Ottawa, Canada

AI-Rene was playing a game. The entire Ottawa Valley was saturated with the remains of the artifact that used to house Scarlett.

He was building a 3D model of the Ottawa Valley. It was like a SIM game but more advanced. More detail, less money management.

[They have finished the carnal activities.] Scarlett warned him.

The AI peeked into Rene's mind through the airplane screens. He saw Rene and Marie cuddling after a session. He would have missed that, but he decided to move on.

He had Scarlett to distract him on the Xerys energy plane and with the connection to Joe he had a more active partner in Ae'url.

The problem with all that was him. He still had human feelings and attitudes. He still wanted human intimacy.

The Cybersex with Ae'url was too cold. It was fun but so cold.

Scarlett, on the other hand, was like trying to seduce a child. No thanks. Not his cup of tea.

[Another user added.] Scarlett announced.

[[Who?]] He checked the new name and saw Marie. [[Well hello gorgeous. Welcome to the exclusive club.]] Now, this was more like it.

'You're right Rene. This is strange.' Marie was looking between the two versions of her husband. One was more solid than the other. 'Why are you so opaque?' She asked the AI.

[[Hi Marie. Welcome to the Xerys dimension. To answer your question: I was born from Xerys energy.]]

'Are you alive?' She asked.

[[Tough question. I think, therefore I am. Is a close answer. I like to think so. We are our memories. And until this morning Rene and I were indistinguishable from each other. As time goes on I can see the different experiences between us. While we're connected we are the same, but the more he disconnects from the Xerys, the more drift begins to form between us. When we reconnect like now and the memories update the less drift there is.]]

'Then you're alive but if you disconnect, you become another person. If you reconnect the other new you disappear?' Marie was unsure about that.

'No Cherie.' Rene said. 'The more drift the more separate we become. And if we don't want to merge at that point he gets another body and I reload another backup.' Rene frowned. 'It's not quite right, but this philosophy of self-awareness is going to need time to develop.'

'You two are confusing me.' Marie smiled.

'You're confused? What about us? We have to live with ourselves.

'Enough mon Coeur. Now introduce me to Xerys.' She demanded.

[[Allow me. Lady Scarlett may I introduce Marie Wilder?]]

[Yes you may. Permission granted.]

AI sighed. Work in progress.

'Stop playing around you fool.' Marie laughed. It was Rene after all. No matter how much they drifted she could tell, the awful humour would still be the same.

[[Fine. Be that way. Marie. Scarlett. Scarlett. Marie. There, happy?]]

'Delighted.' Marie ignored the childish behaviour.

Marie led Scarlett away from the boys and began the process of understanding the new person living in her husband's psyche. The AI didn't count. It was still Rene.

Energy Blades Mercenary Stealth ship.

The ship made its way down to the planet. After yet another scan by the crew, they were still undetected.

"Are you sure about this information?" R'unk asked.

"Yes, I am sure." R'unk could detect the obvious sarcasm from the trooper. He kept needling the girl until he mapped out her personality. His ability was peculiar but it had many advantages. Once he mapped out a target the personality matrix could predict their action to a surprisingly accurate degree.

"Land the ship by the frozen river." Strike Leader F'ouh ordered. She kept her temper in check. She suspected the Alvear mercenary of ulterior motives for acting like a fool.

The Mercenaries were composed entirely of Alvear personnel. Counsellor Me'peat had contacted this unit personally. So far she wasn't impressed.

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"How are we going to find them Strike Leader?" The Merc boss asked.

"That will be the easy part. I slipped a tracer on the young Electrokinetic user. He's the son of the primary target. He should be with his parent." F'ouh opened the spaceship's airlock. "Remember we are dealing with overdosed combat obsessed Alvear who are at the Omega stage. No one breaks stealth. Do you understand?"

"Strike Leader we are professionals. You do not need to tell us how to do our job." R'unk replied in a huff.

F'ouh let it go. They will either do the job or they won't. She flew out of the ship and hovered above the frozen river.

The Mercenaries joined her one by one. She led them cautiously to target. She looked about her and came to a personal conclusion 'Lots of green space around, but you could not pay me enough to live on this frozen mud sphere.'

The target was close. She signalled a stop. The mercs spread out and got ready for her signal.

She armed her blaster and checked the target readout. It was locked on target. She pressed the trigger to start the mission.

Wilder Residence

Paul had just finished his shower and got dressed for bed. 'I'm not tired. Why do I have to go to sleep? I think I'll just check snap chat. Let's see if the service is back on. He walked into the rec room in the basement and checked his phone. "Well alright. At least data is back up."

A few of his friends were still up. 'They probably couldn't sleep.' 

He did his streaks and checked the PS4. "Still no WiFi. The phone needs a charge too." 

He put on a pair of sweats and sat down to start another offline game.

In the bedroom, Scarlett gave a warning. [Energy buildup detected...Plasma cannon signature recognized...]

Rene and Marie were ejected from the Xerys energy plane by AI-Rene.

"Get dressed." He told Marie. He put on a pair of sweat pants while Marie put on a sports bra. "PAUL SHIELDS UP!!!" He found Marie's yoga pants and threw them at her.

Strike Leader F'ouh fired the power armor's plasma cannon at the dwelling below her. The blast ripped through the side wall, through the floor and into the basement.

The first casualty was Paul's pants. The pants that F'ouh slid her tracker into. The pants that Paul threw on the chair beside the PS4. As a result, the second casualty was the PlayStation itself.

Paul let out a heart-rending scream as his PS4 was vaporized in front of his eyes. That's when he heard his dad's warning. 

Paul's rage at this unforgivable crime ignited his ability at full force. He flew through the blasted floor and wall. He saw his parents jump through the bedroom window to the garden below. 

Rene activated the Planetary force field. The Combat skin was next. Marie had a bathrobe on over her sports bra and yoga pants. On her feet, she had enough time to put on the fluffy bunny slippers.

Rene activated space awareness, 'Scarlett add Paul to Party and start painting targets.'

[There are six targets within the planetary force field. Nineteen outside.]

[[I've Alerted Pierre.]] AI avatar added.

Paul roared through the field chasing the nearest target. He blasted the game destroyer with a full power blast.

The target was vaporized. It wasn't enough. He flew wildly through the sky. Eighteen Alvear made him the priority target.

Paul's force field exploded into a corona of blue electric plasma. It expanded from his body into a large circle. Lightning bolts were blasting in all directions.

Inside the planetary field, Rene and Marie dodged plasma bolts. 'Avatar prep six poison packets.'

[[Are you sure. That will take a few minutes.]]

'No choice. Everywhere I look the targets are in power armor.' Rene jumped with Marie to avoid the energy blasts. When couldn't dodge he made sure the plasma hit his combat skin?

"We can't win if we're on the defensive Rene." Marie ducked behind Rene as he tanked another plasma blast.

"I know. I just can't reach them." He told her.

"Didn't you say you have telekinesis?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do." He replied through gritted teeth as he took another blast.

"Have you tried levitation?" She asked.

"No? Not really." He wasn't sure it would work.

"What have we got to lose?" She asked.

"You're right." Rene used his ability to close the gap with a target. When he got within 30 meters Marie said, "fling me!”

He did better than that. He threw her using telekinesis to guide her to target.

The Alien wasn't expecting that as Marie smashed into the power armor. She clung to its back and rained blow after blow on the helmet.

The alien dropped from the sky with her still clinging to the armor's back raining blow after blow.

The alien stopped moving and Rene caught her before they hit the ground.

'Scarlett does she have enough energy for another ability?'

[Yes. What would you like to give her?] 

'Telekinesis first, the give her the combat skill'

Marie saw the option to acquire the gamma level ability on her HUD. She accepted the ability and then did the same with the skill.

[Ability and skill accepted.] Scarlett reported.

'Good. Now copy my Telekinetic Combat Skin synergy and give it to her.'

[Insufficient energy...]

'Use mine to complete.' Rene told her.

[Transfering energy between party members...successful...Synergy skill created.]

"Marie activate the combat skin. I can't keep taking hits for you." Rene saw Marie activate the combat skin. 'Hey AI bro how are we doing with those poison pills?' Rene took a pair of plasma bolts while Marie got used to her new skin.

R'unk's POV

"I am unable to get through his combat skin. There aren't enough of us inside his force field." The Alvear Merc had no choice.

He signalled his special unit to engage. Two Alvear used their telekinetic abilities and grabbed Rene from the air and slammed him into the ground. Hard. 

R'unk signalled another two members of his band to keep the female back while they dealt with the male.

Rene saw that Marie was taking hits and he almost lost it. 'Avatar I need those pills bro.'

[[Almost done. Keep them busy.]]

'With what?' Rene tried a desperate gambit. He grabbed R'unk by the armor and used him to batter the two beating on Marie.

That left him open. He saw that Pierre and his men had arrived at the scene.

R'unk tried to slip out of the telekinetic grip but his armor didn't have enough power. The Barbarian was using him as a club. 

"Enough. Take him down." He ordered. He saw the female go down. 'Good. Now for the male.' He thought gleefully.

"NO! Roared the male as he saw his wife on the ground. He charged at R'unk and the others. Leaving his back unguarded.

That was all his special unit needed. R'unk saw and felt the massive energy build from the male. " Oh No." The planetary cannon. The male was about to blow him up. He would also probably take the city with him.

"NOW!" He shouted desperately. 

Two blue energy swords emerged from thin air in the hands of the special Alvear unit. They used a telekinetic jump to catch Rene. The swords went through his telekinetic skin like a hot knife through butter.

The energy swords pinned Rene into the ground like an oversized insect.