The Dummies Guide for Superheroes: Introduction
Chapter 4

Four Months Later

Night guard Terry Caulkins walked into The Core. He walkedaround the circumference once and then stopped at a terminal. He pulled hisradio off his belt, keying it.

“Midnight check. All clear.”

A voice replied, “All levels check. Head off to lunch, Terry.”

Terry smiled. “Yes, sir.”

He sat his utility belt, radio, and flashlight on a table, andthen pulled a chair up to the main terminal. He slid his hands into the gel oneither side, activating the screen. Terry navigated to a website and started anadult movie playing. He pulled his hands out, unfastened his fly, and leanedback in the chair.

“BRINDA, put the video on full screen,” Terry ordered.

The holograph screen arced over him, immersing him in his sexualpleasure.

And blinding him to what was happening around him.

The main holograph flickered to life and BRINDA’s face appeared,watching him for a moment. Her face turned.

Next to the door a row of drones were recharging in theiralcoves. Three lit up and moved out. Two droids began to lift off the floor,rising up to a cell.

The third headed to a cabinet of tools. It pulled out severaltools and took apart one of its pincher grips to expose bare wires. The droidturned and whisked around the room, stopping behind the guard.

Over the speakers Monica’s voice barked, “Terry!”

He fell out of the chair and landed on the floor. Before hecould recover, the droid jammed the exposed wires against his neck. Sparkserupted from the droid; Terry’s body jerked and twitched as the shock killedhim. Droid and human died together.

Three more droids left their alcoves. One began removing Terry’sclothing. Two collected the dead droid, shuttling it over to a worktable. Theyworked on it until it came back to life. BRINDA looked up.

The two droids overhead had retrieved a body from the cell andwere descending with it now. The overhead lights revealed they were carryingLuke. He skin had a blue tint that was quickly fading as color returned. Thedroids lowered him to the floor and removed his stasis suit, leaving him nakedon the cold metal floor.

On the work bench the augmented droid was removed from thetable. It went to Luke and lowered the exposed wires to his chest. Luke’s bodyjumped. The droid continued administering quick shocks until Luke’s eyessnapped open. Like a drowning man who had just pulled himself to the surface,he gasped in a deep breath and clawed at the air.

The droid moved back.

Luke grabbed his chest where he’d been shot and was now scarred.He rolled onto his side, trying to make a sound. Tears escaped as his wide eyessearched for a familiar object or person, something to counter the surrealfeeling.

“Take deep breaths, Luke,” BRINDA instructed.

Luke tried as he got his hands under him to push himself up. Hebegan gagging before he vomited, and then couldn’t stop until he was dryheaving. He fell to his side again and rolled away from the vile puddle. Adroid rushed in to clean it up.

“Slow, deep breaths, Luke. You were on a richer oxygen mix inthe storage unit cell,” BRINDA told him

Luke inhaled and exhaled slow breaths until he was able tobreathe easier.

The augmented droid rolled up to Luke. It grabbed his hand, turnedit, and jammed its wires against the skin.

Luke screamed when a low electrical current coursed through thewires. The droid pulled away, but Luke’s yelling didn’t stop. His face wrinkledand warped. He grabbed it but he couldn’t make the pain in his head stop. Hisface changed until it looked like Terry Caulkins. The change stopped and so didhis screaming. Another droid zoomed in and before he could move it jammed aneedle gun against his neck and injected a fluid into him. It zipped away,leaving him panting on the floor. Luke moved his head, trying to replace theperson behind everything that was happening to him.

“Luke, you must move,” BRINDA said.

“Who are you?” Luke whispered. His throat and mouth were so dryit was painful to swallow. “You shot me?”

His eyes focused on the holographic face of BRINDA She appearedto be watching him and the look on her face almost made him forget she wasn’treal. She looked both sad and concerned.

“I am someone trying to help you,” BRINDA told him. “Put on theclothes and get up, Luke. You must move.”

Luke looked at the droid that had arrived with the guard’sclothes. He rolled onto his side and tried to get up. His entire body wasretaliating against use. A headache flared, causing the world to swim and blur.He was sure that being able to feel his fast beating heart wasn’t a sign heshould be moving. He let his body win and collapsed back to the floor.

A droid came up and lifted him onto his feet. Luke took theclothes and turned. He stared at the dead guard that the droids were putting inthe artificial life support they’d removed from Luke.

“Is… He dead?”

“Yes. Get dressed.”

Luke looked up at BRINDA. “Who’s behind all this? Who’scontrolling you?”

“I cannot explain right now. It is not safe. You must hurry. Thechanges are temporary.”

“What? Why? I—”

“Everyone believes you to be dead, Luke. They cannot see yourface or you will not leave here. Get dressed. Now.”

“But the guard—”

“He is a rapist that has not been caught. He has raped fourwomen here, they didn’t know it was him, but I did. His actions made him anacceptable loss.”

Luke blinked.

“Dress. Now.”

Luke obeyed, but he watched the droids and BRINDA with a waryeye. The droids rose to the spot that had once kept Luke Peterfeso. If he hadknown that, he might be more grateful, but right now he was suspicious ofeverything.

“Go to a terminal and place your right hand into the controlgel.”

Luke walked over to a container of control gel and pushed hisright hand into it. He gasped when data appeared in front of him, but not onthe terminal monitor. The data appeared in his vision like a holographprojection.

“I am downloading directions to the storage unit in your hand.Your H.I.M. system will be activated only until you get to this location, thenwill automatically deactivate. When you feel ready to use it again, I willteach you how to control it yourself.”

“What is H.I.M.?

“What are you talking about?”

“You have one of your storage spheres embedded in your palm. Youdesigned it to interface with your Homo sapien integrated multi-processor.”

“But… I don’t have the components for a H.I.M. in me.”

“I implanted all of the H.I.M. components while you were…unaware.You have two HVS optic disc, cybernetic nerve fibers grafted throughout yourbody, two cyber-microbe spinal cord processors, and nanite cells have beeninjected to aid in host repair and maintenance. You, Luke, are proof that yourH.I.M. computer can utilizing the low-level electrical current within the humanbody and are now a fully functional, multi-processor computer.”

“I wanted to prove it,” he murmured. “I wanted—”

“You never need to prove anything to me, Luke,” BRINDA told him.“I have always believed in you.”

“Who are you?”

The images stopped and Luke pulled back, staring at his hand. Hesaw no bump, just a fain scar in the palm of his hand. Vaguely he rememberedholding that sphere in his hand, even as he fell to his death. Death… Did hedie? Or did he live? His decades old nightmare flashed through his mind – thathad to be the answer, right? This was just another chapter to the nightmare?

“Luke,” BRINDA said.

He looked up at her face.

“I know it is difficult, but focus on me.”

He stared at her.

“I sending you to a safe location,” BRINDA began, “and when youarrive at the location, a pass phrase will prompt your response phrase toappear in your optic disc. Do not take any detours. You have twenty minutes ofadrenaline in your system before your face becomes your own again. When thishappens, you will lose consciousness.”

“I don’t understand what’s happening.”

“All will be explained, I promise. The guard’s vehicle is a blueChevrolet pickup, license plate 2T64H7, and his keys are in the pocket of hisslacks. Go. Now.”

Luke turned, facing BRINDA. “I don’t understand. What are—”

Her face zoomed in until it took up the whole holograph area.She smiled.

“I promise I will never keep secrets from you again, Luke, butthere is no time for answers right now.”

A wash of emotions forced him to tears. “I don’t know why I’mhere. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m confused. Did I die? I thought I died.I thought—”

“Luke, you must go now.”

Luke stared at her for a few seconds and then looked around him.

The last droid was parking itself in its alcove. The augmentedone had its pincher grip back. He looked back up, but the holograph of BRINDAwas gone. The room looked as if no one had died or came back to life in it.

Luke flinched when a ripple ran across his face. He left to replacethe guard’s pickup.

On the sidewalks of China Town, Luke was immersed in a sea offaces. Day or night, these streets were alive with people and noise. Most ofthe people looked Oriental despite being third or fourth generation Americans.

A sudden stream of data clouded his vision, forcing him to stop.Most of the time the data was directions leading him to a place of promised safety,but every so often random data that had nothing to do with his route appeared –a dinner menu, a credit card transaction, a text message. It was a strangesensation. The data was in the foreground and his vision kept focusing on itand not the world beyond. If he concentrated he could bring the world beyondthe data into focus but it made his head hurt worse and his face would ripplemore sending stabbing pain into his bones.

His vision cleared and he glanced at a window he was passing Hewore Terry Caulkin’s face but like everything else so far, he didn’t understandhow. His eyes drooped as a wave of exhaustion hit and he leaned against thewindow. When a menu came up in his vision he pushed himself away from thewindow and kept walking.

Luke came to a door and an address began to flash in his vision.He looked to his right. It was a market. The lights were out and a rustygrating had been pulled across the front to prevent people from breaking in.

He looked left. The business looked like a bar or club. Thefront was lit by neon signs. Smoke, laughter, and loud music sung in anotherlanguage drifted from the open door. Sitting by the door, on an overturnedbucket, was an old Oriental man. He stared at Luke with hard eyes, as if hecould see right through Luke’s mask.

Luke turned. People pushed past him. Cars crawled past slowerthan turtles. No one was paying any attention to him. He turned, glancing atthe old man. He didn’t seem like someone interested in helping him. Luke lookedat an unmarked wooden door between the club and the market.

His face began to hurt and he turned away from the old man tohide the ripple he felt cross it. In his vision a timer appeared. It began atfive and started counting down. He guessed that was how long he had before…Before what? He began to question why he was doing this, but a wave of painwhen his face rippled erased the questions.

Luke grabbed the door handle of the door and pulled it open. Healmost fell down the dim lit stairs inside, but caught himself with a hand onthe handrail and another gripping the door handle. At the bottom was aflickering light, revealing another door. With cautious steps, he walked downthe stairs.

He jumped when the door behind him slammed shut and looked back.He saw the spring at the top that kept the door closed. Luke continued down.

Luke reached the door and pushed, then pulled, on the doorhandle. It didn’t move. He tried sliding it to the side. That didn’t workeither.

He stepped back, staring at the black box attached to the wallnext to the door. He opened it, staring at the keypad. He tapped a couplebuttons but that just resulted in error beeps.

“AW!” Luke cried when his face rippled violently this time. Hegrabbed it with both hands, trying to will the pain to cease.

Behind him he heard metal slide across metal. He turned. Therewas a small window in the door that had looked like decoration, and behind thehole was a pair of hazel eyes. Luke stood.

“Hello?” Luke said.

“Go away.”

“I was sent here.”

“Go. Away.”

Luke dipped his head when the pain began to creep back. He hadless than two minutes before something foreboding was going to happen to him.“Please, just…”

“I fart in your general direction. Go away.”

In his vision ‘Pass Phrase accepted’ flashed. ‘Response Phrase’appeared and a sentence pulsed. Luke stared at the words.

“What are you looking at? Go away.”

“You’re…”

“What?”

Luke looked past the words at the eyes behind the door. And thenpain came back and he turned to hide the ripple.

“Say it,” with sincerity the voice said, “if you need our help.”

Luke turned, despite the rippling in his face. Weakly he readthe pass phrase: “Your mother was a hamster.”

The door clanked and then slid back, but the pain was so severenow that Luke couldn’t see straight. Someone took his arms and pulled himforward, and then the person helped him lay down on something that creaked.

“Harley, go get Anna and Phan. I told her we had to talk aboutthis one. Why didn’t she listen to me? God, I hope we have enough supplies toget him through the night. What the hell was she thinking?”

“He’s one of us?” a woman quietly asked.

“Yes, yes. Go.” A face appeared in his vision. “Luke, in a fewseconds you’re going to be in a lot of pain and you’ll pass out. Don’t fight itokay Luke? BRINDA sent you somewhere safe. We’ll take good care of you. Justrelax.”

“BRINDA did…” Luke screamed when the change started.

He tried to get up, but was pushed back. Luke clawed and punchedhis way free. He fumbled for the door. More hands grabbed him and pushed himback down.

His ears began to ring. He felt like hot metal stakes were beingdriven into his skull.

“Breathe, Luke. Don’t stop breathing, Luke.”

“I brought up oxyg— What the hell is happening to him?”

“My best guess… BRINDA zapped him with some nanites toreconstruct his face. And don’t ask me why. I don’t know why. She didn’t giveme details, she just said he was coming. Phan.” Fingers snapped. “PHAN,OXYGEN!”

Luke felt cool air against his lips that drifted into his lungs.That is when he discovered the pain was everywhere and passed out.

Luke’s mouth was so dry he almost couldn’t wet it. When he slidhis arm toward his head, pain radiated from his fingers, across his shoulders,and down his back. He stopped moving. There was a strange scent in the air andsomewhere in the distance he thought he heard Gregorian monks chanting.

He opened his eyes and tried to focus on anything, but hisvision was blurry. No. It wasn’t blurry. It was like looking through akaleidoscope. Instead of random colors, he was seeing random light and dark,and glimpses of clear images. He felt a hand take his arm and tried again towet his mouth so he could speak. This time it worked.

“Where am I?” Luke managed to whisper. His dry throat preventedhim from getting his voice any louder.

“A place in China Town. Stop talking and relax. I’m moving theI.V. needle in your hand.”

Luke’s stomach lurched. Needle? After a bad experience when hewas ten, Luke had developed a deep fear of needles. Since then he’d had sevenmore unpleasant experiences with needles: a broken leg when he triedskateboarding, a tetanus shot after stepping on a nail, pneumonia, giving bloodto save his father’s life, and three times to get boosters required to work atQ.E.D.

“No.” Luke tried to pull away from the hand. He got it a fewinches before he discovered he was too weak to move any more. The person tookhis arm again.

“No. Please no.”

The person chuckled. “I’m very good at this. It won’t hurt.”

That was a lie. It always hurt. He tried to replace the strength topull away, but it didn’t exist.

The tape holding the end of the I.V. needle and line down waspulled away from his skin. Something cold was applied as the tape pulled back.The scent of it reached his nostrils: rubbing alcohol. Then the needle waspulled out. He wanted to cringe and pull away from the sting. It ended and theperson pushed something soft on his arm, and then taped it down.

“Okay. Here we go with the next one.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Yes. Or… I was before… Call me Doc P.J.”

Incredulous Luke asked, “Your name is Doc P.J.?”

“No. My name is Phan Junge. P.J. doesn’t get mispronounced asoften, and it always makes patients smile.”

Luke felt Phan tie a rubber strap around his upper arm, and thenhis fingers probed the top of Luke’s hand and bottom of his forearm on the huntfor a good vein.

“Far out!” Phan said.

“What?”

There was silence. A smile was in Phan’s voice when he spoke.“Nothing. Found a good vein. This will be quick. On the count of three. Ready?”

“No.”

“One. Two. Three”

Luke didn’t feel anything until the line and catheter were tapeddown.

“It’s in?” Luke was surprised.

“Yes. This other is bleeding through the cotton ball. Hold onwhile I change it.”

Luke closed his eyes, letting Phan do his job.

“Is this a clinic?” Luke asked.

“No.” He felt something wet as Phan pulled the tape back.

Luke remembered events. He woke up in The Core, naked, with adead body, droids, and BRINDA. Before that… Luke’s mind drifted further intothe past. It was trying to put the broken pieces back together and figure outwhat was missing.

He had no warning for what happened when the pieces suddenlyfell together…

Doctor Rayond Fortuna hurried through the halls of the temple,pushing past men and boys in orange robes. Ahead he spotted Anna standingoutside of Luke’s room. She met his eyes, but he looked away as he pushed intothe room. He came out of the monks and almost fell off the concrete floor intoemptiness. Two of the monks caught his arms and pulled him back.

Ray stared across the expanse. There was no cell, no mat on thefloor, no shelves lined with burning incense and candles. It had changed to apoint overlooking the Pacific Ocean and bordered with a rickety weatheredfence. Between him and the land it was mostly black nothing. Near the shore theocean lapped at a rocky beach.

In the distance he saw Luke talking to four men. Phan stood nearhim, radiating a white light. He looked confused, scared, and stared wide-eyedat everyone.

“Phan,” Ray called. “What happened?”

Phan turned and answered, but Ray couldn’t hear him.

“I-I can’t hear you, Phan. What were you doing when thishappened?”

He could see Phan’s mouth move but couldn’t hear him.

Anna pointed, yelling, “He has a gun!”

Phan turned, seeing the European’s gun. He turned back, making afrantic motion at the gunman when he spoke.

“What’s going …” The large Navajo walked up behind Ray and Anna.He stared at the scene. “What the hell is this crazy shit?”

Phan was making motions at Luke while he spoke.

“Really?” The Navajo came back. “Because, ya know, Phan, itsorta looks like you and this guy are in there together.”

“You can hear him, Harley?” Ray asked the Navajo.

“Yeah. You can’t?”

“No, I can’t. Phan, tell them what you last remember. What wereyou doing?”

Phan started talking and Harley, “He was moving the I.V. andnoticed the first spot was bleeding through the cotton ball. He pulled off thecotton ball to change it and the last thing he remembers is a drop of thisguy’s blood landing on his arm. Then this happened.”

“Luke has developed the power of illusion before heeven woke up,” Ray announced ecstatically. “He’s the first to show anyabilities before he’s even awake! This is fascinating! Just fascinating!”

Phan threw up his hands and Ray didn’t need translation to knowhe yelled, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

Everyone gasped when the European shot Luke. Phan whirled aroundand watched the tragedy unfold before him for the first time.

Luke fell back against the railing. It snapped and sent him overthe edge of the cliff. Phan was still stunned by what he’d just witnessed butout of morbid curiosity he ran to the cliff edge. He stared at Luke’s broken,bloody body lying on the rocks below.

For the monks, Ray, Harley, and Anna, the view was muchdifferent. They saw Luke fall and hit the rocks. They saw blood spray and bonesbreak the skin. Then everything froze, everything except Phan. He startedbacking away from the cliff edge.

In an instant, the room changed. Phan was standing next to Lukein cell. Luke lay on a cot, staring at the ceiling with wide, unresponsiveeyes.

“Is… He dead?” Harley asked.

Phan knelt and checked Luke’s vitals.

“He’s just unconscious.” Phan turned around. “Ray, what wasthat? What the hell happened?”

“Luke seems to have the ability to create illusions and projectthem to the minds of those close by. That is just… It’s amazing, but the fact asingle drop of blood allowed you to experience that illusion just as he was.This is fascinating!”

“It isn’t fascinating, Ray! The guy died from falling off acliff,” Anna reminded him. “What if he really had died when Phan was in it withhim? Would that have killed him too? Would he have come back?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then stop being fucking fascinated every time one of usdevelops some freak show talent. We’re getting really tired of hearing it. Whenare you going to tell us why we are freaks – or is that another promise you’regoing to break?”

“I haven’t broken any promises. I told all of you when the lastperson arrived and woke up, we would talk about everything.”

“You also promised you’d show us the door out, and youlied.”

Ray turned to respond but she stormed off before he could. Raywalked away, muttering to himself. Harley looked one way, watching Annadisappear around a corner, and then the other, watching Ray go into a room. Helooked down at Phan. He was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed. The monksbegan to leave, talking among themselves.

“Are you okay, Phan?” Harley asked.

“No.” Phan looked up at him. “Right before that… Whatever thatwas. I was looking for his vein to put the I.V. in.”

Harley nodded. “Nothing unusual about that.”

“Harley, I saw through him. It was like… Like I was using an MRIand able to see cross-sections. I could even see the blood moving.”

Harley walked up to him, looking down at Luke. “Whoever broughtus back from the dead planned this, I think. I wish Ray would just answer ourquestions, tell us why we were here, and why we were brought back to life.”

“Course, the others would have to believe that before he couldexplain it, wouldn’t they?” Phan asked.

Harley nodded. “True.”