The second chance of dar.., p.21
The Second Chance of Darius Logan, page 21
The fight program ended when the Bruiser delivered a one-two combination that Darius ducked. Darius caught the Bruiser in its midsection with an uppercut, causing it to double over—the robots were programmed to react as if they felt pain. Darius then grabbed the Bruiser by the back of its head and drove his knee into what would have been the machine’s face. It collapsed to the floor in a computerized equivalent to being knocked out.
“Not bad,” said Nightwatcher.
“Thanks,” Darius said.
“Who trained you?”
“My dad.”
“Who was your dad?”
“Dwayne Logan—just a guy who knew how to fight.”
Kaine nodded his head ever so slightly. His icy stare made Darius uncomfortable. Of all the members of Super Justice Force, Nightwatcher was the one who intimidated Darius the most, which seemed ridiculous, considering Kaebel Kaine had no superpowers.
“You know how to handle yourself, but you’re making a tactical error,” said Kaine.
“What am I doing wrong?” asked Darius.
Nightwatcher stood next to Darius, imitating his fighting stance. “You keep leaving yourself open to attack on your left side, near your kidneys,” said Nightwatcher. “It’s a dirty fight technique. These things aren’t programmed to fight dirty. But some guy in an alley, he’ll pop you in the kidney without a second thought. You get hit hard enough, you’ll think you’re dying.”
Darius and Kaine went over more fight techniques. They met up the next day, Nightwatcher showing Darius more moves. This went on for three weeks, and in between combat training, Nightwatcher would talk to Darius. At first, the conversations with Darius were little more than lessons quoted from Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which Darius had practically memorized already. Eventually, the conversations became more personal.
“Who do you trust?” asked Nightwatcher.
“What?”
“You’ve made friends since you’ve come here,” said Nightwatcher. “But who do you trust?”
Darius shrugged. “I don’t know. Z-Boe for sure. Manny. He saved my life from that biomorph. Maybe Dr. Sam. Why?”
“These last few weeks, people haven’t known who to trust. The biomorphs didn’t get in here on their own,” said Nightwatcher.
“That’s what I said to Manny.”
“I know. He told me,” said Nightwatcher. “Why do you think they broke in?”
“I’m not really sure. I think they wanted to get to the ACU-64s. Maybe find out how they work.”
“What would be the point of that?”
“Killbots are the most powerful weapon on the planet. If the Ad-Ahlen knew how they worked, maybe they could build something stronger,” said Darius.
“The Ad-Ahlen already have something far more powerful than an army of ACU-64s, and they’ve already used it on us,” said Nightwatcher.
“What’s more powerful than a Killbot?”
“Fear. They’ve made us afraid. And fear is the most powerful weapon of all,” said Nightwatcher.
Despite the fact he’d been given a laptop computer on his birthday, Darius continued to go to the library. Having been placed on medical leave, he had even more time on his hands. When he wasn’t working out his hostilities in the Fight Rooms with Nightwatcher, he developed his mind in the library.
Darius blazed through his online courses, and it eventually dawned on him that he was a college student. He had simply thought of himself as someone taking a few random courses, but somewhere along the way he’d become an undergrad.
After the encounter with the biomorphs, Darius became increasingly interested in the Ad-Ahlen. He read every comic book he could find that featured tales of the alien race, including Adventures of the Galaxus Alliance Corps and a Captain Freedom graphic novel. And while the comics were entertaining, he found that none of the stories went very far in explaining the complexities of human and extraterrestrial relations. If I want to know about real life, I need to look somewhere besides comic books.
Darius started with A Moron’s Guide to Extraterrestrials and followed it up with An Earthman’s Understanding of Aliens and Outer Space. Neither book was nearly as exciting or entertaining as the massive twelve-issue maxi series Super Justice Force: Space Battle, which chronicled the conflict between SJF and the Ad-Ahlen Empire during the Battle of Enceladus. At the same time, the comic books Darius had read seemed to gloss over some rather significant historical and scientific facts.
For one thing, Zander Boeman and his family didn’t appear in Super Justice Force: Space Battle. Darius knew for a fact that Z-Boe had been one of the colonists to survive the Enceladus conflict. Chuck Maslon had been there as well, although Darius didn’t care that he wasn’t in the comic.
Darius had come to grips that life in comic books didn’t always look like real life. The biggest difference he could see had to be space travel. In comic books and movies like Star Trek and Star Wars, adventurers zipped through the universe in ships faster than the speed of light. There were no problems with the lack of gravity in space, and unless the plot called for it, fuel never posed a problem. Real life was nothing like that.
Human beings without powers, and even some with powers, simply could not travel for prolonged periods of time at speeds approaching that of light. The strain on the body was too great, and the longest trip any human being could survive without relying on cryostasis was Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Reality transformed the glamour of space travel into a time-consuming, cost-prohibitive endeavor that posed countless dangers. And it was no different for those that had traveled to Earth from other solar systems.
Only the Galaxus Alliance Corps moved through space by a different set of rules. Through technology created by the Mhadra Turas, the elite protectors of the galaxy possessed the power to manipulate the fabric of space itself, creating Quantus Portals that made it possible to move from galaxy to galaxy as if moving from one room to another. The Quantus Portals conjured by the Galaxus were big enough for individual beings to pass through, but nothing as big as a ship could ever travel through the openings.
The seemingly endless expanse of the universe was filled with billions of galaxies. Many of the galaxies were inhabited, but only a few were known to be inhabited by technologically advanced beings capable of space travel. And even with the technology, intergalactic travel wasn’t easy. There were only two ways entire ships could travel from one galaxy to another. The first way required incredible amounts of fuel and a lot of time—anywhere from decades to centuries. It had taken refugees from Tessaria—the nearest civilized planet to Earth—two full generations to make it to Earth, traveling close to the speed of light, in some of the most technologically advanced ships in the universe. By the time their ships arrived, so many years had passed that an entire generation of Tessarians grew old and died during the journey. In fact, over half the Tessarians who originally arrived at Earth were born on the ships—the children and grandchildren of those who had started the seemingly endless trip.
A second, much quicker way allowed ships to travel between galaxies, provided the ships could find space-time eddies—naturally occurring distortions in space and time that shortened the distances between galaxies. More than a hundred of these space-time eddies had been discovered and mapped throughout the universe—shortcuts between galaxies and solar systems that cut travel time from centuries to years, and sometimes even days—but none had been found close enough to Earth to make it easy to reach. Some speculated that this was the reason there were so few extraterrestrials on Earth, compared with other planets that hosted as many as eight or nine races from as many different galaxies.
Earth played second home to five of the known alien races—the Tessarian, the Sesstarian, the Zzngth, the Elbanev, and the Quoor—whose physiology were compatible with the environmental conditions of Earth. Some considered the Mhadra Turas to be a sixth alien race, but it was more complicated, given they were a symbiotic life-form living through a parent host. Only Tessarians and Sesstarians, from twin planets in the same system, lived on Earth in any significant numbers. Each race had come to Earth for the same reason: they were fleeing the Ad-Ahlen, bringing with them technology and science that had since been incorporated into human life.
During the month of his medical leave, Darius learned more about the aliens living on Earth than he had ever known. He studied the Tanhauser Peace Accord, the shaky treaty that most believed to be the one thing keeping the Ad-Ahlen Empire from declaring war on Earth. Of course, the fact that Earth was not located near a space-time eddy made potential invasion problematic—as the Ad-Ahlen had discovered. And there were other factors, not the least of which being the Galaxus Alliance Corps and a small army of super-powered humans ready to slug it out until the bitter end.
For millennia, the Ad-Ahlen had waged war with other planets, enslaved other races, and terrorized multiple galaxies. They dominated weaker planets, ruling several systems through their colonies. The long history of their atrocities had been recorded thousands and thousands of years before the human race ever made contact with any extraterrestrials.
The first human contact with the Ad-Ahlen came during the final days of the Tessarian War, just before the fall of Tessaria. Human members of the Galaxus Alliance Corps fought alongside other races before falling victim to a stunning defeat.
Ten years later, the Ad-Ahlen attacked the Earth colony on Enceladus—a research facility and military outpost that was home to two thousand humans and several hundred extraterrestrials. A fleet of a dozen warships entered the galaxy, threatening a massive invasion of Earth, only to be dealt a devastating blow by a computer glitch. A system failure on seven of the ships killed more than half of the invading force while still in cryostasis. The remaining five Ad-Ahlen ships engaged in what became known as the Battle of Enceladus.
Captain Freedom led a team of Earth’s most powerful heroes during the Battle of Enceladus, fighting alongside the Galaxus Alliance Corps and the colonists. The battle raged on for weeks, with both sides taking heavy casualties. If not for Zzngth forces that joined the fray, the Ad-Ahlen would have destroyed the Enceladus Colony, moving on to Earth.
For twenty years the inhabitants of Earth lived in fear of another Ad-Ahlen attack. History revealed the Ad-Ahlen had set their sights on Earth, and given enough time, they would return. The United States government built the ACU-64s as a means of defending the planet from the threat of an invasion that never came. Instead, the human race had a new monster to fear—the ACU-64 Killbots—which was more real and deadly than the Ad-Ahlen.
Darius remembered what Nightwatcher had told him about fear being the greatest weapon of all. The Ad-Ahlen had never set foot on Earth, but they created a fear that resulted in unthinkable devastation. And now, with the attack on HQ by biomorphs, fear once again led the way.
Despite the best efforts—or at least the greatest desires—of Chuck Maslon, Darius Logan returned to work after a monthlong forced medical leave. Thirty drug screenings over the course of thirty days failed to back up Maslon’s assertion of Darius’s drug abuse. Maslon’s unwavering dislike for Darius and his efforts to get the young man sent off to prison, however, did succeed in further alienating the head of security from a staff that already didn’t like him.
Darius felt good about being back at work. As much as he enjoyed working out and studying, his days had been a bit too long without his job to keep him occupied. Of course, Elladia took up his time as well, but she had her life to live, and the time they spent together was always limited one way or another.
While he was away on forced medical leave, much had changed around HQ. Increased security protocols meant more bioscan screenings, random checks, and a greater sense of impending doom. Maslon managed to successfully wrangle complete control of both security teams. He increased the Security One team, expanding the number of Long Arms working for him, and implemented a new policy regarding firearms for guards with L3 ratings and higher. Maslon had a bunch of ex-cops walking around HQ fully armed, all under the pretense of “increased security.” The Chancers working security weren’t allowed to be armed and were all transferred to nonessential areas. Long-term employees like Butchie suddenly found themselves issuing citations in the parking lot, inspecting mail, and holding the doors open for tourists.
Maslon’s new policies upset Manny, who felt that if security threats did exist, all guards needed to receive the same training and carry weapons. Maslon couldn’t have disagreed more, and the argument between him and Manny quickly became one of modern legend at Super Justice Force HQ.
“The last thing we need is a bunch of trigger-happy ex-cons running around armed, posing even more of a threat,” said Maslon. At least that’s what he was rumored to have said.
Manny supposedly responded by calling Maslon a particularly unpleasant twelve-letter word.
Darius chose to believe the stories about the argument between Maslon and Manny, even though he had no proof, and Manny wouldn’t confirm.
The one thing Darius did know to be true was that tensions ran high at HQ, compounded by the government sending in a team of “pencil-neck geeks” to work on the ACU-64s. They had been charged with determining if the killing machines could be made to “work properly.” The assumption, of course, being that “work properly” meant the ACU-64s could be controlled only by the “good guys,” as opposed to someone like Doc Kaos.
The pencil-neck geeks spent long hours down in the Cage, working in a makeshift lab—locked inside with a team of armed security guards handpicked by Maslon. Even though the guards were loyal to Maslon, Darius felt sorry for them as they worked on a rotating schedule so that everyone had a fair turn at dying should the Killbots become active.
Maslon had fought hard to have the ACU-64s taken to another facility, where they could be worked on properly without placing undue burden on his security forces. He felt the machines should be repaired as best as possible, to be effectively used as weapons of mass destruction—he just didn’t want to be bothered guarding them. Fortunately, Captain Freedom shot down Maslon’s rallying to have the ACU-64 Killbots transferred someplace else. No one really wanted the things at HQ, but no one would let them be removed either.
Darius had been back on the job for a week when Manny called him into the supervisors’ office.
“I got good news and bad news and then some more good news for you,” said Manny.
“Good news, bad news, and more good news?”
“Yeah. The first bit of good news is I’m promoting you to Level Three.”
Darius was stunned. It took most employees at least two years to get to Level Three—sometimes three years. He had been promoted to L3 in just over a year, which was cool, and a real honor, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for the responsibility.
“Manny, I’m not ready to go to Level Three. There are guys here three years and more who aren’t L3s.”
“Darius, listen to me. This increased security has got us stretched thin in SAO. Maslon pulled a dozen people out to put them on his new goon squad. I’m pulling bodies from CAD, but it still ain’t enough to fill in all the gaps. I need L3s that I can trust, and whether you think you’re ready or not, I need you.”
“Maslon won’t like it,” said Darius.
“Who cares what Maslon likes? That stupid jackass is the reason SAO is at the breaking point.”
“What’s the bad news?” asked Darius.
“Well, there’s two bits of bad news,” said Manny. “First, you’re going to be training new crew members. We’ve got seven new people starting next week, and I’m giving you two of them.”
“Man, I don’t know the first thing about training anyone,” said Darius.
“You know the job better than you think,” Manny said. “The second bit of bad news is that I need to transfer you to day shift.”
Manny may as well have punched Darius in the face. This was more than bad news. This was terrible news. Darius liked the night shift—he belonged there.
“Manny, you can’t take me off night shift,” Darius said. He prepared to prattle off a list of reasons why he couldn’t work the day shift, but Manny held up a hand and gestured for Darius to be quiet.
“You think I wanna transfer you?” asked Manny. “Believe it or not, I actually like you. You work hard, you don’t talk that much, and you laugh at my corny jokes. But the reality is that over half the day shift has been assigned to that special security detail, and that’s where our butts are really exposed.”
Darius thought of all the reasons why he didn’t want to go to day shift, but none of them mattered, because Manny had made up his mind. “If I’m being trusted to train new employees and I’m being moved to day shift, that means I’m being groomed for an assistant supervisor position, doesn’t it?” Darius asked.
“At your pace, you’ll be there in three years. Maybe two,” Manny said. “You’ll be the youngest person to ever make assistant supervisor.”
“That would drive Maslon insane,” Darius said with a smile.
“Out of his mind,” laughed Manny.
“When do I start?” Darius asked.
“Monday.”
“That doesn’t give me any time to prepare.”
“You’re forgetting to ask me what the other piece of good news is,” said Manny.
“I’m afraid to,” Darius said.
“You can leave HQ any time you want and go anywhere you want. The two-block limit is lifted,” said Manny.
“Don’t even joke around that way. I’m supposed to wear this STATU for another two years. There’s no way Maslon is letting it come off.”
“You’re right, there ain’t no way Maslon is gonna let it come off, and it ain’t comin’ off,” said Manny. “But you’ve earned a bit more freedom than you’ve been given. The STATU stays on, but it’s more of a formality.”
