Of Minds and Masters

by Paul Ormond

  “What could I have possibly overlooked, Mitch?” Robert said as the portal became fully wide.

  “You may think you can control everybody, but you forgot one thing,” Mitch shouted. “No matter how hard you plan it out and design it, it is kids like me who are gonna take your stuff and do whatever we want with it.” As Mitch spoke, he watched Drak swoop in from the side riding the chariot. Robert caught Mitch’s eye and he turned to see his chariot charging towards the beam. Robert screamed aloud as the chariot neared the beam. He swung his immense fist and brought it down in a rage as the chariot made contact with the beam. An explosion occurred and the beam was immediately refracted back at Robert by the blast and he staggered backwards, clutching his eyes. In the chaos, Mitch was able to struggle free and he shot away from the grip of Robert who flailed blindly before the generator after being struck in the face by the beam of energy.

  As Mitch shot away, he looked back to see SoHee’s green orb rise up out of the rubble and extend itself towards the portal which was now fully opened. The hulking metal figures began to move towards the opening, but the portal began to sputter and shake. Mitch watched in horror as the generator fully imploded upon itself. From across the dome, Mitch saw SoHee fall from the glowing orb as it rushed towards the impending explosion. The orb raced towards the generator and it rapidly expanded into a gigantic ball of white and green light.

  The generator began to suck the portal and Robert into it as the gravitational pull of the negative mass consumed everything around it. The platform, where the small audience of Robert’s accomplices stood began to buckle over. The people were all locked inside the inReal bubble and they were unable to escape. They pounded on the bubble which was meant to protect them in search of some way to escape. The platform gave way and they all screamed in horror as they were sucked in as well. Robert swung wildly with his massive fists and he managed to get a grip on the metal floor of the dome. He pulled with all his might against the forces that were dragging him in, but the power of the implosion was too strong. The panel he held broke free and he was sucked into the swirling mass of energy.

  Mitch pushed himself towards where SoHee had fallen, but a flash of light blinded him for a moment and Mitch was once again sent hurling away as a wave of energy blasted across the main dome. He looked back as he sailed through air and saw the green orb fully cover the generator as its core exploded. Jagged bolts of blue and green clashed and intertwined, while pulses of light shot out of the swirling cloud of energy at the center of the dome. Mitch smashed into a row of seats near the top of dome and blackness consumed him.

  When he opened his eyes, he was amazed to see that he was relatively unhurt. His head ached, but he seemed to be in one piece. He rose to his feet and looked out at the scene before him. There was fire and rubble everywhere, and in the center of the dome where the generator had once stood was a massive smoldering crater. From where Mitch stood, he could see that there was still some residual energy crackling within it. A flash of horror gripped him as he remembered that his friends were down there. He tried to activate his inReal but when he crossed his arms over his chest nothing happened. He reached into his suit and pulled out his device and saw that it was smashed. He tossed it aside without any hesitation and raced down the steps that led to the floor. He began to frantically climb over the rubble and mayhem that was strewn across the dome. He came to the place where he thought he saw SoHee fall and he desperately tried to clear the debris in search of her body.

  “Did you miss me?” a familiar voice said from behind him. He whirled around to see SoHee sitting on top of a piece of crumpled staging.

  “Don’t scare me like that,” Mitch said as he rushed over and embraced her. “Are you all right? What happened? I thought we were dead for sure. What happened to your thingy? Where is Drak?” Mitch spat out all at once.

  “Slow down. Your brain might explode,” SoHee said calmly. “I think we’re ok, but I can’t say for sure what exactly happened. Just before the explosion I felt something grip my shoulder. I looked up and I saw a face looking down at me. It wasn’t really a face, but it looked like a face. It smiled at me and then I knew everything was gonna be okay. I can remember falling to the ground, but I wasn’t afraid. I think that it said goodbye.”

  “Well, whatever it did, your thingy just saved our lives,” Mitch said. His face darkened as he looked around. “Drak was right there. He must’ve gotten sucked in. Did you see him?”

  “I didn’t, but I haven’t really had any time to look around,” SoHee said as she got to her feet. He heard a commotion come from across the dome and he looked over to see Sage and his friends rushing towards them.

  “You guys are alive. We’re all alive,” Mitch yelled as his teammates gathered around him. The dome was filled with whoops of joy as the kids celebrated.

  “Hey Mythic,” Sage said as he and Mitch faced each other. “Nice shot.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” Mitch said. “It was all of us, together.” Everybody crowded in on Mitch in a massive embrace amongst the rubble.

  “Hey look, it’s that weird terrorist kid” Gareth shouted. Mitch looked over and saw Drak slowly limping over some debris. Mitch broke away from his friends and rushed to help Drak.

  “You’re ok,” Mitch shouted as he shoved broken chairs out of his way to get to his friend.

  “You not see the last of me yet, Mitch Mythic,” Drak said as a grin lit up his face.

  “Well, it looks like I’m stuck with you now. Your window out of here seems to have closed. Come on. I need you to meet some people,” Mitch said and then led Drak towards the crowd of kids. Everybody grew quiet as Mitch and Drak drew near.

  “Everybody, this is Drak. He’s my friend, and he’s the reason that we are all alive right now. If not for him, there’s no telling what would’ve happened to us,” Mitch said.

  Sage stepped forward and glared at Drak. “I remember you from the park,” Sage said as he stepped towards Drak. Everybody grew silent again. “You need to teach me some of those moves,” Sage said. Everybody laughed.

  Another commotion caught everyone’s attention again and this time the mood in the dome became grim. A swathe of police officers and soldiers had entered the room. They closed in on the group of kids that were gathered around Mitch. “It’ll be all right. It’s me they’re here for,” Mitch said as he stepped forward. All of the cops and soldiers were armed with assault rifles and they wore heavy armor. They quickly formed a perimeter around the kids and closed in.

  “Now, nobody move. We’re here to contain this situation and bring you all in for questioning,” One of the cops nearest to the group said: “Which one of you kids is Mitch Mythic?”

  Mitch gulped and stepped forward. “That would be me, sir,” Mitch said with his head down. He clenched his jaw and looked back at his friends. He knew that all he had feared was about to come true.

  “You’ve got some nerve, son,” the cop said as he stepped forward. “The whole world saw that video. You did the right thing by recording it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more incredible in my entire life. You kids are all heroes.”

  All of the kids cheered again and Mitch was showered with hugs on all sides.

  “Now just settle down. This is a volatile situation. We need to get everybody to safety and lock this place down. Anybody with a MindHIve badge needs to be detained immediately and where the hell is Robert Chapman? I’ve got a warrant for his arrest here in my hands. He is being charged with high treason and several other counts of conspiracy,” the cop said.

  “You can search, but I don’t think you’ll find him,” Mitch said. “The last time I saw him he was standing where that crater is.”

  “I see. You all need to get out of here. We’re going to need to take statements from all of you and contact your parents. There is quite a throng of media outside and I’m pretty sure they’re going to want to hear your story as well,” the cop said. “Miller and Stephens, take these k
ids outside and see that they get checked out by doctors. I want statements from all of them before we release them to their parents.”

  “Got it, sir,” Jackson said as he and another cop stepped forward. “Everybody, follow me.”

  The group of kids began to file out of the dome behind the two cops and Mitch, most of all, was relieved to be getting out of there. After being checked out by the doctor, he had been led into a room where he had been questioned by two cops. He recounted his story to them, leaving out the parts about Drak, and after several tense minutes the cops seemed happy with his statement and released him. He was then told to sign a few documents and a military officer told him not to talk to the press. It was still a little dark when Mitch walked outside, but the first inklings of dawn had begun to climb over the mountains that surrounded Kingsford.

  He was immediately rushed by a crowd of reporters and he had to bat away cameras and microphones from his face as tried to move forward. A commotion from behind startled everyone and the crowd parted to reveal a heaving Mike Mythic come rushing towards his son. His mother and his little brother followed closely behind. His father hugged him so hard he couldn’t breathe and his mother showered him with kisses and hugs as well. His little brother clutched his leg and Mitch could feel tears running down his cheeks. “We’re so happy you’re okay, son,” His father said.

  “We love you so much, Mitch. We were so scared,” his mother wailed.

  “I love you guys too,” Mitch said with tears in his eyes. “Let’s get out of here. I really just want to go home.” Mitch looked over to see SoHee run into her mother’s arms. They tearfully embraced and an older Asian man hugged her as well. She looked over at Mitch as she hugged her parents and made a small wave. Mitch waved back as he was led away by his family. He searched the crowd for Drak, but he was nowhere to be found.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  The MindHIve logo spun rapidly while the video chat loaded. For a second, the screen went blank and then Mitch could see a forehead. “Let me adjust the camera,” SoHee said as her hand covered the screen. “There, that’s better.”

  “You made it home,” Mitch said as SoHee’s face came into focus.

  “Yes, it’s so hot here, but I was so happy to sleep in my own bed,” she said while she yawned. “Is everything ok in Kingsford? I’m sorry that I didn’t get to say goodbye. The Korean government officials took us right away and we were flown out almost immediately. I got to meet the president though,” SoHee said with a laugh. “Well, the Korean president anyway.”

  “Ha, look at you climbing up in the world,” Mitch said. “Everything is still a little hectic around here. The government has seized control of the site and I keep getting calls from different agencies asking me to make statements about what happened. It’s kind of a pain in the butt because the media is hounding me as well, but I have been forbidden to speak until the government makes an official statement about what happened.”

  “Well, your video kind of speaks for itself. I can’t believe that it’s already had over a billion views,” SoHee said.

  “Yeah, it’s a bit nuts, but you’d think after I saved the world they’d stop calling me ‘#epiccrotchshot boy’,” Mitch said with a straight face.

  “Oh ‘#epiccrotchshot boy’ saved the world, is that right? I seem to remember a certain someone dropping an unknown substance on an impending disaster in the nick of time,” SoHee shot back at him.

  “Well, congratulations. Why don’t you go write a blog post about it, Miss Science?” Mitch smiled.

  “Maybe I just will, but it will be tough to beat #epiccrotchshot boy for the media attention.” she said. “They say they haven’t found any sign of Robert Chapman. He is apparently the most wanted man on the planet right now.”

  “Well, they can search all they want. I saw him get sucked into that thing. There is no way that he survived,” Mitch said. “Speaking of Robert Chapman, any plans to delete your MindHIve account? I hear that’s all the rage right now.”

  “I thought about it, but it’ll only mean more work and you know what they say: the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t,” SoHee said.

  “That’s pretty deep Miss Science. Maybe you should try your hand at philosophy. I kinda feel the same way though, plus all of my friends are already there so what am I supposed to do?” Mitch said.

  “What happened to your friend? The one they were calling a terrorist,” SoHee asked.

  “Oh Drak? You know what, I have no idea. He disappeared while the cops were questioning us and I haven’t seen him since,” Mitch said.

  “Do you think the government took him or did he escape,” SoHee asked.

  “That’s a good question and I wish I could give you an honest answer. The thing I know about Drak is that he is pretty resourceful. I’m sure I haven’t seen the last of him,” Mitch said. “Hey I’ve gotta get going. I’ve gotta meet some friends, but let’s stay in touch okay.”

  “Yeah I think I need some more sleep. It’s actually early in the morning over here, but I’m still not over the jet lag,” SoHee said.

  “Yeah I slept for like two days after I was finally able to get to bed,” Mitch said with a laugh.

  “Ok, Mitch, thanks for showing me a good time in Kingsford. When are you gonna come to Korea?” SoHee laughed.

  “I’m glad you had fun while you were here. I’ll come to Korea for sure, maybe you could whip up a wormhole and I’ll pop over for some bibimbap,” Mitch said.

  “Ha, that’s not a bad idea, I’ll get back to you on that one,” SoHee said. “안녕히 가세요, Mitch Mythic.”

  “What does that mean?” Mitch asked

  “It means ‘go in peace’, but you can just say ‘annyong’ because we’re friends,” SoHee said.

  “Well, annyong, and let me know when you get that wormhole going,” Mitch said.

  “I will,” SoHee said with a laugh and then waved goodbye as the screen went black.

  It was a beautiful summer evening and Mitch walked through the greenbelt near his house on his way to meet up with his friends. The ravine was filled with the sounds of birds and the babble of the brook next to the path. As he walked, his heart swelled with a strange feeling. He hadn’t felt joy in a long time and it seemed almost foreign to him. The anxiety and terror that had gripped him in the time leading up to the “MindHIve incident,” as it was being called, had left a deep scar on his psyche and the absence of the tension in his gut was perplexing for him. After such a long time immersed in dark emotions, being happy was going to take some time to get used to.

  He had forgotten about how beautiful the greenbelt was as he took in the natural splendor around him. Having his life go back to normal seemed like the greatest gift of all and he was immensely thankful that he could do just that. He made his way up the hill to where the fork in the trail lay, and as he did, he heard a strange whistle in the forest.

  “Whooo-eeee-ooooo,” echoed out among the trees. He looked around and then he heard it again: “Whooo-eeee-ooooo.” Mitch turned around and he saw a familiar hooded figure walking up the path.

  “The terrorist has returned,” Mitch said as Drak removed his hood and grinned.

  “You vanished while I was talking to the cops. What happened?”

  “Homeland security take me to special place. They want to know everything about me. Want to know if I terrorist or not. Have many questions and many people want to talk with me. Place me in holding cell. I stay there for days. I tell my story over and over again to different people. Told them everything. Told the truth,” Drak said and he flashed his grin again.

  “You told them your story,” Mitch asked as his jaw dropped. “Everything?”

  “Yes, everything,” Drak said as his eyes flashed. “I am refugee in this country. I have no family. I come here because my home is too dangerous. Make friends with Mitch Mythic. I take volunteer job at MindHIve convention for immigration credit. That night I try to make delivery, but I get lost. Guards find me
and I get scared. I use inReal to escape. They chase me and they call me terrorist. It simple case of mistaken identity. Now that they know who real bad guy is they let me go. Make me promise to be a good boy. I come back here. This place my home now, Kingsford,” Drak said with a laugh.

  “Well, welcome home. What are you gonna do?” Mitch said as he looked at his friend perplexed.

  “What you do for fun here? Play hockey, no ice?” Drak said with a laugh.

  “Don’t worry. It’ll get cold soon. Let’s just enjoy the rest of this summer. I’m going to my friend’s house. He has a pool. Do you wanna come?” Mitch asked.

  “Uhh, another time. I’ve got to go on secret mission. Masters coming soon” Drak said as his eyes steeled over.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Mitch said.

  “You fool easily, Mitch Mythic. Should see the look on your face. Like you’ve seen ghost,” Drak said with a laugh. “I come, but I don’t swim so good. You save me, ok.”

  “Man, don’t scare me like that,” Mitch said as they walked up the hill together. The evening sun sat low on the horizon and rays of light broke through the pine trees lighting the path.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  All was darkness when he opened his eyes. He felt all around him, but nothing could be touched. He could feel that his body was still there, but he felt himself over just to make sure. He then reached out in all directions with both his hands and feet, straining to find anything in the blackness, but nothing was there. He had no idea which direction he faced or which way was up or down. He tried to recall what happened before he came to be there, in the dark, but only glimpses of memory came to him.

  He saw himself before a crowd that seemed to be cheering for him. He saw a woman with two children smiling at him. They seemed to know him and they beckoned for him to join them. He saw people wearing strange suits and they flew through the air. He saw himself among those people and they seemed to be playing some kind of a game. It all seemed so strange to him yet oddly familiar. How did he know that he was seeing himself? What did he even look like? These questions ran through his mind and he began to panic as the images intensified. He saw a tremendous battle and he saw himself, or what he thought was himself, in the midst of it. He saw himself being sucked into a strange vortex and an immense explosion seemed to obliterate everything around him.