Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

“Sure, sure. Anything else?”

“Well, a little birdie told me that you have a unique ability, and that you could, maybe, possibly, give me an ability I could use for offense. Something I can use while not jacked-in to the virtual world. I would really like to be a super who could actually take care of myself instead of just being a specialty case.” She eyed Gus expectantly, trying to keep her expression demure and controlled.

“Okay, yeah, sure. But this stays between us, alright? I don’t need to tell you that if people knew what I could do, I would get a pretty big target painted on my back. The only problem is that there are so many abilities it can be hard to choose one that is perfect for you. Do you have any thoughts?” he whispered conspiratorially.

“What if we went to the Oracle and I asked her? Besides, she said she wanted to see you again, right? Kill two birds with one stone.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Gus mused. “You’re not worried what her ask will be?”

“Nah. Besides, I’m tough. And I love a good dare; it’ll be fun.”

“If you say so,” Gus said, rolling his eyes.

“Can we take one of the skip-jumps?” Yuki suggested.

“Sure—”

“And I get to drive. But you have to give me access.”

“I think I gave all of the Crew total access before I left, to… you know.”

“You sure you want to leave it that way?”

“If I can’t trust you guys, who can I trust? By the way, thanks for coming for me. It means a lot to me.”

“For all the good we did. You probably would have beat him without us there.”

Gus made the adjustments in the manor tab on his display and Yuki’s eyes rolled up in her head, showing just the whites. A few seconds later, they returned to normal.

Looking her in the eye he continued. “I realized a lot of things in that pit. About how I’ve been doing things and my relation to others. I’ve wasted a lot of time worrying about the future and lamenting my past. Using old experiences to limit what I’m doing right now. I have always felt… detached. But when I saw you guys down there… well, a lot of things clarified for me.”

Yuki looked up at Gus in silence.

“Okay, sorry to make it weird. Let’s meet up tomorrow after the meeting.”

At the meeting the next day, everyone caught up on what had happened, Gus’ story leaving out the worst of the details.

“Well, all of you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish,” Gus offered. “And if any of you need anything in the meantime, I want each of you to know that I am more than willing to help. That includes if you think there are any upgrades to the manor that will help you develop your skills; let me know and we’ll get it in the queue.”

Grimdark motioned like he was going to raise a finger, but thought better of it and shook his head.

“I mean it, anything. Yuki and I have an appointment to make—you guys will be okay here?”

With no other items the meeting adjourned and Gus and Yuki made their way to the lift.

“You know how to drive a skip-jump, Yuki? I thought you were the stay-at-home type.”

“Oh, I’ve had my eye on them for some time. I already spent some time looking through the manor’s capabilities before I had any access, so I have some idea of what’s possible. Skip-jumps have always been a passion of mine, so they caught my eye. And for the record, I am not the stay at home type, as much as everyone wants to stuff me in that box.” She emphasized the latter with the most severity Gus had ever seen on her usually playful expression.

“You mean you took flying lessons?” Gus asked, surprised that she had that training.

“Yeah? More like I took my father’s skip-jumps out for street racing without him noticing? Flying’s pretty intuitive, but racing takes skill.”

“Here, let me make a couple of preliminary changes to some settings, ‘til we get up top.”

As they exited, a large door slid down into the mountain. The hangar door yawned open and revealed myriad ships in the large area carved out of the rock. Some were large and others small. All had a vintage look to them, bubbles and curves instead of the sleek angular shapes of modern transports. It was the first time Gus had seen most of the designs as he took a good long look.

“This way, I have one picked out.” Yuki maneuvered past ships as Gus goggled. The manor had so many secrets to uncover. Finding the ship she wanted, she climbed atop it, opening a panel and checking some fuel lines. She opened the door for Gus, bowing and motioning for him to enter. He chuckled and jumped into the passenger seat. This model resembled a dragonfly, two bulbous windscreens looking like eyes.

Yuki pulled herself inside and extended a tendril from her hand directly into the front panel.

“What are you doing?”

“Upgrades,” she said with a wink.

They set down in the glade and walked into the forest. The weather was cool, but there was less fog and the lower humidity seemed to chill them less than when they had come the first time.

“I knew you would come,” a voice croaked from behind them.

The two supers started at the unexpected address. They were still a way from the Oracle’s clearing and were lost in their own thoughts. Turning, they saw her perched lazily on a large branch that hung low alongside the path.

She dropped to the ground, her knees emitting a popping sound that made Gus wince. The Oracle looked unaffected as she strode up to them. She cocked her head at Yuki and smiled and nodded.

“Very good, you are wise to come to me,” she said knowingly.

“Then you know what I want?” Yuki ventured.

“Yes, child. But you still must ask.”

“I want to