Chapter 6: Unstoppable Force
“The rise of the Cosmicians and their worship of stars is one of the key defining moments of modern culture. In just a single decade, they managed to go from a religion with almost no followers to the one with the most.”
- Excerpt from Dark Day And Their Significance
-Circulated By The World Government
I have taken boredom to an art. I am in a hospital bed, and each arm has a tube attached to it that goes to a bothersome machine that periodically lets out erratic sounds.
They have even disabled my overlay while Paradox is fixing the issue. Leaving me unable to browse the Net or talk to my friends.
At least my nosebleed has stopped. The doctor, an old grandmotherly lady, has kindly informed me that I manage to activate the adaptive functions of my GAI that are typically reserved for dire circumstances.
In order to use my telekinesis in a way I should not have been able to, I have fried hundreds of neural wires and awakened dormant ones before my body has managed to acclimate to them. Fortunately, all of the damage can be repaired in a few more hours by the nanobots the machine is producing.
Leaving me with nothing to do but watch on repeat all my failings in the obstacle course and duel. Even Paradox has gone silent, busy directing all the nanobots and learning from all the data.
I am disturbed from my contemplation of whether or not I should throw my tray of lunch for a bit of entertainment by a flickering in my eyes as the overlay is working again. Finally, I can talk to people again!
I am stopped from opening any of my friends messages by an urgent notification. Opening it, I watch as a familiar script runs.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
GAI Update Conditions Met.
GAI Name: Paradox
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Sufficient Data acquired.
Training Paradox.
Upgrades performed.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
GAI Update Changelog
Ultimate Ability changed.
Unique Ability created.
Ultimate Ability: Unseen Hands -> Unstoppable Force
Unstoppable Force:
Uncorks a torrent of telekinetic force, destroying everything in its path.
Additional details:
- Offense: F1
- Defence: F0
- Speed: F3 -> F4
- Cognition: F3
- Constitution: F1->F2
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
I am so giddy with excitement that I forget I am connected to the machine. Eager to test my new ability, I raise my arm. Only to be thwarted by a searing pain as I almost detach the pipe.
“You never learn, do you?” Paradox whispers in my ear with a tired voice. “How do you manage to injure yourself every other hour if you are not monitored like a baby?”
“Finally, someone to talk to.” I exclaim, completely ignoring her jab.
“Go bother your friends; they have sent plenty of messages. I still have to continue fixing the remaining neural wires.” Paradox shoots me down in a bored voice.
I heed her advice and open the messages tab mentally. Instantly, I am overwhelmed by a slab of worried messages from my friends.
Alia is particularly helpful when I find out that she is in class B like me and my partner. Meanwhile, Corvus and Mara are each other's partners and have, predictably, entered class A.
I have missed Alien Social Studies, but I should be discharged in time for Enhanced Studies. There are plenty of messages from people wishing to know how they can use their own abilities in a different way to suck up to Captain Firestorm.
I take a deep breath and begin answering each one of them in a unique way. But I make it abundantly clear that I am not interested in telling them.
Despite the simplicity of my task, I find myself growing increasingly frustrated as I struggle to shoot them down in a new way. Eventually, I succumb to the overwhelming temptation to seek assistance.
“Paradox, can you help me compose these messages? I'm having trouble expressing myself clearly.” I request mentally, silently praying, that she will grant me some semblance of coherency.
“Sigh, I will do it just this once. I cannot be doing all your tasks.” Paradox relents, and I gladly give her control, grateful for her help.
After sending the messages, I find the appropriate settings and filter all incoming messages, save those from my friends. Lying back down on the comfy hospital bed, I let my thoughts drift.
I am about to fall asleep when I realize that I have not informed my sister that the operation was successful. Even though my name and rank will be visible on the military's public website, it would be extremely inconsiderate of me to ignore her.
She probably will not be allowed to initiate a conversation with someone in the military for security reasons. Which is why I would have to message her first.
Determined to rectify my oversight, I mentally draft a message to Sofia, filling her in on the details of my successful operation and the unexpected turn of events that led to my upgrade. I add a few reassurances about my well-being and express my regret for not reaching out sooner.
As I release control back to Paradox to send the message, a reply from Sofia instantly pops up on my screen. I steel myself for her reproach, but her words are filled with concern rather than anger.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Elian! I'm so glad to hear from you! I was worried sick when I hadn't heard from you in days. Mara and Corvus reached out to me, but I didn't want to bug you while you were recovering. How are you feeling? Tell me everything!
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Feeling a wave of relief wash over me, I exchange a string of messages with my sister, updating her on recent events and my current condition. I learn that while it is afternoon for me, it is late at night for her.
I am surprised to learn that after I left, she applied to a few colleges. She managed to get an almost full scholarship to one of the topmost colleges, with the rest of the tuition being paid from the money Corvus gave her.
The college is almost entirely attended by rich kids, leading me to worry about her financial wellbeing, only to be reassured that the monthly military pension she receives as my sister is enough to cover the cost of living for the rest of her life.
Satisfied, I let her go to bed while I talk with Mara, Corvus, and Alia.
Their messages reveal that they have settled into their respective classes, with Corvus excitedly sharing his experiences in Class A. Despite his initial concerns about balancing his studies and extracurricular projects, he seems optimistic. Mara shares her impressions of Class A as well, mainly highlighting that they are the only non upper class cadets present.
Alia informs me that the story is no different for Class B. However, Class C is slightly different in that it has a higher number of non rich students, with most of them having the newer version of GAI, as far as Alia has managed to find out.
I learn that there is another pair of twin boys who are like us but hate the rich even more than Mara. There has already been a fight in class B with the old man who teaches Alien Social Studies, who had to escort one of the richer kids to the infirmary.
─── °:. *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☾ .* :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
The classroom for Enhanced Studies is like every other college classroom, with long rows of curved benches arranged around a center stage similar to an amphitheater. Approximately thirty or so clattering students, or more than half of our class, have already taken up some of the seats.
I look around for Alia but do not find her. Unable to find her, I shrug and take a seat near the back with a couple of empty seats.
I have not even had a chance to remove my textbook from the bag containing the other textbooks the school has given us when a slightly buff boy with a long leather jacket with a hood that covers his eyes sits beside me.
I catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye and notice that his jacket seems a little worn. He must be one of the twins that Alia mentioned.
I pretend to be busy reading the first chapter of the textbook. Not wanting to have anything to do with them. As a couple of minutes pass, he is clearly getting impatient and tapping his foot in an annoying rhythm.
When I do not look up after some more minutes, he clears his throat and begins in a gravelly voice, “Brother, you and I have a problem, you see. Your girl downed my brother. Can’t let that pass, you know. Don’t wanna fight you, so here is an option. Help me educate the richer kids, if you get my drift. I know the areas that the cameras don't cover. I won’t be caught.”
I try to meet his gaze exactly where I believe it should be before responding, saying, “She is not my girl, first of all. Secondly, I do not see how Alia's actions affect me.”
The boy lets out a small bark of laughter. “Brother, you are aware that you and her will live and die together. Do you know which gang I am from? All I have to do is break a few bones, and your career will be at the bottom of the ocean. Eh? You understand?”
“The only thing going to the bottom of the ocean will be your body if you carry on bothering us. If you think that Anarchists can protect you from the Black Reapers, you need to go to the infirmary,” replies a familiar voice with an angry undertone.
Glancing over, I spot Alia right behind us, her eyes ablaze with fire and her hand firmly gripping the boy's shoulder. I watch as the boy slowly turns pale and hurriedly excuses himself, allowing Alia to drop into the now empty seat, fists still balled.
“You alright?” I ask as casually as I can, watching Alia closely.
She takes a deep, ragged breath before replying in a tired voice. “I hate people like them; they are just like my brother. Believing that they are untouchable just because they are part of or lead a gang. Sadly, the only thing they will ever respect is strength, so you are left with no choice but to put them down before they down you.”
“So, it seems that I should be thanking you for stopping them from annoying me.” I try to lighten the mood.
“Mhmm”
Sighing internally at her lackluster response, I shift my focus back to the textbook and eagerly anticipate the teacher's arrival. Unfortunately, my head is spinning from the overwhelming amount of new information, making it impossible for me to read beyond the first page.
I don't know why, but it never occurred to me that Alia must have been gang sponsored, meaning she must have killed dozens of other human beings. Of course, there is always a chance that she is not, but it seems improbable given that she name dropped one of the most powerful gangs in the world.
I know it is hypocritical of me to judge her, given that I know that Corvus and Mara have also killed people from their gang days and do not judge them for it.
I am interrupted from thinking about it any further when Colonel Luthra from the Enhanced Ceremony enters.
The colonel stands at the podium, surveying the class with a stern gaze. The room falls silent as she begins to speak.
"Greetings, cadets. Welcome to Enhanced Studies, the core curriculum of Mirage Institute. This course delves into the history, theory, and application of Enhanced technology and abilities. Throughout the year, we will explore a wide array of subjects, from the origins of Enhanced technology to the ethical implications of its usage."
She pauses, locking eyes with several students, before continuing. “Understanding the potential and limitations of your abilities is paramount to unlocking your full potential. Make no mistake; this class will challenge you academically and physically.”
The class continues with her examining the fighting style of an A6 ranked Dominion. She gives us a week to submit our analysis on the fighting style of a high ranked Enhanced of our own archetype. Before allowing us to head to dinner.
Dinner was a lively event that quickly turned into a mischievous escapade as Mara playfully snatched Corvus's fries and dashed away while he enthusiastically described their Galactic Business class. With the evening's entertainment concluded, we made our way to the Dueling Center for a session of sparring.
To all our astonishment, we discovered that I had not only acquired a new ability but also gained minor projections on my shoulders that matched the style of my gauntlets. These newfound enhancements filled me with excitement and anticipation.
However, despite the improvements, I found myself lacking in combat prowess. Within our small group, I ranked near the bottom in terms of fighting ability, with only Corvus faring worse. He and I struggled to overcome our opponents, while Mara effortlessly defeated everyone except Alia. Our battles were arduous, yet we managed to secure a few victories through cunning and strategy.
Compared to the previous day, my increases in defense, speed, and constitution allowed me to close the gap in combat with Alia.
Even though, on paper, all my stats are higher than Alia, I still only manage to win a single match in over half a dozen of them.
It is as if she is able to predict my moves, always staying one step ahead. Which is when I finally grasped the meaning behind Captain Firestorm's words when she mentioned my lack of battle instinct.
As the others departed, I remained behind to follow Paradox's instructions and diligently learn the recommended moves from the captain. The process was slow and demanding, extending late into the night as I absorbed half of the suggested techniques.