The front doors of the school burst open with a loud bang. They were nearly knocked off of their hinges.
“Scofield!” Jun shouted, his fist raised and clenched as they glowed an aqua blue. Todd leaned over to peak through the doorway. Once they were close to the school, Jun rushed ahead for his grand entrance. Todd fully expected to find him mid brawl, but surprisingly, the hallway was empty; save for one perturbed looking student in a robe.
“Shh.” the girl shushed them. “Quiet hours until dusk.”
“Where is everyone?” Todd asked as he walked inside.
“Top percentiles are prepping the final exam. The lower percentiles are doing construction or grunting at the moon, or whatever forty percent and below can spare the neurons to do.” she said with short laugh.
“What percentile are you?” Todd asked. The girl blushed.
“Fifty...” she said as she cleared her throat. “You better be working or studying or your going to fail the final exam.” the girl’s eyes flashed yellow. Todd and Jun exchanged glances. “Where’s your ranking badge?” she asked slowly.
“Allow me to show you.” Jun cracked his knuckles, but Todd ran to block his path.
“Whoa whoa. We can’t just...do that.” He said, his arms out.
“You’re right. Start with the heavy attacks.” Jun said.
“These are our classmates. They’re brainwashed, not evil. They’re not threats.” Todd replied. He turned around to face the girl. “This is called diplomacy.” he whispered. Todd walked towards her. “Hey, listen, we uh lost our badges, perhaps you would be so kind to-” the girl kicked Todd in the shin and he saw stars.
“Unranked!” she ran through the hallway shouting.
“Oh so that’s diplomacy.” Jun said.
“How does she kick so hard? Is she wearing cleats?” Todd moaned as he rolled on the ground and rubbed his leg.
“Diplomatic cleats-”
“Shut up and stop her.” Todd yelled. Jun started off after the girl, but stopped running. He put his hands together, one palm faced him and the other faced away, fingers on top of each other. He slid his hands apart and curled his middle fingers. A dark void appeared in the open gap and dark neon green chain shot out. It sped through the hall until it caught up to the girl, then wrapped itself around her. With one light tug, Jun brought her to the ground.
Todd arrived, hobbled, just as Jun released the girl. “You like that?” He snarled. “I should sucker kick you!”
“Whoa, easy there Todd Stewart.” Jun said. He helped the girl stand up. “Sorry about him. Some guys are savages.” The girl gave weary look at Todd and moved closer to Jun. “Where is the final exam being held?”
----------------------------------------
“Yeah, that’ll do it. Classic creepy cult.” Jun said. He and Todd stood on a small hill, a good distance away from the football field. There were students rushing back and forth; few placed papers on the various stadium seats, while the rest were constructing a structure in the middle of the field from desks and chairs.
“This is bad.” Todd said as the wind kicked up. He looked towards the sky. “Dusk will be here soon too.”
“You afraid of the dark or something?”
“No, I’m afraid of the mind breaking, horror creature set to emerge, and expects you to make good on a very premium promise.”
“Oh yeah, that. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”
“I’m very worried. You saw how they talked about Nedd’s debt and he’s one of their own! There’s no way he owes nearly what we do.” Todd said. Jun shrugged as he continued to look ahead.
“Maybe, I don’t know. I just made it up.” he said. “Well I heard the southern guy...dog...whatever mention it and I just ran with it. But it’s handled.”
“You made a deal for our lives with a demon dog on the basis of ‘don’t worry it’s handled’?” Todd shouted.
“Keep it down.” Jun said.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a smidgen more stressed than you.” Todd said sarcastically. He took a breath. “I’m grateful for you going to, well wherever we were to save me, but we might have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
“Oh. Yeah, right...” Jun’s eyes shifted from side to side. “You know me, a real life saver. Anyway, I’m not one for cooking so let’s just focus on the main goal: me beating the flannel off of Nedd Scofield.”
“That’s not a plan. Todd said. He turned towards Jun. “We’re the only ones who can get everyone back to normal, and we may only get one shot.” Jun pinched the bridge of his nose.
“That’s assuming we can, I mean, you saw Viktor. We need to eliminate the threat, not chase potentially impossible happy endings. I’m in charge of the plan of attack, and the plan is attack. I’ve been on actual missions before. If we need entertainment for a baby’s birthday party, then you and your little cards can take the lead.” he said. Todd flushed and his face twisted into a scowl.
“Oh these so called missions.” Todd shouted. “You did such a good job the one person here who went with would rather stay locked up.” As soon as he finished, Todd felt a lump in his throat and a pit in his stomach. Jun slowly turned around, his eyes narrowed.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
“What did you say?”
“I...uh...I didn’-” Todd stammered as Jun lunged forward and tackled him to the ground. Todd had never been in an actual fight before, and his brain’s search for what to do, came up empty. Fortunately, his body seemed to operate solely on instinct and he kicked, punched, rolled, blindly. Unfortunately, Todd’s lack of experience turned all his efforts into a sort of awkward flailing; with the even more unfortunate result of Todd left in a choke hold.
He clawed at Jun’s jacket covered arm, but when it wouldn’t budge he tapped out. It took a scary moment, where Jun actually seemed to squeeze tighter, before Todd was released. He fell to the ground and grabbed his throat.
Todd looked up at Jun as he gasped for air, ready to say some rude things, and noticed the redness in the boy’s eyes. Todd looked away. “Look, I’m s..oh, hello.” Todd forced a smile and Jun turned around. Gunther stood a few feet away, and several hall monitors floated next to him. One by one their lights started to glow. “I-” Todd felt a jolt and then blackness.
----------------------------------------
Todd dreamed that was he being given award by Sarah for the first ever 10.0 gpa. He felt serene and happy as Ivan was forced to watch his all Todd’s homework be stamped with A after A after A. Suddenly, a shadowy, hooded figure emerged from the crowd. It laughed which revealed sharp fangs, and red eyes lit up as lighting shot from its hands and caused everyone to scatter. Todd started to cry out when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his face.
“Ouch.” Todd shouted. He blinked, he was tied to chair at a desk in an empty classroom.
“Todd Stewart it’s about time you woke up. Sleep time is over.” Jun said. Todd blinked several times to get his bearings. He was inside of an empty classroom, tied to a chair. Jun stood in front of him with a blank expression on his face. Todd heard a noise come from the ceiling, he looked up and thought he saw a flash of something go across the vent.
Todd lowered his head, and turned to face Jun but stopped when he noticed was Jun similarly tied to a chair next to him. Todd’s eyes widened and he slowly looked towards the front of the room and found Jun still there.
“What? How? Wh-” Todd nearly toppled over.
“Todd, you’re going to see a lot of strange things from on here on as I use my powers. I can’t have you fainting every single time.”
“I’m sorry...I just don’t see people replicate themselves on a regular basis!” Todd shouted. “How many can you do? Can he...it...you...untie me?”
“The clones are temporary, few, not that hardy, and can only do one non complex program. This one was made to slap you.” Jun said. “We need to assess resources. You have anything with you that might help?”
“Besides my phone, just a my deck of cards.”
“Yeah, thanks, that will be really helpful.”
“What’s your problem with me?” Todd shouted.
“Everything!” Jun yelled back. The door handle turned and the clone in front of Todd dissipated.
“You know, for as much as you act like some super cool pro mission guy, you suck at this stuff.”
“That’s cause I’m surrounded by the weakness!”
“What the what? What are you two doing here?” Nedd asked, an incredulous look on his face.
“Hello Nedd.” Jun replied. His tone taunted.
“Him, I understand, but you, Todd? How did Canis not immediately devour you?”
“Ah ha!” Todd shouted. “So you admit to...sending two kids to...another realm with a giant demon dog....well the actual crime is for the courts to decide.”
“Of course I admit it you fool. I have no reason not to, my plan is already in motion.”
“Why us?” Todd asked.
“He got tired of being a lackey, a thrall.” Jun said. Nedd slapped desk in front of Todd.
“Do not call me that.” Nedd snarled. He took a deep breath. “I entered an agreement whereby Canis gives me a tiny boost in intellectual prowess, didn’t need much, and in exchange-”
“He feeds off your stress and best ideas. That’s really gotta eat at you, no pun intended. All your best work goes to waste.” Jun said.
“That’s why you acted so weird in those videos.” Todd said slowly. “You were having your brain siphoned or whatever. That’s why your company is so second rate.”
“Videos? Oh. First of all, those are private diary entries. Rude. Secondly, I was keeping...Canis from taking the only idea that matters through sheer force of will. That’s how good I am. And it’s not second rate! It’s doing very well and is the top software company in the world, named after it’s founder from the United States, located in the southwest region. For last year.”
“And with project helmet that won’t be problem any more right?” Gunther said proudly. Nedd clamped his hands to his head and closed his eyes.
“Toothbrush with timed release of toothpaste and mouth wash.” he muttered over and over as he rocked back and forth. The suddenness and bizarre nature of the scene was surreal and Todd felt uncomfortable. Nedd stopped and opened one eye; it had the yellow glow. “Great, there goes my big fall launch.” he said.
“Actually not a bad idea.” Jun said. Nedd pointed at Gunther while he struggled to find the right words.
“Get out.” he said through gritted teeth. Gunther lumbered out of the classroom. “You understand what it’s like. Working with idiots is maddening. That’s why I chose you at all.” Nedd said, looking at Todd.
“Chose me?” Todd asked.
“To pull a switcheroo.” Jun said. He was staring at the ceiling. He lifted his head. “Yeah, I’ve seen the videos too.”
“Wait You threw us into Canis’ lair and expected what? He’d go for a newer model and drop you?”
“No. I tried that. All I got was a half breed, former school journalist to be a thorn in my side for a year. No, my new plan would need to include the traditional method.”
“Viktor!” Todd said.
“Except your plan is still stupid, because there’s no way someone as greedy as Canis would take him and let you walk away. Specially when you owe so much.” Jun said.
“Owe. Owe. What a ridiculous concept. It’s his system, he gives powers, those powers are well, powered by, the same items he treasures so much. And I owe him? No. Everything with Canis was to buy time and to bait the hook.”
“Then I don’t understand.” Todd said.
“Twenty-four years ago, I was just like you, except smarter and more ambitious. I yearned to achieve more than my peers or teachers would allow. Any time I flew close to the sun, they clipped my wings. Said I was ‘putting other students at risk’, ‘insulting their intelligence’, ‘had a punchable face’. All cries from ants watching a god stride far beyond their comprehension.”
“They weren’t wrong.” Jun muttered.
“One day, I arrived at detention for accidentally poisoning the class hamster, allegedly, and there was the most wonderful and peculiar equation on the chalkboard. It elegantly, and magnificently involved every subject in school, and it was difficult. Oh so beautifully difficult.” Nedd looked wistfully towards the front of the room. “I had to solve it, more than that, I couldn’t not solve it. I worked and worked at it, and made some progress but didn’t get an answer. It drove me mad, I lost sleep, chunks of time gone, I barely ate. All in service of solving that equation.”
Todd’s eyes widened. “No.” he said quietly.
“Oh yes, Todd Stewart. This whole time you were following in my footsteps and answering the great equation. You never thought your homework was odd? It was different from whatever everyone else was assigned. You were given the equation and your overachieving little mind pushed you to figure it out. What do you think you were doing in those gaps of time?” Nedd smiled. “Your mind even worked on the equation when you thought you were asleep. I have the log-ins on DEN.”
“That’s monstrous.” Todd said. “But so productive...”
“Right?!” Nedd said enthusiastically. “That’s what the power of Canis provides.”
“It didn’t work though, did it?” Jun asked.
“Yeah, I never changed. You failed.” Todd added. Nedd frowned.
“For some reason it wouldn’t take. You’d be close and something would pull you back. I didn’t think that was possible.” Todd and Jun exchanged smiles until a slow grin appeared on Nedd’s face. “Then I realized I didn’t need you to become like me. You’re right Jun, that mangy mutt is so avaricious and indolent, he’d jump at the chance to have two. Or even...more.”
“What are you saying?” Todd asked slowly, but the frightening realization had already unfolded.
“I’m saying that come dusk, your entire school will be sacrificed, and Canis will be destroyed.” Nedd said, his excitement palpable.
“Destroyed?” Todd asked.
“You think you can destroy Canis?” Jun asked.
“I know I can.”
“So then why are we tied up here? Why do any of this? We could work together.” Todd shouted.
“Omelets. Isn’t that correct Jun?” Nedd asked. Todd looked at Jun then back at Nedd; Jun’s only reaction was to look away. “You are far more useful here. Or you were.” He chuckled the confusion on Todd’s face. “I spread the work you did on the equation to the other students. So really you turned them all into what they are and what they will become. You were the conduit. Every right answer brought them further and further along.” Todd felt his heart race.
“What will they become?” Todd finally asked.
“Mindless.” Nedd hissed.