Hero Wanted - 5. Chapter Five

It was his second day at the hospital and Ryan wanted nothing more than to leave the place. Watching all five channels on the television, and being bedridden for more than a day while the doctor ran numerous and repetitive tests on him was more than enough to convince him that being paralyzed from the neck down was not the life that he wanted. He was indeed very thankful for the nodes that he was implanted with that healed his body and gave him superhuman abilities that he was still itching to finally try out.

As a child, Ryan always dreamed of becoming a superhero like the men and women in his comic books. He would literally tie his blanket around his neck and jump around his living room, pretending to be a superhero, rescuing the innocent and defeating villains too.

Though the thought of whether Ryan wanted to train to become a Champion was still left undecided. However, that did not stop him from leaving the hospital with his father to drive to the Champion base just outside New York City since that meant no more bland hospital food.

They soon entered the base and they were dropped off next to a large building structure where Ryan entered. The inside looked like a large, empty gymnasium-style area, and his father went to the top of the structure where Ryan was told the control center was. He stopped a few feet from the door where a holographic screen appeared in front of him that displayed his father’s face.

Through an intercom, Ryan’s father said, “Okay, Ryan. Right now, your nodes are being synchronized to the control center that generated this image of my face in front of you, and will soon generate three-dimensional simulations that will test your nodes’ capabilities. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Ryan said.

“Don’t worry, Ryan. The simulations that will be used are completely harmless to someone like you and require more Champions in the location to even present any physical harm,” Ryan’s father assured.

“All right…I’m ready then.”

“Excellent. The Champion’s personal assistant, Iris, will appear and give you an overview of the tutorial before starting the simulation.”

The screen then disappeared and was replaced by a three-dimensional image of a young woman who appeared a few feet from Ryan. She wore a dress shirt, a knee length pencil skirt and heels with her hair tied into a flawless bun. Ryan guessed she was the manifested version of other personal assistants created by major tech companies.

Iris’s feminine and slightly computerized voice said, “Hello, future Champion. My name is Iris and I am your personal assistant who will guide you through this training tutorial. It will test your newly implanted nodes’ performance, utilized to defend the country against the Colossus. Are you ready to begin?”

“Um…yes.”

“Excellent. A simulation will appear that will test your strength that derives from your nodes’ ability to generate a field of light that radiates from your own body. This field acts as a border between your body and the weapon that is being equipped, and in addition can be utilized as a barrier that protects you from damage with more concentrated fields repelling more damage. Starting the simulation now.”

Iris disappeared, and several simulations of faceless men and women appeared in a group in front of Ryan. The simulated person in front of the group began running towards him and Ryan positioned himself with his hands in fists. The person then moved his fist to attack him, but Ryan managed to block the attack with his arm before using his other hand to punch the simulation in the head that shattered upon impact. Ryan felt the solidity of the simulation and he knew that these were not just hologram-like images.

The headless person’s body then collapsed to the ground before dematerializing and another simulated person began running towards him. Ryan quickly stepped back to dodge the simulation’s attacks before punching it in the head and shattering it like glass as well. The same process continued as more of the simulations ran towards and attempted to attack him, but Ryan managed to defeat every one of them. The last one managed to punch him in the chest, and even though he felt the weight of the punch, the simulation’s arm shattered upon impact and he finished it by delivering a heavy punch to its chest, sending it backwards and shattering onto the ground.

Ryan did not know how, but he managed to defeat all the simulations with the skill of an experienced Champion and he could not deny that it felt awesome.

Iris then appeared again and said, “Excellent, future Champion. You defeated twenty-five simulations that were at an efficiency of fifteen percent in under three minutes. Are you ready for the next tutorial?”

“Yes,” Ryan said confidently.

“Excellent. The next tutorial will test your speed that is activated by your nodes’ ability to quickly transport the body to different distances and heights caused by the speed of light that acts as the force necessary for a Champion to simulate enhanced speed. This force also allows you to have an instantaneous reaction time that allows you to dodge enemy attacks and make you a very proficient soldier in the battlefield. Starting the simulation now.”

More simulations were generated around Ryan and the one to his right began moving towards him at an accelerating speed. Ryan managed to dodge the simulation by transporting his body to a different location. He did not even need to move his legs, just using the force of light to move him instead and in a way, that made him feel like he done this before.

Feeling so natural to him, Ryan proceeded to dodge more simulations with ease and even launched his body several feet above the ground to dodge five simulations who all attacked him at once. And when he landed back onto his feet, Iris reappeared in front of him.

“Excellent! Your performance has exceeded the overall performance of other Champion cadets who completed this same tutorial. Now, future Champion, are you ready for the final tutorial?” Iris asked.

“Yes.”

“Excellent! The final tutorial will test your nodes’ ability of psychokinesis which combines both techniques utilized for your strength and speed. This is accomplished by extending the field of light to hold objects from a distance and using the force of light to propel the same object from the body to its designated target. You will now be presented with two weapons that come in the form of bladed discs.”

Above him, Ryan saw a panel on the ceiling slide open and two weapons were lowered from the opening by cables. They stopped right next to him, one at either side of his head. The cables were then released, and the discs dropped a few inches before levitating back to their original position beside him.

“You may utilize these weapons as projectiles and shields as well. Starting the simulation now.”

Several simulations materialized in the area and they all had hand weapons that ranged in design from blunt and blade weapons. Ryan immediately fired a disc at one of them that moved towards him with a long-handled, scythe-like weapon. The simulation attempted to block the disc, but it instead sliced through the handle and through its body like butter.

Another simulation attempted attack to Ryan with a short-handled, sword-like weapon. So, he decided to block the attack with the other disc and it deflected the weapon, sending the simulation backwards to the ground. He then looked around and saw two more simulations, one with a long-handled weapon that transformed into chain-like segments and another with a sword that unfolded like a fan and turned into a circular shield.

Ryan, unintimidated, ran towards the two simulations as he spun both discs at accelerating speeds like saw blades. He then fired both discs, slicing the chain of the weapon and the simulation in half too. The discs then attacked the other from behind, rendering its shield useless as it collapsed to the ground and dematerialized.

The rest of the simulations were defeated in the same manner and only after a short moment did Ryan finish the tutorial without a single scratch. He felt amazing, more than amazing. Never had he believed that he would be so adept in fighting and it was all because of the nodes implanted behind his neck.

Iris returned and said, “Future Champion, you have successfully completed the final tutorial. With further experience and training, you’ll be able to materialize your own weaponry through your nodes like the technique utilized to create basic holograms. However, from reading your nodes’ data, the most appropriate weapon will be not beam weapons. Please see your commanding officer for further information about being installed with the data necessary to equip your preselected weapon. Thank you again for completing the tutorials and championing for humanity’s future. Goodbye.”

Iris turned around and began walking away before dematerializing from view. The cables returned, taking the discs from Ryan before he turned around to see the door open. His father entered inside the facility with a smile on his face.

“That was…very impressive, Ryan,” his father said, clapping.

“Thanks. I didn’t think know I was capable of any of that,” Ryan confessed.

“Well, what you performed just proved me right. Not only are your abilities more powerful compared to beginning Champions, your ability to quickly learn and adapt to those simulations’ movements and attacks is also very superb. Some of Rory’s combat experience must’ve transferred to you as well.”

“So…what does this mean for my training in the future,” Ryan asked.

“More tests will have to be conducted, but if I’m correct, you might have to skip the first two years of the academy for you to receive the most appropriate training for your skills… But you can’t be a Champion without being assigned a weapon. A weapon matching your caliber.”

“What kind of weapon is that?” Ryan curiously asked.

“Follow me, Ryan, and you’ll see.”

***

Entering the armory with his father, Ryan looked around to see glass display cases that contained mannequins that held various weapons of war like the ones the simulations possessed. Walking further into the room, Ryan and his father stopped in front of a large display case that contained four large discs mounted on a rack like the ones he used during the tutorial.

“It’s still in its trial phases, but I managed to convince the scientists to allow a Champion to utilize this weapon system and test its true capabilities. And that Champion is you, Ryan.”

The display case that housed the prototype then lowered into the ground and Ryan saw the two discs on top of the rack separate widthwise in half that allowed three-segmented, bladed fingers to protract from between the discs’ space. The two other discs did the same, but instead of fingers, they unfolded sleek and slender digitigrade legs.

“Whoa. I never seen a weapon like that before,” Ryan said, taking a step forward.

“They call it the Chimaera,” Ryan’s father informed. “It’s a new class of weaponry meant to boost damage output and the running speed of a Champion. It’s cutting edge technology and it deserves to be used only by a Champion of your caliber. Step forward and try it out.”

Ryan looked at his father who motioned his head to go forward. So, stepping onto the platform, Ryan first inserted his arms and then his legs into the discs, a mechanism locking his limbs into place before plated armor protracted out to his shoulders and hips. Transparent, dome-shaped interfaces then appeared on the outer sides of the discs before heat was vented through the seams, supposedly regulated inside the Chimaera. The rack then released the Chimaera and he proceeded to flex the bladed fingers and walked around with his leg extensions, testing the new form of weaponry that felt light and very practical to use.

“Well?” Ryan’s father said.

“This is unbelievable,” Ryan admitted.

“I want you to have every advantage that is available for you, Ryan. With Rory’s nodes and the Chimaera equipped, you’ll be invincible.”

“So…I’m officially a Champion?”

“Once I have the data of the Chimaera installed into your nodes, you officially will be, Ryan.”

“Great…”

“Still undecided about becoming enlisted into the Champions?”

“Yeah…but it’s not because I feel unprepared. What I just did back there with the simulations made me very sure that I’m capable of becoming a Champion in training. It’s just…I don’t know if I deserve it, Dad?” Ryan confessed before sitting down on the edge of the platform with his Chimaera still equipped. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to train with other experienced Champions who worked hard to earn their ranks, while I just get my rank from being a blood relative of first-ranked Champion, Rory Johnson.”

“Ryan…it’s what you do with your powers that truly matters,” his father said and sat down next to him. “A soldier, a Champion does not train for years just to compete with others, so they can have something superficial like a rank. You have been given these powers, so you too can assist your fellow Champions when the time comes and your deployed to fight the Colossus. Rank will only be used to determine your power, the power you’ll use to fight with other Champions, to work together and protect the future of humanity. However…I’m glad to see some humility in you, Ryan. Rory on the other hand…

“Many Champions come from wealthy families since only they can afford the high cost of nodes, so many of them must be broken in from their pampered lifestyles to become warriors who fight for their country. Champions are viewed as celebrities by many people, especially in countries like India where their Champions are viewed also as reincarnations of gods and goddesses in their caste system. The royalty of the UK is also gaining political influence again due to some of them being Champions themselves, creating more division between the rich and working class. And the conflict between the Philippines and Japan is only increasing because many people idolize the Champions and their powers. You, though…let me just say that your powers are not the only thing that’ll give you an advantage. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I believe so… Being a Champion is more than rank…it’s about protecting the people who fight with you and the people who can’t fight for themselves. Am I right?”

Ryan’s father smiled. “You’re absolutely right. You’ll make an excellent Champion, Ryan. If that’s who you want to become, of course.”

Looking down at the Chimaera, Ryan looked back at his father and said, “Yes. This is what I want.”

Ryan’s father placed a firm hand on his shoulder and said, “With Rory’s nodes and your spirit, there’s no doubt that you’ll be the Champion worth looking up to.”

Ryan nodded and smiled. He was not sure that he was worth looking up to, but he knew now that what really mattered was his ability to fight the Colossus and protect everyone too.