Biologic I
The unidentified spacecraft has left the orbit of Biologic I and accelerated rapidly toward the Biologic III system. CtynMech was unable to intercept the craft before it somehow disappeared into an explosion of gamma radiation. Theory suggests that it entered hyperspace using a propulsion method that CtynMech is unfamiliar with.
CtynMech also reports that the departure of the spacecraft did not result in a decline in the quantum disturbances. Investigation of this has revealed that the half-breed and the robotic anomaly have been left behind. CtynMech is requesting a digital conference to discuss what measures need to be taken.
Cyan
The tip of the cable smacked into my chest with a resounding metallic clang. I reached up instantly and took a hold of the cable, pretending to catch it midflight while physically stop its progress about an inch into my flesh. I hoped no one heard the clang as clearly as I did.
“I need some blood to show on my chest, Rewan,” I pleaded.
“Not sure that I can create a liquid,” she replied, “As a matter of fact, I’m certain I can’t.”
The momentary confusion that overtook the Mystic’s features offered me just the distraction I needed to get him off balance. I jerked the cable hard, pulling him to me with such force that his upper body overtook his feet and gave him the appearance that he was flying like Superman.
I grabbed a hold of more of the cable slack as he slid toward me on the floor. Before he could get to his feet, I brought my foot up abruptly under his jaw and flipped him sideways.
“You tried to kill me?” I growled, “And now you’re here to kill Evelyn?”
He groaned, then tried to get to his feet again, but I jerked the cable tersely, reminding him I still had a hold of his leash. He looked up at me as he massaged the bottom of his jaw.
“I don’t even know who you are,” the Mystic said, “But I’m going to find out even if it’s the last thing I do.”
He grinned just a millisecond before a bright bolt of lightning shot up the cable that I was holding. I remember only a moment of pain and burning before everything went black…
Braxton
I released everything I had been holding back and watched with satisfaction as it shot up the cable and coursed through the intruder’s body. His body was literally smoking when he dropped lifeless to the ground. Evelyn screamed again, but stopped when I pointed an electrified finger at her.
“I’ve changed my mind, Dearest Evelyn,” I said, “It seems to me that you are of global interest to Legacy and I’d like to stick around to find out what that interest is. I think you might be able to help me find out who this guy is and what he was doing interrupting our little meeting.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, “And I’ve never met this man before.”
“Right, but you’ll recall that he sounded like someone else you knew and he claimed to be a relative of that guy,” I stated, “And I’ll let you in on a little secret. Whoever these ‘friends’ of yours are, they’re not from Earth.”
She shook her head, but I could see behind those eyes that she was already trying to rationalize everything she’d seen. She knew as well as I did that my wrist cables are much too fast to be caught midflight.
“You’re coming with me and you’re going to be my obedient escort,” I said, reaching out and offering my hand, “Let’s not forget how many times I could have killed you so far, but didn’t. I won’t refrain from this act much longer if you refuse to listen.”
Her shoulders sagged, then finally she took my gloved hand. I nodded, then led the way to the front door which still happened to be open thanks to the intruder. I immediately recognized the presence of two police vehicles parked out front. They must have just arrived because the men were only now opening their car doors. It pleased me to note how casual their demeanor was at the moment.
“I think we’ll be taking the back door, my lovely friend,” I said, twisting abruptly and leading her away from the open door, “A single scream is all it will take for a charge of electricity to rip through you like you just witnessed a moment ago.”
I was beginning to feel like the role of super villain fit me nicely. I had all the right words, the right motives, and the right attitude. I worried however that I was enjoying this new role a little too much. ‘The Mystic’, I thought, pondering that perfect introduction in my first comic… A man who lost everything… a man whose own father was killed by people from the planet Earth. Then when he finally came to Earth for the first time, they stole his only love, Diana. He owed the people of Earth nothing and they owed him everything. He was here to collect.
I smiled over at Evelyn as I opened the back door. There I discovered yet another police vehicle, but this time, the police officer appeared to be waiting for me. He was perched behind the hood of his car with a weapon drawn and pointed directly at us. I tugged Evelyn’s hand and pulled her body in front of my own. I was immediately aware yet again that she was only wearing a robe. My other hand had inadvertently slipped into her robe and was now pressed against her bare belly, where I now pulled her to me as a shield.
“Release the hostage peacefully and maybe we can discuss your issues and demands like proper gentlemen,” the officer hollered.
I laughed, “If I release her, I will be shot.”
“No, this is a promise. Release her and I can assure that you will be safely escorted back to the station where we can discuss this over coffee. It’s a better plan for you, for me, and for her,” the man hollered.
I kept Evelyn between the officer and me as I took three steps back into her kitchen. I kicked the door closed, then turned back only to feel an intense pain in my forehead…
Cyan
“St-t-t-t-t-teine-ine-ine…”
“…ba-ba-back door, m-m-m-my lo-o-o-o-ovely friend…”
“Wake u-u-u-up, St-t-t-teine…”
“…e-e-electricity to ri-ri-ri-i-i-p through you like you just wit-wit-witne-s-s-s-s-sed a mo-mo-moment…”
“Steine!”
I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the floor in Evelyn’s house. It took me a moment to recall how I got here.”
“Where is she? Why did we black out?” I asked.
“The electrical surge interrupted seventy-three circuits momentarily, but nothing was permanently damaged,” Rewan said, “Our flesh was superheated and actually burned in some areas, but nothing that couldn’t be quickly repaired.”
I suddenly heard laughter followed by the Mystic’s words “If I release her, I will be shot.”
“They’re in the kitchen, Steine! Get up!” Drexil shouted.
I got to my feet and rushed into the kitchen. The Mystic’s back was to me as he started taking steps backward into the kitchen. I could now see that he was holding Evelyn against his body like she belonged to him in ways that made me instantly furious. I darted forward just as he started to turn around. I laid a punch on him so quickly that he had no time to react. As he fell back, I took a hold of Evelyn and pulled her into an embrace.
“Evie,” I cried, kissing her repeatedly on the cheek, “We need to get away from here – from all of this.”
She struggled out of my grasp, then slapped me on the cheek.
“Who are you? You talk like Cyan and you act like him, but…”
“I’m… I’m…”
I realized I had made a huge mistake and forgot that I was no longer Cyan in her eyes. I had the face and the identity of Cyan’s supposed brother.
“Tell me!” she screamed as tears started to form in her eyes.
“I can’t!” I screamed back at her in frustration.
“Are you Cyan?” she pleaded.
“We need to get you dressed and get out of here, Evie,” I said, “Can we please save all the details for later?”
“If you don’t release the hostage in the next five minutes, we are coming in!” a person called from outside.
“And just how do you propose we leave
?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” I muttered.
She stared at me as the tears threatened to escape the corners of her eyes. I held out my hand to her, pleading for her to trust me.
“Four minutes!” someone shouted.
“The Mystic will kill you, Evie,” I said.
She considered this for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“Get dressed quickly,” I insisted.
She rushed up the stairs while I was left staring at the unconscious Mystic on the kitchen floor. I could kill him right now, but the detective and the lawyer in my heart required that I not.
“She’s probably upstairs escaping right now,” Drexil said.
“No!” I shouted aloud.
I rushed out of the kitchen and took the stairs three at a time. I thrust her door open and gasped when I found her standing at her dresser clad only in her underwear. I covered my eyes immediately.
“I’m sorry,” I sputtered, then closed the door.
“You’re sorry?” she said, just as someone outside the building reminded me that we only had three more minutes.
“Please just get dressed so I can get you safely out of here,” I said, pressing my forehead against her door, “I don’t want to be here when that Mystic wakes up and I especially don’t want to be here when the police arrive.”
“Again, how do you propose we leave this building then?” she asked, opening the door.
“Do you trust me?” I asked, taking her hand in mine.
“Trust you?” she asked, “I still don’t even know who you are.”
“Evelyn?” the Mystic hollered from downstairs, followed by the police claiming that we had two more minutes.
“What kind of clock are they using out there?” I muttered, then turned to Evie, “It’s time to go.”
CtynMech
Biologic I
“Synthetic ripples and fluctuations in the quantum fabric of space, even in the most extreme cases, have never triggered a reaction that required our interference. What is the purpose of a call to action in this case?” ~CtynMech
“In any given time, alterations to the past have caused upwards of twenty quantum universes to bubble out per incident, usually affecting only the locality involved. Even in the world of Biologic VII where time travel is almost commonplace, quantum disturbances are kept to a minimum.” ~CtynMech
“Quantum foam has achieved a new meaning in the past month as the overlap bubbling of the multiverse in the vicinity of Biologic I resemble more of literal ‘foam’. The repercussions of such violent disregard will be felt on a galactic scale. It is believed that we are looking at the beginnings of another Rion Incident.” ~CtynMech
“Are Rion Incidents so common? And is it the place of CtynMech to interfere?” ~CtynMech
“If not CtynMech, then who?” ~CtynMech
“What would be the plan since CtynMech has already failed to interfere in much of the damage already?” ~CtynMech
“Investigation has shown no residential ties to the interfering biologic. The robotic anomaly appears to have ties to a few biologics. Termination or removal would have little effect on the existing population.” ~CtynMech
“Save this action as a last resort. It would make more sense to attempt remote communication with the robotic anomaly. Their current state of evolution and technology suggests they do not understand the effects of a close convergence of the multiverse. Communication should be attempted first.” ~CtynMech
Braxton
I awoke to yet another painful mark on my face – this one just above my eye. I was done allowing anyone in this house to live a moment longer. The moment I find that intruder or Evelyn, I’ll kill them without further delay.
“Evelyn?” I shouted after I heard evidence of movement coming from upstairs.
“Two minutes and we’re coming in! If you want to ensure your survival, you’ll let the hostage go!” the police shouted.
I stood up quickly, and experienced a sudden bout of dizziness. I paused a moment and rubbed the knot on my forehead. Then I took a pan from the kitchen counter and tossed it through the kitchen window.
“If you even step one foot into this house, you’re going to die!” I shouted to the police.
“Then you just lost yourself a full minute! You’ve got thirty seconds to comply!” the police shouted.
Suddenly, something smacked into the building, causing a mild shudder.
“Hold your fire!” the police shouted, “What just happened? Did someone launch the tear gas?”
“No one fired, sir!” another replied, “That wasn’t us.”
I couldn’t make out much more of their angry conversation, but whatever had happened, it seemed to me that they were quickly losing control and would probably be storming the building very soon. I rushed through the living room and headed to the stairs before something else smacked into the building. The floor shuddered beneath me yet again.
“No more warnings!” a voice called from outside.
I could hear windows shattering throughout the building, both upstairs and down. I rushed up the stairs with electrified hands. A smoking canister was rolling toward me as I entered the hallway. I picked it up and tossed it out the window that I had already shattered earlier to gain entrance.
I opened a door and discovered a room so smoky white that I couldn’t see anything. I tried to wave away the smoke, but it wouldn’t part. Finally, my foot hit a canister like the one I found in the hallway. I picked it up and hurled it toward a rectangle of light beyond the smoke. I heard it smash a portion of glass as it left the room and hopefully hit the police down below.
“He must be wearing a gas mask,” a muffled voice came from the hall behind me.
I turned and released two hands of electricity toward the doorway I had just entered. The screams told me that I had hit at least one of my intended targets. I felt another mild shudder, wondering exactly what was causing these minor quakes.
I tried to clear out more of the smoke, waving my hands in front of me as I felt my way around the room.
“Man down!” a muffled voice hollered from the stairway.
I realized in that moment that the muffled voices were probably due to the police wearing the same gas masks that I was supposed to be wearing. I worried suddenly that smoke was supposed to have some kind of effect on me. Perhaps it was infused with some kind of poison that would eventually kill me. That made no sense though since they knew Evelyn was still in the building.
“We just got orders to terminate the target – even if we have to compromise the hostage,” an electronic voice erupted from the hall.
“What kind of society is this?” I blurted, just before releasing a giant wave of electricity toward the whole wall near the door.
I heard the wall itself exploding from the force of electricity that I was generating in that direction. If there were screams or shouts beyond the wall, I couldn’t have heard them anyway. After that release, I felt somewhat exhausted, but I was running out of time if I were to ever leave this house.
I returned to the hallway, where I found two dead officers who indeed were wearing masks of some sort. This gave me an idea.
. . .
By the time they had launched their gas canisters into the building, there were almost a dozen police vehicles surrounding the building. It was fortunate for me, however, that there were no helicopters in the vicinity just yet. I didn’t know all this until I exited the second-story window that led to the metal ladder-system on the back of the building. I shook the shards of glass from my shirt as I stood there and took in the sight of six people who all had their weapons trained on me.
“All clear,” I shouted, gesturing them to put their weapons away and enter the building.
I held my breath for a moment as I waited for their weapons to be put away. After what felt like a full minute, they lowered their weapons and started congratulating themselves. I nodded, then looked up the ladder toward the third floor. That window
was also shattered and white smoke continued to pour out. I was fairly certain in that moment that Evelyn and the intruder were somehow no longer in the building at all. I had no idea how they would have escaped, but if this gas was as potent as they seemed to think, then everyone should have rushed from the building.
I headed up the ladder and stood on the final platform before the roof. I then turned to the police down below who were now completely indifferent to me. It made sense after all since I was now wearing a police uniform and a gas mask.
I turned back toward the building and fired a cable into the decorative parapet above me. Without a backward glance to verify if my actions gained any unwanted attention, I used the retraction of the cable to pull myself quickly over the roof’s edge. I paused a moment, ducking behind the parapet, before I paid a cautious glance over the edge.
Luck was on my side today. The police almost appeared to be busy packing their things and preparing to leave. I ducked back down and crawled over to the device that caused me such anguish over the past few hours. I grabbed a hold of the cable that led to the antenna and ripped it free. Then I worked up a handful of ball lightning and slammed it into the portion of the device that I believed would be the most damaged from such a surge. After that, I ripped a few more wires out, kicked it a few times, then decided to run across the roof to the furthest end of the building.
As I passed the many chimneys and ventilation pipes, I realized something made me a bit angry. It was in that was the moment that I finally realized what had been going on the whole time while I was being played for a fool. This building housed probably half a dozen families and all these families were situated next to each other. All these homes were separated from each other by a simple, lousy wall. A wall!
The quakes weren’t caused by anything natural and the police were just as confused as I was. Someone, or two ‘someones,’ was exploding through the walls, one home at a time. Two people had escaped altogether from a home probably at the end of the building complex while the police were much too focused on Evelyn’s house on the opposite side!
The Mystic Saga Omnibus (Books 1 - 5) Page 39
