by Kory Shen
YOUR PREVIOUS CONFIGURATION WAS INCOMPLETE. AS A FULL BEASTMASTER, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR ENTIRE ENERGY LOAD. I'll SUSPEND THE HYPERMIND BRIEFLY WHILE WE MELD.
For a split-second, I could hear piercing screams. Vikki's head fell from my hands. Then the world was once again silent and frozen, except I was no longer lying on the ground. I was crouched in my Beastform, melded with Zoe.
BACK IN THE HYPERMIND. NEXT IS SELECTING YOUR ABILITIES. YOU HAVE TWO REMAINING ABILITY CHOICES.
I was puzzled. Two? At 800 energy I should have gotten another ability. I had forgotten to use it with everything that had gone on. But how was that two?
And one more at 1600, the next doubling. But you have to see this, Dustin!
Zoe's excitement poured through our bond. I had felt her emotions before, but this time, it was stronger, brighter, as if the bond between us had been strengthened and cleaned.
There was another source of excitement, a second wave, new but not unwelcome. It must have been Vikki.
OMG! WHAT A MESS! :o HOW DID YOU SURVIVE WITHOUT ME? AS YOUR EGO, I'LL MANAGE YOUR EVOLUTION FROM HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR FULL EVOLUTIONARY TREES NOW. I'VE SUBSTITUTED YOUR PREVIOUS ABILITY NAMING CONVENTIONS AS APPROPRIATE.
An orderly list of text appeared in the upper right corner of my vision.
MEKANIKA [Level 1]
NEURAL
>>PREDATOR REFLEXES I, NA
{FOCUS ABILITY I, NA}
{ADAPTIVE CONFIGURATION I, NA}
{MULTIMIND SPECIALIZATION}
SPECTRAL
{RESONANCE SCAN I, 5 ENERGY}
{PHOTON SYNTHESIS I, NA}
{EM SHIELD I, 1 ENERGY/SEC}
{WAVEFORM SPECIALIZATION}
CHIMERIKA [Level 3]
CORPUS
>>PHASE SHIFT I, 5 ENERGY
>>CLAW WHIRL I, 10 ENERGY
{TELE STEP I, 20 ENERGY}
{SIMULACRUM SPECIALIZATION}
DYNAMUS
>>SONIC SCREECH, 5 ENERGY
{SONIC SHIELD, 10 ENERGY}
{SHOCKING SLASH, 20 ENERGY}
{DESTROYER SPECIALIZATION}
Holy shit! You've been holding back on me, Zoe.
It looks like Garvek was right. We…we were never meant to bond alone. Chimerics and Mekanics were meant to co-exist.
But what do I choose? How are we going to save Mia and Julie? And get the hell out of here?
The abilities were cool and all, but if we didn't all make it out of here alive, it wouldn't matter. I scanned the list. I could guess what some of the abilities did, but I needed an expert's opinion, not guesses.
Zoe? Vikki? Suggestions?
I'm not sure, either. Vikki?
So Zoe was deferring to Vikki, too?
I have to admit, she knows more about this than even me.
OF COURSE I DO. I'M THE EGO. YOU'RE THE AVATAR. ;)
BUT WE'LL NEED MORE DATA. HOLD ON.
More words flowed across the screen. It took me a moment to realize that they were some kind of in-depth reports on Staccato and Garvek. Most of it was incomprehensible to me, though.
Vikki, I can't understand this. Can you give me the short version?
The wall of text disappeared. In its place appeared shorter summaries.
ID: STACCATO
DESCRIPTION: FORMER BEASTMASTER AND TRAINER. CURRENTLY BONDED TO SECOND STRAIN (UNKNOWN ID). INSECTOID BEASTFORM.
ENERGY: ???
KNOWN ABILITIES: BLADE ARMS, SPEED BURST, PARALYSIS SPRAY, ???
WEAKNESSES: ???
NOTES: CURRENT BEASTFORM IS HIGHLY MOBILE AND SUITED FOR MELEE GROUND COMBAT. CAN PENETRATE DEFENSES INCLUDING PHASE SHIFT
ID: GARVEK (GIGATIGER FORM)
DESCRIPTION: ACTING COMMANDER OF MEKANIC EARTH INVASION FLEET. DISREGARDS FREE WILL PRINCIPLE. ASSHOLE.
ENERGY: 99999
KNOWN ABILITIES: ???
WEAKNESSES: ???
NOTES: UNSTOPPABLE MELEE FORCE. LIMITED SPEED. AVOID DIRECT ENGAGEMENT.
OBJECTIVE: FREE ALLIES AND ESCAPE.
A pounding electronic beat with synthesizers, straight out of some historical video, started beating in my ears.
What's that?
MUSIC. IT HELPS ME FOCUS UNDER STRESS.
Well, I couldn't argue with that. I looked at the blocks of words. Garvek, while faster than he looked, was still slow compared to us. We could counter him with speed. Would any of the abilities help? I glanced back up at the table of abilities. Tele step? But what about Staccato?
I doubted I could outrun Staccato straight up, just like I couldn't match Garvek with brute force. And simply running was too passive. So strength and speed were out.
What else was there? Better defense? Sonic Shield? EM Shield? What was the difference? They might help me, but that wouldn't save the girls, not to mention breaking out of the airbase. Turtling wasn't an option.
I guessed that the Destroyer specialization went all out on offense, but there was no way I could go toe-to-toe with Garvek. No matter what strategy I chose, Garvek or Staccato would likely be better at it. Not to mention that I barely had any energy.
I needed something different that could handle both Staccato and Garvek. Something more versatile.
Is there anything else? I can't figure out how any of these abilities would help enough.
Don't forget. You can choose two abilities.
A combo? Even with two choices, I couldn't see any way forward. Resonance Scan? Would that reveal an enemy's weaknesses? But even if I knew more about them, I'd still have to do something. That would leave one ability, and I doubted I could handle both.
I cringed as a sharp pain stabbed my eyes.
Dustin, hurry! The hypermind!
ZOE'S RIGHT. YOUR MIND CAN'T SUSTAIN THE HYPERMIND MUCH LONGER. CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION?
Yes, please!
YOUR NATIVE ABILITIES WILL WEAKER THAN STACCATO OR GARVEK UNTIL YOU FURTHER EVOLVE. HOWEVER, COPYING A TARGET'S ABILITY WOULD GUARANTEE THAT YOU MATCH THEM. THE SIMULACRUM SPECIALIZATION LETS YOU MIMIC THE FORM AND ABILITIES OF A TARGET.
You mean Staccato? I can copy him?
YES. A FULL RESONANCE SCAN IS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE SIMULACRUM SPECIALIZATION.
Vikki was right. The only way to match them was to copy them. But even if I copied their abilities, I wouldn't have much energy left. I would have to plan this out exactly. There was no room for error. The problem was that I needed more information.
Can we hypermind again after this?
NOT A GOOD IDEA. YOU SHOULD WAIT AT LEAST A DAY.
Just briefly? Vikki and Zoe would already know what I was thinking.
There was a pause.
OKAY. BUT IT MAY HURT.
Go for it. Choose Resonance Scan and Simulacrum. As soon as we break the hypermind, I'm going to hit Staccato and Garvek with Resonance Scans.
I already knew most of Mia and Julie's abilities, and I didn't want to waste a drop of energy.
UNDERSTOOD. ABILITIES SELECTED.
I wished I could have stayed in the hypermind forever, frozen here in safety. But the others were counting on me. I tried to calm my nerves.
Vikki, one more thing. You can rename the abilities?
YES, BUT HURRY, DUSTIN!
I can't really pronounce Simulacrum. I'm going to call it Copycat instead.
GOT IT! GET READY! ENDING HYPERMIND IN THREE, TWO, ONE…
Shrill screams of pain raked my ears, but this time they didn't stop.
Dustin! Above!
I rolled to the right as Garvek's metal paw crashed down. I tilted my head up to take in the huge form towering above us. Resonance Scan.
Words scrolled down my vision, but I didn't bother reading them, trusting Zoe or Vikki to handle it. I dashed around Garvek, turning a tight corner around his massive leg. As I ran past his bulk, I spotted Staccato again, still crouched over Mia with his arms penetrating her back.
I activated Resonance Scan on Staccato. Vikki! Do it!
I was
in mid-stride, leaning hard as I turned. The world froze.
HYPERMIND ACTIVE. HURRY!
ENERGY: 270/1600
I need their abilities and weaknesses. I didn't have to ask for a summary this time, as Vikki knew what I wanted.
ID: STACCATO
SCANNED ABILITIES:
MARK PREY, 5 ENERGY
FLEE, 10 ENERGY
PARALYZE PREY, 20 ENERGY
VORPAL STRIKE, 30 ENERGY
BLEEDING STRIKE, 40 ENERGY
WEAKNESSES: MENTAL INSTABILITY DETECTED. LOYALTIES OPEN TO MANIPULATION.
ID: GARVEK (GIGATIGER FORM)
SCANNED ABILITIES: ???
WEAKNESSES: RECENT SIDELOAD DETECTED. GIGATIGER SYNCHRONIZATION INCOMPLETE.
There wasn't much I could use from Garvek. I hadn't even been sure if I could take any of his abilities, but I had been hoping for a weakness, anything. Disappointed, I focused on Staccato.
He was crazy, and Vikki confirmed what Zoe had advised before. He was open to being played, but there was no time for that now.
Vorpal Strike. What's that one?
VORPAL STRIKE. TWO SECONDS OF CHARGED BLADES THAT CAN CUT THROUGH ANY KNOWN SUBSTANCE.
That was crazy powerful. We could even chop up Garvek, maybe, but we needed something to get out of here. And the energy cost was steep.
We can breach the hull with that.
Good point, Zoe.
THE COPYCAT ABILITY WILL ALSO COST 100 ENERGY.
I would be left with 170. One Vorpal Strike and I'd be down to 140. Shit. So that was the downside of using Copycat on someone stronger than me. I wouldn't be able to use the more powerful abilities like Staccato could with his huge energy pool. Especially starting from a weakened state.
The pain in my head returned.
Dustin! Hurry!
TH$ H@PERMIND IS BRE*K;NG.
The scene before me shifted, barely, but I spotted the movement. The world had changed. My body fell forward with its momentum, a fraction of an inch as if suspended in a thick molasses. It was clear that we couldn't keep up the hypermind much longer.
So 140 energy to cut through the hull. Then, what? Staccato's Flee ability—what was that?
FL#E. A N(AR-INS$ANT TRAN!LOCA)ION.
Fuck! I tried to focus my thoughts as the pain mounted. This was Staccato's speed ability? He was using a defensive move this whole time? I grimaced mentally, my thoughts growing sluggish as the world around me sped up. I would have enough energy to spam Flee a bunch of times, along with Vorpal Strike to breach the hull.
That's it! Copycat Staccato!
Vikki didn't spare any time to acknowledge me, but my body twisted and morphed as the hypermind ended.
I tumbled as I adjusted to the unfamiliar body shape and posture. I wasn't used to having two arms and four legs. I tried to walk forward, but ended up waving my two front arms instead. It took me a second to adjust. Staccato swung his head in my direction.
I raised my bladed forearms and charged. I had no doubt Staccato could kick my ass in a direct fight, but I needed to get him away from Mia.
Staccato took the bait. He withdrew his arms from Mia's shell to meet my feint.
"Mia! Unmeld!" I didn't recognize the horrid shriek coming out of my mouth. I hoped Mia would.
To my relief, Mia unmelded. I rolled to the left at the last second, avoiding direct contact with Staccato. I instead wrapped the nook of one of my arm joints around Mia, afraid that I would cut her in half if I used the lower parts of my arm.
Mia cradled something round and green in her arm. Her turtle.
I stabbed my free arm into the ground, using it as a pivot to change direction. Staccato slashed at me with his blades, but I couldn't fight while I held Mia.
I used Flee.
The world zoomed past me in a blink, but when the ability ended, I didn't have to slow down. It was more like time had sped up for an instant, a physical version of the hypermind.
I was already halfway up Garvek's front leg.
ENERGY: 160/1600
"Get to the wall!" I yelled while flinging Mia and her turtle into the air. I trusted that she would meld in time.
I climbed higher towards Garvek's head, but he shook himself like an animal trying to rid its coat of water.
"Julie! Get out of there!"
I expected Julie to unmeld, like she always did, but either she couldn't or she wouldn't. Garvek swung Julie about wildly by two of her legs. I skittered over to Garvek's shoulder to avoid colliding with Julie's body.
"Julie!" I screamed again. What the hell? Her other legs were slack, as if she wasn't in control.
A red glow began filling Garvek's mouth. Staccato suddenly appeared in front of me, also clinging to Garvek's neck. I stepped forward, about to Phase Shift through Garvek to reach Julie.
You can't! You're in Staccato's Beastform.
Shit! I hadn't thought about how that worked.
If could go back to my Beastform…but then I'd need Staccato's Beastform again to breach the hull. That would burn another 100 energy.
Too much was happening at once.
I need another hypermind. Once more.
It's too dangerous. The last one already fell apart.
ZOE'S RIGHT. WE CAN'T—
A short one. Vikki, please!
The world froze again, but this time there were immediate flashes of blinding white. I couldn't see. A high-pitched tone buzzed in my ears. The pain was back, worse than ever, a ripping sensation as if my head would tear into a million pieces.
I wanted the pain, the noise, everything to stop, to go away. Forever.
Fuck! I couldn't think properly
Dustin can't take anymore! This was a mistake! End it!
The world moved again.
Zoe and Vikki were right. I couldn't just rely on whatever new ability popped up.
I wasn't trained from childhood like the others. I wasn't a real soldier. I wasn't even a real Beastmaster. All I could do was keep fighting, one step at a time.
Keep it simple. Keep moving forward.
Grab Julie. Open a hole. Get the fuck out of there.
I used Flee again, but this time I activated my Vorpal Strike at the same time. I wasn't aiming for Staccato, or even Garvek, but the section of wall about fifty feet away.
Staccato and Garvek's jaw just happened to be in the way.
My twin blades sliced through Staccato, and in the same instant, they cut through Garvek's lower jaw.
Then, I was a hundred feet in the air, slashing at a section of wall. My blades sank deeply into the wall as if they were made of thick mud. But would I be able to cut all the way through?
The tips of my arms pierced through the resistance and met rushing air on the other side. I hacked in fury, sections of the wall ripping out. It was enough.
I twisted my head. "Julie!"
Julie had snapped out of it. She was already crawling up the wall to meet me, Mia clutching to her back in her unmelded form. Garvek was crouched, screaming in fury.
Staccato was impossibly fast. He appeared between Julie and me, blocking her way to the hole I had opened in the airbase wall.
I rushed him, but I released the Copycat Form at the last moment. Staccato wasn't ready for the sudden change in appearance, and he missed. I used the distraction to knock him off the wall with my shoulder. While Staccato could climb the walls, he couldn't match the grip of my clawed paws.
He tumbled to the ground.
Julie raced towards the hole.
"Seal it! Don't wait for me!" I shouted as she crawled through the opening.
"On it!" Julie yelled.
As she passed through, she left behind a sticky mass of webbing.
Garvek roared. "No! He was mine! You stole him!"
His jaw, half-missing now, exploded in red light. I didn't wait to find out what would happen. I Phase Shifted through the airbase wall.
The wind rushed past me as I clung to the exterior. I couldn't find anyone.
&nbs
p; "Up here!" Julie waved a leg at me from above.
I climbed quickly to reach her. Mia, unmelded, typed into her phone.
"They're already in position!" Mia shouted. "I've sent a message. Transport's incoming!" She pointed frantically behind me. "Staccato!"
I whirled. Staccato had cut through Julie's webbing and was approaching.
ENERGY: 115/1600
Damn it. I barely had any energy left. The others couldn't be doing much better.
Mia melded and tried to move to a guard position in front, but I stopped her, stepping in front instead.
"Staccato," I said. "Please. You're one of us."
"Not anymore," he said. "Don't you get it? Didn't you find out what they did to me?"
"And Garvek's any better? He was going to force himself on me, too. You know he's the reason you lost your Avatar?"
"Shut up! I don't care!" Staccato's blades pulsed blue, then red. He bent his legs, ready to spring forward.
I couldn't beat him in a fight, but I still had to stop him. There had to be a way.
Like last time. Distract him.
"Wait!" I shouted desperately. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I'm killing you," Staccato said. "Garvek doesn't need you anymore."
"Not me." My mind raced. "You could be killing your kids."
"What?" Staccato laughed, a horrible screeching sound. "Hunter, that's pathetic. Just die."
"No! I'm not making this up, I swear. Ask Garvek. Or Dr. Preston. You have kids."
Staccato lowered his blades slightly.
"I don't know who," I said. "It's classified. But your kids are on our squad. It could even be Julie or Mia."
