Until We Break

by Scott Kinkade

  Right now, Joe Lambda and his staff were inside an elevator heading down into the deepest levels. “Are you going to tell me what we came out here for?” he asked his Secretary of Technology.

  Cid Larson adjusted his thin brown glasses. In his mid sixties, Larson still had a mostly full, albeit gray, head of hair. He was short and stocky but with a sharp mind. “We’re here so that I can show you our possible salvation.”

  Intrigued, Lambda said, “So we do have a means of fighting Zero Grade?”

  “Possibly. It remains untested and I don’t want to get your hopes up just yet.”

  “If this is so important, why wasn’t I told about it until now?”

  “This was classified to the highest level. Even the president can only be told when he has a need to know.”

  Anger rising, Lambda said, “You mean to tell me there are things even the president isn’t allowed to know?”

  “I assure you, Mr. President, I don’t decide these things. You know the law. But with the uprising in attacks by superpowered beings, I decided you needed to know.”

  “I feel I should remind everyone of something,” Lyra said.

  Lambda looked at her. “What is it?”

  “Ahem. Well, during the incidents in Stiftung and the Tru Republic, eyewitnesses reported seeing different groups of superhumans fighting one another.”

  He knew where she was going with this. “You think we’re not just dealing with Zero Grade, that there’s another group to worry about.”

  “Yes, sir. But if this other group is actively opposing Zero Grade, we might be able to…I don’t know…work together?”

  They exited the elevator and began walking down a sterile corridor. “You can’t be serious,” Haig said. “Neither of these groups can be trusted. Just look at all the damage they’ve caused.”

  Hinsom chimed in. “Under the circumstances, collateral damage may have been unavoidable. Zero Grade was active within a civilian population on both occasions.”

  “Exactly,” Lyra said. “If this other group hadn’t intervened, our best estimates show the casualties would have been even higher.”

  They came to a massive steel door with the words “LEVEL 8 CLEARANCE ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT. LETHAL FORCE IS AUTHORIZED.” That meant only the president and Larson could pass.

  The president turned to him. “This is your show, Cid. Why don’t you do the honors.”

  Larson leaned in to the retinal scanner and placed his thumb on another scanner below it. A green light coming from both confirmed his identity, and the door opened with a loud creak. They took a step back to avoid getting hit by it.

  They then entered the long, well-lit lab. Like the rest of the facility, it was metallic and very clean. Unlike the rest of the facility, it was filled with glass cases full of… stuff.

  Lambda whistled. “Very impressive, Cid. But what is all this?”

  “Earlier this year, when the superhumans attacked the Tru Republic, Adlo sustained heavy damage. The South District was the hardest hit, with superhumans actively fighting in the streets. We’re not sure, but we believe they were battling over McCormack Technologies Incorporated, as that building was at ground zero.”

  “It might have just been a coincidence,” Lambda suggested.

  Larson shook his head. “Unlikely. Prior to the fighting, there was a series of explosions underneath the building. The official blueprints show nothing underneath, but when authorities dug their way down there, they found the remains of a high-tech facility similar to this one, albeit much smaller. A facility that wasn’t supposed to exist. Much of it was destroyed, obviously, but they were able to salvage some things, like…” They stopped in front of a case with some sort of heavily damaged mechanical outfit.

  “Is this a robot?” a stunned Lambda said. The others gave in to excited murmuring.

  “Not quite, Mr. President,” Larson said as they surveyed the jet-black assemblage of torso, limbs and head. “It’s a sort of bionic integration system. You put this—well, let’s call it a suit—on and it enhances your physical capabilities. We believe the superhumans were planning to use it to become even stronger, if you can believe that.”

  “It seems I have no choice but to believe it,” Lambda said. “Do we know which side was using that facility?”

  “No, sir. MTI is a legitimate corporation, but its board of directors disappeared after the incident. The Trus examined the remaining employees, but found them to be perfectly normal humans.”

  “How did we even get a hold of this technology?” Lyra said.

  “I can’t imagine the Trus gave it up out of the goodness of their hearts,” Hinsom said.

  Larson nervously cleared his throat. “Well… you remember that emergency relief bill we pushed through to help them after the incident? We didn’t do that out of the goodness of our hearts. We knew they had the tech, and we wanted it. So we made a deal.”

  Lambda glared at him. “You mean to tell me we exploited them? That’s outrageous!”

  Putting up his hands defensively, Larson replied, “Mr. President, I understand your concerns. I can assure you the Trus benefited greatly from this. They got the aid they needed, and they only gave us a small fraction of the tech they found. Their technological progress will make leaps and bounds, same as ours. We couldn’t very well take everything; we’re in this together, and we’ll need each other’s help to get through this crisis.”

  Lambda took a step back and thought about it. What Larson said made a lot of sense, and every nation would need all the help it could get to defeat Zero Grade. “Fine. But I want this technology fast-tracked and shared with every other country. Find out how it works and get it into the hands of as many people as possible.”

  “We’re actually very close,” Larson said, clearly pleased with himself. “Give us a few weeks and we should have the first prototypes up and running. However, as this tech was meant for humanoids, we’ll have to use actual humans to test it in a timely manner. We’ll need volunteers, and there’s no telling what will happen to them during testing.”

  Lambda nodded resolutely. “Promise them whatever you have to, but get it going as fast as possible.” He met the gazes of each of them. “And, of course, I’m expecting secrecy from each of you. Don’t tell anyone who doesn’t need to know what you’ve seen and heard here today. Am I understood? Our entire civilization depends on it.”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” they said in unison.

  * * *

  The next day, the Academy reinforcements arrived. This colorful and eclectic group hailed from many different religions and walks of life. The second-year students and up were summoned to the hangar to meet them.

  Izanagi. A trim, sharply-dressed man in a dark suit with narrow eyes. He had a somewhat effeminate face and mannerisms. He looked vaguely similar to the history professor, Ji Gong.

  His wife, Izanami, who wore a flowing, navy-blue dress. She was a beautiful woman with alabaster skin similar to her husband’s, and long black hair which fell to her waist in luxurious curls. The duo represented a long-dead religion called Shinto from the nation of Japan in the previous universe. The Japanese people had referred to their gods as kami.

  From the same region of the previous universe came Hotei. He was bald, overweight, and wore cheap robes, but beamed with a perpetual smile. Prayer beads adorned his neck, and he carried his meager possessions in a sack made out of cloth. He represented an ancient religion called Buddhism.

  He brought with him his friend Son Goku, a youth with dark wild hair. Son Goku just wore a red vest and brown headband. He had no pants; instead, his lower half was covered in fur like some kind of monkey, and nothing obscene was visible.

  Next up was Baldr “The Brave,” the god of light in the old religion known as Norse. He had silky beige hair and wore what the students were told was an embellished version of traditional Viking attire (Ancient Religion was an Academy class). He was the brother of the more famous Thor.

  Rounding out
the new arrivals was Fionn mac Cumhaill (or “Mac” to his friends), a legendary warrior of Irish mythology. The students gaped as they laid eyes on him. He had fair skin and hair, but he was easily Atlas’ equal in size and muscles. He strode through the hangar like a king in his resplendent green and red armor, and Dian Cecht greeted him warmly; it was the first time any of them had seen the physician smile. The two of them came from the same mythology and obviously had a longstanding relationship.

  These legendary deities stood in a row with their backs to the hangar door, and after making the introductions, Bethos announced that more would be arriving soon.

  Maya had a hard time paying attention to what was said. Her thoughts continually drifted back to Ev and his comatose state. What if he never woke up? What if he stayed a vegetable forever? She felt her heart being crushed by these thoughts. She knew it wasn’t healthy, but she was only human at heart, and she resisted in vain. She had no idea what she would do if Ev never recovered. Would she stay by his bedside for the rest of his life, and if so, how long would that be? He wasn’t quite a mere mortal anymore and there was no telling how long he would live. Would he live longer than mere humans, or shorter due to the effects of Hades’ attack?

  She shook her head. Such thoughts would end up killing her. Nevertheless, they continued to have sway over her soul.

  Bethos continued his speech. “If you have a chance, please pay your respects to our guests. Some of them are former professors here, some are alums, and others are just friends. But with them here, I feel we can begin the liberation of Upton and our counterattack against Zero Grade. Please listen for further instructions. Thank you.”

  * * *

  Maya didn’t greet the guests; she just wasn’t up for it. Instead, she returned to the infirmary and stared at Ev’s unconscious form. All the muck had been cleaned off him, and he didn’t have any apparent injuries, so it looked like he was merely sleeping. His expression was neutral, yet Maya could feel a deep sadness within him. He had gone home to save his mother, yet had clearly failed. She had experienced the sudden loss of her parents even earlier than him, but she wasn’t sure she knew how he felt. If Anni had been killed by Zero Grade, it must have been even more horrible than the deaths of the Brünharts.

  Someone came in and stood beside her. It was CiCi. “I’m so sorry, Maya.” She wasn’t wearing makeup, and her demeanor completely lacked her usual cheeriness. Her hair lay sprawled across her back.

  “What happened to Ev wasn’t your fault,” Maya said.

  “I’m not talking about just Ev. Between his comatose state and my addiction, you’re under so much stress right now. If I had just stayed clean, you wouldn’t be suffering so much.”

  “But I’d still be suffering all the same. Please don’t blame yourself. That’ll just make me suffer even more.”

  “I’m s—I mean, all right.”

  Maya said, “How’s your detox going?”

  CiCi shrugged. “It’s going. I feel like every part of my body wants to puke, but I’m getting through it. I feel like my suffering is, you know, better than being addicted. At least now I know I’m doing the right thing.”

  Maya turned away from Ev to look her friend in the eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “You said you started doing drugs because you had a lot of anxiety. Where did that anxiety come from?”

  CiCi sighed.

  “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No, no, it’s fine. It’s just… I don’t want to badmouth my parents. They love me and want me to succeed.”

  “I’m sensing a ‘but’ here.”

  “But that’s the problem. They were always pushing me so hard. Failure wasn’t an option. I had to have perfect attendance in school. I had to have good grades. I had to make the honor roll. I spent my childhood constantly worrying about inevitably screwing up. And I did screw up. Many times. And every time I did, the punishment was severe. So when I broke my leg and got painkillers, they took the edge off for the first time in forever. I couldn’t go back to the way things were before. I ended up in a downward spiral which sent my grades plummeting. My parents became harsher than ever and the need to do drugs just got stronger. Mom and Dad were relieved I eventually got accepted to a good school, even if was one they’d never heard of. Things between us are still weird, though. I think… I think I’ll never be truly free of drugs until I mend our relationship.”

  “I’m sorry,” Maya said. “I had no idea.”

  “It’s not something I like to talk about. Up until now, I’ve just pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to forget about it. Thanks for listening, Maya. I already told the Academy shrink in our last session, but it feels better confiding in a friend.”

  Maya smiled. “I’m glad I was able to help.”

  * * *

  The faculty and its guests were crowded around a map of Upton in the Academy’s largest conference room. Bethos, scrunched between Baldr and Mac, pointed at it and said, “This is our target. We have to take it back from Zero Grade.”

  “All of its citizens are dead. I assume this battle is to avenge them?” Mac said.

  From behind them, Izanami said, “We must bury them. Zero Grade certainly won’t.”

  “I concur,” Izanagi said.

  “Whoever heard of a battle to bury the dead?” Mac said.

  “It is common decency,” Baldr argued.

  “Forget why we’re doing it,” Brandon said from across the table. “What’s the plan?”

  Bethos explained, “The town is still covered in smoke, so Zagreus must still be alive. Son Goku will use his staff to dispel it. Then, four teams will complete the assault from north, south, east and west. Stay sharp; we have no idea what kind of resistance you’ll encounter when you arrive in Upton.”

  Chapter VI

  Son Goku hovered above Upton. True to Bethos’ report, the town was still enveloped in Zagreus’ deadly smoke. Well, he thought mischievously, time to do something about that.

  He removed the staff with the golden band—called Jingu Bang—that he traditionally had strapped to his back and held it above his head. It was similar to Atlas’ boulder in that its size could be adjusted at will. He began twirling it and it proceeded to grow to several miles in length. Nevertheless, it’s weight stayed the same.

  He lowered himself down to the top of the smoke and used Jingu Bang to instantly funnel it up into the sky. Any other god could accomplish this by generating wind, but Son Goku’s staff was much faster.

  When this was done, he sat the bottom of the staff on the street, with its other end high in the sky—the signal to begin the attack.

  “Intruder,” a voice rasped. A multitude of refghasts rose up from the ground and out of the walls of buildings.

  Son Goku brought Jingu Bang down to a more manageable size. “You dare insult the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven by offering him lowly rabble? You’ll pay for this disrespect.”

  * * *

  Maya, Jaysin and Mac were part of the team that entered Upton from the north. It was mostly farm country in this part of town, but Maya still thought they should have brought more people with them.

  A vast army of refghasts emerged from the nearby cornfields to greet them like unholy scarecrows. There must have been at least a thousand of them. This was going to take a while.

  Maya unloaded on them with her arrows and Jaysin brained them with his staff. The demoic beings went down easy enough, but there were so many of them.

  Mac shouted to them, “Maya! Jaysin! Go on ahead. We’ll deal with this nuisance shortly.”

  In between arrows, Maya replied, “But what about you? You’re greatly outnumbered here.”

  He said simply, “I am never outnumbered.” Raising his spear above his head, he yelled something in a language they didn’t understand.” Almost instantly, a large number of warriors appeared. They shone with a magnificent brilliance and hurried to his side. This had to be the mythical Fianna
he was said to have commanded in the previous universe. No wonder he didn’t need reinforcements; he always had them on standby.

  Satisfied that Mac was well taken care of, Maya and Jaysin headed towards the center of town, slaughtering packs of refghasts here and there with ease.

  “We need to go check on something,” she said.

  “What?” Jaysin said.

  “It’s just… something I need to see for myself.”

  * * *

  Maya led the way to Ev’s mother’s house and they forced their way inside. The scene that awaited them was almost grisly beyond words. Anni’s mutilated body, along with the floor still damp with blood, made them throw up.