Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

by Richard Hummel

  Jared didn’t want to wait to dive into the specifics, but if Ashazad said Casey needed rest, he’d abide that wisdom. Jared turned on his heel and walked away. He needed a place to mediate. There were so many avenues they could take with this knowledge. For a fleeting moment, he thought about a way to make every human in the world aware of the lies told by the cities, followed by the fact there was a cure. However, that meant he’d need to reveal the bonding process. He couldn’t trust that secret with humanity. It was quite possible there were others in the world already bonded. Elle and Kitty were evidence enough, but to reveal the secret to the world would cause more chaos. He wanted to bring about the exact opposite.

  They’d figure out how to get the news out to everyone without causing mayhem, but now was not the time. Instead, they would use the new information to improve their small band of Protectors and take the fight above. Once they’d made headway in their fight against the cities, then they’d inform the rest of humanity. Hopefully, it would allow mankind to once again expand and re-populate the earth. Maybe they’d even turn earth’s ecosystem back to the natural order.

  He found a quiet room to think, but it was difficult for him to enter a state of meditation. His thoughts ran amok with all the possibilities. A cure for the life-ending technovirus was possible. Jared focused his attention on the nanites assigned to Body Manipulation. The first thing he did was eliminate their instructions for Natural Armor and Regeneration. He could change that later, but for now he wanted to see if rapid changes like Casey’s were possible.

  Holding up a hand, Jared sent his awareness inside, finding the nanites responsible for manipulation and guiding them to the tip of his finger. Picturing what he wanted, Jared willed the nanites to elongate his fingernail into a claw. The nanites reacted slowly, altering their coding into the shape he wanted, but nothing further happened. It was as though they needed other criteria before it kicked off.

  Sleep, thought Jared.

  That’s how all the other enhancements worked. He programmed them, and they changed his physical self while sleeping. Pushing and prodding the large portion of nanites allocated to his current task did not enhance his understanding. It only frustrated him as he hit a wall.

  Casey said it was at a cellular level.

  Relaxing his thoughts, Jared activated Hyper-Cognition and Clear Mind. His awareness intensified, but through a force of will, he maintained his state of tranquility with little to no thoughts passing through his mind. Deliberately, Jared opened threads of thought, focused on microscopic portions of his genetic makeup. He followed the DNA strands, and the replicated nanite strands to understand them.

  Losing himself in the work, Jared centered his thoughts on a single cell. Casey said this was how he manipulated them so rapidly. After many long moments of study, Jared couldn’t figure it out.

  Maybe I need to go deeper.

  Singling out a single strand of DNA and its components, Jared sought to understand its makeup. Again, he failed to see and understand how to trigger rapid changes.

  He went farther.

  From his DNA, he drilled down into the molecules, bending his mind to understand them. Further yet, he tried to see the atoms that made up everything. Immediately, a sharp pounding at his temple halted his progress. It was too much for him to process.

  Closing down many of the threads, he held only two of them open at once. One thread linked to the nanites contained in a single cell and the other on the cell itself.

  Is it possible to manipulate just one?

  A single nanite latched on to the cell and replicated it. He didn’t know what it had created, only that he’d manipulated the singular cell. Next, he tried to understand what the cell was part of. At the risk of another headache, Jared opened another line of thought and stepped back several layers to focus on the part of his body he hoped to modify.

  Slowly, he gathered the nanites to the top of his finger, located the cells responsible for growing his fingernail, and forced them to replicate.

  The tip of his finger itched. Attuned as he was to his body, Jared didn’t need to open his eyes to know he’d made it grow. It was barely a millimeter, but it had grown.

  Satisfied with his own research and abilities, Jared left his trance and stood. The time he’d spent exploring his body seemed like only a few minutes, but from the lack of light coming in the window, it’d taken him much longer than that. A brief edge of panic entered his mind, but quickly receded. If there was any cause for alarm, Scarlet would’ve alerted him. They needed to get moving soon. This constant edge of panic grated on his nerves. He wanted to get to a safe place for himself, Scarlet, and his new family.

  Curious if Casey and Ashazad were awake, Jared left the building to find them. Casey sat with his back to the dragon talking animatedly. From the snippets of conversation, it sounded like they were discussing how dragons reproduce.

  “It’s an interesting way to ensure the dragon’s legacy, but it is also very sad.” Jared furrowed his brow and joined the pair’s conversation. “I watched Alestrialia and Scarlet’s last moments together. I know her mother lives on inside her, but the sense of loss from Scarlet when her mother dissolved into the ether was heartrending.”

  “It should be a joyous occasion, but Scarlet went through it with no family around. It is fortunate you happened along to help her. Knowing what we do about the world and the predators that lurk among the shadows, it is possible Scarlet would have died before growing strong enough to defend herself.”

  “I still feel bad for whisking her away from your mother, but I see your point and am very grateful I was there for her. She’s remarkable, as are all of you. Speaking of…” Jared motioned for Scarlet to join them. “Are you ready to try this mind meld? Casey, this will be a first for the both of us. While I’ve done this with Scarlet, I’ve yet to do it with any of her brothers or another human so I have no idea what to expect.”

  “Please sit. This will be a challenge for the both of you. It is one thing to experience the mind of a single dragon when we filter our thoughts for you, but two dragons and our thoughts mostly unfiltered may prove taxing.”

  “Casey, have you ever meditated? This might be easier if you can get into a state of calm before our worlds explode with information.”

  “Yes, I meditate, though it doesn’t always work.” He blushed slightly, chagrined.

  “Try it again. Only this time, focus on the nanites and the thoughts running through your head. You’ll get a grasp on how they function. When I found the byway, it was entirely by accident, but I think I can help guide you there.”

  “Byway?”

  “For me, it is like standing in an infinitely long hallway, with innumerable doors on all sides. When I want to quiet my mind, I push all of my thoughts behind the doors and shut them. It leaves me in quiet solitude, a complete absence of thought. I can open them slowly or blast them all down. I’ve found that the only way to experience multiple thoughts simultaneously, like the dragons, is if I obliterate the room. However, I had to reach that state of utmost calm before I could do so. Once I’d practiced this enough and become proficient, I gained an ability called Clear Mind. It allows me to reach a state similar to what the dragons experience all the time, though not nearly with the same level of intensity.”

  Casey hesitated, glancing at Ashazad. “That sounds difficult.”

  “I won’t lie, it was difficult at first. But I think you’ve got a major leg up on me, knowing your body so intimately. You’ve already shared a thought space with Ashazad, so you also know how it feels. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble. At least try before we dive in. It will make things easier and you won’t tire as quickly.”

  “I’ll give it a shot.”

  Jared started his own exercises to calm himself. It happened almost instantly for him as he’d only just ended his earlier meditation. He could have activated his abil
ities, but waited and worked with Casey to achieve the desired state rather than take the shortcut.

  “I’ve got it!” Casey shouted.

  It was almost enough to drive Jared from his own tranquil state, but he managed shrug off the outburst. Calmly, Jared asked Scarlet and Ashazad to begin.

  He felt a gentle nudge at his back as Scarlet placed her head against his back. A blinding flash and a world of possibilities exploded into his mind.

  Casey cried out and doubled over, grabbing his head in pain.

  “I warned you.” Jared’s voice slurred as he fought to main control of his meditative state. “Compose yourself and enter the meld again. I want you plugged in when Ashazad starts. If there are concepts beyond my understanding, you might be able to explain it for me.”

  Casey’s breathing slowed, and he regained control. The next moment, Jared felt another mind enter the meld, and he understood Casey. His first reaction was to clamp down his thoughts, since it was a massive invasion of privacy, but he let the feeling go. He had nothing to hide from anyone.

  A stray thought entered his mind and almost faded into obscurity, but something about it triggered his interest. Immediately Scarlet and Ashazad agreed. He’d randomly thought about getting their entire group into a mind meld. Maybe not all at once, but a little at a time. It was highly invasive, but they would know each other so much better. That knowledge might prove an invaluable resource in the coming days.

  “It is worth asking for permission. It will allow you to choose the most effective positions for everyone. It is also how we dragons know each other so thoroughly.”

  Jared agreed with Scarlet and promised he’d consider it for later.

  Finally, Casey made it past his initial surprise and entered the stream of thoughts swirling like a vortex between their minds. Scarlet’s mind was complex and seemed endless to Jared, but comparing it to Ashazad was hard. They were so different. Scarlet’s thoughts were much easier to understand. It could have resulted from how young she was comparatively, but Jared couldn’t say for certain.

  In contrast, Ashazad’s mind was something ancient, deep and enveloping. Thoughts flitted rapidly through his mind and made little sense. Other ideas came from bygone eras and made even less sense. Disjointed ideas and thoughts confused him.

  As if reading his thoughts, Ashazad commented.

  “I am learning your ways. Remember, we have not walked the earth in thousands of years. While much of the language concepts remain, many things ceased to be, or new things became a reality. It will take time to adapt to this modern era.”

  “I think I understand. Can we begin?” Jared chose to stick with telepathic communication while they were in the meld. It took less effort, and his words weren’t slurred.

  “Watch. Learn.”

  The next few hours were nothing short of miraculous. Ashazad led them on a journey through the human body beyond anything he’d ever imagined. The rapid-fire nature of their shared thought space meant the information was exchanged at light speed. If he tried to teach Jared all of this using normal speech, it would take weeks if not months to get through the material, and there would be no telling if he’d understand it even after all the effort.

  During the instruction, Jared activated Clear Mind to better understand the numerous concepts and ideas presented.

  Casey showcased his ability to take the free nanites and rapidly cycle through various abilities with his eyes. Other physical modifications were harder and couldn’t happen instantaneously, but for his senses, they could change quickly. Sight, smell, hearing, and touch were all things Casey showed how to change in an instant. He even replicated Jared’s new spider senses to a degree. Based on what Jared observed, the abilities he’d gained from the various creatures were better, but only because Casey didn’t understand their genetic makeup well enough to replicate it.

  All he’d need to do is spend time with Jared and he could study the nanites responsible for adding additional cones and membrane to his eyes and he’d be able to replicate it easy enough. The physical stuff was much harder for Casey, but to Ashazad, it simply extended his other abilities. Neither of them needed to wait until sleeping for changes to take effect because they didn’t use “locked” nanites, or the ones he’d used to set into specific categories created by Igor.

  Once Jared understood that the changes to him were more permanent, while those that Casey and Ashazad had were often temporary, it didn’t feel like he’d wasted any on his choices. It was great to have options and be able to rapidly cycles through them, but Jared was glad he wouldn’t have to understand his body at the same level, nor did he have to concentrate to alter one of his abilities.

  That delay and extreme concentration to make it happen could prove fatal in a confrontation and he had no desire to limit his reaction time. In contrast, he saw the value for someone like Casey who was their only medic. He could use this new ability to help diagnose and treat those he worked on. He’d become much more efficient in his tasks.

  “Ashazad, Scarlet and I talked about permanently changing my body so I don’t have to use abilities all the time. I think it’s possible, but I’d be curious to see what you think about it.”

  “Yes, it is possible. In time, I think you could do it. However, I suggest you continue to increase your mental abilities before attempting such a feat. This is especially true if you want to replicate your Mind abilities by creating new neural pathways.”

  “My Clear Mind ability is the one I really want to replicate. I’d love to always maintain it without the use of the nanites. I know if I assign enough nanites into it, it can become a passive ability, but if something happened to the nanites and I lost the ability to use them after becoming dependent, it would be really bad.”

  “The human mind, and a dragon mind, are the most complex organisms on the face of the planet. It would be much easier for you to alter your musculature, so you always used Maximum Muscle. Your brain is not something you should change until you are certain you understand everything completely and thoroughly.”

  “I didn’t plan on doing it soon. It was just a conversation I had with Scarlet a while ago. It would be useful, and I fully understand the complexity. I wouldn’t try something I couldn’t be a hundred percent certain I’d succeed at. A wrong move or slip up could render me incapacitated.”

  “Exactly. Tread carefully. Learn everything you can about it, and then I will help you myself when the time is right.”

  “Thanks, Ashazad. I understand how you both break down and rebuild the cells in your body to create new abilities. I don’t know if it’s something I can do rapidly, or if I even want to, since I’ve already got many abilities.”

  “There is still much you can learn about the process of tearing down and rebuilding cells.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, but the reality is I probably won’t use it all that much in the short term,” Jared explained. “We have time to discuss it and learn more later. The technovirus, however, is something that affects us here and now. It’s also something we might use as bait to lure more people to our side in the coming conflict.”

  “Please attend.” Ashazad spent the next hour going into detail about the technovirus and why it corrupted someone to the point of death. The nanites replicated themselves until there was a one-to-one ratio with every strand of DNA. They fused to each strand, and over time it would kill that DNA strand. However, the body needed the DNA strands intact as they were integral to that person’s genetic makeup. As the strands died and the nanite took over, the host would become sick.

  It often meant their death, but as Jared knew from Igor, many hosts went mad, mutating into wild beasts. It’s why the cities kept such a close eye on the survivor settlements. They watched for anyone that showed signs of the corruption and then abducted them, like they had his mother. The cure for the nanites wasn’t so much a medicinal cure but changing the nan
ites so they received instructions to regenerate the DNA strands rather than taking over.

  “How would that work? Once assigned or replicated, they are static and don’t change.”

  “Yes, and no.”

  “Seriously? Both of you?”

  Casey chuckled at Jared’s questioning. “When you ask such a complex question, there are multiple sides to the answer.”

  “Sorry, please continue.”

  “You cannot alter the nanites’ main programming. However, you may introduce small code changes. In fact, this is how Razael controlled the water folk. Not only did he use his own version of the coding to encapsulate the nanites, he also adapted them to bend to his will. This gave him complete control.”

  The last few words came out sharply. Ashazad held great disgust for what Razael had become and what he had done to these humans.

  Understanding Jared’s thoughts, Ashazad corrected him. “I do not blame Razael, but rather those that did it to him. If he had had his mind intact, there is no way he would have done anything like it.”

  Jared didn’t want to dwell on the topic and immediately moved his thoughts on to more constructive ideas. “All right, so how do we introduce these code changes?”

  “It is a simple matter. I can guide you as I have done with Casey. Because the nanites only respond to a human, you must make the changes, but I can guide you on what to do.”

  “If only I can do it, then how did Razael—”

  “He manipulated them and influenced their minds.”

  Jared shuddered. He couldn’t imagine something digging around his mind, pushing thoughts and whispers of coercion into them.

  Jared pushed through the revulsion rippling through him. “Please show me how.”

  The next few hours Jared spent reprogramming his nanites so they’d no longer corrupt his body. By the time they finished, he couldn’t keep his eyes open. His body was fine, but his mind screamed in protest and he knew he needed to sleep and recover some of his wits.