The stops they took on their impromptu trip extended the time far beyond what Victor had wanted. They were gone for three weeks and were nowhere close to reaching their destination. Lillie has asked him to stop at every settlement to spread the Recon Shells.

The process had tired her out, but she seemed to like it. And it wasn’t a lie to say they helped. The more she made, the more they improved in functionality. There were a limited set that could even send videos now, which amazed Victor. It was almost like having a smartphone back… minus all the apps and distractions.

Loki and Victor trained as well, letting Victor finally get a handle on his new Seed. The Bloody Tear was an obvious answer, especially since Victor had seen the power Amadeus could unleash with it.

Red lightning drained his foes of their strength, adding it to his own. If he spilled the blood of other Vices, it empowered him further, and he could shape them into weapons for his own use.

He hadn’t unlocked its cloning abilities yet and knew they would be far off once he looked at the progression tree for it. If he just knew how to fill those requirements…

“Hey, what’s with this heavy case?” Lillie asked from the car. They had some MREs ready and Lillie was the only one who was familiar with how they worked. While she was waiting for them to finish cooking, she’d brought out a briefcase Victor had stored in the trunk.

“Don’t touch that!” Victor shouted. He ended his match with Loki, much to the other Wielder’s disappointment.

“It’s a gift to someone we’re about to meet,” Victor told her.

“An old friend?” Lillie asked.

“Not entirely…”

****

Victor hadn’t told her then, but when they arrived, the location spoke for itself. New Columbia’s walls rose up high and sectioned off the city from the rest of the desert. Although, they weren’t as tall nor as fortified as they’d been in Victor’s previous life. that was the benefit to coming so early.

If negotiations went south, Victor would most likely have an easier time escaping the place. When they parked their car in front of the Gates of New Columbia, a squadron of soldiers came out to greet them, weapons held high.

Lillie and Loki readied themselves for a fight, but Victor sat still.

“Don’t let them psyche you out. And try not to let weird thoughts into your head. They’re not exactly keeping the people happy through their welfare programs,” Victor told them as he stepped out of the car.

The soldiers trained their guns on him and their leader barked an order.

“Identify yourself!”

“Victor Amadi. Resident of Oakland. I’m here to talk to President Jeffords,” Victor told them.

“Take him in,” the order wasn’t directed at him.

Voltaic Form Level 2.

Before they could cuff him, Victor blitzed past the soldiers there. in a second, they went sprawling to the ground, leaving him and the leader as the only men standing.

“I’m not here to hurt you, but I’m also not going to let you imprison me. Can I just meet the President? Please?”

If it were a civilian, they would’ve been shaking in fear. It was a testament to his training that the soldier just spoke into a walkie-talkie instead and nodded a few orders to people around him.

“You can come. But the other two have to stay outside,” the soldier told him. his finger wasn’t on the trigger, but Victor could see it twitching.

“Fine by me.”

Then he was led inside, with the only concession being the briefcase he was allowed to bring with himself.

****

When Victor entered the President’s tent, the memories came rushing back to him. it was the same place he’d started his fight, and near to where he’d almost lost it. Only Professor Cooper had saved his life, and he wasn’t around the camp this time.

Alexander Jeffords was the same as before, if a bit more shrivelled looking. Mei Li was beside him as always, with an icy glare ready for Victor. If he didn’t know any better, it was like she remembered him.

He just hoped that wasn’t the case, as he went to greet the former President.

“Welcome, son. I apologize for the reception. We’re a bit high on security nowadays, what with the Gate and all,” Jeffords told him.

“No issues, Mr. President. I understand completely. You never know who could be a Wielder and what could be a Vice pretending,” Victor said as he shook the man’s hand. His grip was weaker than Victor remembered too.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Speaking of which, Mr. Amadi. That stunt the boys told me you pulled. How did you manage that?” Jeffords asked.

“Just training, sir. I’m sure you have your own men helping,” Victor told him.

“We do, but one of our best isn’t around. I lost him once this whole fiasco started,” Jeffords lamented.

“I’m sorry for that, Mr. President. Here, I’ve brought something I think might help alleviate some of that,” Victor said as he brought out the case.

Mei Li stepped in front of Jeffords as soon as Victor did.

“Open it yourself,” she said with a glare.

“Oh… sorry, yeah.”

Victor placed the case on the ground as Mei Li urged Jeffords backwards. When he was done, the case opened to reveal a set of Seeds that glimmered. Communication, Fire, Lightning and a slew of other miscellaneous Seeds that Victor could spare for the case were stuffed inside, waiting for a Wielder to take them. It wasn’t much of a fortune, but the quality of them should’ve helped Victor with what came next.

“I’m giving these as a show of good faith, Mr. President. So that we can work together in the future,” Victor said, before closing the case and pushing it towards his assistant.

Mei Li took the case and placed it on the table that took up most of the tent. Jeffords rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“That’s awful nice of you, son. But I don’t understand what exactly you’re asking from us here,” he told Victor.

“I’d like to discuss it further, but your assistant…”

Mei Li was glaring daggers at him.

“Mr. President, don’t listen to him. Why does he want to speak to you alone?” she asked him.

“It’s fine, Mei Li. I wanna hear this,” Jeffords told her.

He dismissed her and the soldiers around them both. That left just Victor and the President. Despite their isolation, the President wasn’t relaxed. His fists were clenched and he darted his eyes over Victor, as if expecting an attack at any moment.

“I want you to join me,” Victor said.

“In what?”

“Survivors. You’ve got manpower here that I could use to protect my people better. I’ve even got Professor Cooper, who could help us both find the perfect Seeds to equip each Wielder,” Victor told him.

“How do you know about him?” Jeffords asked, seeming to grow a little agitated.

“I’ve come across him. he helped me pick out the right Seeds, study the other world and the Vices that roamed it.”

“Seems you’re doing plenty well on your own, son. But I’d be happy to have you join under me. It’ll make bringing this country back from the brink much easier,” Jeffords told him.

“You’ve got it wrong. I don’t want my people under yours. This is an alliance, on equal footing.”

“And you want to do that, knowing full well you’d be up against us? Listen to me son. I’ve dealt with disasters; I’ve got experience. Let me handle it instead and we’ll get somewhere,” Jeffords told him.

“And I’d welcome the counsel. But you’re not controlling us,” Victor told him. “Not like your own people.”

The President took a step backwards.

“How do you know about that?” he asked.

Victor knew his next words would decide whether the former President ever came with him. So, he decided on the truth.

“I’ve lived a life after the Fall over three times, Mr. President. Whatever experience you think you’ve got, I’ve got more. This isn’t the worst of it. Not even close. Every month and every year, it’ll get worse. And none of us will survive unless we work together,” Victor explained.

“From the future, huh?” Jeffords said with a scoff. “Nice tall tale. My scientists say its impossible, even with Seeds. You’re bluffing.”

Voltaic Form Level 2. Speedup.

Victor zipped in front of the president and grabbed him by the collar. He raised the man into the sky.

“You had a wife, two sons and a daughter. All of them died on a visit to a military base when the Fall happened. You built New Columbia around a Gate to harvest the Seeds and materials from within it. And you wanted Professor Cooper with you because you thought he was a genius who could unravel what Seeds were and how to get yourself a best fit.”

Jeffords struggled in his grasp. He tried to shout, but Victor stopped him from releasing a breath.

“Is that enough for you, Mr. President. Or do I need to go further?”

Jeffords struggled for only a few more moments before admitting defeat. He collapsed onto the floor of the tent once Victor released him. Then he hacked and coughed. Victor knelt down beside him and felt sorry for the old man.

“I’ve got two years on you, Jeffords. I’ll have lived forty years by the end of this if I fail again, and then you’ll forget, and I’ll have to come back to have this exact same stupid argument. Stop. Resisting.”

Victor offered him a hand, but Jeffords knocked it away. He stood up by himself, using the table as a brace.

“Can you… can you get them back?” Jeffords asked. He’d forgotten all about his rage and had tears welling up in his eyes.

“If I could go back further, maybe. But… I’m stuck to coming back the day the Fall happens. And then, in ten years, when the world gets destroyed, I get sent right back to that day,” Victor told him.

“Then it’s pointless…”

He slumped down in a chair. All the energy had been sucked right out of him, and he was left an old man like any other.

“You can still serve your country, Jeffords. Do right by them, the way you couldn’t your family,” Victor explained.

That seemed to stir the man a little.

“Fine. Have it your way, son. I suppose you are older than me now,” Jeffords said.

Mei Li and the guards came back in later and were appalled at the President’s condition, but he waved away their concerns. He was left with one of the Recon Shells and gave away a part of his standing army to Victor.

A few days later, Victor was racing back to Angel Heights, with a small retinue of Wielders that he needed to train. Jeffords had decided to tag along, noting that the Recon Shells made it easier for him to issue orders from far away. Mei Li also came along with him, and she seemed to trust Victor even less.

He’d accept that, as long as he had New Columbia’s resources at their disposal.

****

When they came back to Angel Heights, Victor set to training immediately. Altar was next on his list of Vices to take down, and he needed to be prepared. When he was ready, he ambushed Grandsmith and popped out to take Altar’s life.

And this time, he didn’t just bring Scepter, but Yukir as well. Altar tried his best to skitter around and protect himself from the fighting, but Yukir knocked him down from the side of the Grandsmith while Scepter riddled him full of holes.

It was a gruelling battle, but Victor was glad that his group had made it out alive. Leo let the rock shield drop and Victor approached Altar’s twitching form again.

“Something I still don’t understand. Why attack earth? What do you get out of it?”

The giant bug breathed its last in defiance of Victor.

“You’re dying. There’s no way around that. You’ve got nothing to lose so, just tell me!” Victor ordered.

“F-for us…. Sustenance… power. For Nirvana, your death…”

And then Altar faded. His Seeds popped up on his body, and Victor confiscated them. Yukir looked dispassionately on the corpse of the Vintaric, and then at Victor.

“Don’t make me assist in a killing again.”

“Aidano assured me you’d help,” Victor countered.

“I love him, as I do the rest of the Tetni. But I do not love this,” Yukir told him.

Victor chuckled as he left through the Gate. He’d gotten the only Angelo in the world who didn’t like killing. Just his luck.