Havok Bringer

Chapter 32. We have a world to save.

“Trust him? Just like that, you think we should trust him? Kaj, I know you are just now getting up to speed with everything, but I think we need to take a minute to consider that Sherlock just came into being. He conspicuously appeared right before I was transported into another life-threatening scenario, and now he wants to kill me because he says that is how we can get access to more info. Does none of this set-off alarm bells for you?!” I asked.

Kaj sat in his chair, picking at a bowl of mixed nuts that were placed in front of him as he took a minute to look at Sherlock, reached to grab another handful of nuts, slowly popped a few in his mouth, then looked back at me.

“Captain, these nuts I am eating, where did they come from?”

“I don’t know, man. They are just here. The safe room provides us with basic necessities for our stay: food, medical supplies, beds, showers, etc.” I raised both hands in a gesture of confusion. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Hmmm, I see. The nuts were provided by the safe room. Where does the safe room come from?” Kaj asked, continuing to munch on the nuts as he stared at me.

“I assume the dungeon provides the safe rooms; I don’t know, Kaj; they just appear on each floor. What does this have to do with Sherlock?” I asked.

“I know that this is all new to you, Captain. Half a year ago you were a nondescript human just doing your best to survive. From the way I have heard you describe it, you were not only trying to survive, but you were doing your best to avoid any type of life-threatening encounters. You were happy to just live out your life as a nobody that contributed nothing to your planet or species as a whole,” Kaj said.

“What the fuck, Kaj. I don’t think that is fair. Just because I didn’t go around finding fights to get into doesn’t mean that I was hiding,” I said, frustration apparent in my voice.

“Stop,” Kaj said.

“Stop what? I am gonna defend…”

Kaj cut me off before I could finish, “Stop, Andrew. You can lie to yourself all you want, but I see you. I see who you are becoming and I see who you were. Even before the drop occurred on your planet you were happy with blending in.” Kaj put the rest of the nuts back in the bowl and put his elbows on the table staring at me with an intensity that was alarming.

“You don’t know me as well as you think Kaj,” the words felt empty even as I said them.

Kaj smirked, “You come from a large family, you never got the attention that you craved as a child. You had a career in a respected field on your planet but never managed to do anything that would cause you to standout. You never held a meaningful long-term relationship. You moved far enough away from your family for them to hopefully miss your presence but close enough to be able to say that any lack of relationship was caused by them. You disappeared into yourself. Then the drop happened. You managed to survive the early days and even began to live a stable life but never allowed yourself to make the trip back to your home and family. Why is that, Andrew?” Kaj asked.

“I don’t know, I… I didn’t want to show up and find nothing…find nobody. I… I was scared that I had failed them I guess. It was easier to make excuses and stay away,” I clasped my hands and looked down as the shame of that statement hit me like a ton of bricks.

Kaj sat back in his chair as he continued to watch me.

“Captain, I do not ask these things to bring shame to you. I ask these things so you may observe the stark changes that have occurred in the man who sits before me and the man who ran from consequence for all those years. Captain, you have been given a burden heavier than any man should be asked to carry on his own. I recognize this, your friends recognize this, and I would assume that the architects of this dungeon also recognize this,” Kaj pointed at the bowl of nuts on the table again,” This food and this safe room were provided to give you support during this task that you have so unselfishly undertaken. It is small recompense, I suppose, for one who has put his very life at risk, but it is recompense nonetheless,” Kaj said.

“What are you getting at, Kaj? Are we approaching anything resembling a point here?” I asked.

“Yes, Captain. My point is that do you not suppose that whoever crafted that armor you wear also might have considered that you might require assistance at some point?”

I thought about it for a minute before responding.

“I guess it’s possible, but I already had Elvis. And if Sherlock is intended to help me then why is he just appearing? I will be the first to admit that Sherlock has already helped a ton, but I feel like there is something I am missing. I can't place my finger on it, and my dad always said not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but something feels off.”

Sherlock walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder, “Captain, I understand your trepidation. I can admit that I haven’t been the most pleasant of companions. My programming allows me certain freedoms in regard to creating my own personality. I fear that I may have pushed the limits of our working relationship in certain regards. I do think it is relevant that you understand my purpose, though. I am part of the Havok Bringer armor. My programming sets certain parameters on what I am and am not capable of. I am tasked with serving the bearer of the armor in whatever ways are relevant to the success of said bearer. I am expressly not able to take any action that would cause harm to the bearer as doing so would corrupt my programming and lead to my eventual destruction. The process of stopping your heart is, in essence, stretching those parameters to near breaking. Captain, if something goes wrong with this process, I think it is important for you to understand that you will not be the only one at risk,” Sherlock said.

“So, If I die…You die,” I said.

“Exactly,” Sherlock replied.

“There you go!” Kaj said, clapping his hands together, “Trust, Captain, is the string that ties allies together.”

“Okay, set it up, Sherlock.”

“Of course, it is an outrage that my fate is tied to such an inferior specimen such as yourself, but one must play the hand that one is dealt,” Sherlock said

“Still an asshole,” I said, shaking my head.

I stood up and walked to my quarters, all of a sudden feeling completely exhausted.

“I am going to rest. After that, I am going to kill things. I really, really need to kill some things. We can kill me tomorrow. Does that sound like a plan?” I asked.

“That is acceptable,” Sherlock said, “I will need some time to prepare the procedure anyhow.”

Kaj stood up and stretched his wings, and yawned, “Get some rest, Captain. I will do the same. After the procedure, we start training. I will not sit idly by if I must be in this place.

“Understood. See you both in a few hours,” I said before making my way to my quarters and falling into bed and falling asleep immediately.

It had only been three days since Andrew disappeared, and Kaj had disappeared less than 12 hours ago. Tiff hadn’t heard from Andrew since the second day and was now convinced that something was wrong.

Tiff contacted everyone who was still in or around Dawes Hill and convened a meeting with the remaining crew. It was time to discuss how best to proceed in the absence of the Captain and Kaj. There were threats that needed to be discussed, and Natasha needed to update everyone on what was going on in orbit. Princess Danae was still on standby with the Burning Retribution as well.

The group all met in the fabricated hab unit that was being used as a barracks and overall living space for the crew. Elvis had used the PUP’s fabrication function to expand the hab into a more long-term option for the crew. The building now consisted of a central dome that was used as a common area as well as a meeting and logistics hub. There were five additions that stretched out from the central dome, like spokes on a wheel. At the end of each spoke was another dome. There were barracks for the males, barracks for the females, a bathroom and shower dome, a cafeteria, and an armory and supply dome. All in all, Tiff was pleased with the progress Elvis had made in a short time. After his tense run-in with CJ Elvis dove into the HAB expansion as a project to keep himself busy.

Tiff knew that Elvis was frustrated. The entire crew was frustrated. Captain Andrew had been mysteriously transported away, again, and everyone felt like they were operating with no clear direction. Elvis took it the hardest as he felt personally responsible for the Captain's safety, but now he feels like he has failed to keep him safe. Tiff knew that she would be responsible for giving the crew direction and purpose in the Captain's absence, and it would start today.

“Alright, everyone, I know we are all feeling the pressure here, but I think it is time we got on the same page. The Captain is gone and we don’t know when he will return,” Tiff started, “We all need to stay focused and work on our individual abilities as well as our ability to operate as a unit. The lacertine force is still the biggest threat currently. We need to prepare ourselves, but more importantly, we need to ensure the people of Dawes Hill are ready for the fight that is coming.”

“Why do you think a fight is coming?” CJ asked, “This is a big planet and Dawes Hill is a small settlement. It is entirely possible that we don’t see a fight.”

“I don’t think that Captain Andrew slaughtering that contingent of soldiers a few days ago will go unnoticed, especially since he left one alive to go and tell the others. If not for what happened in orbit I believe they would have retaliated already. I still believe it is only a matter of time.” Tiff said.

“Makes sense,” CJ said, shaking his head, “At the time, I thought it was a badass move on Andrew’s part. That is before he got transported away to leave us to fight his battles.”

Elvis shot CJ a look that immediately brought a palpable sense of tension to the room, “The Captain’s battles are all of our battles. You would do well to remember that he has risked his life without hesitation more than once.”

“Look, Elvis, I know we call him Captain, and while we were on the Bloodhound, I played along. The truth of the matter is that he isn’t a captain. Andrew was a middling engineer with no military experience before the drop. After the drop, he was just a dude trying his best to survive. He is my best friend but can we stop with this captain bullshit?!” CJ slammed his hands on the conference table. They were all sitting around.

Elvis moved in a blur so fast that only Tiff could see what was happening. Before CJ could even react, Elvis had drawn his axe, and flames engulfed the twin-bladed weapon. With an angry roar, he swung the axe toward CJ’s head as CJ looked up in horror, mouth agape.

“Stop!” Tiff screamed as her duplicate body materialized and blasted Elvis directly in the chest with a pulse of electricity that sent him flying across the room. He hit the wall of the HAB with a thud and slid to the ground before shaking his head in confusion and getting back to his feet slowly.

“I will not allow him to speak about the Captain that way! He is a powerless coward whose sharpest weapon is his tongue. I will pull that weapon from his mouth as he screams like the child he is!” Elvis screamed as he pointed at CJ.

“What the actual fuck?! This is exactly what I am talking about. We are supposed to be a crew? What kind of crew is this? We have no structure, we have no training. We are just a bunch of people that happened to end up together. Yeah, we did some stuff that saved a lot of people, but let's be honest, most of it was by accident. Now we are here without our best weapon, hell, our best two weapons, and we are supposed to what? Become an elite fighting force? Elvis is a psycho, Tiff. I know you are trying, but let’s be honest, you are in over your head. Matty and Jax have the only military experience but even so, there isn’t a swat team in the world that can prepare you to fight a legion of alien lizards. I’m pretty sure Loren and Red don’t even fully understand their powers, and I have no powers, just a suit that makes me a little less useless. These are the people that are supposed to defend the planet?

“Don’t forget about the super advanced AI on the spaceship in orbit that just wiped out a contingent of enemy ships. I do think you underestimate our potential CJ. Simmer down now and listen to Tiffantrimore’s plan before you decide we are a lost cause,” Natasha said over the conference room's PA system.

“CJ, we have a lot of work to do. I do not disagree. I also don’t think that we can be successful if members of the crew continue to fight amongst themselves. I also believe we are the best hope this planet has and I will not quit while we still have a chance. We all must decide if that is what we want to do. If anyone here doesn’t want to be a part of what is to come then leave now. I will not stop you. Otherwise, shut your damn mouths, sit down and get ready to work. We have a world to save.”