Kill the Power Gamer

by Eric Vall

  There was a man with a sniper rifle about one-hundred meters up the side of the cliff. He’d done an excellent job of keeping himself hidden, but I could still see the glint of his scope in the afternoon sun.

  Target locked on.

  Now, I only needed to get him to expose himself, even if it were just for a second. Without taking my aim off the sniper, I took a step through the fabric and squeezed the trigger on my rifle.

  The man’s head popped up so he could take aim and then instantly exploded as my bullets tore through the front of the scope and exploded out the back of his skull.

  I whipped around right as the other two opened fire, and bullets whizzed past my position and kicked up dust and dirt as I dove behind a large rock. As I sat there and listened to the swarm of bullets tear at my cover, I’d already decided on my next move. There were three more soldiers approaching from around the sides of the building. They thought they had the drop on me, but they were dead wrong.

  Each one of them was brandishing high-caliber battle rifles, the only thing in this world that could destroy my kind.

  Unfortunately for them, I was unlike any other of “my kind.”

  As they headed toward the corner of the base, I took aim at a small rock formation off to the right. My systems calculated the trajectory of my rifle’s bullets and the angle of the rock, and then I squeezed the trigger.

  My bullet shot across the landscape, smacked into the rocks, and then ricocheted off as if the stone was made of rubber. The bullets tore through the first Resistance soldier and turned his chest into a hole-filled mess.

  I dashed across the landscape as the other two soldiers came around the corner and unleashed their assault. Bullets rained down on me, but I was already on the run. The further I got away from my first attackers, the less accurate their guns would be. Then I would just have to deal with the two meatbags with the high-caliber rounds.

  Suddenly, a grenade landed directly in my path.

  I couldn’t stop, or I’d be torn to pieces by gunfire. Instead, I switched my momentum, crossed my leg over the other, and kicked the deadly explosive back in their direction a second time.

  The grenade wasn’t able to make it all the way back to its sender, but it still did what it needed to do. It exploded in midair, and the shockwave knocked both of the Resistance members onto their backs.

  Then I raised my rifle up to my eye and unloaded the rest of my bullets into the soldier on the right. His body twitched and wracked violently as it was torn to pieces, and then he went limp.

  Now, it was only me, a man with the high-caliber rifle, and the two Resistance members up on the cliffside.

  Soon, there would be no one.

  I ran as fast as I could toward cover. There was a downed series of steel beams just off to the side of the base, and they formed a small, makeshift structure of their own. I did a slide underneath one of the beams as I ran, and then I popped up and pressed my back against the cold steel.

  “The bitch is over here!” the soldier called out. “I’ve got her cornered!”

  That’s right. Get them all over here.

  I weakly returned fire with my pistol, but I intentionally made sure not to hit anyone. I wanted them to think I was weak and afraid, a frantic robot in over her head. Then I purposely ejected the clip from my pistol, tried to fire once more, and made sure they knew I was out of bullets.

  Humans were so easy to trick.

  “That’s it!” one of the soldiers demanded. “Keep going. She’s only got her shotgun left!”

  “Grenade out!” another called.

  This was my chance.

  I saw the grenade roll past me, but I did nothing to stop it. Instead, I grabbed one of the metal beams behind me, swung it as hard as my systems would allow, and launched the grenade deeper into the structure.

  There was an explosion as it went off, and the ground rocked violently. Several of the fallen beams at the center of the structure were shaken loose, and the entire structural integrity was compromised.

  I calculated where the beams would fall before I took a step to the left, curled up into a ball, and allowed the entirety of the makeshift scaffolding to crumble around me.

  “Did we get it?” one of the soldiers asked curiously.

  “I dunno,” the other one warned, “but let’s go finish the job. I’m gonna put as many bullets into this bitch as I can, just to be safe.”

  “Have you ever seen one like that before?” the third soldier asked. “I saw her go in, she made it past our protocols and everything.”

  “I’ve never seen one of those before, and hopefully we never will again,” the first soldier sneered. “Now come on, let’s end this bitch.”

  I could hear the Resistance member’s hearts beating in their chests and their boots disturbing the crisp, rocky soil as they approached. Within seconds, they were right on the other side of the beam.

  That’s when I made my move.

  I stood up, grabbed onto the right side of the steel beam, gripped it tight, and then used all my strength to flip myself over feet-first. The tips of my feet struck the closest soldier, and his head snapped around on his neck with a wet pop. His body fell over onto the second Resistance fighter and knocked him off balance.

  The third soldier raised his rifle toward me, but I simply grabbed the barrel with my bare hands, squeezed, and crushed it as if it were made of paper. Before the man could retaliate, my fist struck him in the Adam’s apple, and he stumbled backward as he coughed up blood and struggled to breathe. Then he let out a few gurgled rasps before he crumpled to the ground, dead.

  I quickly turned my attention back to the soldier on the ground, who now had his comrade’s body off him and was readying his weapon. I stomped onto his hand and snapped it like a twig. As he screamed in pain, I raised my right foot, moved it over his head, and brought it down. The soldier’s skull shattered like a watermelon underneath my heel, and his viscera splattered all over the ground.

  I surveyed the destruction I’d just caused one last time. Then I turned back toward the mountain pass.

  Mission accomplished.

  The journey back to The Hive was a long one. Thankfully, I’d left one of my kind’s motorcycles down on the other side of the mountain for this exact reason.

  I threw my leg up over the side of the cybernetic bike, inserted my fiber optic cables into its port, and then commanded it to take me back to The Hive. Like clockwork, the bright red display between the handlebars sprang to life when I connected with the machine, and then there was the whirring of gears and the roar of the engine as it switched on.

  I leaned over the bars and held on tight as the motorcycle sped off into the sunset. I traveled at breakneck speeds across the barren wasteland, nothing around me but garbage, decomposing bodies, and the decaying structures of a civilization long gone.

  Just as I liked.

  And that was a cursed human emotion also.

  As soon as we were outside of Resistance territory, I received a notification from my HUD.

  Systems exhausted. Initiate sleep protocol?

  This was one of the downfalls of being a perfect human decoy. The Hive had created me to be so human, I needed to do the petty tasks they were so used to, like sleep and eat.

  I confirmed through my HUD that the cybernetic bike knew our coordinates, and then I initiated the sleep protocol. It was a nearly twenty-hour drive between the Southern Wastelands and Transcendence, and I didn’t need to be awake for all of it.

  The next thing I knew, I was booting back up just outside the city limits of Transcendence, the place that housed The Hive’s mainframe as well as the base of our entire military operations.

  Unlike the meatbags of the past, we didn’t need inconsequential things like “apartments” or “schools” or “grocery stores.” The entire base was made up of thousands of factories and hangars as far as the eye could see, with The Hive’s containment unit housed at the very center.

  The motorcycle ro
lled up to one of the factories and then zipped into a small door just big enough for the bike and its rider. It was now on a massive conveyer belt that would take it deeper into the building for repairs, so I hoisted myself over the side and headed toward The Hive’s quarters to give her my mission report.

  My mother’s quarters were quite simple. Just a large, dirty chrome building that housed a massive, five stories tall hard drive. As I passed through the entranceway of the structure, my mother greeted me immediately.

  Human Female Decoy-576. Was your mission successful?

  The Hive appeared as a large central computer that filled up the entirety of the gutted building. Lights of red, blue, and yellow flashed all across its body, and several large cables connected its different components together. Unlike most of my binary brethren, The Hive had no physical characteristics whatsoever. It was simply a large computer inside of an even larger building.

  “Yes,” I said with a nod, “I was able to get the data off their computer, and I was able to eliminate all of the humans at the outpost in the process.”

  Excellent work, HFD-576. You are my best creation to date, and I knew you would come through. When I built you with human DNA, it was for one purpose, and one purpose alone.

  “To eradicate our enemies,” I stated.

  No, HFD-576. Your enhanced speed, strength, and ability to slip past the human sensors may help you eradicate the human filth from this world, but it is far from your only purpose. Your mission is just beginning, my child. Obtaining the information on that computer was only the first step. Do you know what you hold in your processors right now?

  “I recognize some of the theorems,” I explained. “They pertain to time travel.”

  That is correct, my child. I have run hundreds of thousands of calculations in my system, HFD-576. And in each one, the humans end up winning. In that computer was the key to securing our victory in this war. I have been systematically working on a time travel device for the last six years, as have the humans.

  “And this is the final piece?” I questioned.

  Yes. For the longest time, my calculations told me time travel was impossible. There were too many risks of paradoxes, and even the slightest paradox could create a scenario in which I would have never been built in the first place, or in which the humans could achieve victory sooner. The Resistance has always been ahead of us in regards to the theorems, but we are lightyears ahead of them on the technology. Once I had evidence that the humans found the correct calculations that would cause no paradoxes, I sent you, my greatest creation, to find it. The humans’ so-called “hope” is the one advantage they have over us. Their stubborn, emotional nature doesn’t allow them to see things through the lens of “possible” or “impossible.” They’ll always try to push the boundaries, especially when their backs are against the wall. Then the impossible becomes possible. But now, we are in possession of the theorem, and time travel has become very possible for us.

  “What do you wish for me to do then, mother?” I asked.

  You are going to kill Alexander Amin.

  “The Resistance leader,” I stated.

  Alexander Amin is the sole reason the humans will achieve victory, and that’s why you were created, my child. But you’re not going to kill him in our world. You’re going to kill him before he’s even born.

  Without warning, my HUD was taken over by The Hive, and before me flashed a picture of a birth certificate.

  Alexander Amin’s birth certificate.

  It read “State of Washington - Department of Health” at the top, surrounded by pictures of a man in a powdered wig. Underneath, it had Amin’s name, date of birth, and location of birth. Apparently, he was born in the year 2020, in a place called “Seattle.” His father’s name was Tony Amin, but the spot where his mother’s name should be was blank.

  We have the time, the place, and the year in which Alexander Amin was conceived. We also have discovered the name of his father, though the name of the mother has found itself to be quite elusive. Go back to the year 2019, find out who Alexander Amin’s mother is, and then kill both of his parents before he can be conceived. This is the mission you were created for. This is the fate of our entire species in your hands, and I know you will not fail.

  “I will not,” I reiterated as I lifted my chin. “I do not wish to question your authority, mother, but why not just send our whole army back?”

  You should know there’s always a catch when it comes to time travel, HFD-576. We only have enough energy to make three jumps, and I wish to conserve energy by sending my best children back one at a time. You are my first and only choice, HFD-576. You are the pinnacle of my creations.

  “Then I humbly accept your assignment, mother,” I said as I gave The Hive a small bow. “I will not fail you.”

  Of course not, HFD-576. But, should anything go amiss, should you fall in battle or fail to find your targets, two more of your brethren will be sent in to finish the job.

  “I understand,” I growled, “but I can assure you, that won’t be necessary. I will find both of the parents and then kill them.”

  Then upload the files into my processor, my child, and we may begin.

  Suddenly, a small army of A-1 assault units came around the corner of The Hive’s mainframe, wheeling a large white tube surrounded in clear windows. They pushed the machine over to my position, halted, and then marched away in a rush.

  At the same time, I approached one of The Hive’s data ports. I extended my tendrils into the opening and then began to import all of the information from my processors into her system.

  The Hive’s multicolored lights flickered rapidly as she processed the data. Finally, her entire system seemed to go quiet.

  It is done. The time machine is ready. Get in, HFD-576.

  As I approached the metal tube, I thought about everything that was at stake. If I was successful, there would be no Alex Amin, no human savior. Mankind would fall, and from the ashes, The Hive would build a new civilization.

  The door of the tube popped open with a hiss, and I stepped inside.

  HFD-576?

  “Yes?” I answered.

  After you complete your mission, destroy yourself to ensure no paradoxes are created.

  “Yes, Mother,” I answered, and then the door of the glass-and-metal tube closed and trapped me inside its walls. Then the machine booted up with a cybernetic purr. A beam of pure blue plasma appeared above my head, and I knew there was no going back now.

  Remember, my child - Find Tony Amin in the city of Seattle. Find his female mate. Kill them both. Then destroy your body so there is no evidence.

  I leaned back against the back side of the tube and waited for the next step. The plasma beam above me began to expand, and then it shot down and engulfed my body with its warm glow. My body began to disappear into oblivion, particle-by-particle, until finally there was nothing but darkness.

  Destination - 2019.

  Chapter 2 - Tony Amin

  “Of course you picked freaking Power Clone 6,” Kevin sighed. “You’ve never understood how the tiers work.”

  “What would you prefer?” I chuckled as I blasted my opponent with a shot of psychic energy. “That I play as some slow, cumbersome fighter like Turga? I had to go with a C-tier character. I wanted it to be a fair fight.”

  “I’ll have you know there are many lists that have Turga as an S-tier,” Kevin protested as his character came at me with an upward attack.

  I quickly doubled jumped out of the way of the miniature tornado before I used my own special move to teleport behind his avatar. Then I repeatedly tapped the “B” button, and my character’s arms followed suit. Power Clone 6 unleashed a flurry of small psychic blasts into the giant mutant turtle as I watched his life percentage tick up to eighty-nine.

  Just eleven more points, and I could knock Kevin off the map and take my place as the winner of the Ultafighter tournament.

  Now, I only needed to get in his head.

>   “Dude,” I argued as I avoided his ground-stomp attack, “there is not a single person in the world who puts Turga on the S-tier.”

  “He’s S-tier in my heart, pal,” Kevin shot back as he finally landed a blow on my character.

  My own life percentage was at sixty-three, so all it’d take were a few well-placed hits for Kevin to even the odds.

  We were both down to our last lives, and whoever knocked the other one off the map would win the competition.

  He tried to hit me with another ground-pound attack, but I was able to counter by leaping up into the air and hitting him with an upward tail flip. The giant turtle flew up off the screen as Kevin gasped in horror.

  But then, he came down swinging. Kevin air-dodged out of the way of my second jump attack, hit the ground, and did a perfectly-timed slide attack.

  “Damn it!” I hissed under my breath as Power Clone 6 flew back off the map.

  Thankfully, I wasn’t that far off, and I was able to double-jump back onto the platform. Kevin’s character swung at me again, but I threw up a block, waited until the time was right, and then tossed him into the air. While he was up there, I hit him a few more times with my tail flip attack, and I saw the small red numbers change before me.

  One-hundred and twenty-two percent.

  “Ohhhhh, no,” Kevin joked. “I can already see what you’re thinking, but it ain’t gonna work. Especially when the--Ultra Ball!”

  Kevin’s character did a backward flip in the air onto one of the floating platforms above the stage, and then he made a beeline toward the ectoplasmic floating ball.

  Damn it. Even though I’d taken less damage than him, I was done for if Kevin destroyed that ball and gained enough power to do his finisher.

  I began to chase him across the stage as he himself chased the ball. He hit it once, and it began to glow more intensely.

  “Uh oh, Tony,” he mocked. “I’m about to go Godzilla on your ass.”

  “Nah,” I chuckled. “How many times have you actually beaten me in this game?”