Earth. I was back on Earth. Sure, it was a simulation, but it felt good to be back. I was covered head to toe in my armored spacesuit and had my laser rifle strapped to my back. I pulled out my rifle and shouted, “Locked and loaded!”
“I’m sorry Quentin, but Scarlett wanted to join the simulation,” Zalex’s disembodied voice said. There was something about that woman. She seemed to be a bit too interested in hanging out with me. Sure, we’re more alike than anyone else on the ship, but still. She needs to start spending time with others. Then again, neither Gruma nor Harry seem to care for her. And Zalex doesn’t care for anyone.
“Hey Quentin, look at me!” shouted Scarlett’s voice. I looked in her direction and swore that a gorgeous woman stole her voice. Instead of the fox-woman, I was greeted with a pale human woman with shoulder-length red hair and bright blue eyes. Her pale skin was flawless and seemed to glow in the moonlight. Now I was even more convinced to find a way to turn her human again.
“You look beautiful,” I said as I started feeling nervous. I don’t know why, but I was nervous to talk with women I believed were out of my league. It didn’t make sense considering that I knew Scarlett and knew that this was only her avatar in a simulation. “How does it feel to have skin again?” I asked as I looked away.
“I always had skin. It just feels different to not be covered by fur. To be honest, it’s kind of chilly, but I’ll get used to it again. It’s just weird to think that I spent most of my life as a mutant slave,” she said as she shivered. Maybe I shouldn’t ask stupid questions like that again, I thought to myself.
“I hope you’re ready, because here they come!” Zalex shouted before his disembodied voice disappeared. I could hear moaning ahead of me. I pointed my rifle in that direction and waited for the enemies to show up.
It took a while, but eventually I saw shambling zombies approaching under the streetlights. I held my rifle against my shoulder as I fired into the horde. A single shot would eviscerate a zombie, turning them into green mist. I smiled as I kept shooting them. This is the best FPS I’ve played. Perhaps these simulations will be fun.
I took a moment to look back and noticed Scarlett shooting a near-continuous stream of shots. Each time she fired one pistol, she fired the other pistol as she aimed the first one. It wasn’t as effective as my strategy, but I could tell her aim was better. Though I could see that she wasn’t aiming as good as she was back on that moon. I had a suspicion about why, but I needed to get back to shooting zombies.
After a while, it got monotonous. Zombies were pathetically weak and got shredded by a single shot to their center of mass. The horde thinned out until we killed the last of them. We heard a bell sound from the sky. “Congratulations,” Zalex’s disembodied voice said. “You survived the Zombie Horde Scenario. That was rated Very Easy. Beware, most of the other scenarios won’t be this forgiving.” With that said, the simulation faded away.
When my vision went black, I reached for my head and pulled off the helmet I was wearing. I was in a pure white room with Scarlett next to me. She was no longer the gorgeous human woman. She was now the mutant that I knew. Looking at her, I could see some of that woman still around. She had the same shoulder-length red hair and bright blue eyes. And despite now having a muzzle, she had a similar face in a way I couldn’t describe. Despite how much she changed, I could now see the humanity in her. She doesn’t look ugly, but I’m not ready to say she’s pretty. I mean, she is, but that would make me sound like weirdo, I thought to myself. I will wait until I change her back.
The door to the room opened to reveal Zalex. He walked in and said, “Now it’s time for the two of you to get ready for landing. We’re almost at Daraxes.” I nodded at him and ran to the cockpit. On the way there, I saw Gruma running on a treadmill. I know she does all the exercises, but it still seems odd whenever she does cardio instead of strength.
I jumped into the captain’s seat and strapped myself in. I opened up my SAD and asked, "What are some psionic abilities I can unlock?" The screen showed me:
Psionics Inactive. Must activate before abilities can be used Abilities
Activated
Bullet Time (Slow down time to dodge, aim a shot, or think) N Psionic Jump (Boost jumping ability) N Human Tank (Ability to take physical attacks without getting serious injuries) N Speedster (Superspeed) N Mental Muscles (Superstrength) N Telekinesis N Psionics on Demand (The ability to use your abilities without needing to be in combat) N Bioelectric Pulse (Control the body's bioelectricity to unleash the power of electricity) N Slowed Aging N Immortality N
“Nice. Can I gain these skills too from psionics?” Scarlett asked as she sat down in the copilot chair.
“Yep,” I replied. I looked at my SAD and asked, “Can I make an official team on this device? You know, so we can communicate easily and see each other’s biometrics.”
“Yes,” my SAD replied. “Special Forces groups will often form official teams so they can see everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. They often do it for team planning and practice.” After a short pause, my SAD added, “You should consider completing a Psionic Activation Ritual. You can’t use my full abilities unless you do it.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in joining a cult,” I replied as I crossed my arms. Scarlett nodded and gave a thumbs up.
“Psionic Activation Rituals are not religious in nature. They require an existing being of psionic energy choosing to grant you a fraction of its power. These beings are not the gods worshipped by mortals. If they were, then all of Earth would’ve been psionic hundreds of years ago,” my SAD explained. “There are some limitations. For one, psionic powers only work with biological bodies. The cyborg you picked up would never be able to use them. Secondly, everyone has a certain limit. That’s why most psionic powers are used to boost other attributes instead of being solely psionic.”
“What do you mean?” Scarlett asked as she opened her own SAD.
“I’m going to use you for an example, beautiful,” my SAD said. Did my device just flirt with her? Granted, it'll never be reciprocated, so I guess I'll never know. It brought up potential psionic skills:
Psionics Inactive. Must activate before abilities can be used Abilities
Activated
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Bullet Time (Slow down time to dodge, aim a shot, or think) N Psionic Jump (Boost jumping ability) N Human Tank (Ability to take physical attacks without getting serious injuries) N Speedster (Superspeed) N Mental Muscles (Superstrength) N Telekinesis N Psionics on Demand (The ability to use your abilities without needing to be in combat) N Fiery Fury (Firefox) (Control the body's thermal heat to allow use of heat-based powers) N Slowed Aging N Immortality N
“With a sufficient Psionic investment, you can unlock unlisted skills such as Deadeye. Deadeye allows you to slow down time for a brief moment to fire quickly and accurately. It only works with pistols,” my SAD said.
“So we can pull off moves from the Matrix? That’s amazing!” I replied as I pretended to dodge bullets, though my seatbelt restricted my mobility. With that conversation done, I saw Gruma and Zalex enter the room and strap themselves in their seats. They were just in time as the ship entered Daraxes’s atmosphere. Gravity seemed to intensify for a minute before it returned to normal.
I looked out the window and viewed the planet below. Dry. Daraxes had very little water on it, being a desert planet. There were oases scattered around the planet, but only the polar regions had a temperate and wet climate. I had a hypothesis that Zalex was coldblooded, but I wasn’t able to test it. All I knew was that he was some kind of reptile. If Sorloks were coldblooded, it would explain why they originated from a desert planet. It was a planet perfectly suited for allowing reptiles to become the dominant lifeform.
“Land in Kazz,” Zalex ordered the ship. With the order given, the ship changed direction and flew westward. Zalex explained to us, “Daraxes is not a safe planet. Kazz is one of the few bastions of law and order on our world. While I don’t care for it, I know the rest of you care.”
As our ship descended near one of the oases, I could see that the city was full of ramshackle houses. Most were constructed from scrap. The few that weren’t were lavish palaces surrounded by high walls and with bars over the windows. It reminded me of some bad neighborhoods I walked through with my friend back on Earth. The center of the city had a fountain as its centerpiece, surrounded by a garden. Flags surrounded the garden. However, rather than a national flag, it looked like a coat of arms. On it seemed to be coiled snake holding a dagger in its mouth. Would they really be snakes considering that they’re alien animals?
As the ship descended, I could see the spaceport. It consisted of a long runway with hundreds of nearby hangers. Zalex pointed at it and explained, “You may think that it’s strange that this spaceport is small. And you’ll be correct. Only Sorloks and smugglers land on Daraxes. Even less land in Kazz since it’s one of the few places where the latter are arrested.”
Our ship landed on the runway with landing gear deployed. It then autopiloted its way to one of the hangers and parked. “You have arrived at Kazz, Daraxes. Atmosphere is breathable, but you should pack your spacesuits to be safe,” the ship announced as all our seatbelts unstrapped. I walked out of the cockpit and into my room. I changed into nice jeans, a blue polo shirt, and red sneakers. I pressed a button on the spacesuit that made it reform itself to appear as a high-tech backpack. I stuck my rifle into the backpack while I kept my pistol holstered to my side. I walked to the kitchen and filled my backpack with water. It was then that I realized we had to do something about Harry.
I had three choices of people to leave with Harry. The first choice was Gruma. The obvious flaw with that one was the inexplicable crush she had on him. I doubt she’ll betray us for him, though. She’s a safe choice. The second choice was Zalex, but I immediately struck that one off the list. Zalex is not trustworthy. He’s a thief willing to strand us on this desolate planet. The third choice was Scarlett. She had no crush on Harry as far as I knew and was trustworthy. The issue with leaving her behind was that she was very useful with her pistols. And the fact that she dresses like a cowgirl means she’s prepared for this environment.
After thinking over it, I ran to the cockpit and asked the ship, “Could I register myself as the captain so only I can use this ship?”
“Affirmative. Are you positive you wish to make yourself the only valid user? In the case of your death, this ship will be worthless,” the ship replied. I thought for a second before shaking my head.
“I would like to be the only owner, but in the case of my death, Scarlett should be the captain. She’s trustworthy and knows how to use this technology. In the case of her death, Gruma should be the captain,” I said as I thought through all the contingencies. Zalex and Harry needed to prove they could be trusted before I let them take command, especially that cyborg. Speaking of him, now was a good time to check up on him.
I walked up to the room we locked in him and opened the door. I saw him on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I closed the door behind myself and pulled a chair next to the bed. I sat down and asked, “How is your stay here?”
“Other than being disabled, strapped to a bed, and only charged once a day, it’s absolutely marvelous. Now if you could reattach my arm so I can strangle you, that’ll be great,” Harry sarcastically answered. “Maybe then you, the freak, and the lizard will disappear and leave the pretty one behind.”
“This is why I’m turning you in, Harry,” I replied with a facepalm. “And that’s why I had Zalex install a kill switch on you.”
“What!?” Harry screamed as his robotic eyes glared at me. I merely shrugged. It was a bluff, but I needed something to leverage over him.
“The choice is simple, you either let yourself be turned in, or you join the crew. If you join us, the kill switch will ensure that if you betray us, your brain is blown. If you’re turned in, we’ll deactivate it,” I threatened with a frown. I hate being the bad guy, but that’s the only way I can help him. I want to bring him home with the rest of us, but I can’t have a traitor joining us. Zalex almost ended us and he’s relatively normal.
“Fine, I’ll join, but on one condition. You and the mutt will not interact with me,” Harry replied with hatred dripping from his tongue.
“Fine by me,” I replied before shouting into the hall, “Zalex, come over here!”
Zalex ran to the room with a cart filled with robotic limbs. He shoved the cart through and said, “I decided to upgrade your gatling gun arm. Now you can shift it between gatling gun and normal modes. Having two hands is always better than one.”
“Thank you, Zalex. That’s why I tolerate you,” Harry replied as he glared at me. I shrugged and left the room. While I would like him to respect me, I knew it would take time. For now, I should be worried about what to do on this planet. Whether Zalex stays or leaves, Scarlett and I needed to stay away from Harry. I wanted to spend more time with Gruma, but Harry needed someone with him. Again, whether Zalex stayed or left didn’t change that. If he stayed, Scarlett and I would need him to find our way around the planet.
Regardless, I walked to the airlock and opened it. Unlike before, both doors opened due to being on a planet with an atmosphere. As the ramp lowered to the hanger floor, I noticed several Sorloks staring at me. “What is it?” one of the Sorloks asked as they backed away.
“Don’t worry, he’s with me,” Zalex said as he ran in front of me. The crowd started hissing, which I assumed was a bad sign. However, this time they were staring at him instead of me.
“Zalex, why do you disappoint me again?” a deep, raspy male voice asked from the back. As he approached, I could see the crowd part to make way. The figure revealed himself to be a Sorlok with blue scales and yellow eyes. He was a bit taller and lankier than the other Sorloks. He carried a gun that wouldn’t seem out of place in the 1920s. He wore a long black robe with a golden wreath on his head.
“Father? What are you doing here?” Zalex asked as he hid behind me. By this point, Gruma, Scarlett, and Harry all walked out and were in plain view of the crowd. The Sorloks looked at us with confusion before refocusing on Zalex.
“My good-for-nothing goody-two-shoes son. I’ll give you one last chance. If you fail, you and your army of freaks will be sleeping with the fishes,” the tall Sorlok threatened. Several of the other Sorloks pulled out guns of their own and pointed them at us. If only I could hide behind Zalex. Zalex, why didn’t you tell us your father was a mafia boss? And so much for a bastion of law and order.