Of Minds and Masters

by Paul Ormond

  Mitch didn’t say anything. He just stared back at Robert hard. “Don’t worry. I know that you are too tough to talk. Nobody can break a guy like you. I mean, you’ve survived being the laughing stock of the internet. After that you’d be able to put up with anything. Now, I’ve got a hunch that you’ve got what we like to call in the industry a “Jailbroken phone”. I’m pretty sure that this jailbroken phone is pretty special to you. So special that I bet you’d be willing to do almost anything for it, but it can’t be as special as your freedom. I bet Drak told you all about those big bad guys that are coming for him. There’s not much I can do for your friend, but I’d certainly be able to help you out if you are willing to cooperate. So why don’t you just hand over the device and we can sort everything out? I’ll have you back in your mommy’s arms in no time and this will all be over like a bad dream,” Robert said.

  The silence in the dome was deafening and Mitch could feel his heart beating in his chest. His face flushed with color and he was filled with an intense rage. The frozen faces in the audience seemed to be looking back at him and he could feel the collective gaze of thousands of dead eyes pouring onto him. Mitch knew then, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was all true. Drak had tried his best to protect him and prepare him for what was to come, but Mitch had failed to heed his warning and he was now about to suffer the consequences. Everybody he knew and loved was in great danger and any semblance of life, as he had known it, would soon be over.

  His final conversation with Drak flashed through his mind. He knew that he couldn’t let Robert and his goons get their hands on his device. He knew how to initiate the self-destruct button on the device, but it would be almost impossible to buy enough time to activate the destruct sequence while they had him surrounded. It would also be suicidal to destroy the device at the height.

  “What if I do give it to you?” Mitch said. “What happens to me?”

  “Well, we will do everything we can to protect you. Nobody knows anything. You just hand it over and it will all go away, I promise,” Robert said as he cautioned the other soldiers to hang back. “You’re a smart kid and what you did today was beyond impressive. You’re the first star player in the brand new game of inReal ball. The feedback we’ve gotten from the media after the first half has been magnificent and you are were the first name off of everybody's lips. Let's end this insanity and I’ll make you a star.”

  Mitch gulped hard and looked around. He heard a sound from behind him and he whirled around to see a MindHIve soldier closing in on him. He crouched down and formed his shield instinctively.

  “Get him,” Robert shouted as the soldiers rapidly closed in on Mitch. Mitch balled himself up and then shoved upwards sending a shockwave of energy in every direction. Robert and the encroaching soldiers were knocked backwards and stunned as they were hit by the blast while Mitch rocketed to the top of the sphere.

  The soldiers recovered quickly and a wave of blue and red swarmed towards Mitch. He held out his right arm and a broad blade extended along his limb. He held up his left arm and produced a shield. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against those brutes, but if he was going down, he was going down fighting. He pushed off of the top of the sphere and shot towards the oncoming soldiers. As he blasted towards them, they volleyed shots at him, but he was able to dodge the onslaught. He shielded himself as he narrowed in on the first soldier that rapidly approached him. The soldier had his shield engaged, but wasn’t prepared for a close range attack. Mitch charged at him and undercut the soldier with his sword, sending him reeling off to the edge of the sphere.

  He blasted through the ranks of soldiers and lashed at them as they attempted to intercept him. He crossed the sphere and hit the other wall. He saw the group of soldiers regroup and with Robert in front, they began to close ranks around Mitch again. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to pull of that kind of a maneuver again. It was really only a matter of time before they caught him. He saw that they had extended their containment rods and it looked like they intended to capture him alive. He brought up his inReal panel and saw the button that Drak had mentioned before he left. The soldiers were rapidly approaching him with Robert in the lead.

  As he was about to press the button a tremendous explosion blasted through the dome. The soldiers all stopped charging and looked around to see what was happening. Mitch watched in awe as a massive green glowing sphere came up through the hole in the floor of the dome where the explosion had occurred. The green mass rose up into the air and hovered for a moment at the same height as the soldiers. Mitch could clearly see someone at the center of the orb. It seemed like a girl.

  “It looks like the situation has made its way here,” Robert said into his voice connect. “Send all forces to the main dome now.” The green mass was still hovering and whoever was controlling it seemed to be assessing the situation. Robert looked in the other direction and he could see Mitch hovering at the far wall. The green orb began to spin and pulsate end over end and several long claw liked appendages extended out from its surface. The orb began to move towards the large sphere, which contained Mitch and the soldiers. In a flash, the orb rapidly accelerated and its claws cut through the dome creating an opening on the surface of the sphere.

  “Fire on that thing. Don’t back down,” Robert shouted as he watched it approaching. He looked back over at Mitch who still hadn’t moved. The orb moved rapidly towards the soldiers. Its claws continued to whirl and it sent it out blasts of light knocking the soldiers backwards.

  “Davis, you’ve got Beta. Babcock, take Alpha. Give it everything you’ve got. I’m going to contain our other problem,” Robert shouted as he looked back at Mitch and manifested a sword of his own.

  The immense energy that swirled around SoHee gave her no cause for alarm. Her senses were heightened beyond measure and she felt acutely aware of her surroundings. She was able to turn her thoughts into actions at will. The orb, in turn, acted on her thoughts and sent her information via waves of emotion. The MindHIve security team was firing upon her in all directions, but she was able to easily defend against the onslaught using a shield system that the orb suggested to her. She watched as the security team scrambled to find any way to subdue her. She continued to whirl the claw like appendages around her and she was able to alter their course and direction as the need arose. In spite of its size the orb was easily maneuvered and SoHee deftly moved towards the retreating MindHIve soldiers.

  The soldiers had regrouped and Davis and Babcock had organized their teams into a solid wall. They had all brought their shields together to form a collective defense. The two leaders hovered behind the soldiers that had formed the shield.

  “Gunners, get in position. We need to hit it with the big ones now. That thing is only getting stronger. Don’t forget your training. We can hold this thing off if we stick together,” Davis shouted. The four assigned gunners fabricated large inReal guns that they extended through the shielded wall of soldiers. “Fire when ready. Let’s see how she handles the heavy stuff,” Davis ordered. A firestorm erupted from the shielded soldiers sending SoHee reeling backwards.

  Across the sphere, Robert had begun to close in on Mitch. With his shield drawn and his sword hung casually at his side, he cautiously circled near the young kid who hadn’t moved since the girl in the green orb cut through the sphere. “I know you’re probably scared, and that’s ok, but I can still help you if you are willing to cooperate. It’s not too late, Mitch,” Robert said as he tried to appeal to Mitch’s emotions.

  “It’s not too late for me. That’s true,” Mitch said as he pushed off of the wall at this back. “But it’s too late for you, old man. I know what you’re up to and there is no way I’m gonna let you get away with it.”

  “Oh, #epiccrotchshot boy knows everything does he? Look, just put the sword away before you get hurt. You’re confused and you’ve been told a bunch of lies by a terrorist. Don’t make me do anything that I’ll regret later,” Robert said as he extended his sword in
front of him. “If you think for one second that you can take me down you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “Let’s just see who the liar is,” Mitch said as he shot at Robert with his sword raised. Robert backed up defensively as Mitch swung out and caught his shield.

  “Is that all you got?” Robert said as he brought his sword down upon Mitch.

  “I’ve got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve,” Mitch said as he dodged Robert’s attack.

  “You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you, Mitch?” Robert said as he and Mitch circled each other. “You’re the guy that’s gonna defeat the evil just like all those movies you’ve watched and games you’ve played, but remember I’m the guy that pays people to make that drivel and here’s why we make them: to give people hope. Now, I’m gonna tell you something that might shock you, but, there is no hope, never has been. The powerful will always triumph over the weak and you will never defeat me,” Robert said as he charged at Mitch.

  SoHee had recovered from the initial attack from the larger guns and she adapted her approach to match the strategy now being employed by the soldiers. The orb pushed all of its shield energy into the direction of the soldier’s fortification. The shots kept coming, but she was able to take the blasts with minimal damage. She knew that it was futile to continue taking fire from the soldiers. She needed to dismantle their fortifications. She manifested several long appendages and closed in on the fortress of soldiers. She began to lob giant balls of fire down upon their shields and they were forced to defend themselves from above.

  Davis saw her approaching and he knew that she intended to dismantle their shield. “Prepare to split just as we practiced. Babcock, take Alpha company and circle around from behind. Beta company stay with me we’re going to take a defensive position and continue to draw her fire,” he commanded his troops and The soldiers began to split their fortification down the middle.

  “Keep it distracted. We’ll try to find an opening” Babcock shouted at Davis as she and Alpha team began to maneuver around the green orb that was rapidly reaching out to consume them.

  “Pull back, we need to stretch it out,” Davis shouted and beta team began to retreat. As they backed up they continued to fire on the mass of energy.

  Although Mitch was certainly faster than Robert, he was wary of the older man’s strength. The CEO of MindHIve was as ruthless a swordsman as he was a business man. Mitch could see that he had enraged him, but it also seemed like Robert Chapman was truly in his element. There was a hint of pleasure in his eyes as he circled Mitch, much like a cat enjoys playing with a mouse.

  “Do you really think that you’ll be able to escape and everything will go back to normal, Mitch?” Robert shouted at Mitch as they continued to exchange blows. “Best case scenario is that you admit you were brainwashed by your friend and his cult and you’ll probably get a light sentence because you’re a kid. I imagine you’ll be out of jail before you’re 30,” Robert chided at Mitch as he swung at him with his sword.

  “Wait until they hear what you’ve done,” Mitch said as he deflected Robert’s blow and then counter attacked.

  “What exactly is it that I have done, Mitch? Aside from being one of the greatest innovators of all time and elevating humanity to near impossible levels,” Robert said with a sneer.

  “You’ve sold us down the river, or more like across the universe,” Mitch said as he leveled a blow at Robert.

  “Is that so? Who told you that? Your friend the terrorist?” Robert said with a laugh and he launched into an attack. “Did Drak tell you that the Masters are going to enslave us all and that we don’t stand a chance? If you haven’t figured it out already Mitch, I’ll lay it out for you nice and clear. You already are a slave. You always have been a slave and you always will be a slave. Your father was a slave and so was his father and your children will be slaves as well,” Robert said as he reigned a series of blows upon Mitch.

  “Well, you’ll be a slave too. The Masters will turn you into a lap dog, if that isn’t what you are already,” Mitch snapped back and knocked the older man backwards.

  “Well, it looks like you’ve thought of everything, haven’t you, Mitch?” Robert replied through gritted teeth. “Now that you’ve figured everything out, you can sing it from the mountain top. I’m sure everybody will believe #epiccrotchshot boys’s grand conspiracy theory about inter-dimensional slave masters and the evil CEO of MindHIve,” Robert jeered at Mitch while they continued to spar. “The thing is Mitch, nothing is quite what it seems. If you think that I was foolish enough to enter into an agreement with a bunch of creepy aliens, then you are dumber than you look, and that’s pretty dumb, all things considered.”

  “Say what you want, but I didn’t sell out the human race,” Mitch said as he landed a blow to Robert’s side. He pushed himself up to the top of the sphere to gain some space. As he shot away, he could see an incredible scene playing out on the other side of the sphere. SoHee was taking fire on both sides as she attempted to dismantle the shields of the security guards. She seemed to be holding her own, but Mitch could see that she was out gunned. He looked down to see Robert charging up at him. Mitch pushed off of the wall of the sphere and charged back with his sword raised. Just as Robert was about to reach him Mitch pushed off and to the left causing Robert to stumble in mid-air. Mitch turned back and brought his sword down across the CEO’s back sending him spinning head over heels to the bottom of the sphere.

  Mitch didn’t waste any time watching Robert tumble away. He immediately shot towards the soldiers that had surrounded SoHee. He could see Davis commanding a squadron of shielded soldiers. They were firing upon SoHee with large cannons and nobody noticed him approaching. He fired upon them from behind and caught them unaware. Several soldiers were sent reeling in different directions and as he neared he drew his sword again and struck Davis hard across the shoulder. Davis was knocked towards the opposite wall and Mitch saw the look of disbelief on the soldier’s face as he spun away.

  SoHee was still under fire from the other squad and Mitch rushed to join her, but as he did he saw reinforcements flooding the entrances of the dome. “Nice of you to pop in,” Mitch shouted at SoHee.

  “I figured you could use a hand. Besides, I needed somewhere to stretch out. Quarantine was getting a little stuffy,” SoHee hollered over the din.

  “I see you made a new friend,” Mitch shouted as he sent a volley of fire at the shielded squadron.

  “It’s more like an old friend,” SoHee shouted.

  “And where would we be without our friends?” Mitch said as the reinforcements began to pile into the sphere.

  “Come to me. My shield will protect you,” Sohee screeched. Mitch didn’t have to be asked twice and he quickly shot into the opaque bubble surrounding SoHee and her mutated goo.

  “Any chance we’ll get out of here?” Mitch said.

  “Uh, I might have a few tricks up my sleeve, but it looks like we better act fast. This place is starting to get crowded,” SoHee shouted.

  “You don’t need to convince me,” Mitch said. “If you’ve got a plan, now would be the time.”

  The dome had filled with dozens of security personnel. Mitch looked around and his heart sank. It was over and there was no escape. They had fought hard, but their defeat was inevitable. Maybe Robert was right. If they surrendered the authorities would probably go easier on them, Mitch thought to himself as they were bombarded by fire, but just as the attack reached its crescendo it suddenly stopped. The soldiers had ceased firing and Mitch looked around in disbelief, and then his heart sank as he saw the mass of soldiers part to let Robert through.

  “Well, look at this lovely little couple,” Robert said as he stopped a few meters away from Mitch and SoHee. “There ain’t nothing quite as cute as two kids falling in love at summer camp, isn't that right fellas?” The soldiers all laughed at Robert’s joke.

  “You two love birds sure have caused us a lot of headache,” Robert continued. “I hope you had
your fill because it looks like this is the end of the road. As far as I can tell, you’ve got two options: Shut it down and go quietly or we’ll light the two of you up like the 4th of July.”

  Mitch and SoHee both hovered defiantly before Robert. The room grew incredibly quiet as they stared out at the security force that surrounded them. “There’s just a couple of things that I want to know before it’s all over,” Mitch said. “What’s it all for? What’s the point of doing all this? Where does it get you?”

  “Oh, Mitch you can’t go and get all esoteric on me now. Not in front of the guys anyway,” Robert sneered and the soldiers all laughed. “There’s only one thing that matters in this whole world and that’s power. Whoever has the power makes the rules. The world needs powerful people to make the rules so that the world functions well. Without guys like me, you and your people would all be living in caves and eating rats.”

  “So that’s what all of this has been about, you and your power trip? Well, isn’t that just typical,” Mitch retorted. “I hope you’ve got what you wanted. How does it feel to be the guy that sold the world?” Mitch had raised his voice so that everybody could hear. “I bet Robert Chapman hasn’t told you guys what’s actually going on. You’ll find out soon enough when you’re in chains too.”

  “Mitch, I hope you realize how silly you sound when you talk like that. This is why nobody will believe anything you say. You sound like all of the other lunatics on the internet ranting about conspiracy theories. What makes you think anybody will believe a word you say. By tomorrow morning you’ll be the most famous terrorist in the western world and your story will confirm the fact that you are completely unhinged. You’ll be buried in a federal prison where you’ll spend the rest of your days battling off rapists and killing cockroaches. Or you can come out now and everything will be ok,” Robert said.