June 25, 2075

2025 MDT

Mount Olympus, Near Colorado Springs

Kiko Farrington's Point of View

“Hercules!” Ruby blurts out as she and the others are brought in to spectate Luke’s training.

“Huh?” I ask.

“It’s Luke’s new nickname, and it’s non-negotiable, so take it or leave it,” Ruby clarifies as a few soldiers free him from his chains.

“That’s actually pretty amazing,” I say.

Ruby never ceases to surprise me.

“Hold your applause, everybody,” Ruby says with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

“Ruby, don’t you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?” Drew asks, annoyed.

“No way,” Ruby says with confidence. “Sometimes when I’m bored I play game shows, like the ones from The Old World, in my head. The host, competitors, and audience are all yours truly, of course. We were the number one show in the country at one point.”

“I hope y’all enjoyed your free trial of eternal rest because sleep is something that will not exist for the next seven days! Luke Miller! Are you ready to train?” I announce.

“I’m ready!” Luke says, full of energy.

Hah. Love is the number one motivator for humans.

“Just so you know, Annie and Jian will be watching your every move and will eliminate you without hesitation if you turn on us,” Harold warns Luke as they glance at the spectating Annie and Jian from above.

“Luke, baby! Don’t turn evil, or else I’ll have to write I love you on your heart,” she warns in an ominous tone. “In a heart!” she clarifies with a creepy smile and cheerful tone as she eats her hair and taps her revolver.

“Killing you is something that I would like to avoid, due to your potential, but if you truly are a monster and try to hurt anybody here, then I will immediately decimate you without hesitation,” Jian says in a serious tone as he glares at Luke. “It’ll be ugly, but it’ll be justice, and justice always prevails. There are also numerous amounts of soldiers ready to shoot you at all times, should you go berserk.”

“Luke, I need you to undress,” I say.

“Huh?” Luke asks in understandable confusion.

That sounded much better in my head than out loud.

“We all smell bad enough already, but we’re underground now, so the smell will be even worse, especially since you’ll be all sweaty. So… ahem. Remove the clothing from your torso,” I say.

“Fine. Whatever it takes,” Luke says with determination as he begins to remove his uniform.

“Ooooh. I’m telling Sonya,” Scarlett chuckles.

“I thought you were the mature Redheart sister,” I say to Scarlett. “Besides, it’s not like that. Everything I do and say is always professional. That’s just the kind of woman I am.”

“Right. Because the way you mounted Harold back in the interrogation room was very professional,” Scarlett says with a grin.

“Scarlett! O-M-G. You know that’s not what happened. I had an urge! An urge that required the assistance of a trusted cohort.”

“Most of us have urges, but what’s important is that you learn when to control them and when to let loose,” Scarlett annoyingly explains.

“It wasn’t like that,” I say.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“I mean, based on my astute observation of the situation, and years of experience as a police officer, it looked like you two were going to get freaky had I not walked in,” Scarlett states.

“Ugh! Definitely, maybe, probably!” I say.

“You two know I’m still here, right?” Harold reminds us.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I? Forget what I said! Sometimes my thoughts are very, very unprofessional. Luke, are you done alr-… oh my.”

He’s hot.

“Ok. Sorry for the wait. What are we doing first?” Luke says as he throws his shirt onto the floor, causing Annie to give out a loud wolf whistle.

Ah! I have to stop staring at his abs. It’s unprofessional, and you are a professional, sophisticated woman, Kiko. Don’t forget that humanity is counting on you. His abs aren’t worth drooling over. Ok, maybe if humanity wasn’t at stake, they would be, but Sonya would kill you. You can’t do that to your friends.

“Ooh, Yas!” Annie shouts in glee as she hops down and hugs Luke. “You just got upgraded from cutie-pie to hottie! Sigh. Kiss me like you kissed Sonya,” she pleads with too much happiness in her voice. “I promise I won’t tell. It’ll be our little secret between us, and it won’t be the only thing between us,” she says in a seductive tone with a devilish smirk as she rubs her index finger on his chest and gets a bit too close to his lips.

“Luke, what were you feeling the first time you activated your powers?” Harold asks with haste.

“No way! Is he jealous? Well, I suppose it makes sense from his point of view. I mean, how do you compete with a handsome eighteen-year-old young man with superpowers and a six-pack? But it doesn’t matter right now. Whether Harold is jealous or not isn’t important. What’s important is learning as much about Luke’s powers as possible before mildew lady and her moldy troops arrive. That’s why I can’t allow Harold’s need to be the alpha male get in the way of the mission. Luke Miller, his powers, and his alluring six-pack are all required to save the world. Oh, stop kidding yourself, Kiko. His enticing six-pack is exactly the kind of risqué, racy, and sensual motivation you need in your life! Hah. Just think of it as a sweet, sweet bonus for all your hard work! Oh, if only he and Sonya weren’t together. Damn it! Sonya is so clever. She knew exactly what she was doing by sealing the deal with that prolonged, ardent kiss in front of everyone before she left!”

“Kiko, you’re thinking out loud again,” Scarlett reminds me.

Ah! Don’t look at their faces!

“Ahem, enough talk! What were you feeling, Luke?”

“Well,” Luke says as he gently rejects Annie and covers his gorgeous abs with his arms.

You ass! Oh, what am I saying? Hah. It’ll take a lot more than buttery abs for me to break my professional attitude.

“I was extremely enraged. We almost finished the mission without any major injuries, but then… Teresa. If I could describe what I felt in two words, it would be pain and sorrow. The pain of watching my friend undeservedly suffer like that. The sorrow of knowing that the only way to save her was to release her from this hellish world. I didn’t want to admit it, and I honestly don’t know if I could’ve done it, but luckily Duy knew what had to be done before me. He’s the captain for a reason. He was ready to kill the person he loved if it meant she didn’t have to suffer. I don’t think I could ever commit a mercy kill to anyone in Squad Zeus. They’re the first friends I’ve ever had,” Luke calmly explains. “Eventually, I realized that a mercy kill was the only option left and then, I don’t know. I-I just punched the truck out of frustration, and then the next thing I know, Teresa is free, and the truck is flying down several blocks.”

Intriguing.

“And the second time?” Harold asks in an irritated tone.

“I felt scared. I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want anybody to die. Not even the Royals, despite how unjust they are. Human life is precious, and taking a life is insane, but sometimes it’s the only way to protect yourself and the people you love in this world,” Luke says with a somber look on his face. “Next thing I knew, I woke up with a massive headache before Sonya knocked me out for my own and the Squad’s safety.”

He’s a good man, and Sonya knows it.

“So, the common factor is emotion,” Harold and I say in unison.

“What if we…” I say.

“Recreate these experiences!” Harold finishes our sentence.

“Yes! We just have to recreate this scenario until Luke’s eyes turn red. “Attention!!! We need Luke to reexperience the severe, agonizing pain that activated his powers! We need pure borderline torture!”

“You’re saying you need someone to kick Luke’s ass?” Ruby inquires.

“Huh?” Luke asks worried.

“Yes! And no holding back! If my superb hypothesis is correct, then we don’t need to worry about any serious injuries to your body!”

“If?” Luke asks again.

“Do we have any volunteers, ladies, and gentlemen?! Who here wants to kick Luke Hercules Miller’s ass?!!”

“I volunteer,” Duy, Jian, and Harold, along with several other male soldiers shout.

“Oh, boy,” Luke says with a sigh.

“Whatever it takes, Luke,” Harold reminds him as he stretches.

“Luke, you’ll probably be struggling to breathe soon, but if it makes you feel better, struggling is just a part of the journey to success,” I say.

“That doesn’t make me feel better at all,” Luke replies with a confused look on his face.

“Well, it be like that sometimes, Luke,” I say.

Sigh. Daydreaming about lovely unprofessional things is so fun, but nothing compares to doing the one thing you’re passionate about. Experimenting! It’s such a thrill to learn new things. I get lost in the zone and lose track of time, and I absolutely freaking love it.

But Dad, Sonya, Anna, Billy, this is a silly fantasy, but I’m constantly praying that nothing terrible will happen in your mission. All I can do right now is play my role and hope for the best.