device was tied to my ankle. They kept showing me documents that warranted all of these procedures, but even then, I couldn¡¯t care. It was all so stupid that I was beginning to think the protective authorities wanted citizens¡¯ lives to be at risk. Ugh, no matter.


    Mom rushed outside in tears, but not father. He was proud of me for doing what I did in that situation. Mom was more worried about Grav running out of power mid-flight or something; anything that could see harm done to me, she rued. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I patted her back after she hugged me. ¡°You ate already, right?¡±


    ¡°You promised you¡¯d be back before one. And what did you do instead? Get arrested!¡±


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t eat¡­¡± I sighed somewhat defeatedly.


    It was a bit irritating to be subject to a lockdown such as this, but my parents were back so I was satisfied for the moment. At least, that¡¯s what I kept telling myself, but in truth, a big part of my life was wrestled away from me in the blink of an eye and I still had nightmares about it. Theresa. She was everything to me when I needed to be told that everything would be okay. She got me through school every single day despite my reluctance to go to a place so devious. She kept my sanity intact just enough, just enough for pieces of me to cling onto mom and seek refuge. Cennet took her away from me, and for that, I simply couldn¡¯t find it in my heart to lay the urge of murder to rest.


    But, for the period of my three-month house arrest, I would simply relax with my moms and dad and find solace in sketching up new ideas. In times like those, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how far I¡¯d have gotten if Cennet didn¡¯t start this whole fire under me. Then again, I¡¯d probably never have admitted I was Ban.


    I¡¯d had a few visitors from time to time and before I knew it, a couple weeks had gone by. I shunned any forms of media, only being kept somewhat up to date on Cennet¡¯s bizarre and uncontained homicide spree via the Andinos, Hana and Backslash, and from time to time, Esther Serrette. It seemed like Cennet was in no mood to play games, and so over seventeen murders were reported. Most of them being family and friends of the education minister, Charlene Jefferson, and the minister of defence, Michael Asher. Things were going bad outside, but for me, not so much.


    In the blink of an eye, the party I¡¯d asked Anna for was underway. But there were many more people than I bargained for. It became a welcome-back party for my parents, so all her friends, relatives, and more than half of UGO employees were present. We had to hire bartenders and DJs; luckily Mr Andino decided not to let Cindy tag along. Sadly, not too many of dad¡¯s friends came along due to the half-day worth of driving to get to us.


    More and more guests poured in as it got darker and eventually, the VIP arrived. I had to sneak her through the back because her security would not have it any other way. ¡°Sorry,¡± I eventually entered my room with a bottle of whisky and two glasses, ¡°no one expected it to be this big. Did you have doubts about coming?¡± I asked while pouring the liquor.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I did,¡± she said, crossing her legs in those skin-tight jeans, ¡°but seeing you pour two glasses made me glad I didn¡¯t turn around.¡±


    I chuckled and brought over her glass, ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d let you drink alone, did you?¡±


    ¡°I hoped not,¡± she said, a mischievous snicker escaping her as she stood up from my bed. ¡°Cheers.¡±


    ¡°Cheers,¡± I replied, and we clonked the glasses together. ¡°Hmm, tonight, you look¡­¡±


    ¡°Stunning? Beautiful?¡± She replied in anticipation.


    I took her hand and pulled her away from the bed a bit. ¡°While you are stunning and beautiful, those aren¡¯t the words I¡¯d use right now. You¡¯re, more¡­¡± I pondered, circling her and engraving her image in my mind.


    ¡°Tempting?¡± She guessed again, and quite accurately at that.


    ¡°Exactly. You¡¯re tempting me.¡±


    ¡°To do?¡± she stared inquisitively.


    I traced lightly along the middle of her back with my fingers, then wrested her glass from her, ¡°Pour you another drink.¡±


    She cackled, ¡°Now who¡¯s tempting who?¡±


    ¡°I guess I am being a bit bad. Wonder who I got it from¡­¡± A finger was placed gently on my chin, my face one of a scholar in thought.


    She chuckled, taking her glass back, ¡°Incorrigible,¡± she muttered. I walked past her and took a seat on the bed, prompting her to do the same. ¡°How is house arrest?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I exhaled and leaned back, propping myself up with one arm, ¡°really, it¡¯s been amazing. I¡¯m just enjoying it and making the most of my parents being back. What about you?¡± I took a sip, mentally noting this drink to be my last. ¡°How¡¯s work been treating you?¡±


    ¡°Jared, you know, sometimes I ask myself just how old you really are. Shouldn¡¯t you be more impetuous? I¡¯d expect a teen to think about something stupid like revenge and be angry that the police put him under house arrest.¡±


    Just as the glass was encroaching my lips, I stopped, processed what she said for a second and continued to sip the alcohol. It really wasn¡¯t to my liking, the alcohol nor my current situation. ¡°To be honest with you, Rosa, those are the first things that cross my mind. I¡¯m still a child through and through. If I didn¡¯t make being calm a habit, I probably wouldn¡¯t have stopped at Cennet¡¯s son.¡± I peered down at the swirling rust in my glass. ¡°You still didn¡¯t tell me what¡¯s going on with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Decisions here, decisions there. The usual. Jared,¡± she placed a hand on my cheek gently and I couldn¡¯t help but cast my gaze upon her. ¡°After this all blows over, what will you do?¡±


    Hmm, what to do, huh? My mind meandered, looking back at my shrink visits. ¡°I¡¯ll take a year to study, then take exams. After that, I¡¯ll just return to the same year I stopped going.¡±


    ¡°Why return if you¡¯ve gotten all your passes?¡±


    ¡°At some point, I want to return to being my age.¡±


    She placed a hand to her mouth, ¡°I guess that means no more love for the home secretary, huh?¡±


    With a smile, I put my glass on a nearby dresser and returned to the bed, snaking my arms around her from the back, ¡°That¡¯s never going to stop,¡± I said calmly in her ear and my lips caressed the nape of her neck.


    An hour or so later, she left. I hit the showers and freshened, seeing the night through ¡®til its end. In the morning, I¡¯d learn that Rosa was either very appreciative to her partners, or tired of Cennet having his way with the security services of the nation. A couple officers came by and deactivated the clunky house arrest anklet. Anna ¨C still my legal guardian ¨C signed off what she had to and I was suddenly free after three weeks instead of the agreed-upon three months. Truthfully, I began to suspect that it was Rosa who got me out of the holding cell, but also the one who made the house arrest happen. It was too coincidental that she would choose to lift my ban on the outside world only after seeing me last night. Still, I wouldn¡¯t be mad at her.


    Finally, I flew to my lab, childishly excited to revisit old designs and make new ones. The sun¡¯s warmth and wind¡¯s caress gave me goosebumps. My lab near the pier waited patiently for me, although a little dusty from its inactivity. I sat on my chair in the little office and spun around in it. After a quick inspection of the apparatus and machinery, I laid my plans out. I worked all day into night on quite the project called EXO, short for exoskeleton. It was a rather simple thing that caused a lot of headaches working the kinks out of it. But when finished, it would allow me to equip a flimsy metal acting something like chest armour from a medieval knight. It covered my entire torso.


    The EXO, in essence, was a shielder. It emitted the same UGO energy waves that protected me so many times. It started as just a vest made of a strong canvas-reminiscent material. Covering the outside of the vest would be very flexible metal sheets that was cut out to fit the vest perfectly. Most of it was stuck with glue and the edges were meshed together after heating the metal and somewhat stitching it together with the vest. The power core and circuitry were all stuck to the front of the vest. After, I tasked the smithies to make the frame and exhaust for a jetpack that would fit me after measuring the EXO. In three days, I received the first draft of the jetpack and hooked it up with boosters the same size of those on the TK¡¯s back. My thoughts were that the EXO¡¯s shield would protect me from the burn of the boosters. But of course, I gravely miscalculated. My back wasn¡¯t the problem, because the jetpack would be right there anyway. My legs were the problem, because the boosters beneath the frame of the jetpack would toast them instead. It was time to revisit the entire design and extend special clothing like the vest to my legs.


    During the days of working with EXO ¨C which kept encapsulating more and more of my body as I continued its design ¨C news of Cennet¡¯s tasteless killings and forceful pushing of his proposal kept filling my ears. I kept ignoring it, but it was almost like the curse of David Cennet was meant to follow me around no matter how many times I stuck my head in the sand. Serrette had tried convincing me multiple times to at least come into the TEO headquarters to help them. Hana and Jack would visit my lab from time to time if they weren¡¯t too busy covering multiple stories of elaborate ways to kill people written by the mad ex-coat. They too questioned time and time again¨Coff the books at least¨Cif I wasn¡¯t going to fight Cennet. I said no, to all of them. Even those of Localhost questioned me, because it seemed to the country that I was losing my grip on what they thought was important to me. I began to doubt what the hell it was I wanted. Was the general consensus of what Jared Ugo stood for translate to peace and safety for all? Was I the average Joe¡¯s saviour? I inquired of myself after a couple weeks of shaking my head at questions like, ¡®Won¡¯t you save people?¡¯, and ¡®If you don¡¯t do it, who will?¡¯. Was I the people¡¯s hero? I just didn¡¯t want anymore of my family to die. I was desperate. That was the truth. Although, I had to admit that if I put myself in other families¡¯ shoes, I could understand thoroughly the exsanguinating pain of loss they had to endure.


    On an evening a month after my release from house arrest, I went home and found Marissa there. She patted the couch she was sitting on for me to join her. ¡°Hey, did you hear?¡± She was a bit excited. My eyebrows went up and I shrugged.


    ¡°Hear what?¡± I used her legs as a pillow and laid down on the couch, my brain reeling from dealing with EXO yet another day.


    ¡°Dude,¡± she said, pinching my cheeks, ¡°looks like some rumours spread and people think the police banned you from interfering with their work.¡± She beamed and hung her face over mine, her hair falling onto my forehead, ¡°People don¡¯t like that apparently.¡± She showed me some videos of people protesting at police stations, TEO branches, even Michael Asher¡¯s residence. Of course, the parliament hall itself was no exception. ¡°There were over fifty deaths last week alone.¡±


    I grew a bit annoyed, almost saying ¡®so what?¡¯ out loud. It bothered me. It bothered me tremendously. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the pressure others put on me to become the hero that they saw me as or to simply rid my consciousness of the guilt that the sin of dormancy inflicted. My heart wheezed. Over fifty people in one week? ¡°Hey, since the parliament thing, how many people died?¡±


    She tapped her phone a few times, ¡°Uh, do you actually want to know?¡±


    I sat up and nodded, not blinking as I waited for her answer.


    ¡°Three twenty-seven.¡±


    My memories of when my parents died all flashed before my mind, up to the turmoil that their funerals inflicted, up to the struggle that was coping with it. The random blackouts, the shrink visits, the lawyer visits, the faltering presence of mind, the messed-up time-dilation. Something stirred inside of me. It wasn¡¯t heroism, no. It was vomit, literally. I puked on the floor remembering all those horrible feelings. In a confusing way, I laughed nervously.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I thought back on the days of being beaten up by Jonathan, ¡°how did I go from that,¡± then thought of myself bruised as a kid, ¡°to national hero?¡± I muttered. While working on the almost completed EXO, I thought I could ignore the suffering of others that Cennet inflicted all because I rammed a pencil into his son¡¯s throat. Was one death really worth all this? What the fuck is he thinking? Three hundred and twenty-seven people? What the fuck, man?! My hand gripped the rug. ¡°I can¡¯t ignore it after all. Still¡­¡± Even if I wanted to jump into the fray with every fibre of my being, I was getting the finalised version of the jetpack tomorrow. I had to ignore it.

 Level 27 – Spread Thin

    It¡¯d been four days since Marissa told me about the protests and Cennet¡¯s murders. It went to near four hundred. But, finally, EXO was completed. The vest changed into a long-sleeved jersey along with trousers. It was basically a body suit. Together, the shielder energy surrounded my entire body except my head, but because it took the shape of my body, it was little more than an extra layer of muscle; the actual shielders were irreplaceable. At that point, I already practised a lot with the draft version of the EXO and the jetpack. As I was about to land on the beach and take a breather from testing the finalised version, my phone beeped, then a few more followed.


    The device I gave to Marissa went off a few times, pushing her location to me. TK and I sped there, taking a little more than a minute to get to the school grounds. Following the signal, I entered an auditorium which muffled screams and gunfire. There were several TS and even some people clearing a path with their bullets, mowing down anyone who would dare to stand up. Far off at the front of the auditorium, Marissa and a few students, trying desperately to fit within her shielder¡¯s range, were cornered. The TK began blowing away the other TS and I shot down the men with my pistol on the weakest level. Once the men were disarmed, I allowed my TK to scour the rest of the university and turned my attention towards Marissa.


    I landed in front of them. She was shaking, especially as she was the one in front of the six students. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You guys are safe now. Can you help me see if anyone else is still alive?¡± I turned back and flew over to the farthest part and a couple of the surviving students combed through the place, finding a few of the wounded students still alive. I stole the clothes off some of the dead students and ripped them, tying the wounds of the injured as tight as I could.


    The TK flew them to the nearest hospital. I returned to Marissa, still petrified in the corner and hugged her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this had to get to you.¡± I brought all of them outside and got them some bottled water from a nearby vending machine. The two guys, after completing the job I asked of them, began trembling, as if the fear of the situation had just sunk into them. I wanted to give them my condolences, but I just couldn¡¯t bring up the topic after it had just happened.


    Eventually, the police swarmed the place and crime scene tape was drawn. I wanted to scurry off before the media came, but the police took so damn long getting statements and questioning the survivors that it blew a hole in that plan. As much as I wanted the public¡¯s image of me to fade, I couldn¡¯t avoid the cameras. Finally, Marissa waved me over when she was done and we were allowed to go home. But I brought her to the Ugo residence instead, since we had some level of security.


    I tucked her into my bed and was about to leave, but she grasped onto my wrist. So, I kicked my shoes off and laid down with her. She still trembled, thinking back on it. Eventually, she would fall asleep after taking a couple pills and I shimmied out of her clutch. Once I left the room, I phoned Serrette immediately, ¡°The school incident.¡± I made the purpose of my call clear from the get-go, ¡°Was there anyone related to any ministers?¡± Cennet had confused me. Why advocate the importance that safety held within schools then massacre an entire class?


    ¡°Two people, yes. Jared, can y¨C¡±


    Someone had stolen her attention on the other end, but I already had my answer, so I hung up. An entire class, for two people¡­ The more I thought of the issues being caused, the guiltier I felt for still having Cennet on the loose like that. But I knew my limitations. If LocalHost only ever found the hideouts that he wanted us to find, then how on earth would I find him? It wouldn¡¯t be through hacking. I believed in my capabilities to fight him now that I had White, EXO, and the pistol, but finding the man was another story. He was the definition of elusive; not to mention he never let his guard down.


    Just as I was about to go to UGO headquarters and inform Anna, she called me in a frantic state, already crying on the phone.


    ¡°Marissa is alive and well, woman. She had a shielder and she¡¯s sleeping now.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she breathed again, ¡°good. I¡¯m coming home.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well I¡¯m heading out.¡± That day, I decided to backtrack and revisit what I already knew. My best leads so far were his hideouts, so I returned to that place, but it was burnt down. So was the weapon storehouse, as well as every other hideout he had except his hub for hackers. Whilst I found it rather strange, I did recall LocalHost telling me that the TS were planning to torch those places. So, I returned to the lab and checked the data I collected from the biology and computer labs. After a few hours of sorting through files, I happened upon the ingredients for Vasc and White. The number of chemicals and plant extracts needed was inane. And to figure out the correct ratio¡­ I marvelled for a while at the man¡¯s achievement. Building a serum that allowed someone to heal and attain superhuman strength and agility would¡¯ve taken huge amounts of investment in both time and money, yet he did it somehow.


    My mind began wandering on where one would have to go to get those ingredients, and that¡¯s when it hit me that a lot of these chemicals probably wouldn¡¯t have been available to just anyone. I focused on three different ingredients, two chemicals and another extract from some plant native to the other side of the world. Once I found out the companies with license to distribute chemicals like those, I began making calls. Of the seven companies, only two originated from this country. The calls weren¡¯t fruitful because they refused to disclose any information about the chemicals, so I had to do a little snooping around in the police¡¯s files.


    Soon enough, a report about a missing batch of chemicals was found. The police didn¡¯t figure it out. Of course not, I sighed. Neo-Chem, the company that filed the report, was now my target of investigation. They had a bit more than two hundred employees, so I knew finding the inside-man would be a chore. I spun around in my chair, with my pen clutched beneath my nose and above my lips. Hmm¡­ ¡°Maybe he threatened the person into giving up the chemicals?¡± I asked myself out loud and spun around again, looking dejectedly into the ceiling. I figured, if the police did any sort of investigation, that I should continue from where they left off, so I kept reading what was on file and found a list of employees. However, the report didn¡¯t look finished. I called into the police and asked for the officer presiding over the investigation, detective Pereira.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry,¡± the woman who answered said to me under the assumption I was a friend of his, ¡°Pereira passed away earlier this year.¡±


    ¡°H-how?¡± I asked, sounding concerned, but it was more of curiosity.


    ¡°Homicide. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t disclose any more information, sir,¡± she said. I thanked her and hung up, going right back into the police¡¯s servers. Cennet probably had him killed.


    I phoned Stan next and asked if he knew anything about Neo-Chem or detective Pereira. He didn¡¯t know the officer, but he did know about Neo-Chem. ¡°Cennet made me scare the IT guy into giving up a list of employees with high-level clearance. Why?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need that list,¡± I told him, full-throttling Grav on my way to Mr Andino¡¯s place. When I got there, Stan was just returning to the house. The anti-gravitational plates gave me a soft landing.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d reach this fast,¡± he said, loosening his necktie and taking a deep breath. ¡°You okay with a soft copy?¡±


    I nodded, and entered when he unlocked the door. The smell of pizza filled my nostrils, and so too did it encumber Stan¡¯s sense of smell. ¡°Cindy,¡± he called out and from the tone alone I knew she was in trouble, ¡°you¡¯ll be in trouble if that¡¯s pizza you¡¯re eating while you¡¯re sick!¡±


    She tried her best to sneak past us under the guise of the sofas to get to her room, but he called her out on it. She squirmed as his hand caught the back of her jersey, ¡°The soup was too high up for me to reach!¡± She complained, her mouth soaked in grease from the pizza.


    I chuckled, and gave my presence away. ¡°Stan! You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± she mouthed, waving at me and finding it hard to make eye-contact.


    ¡°Ugh, dad spoiled you too much. You already started it, so go ahead and finish.¡± He let her go, ¡°As long as you share, you grease-monster.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± she chuckled devilishly and offered some to me. In my mind, it was so difficult to accept it after seeing over fifty dead bodies in a blood-stained classroom. My appetite was gone, but this girl never wronged me, so I accepted it at least.


    I chewed on a slice that seemingly never wanted to end and Cindy joined on the couch to watch some cartoon. Seemed like she had a mild fever and was resting up at home. ¡°Jared,¡± she ogled me from the side, ¡°do you have a girlfriend?¡±


    I almost choked on the pizza. How do I answer that? I asked myself, wondering where the question came from. She was certainly forthright and fearless, to the point where it made me wonder if she was asking for herself or on behalf of another person; the latter seemingly the more sensible.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± I took another bite.


    ¡°I have a friend who likes you,¡± she had another bite as well.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I swallowed, ¡°if she asks me herself, then I¡¯ll tell her.¡±


    Just then, Stan appeared with a laptop and saved me from that conversation. She was saying some daring things, but thinking back on my relationship with Rosa, I guess having a conversation like that wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. He transferred over the file to my phone and I viewed it right there.


    There were seven people with full access to the chemicals needed to produce Vasc and White. I looked them up online and some of them had their mobile numbers on display on their social media profiles, even addresses. Instead of phoning, I decided it would be better to simply meet them, since their addresses were on the listing Stan gave me anyway.


    ¡°So, do you have a girlfriend?¡± Cindy interrogated. She hugged her legs on the couch and looked me dead in the eyes. The silence helped pronounce the sleep-inducing white noise that the ceiling fan made.


    ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± I flipped it back on her.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking. Wanna go out?¡± she offered. Her tone was so calm I pondered if she understood what she just asked me or if she had something a lot more innocent in mind.


    ¡°Leave the kid alone, Cindy,¡± Stan bonked her on the noggin and went to his room to change.


    I stood up, thinking it was time to go have a talk with these seven people about the ingredients for White and Vasc. Cindy¡¯s tiny hand shot up and gripped onto my wrist. ¡°I¡¯m not letting go until I get an answer.¡±


    Looking back at her, I understood then, that she understood what she was talking about. Pretty brave, huh? ¡°If you¡¯re still interested when we finish school, then sure.¡±


    She scoffed, ¡°That¡¯s not fair at all.¡±


    I laughed, ¡°See you around.¡±


    The sun was out in all its glory that day. The first stop I made was at a food court in a mall. After shoplifting a cap and hoodie from a mannequin, I walked inside. The woman, quite vainglorious in her online presence, posted a photo of her eating with a couple co-workers in that very food court. She made herself scarily easy to find. I encroached, making sure my TK held onto my jetpack and other gear that would have me easily identified. All I had was my headgear hidden around my neck, Grav, and my two shielders. ¡°Ms Parker?¡± I called her name when I got close enough and she looked up, a huge grin on her face from chattering with her co-workers. ¡°My name¡¯s Jared Ugo,¡± I introduced myself, much to my dismay. I¡¯d rather have remained a question mark in the mind of anyone but the seven Neo-Chem employees who had access to the company¡¯s more locked-down chemicals. But there wasn¡¯t much of a choice; I could only hope she would recognise my name and choose to cooperate with me. I took the hood off for a few brief seconds to show her my face, then put it back on, ¡°I¡¯d like to have a word if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I know why you¡¯re here, and so do these two ladies, so we can talk right here,¡± she shot down my attempts at making this conversation a private one. ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve come to me means you don¡¯t yet know who exactly the leak is, but I know. I mean, there¡¯s no conclusive evidence we can show, but we¡¯ve seen the person act strange for a long time now.¡± A grin adorned her face and she rested her chin upon the back of her hands, looking right at me, ¡°If you let me take a pic with you and post it too, I¡¯ll give you that name and you won¡¯t have to question everyone in Neo-Chem.¡±


    How ludicrous. Was there a need to jump the gun for just seven employees? I could find them all before the day let out; there was no need to play her game. She basically just admitted to not being the one who gave Cennet the chemicals he needed. She was probably of mind that all I had as a lead was the list of Neo-Chem¡¯s employees; not realising I¡¯d already narrowed it down to the seven with access. ¡°Miss Parker, this information could possibly help me catch the person behind this string of murders going on about the country. Will you really bargain people¡¯s lives for a picture?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± she admitted proudly and shamelessly. ¡°You¡¯re a household name now. I want a picture,¡± she held her phone up with a coy smirk.


    After a few seconds of looking directly into her eyes, I sighed. ¡°Forgive me for interrupting your meal,¡± I stood up and was about to leave. For me to be seen with her in a picture might¡¯ve told the suspect I was onto them. Supposing they were paranoid, I¡¯d rather not take the chance and have them continue their usual daily lifestyle.


    Several metres away from Ms Parker and her coworkers, I heard the screeching of her chair¡¯s dragging feet, ¡°Oh my gosh! Everyone!¡± she yelled out as loud as she could, ¡°It¡¯s Jared Ugo! It¡¯s the hero!¡± she pointed right at me and all eyes began boring holes through me. A ceaseless muttering started and many phones came out to record me. Calmly, but briskly, I walked away. Even if people ran in front of me to catch me on camera, my hoodie ¨C stolen as it was ¨C still blocked much of my face. I looked back at the woman in bitterness of what she¡¯d done, only to realise she was running away.


    Right then, it dawned on me that she played me. She was the ¡®inside man¡¯, she was the leak, and she played it off so well that I hadn¡¯t thought for a moment that it could¡¯ve been her. Do I, chase her? But with all the people beginning to surround me, using these powers to capture an innocent woman on camera would do no good for me. Besides, she¡¯ll definitely try to fight me off. With a frustrated grunt, I yielded; this was her victory. On my way out, I removed the hoodie and cap and threw it into the store that the mannequin stood in front of. I took to the skies once I was out of the mall.


    I pulled my phone out the minute I was out of sight and entered her phone number to get details on her location. She left the mall as well and was going somewhere; and by the looks of it, she was already in a vehicle. She stopped at a residential area and eventually came out of her car. I flew out of the tree that I hid in and landed right in front of her. Her face contorted in annoyance. With quick movements, I grabbed hold of her wrist. She tried forcibly walking away, but gravely underestimated my strength. When she swung around, so would a kick heading straight for my crown jewels, but it was be thwarted by my other hand. ¡°Now why did you run away, Miss Parker? It seems an awful lot like you have something to hide. I wonder what that could be?¡± I gave her a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re real persistent, kid! Just come inside and don¡¯t make a scene¡­¡± she eventually gave up but still tried to wring her arm away from me.


    I gripped even tighter, ¡°You¡¯re really pretty, so I think I¡¯ll continue holding your hand.¡± With a grunt, she got her keys and entered the house. Once we were inside, she turned around to close the door. A few shadows moved in my peripheral vision and I put up my shielder in reflex. Inside the house, were two men armed with suppressed submachine guns.

 Level 28 -– Biting the Hand that Strangles You

    After a few seconds of shooting my azure turtle shell, they stopped. One flared his nose in anger, ¡°This fuckin¡¯ kid¡­¡±


    ¡°These fuckin¡¯ guys¡­¡± I replied in kind, then grabbed my pistol and shot one of them in the leg. The other man fled and I had the TK capture him the minute he left the house through the back entrance. The woman fled behind me, sticking to my back like glue. She quivered, eventually falling to her knees. Who wouldn¡¯t expect that a bunch of criminals would try to make loose ends disappear? She wouldn¡¯t. By the way her body froze up, I knew that her naivety got the better of her. I slowly encroached the man, ensuring there weren¡¯t any other hostiles hidden to my left and right. Once I disarmed him, I breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the other one who escaped smashed into the backdoor, breaking it with his body and pitching inside. He was unconscious. My TK sure did deal with him¡­


    Once I tied them up with whatever rope I could find, I contacted Serrette and had her send over a unit to my location. Looking back at Ms Parker, she still trembled a little. ¡°Did you tell them I found you or something?¡± I squatted next to her. She nodded, her body seemingly only capable of small movements. ¡°You¡¯ll probably be a target from now on,¡± I sighed. ¡°Furthermore, I doubt you¡¯ll be able to keep your job once Neo-Chem finds out. But that depends¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± she tilted her head. I stood up and offered a hand for her to get up as well. I leaned onto the kitchen counter and she sat at one of the dining table¡¯s chairs, far away from the men.


    ¡°Did you strike a deal with them for the chemicals or did they threaten you?¡± I asked, giving her the answer to keep her job. But she didn¡¯t recognise that opportunity.


    ¡°I, made a deal,¡± she admitted. The clock¡¯s ticking gave the situation a tenser-than-needed atmosphere. I shrugged and chose to leave it at that. Whether or not she was the damsel in distress now didn¡¯t change the fact that she conspired with criminals and broke what I¡¯m sure was a law by getting them chemicals not available to the public.


    ¡°Who did you give them to and where?¡± I asked, and the man whom I shot grunted at that question, or more accurate, he grunted at her not to answer. I said nothing further, only left her to choose between us. Her eyes shifted targets. Would she side with the person who just saved her life or would she adhere to the fear that was a bigger criminal organisation she knew the men hailed from? Would she yield to Cennet, or help me?


    After she spent a minute of wracking her brain over what to do, I stood upright and began leaving. I turned the doorknob and some light came into the house. ¡°Wait!¡± Ms Parker yelled out, ¡°Don¡¯t leave me here, with them¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re going to help me, I¡¯ve no reason to continue staying here. A TEO unit will be here shortly. You can either choose to cooperate with them or go into hiding and pray that Cennet¡¯s men don¡¯t find you.¡± I painted her options in a bleak manner, furthering the need for her to have protection. She looked away and mouthed a curse.


    ¡°Alright, kid. Alright. I¡¯ll tell you whatever you want. But in return, I want you to vouch for me,¡± she combed her fingers through her hair nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to prison¡­¡± she shrivelled.


    ¡°Then,¡± I closed the door, ¡°who and where?¡± I repeated.


    Again, she froze up, but after a couple deep breaths, she began. ¡°There¡¯s an apartment complex downtown. The receptionist there was who I delivered it to.¡± She showed me the location on her phone. I took note of it and simply waited on the TEO squad; the Andinos were amongst the five who Serrette sent.


    ¡°Wassup, Ugo?¡± Ferris fist-bumped me. ¡°Hey uhm,¡± he went a bit quiet whilst the others detained the men, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it but, you saved Cindy and found Stan. I owe you big time. So, if you need a favour, just let me know, yeah?¡± he ruffled my hair and approached Ms Parker.


    Samuel looked at me next. ¡°It¡¯s a mystery how they let you run around with a gun and sword,¡± he shook his head, ¡°they might as well give you a badge.¡±


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going back to being a teacher? What will I do if bullies target me and you¡¯re not around?¡± I asked, the second question making the first seem much more unimportant that it actually was.


    ¡°Once this whole Cennet thing blows over, then sure. Besides,¡± he scratched his chin, ¡°Cindy hates the TEO stuff. Thinks it¡¯s too dangerous. Besides,¡± he said with emphasis this time, ¡°that piece of shit got my son mixed up in all this.¡±


    So, it¡¯s personal now¡­ I thought. ¡°Fair enough. Can you two take a trip with me downtown?¡± I focused their attention elsewhere, ¡°I might need the power of the badge.¡±


    They looked at each other. One of the TEO they came with rolled her eyes, ¡°Fine, fine! We¡¯ll take them down and do all the paperwork!¡± she lamented, leaving with the armoured van they came with.


    We decamped soon after, going to this apartment complex. My phone rang on our way there and I placed it to my ear. ¡°Jared, Rissy¡¯s class just got shot up and you¡¯re not here,¡± Anna¡¯s tone was one of suspicion. ¡°What are you doing that could be more important, I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± I dragged the sound, ¡°things¡­¡±


    ¡°Not too believable, honey!¡± Another voice came through.


    Huh? Mom? ¡°I¡¯m, on loudspeaker, huh?¡± I mentally palmed my face. ¡°How¡¯s she feeling?¡± I asked them.


    ¡°Come home and you¡¯ll find out,¡± mom said, a cheeky tone about her.


    I looked up into the car¡¯s ceiling, ¡°Now that¡¯s just unfair and you know it.¡± I called them out on it. We both knew I was doing something they probably felt I shouldn¡¯t be doing, so they wanted to thwart me. Well, they certainly became keen as to when I go out and look for danger. ¡°I¡¯ll be home soon.¡±


    ¡°Last time you said that, parliament got attacked,¡± Anna stabbed me in the back with a knife labelled ¡®truth¡¯.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. Save me lunch, okay?¡± I hung up. We¡¯d already arrived at the building.


    Samuel was looking me dead in the eyes. ¡°Was gonna ask why you¡¯re here and not attending school like a normal kid should,¡± he sighed, as if coming to the realisation of how ridiculous my situation was. But admittedly, I didn¡¯t make the greatest effort to return to having a normal life. The minute Cennet¡¯s hackers took control of Theresa¡¯s car and drove us off a damned flyover, things simply escalated. My mind began looking at Cindy as an example of what a normal kid should be. She wasn¡¯t tinkering with computers and robotics. She wasn¡¯t delving into circuitry and finding hacker groups to teach her how to infiltrate networks. Yet, I found myself doing those things as a means to cope; they worked great.


    I exhaled and brought my mind back to the present. ¡°Let¡¯s go, shall we?¡±


    The hotel lobby, not at all expecting two fully geared TEOs, became a little tense. Hmm, I looked around at the people. Must be the guns. The Andinos questioned the old lady and even showed her a photo of Ms Parker. ¡°We need to know who she delivered those items to.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to¨C¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re not asking,¡± they instilled a gentle pressure on her.


    At that time, someone had just appeared from the stairwell, saw the scene, and slowly backed into the darkness. Activating my boosters was unnecessary. The anti-gravitational plates were enough to reach the stairwell quickly. He was skittering up the spiral staircase. From there, I put on the boosters and flew directly upward the centre of the stairs and caught up to the man promptly. He opened the door on that particular floor and bolted through the hallway. I quickly entered after him and noticed that the hallway was long enough so that he couldn¡¯t avoid my flying tackle.


    We rolled a bit, ending up in awkward positions. He socked me in the face, making me recoil a little, but I bit down on the pain and answered him back threefold. Two of my badly positioned punches were blocked, but the third sank into his cheekbone. Within the little space, he wrestled me into an armbar, but that quickly failed when he noticed my pistol pointing right at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Ferris yelled out, his pistol sneering at the runner. I rolled away and stood up, doing the same.


    Samuel searched the man and found his room¡¯s key. ¡°Let¡¯s have a looksee.¡± We entered his apartment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, the place looked to be unused, with only the bare minimum amount of furnishings. However, there was one thing that caught our eyes. ¡°Open the safe,¡± Ferris told the man, his gun at the ready.


    ¡°I, don¡¯t know the combination,¡± the man admitted, his cheek swelling from my punch by the minute.


    Ferris sighed, a really exaggerated one. ¡°This happens every time!¡± he complained with a truly tired face about him. ¡°Let¡¯s just shoot him and say it was self-defence!¡±


    ¡°Will you do that every time you don¡¯t get answers?¡± Andino frowned in annoyance, then turned to the criminal and sat on the coffee table in front of him. ¡°Listen, man, you can either give us the combination now, or we can just call the company that made the safe and have them open it for us. If you give us the combination, he,¡± Samuel gestured with his eyes to Ferris, ¡°probably won¡¯t shoot you. Your choice.¡±


    Oh, it¡¯s good cop, bad cop. Thought they only did that in movies.


    The man looked up at Ferris, then back at Samuel. He spat in his face, ¡°Fuck you, copper!¡±


    Samuel just sat there motionless for several seconds, nodded, then began laughing. ¡°Ah, the good old spit-in-the-face-of-the-man-trying-to-help-you tactic. It¡¯s really too bad it isn¡¯t a tactic at all.¡± Finally, he grabbed some tissue from the bathroom and wiped his face, then washed it, then wiped it again.


    I gave the safe another look, and drew Z-21. It easily cut through the lock on the safe. I could hear the man curse me under his breath. Opening it up, there were a couple bottles and canisters, as well as several documents. Hmm, I looked at the labels and confirmed these were indeed the chemicals that Cennet got from Ms Parker.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this dangerous looking stuff?¡± Samuel asked. ¡°Should we be in direct contact with that?¡± His question made me stop, but thinking it over, I realised it wouldn¡¯t pose a threat.


    ¡°Should be fine. They had to keep this a hush-hush operation. They can¡¯t just,¡± I strained a bit to snake my arm into the back of the safe where the documents were, ¡°walk around in HAZMAT suits and not attract attention.¡±


    Getting the documents out, I realised it was actually the printed reports the detective that worked on this very case for the police, Pereira. I turned around at our prisoner in suspicion and he gave me a glare that looked like he wanted to murder me. ¡°I wonder which goon killed detective Pereira?¡± I commented playfully, looking at the man¡¯s swollen face. Better yet, I wonder how the hell he even got a hold of a printed report. Pereira would¡¯ve most likely typed this up in the station. Which means¡­¡± I stood up with a sigh. ¡°Did you guys get a name for him?¡±


    ¡°One Mark Taylor,¡± Samuel flipped through his wallet and found his identification.


    ¡°Well, it seems Mr Taylor has access to the police department that detective Pereira worked at. Can you give them a call and ask?¡±


    Ferris nodded and called a friend in the police force. Whilst that happened, I read through the report and learned something interesting. Pereira had tracked Mr Taylor for a long while and saw the places where he delivered the ¡®parcels¡¯ to. The detective couldn¡¯t know for sure that those parcels indeed had the stolen Neo-Chem goods in them, but it was pretty obvious. He found that the deliveries were to four different places. Two of which were the old Boundless Hope clinic and the biology lab hideout that LocalHost found for me. The other two locations were someone¡¯s home address by the look of it, and UGO Medical. So many questions popped up in my head at seeing UGO Medical¡¯s address, but despite that, the home address interested me even more. Could it be Cennet¡¯s safehouse?


    ¡°-go!¡±


    I was so deep in thought I hadn¡¯t realised Samuel calling me. ¡°Ugo!¡± he snapped his fingers in front of me a couple times. ¡°Ferris already called in people to search the place. You can go home.¡±


    Oh yeah. Home. I should do that. Once I committed the house address to memory, I gave him the report. ¡°There¡¯s a couple interesting addresses in there. You can probably further the investigation by showing this report to Serrette. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d want to know more about a detective¡¯s murder and why he died trying to solve something Cennet brewed up. But, uh,¡± I looked up to the ceiling, wondering just how to deal with this new information, ¡°just, just keep me updated.¡±


    With that, I flew back home. The TK joined me in flight once I graced the skies.


    Entering the UGO residence, I saw the three women sitting in front the television whilst dad waltzed inside the house, soaked in water. ¡°What happened to you?¡± I questioned.


    He chuckled embarrassingly, ¡°Leak outside was more trouble that I thought, but I handled it!¡± He gave a cheesy thumbs-up. ¡°Anyway, you better go to your trial. My advice¡­ Plead guilty and give them a sob story,¡± he ruffled my hair and walked off to grab a towel.


    I turned around at my moms and Marissa. One had a look of gratitude by awkwardness, whilst the other two were like hawks shadowing their prey. Coolly, I took a seat on the single-seater and crossed my legs, leaning back and exhaling. ¡°You two certainly look ready to dismember someone. I sure hope that person isn¡¯t me,¡± I joked.


    After that, they smothered me in questions, so much so that I lost count of how many they asked. I got up, walked over to where they were sitting and shimmied my way next to Marissa. With a big fat hug, I exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re the only friend I have here!¡±


    ¡°Hey, take your lynching by yourself,¡± she pushed me off, got up, and switched positions with me on the couch.


    ¡°Traitor¡­¡± I muttered, then looked over to Diana and Anna. ¡°Don¡¯t you two have work?¡±


    ¡°The same could be asked about you and school!¡± Anna retorted.


    Sheesh, these women¡­ I tittered and just sort of gave up. ¡°Fine, fine, you win. I¡¯m starving though. When are we¨C¡±


    My phone beeped, particularly the type that signalled someone was in trouble. I looked at it. Rosa. Remembering the last time I hesitated, I took no chances now. ¡°Gotta go. Rosa¡¯s in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell¡¯s Rosa!?¡± mom asked just before I opened the front door.


    ¡°A friend!¡± I shouted back and flew off once more. Please be safe¡­


    After a couple minutes of flying, I was following a straight and narrow road in desert lands. I wondered if I was being fed the right location. Eventually, I caught up with her signal and saw a little dot on the ground from my bird¡¯s eye position. Finally, I found Rosa!


    She was parched, her skin sunburnt, excepting her womanly bits. Nothing more than underwear covered her body and a flimsy flipflop protected her feet from the scorching sands. I was at a loss for words in this situation, but her meekness, sweat, frizzy hair forced me to open my mouth, yet I never got a chance to form words.


    ¡°Jared,¡± she breathed heavily, swaying as she walked to where I landed, ¡°you came.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be alright now. But uh, I don¡¯t think you can go back like that,¡± I gestured to her attire, or lack thereof. ¡°Let me make a trip to a nearest department store, okay?¡± She nodded, seemingly too tired to conjure words. I carried her over to the nearest mountains for some shade from the blistering sun and had the TK keep watch over her.


    I picked up some loose-fitted clothes, comfortable sandals and a couple bottles of water, not forgetting sunscreen lotion. In twenty or so minutes, I came back to her and she grabbed the water first, downing a bottle in one go. ¡°Geez, don¡¯t choke now¡­¡± I advised. She took the sunscreen after, then handed it back to me before unclipping her bra and sliding her panties down. For some reason I felt the urge to look away. ¡°You have an idea of who did this?¡± I questioned with my body turned toward the infinite expanse.


    ¡°Will discuss later,¡± she said, pointing at the lotion. Once I handed it back to her, she began smearing it over herself. Once she finished with that, she took the clothes out and put them on. It pained her like crazy, but she had no choice. The next bottle of water was her target, and she drank periodically whilst I cruised her through the skies towards her home. ¡°Take me to police headquarters first,¡± she said, her eyes showing an unshakeable resolve.

 Level 29 – Plague on the Mind

    Once we landed down there, she immediately beelined to the commissioner¡¯s office. He was quite the round fellow; perhaps unable to conquer the temptation of doughnuts. The empty box peeking out of his little mesh garbage bin didn¡¯t look like it helped his situation. His moustache was a bit bushy and unkempt, as well as the hair on his balding head. He must¡¯ve had a rough day.


    Recognising her warpath, I stopped. Rosa looked back at me after she¡¯d already opened the door and motioned me inside. This is a bit awkward. I felt like whatever the home secretary was about to say to the police commissioner was not something I was authorised to hear ¨C especially with her in that kind of mood, or attire for that matter.


    On noticing Rosa, the commissioner¡¯s face crept through a few expressions, starting with shocked then remembering that it should form a more poker face to show respect. His eyes couldn¡¯t refrain from scanning her top to bottom, but so briskly you¡¯d hardly notice it. However, I truly doubt there was anything the home secretary¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t perceive. ¡°My apologies for interrupting you, commissioner,¡± she began.


    I sat down on one of the two chairs, absolutely quiet, whilst the two of them conversed about how she ended up in the desert. After that, she struck him with a simple line that surprised both the police commissioner and myself. ¡°I¡¯m aware the case of David Cennet¡¯s terrorism is of great importance at this time, but you must issue the arrest warrants for TEO director Franklin Donovan, minister of defence Michael Asher, TEO Sean Murray, TEO Harold Mason, and Dennis Ida.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± I thought out loud. The commissioner¡¯s eyes latched onto me for the longest time they could until he felt like it would become awkward. He then refocused on Rosa Sorrentino¡¯s uncompromising eyes and ever-so-slightly, he nudged his eyes in my direction. A very overt, yet somewhat respectable questioning of my presence near the two security giants. ¡°Did your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?¡± I asked a bit condescendingly because I found his actions a little rude. Was it because he assumed that I wouldn¡¯t catch onto it or was it because he simply didn¡¯t ask me directly? I couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°Just ask what you want to ask.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± He snapped back, grabbing the opportunity by the horns. ¡°Since you offered¡­¡± he turned his entire body to me. ¡°Your personal reasons for continuing this charade is over, are they not? Your parents have been found. David Cennet¡¯s recorded killings were all faked,¡± he threw some facts on the table in hopes I would tell him the things he didn¡¯t already know. ¡°Why then, are you still doing this?¡±


    Hmm, I gave it some thought, let¡¯s not mention revenge. The public didn¡¯t know how much I loved Theresa; after all, she was just a servant to some entitled rich kid in their eyes. She was quickly forgotten. But to me, she was everything. I balled my fists at the thought of that, then looked to Rosa. But it seemed she was just as interested in my answer as the commissioner was. ¡°I can¡¯t not do it. I tried staying away before, but people are dying, man. Won¡¯t just stick my head in the sand; I can¡¯t. Besides, no matter how you look at it, I caused this. I¡¯ve gotta clean up my own mess.¡±


    He intertwined his fingers and leaned a bit onto his desk, ¡°By ¡®clean up¡¯, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What I mean?¡± I relaxed back into the chair, and had my hand support my leaning head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see.¡± An awfully ambiguous answer. But even with the red flags that my answer shot him, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to rescind the police¡¯s official statement that allowed me to help. The public¡¯s protests placed a lot of pressure on them, and taking back their decision would do nothing but paint their lack of confidence in their own decision.


    The commissioner suddenly shifted his attention to Rosa again, ¡°I¡¯ll get the warrants. I trust you came to me for this because you can¡¯t trust the TEO?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to have the TEO arrest their director?¡± Rosa gave him a stern look. ¡°The details of their crimes will be sent to you. Get it done.¡± She stood up, and subsequently, I did.


    When we got back outside to the parking lot, I inquired about what happened to her security detail. ¡°¡­all of them?¡± I questioned. ¡°Your entire team, can¡¯t be trusted?¡±


    She looked at me, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have you fly me around if they could. I¡¯ll get a new team by the end of the day, but there¡¯s no telling who¡¯s in someone¡¯s pocket.¡± She rubbed her temples in frustration, but quickly retracted her hands.


    I yielded. She was right. ¡°I can be your bodyguard, but I¡¯m pretty expensive.¡±


    Her eyes settled on me, with not so much as a simper from her lips. ¡°You joke, but I¡¯d actually hire you if you were of age. It¡¯s unfortunate you¡¯re one of the few people I can blindly trust anymore. Say,¡± she placed her arm over my shoulder, ¡°are you busy today?¡±


    I picked her up, ready to take off, ¡°Is Home Secretary Sorrentino asking? Or is Rosa asking?¡±


    ¡°They both are.¡±


    I shot an eyebrow up, ¡°Now I¡¯m curious¡­¡±


    A beguiling smirk crept upon her lips.


    ¡°Are you disappointed?¡± the shifting waters sounded as she moved her hand out the bathtub¡¯s water. She had me take her home and pamper her, sort of. The soapy water dripped off when she slowly stood up, no doubt in covert attempts to tempt me.


    I gave my chin a rub or two after giving her a towel, ¡°Extremely disappointed,¡± I commented, a morosely face defying playful antics. Afterward, I kept her company. No, not leisurely, but instead as a bodyguard of sorts. It was a horrendous farrago of meeting after meeting. I idled outside whatever conference room she¡¯d use to slam her arguments into the ears of those attending.


    As it turned dark, Rosa got yet another security team, so I was able to return home, having what was my last night of somewhat carefree sleep.


    My alarm gently shook me awake. I was able to grab breakfast with my family before Anna scurried off to work. My phone rang and I answered to a very angry and confused Serrette. ¡°Ugo?! What the fuck¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, what are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Figured you¡¯d know. Get down here, will you?¡± she said hastily then hung up.


    What a stormy but short conversation. What¡¯s up with her? I wondered, my mind futilely trying to imagine what could¡¯ve gotten her so ruffled. Instead, all my thoughts were centred around the locations that Taylor ¨C the goon who we caught in the hotel ¨C had been sending the smuggled Neo-Chem canisters to. I wondered where that address led to and why the other location was UGO Medical. However, I decided to bury those questions for now and focus on whatever riled Serrette up so much.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The TK and I flew downtown toward TEO headquarters. Serrette was leaned against the wall in the smoking area with a cigarette in hand. The minute we touched down, she outed the cigarette, ¡°Ditch the robot for a while,¡± and walked toward the carpark. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a drive.¡±


    She and I sat in the back, whilst the Andinos were in the front. ¡°Wanna tell me what this is about?¡± I asked, after a couple minutes of a silent ride.


    ¡°That¡¯s my question,¡± Serrette palmed her face. ¡°This morning, the police appeared with arrests warrants for Murray, Donovon, and Foster. I wouldn¡¯t suppose you know why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± I exhaled and smiled, ¡°Sorry, but they did some things and this time, it looks like they over-did those things. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t say anything incriminating.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± She looked me right in the eyes, ¡°Will your friend, the Home Secretary be mad at you?¡± she asked me, as if I was a little kid.


    ¡°You think she has something to do with it?¡± I asked, as if curious to find out myself.


    She chuckled a bit, rolling her eyes, ¡°Oh, cut the crap, Ugo! This is serious! With a move like that, the police and TEO are going to butt heads even more. Even Michael Asher is in handcuffs! National security is stupidly vulnerable because they got arrested!¡± She balled her fists and emphasised, ¡°Arrested! And you know why.¡±


    ¡°You assume I know why.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I asked, ¡°And if, hypothetically, I knew, what would happen if I don¡¯t tell you?¡± My hand touched gently on my pistol.


    Samuel Andino turned around after watching my movements in the mirror, ¡°Relax, Ugo. We¡¯re not here to interrogate you. She¡¯s just a little overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°So why the hell am I here?¡± I retorted, not exactly feeling welcomed. The car went quiet. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then pullover.¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± Ferris pushed the signal lever down and the indicator blinked so he could make his turn. ¡°There¡¯s a raid at UGO Medical right now. We found the person in question who¡¯s been receiving Mark Taylor¡¯s deliveries. Before we could interrogate him, a call came through from HQ telling us to halt whatever we were doing and stay on standby. Why do you think that is?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°How long will you continue to play dumb?¡± Serrette asked. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s spill everything for you, otherwise we¡¯re wasting time. Our director got detained, so did a member of our bomb squad, and so did our criminal psychologist. Because of that, we¡¯re now at a standoff with the police who wants to takeover the entire David Cennet case.¡±


    ¡°So, you only care about the case,¡± I surmised.


    After a deathly glare, she said, ¡°We care about finishing what we started. Ugo, if we get relieved of this case, there¡¯s a risk it¡¯ll be placed in the hands of strangers in the police, and who knows who the hell we can trust in the police?¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s your reasoning?¡± I turned to face her fully, ¡°Need I remind you that the TEO and ex-militants were the ones involved in the attempted murder of the goddamn Home Secretary?! Are you saying we can trust the TEO?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you can trust us!¡± she specified.


    ¡°Whilst I want to trust you, it would be stupid to do so. The Home Secretary is a much better judge of character than I am, and her own personal bodyguards helped sabotaged and planned her murder. She was still backstabbed. How can I trust anyone?¡±


    Samuel chuckled, ¡°Gotta say, that stings, Ugo. You saved my daughter and my son, so I trust you, but to hear that the feeling isn¡¯t mutual is a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Ferris agreed. ¡°Guess that leaves us with one decision.¡± In the blink of an eye, a pistol was aimed for my head and was fired off. But I could feel it coming. Since entering the car, seeing Serrette¡¯s expression, taking note of the Andino¡¯s silence during the first half of the ride, it give my instincts the cue to be on guard. And guard I did with the shielder, causing the shot to ricochet off my lazuline shield energy and hit the window. Immediately after, I tried opening the door but that didn¡¯t work.


    Going full throttle with Grav from the get-go, my body slammed up to the car¡¯s ceiling, raising it just enough to cause the car to wobble out of control. We flipped so many times that nothing in my vision made sense.


    Recovering quickly from Vasc and shrugging off the dizziness, I shot the door open with my pistol and exited the overturned vehicle. So many cameras clicked and flashed at the scene whilst I breathed and caught my breath. Samuel eventually crawled out, leaving the other two unconscious TEOs inside.


    ¡°Dammit, Ugo! You left us no choice!¡± he said, pointing his gun at me and trying to control his haggard breath. He limped a little, coming out into the open to get a clearer shot at me. ¡°There was,¡± his eyes watered a little, and he blinked to somewhat dismiss the tears, ¡°no other choice.¡± His hand trembled and his jaw muscles showed that he clenched his teeth. With a wipe of blood off the eyebrow, he steadied his aim. ¡°Sorry, kid.¡± He began firing it off, causing the crowd around us to scamper in all directions.


    Instead of erecting my shielder¡¯s energy, I simply tilted my head down and blocked my head with both arms, letting the few bullets hit me. It hurt like hell! My mind was reeling in pain, but given enough time, Vasc numbed that pain and the formed blood literally pushed the bullets out of my body and proceeded to heal me. It was a bit of a risk. Okay, it was a huge risk, but the results screamed a very strong message at the top of its lungs ¨C I wasn¡¯t easy to kill. And relying on the crowds that recorded the scene to push the message out there was admittedly, something that I didn¡¯t foresee. It was only meant for the TEO and other similar entities to understand that I had much power, and so, some off-handed assassination attempt would never work.


    I pointed my pistol at him calmly, then simply rescinded it. Ire rattled my mind, knowing that someone out there had enough power to cause people like the Andinos to turn against me. Dammit, Cennet! I was beginning to feel more and more alone in this entire ordeal as the seconds went on by. What now? What¡¯s my next move? When does this end? When do I get to walk away? How long do I have to keep this up? Why me? My eyes watered. Theresa¡­ I missed her dearly.


    Just like my bullying in school, it seemed like danger reared its neck into my business every day. Only, this time around, Theresa wasn¡¯t there to tell me everything would be okay. Sure, I loved all three of my parents, but they could never replace Theresa, no one could. Therefore, there was no replacement that would calm my stirred heart as she once did. Fucking Cennet! I gritted my teeth, coming to the realization that literally everyone I know could be turned against me. It felt like the very time I had left to live was quickly shortening. Who was to say a servant at home wouldn¡¯t be the one to take my head? Who was to say that a random passerby wouldn¡¯t put a bullet in my head? The murmurs around me made me paranoid, and thinking that my death could come from anywhere, I flew off frantically.


    Suddenly, another call came in. I stared at it until it stopped. The view from atop a ten-story building wasn¡¯t as comforting as I thought it would be, especially when my brooding was interrupted by the fourth time by the same private number that called before. ¡°What?¡± I answered irritation embroidered in my voice.


    ¡°Is this Jared Ugo?¡± a man asked.


    ¡°¡­¡± I remained silent, as if simply too mentally knackered to answer.


    ¡°Please, the son of the minister of education is being held hostage and he needs your help!¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± I questioned the strange man.


    Instead, a strange but frantic voice answered, ¡°Jared Ugo? This is Charlene Jefferson speaking. The scene is being broadcasted on any news station! Please, I beg of you! Please help my son!¡±


    At that moment, my mind was tearing itself apart. One half said no, the other said yes. One half told me it was the height of stupidity and recklessness after being betrayed by those I thought had my back, to trust the words of a total stranger. The other half wouldn¡¯t let me live with myself if what was being fed to me was to be true and I did nothing about it despite having the means to do so.


    With a sigh, I thought, I¡¯m a fool¡­

 Level 30 – Sacrifice is Necessary

    A nearby caf¨¦ sufficed. I landed outside and kindly asked one of the employees to change the football match to a news channel, much to the dismay of the other men enjoying a pint. However, the reporter¡¯s words and my getup quickly made them realise the situation, and accept a little inconvenience. ¡°Fine,¡± I said to Charlene Jefferson, the minister of education on the other side of the line then hung up. I put aside my insecurity, my paranoia, my regrets, to see to it that my conscience wouldn¡¯t be the one to murder me for my inaction.


    I stepped outside with a bombardment of phone cameras following me. I checked the location of the school on my phone¡¯s map and slipped my goggles back on. From there, I had Grav and the jetpack show their true colours, getting me to near Mach speed. However, the beginning of braking would prevent that speed from being maintained for long. According to the TK¡¯s thermal vision, there were six targets, and two of them were in spots that gave a clear shot.


    Six¡­ I thought about how to cleanly do this, but judging from the TK¡¯s report to me, it seemed someone was murdered periodically. The criminals never stated their demands, and neither did they let anyone in or out. No wonder she resorted to calling me. I should change my number. Now, I rubbed my chin in thought, let¡¯s see here. Two can be taken out easily. That leaves four. Two more are staying still, but not in line of sight, and the last two are patrolling. After a few minutes of analysing the situation, a couple of bullets rang out and another person was killed.


    ¡°How many dead?¡± I questioned my android.


    ¡°Seven,¡± it answered as we watched on from another building.


    Damn, the media will make it hard to sneak in. If I let the TK take out the two guys by the window, I¡¯d still have to rush in blindly and locate exactly where the other four are. But if I manage to sneak in, I can calmly plan out what to do and make sure no one dies. I looked at the media personnel surrounding the building once more. If they¡¯re doing a live feed, then I¡¯m sure the criminals are watching the news. That means those guys will see me coming. I¡¯ll have to distract them somehow. And so, I decided to let the TK be that distraction. Although, that meant having to deal with all six bad guys myself.


    After making a big show and landing behind the media, they immediately turned their backs whilst I snuck in from around the back of the building. A window was open, all it took was some cutting through the burglar proofing with Z-21 to get me inside. I quickly found the staircase and pinpointed all their locations from afar. All of the hostages weren¡¯t huddled into one place, so whatever I was going to do, it would have to be done before they could react, or without them realising.


    Once I observed the patrols¡¯ patterns, I stepped down quietly and hid behind a cubicle. The minute he stood out the line of sight from his partners, Z-21 cleaved through his body, ending him near-instantly. I made sure to catch him, so he wouldn¡¯t make noise after falling. Once his body was hidden a bit better, I moved again, hiding behind the slightly tinted glass of an office. The second patrol was grabbed from behind and strangled into unconsciousness. Won¡¯t be long ¡®til they realise something¡¯s up. Gotta move fast here¡­


    With steady feet, I hopped over a counter and struck another one through the chest with my sword, then blasted one with my pistol, creating a small hole in him.  The fifth target became lucky because I missed my shot. The sixth man was tackled to the ground before he could do anything. The one whom I missed was also tackled, but by my TK which destroyed part of the building¡¯s wall and smashed itself into him. Once we had them down, disarming them was a cinch.


    My TK instructed the criminals we captured to slowly walk outside with their hands up, straight into police custody. Whilst it led the men to the police barricade, it scanned the surroundings for anymore that may be in hiding.


    With my sword drawn, EXO on, pistol brandished and eyes on alert, the very people I rescued felt like they were still hostages. They didn¡¯t budge an inch. For a second, it made me question who I was. ¡°Charlene Jefferson¡¯s son, call your mom. The rest of you are free to leave now.¡±


    With that announcement, I simply walked out the front door. If not for the barricade of police officers, I¡¯d be swimming in a pool of reporters¡¯ microphones and cameras. However, that didn¡¯t stop them from screaming the questions over yonder at me. Those questions were ignored, but one voice stopped me from flying off ¨C Hana¡¯s. After LocalHost was attacked and Backslash became a target of Cennet, how could I deny Hana?


    In five minutes, I was in the back of their panel van, fist-bumping the cameraman, Jack, and getting a microphone clipped onto the chest area of EXO. The lighting was up, the camera was rolling, and Hana¡¯s makeup was perfect. But she suddenly told Jack to cut, then sighed. ¡°Fuck me,¡± she cursed under her breath and dug around her pockets for a cigarette. ¡°My son¡¯s in his room again, Jared. Did you ask him to do something?¡±


    ¡°N-no. We haven¡¯t spoken for a while now.¡±


    ¡°I hope I¡¯m just imagining things,¡± she placed her cigarette back, and we had quite the normal interview. The minute it was over, I flew over to UGO Medical.


    It was quite a scene there. On one side of the compound, there were police, and on the other side, TEOs. Where do I even start? To begin with, I had to find the contact that Serrette and the Andinos talked about. Someone that Mark Taylor was delivering the canisters of chemicals to. The entrance was blocked by police and TEO alike, somewhat butting heads over who had jurisdiction. ¡°Suppose I can¡¯t convince you guys to let me pass, can I?¡±


    They all shot me strange looks, but the police eventually made a path. The TEOs nearby had an issue with that, and refused to let me through. An argument ensued, and guns were quickly pointed with me in the middle of it. The air was tense, as even more police and TEO from nearby joined the standoff. ¡°Well, here¡¯s an idea. How about we not kill each other? It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll leave,¡± I told them, slowly backing away.


    Well, UGO Medical is off limits for now. Why would we accept chemicals we aren¡¯t cleared to have? With a defeated sigh, I resorted to going to the home address I saw on the documents. It was on the outskirts of the city, more around the chaparrals. The area was certainly a rich one, with massive houses lining the streets. I slowed my pace and found the house, then landed in front. The television was on, and so were the lights, so I rang the doorbell. A man answered the door, ¡°Who are y¨C¡±


    He stopped when he looked at me properly. ¡°You¡¯re that hero kid. I don¡¯t want you here, you¡¯re dangerous. Leave before I call the cops.¡± He slammed the door shot whilst I stood there, a bit dumbfounded.


    Should I just, force my way in? I wondered, but soon dismissed the idea. I¡¯d imagine my moms and dad would have grown used to the life-threatening stunts I pulled from time to time, but breaking into someone¡¯s house? No way. They¡¯ll kill me. But, do I have a choice?


    As I stood there, contemplating what on earth to do, a car pulled up in the driveway. A young man, no older than twenty. He assisted his mom with a few bags of groceries. She finally wiggled her way out, parking a little close to the fence, and immediately took notice of me. I nodded, and began leaving.


    ¡°Ban?¡± she said, calling a name I hadn¡¯t heard in a while. ¡°Wait! You¡¯re Jared, right? Diana¡¯s son.¡±


    I chuckled lightly, ¡°Caught me¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here? Come on in!¡± she invited me without a second thought. I took her up on the offer and helped her son carry some bags in.


    When her husband noticed me, his face contorted a little, but he let it go, seeing that she invited me in. Once she kicked off her shoes and got a little comfortable, we sat around the kitchen¡¯s countertop whilst watching her son watch television. I drank a bit of the orange juice she poured for me and had some semblance of admiration for a normal family such as this.


    ¡°I¡¯m Carol,¡± she extended her hand and we shook, ¡°I¡¯m on the board at UGO. I was there when your mom told everyone you were Ban!¡± She looked a bit excited, pushing some hair behind an ear. ¡°So, what brings you here, hero?¡±


    Hero, huh? Can¡¯t get used to that no matter how many times I hear it. I sighed, ¡°Well, I needed help with something.¡± Something¡¯s off here, I told myself, doubting my very doubts about this place. ¡°You only have one kid, right?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± she nodded proudly and her eyes went to the young man, then back to me.


    Scrubbing through my memories, I recollected bits and pieces of the meeting. It was a meeting that would convince the board of directors at UGO to give me Anna as a partner, and in return, I would give UGO the headgear technology and prosthetics that worked in tandem. During that test, it was Carol I chose to test the prosthetics and headgear. My eyes closed when I realised what was going on. ¡°Carol, one of your son¡¯s limbs were missing, but it¡¯s back now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± she didn¡¯t break her composure. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I looked her in the eyes and hopped off the stool, coming closer to her and speaking softly, slowly, right next to her ear. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care about exposing you. I¡¯m not trying to turn you in. All I want to do is ask you for any details you can remember about making the deal. Any information on Cennet will help me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I have any information on¨C¡±


    ¡°I know your son has Vasc running through his veins. I know canisters of chemicals from Neo-Chem was delivered here by Mark Taylor, chemicals you aren¡¯t authorised to handle. So, can we skip all this and just get to the important parts?¡±


    She was taken aback, so much so, her trembling hand also rested her glass of juice down whilst she stared off into the distance, somewhere at the living room where her son sat. Her face displayed hesitance and self-doubt, no doubt simmering on the recent widespread and eclectic string of murders. No matter how one looked at it, I was the hero and Cennet was the villain. It was such a black and white case of moral unambiguity that it almost felt planned. And could you doubt it? This was Cennet we¡¯re talking about, the most cunning and guiling person I¡¯d ever had the displeasure of meeting. But I knew the truth. I wasn¡¯t the white knight of truth and justice everyone thought I was. And Cennet as well, was not the black mire of evil and deception. However, to get what I wanted here, describing the ills that reflected his surface-level character was necessary.


    ¡°Carol, just this morning, students as young as your son were killed brutally, systematically, without a second thought. Would you really like Cennet to continue running wild like that? I won¡¯t claim to know what the murder toll is, but I bet I can blindly say that it¡¯s never been as high as it is. What Cennet is doing is setting the very security of this country on fire. Police are spread like butter, and because of that, other criminals are popping out of the woodworks.¡± I closed my eyes, as if almost losing my belief in her, ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I stopped and thought about bringing the wrong attention to this family with my simple presence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± The irritating friction that pushing the stool back where it was caused her to somewhat jerk out of her mind.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She asserted softly, then clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, balling her fists ever so slightly. I had her. ¡°Let me show you something.¡±


    A couple minutes later, I stood around in her study whilst she entered a code onto a safe. The beep signalled it was open. ¡°What will you do?¡± she asked, particularly when I took notice of the chemicals.


    ¡°I never saw ¡®em. But, maybe tell your son the truth sometime? Up to you. So, what¡¯s this list?¡± I questioned the paper in her hand, and even at that point, she resisted a little from giving it to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s um,¡± her hand touched her forehead as if in stress, ¡°a list of educational institutions he¡¯s interested in ¡®upping¡¯ the security for. But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for security is it?¡± I asked. Her eyelids slammed into one another, almost like she didn¡¯t want to hear the truth, despite already knowing it. ¡°They¡¯re his targets. Carol, why did he give you this list? As far as I know, you just needed Vasc.¡±


    At that point, she sighed in annoyance, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? I¡¯ve been funding him.¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck did you do that?! All you had to pay for were the chemicals to make Vasc!¡±


    ¡°Jared,¡± she leaned against a bookshelf, ¡°the state will never adhere to Cennet¡¯s demands. He knows this. Therefore, to prove that there is a problem, he has to amplify that problem.¡±


    I took a while to understand where she was coming from, but the revelation sent a rupturing choler through me. I slammed the shelf next to her, somewhat cornering the woman, ¡°Are you delusional?! You¡¯ll commit mass murder just to prove there¡¯s a security problem? You¡¯re okay with slaughtering children just to prove that schools need tighter security?¡± I backed off, rubbing my temples to ease the sudden onset of information overload. More and more thoughts of the ludicrous logic pervaded my mind. ¡°What sense does that make? Like you said, the state will never give in to Cennet¡¯s demands.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, they won¡¯t, but enough death can achieve anything. It may be hard for you to understand, Jared, but sacrifice is needed.¡±


    Is, she crazy? I simply couldn¡¯t see from her perspective. How would killing children, save children? Was that Cennet¡¯s way of ensuring another case like Jonathan didn¡¯t happen? I glanced at the list again, skipping through the near-five thousand schools listed. What really irked me, was that I had no one I could trust. After Serrette and the Andinos tried to kill me, after Sean Murray and other TEO members proved to be unreliable, who was I supposed to show this list to? I lost some strength in my legs and slid down the bookshelf until I hit the floor, curling into myself as I realised the true hopelessness that this situation insinuated. What am I going to do? What was a single teenager to do against something of that scale? Police? Military? Tactical Enforcement Operatives? Who did Cennet not have in his pocket? Rosa? Sure, I could trust her at least, but which services would she turn to in order to stop something like that? Police, military, and TEOs. Hell, it was laughable.


    I, sincerely felt like giving up. The thorny path suddenly seemed like a mistake. Was all this pain worth it? Is it? Have I been trying for no reason? ¡°Why¡¯d you bother helping me?¡±


    ¡°Cennet figured you¡¯d come here,¡± she closed the safe again, ¡°he said it was okay to give you whatever you want.¡±


    I scoffed at that. Not surprised. I took another look at the list. The best thing I could do is tell police the day before it happens so whoever¡¯s on Cennet¡¯s payroll won¡¯t be able to do much with the time. Then again, I grunted, he probably prepared for everything possible if he was alright with basically telling the enemy his plans. I kept skipping through, looking for a date, but there was no such thing. Not even Carol knew when I asked her, so timing when I could tell the heads of security was impossible. It forced me to do it as soon as possible, which would give Cennet¡¯s spies as much time to plan as they want. ¡°Fuck!¡± I cursed under my breath.


    My back was against the wall here, I didn¡¯t know what to do, or even what to think. My fingers quaveringly touched on the ankh pendant slung around my neck.


    I went back home in the middle of the day and caught my daredevil dad replacing a bulb on one of the chandeliers. It was so high; he needed a makeshift scaffolding to do it. ¡°Oh hey,¡± he greeted when he looked down and saw me, ¡°what¡¯s up? You¡¯re usually never home at this time.¡±


    I exhaled and pondered on how I would even word the question. Hell, I didn¡¯t even really know what question I wanted to ask. All I knew was I needed some clarity to my muddled and hazy thoughts. The house seemed so quiet; the world, seemed so quiet. It felt like just dad and I existed, like there were no worries. But there could be no such thing. Peace of mind was something I¡¯d long since parted ways with since Jonathan¡¯s death. A heavy and suffocating shadow of angst and wrath loomed in the background, only growing incrementally as time passed, keeping its presence under wraps.


    ¡°Earth to Jared,¡± dad snapped me out of my thoughts, ¡°mind hitting the switch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sure.¡± I did as was asked, then turned around to see dad release a sigh of relief. ¡°Say, dad, if you knew something bad was about to happen ¨C something really bad ¨C but there was no one you could trust to help you,¡± I replaced the headgear to hang around my neck, ¡°what would you do?¡±


    He said nothing, instead choosing to simply stare at me. What¡¯s he thinking? I wondered. He finally broke eye contact when he looked at the scaffolding and made his way down. His calloused palms shook my dirt-blonde hair, ruffling it.


    ¡°I know they¡¯re the same person,¡± he began, confusing me a little, ¡°but I need to ask who¡¯s asking. Jared or the hero?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± I eyed him, ¡°Would the answer be different?¡±


    He chortled softly, ¡°Nah,¡± he admitted, ¡°it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t help but think the advice I¡¯m about to share will help the hero, but endanger Jared. Those mothers of yours won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°Tell me anyway,¡± I urged him.


    After a playful shrug, he took a few seconds to let an air of seriousness encapsulate us. Without breaking eye-contact, he placed his hand on my shoulder, ¡°There will be times when you¡¯re on your own, when your back¡¯s against the wall. There will be times when you feel the entire world is working against you. I¡¯ve had those times, and I lived through them by trusting myself. When it felt like the world was going one way and I was going the other, of course I stopped and doubted myself. I lived in fear that I made the wrong decisions, I lived in fear that those decisions would haunt me for the rest of my life. And for a while, I even followed everyone else. But even after I abandoned my own path to go where everyone else was going, I still wasn¡¯t able to see what they were seeing, because I¡¯m different from everyone else, and so are you. Don¡¯t doubt the path you¡¯ve taken, even if it¡¯s weird or against the norm. No one will see its beauty like you can. Work on that path and do your best, until you can look back and say that you¡¯re proud for following what you believed in.¡± He removed his hand from my shoulder and stretched his arms, ¡°Besides, before you trust others, you have to learn to trust yourself.¡±


    ¡°Trust myself, huh?¡± I shivered a little. Can I even do that? I questioned my very ambitions. Do I really care what happens to a bunch of strangers? A dilemma I¡¯ve fought with reared its head again. It wasn¡¯t like before, when Cennet specifically forced me to live in the face of danger. Yet, I still found myself in the thick of things. Couldn¡¯t I just let all of this go? Why am I doing this? I took a step back, literally and figuratively, looking at myself. Yet, I could see nothing. What the hell? I grew frustrated at my indecisiveness. Does it even matter anymore? Is it wrong to help others even if I don¡¯t actually care? Of course not. I answered myself and concreted my resolve once again. This path that I wanted to follow, was one I¡¯d have to trust myself with.


    Besides, I wasn¡¯t totally alone, was I?

 Level 31 – Ban’s Path

    After stopping a runaway train with the help of my TK, I found myself walking through the tiled halls of UGO once again. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what my father had said the day before. It didn¡¯t take long for me to realise he was right about following my own path. And so, I succumbed to it, to this hero life, like it was an addiction.


    I had a seat outside Anna¡¯s office and waited patiently. Eventually, her meeting concluded and she motioned me inside. ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± I greeted.


    ¡°Who? It¡¯s ¡®mom¡¯, mister,¡± she corrected. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    I smiled, genuinely feeling proud to know her. ¡°Well,¡± I sat her down and meandered behind her, occasionally looking out at the city¡¯s busy traffic, ¡°I kinda need Diana to help me build an army of robots, and I¡¯ll need some financing to do it.¡±


    ¡°How many is an army? Give me a number.¡±


    I leaned on her table a bit, ¡°Not sure, but listen, there¡¯s a list of schools here,¡± I showed her and began explaining what was going on.


    ¡°Five thousand?! God! That¡¯s, a lot of materials, Jared¡­¡±


    ¡°Just give me how much you feel comfortable with,¡± I rubbed her shoulders, ¡°it¡¯s no biggie. Eventually, I¡¯ll have to inform police and TEO, maybe even the army. So, I¡¯ll have help.¡± I refrained from telling her about the TEO¡¯s attempt on my life. Surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t much resistance. She started me off with spare TS parts and then eventually had a truckload of them delivered to my lab near the pier.


    Diana Ugo eventually came to my lab a bit later, a little confused about what was going on.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± I said, gesturing her to take a seat so I can explain things.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am? Do I look like a ma¡¯am to you?¡± she gave me an attitude.


    Sheesh, I chuckled, they¡¯re turning into the same person. After explaining things to her, she agreed to help me assemble the TS. I was surprised to say the least. Usually, I¡¯d get a straight ¡®no¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t like that this time.


    After acquiring my moms¡¯ help, I decided to inform Rosa of Cennet¡¯s ploy.


    She flipped through the pages, put them down, then glared at me. ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. But in case it isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You need my help,¡± she said, holding onto her teacup with a mixture of worry and tension. ¡°How did you come by this list?¡±


    I leaned back, ¡°If I tell you, the person would get arrested. I¡¯m not a fan of betraying the people who help me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well,¡± she stood up, agitated by the news, ¡°tell that to the TEO.¡± She then paused, and looked at me, giving her habitual long period of silence before speaking. ¡°Jared, what is it you want me to do? I know you know there are protocols for me to follow, but I feel like there¡¯s something you want me to specifically do.¡±


    My hands were clasped together and only tightened as she spoke. ¡°Yeah, um, well, no. I don¡¯t know. In almost every crime of late that Cennet has committed, there have been either friends, family, relatives or whatever of Michael Asher or Charlene Jefferson in the mix. That can¡¯t be a coincidence. If he can do that to people who aren¡¯t relevant, then what can he do the ministers of education and national security?¡± I sighed, ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that he¡¯ll target the home secretary.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about me¡­¡± she revealed the underlying issue.


    I eventually stood up, ¡°Yeah, so, please, be safe.¡±


    With that, I left. My mind was focused on preparation. In no time, I made it back home. Mom had already assembled half of one whilst I was gone. She was truly an amazing person in my eyes.


    Before the day was out, we had put together a TS, all that needed to be done was to prepare its software and attach boosters running on UGO energy on it. We called it a day, or she did at least. I continued working into the night, tinkering about on how to make the booster integration as seamless as possible. By the time I¡¯d gotten home, everyone had already finished eating dinner.


    A servant was kind enough to reheat my dinner for me, so I ate, showered, changed clothes, then went right back to the lab and fixed myself a strong cup of coffee. That night, I slept in the lab.


    When I awoke, it was to a phone call that brought my attention to an incident on the highway, causing a massive traffic pileup. I got there in just a couple minutes with the TK. A black SUV had gotten into an accident with two other vehicles. I¡¯d assume it was a normal accident if it weren¡¯t for the sea of bullet holes on the SUV. Whoever was in the SUV was clearly a VIP of some kind. Why the hell did Hana of all people call me about this? How¡¯d she know? I wondered, but left the conundrum for later. I landed quickly, my shielder up and my TK neutralising the threats. It swerved in from the air, throwing, punching, shooting, and slamming the energy shield into its enemies. The ordeal was over in less than a minute.


    I knocked the glass. An armoured vehicle? ¡°Anyone in there?¡±


    They knocked back, in fact, it wasn¡¯t a knock, but a rather forceful and random pounding. My eyes widened when I realised whoever was inside desperately needed to get out. I swung around back and used Z-21 to cut the back glass. Some voices ushered someone to hurry and climb out. It was Michael Asher¡¯s obnoxious daughter. Two other men in suits crawled out, running away with her immediately. I followed on instinct, then an ear-splitting explosion threw me over. My ear rang for quite a while.


    Not the best way to start the morning, I thought. ¡°Anyone injured?¡± I asked when my hearing somewhat returned.


    ¡°Y-yeah. I mean no,¡± she corrected, coming out of her stupor, ¡°we¡¯re fine.¡±


    A news helicopter was incoming. I could guess who that is, I laughed a bit internally. The ¡®Chanel 7¡¯ logo on it washed any second thoughts away. The bird¡¯s propeller beat down onto us. TK put up his shielders to block us from the harsh downforce. Jack jumped out before the damn thing even landed properly, his clothes rippling uncontrollably from the wind as he ran towards us.


    The girl¡¯s bodyguards immediately stood in front of her, so Jack irked a little, then focused the camera on me. Finally, the chopper landed and the engine was turned off, giving Hana her much needed silence. She encroached me and gave a little hug, ¡°Can you tell us about what happened here?¡±


    ¡°Just a traffic accident,¡± I told her and her eyebrows twitched knowing damn well I was lying through my teeth.


    ¡°What about the bullet holes on the vehicle behind us?¡± she put the microphone back to me for an answer.


    I shrugged, ¡°I only arrived after the accident.¡±


    ¡°How was it you knew of this accident?¡±


    Are you messing with me? I glared at her, trying to keep as expressionless as possible. She was the one who alerted me as to what was going on. Did she have so much faith in my abilities to lie? I chuckled mentally, remembering that the press were quite scary people. ¡°A very good friend of mine told me because they knew I¡¯d get here before emergency services.¡±


    ¡°Can we expect more of these heroic deeds, Ban?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Did she just¡­ I took quite a while to answer, not realising that my LocalHost username was something publicly known. I guess anything¡¯s possible at this point. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d know that name. You¡¯re amazing, Hana,¡± I complimented, but she kept the microphone at my mouth, seeking an answer to her earlier question. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can call this a heroic deed. Anyone would help if given the chance. So, I guess, yeah.¡±


    A sly grin crept across her face as Jack focused on Hana; they completed the report. This was how things went for the coming week. Quite random events and crimes with no evidence that Cennet¡¯s warped mind was the perpetrator behind them. Several times a day, I stood in the midst of danger whilst protecting myself and saving lives.


    Mom and I had only gotten to fully arm a team of eight TS at the end of the week. I sat down in the lab on a Saturday evening, watching the experience from TK upload into the eight androids. Somnolence ensnared me with ease; I¡¯d been spending the past few nights without much sleep.


    A rhythmic knocking woke me up; mom¡¯s shoe hitting the floor as she walked over with a cup of coffee in hand was the culprit. ¡°Morning, honey. Here,¡± she handed me the coffee, ¡°tell me what you want me to do to finish these boys,¡± and tapped the leg of one of the TS. ¡°Then go home. It¡¯s been forever since Charlie and Anna saw you. And Marissa won¡¯t shut up. I¡¯ll be home soon.¡±


    I could only nod my head every now and then, still in a daze waking up. I gathered my things and went home after having coffee, leaving the TK with her. A very slow flight home relaxed me, as if my body was conditioned to maintain composure in the air. I thought back to the very start of all this chaos. The car accident, TS shootings, faux-assassin, bomb threats, hostage situations and highspeed air chases. How did I survive? I wondered. The beautiful city before me was but an afterthought as I beamed through the lazuline skies. A chill shot up my spine thinking about all the close encounters. I¡¯d been dancing with death, quite enthusiastically, as if a paper bag was over its face, shielding its identity from me. Or perhaps, there was a veil over my eyes, blinding me entirely. No, I wasn¡¯t having cold feet about the situation. Instead, I was appreciating, yet condemning what I did from the eyes of retrospect. I really was an amazing person ¨C a hero ¨C and I only had just begun to believe it, something I probably should¡¯ve done long ago. Yet, the truth remained I was likely the dumbest kid to look danger in the eyes that way, almost like I loved it.


    A piercing scream shook me out of the internal dialogue between my conscience and my cowardice. Without a thought, I zoomed over to my house ¨C the direction it came from, only to see Marissa barrelling down a slip-and-slide. Laughter from multiple mouths escaped, making me focus my attention to the veranda. Dad and Anna was there, along with a couple servants. Hana and her son, Backslash were present as well, not forgetting Jack of course. A few unfamiliar faces stood like statues at the wall and Rosa had somehow managed to show up. I wanted to wonder who got her to come visit and how, but those thoughts were frozen in place by the smiles of the Andinos and Serrette, sitting with Rosa.


    They were certainly an animated crowd, judging from the number of beers and cocktails on the tables before them. Only joviality exuded them ¨C even more so when I landed and they took notice of me ¨C but I was the stake of killjoy, striking right through the atmosphere. My pistol was holstered at my waist, and that¡¯s exactly where my hand hovered over for all but a couple seconds in reflex to seeing Serrette and the Andinos in such close proximity to those I love. But I quickly read the atmosphere, and instead, pretended to fix the EXO suit on my body. ¡°Chaffing is a serious problem,¡± I joked, trying to dissipate whatever heaviness I must¡¯ve joined the party with. Marissa was the icing on the cake to my attempts, running and jumping on me from behind, nearly making me fall over.


    ¡°Where have you been, you little shit?!¡± she ruffled my hair. ¡°You haven¡¯t been cheating on me, have you?!¡±


    I moped, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve been seeing someone else!¡± I said dramatically.


    She gasped, jumping off of me and weeping, ¡°Who? Who¡¯s the bitch?!¡±


    I pointed at Rosa, trying my best to maintain a serious face.


    Marissa looked at Rosa, then back to me, ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t get in her face because I don¡¯t wanna get life in prison,¡± she shrugged, admitting defeat and invoking a bout of cachinnation and banter in everyone. ¡°Besides, today¡¯s special,¡± she kissed me on the cheek. ¡°Happy birthday, bro!¡±


    My eyes opened wide, ¡°Thanks!¡± I beamed. Let¡¯s just pretend I didn¡¯t forget.


    I carried her over to everyone after she told me to ¡°giddy-up¡± so she could get another drink. Anna was quite elated to see me in a non-business environment. I greeted everyone with smiles and hugs, of course doing the same for the Andinos and keeping what happened a secret. As I hugged Serrette, I thanked her for coming, then got really close to her ear to whisper, ¡°One wrong move¡­¡± trailing off to let her extrapolate the rest of my threat.


    ¡°About that, we should talk,¡± she suggested. ¡°In private.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know if that¡¯s safe for me,¡± I snarled back with a smile on my face.


    She sighed wearily, ¡°We¡¯ll be in plain sight. No worries,¡± we released each other finally.


    Encroaching Rosa, I stopped then looked at her bodyguards, ¡°Do I have permission?¡± I asked them.


    She rolled her eyes and stood up, seizing the hug for herself, ¡°Happy birthday, Ugo,¡± she said, keeping things classy in front of others.


    ¡°Thank you, Home Secretary,¡± I replied, honestly happy to see her, yet fearful for her even being in any TEOs¡¯ presence.


    ¡°Please,¡± she scoffed, ¡°today, Rosa is fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I grinned, ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold you to that first-name basis as well.¡±


    After some small talk, I hesitatingly went inside to freshen and change. Backslash followed me, changing out his clothes to go into the pool as well. He had trouble keeping up with my pace, ultimately failing to come back outside the same time as me. I was quite uptight about leaving the TEOs without constant supervision, and hoped to goodness that mom came back as soon as possible with the TK.


    However, at some point, I¡¯d have to let that go and just enjoy the day, but it looked like Marissa was way ahead of me. She tackled me when I wasn¡¯t looking and we slid down the slip-and-slide, landing in the pool. The minute I resurfaced Backslash landed on me. Jack was laughing hysterically, recording every moment of it with a much smaller camera than the gigantic one he usually lugged around.


    The day went along smoothly, with more and more people dropping in. It only marred my light of sight. I was so unabashedly peering over at the TEOs, that Marissa teased me about Rosa, whom she thought I had my eyes set on. Thankfully, mom and the TK came home in just a few hours, and I was able to relax a little more after I put the TK right next to where Rosa was.


    Evening came, beckoning the departure of a few guests and the arrival of many. At least Rosa¡¯s gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Serrette left, and Ferris Andino followed soon after. Before long, there was no need to be on guard again as Samuel Andino upped and left.


    The evening went smoothly. And with all that¡¯s been going on, that made me worry more than I wanted to.


    In the blink of an eye, my phone¡¯s alarm went off; it was already morning. I ate with dad and mom since Anna had long since left.


    Mom had a healthy scoop of eggs and eyed me at the table, ¡°You¡¯re about to do something really dangerous, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I paused in my tracks; my fork was caught midway through the pancakes. I left it there and sat up properly, ¡°Yes. Why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she put her fork down as well. ¡°Well, because¡­¡± she tripped up her thoughts. ¡°The TS, if you use them, the public will know it¡¯s an UGO technology. The murders that the TS committed would break UGO in half!¡± She claimed fiercely, but softly.


    ¡°Say it was stolen technology and it was never meant to be used that way,¡± I said, offering her a solution. ¡°What¡¯s the real reason you¡¯re angry?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± she replied snappily. ¡°Be careful, Jared!¡± She stressed, finally averting her eyes downward and letting her fists rest on the table, ¡°I¡¯m serious¡­¡±


    I gave dad a gesture with my eyes to comfort her, and I stood up to do the same. ¡°My mom gave me an amazing lab to make amazing things in, even when she couldn¡¯t see how it would make sense. Have that kind of faith, and I¡¯ll be just fine.¡±


    Within all but a few seconds, Anna¡¯s distress signal went off, alarming my phone. ¡°Got an appointment,¡± I played off what the alarm really meant, ¡°Catch you guys later! Love you!¡± I hurried outside, slipped my headgear and goggles on then bolted to UGO with my TK hot on my trails.


    By the time I¡¯d gotten there, security personnel were found murdered at their posts, not even getting a chance to move. The glass door and security panel were intact and working, so whoever went in that wasn¡¯t authorised, clearly used someone¡¯s clearance. Long trails of blood lined the corridor, clearly from cadavers being dragged. My heartrate steadily increased the more I continued. Finally going into the first room, I found that some TS and hired guns had a bunch of hostages cowering in fear, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t end up like their dead colleagues right in front of them.


    My shielder came up and my pistol destroyed the TS androids quickly. I hesitated at first. Despite having to kill others before, the thought of snuffing out a human life still ripped my conscience in two. Yet, what choice had I? If Anna sent that from the top floor, and there are enemies on the ground floor¡­ Who knew how many damned bastards were scattered about the building? TK and I made our way upward, massacring through just shy of eighty stories. Thankfully, not every floor was littered with Cennet¡¯s lackeys.


    My body was laden in sweat and my breath was rugged by the time I¡¯d gotten on Anna¡¯s floor. My mind was wavering. Sure, I didn¡¯t keep count ¨C who would? ¨C but I was certain that I¡¯d just murdered more than one hundred and fifty people. My nerves were held together by the flayed strands of the sense of duty that ¡®Ban¡¯ had to get the people held prisoners in this building to safety, and Vasc. My mind inched closer and closer to crashing with each floor I went to.


    Finally, I came around to the top floor, where Anna was. She was seated on her chair, sweat and snot pouring down her face. Only a couple seconds had gone by since my eyes had finally found her. That was all he needed¡­

 Level 32 – Chaos

    She leaned.


    ¡°Stop!¡± I pleaded.


    The harbinger of death¡¯s maw alit once more.


    ¡°P-please,¡± Vasc¡¯s strength had finally absconded my knees, ¡°no!¡± All my conviction was melted in an instant, liquefying more each bullet soaked in.


    She leaned to her right, no longer capable of controlling her body. That video immediately replayed in my head, resurfacing forcefully by the scene in front of me.


    Again? Had this really happened again? Had I just lost yet another loved one? Was Anna, gone? These were the questions stampeding through my mind whilst Cennet simply walked away. All I could afford to do was keel over and puke. This time, there were no visual effects or dolls to give me the benefit of the doubt. The dripping blood was a testament to the reality of the situation as well as one of the many geneses of a metamorphosis lurking around.


    Blood.


    What¡¯s worse, that transformation was also assisted by the blood stains on my hands as well.


    Someone¡¯s arm wrapped around me, saying something unintelligible into my ear. Police flooded the building whilst the person who supported me was escorting me out, away from a sight that barrelled me down a steep slope. Everyone just looked faceless to me. I couldn¡¯t make sense of what anyone was saying.


    I sat in the police station with dozens of other UGO employees, desperately trying to drink from a bottled water with shot nerves. It just kept replaying in my mind with nauseating precision. The cinders in the back of my mind had caught and was burning. Rage. But a slow, persistent rage was being birthed from the embers.


    Finally, the tears paraded down; I could almost hear their maniacal laughter. I hunched over, wailing haplessly, not particularly because Anna was gone, but because I¡¯d finally come to realise, she would never come back. She was never coming back. It was as frightening as it was dismal. My mind was warping into itself, being diminished to more primal and instinctive mode with every passing second. With each sundering, my grip on composure was slowly disappearing. How I wished someone would protect me from reality, shield me from my own thoughts and perhaps my own convictions. I was, horrified.


    My phone rang and I answered without much thinking, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Jared?!¡± Rosa spoke, ¡°It¡¯s happening!¡± Her voice was hectic. ¡°There were reports of robots and gunmen storming into over fifteen schools, and the reports are still coming in! Squads are on their way, but¡­¡±


    A long pause infiltrated.


    ¡°Send me the locations,¡± I answered and hung up. Had I really the resolve to play hero after seeing Anna die with my own eyes? No, I did not. Still, I made my way over to the lab to gear up. Perhaps this was my way of running from reality, or maybe it served to satiate another hunger completely; a hunger of vengeance.


    With a meagre eight androids, I¡¯d no idea how I would be able to do this. But I refused to think negatively; I couldn¡¯t afford to anyway. By the time I activated the TS, the locations came through to my phone, all thirty-eight. So, it¡¯s increasing. We hurried off to the nearest school.


    There were a few corpses of kids around my age on the ground out in the open. It was sickening, but it was truth. A truth I couldn¡¯t bury my head in the sand to. I flew into the hall and a hail of bullets welcomed me. Luckily, they only hit the TK¡¯s reinforced exterior before it put up its shielder. It blasted away the two shooters with its cannons; I¡¯d given the go-ahead to use lethal force. Two other men ambushed us from the back, getting in a couple shots that would thankfully only graze me. One went with my earlobe, the other bruised my flesh at the ribcage. After those two, the rest hit my shielder. I flew forward with the shield up, smashing it into them and causing them to lose balance. My Z-21 would seamlessly tear through their torsos from there. A scream was heard off in the distance, out our line of sight. When we finally got there, one of my TS was pulling its knife out the neck of yet another mercenary.


    Extrapolating, and hoping, that other schools would have a squad of no more than five men wreaking havoc, I split our team up. The TK would lead four TS, and I would lead the other four. I needed to see how well they performed despite knowing they had the same experience as the TK. Variables still existed and I couldn¡¯t chance them.


    My next target was a primary school. Even there, full of young children, was stained with bloodshed. Where¡¯s the damn police? I asked myself, flying through the grounds. A cry for help turned my attention to the left at the cafeteria. A young girl, screaming her lungs out, was shot right through the head the second she started up again. An image of Anna¡¯s leaning corpse flashed through my mind; I paused for a second. The man then turned the gun to me, as did his other two associates and the two enemy TS behind the cafeteria¡¯s counter. I brought my shielder up immediately and let them waste their bullets. Pay attention, Jared! I scolded myself. I was being torn between the creeping thoughts of Anna and my self-inflicted sense of responsibility to the innocent lives caught up in Cennet¡¯s games. Two of them began reloading, and I used that chance to fly to their side, kick a table up, and begin blasting away with my pistol. One man was fatally shot, the other was yelping in pain on the ground from a blast to the shoulder. My TS used that chance and rushed into the third man, essentially pushing him away from his cover and giving me a clear shot; I seized that opportunity with a shot clean through the head. From there, it was simple to just walk forward with my shielder up, and finish off the injured man. I turned the power level of my pistol to six, and simply shot through the glass casing of the counter at the enemy TS. One of them lost an arm and couldn¡¯t hold its gun properly, and the other was shot through the head, essentially rendering his ¡®eyes¡¯ useless. I hopped over and ended them, aiming for the power core in their chest.


    A university was next on the list of seventy schools sent to my phone. With less hesitation, I swiped Z-21 through the campus security booth and it halved the enemy TS that used it for cover. What the hell are they doing? I asked myself as my four TS and I dispatched the threats. If his goal is to target schools, then why is he killing a specified number of pupils? I wondered where the logic was in that. But if your objective was to help protect students ¨C even if your method was stupid ¨C then killing all of them would be even stupider. However, killing a set number for each school showed that each school had flaws when it came to security. Objectively speaking, it was a brilliant ¡®greater good¡¯ plan, but I was blinded to any brilliance in my rage. This university was safe again after my TS¡¯ knife ripped a hole through one of their craniums. I left there wondering why no school had more than a dozen students dead.


    Before I could get to the next school, Rosa alerted me to a bomb threat at Neo-Chem. ¡°Are you kidding me?! I¡¯m busy! Can¡¯t you get some specialist to handle it?¡± I complained, looking at yet another school right in front of me that needed help.


    ¡°A bomb squad will take quite a while to get there, and it¡¯s on a timer. You¡¯ve got,¡± she went silent, checking her watch most likely, ¡°One minute, fifty seconds.¡±


    ¡°Wha¨C¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± she pleaded.


    I¡¯d no choice. The locations of the schools were pushed to my four TS, and so were commands to continue removing threats to those schools. I shot up into the air and put Grav on full throttle, increasing that speed with EXO¡¯s jetpack as much as my body could handle. Going to another city was crazy, but there were even schools there that were in danger. With just above twenty seconds remaining, I arrived at Neo-Chem. It was surrounded by police and a couple people were still seen evacuating the environs. ¡°Where¡¯s the bomb?!¡± I shouted for the group of officers to hear me over the commotion.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°T-tenth floor!¡± a couple of them shouted. I quickly counted the glass panes going up, then flew to the exact floor, making a hole with Z-21. I grabbed it and flew right back out, hoping to god it wouldn¡¯t explode on me because of the sudden movement. I flew up with it, past Neo-Chem, until about three seconds remained, then flung it as hard as I could upward. White was not to be underestimated. The bomb exploded, sending some shrapnel down at me but the shielder protected me.


    I breathed a sigh of relief and then continued on to another nearby school. This one, thankfully, only had a couple dead students. I flew down, shot two of the men through the cover they were hiding behind. The other two took notice and decamped their positions immediately to take cover behind stronger barricades. One hid behind a corner, and the other behind a car. The one around the corner was targeted first. Without having to actually break the corner, I simply cut through it and ended him. The last man lost his nerve and ran away, whilst the enemy TS was fearlessly shooting at me out in the open. I flew to it, making sure to have my shield faced downwards. As I got close, I removed the shield, spun forward and cut through its head and torso, destroying the power core in one go and jetting off to catch the fleeing man. I tackled him into the wall and immediately pointed my gun, ¡°Drop it.¡±


    He obeyed readily, throwing his gun aside and putting his hands up. I grabbed him by the ankle and flew off, finding a cop cruiser and cutting in their way. The tires screeched until the vehicle stopped, ¡°One of them,¡± I told the copper when he exited, dropping the gunman onto the hood of the car.


    Just then, several explosions went off and no more than a minute later, Rosa was telling me about an arms factory being blown up, and wanted me there to see if there were any survivors. On my way there, a TS suddenly attacked me. I upped my speed a bit, then suddenly hit the brake and stuck my sword out, making the android fly right into it. Another two converged on the path I was travelling behind me. Then three; then three more. Their numbers kept increasing. I sighed, speeding up once again and stopping at empty plots of land near the highway. My pistol began firing off, taking out about a couple dozen of them. Since when were there so many?! I prepared my shield the minute they hit their brake. Hell, how many is that? Fifty? I estimated and took a deep breath. Behind the light of their guns¡¯ muzzles was a frightening sight: another army of TS androids.


    I panicked, but was discombobulated when the ones behind those attacking me began shooting down my attackers. They made a formation and a cerulean field of energy I was all too familiar with made an impenetrable wall. Are those, mine? The hell¡¯s going on here?! They shot through the small spaces in the wall, massacring Cennet¡¯s TS robots.


    After the job was done, they flew toward me. ¡°Lucky thing you kept my voice in the programming, huh?¡± I heard mom through one of the androids. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I had the engineers produce as many of these guys as they could. The police gave them guns, I¡¯m guessing because of Rosa. I should probably question your relationship with her, but that¡¯s for another day. I took the schematics for your shielder and made for all eighty of these guys.¡± A smile formed on my face. ¡°Oh, their ammo is limited, so they¡¯ll eventually have to use batons or knives or whatever. Jared,¡± her voice turned serious, ¡°I¡¯m, sorry about Anna. I don¡¯t want to lose you. Please, be careful, don¡¯t take any risks you don¡¯t have to, okay?¡±


    ¡°I gotcha. And mom, thank you.¡±


    I immediately began forming squads of five, giving me sixteen squads. I spread them out across the country to be as efficient as possible. Looking at my phone then, there were over sixteen hundred locations sent to me. I removed the headgear and goggles to wipe the sweat off me, and took a few deep breaths before telling the last few squads what to do. Once again, I was alone.


    I continued onto the factory, but it was completely destroyed, so much so that the hopes of finding someone alive was nil. My phone began ringing; Rosa was calling once again. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Jared¡­¡± she said meekly.


    ¡°Charlene Jefferson is in danger,¡± another voice came through. My mind halted, putting the person in danger to the side.


    ¡°Cennet, you fucking piece of shit, tell me something.¡± My hand trembled, ¡°Is this a three-way call?¡±


    His sickening laughter almost made me lose my mind, ¡°You¡¯re worried the Home Secretary¡¯s in danger. No need to worry, she isn¡¯t my target. Speak, Home Secretary, and put Ban¡¯s mind at ease.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Jared,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, that should be a long enough call to get my location, Home Secretary. I¡¯ll see you soon, Ban,¡± Cennet hung up. A chill ran up my spine just thinking about the conversation. I rued even imagining how it is he had Rosa¡¯s direct line. What couldn¡¯t this demon do?


    ¡°I¡¯m sending you the location now. Jared, don¡¯t lose your composure.¡± Rosa avised. ¡°You¡¯re better than him, show him that you are. Show yourself that you are. Good luck; be safe.¡±


    On my way there, I wondered how the TK and army of TS were doing. Sometimes, I couldn¡¯t but blame myself for letting things get so out of hand. In what world does a boy need armed robots to neutralise terrorism? I¡¯d grown weary of this back and forth; tired of the comic book hero and villain misadventures. Absolutely sickened that he played with real lives just to fulfil his own delusional grandiose schemes. Safety? Safety?! Reason began squirming its way out the clutches of rationale. Constant recollection of Anna didn¡¯t help subdue to growing mishmash of chaos and wrath. I sped up.


    In a few minutes I arrived downtown, lowering my altitude and choosing to fly amongst the city¡¯s behemoth buildings. Closing in on the location, I¡¯d notice a few armoured vans, cruisers, and just about every tactical vehicle possible. I lowered my speed and noticed a few officers signalling me to land. Mom¡¯s warning to be careful rang in my mind once more, so I dipped and landed amongst them.


    ¡°At this point, we don¡¯t need it, but better to be prepared,¡± the officer addressing me pointed to another bunch of people, and amongst them were the Andinos. They held up wires for recording audio and beckoned me over.


    Samuel Andino flinched when he noticed the look in my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank here, we were never going to kill you,¡± he said to me, speaking as close as possible. ¡°At this point, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t trust us. But know that we were always on your side. Cennet was tracking us really hard recently, so we made it look like there was bad blood between us.¡± He explained, then gestured for me allow him to tape the wires onto me.


    ¡°Won¡¯t take EXO off in front of you,¡± I told him frankly, my eyes filled of distrust.


    With an audible sigh, he nodded his head in understanding. ¡°I can¡¯t blame you. But please understand, he has Cindy. So, I hope you don¡¯t blame me for the things I¡¯m forced to do¡­¡±


    A cold pain slipped in me. I was stabbed in the back, literally. And without a chance to even look back, Samuel swung a knife to my throat, but I pulled back just enough to avoid him totally severing half my neck. Needless to say, the wound ¨C if inflicted on someone sans-Vasc ¨C would definitely be fatal. My jugular was punctured. I kicked Samuel off, then turned around and smashed my elbow into Ferris¡¯ inner thigh. I slipped the knife out my back. By then, other TEOs and police noticed and began rushing in, however, the Andinos weren¡¯t finished. In fact, they had a strange fervour in their eyes. Their recuperation made it obvious, Vasc flowed through their veins. That elbow should¡¯ve definitely shattered the bone of a normal person. Yet, he rebounded like a listless demon. A right piston rocked my head back, flooring me and pushing me aside. A blur was all I could see as one of them were airborne, ready to stamp down onto my neck. I put my shielder up, but his stamp smashed my shoulder onto the pavement¡¯s concrete and dislocated it. But there was no choice other than keeping it up. However, Samuel gripped the shield at the edges and forced me up, causing me to yelp out in pain because it put all the strain on my shoulder. He spun me around so I could be vulnerable to attack from behind, so that Ferris could finish the job.


    Right then, another beacon had dimmed for me, one that I held onto in hopes that maybe I could be saved from my past sins. Yeah, I¡¯d killed before, but steeling myself to take the lives of those I might¡¯ve called friends was, numbing. I was becoming something I detested.


    I recalled the blue shield and ducked, dodging Ferris¡¯ knife and unsheathing Z-21 in one go. His torso was severed, from his left hip to his right shoulder. My eyes then shifted to Samuel; he winced, realising he was truly in danger and I had no hint of reluctance buried in me. He felt the cold stares of death boring through him. Despite seeing the fear in him, Z-21¡¯s blade was still on a warpath. Another TEO tackled him out of the way, just in time.


    A lot of guns were pointed at both me and Samuel at that point. ¡°Try some shit like that again and I¡¯ll kill you before Cennet gets a chance to kill Cindy.¡± I proceeded to walk forward, where most people were facing before I got on the scene. By the time I¡¯d broken the corner, my wounds had already healed up.


    I finally saw Cennet. But something was off. Why would he have Charlene Jefferson tied up on the ground with a bomb strapped to her body without the authorities taking action? The man sat comfortably on a chair in the middle of the road with no weapons on his person, yet he was untouchable.

 Level 33 – Hatred

    ¡°Welcome, Jared Ugo,¡± Cennet stretched both arms out in a grand gesture, ¡°to the end!¡± He smiled brightly. It sickened me. He stood up, ¡°Now, allow me to explain why none of your law friends can touch me. This beautiful lady,¡± he held the minister of education¡¯s head up a bit with his foot, ¡°has a bomb strapped onto her. If they try anything, the bomb will be triggered from a remote location. But there is a way to defuse it,¡± another devilish grin formed. ¡°The remote to defuse it is currently in my stomach. So, if she¡¯s to live, you¡¯re going to have to cut me open. If you fail to do that in fifteen minutes, she¡¯ll die. But before I start the timer,¡± he picked up a folding chair laid on the ground and threw it at me, ¡°let¡¯s have a man-to-man.¡±


    I unfolded the chair, a mere metre in front of him, and had a seat. It burned that I couldn¡¯t shoot him on sight. He sat as well, leaned onto his legs and clutched his hands together with a gentle smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll be candid with you here, Jared.¡± He lit a cigarette and crossed his legs, throwing an arm over the back of the chair, ¡°Today is the day I die.¡± A gentle exhale pushed the smoke out as he looked at the moving clouds above. ¡°You know,¡± he rolled his sleeves up, ¡°I¡¯ve had, a few shrinks.¡± His eyes met mine, wanting to see my reaction. ¡°Well,¡± he chuckled, ¡°a lot of them. And uh, I guess they helped, you know. I could talk out my issues with them. It felt good, but no matter how much I tried to move on, my own weakness wouldn¡¯t let me.¡± He gestured with his hand, as if making a ball, ¡°These, these nightmares, kept recurring. Maybe once or twice a week. As the months passed by it increased to four or five times. And,¡± he exhaled ¨C not smoke, but simply releasing some air ¨C ¡°man, were they scary. Sometimes, I just couldn¡¯t sleep. It was like,¡± he switched positions so that his right side faced me, ¡°like he never wanted me to forget about him. And, how could I? Jonathan was a lovely boy, and it was only when I lost him was when I realised how much he craved my attention. Now that he¡¯s gone, I just¡­¡± he pulled on the cigarette again, losing his train of thought. ¡°What about you, Jared? How are things with Diana?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± I immediately became suspicious.


    ¡°Just making conversation. Relax, I¡¯d never kill her. She was a good boss.¡± A moment of silence interrupted, allowing him to take a few puffs. He eventually flicked it away and released the last breath of smoke, ¡°Hey, I meant it when I said today was my last. I know there are things you want to ask me. When we start, you won¡¯t have a chance a say a word, so you¡¯d better ask whatever you want while we¡¯re still keeping things diplomatic.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I tried my best to stop my fuse from blowing. ¡°I killed Jonathan. You called Theresa and Anna. And, for a while, I thought my parents were dead too. We both want to kill each other, so my question, is why,¡± I clenched my hands together, ¡°why did you kill those special to me. Why didn¡¯t you just kill me?¡±


    He nodded his head for a while, giving it honest thought, or perhaps searching for the right words. ¡°Well, you see, there are two reasons I¡¯m doing the crazy things I¡¯m doing, and one of them is most definitely revenge. I really,¡± he clenched his fists and looked down, perhaps showing his first true emotions, ¡°really fucking hate you. I went through the motions dealing with Jonathan¡¯s death. When I found out who was responsible for his death, my hatred towards you kept growing and I was fully aware of it. I asked myself, what kind of stupid adult am I to hate you over something that wasn¡¯t your fault. I tried, I really tried, but no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many years passed, my hatred never dwindled.¡± He blocked his eyes, almost as if trying to mask his true feelings about the matter despite speaking them openly. ¡°When I investigated you, it became clear you were suffering from depression because of what you did. So I thought to myself, ¡®what right does he have?¡¯ Everything you did only deepened my hatred, until, I reached to a point where I convinced myself that it was justified to kill you. That was the car accident.¡± He laughed, ¡°I was surprised you survived that, but relieved at the same time. Even though I made my mind up, part of me was still glad I didn¡¯t take the plunge. Even now, Jared, despite my hate for you being at its peak, I¡¯m still afraid of killing you. Anyway, when the car crash failed, it opened my eyes to something even better than your death. Something that would fulfil my purpose in a way your corpse never could.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? And what¡¯s that?¡±


    He smirked, ¡°Experience. Experience, experience, experience. I want to know first-hand, what it feels like to lose the people close to you. I want to break your mind into pieces, Jared.¡± We glared at each other. ¡°I want you to reel and detest me, detest life and detest yourself!¡± His words grew louder. ¡°I want to see you suffer! I want you to know that you don¡¯t deserve anything good in your life! I want you,¡± he pointed, the vein in his forehead almost popping, ¡°to feel what I felt!¡± His finger hit his own chest a few times in a contained fit of rage. ¡°And it worked, didn¡¯t it? All this elaborate scheming: shooting up schools, bombings, hostages.¡± His rage turned into a strange maniacal laughter that made me wonder about his mental stability. ¡°Because you killed my boy, you feel obligated to stop me! And that¡¯s hard, isn¡¯t it?!¡± He yelled out, ¡°Isn¡¯t it?!¡± A sudden tranquillity exuded from him again. ¡°You and me, Jared, we¡¯re the same, though you may not realise it now. We can¡¯t let go. Here you are, Jared ¨C even after your parents are alive and healthy ¨C in the middle of town with the most dangerous man in the country.¡± His eyes watered and he somewhat chortled, a laughter directed at himself more than anything. ¡°We can¡¯t let go. And the more we hang on, the more we lose sense of the morals and ideals that once ruled our lives.¡± He stood up suddenly, ¡°Tell me, Jared, how many lives did you take today? Did you ever think, even for one moment when you were an insomniac of a boy drowning in medication, that you would kill again?¡±


    I was taken aback. His character was abhorrent, but the man was right. I held my head, realising that just a few minutes ago, I murdered a friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad, though. It means one of my goals will be realised. There¡¯s only one more step to complete now. The last little push off the cliff, and my revenge will be complete. Just one more life, and you will be complete,¡± he flung his glasses away and walked behind his chair, picking up a couple crowbars. By no means was he planning to win this fight. ¡°Lose a shield and the gun, will you? Those boots and the jetpack should go too. Let¡¯s at least try to make this fun, eh?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to realise that this last step he spoke of, was me taking his life. Won¡¯t I be just like him? I asked myself, a repugnant thought. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He leaned in trying to hear me better.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you!¡± I exclaimed. If I just knock him out, cut open his stomach and get the device to defuse the bomb, it should be fine. He¡¯ll heal back from Vasc anyway. ¡°I won¡¯t sink to your level.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he walked forward, the crowbar dragging on the ground, ¡°hurry up and take that gear off, else this bomb will go off earlier than you suspect.¡±


    I¡¯d no choice. I removed my gear, leaving myself just one shielder and Z-21.


    ¡°Good,¡± he held the crowbars tighter and we circled each other.


    This, this was it.


    After a brief moment of glaring at each other, he swung downward right at my head. I activated my shielder and deflected his blow, then swung Z-21 at him. He ducked and turned underneath my trajectory, pulling my wrist with the crowbar¡¯s hook and kicking my elbow to ensure it was broken. I yelped in pain whilst he easily disarmed me. The Z-21 was carefully thrown to the wayside. I see. I realised that, despite his intention to die, he was not about to go easy on me, and it would be foolish for me to underestimate him.


    ¡°By now you¡¯ve realised I¡¯m serious.¡± He pulled a device out his pocket and pressed a button. Charlene Jefferson¡¯s vest began beeping. ¡°You¡¯ve got ten minutes.¡± He threw a crowbar over to me and waited a few seconds for my elbow to repair itself.


    I took a couple deep breaths. Theresa and Anna flashed in my mind. I ran toward him, putting every ounce of White into my movements and tackled him into a nearby pole, pending and eventually falling it. He drove his elbow into my back, damaging a shoulder blade, then rose his knee up to my chin. I bit my tongue but bit down on the pain. I put a foot forth to gain more balance and set an uppercut headed for his chin. He leaned his head away and I changed that uppercut to an elbow, sinking it into the side of his head. He placed his crowbar¡¯s hook at my neck and pulled me away from him, releasing it to grab at my legs. I was swung and slammed onto a metal bin, but the shielder protected me; I rolled a few metres away despite.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He picked his crowbar up, used the bin to vault off and was about to crush my head with the piece of metal. I rolled away and got up, only to find his foot swinging towards my face. I leaned back, then jump, putting my all into a dropkick. He flew a couple lanes over. Not affording him the chance make sense of his rotating point of view, I ran toward where his body was going and activated my shield. He hit the wall of a building then immediately felt the brunt of my cyan shield energy pushing him through those brick walls. My crowbar came down on him, but he blocked with one of his forearms, sacrificing it in order to kick me off. With both his leg¡¯s power, my entire body smashed into the ceiling, clearing the concrete and stopping at the metal beams. I tried to wrangle my way out, but not before he leapt up and sank his crowbar into my collar bone. I was certain a few ribs were broken and fractured. I began falling with my shield activated, not wanting to sustain another injury. He gave me a taste of my own medicine and dropkicked me straight out the store¡¯s glass panes and into the masses of soldiers, TEOs and cops who were all armed to the teeth but couldn¡¯t raise an arm.


    He ambled out slowly, giving his forearm some time to heal. With his injury healing faster than mine, he wasted no time to engage me again. I sidestepped his devastating blow and kept or blocking until my ribs and collar bone came back into commission. Eventually, we were both back to square one. He charged in with a punch, which I dodged once again, but turned it into a roundhouse kick, sending me airborne and flipping with no control over my body. Despite having the shield, my bodyweight still had me susceptible to losing my balance or literally being swept off my feet with a strong enough attack. A stop sign stopped me, and his crowbar stopped my shielder. He aimed for it specifically, destroying it and my wrist in one blow.


    He grinned and gripped his crowbar with both hands, knowing he had the advantage. All I could defend with now was my crowbar powered with just one arm. A flurry of strikes bombarded me, and instead trying to block, I simply parried the attacks. Some of them still hit my face, but there wasn¡¯t strength in them enough to be a stopping force after I parried them. I kicked his shin and made him fall atop me, then clipped his body with both my legs so he wouldn¡¯t have enough room to generate any powerful blows. That was a mistake. He abandoned the crowbar and sent a volley of punches at me, and despite blocking, they still inflicted a huge amount of damage. I had to roughly move my legs to throw his punches off. He grew tired and stood up, lifting me up and slamming me back to the ground several times. This fight was being reduced to a battle of instincts, and time was of the essence. He picked me up once more, and that time I pulled myself up to him then immediately leaned my weight to his side with all my might. It didn¡¯t throw him off balance much, but it did a little, so I continued, until gave up on trying to do it and released me to grab his crowbar back.


    I rolled backward, finding a crowbar flying to my face, but I simply caught it. He threw his own and picked mine up. He raged toward me, and I gripped the dented bar. I¡¯d no idea how long we were playing footsies for, but I was getting desperate, and he seemed to want to see me hurt as much as he possibly could. The minute we came within range of each other, we both swung at each other¡¯s left sides, connecting with all our might at the exact same time. We raised each other off the ground just a bit, but the real damage were our broken ribs. I held my ground, and so did Cennet. We swung again and this time, both weapons clunked, sending a strong and ungodly vibration through us. My next swing was aimed at his shoulder, and his at my knee. We connected. I got swept off the ground with a shot knee, and he was slammed to the ground was a crushed shoulder.


    I rolled over to him and turned the crowbar around, aiming right for his stomach. He tried to dodge, but the sharp edge managed to cut through the side of him. I crashed my forehead into his nose, invoking a cry of agony out of him. He raised his knee, setting my crown jewels on fire. We rolled away from each other, frolicking in pain.


    I trembled to my good leg and hopped over to him, mimicking a move right out of a wrestling match and dropped my entire body¡¯s weight onto my elbow. He blocked his face with his hand but his half-healed nose was crushed again. He screamed and gripped my throat, his nose like a blood-faucet. Despite he being bloodier and writhing in pain, I was in more danger in that position. We rolled again and he ended up mounted atop me. Not good! My leg was still healing back, so kicking him off with one leg would prove troublesome.


    I grabbed his throat too and brought him even closer to me, then rammed my finger in his eyes. Once I did that, I stood up again, my knee almost fully healed. Gasping for air, I didn¡¯t let him. He quickly stood up, breathing heavily himself and tried his very best to open his bloodshot eyes, squinting here and there. Without fail, I tackled him, smashing through yet another glass door. We landed in a store selling household goods. I grabbed a wooden chair and began beating the living daylights out of him, but he curled up and took it all until the chair was destroyed. His eyes finally opened before I could get another chair. He kicked me, fracturing a few ribs, then hurled a clay vase at me. It broke, the incoming dirt from the plant pot causing me to flinch.


    The minute I opened my eyes, a shard of clay was but a second away from my face. I turned and deflected his strike, but he still managed to sink the broken piece of clay into my cheek and cut it in two. ¡°Motherfu¨C¡±


    Before I could let that cuss out, I had to dodge yet another vase, causing me to fall prey to his tackle. We rolled out the other window and back into the streets, throwing punches, headbutts, elbows and everything in between. Teeth and blood were lost, as well as time. We separated again, with exasperated breaths and deathly glares.


    Finally, a familiar sound brought some hope to this situation. TK hovered above us, ¡°Drop it,¡± I yelled out, having to rely on voice commands. My previous headgear was long since destroyed, and in order to use Z-21 again, I needed a replacement, which I ordered my TK to bring to me before Cennet and I began fighting.


    The piece of circuitry was dropping, and Cennet knew exactly what it meant. He charged in, his kick acting as a vault to grab the headgear, but I grabbed his feet and he was just shy of touching the device. I pulled him back and flung him. But, in my desperation, I flung him toward Z-21 without realising. Finally, I claimed the headgear and quickly put it on. When I looked back at Cennet, he donned Z-21 with a grin on his face and charged at me. I heard a soft click. He¡¯d hit the switch for the Z-21 to turn on, but all he managed to do was fail at stabbing me with a dull and deactivated Z-21. I removed manual functions on most of my fear, Z-21 included. I grabbed the harmless blade but he had more grip on it. He kicked me away and flung the blade in the opposite direction, toward the minister.


    I grabbed a bit of dirt from the destroyed pavement when I was down and took the headgear off my head. I ran towards him at a controlled pace, shot the dirt right at his face to blind him, then threw my headgear over to where the sword was, not wanting to risk him snatching and destroying it. I jumped from afar, making sure gravity took a hold of me early, so I¡¯d catch him with a low dropkick to the knee. He grabbed onto my leg despite his disjointed knee. I tried my best to kick him off but he just wouldn¡¯t let go. We fought viciously again, injuring each other to no end. But I¡¯d make sure to get closer and closer to the Z-21 was I possibly could. Once I was close enough, I really turned on the pressure and connected my knee with his crown jewels. He let go immediately. In that window, I leapt from my position and grabbed the Z-21, then fumbled with the headgear. But finally, it was on. ¡°How much time?¡±


    ¡°One¨C¡±


    Vasc numbed his pain quickly, and he airborne again, lunging at me. I turned around, swinging Z-21 and slicing an arm off as clean as butter.


    ¡°¨Cminute¡­¡±


    Cennet yelled out but bit down on his pain. However, in his position, there was little he could do to avoid Z-21. I swung down, taking one and a half legs off and making an incision in the road. One of his leg still hung on by some flesh and muscle. Already, I could see the blood clotting and reforming tissue. I ran my feet down onto his throat and stepped on his other arm to keep it down. He tried to fight me off, but all he had was his head now and a trapped arm. Finally, I began cutting through his abdomen and eventually found his stomach. The minister began puking. I made an incision on his stomach¡¯s wall and saw the little silver device covered in clear plastic.


    The bomb was defused with fourteen seconds remaining. The terrified woman breathed a huge sigh of relief.


    A thousand and one footsteps began bombarding my ears. The authorities began closing in the minute they realised the bomb was defused.


    ¡°Finish it.¡± Cennet said softly. ¡°Finish it!¡± He then yelled at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°No,¡± I looked him in the eye, ¡°I¡¯ll never be like you.¡±


    I stepped off him to allow the police to apprehend him. But the man was a fighter to his last breath. He grabbed a knife from the leg of a TEO and swung it towards me in the blink of an eye. And, in reflex, my Z-21 swung back with equal force to stop the course of his blade. However, Z-21 was capable of cutting anything. The sapphire energy blade severed the knife and went on to open his skull; his brain was halved. He fell back, lifelessly.

 Level 34 – Grief

    I was stuck in that pose, Z-21 in the air, beginning to panic. No. No, no. No, this can¡¯t be real. But, wasn¡¯t this what I wanted? Deep down, the driving force behind my actions the moment that car accident happened and Theresa was murdered, was David Cennet¡¯s death. Yet here I stood, shook by the implications that would follow. I wasn¡¯t ready for this. Jonathan haunted me enough, but now his father would join him.


    His body fell. I could see Vasc¡¯s influence on the blood try to rebuild his brain, but its mechanical movements were testimony that the brain controlled Vasc in the first place. The blood eventually stopped and washed the street red.


    Before I had a chance to brood, someone came running from the crowd, pushing their way inside the encirclement of mixed officers. ¡°Hey kid!¡± Jack, the cameraman came through, managing to speak to me and record all in one go, ¡°The Home Secretary wants to speak to you!¡± He said, finally being allowed to pass when he shouted that. I took his phone and put it to my ear.


    ¡°I heard,¡± Rosa spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re feeling about it, but as the Home Secretary, I can tell you without a single shred of doubt that you¡¯ve accomplished a feat worthy of being called a national hero. As your friend, you should probably hang your sword up and quit.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that. ¡°We¡¯ll speak again.¡±


    Hana¡¯s microphone came out of nowhere. I nearly thought she was going to smack me in the face with it. ¡°What of the o¨C¡±


    Police began to push her and Jack out of the crime scene. ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted, ¡°They¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°What about the schools? There are still suspects at large,¡± she continued when the police laid off.


    I¡¯d completely forgotten about that. I put my gear back on as fast as I could and helped the remaining schools, taking near four hours to finish the list. Luckily, a lot of Cennet¡¯s hires fled when they learned he was dead and only the enemy TS remained. My little TS army had dwindled to near nothing, but had saved over sixty percent of the twenty-five hundred schools that had been infiltrated. Thankfully, the number of compromised schools were nowhere near the five thousand that the list indicated.


    Finally, Z-21 was pulled out of the last enemy TS. I took a breather, just sitting motionlessly at a nearby playground. Really, I knew better than to leave myself alone with my own self-destructive thoughts, but it was necessary.


    I guess that¡¯s it. It¡¯s done. Everything¡¯s finally over. A long, much awaited sigh of relief came out, but something still weighed on me. Of course, she did. But I abandoned the notion of thinking about her; after all, I¡¯d have an eternity to do that. What really mattered the most to me now was emptying my mind.


    The next few days would be quite a rollercoaster of emotion. Marissa¡¯s tears hit home so hard on that day. I¡¯d learned then, that the worst part of losing Anna wasn¡¯t even about me or Anna herself, but rather, knowing Marissa suffered like that. Sure, I was her family as well and I regarded her as my mother, big sister, and best friend. But in truth, I hadn¡¯t known her for a very long time, where-as Marissa knew Anna all her life. If I felt that much pain and regret, I couldn¡¯t possibly fathom the pits that Marissa and other family members would fall into. Anna¡¯s death was an exsanguination of tears that I knew would fall over many moons.


    Even watching the men carry her casket reminded me of how useless I was. She was right there in front of me, yet I could do nothing. The half-baked suit of apathy felt stifling; despite trying to hold it in because I felt like I didn¡¯t even deserve to cry for her, it came out nonetheless.


    A week later, dad opened the door to my old basement workspace. ¡°You ready?¡±


    I quickly wiped my tears away before I turned around, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He smiled, a gentle one. After he a long pause with the door open, he finally released it after entering. His hands rested on my shoulders, ¡°Remember this feeling, Jared. Never forget how awful it was, how painful it was. Don¡¯t forget the things you regret the most. All the bad feelings and bad things that caused them, don¡¯t forget any of it. You¡¯ll need those bad memories if you want to grow stronger.¡± He spent a minute looking straight at me, yet I couldn¡¯t even look him in the eyes. I had so many questions, but none would come out. ¡°Car¡¯s waiting outside. Come out when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Eventually, I was driven to some staff overseeing my award ceremony. They gave me an earpiece and reminded me of my cue to fly in. Charlene Jefferson¡¯s retelling of the story brought up some unwanted emotions. ¡°So, ladies, gentlemen,¡± the minister began my introduction, causing the staff to usher me away, ¡°please welcome, Ban!¡± The moment she said my name, I flew into the scene from the side, cutting off Grav¡¯s boosters when I got near so the levitation plates would give me a smooth landing. The ovation almost deafened me.


    I received the plaque and she had a seat alongside my parents. The crowd simmered after a while; their attention focused onto me. I addressed them, made my speech, and by the time they sent me off with another applause, I¡¯d already forgotten half of what I said.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The number of lives lost was a stinging reality. An average of seven people died per school, totalling to a number above seventeen thousand. On Cennet¡¯s payroll, around three thousand men died. In that one day, above twenty thousand lives were lost. I read the reports and figured it they exaggerated. With numbers like that, how could they possibly give me an award? It didn¡¯t make sense to me at first, but as time passed by, I could see the merit in it. If the nation dwelled on that and didn¡¯t take any positives from it, we¡¯d probably end up in a worse situation.


    Rosa concreted that idea to me a few days after, over lunch. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite true,¡± she agreed with my defeatist attitude. ¡°We lost so many, it¡¯s hard to see it as anything but a failure. But that is my burden, not yours. Did you ever stop and wonder what the numbers would look like if you did nothing?¡± She glared at me, not angrily but enough to make me view the situation from her perspective. ¡°The last couple hundred schools to be tackled had around twenty deaths each, but the average deaths of all schools came up to just seven. Think about that for a while and tell me if you really think you failed.¡± Yet, she didn¡¯t give me the time. ¡°Analysts came up with a number around forty thousand, providing you weren¡¯t in the equation.¡±


    My eyes opened in shock, and admittedly, I certainly felt better. However, I couldn¡¯t help but think how I could better myself, or stop something from happening completely. ¡°What do you think I should do now?¡±


    ¡°Do what you said you were going to do and go back to school. Live like a normal boy for a change.¡± She smiled, ¡°but before you do¡­¡± She moved closer to me on the couch. ¡°One last time?¡±


    A month or so later, I woke up to Marissa packing away some of Anna¡¯s belongings to move it back to their family home. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Jared,¡± she replied hesitantly; the reason I¡¯d soon come to realise.


    ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t really gotten a chance to talk to you,¡± I leaned on the dresser in Anna¡¯s room.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Marissa. I never thou¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She stifled her yell, balling her fists. ¡°Nothing you say will make anything better!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagi¨C¡±


    ¡°No, you cannot!¡± She finally yelled, looking at me and driving her pointed finger into my chest. ¡°It¡¯s your fault she died! You! If she didn¡¯t meet you! If she¡­¡± tears began welling up. She grabbed up the last few things and turned to me one final time, ¡°I never want to see you again!¡±


    ¡°Please, Mari¨C¡± the door slammed and my words stuck.


    I stood there like a lifeless cask, then took a seat on the bed. A primal scream was let out, my emotions no longer able to contain themselves! ¡°Cennet, you piece of fucking shit! I hope you burn in hell! Fuck!¡± I held my head in anguish. Fuck!


    My parents came in after a while, and although they didn¡¯t deserve it, I lashed out at them for not being there for me. I thought, if only they were involved in my life when I needed them, none of this would ever happen. Jonathan would still be alive. Anna would still be alive and well. Marissa would still be happy.


    I didn¡¯t realise how much I was spiralling down. All my parents¡¯ words of encouragement meant nil. Rosa¡¯s support fell on deaf ears. Even LocalHost who had my back during all my tough times couldn¡¯t break through that wall I put up. I was pissed, at myself, at god, at life. Even the damned police and TEO couldn¡¯t do their jobs competently. I smiled, even thinking that Ferris deserved the death he got. My mind was twisting into something I couldn¡¯t recognise.


    It became so bad, in my constant isolation, I began talking to myself. In my crumbling state of mind, that would be the only thing that made sense: another me, another Jared, buried deep inside. And this Jared only sought to destroy me. I kept thinking about it, about why it had to be Anna. Why not me? It didn¡¯t make sense; nothing made sense! I¡¯m the one with the suicidal thoughts. I was the one who wanted to die, and still wanted to. Yet, death would not embrace me. Only torment, anxiety, and an affliction between me, and the one buried deep within me. For all those months that I busted my brain trying to understand why my life was as messed up as it was, I yearned for Anna to come back. I knew damned well it was impossible, but I¡¯d have sold my soul to whoever or whatever could give her back to me.


    But eventually I gave up. At some point my brain no longer cared, about anything. What does it matter anyway? Nothing matters. Those words rang incessantly in my head. Because truly, nothing mattered. I¡¯d relapsed into a state similar to when I first met my father. Everything was useless to me, including my own life. No one had any faces, or any emotions. Every single colour was a drab grey. Lifeless. It felt like I¡¯d been living in a simulated world and no matter what decision we made ¨C inhumane or not ¨C it was all paltry at the end of our lives. So, what was the point of living, then? Why not just get it over with? If we were born simply to die, then why are we living in the first place?


    I wanted to die.


    I hugged my legs in a corner of the basement, rocking back and forth.


    This was my reality, but I wanted to dream.


    A loud bang sounded and the door opened, and Marissa entered, rubbing her forehead. She was a bit embarrassed about hitting her head. I stood up quickly, wiping my disgruntled face and combing my dishevelled hair back with my hands. She walked to me, wordlessly and tearfully. Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a tight hug; something I didn¡¯t realise I needed so much. ¡°It¡¯ll all be okay,¡± she comforted, bringing me to even more tears. I returned her hug, finally feeling like I could breathe again.


    School had been coming up in a few weeks, and I began getting better the more she spent time with me. A colossal weight was off my shoulders. I realised, there wasn¡¯t a need to know all the answers to life. Instead, I just focused on the things that I could change.


    Finally, the day came. My backpack was chocked full of books, giving a familiar weight to me. Dad dropped me off and I was off to start life over again.


    I entered the noisy halls and noticed many cameras, a few guards patrolling said halls and a more controlled environment than before. So, Cennet really did get what he wanted. Despite that sounding like a bad thing, a bit more security wouldn¡¯t hurt. Well, that¡¯s okay. I stashed the books I didn¡¯t need in my locker, then took a deep breath.


    The bell rang for classes to begin, but I simply stood there. This is it, huh? It¡¯s like a dream. I gently rubbed the shielders hidden below my hoodie; mom was still cautious. It¡¯s finally all over. I walked slowly to my first class and placed my hand on the doorknob.


    Here goes nothing!

 Level 35 – Who I Am

    Strange footsteps woke me up one morning. Police armoured in tactical gear swarmed into my bedroom. I was rather addled about the situation, looking at the officers who surrounded me. Mom¡¯s screams were loud, unrestrained, I could hardly focus on what the arresting officer was saying because my attention was pilfered by the scene my mom made. Dad was holding her back, with a look of pity on his face.


    Very soon, I was being interviewed by an interrogator. He came in, a bit charged by the situation, clutching a file under his arm. The chair screeched as he pulled it back to sit. ¡°Good morning, Jared Ugo. I¡¯m detective Jason De Souza. Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. No,¡± I corrected, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Something about a murder?¡± My mind wasn¡¯t wrapping around what had happened.


    ¡°Three,¡± he opened the file and loosened his tie a little before showing me photos of two girls and a boy.


    ¡°Someone killed them?¡± I questioned.


    He looked at me, a bit perplexed. After a long while, he stood up, ¡°Why are you playin¡¯ dumb, kid?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Both his hands slammed down on the desk, ¡°Look at them, and tell me you don¡¯t know anything about their deaths!¡±


    I pulled back a bit startled, ¡°Dude, what are you talking about? I¡¯ve never seen them before.¡±


    He took yet another long time, scanning my face with keen eyes, ¡°You¡¯re, serious?¡±


    I did a little nod and shrug, gesturing that I was seriously clueless.


    ¡°Get me the damn video!¡± he said to whoever was listening on the other side of the glass. After a couple minutes, someone opened the door and handed over a laptop to the detective. He showed a security video from a camera in the back of my school¡¯s gym, a camera that wasn¡¯t there before Cennet died. Three kids were on the camera ¨C probably skipping class ¨C when a fourth hooded one approached. The fourth kid began beating the daylights out of the others, not even giving them chance to scream, much less run. The movements and sheer strength narrowed down the suspect to just one possible person, and as if those things didn¡¯t make it obvious enough, at the end of the fight, the hoodie had fallen off the attacker¡¯s head, revealing my face.


    ¡°This, can¡¯t be right¡­¡± I denied.


    ¡°No. No it¡¯s not right!¡± Jason De Souza argued in agreeance, but twisting the meaning of my words. ¡°Why¡¯d you do it, kid? You were a hero, now you¡¯re just another criminal.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± I pushed the laptop away, ¡°you don¡¯t underst¨C¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t! So, enlighten me!¡± His fist slammed down on the metal table, making me flinch.


    It was becoming increasingly hard to focus. ¡°I, can¡¯t. I have no memory of this!¡±


    He opened the file again, taking out three photos. He slammed one down, showing an unrecognisable face. ¡°You did this!¡± He claimed, then proceeded to do the same with even more vigour to the two other photos. ¡°If they didn¡¯t have their names on their books, no one would know who they even were! Could you imagine being beaten to death so brutally that people can¡¯t even identify you?! Tell me why you killed them!¡±


    ¡°I already told you, I didn¡¯t do that!¡± I pleaded, my heartrate rocketing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he emphasised, ¡°lie¡±, and dropped his fist again, ¡°to me!¡±


    At that point, it was a little difficult to remember what happened. In fact, I¡¯d no memory of what happened for the rest of the interview.


    I woke up in my bed again, with the memories of that morning baffling me. It was like random information with no context. My parents refused to let me go to school for a few days, which made me wonder if that video really was true. After midday, mom asked if I was ready.


    ¡°Hmm? For what?¡± I questioned.


    Dad tilted his head, ¡°For what? Did you forget the trial is today?¡±


    ¡°What trial?!¡± I drew closer to them. ¡°Are you saying that interview with the detective actually happened?¡±


    Mom and dad looked at each other, then dad nodded at me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe I killed those students¡­¡±


    ¡°Jared, honey,¡± mom put a hand on my shoulder when she realised that I was losing my cool. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°But you should know the truth,¡± dad intervened. ¡°We had professionals look over the video. It isn¡¯t fake. We don¡¯t know why you¨C¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t,¡± I pleaded with them. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy! How could I do that?! I didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As dad was about to refute my claims, mom stopped him. Her stare directed right at me. ¡°Charlie, I think he¡¯s speaking the truth. I don¡¯t think Jared killed those students, or the detective!¡±


    ¡°The detective¡¯s dead?!¡± I held my head and took a seat. ¡°The hell¡¯s going on?!¡± I murmured to myself. ¡°Did I¡­¡±


    Mom, as if having an epiphany, became a bit excited, ¡°No!¡± She held her mouth, ¡°I mean, you did, but you didn¡¯t, get it?¡±


    I shook my head negatively; dad hadn¡¯t a clue what she was on about either. She immediately called her lawyer. Without telling us anything, she proceeded to get dressed. Dad and I followed along.


    The courtroom was semi-full, with some people I didn¡¯t recognise. Eventually, the cold stares of hatred made it obvious who the family of the dead students were. A lot of the proceedings were back and forth debates between mom¡¯s lawyer and the other families¡¯ lawyer. I was questioned, but couldn¡¯t provide any answers I didn¡¯t already provide. My attention was waning, despite the seriousness of the matter. But mom caught my attention again by asking for permission to speak, which the judge granted.


    ¡°Your honour. I¡¯m not a professional in the field, but I believe I¡¯ve noticed signs that my son has a mental condition that may have been responsible.¡±


    I was shocked, and by the looks of everything else, so were they. Even our own lawyer looked a little surprised. An argument quickly ensued between parties. The judge used his hammer to disperse the tension, allowing mom to continue. ¡°Anna Stone, who stepped in as Jared¡¯s legal guardian told me of his blackouts when he was coping with my ¡®death¡¯. There were times when she¡¯d find him unconscious and he would wake up with no memory of what happened. I believe the same thing is repeating itself again because of her death. In the video, it was clear that he was rather angry. In the interview, the detective kept pressuring him, bringing him back to something he¡¯d tried to avoid. I think something happens when he enters a heightened emotional state. So,¡± she clasped her hands together, ¡°I¡¯m simply asking for a psychological evaluation before we proceed.¡±


    The bickering started up again, but not as rowdy so as to force the judge to shut them up. They threw their arguments back and forth, whilst I dwelled on the matter. Me? Mental condition? I couldn¡¯t believe the words coming out my own mother¡¯s mouth. Me? Killing innocents? But, I began to wonder if it could be true, that person in both videos was definitely me. Why did I do that? I thought back to my parents¡¯ mistaken funeral, remembering the rollercoaster of thoughts that smothered me. If I fear death so much, then why would I¡­ The arguments between parties in the courtroom began fading. My face cringed. Anna, I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps, if I didn¡¯t ask UGO to make her my partner, none of this would¡¯ve befallen her. If it weren¡¯t for Cennet¡­ I thought, opening up a can of worms for myself.


    At that point, all voices in the courtroom had faded and I looked like I stared into space. Suddenly, that dreadful blast from Cennet¡¯s gun when he shot Anna raped my mind. I jumped, terrified. Her limp body sliding to the side of the chair sickened me. That abominable scene played over and over in my mind. The continuous shots broke something within me every time I heard the loud bang. Shot, after shot, after shot; the magazine emptied until there was nothing in the chamber. Anna¡­


    Sound began returning, slowly.


    ¡°¨Cmer!¡± Ban heard someone shout.


    ¡°It¡¯s the hammer! Don¡¯t use the hammer!¡± Mom¡¯s lawyer warned the judge who¡¯d commanded the courtroom security to restrain Ban. The boy had jumped from his position to the judge¡¯s desk in one go, before anyone could react and held the man by the collar, but was stopped in his tracks by a taser. However, after a few seconds of it, Vasc began working in overdrive and he yanked out the probes before they could increase the intensity. Without a second to lose, Ban grabbed a chair near the judge and hurled it, effectively knocking out one of the guards.


    Another chair would¡¯ve been tossed, but his mom stood in the way, causing him to pause. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m with you now,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not alone. I¡¯m here with you,¡± she repeated those words endlessly. They had quite the soothing effect, those words. Ban fainted.


    I woke up with thick bindings, holding me down to a bed, or more accurately, a stretcher. Someone was pushing me. I¡¯m, in the hospital? I pondered, looking around. Eventually, I came into a room with mom and dad. They explained that I had to be restrained in order to see a psychologist. What the hell happened in the courtroom?


    Over the course of a few visits, we won the mental condition argument. Over the course of a few weeks, I¡¯d gotten an idea of what had happened to me.


    Dissociative identity disorder ¨C DID for short ¨C, they called it, coupled with posttraumatic stress disorder ¨C PTSD for short ¨C had caused some issues. According to the reports, it all started with the video of my parents¡¯ death. The video caused random blackouts, but not DID, so my other personality, Ban, didn¡¯t come about until Anna¡¯s passing. Any striking sound, similar to that of gunfire, caused an episode of PTSD for me primarily if I was in a state of heightened emotions because it reminded me of when Cennet murdered Anna right in front of me. As a defence mechanism, Ban would take over and would be under the assumption that either me or someone close, needed protection. I unconsciously turned to Ban to ensure my survival. In other words, if my personality switched, someone close-by would be in mortal danger.


    It turned out Marissa never did check up on me in my basement. It was just a dream because my personality had already switched. A lot of what happened was still a little confusing to me, but I understood enough to move on.


    So, for the next few months, home-schooling, house arrest, and mandatory counselling sessions were my life. And, I eventually began getting better. I learned how to recognise a PTSD episode and stop it, essentially short-circuiting a DID switch. My parents were also able to talk me out of it once they repeated the safe words. My life was finally stabilising.


    Even though I wasn¡¯t fit for school, I was still able to complete the exams, so at least I got a little bit of what I wanted. I was deemed fit again for public schooling after years of counselling. I gazed out at the passing clouds whilst having a cold beer in celebration of my acceptance to university with LocalHost. Xeno was up and about, along with the rest of the group. Carol really helped me out with the chemicals needed for Vasc.


    Looking back at it, David Cennet achieved both his goals, didn¡¯t he? The country adjusted their rules when it came to school security, and somewhere along the lines, my mind really did split in two. Truthfully, that part of me that Cennet created never did go away, but I¡¯d learned to control it and made peace with it. However, I couldn¡¯t deny the fact¡­


    Ban, is Cennet¡¯s Cyborg.