Hero Wanted - 8. Chapter Eight

One week later…

“Hey, champ. How are you doing?”

Ryan was in the command center of the academy, given full access to call his father who was displayed as a fully constructed, three-dimensional image that made him appear like he was in the room. This happened every day before he went back to the dormitories, talking to his father about his days training at the academy and other topics. This was where they continued to build their relationship after boot camp where Ryan had access to the drill coach’s office that allowed him to talk to his father in the same manner, a privilege that not even the wealthiest cadets could have. Being the former President’s son was certainly something.

Ryan liked the talks that he had with his father, able to fill the void that his mother left behind even if was just a little. Through their evening talks, Ryan discovered plenty of things about the former President that the average American did not know. Sure, it was known that his father was a decorated officer who served proudly in the US Army, but what was not known was the fact that he was also an avid comic book collector. Ryan could not believe it, but when his father displayed the first edition of one of his favorite comic series in his hand, this made Ryan want to become more than just a son who his father was proud of. Ryan also wanted to be friends with his father as well, especially when they would spend more than thirty minutes talking about the latest televised adaptations of their favorite superheroes.

They would talk about the superhero who was a scientific prodigy, able to invent a second skin that would inflate his fists and feet, allowing him to punch enemies with ease and jump at incredible heights. Then there was the superhero who had scars all over his body, scars that could deflect even bullets and every injury would just make him stronger. They also talked about the twins, one who could produce a fragrant pheromone that caused honeybees to do her bidding while her sister attracted houseflies because of her abilities to produce a putrid stench that attracted the flies like rotting meat. And who could not talk about the superhero who was paralyzed from the neck down, but had powerful telekinetic abilities that could bend titanium and was the former President’s favorite superhero of all time.

These talks made Ryan appreciate his hobby even more, and he also appreciated the growing relationship that he was developing with his father.

“I’m doing well,” Ryan said to his father. “I just had cheesecake for the first ever and turkey that didn’t come pre-sliced in plastic packaging. I never had turkey that good even during Thanksgiving.”

Ryan’s father chuckled. “I see. Well, all I can say is that you should always remain grateful for what you have been given.”

Smiling, Ryan said, “I am.”

“Good. So, what else has been going on with you other than the typical?”

“Well I’ve been making a few friends over the past week.”

“Oh, care to elaborate?”

“Well, I’m becoming friends with the cadet who gave me the tour of the academy, Josephine Carter. She’s really nice and has been introducing me to other cadets as well.”

“Oh, I know her. She’s ranked third in the entire academy and the senior class president, most appropriate for the daughter whose father I worked with during my days in the Army.”

“Yeah, her father was also one of the Champions who defeated the first Colossus in Manila,” Ryan added.

“Yes, after losing his arm and leg during a raid that killed his entire squad, I was afraid that Carter would not be able to function again. He was one of the veterans I highly recommended for the project that soon granted him the nodes responsible for regenerating his entire body to its original state. He’s a very disciplined and brave man and I don’t expect anything less from his daughter.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that you were involved with her father’s inclusion in the original project,” Ryan said, wondering if Josephine knew this and was the reason why she was so friendly to him.

“I definitely was. I only wanted the bravest and most disciplined men and women to become Champions, Carter and his daughter included. However, things veered at a different direction and hopefully you know why boot camp was so intense. Breaking in people who were, excuse my phrasing, fertilized with a silver spoon is completely necessary to make sure we have soldiers prepared to fight beings that threaten the very existence of humanity. You understand, of course.”

Ryan nodded. “I do.”

“Good. Don’t get me wrong me, though. Many of the Champions I have met during my presidency are very disciplined and are more than prepared to fight against the Colossus when the time comes. However…” Ryan’s father sat down and crossed his legs before continuing, “Have you met a cadet in the academy named Christopher Shepherd?”

Ryan knew who his father was talking about. How couldn’t he? After their first encounter at the facility a week ago, Ryan could not seem to get the man out of his head. In addition, the man appeared a lot when Ryan was training with the other cadets, usually leading a group while bare-chested and glistening with sweat. This got Ryan distracted a few times as he only wanted right then to admire the sexy man as he flexed his muscles and commanded the other cadets with that deep voice that made Ryan shiver more than a few times despite the hot sun beating down on him.

Unfortunately, Christopher was nowhere to be seen outside of training, which prevented Ryan from having a simple conversation with him. Not in the exercise facilities or cafeteria where a lot of the cadets were at between morning and evening training. Then Ryan was told by Josephine that the mysterious man had his own workout room in his dormitory and was also brought food by personal room service. Being first-ranked in the academy granted Christopher many benefits, including a room that was a literal penthouse on top of the dormitories.

It was upsetting that Ryan could not even talk to Christopher outside of training, but it was not like he had the courage to do that anyway. Even with his body honed to fight supernatural beings from another dimension, his shyness was still intact. A person may as well tell him to skydive a thousand feet from the ground since that would have been easier than talking to the Christopher. Though that did not stop Ryan from crumbling on his bed with ecstasy from his fantasies of Christopher with more than his shirt off. And that was all Ryan could have.

“Yes, I know who Christopher Shepherd is,” Ryan said, trying to tame his hormones from the very thought of the man in his head.

“Well, I hope you also know who his father is. Correct?”

“Yes, the President of Synergy Corp,” Ryan responded.

“Good… The reason I asked is because…I don’t want you to associate yourself with anyone who could make you lose sight of why you are at the academy, of why you are a Champion.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“There’s a reason why the President of Synergy’s son is ranked first in the academy, and it’s not because of his dedication to training… It’s because he possesses new nook technology.”

“What’s a nook?” Ryan asked curiously.

“It’s a port-like device where a new version of nodes with a plug-like extension can be inserted. This allows Shepherd to upgrade to the latest generation of nodes without the high risk of nerve damage caused by the removal of nodes through surgery. The inability of current Champions to upgrade their nodes is the reason why they can retire after five years of service, allowing the more up-to-date Champions to replace them. With the nook, this will allow Champions with older nodes to upgrade and stay longer in service.

“However, it’ll be years before the nook can be officially launched since it’s still a prototype. Though, that didn’t matter to the President of Synergy who wanted to equip his son with the latest technology to give him the ability to advance the ranks. And it’s not because he’s concerned over his son’s safety like I am with you. It’s because he’s using his son to garner support for his campaign to gain a seat in the Senate. He doesn’t care that nooks still have technical issues that could hinder his son’s performance when deployed, and I don’t believe that Christopher cares either.

“I know I also outfitted you with technology that will also give you an edge compared to other Champions, but they are much safer and more stable compared to what Christopher is outfitted with. I even rejected experimental technology that would’ve granted you more enhancements, but would’ve also risked your ability to function normally.”

“So…what do you want me to do, Dad?”

“Ryan, all I’m asking from you is that you stay cautious when you’re around Christopher Shepherd. He’s, what a parent would say, a bad influence,” Ryan’s father said simply.

“He’s that bad,” Ryan said, still perplexed.

“Christopher can be very dangerous, Ryan. All due to his nooks that have a possibility of malfunctioning and even I don’t know what effects that would cause. So, please, Ryan. Keep your distance from him. Okay?”

Ryan held back a grimace and nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

“Good. I care about you Ryan and your safety is my top priority.”

“I know. Thanks, Dad.”

Ryan’s father nodded and said, “Well, I have to get ready to go to a charity event tonight, so I unfortunately have to make this call short. I’m sorry,” Ryan’s father apologized.

“It’s all right, Dad.”

“Well, I promise to be available when you call tomorrow. Bye, champ.”

“Bye, Dad,” Ryan said with a smile before the image of his father dematerialized from view.

Ryan then sighed and wondered if he should just forget about talking to Christopher after what his father said about the first-ranked cadet. Well, he knew it was going to be easy since he could not even talk to him outside of training. However, the idea of getting close to that man still made him feel bubbly inside and he knew that it was not going to go away any time soon.

Exiting the command center, Ryan locked the door with the swipe of a card before turning around and seeing a redheaded woman leaning her back against a wall. She looked annoyed when she approached Ryan and poked him on the chest.

“And what exactly is a cadet doing inside the command center of the academy when he should be in the dormitories right now?” the woman asked sternly.

“Oh, I was just taking a call,” Ryan answered innocently.

“You know that area’s restricted, correct?” the woman said with hands on her hips.

“I know, but I was given permission by the dean because of my father,” Ryan explained.

“And who exactly is your father?” the woman said with her head cocked to the side.

“Nathaniel Johnson.”

The woman’s eyebrows raised and she said, “Oh. So, you’re Ryan Johnson.”

Nodding, Ryan said, “I’m sorry if it looked like I was trespassing. I do this every evening before returning to the dormitories.”

“No problem. It’s my mistake… My name is Delilah by the way. Delilah Watson.”

Ryan shook Delilah’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you. You’re also ranked second in the academy, right?”

“Yes. Yes, I am. And before you say it, I was that child pageant star turned Miss America who also made millions from being on reality television, so my mother could exploit my hard labor to fulfill her own dreams,” Delilah quickly explained.

Ryan was taken aback by Delilah’s openness about her past and said, “Oh, I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t?” Delilah said with a raised eyebrow.

Ryan shook his head.

“Oh, I’m sorry then. Usually when new cadets of the academy see me, they just see that spoiled whiny girl whose mother caked with makeup, so she can walk on the stage in a bikini to impress the judges.”

“Oh…well, if makes you feel any better, I’m not really into pageant or reality television.”

Delilah smiled. “Good. Not even I can understand people’s fascination with that kind of trashy entertainment… Well, anyways, I’m sure you had enough of me and want to leave. I’ll just be heading to the dorms now.”

“Oh, that’s where I’m heading too,” Ryan said.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind talking then.”

“No. I don’t mind at all,” Ryan said, eager to make a new friend.

***

During their walk, Ryan learned that Delilah was also the vice president of the senior class along with Josephine and that she became a Champion because of the amount of money she earned from her years as a pageant star. He also learned that she wanted to go into politics after she graduated, and her five years of service were over, hoping her history as a Champion will give her an edge over her future political opponents.

Approaching the entrance of the dormitories, Delilah turned around to Ryan and said, “Well, it was nice chatting with you, Ryan.”

“Yeah, it was nice chatting with you too,” Ryan said, shaking Delilah’s hand.

Delilah smiled and turned to leave when alarms suddenly started blaring from the dormitories.

“Oh, God. Don’t tell me someone lit a candle,” Delilah said before rushing through the entrance.

Out of curiosity, Ryan followed Delilah to the front desk of the lobby.

“Where’s the cause of the alarm?” Delilah asked.

“It’s…It’s at the top floor…at Christopher Shepherd’s penthouse,” the person at the front desk said.

“Oh, God.” Delilah turned to Ryan and said, “I going to need your help.”

Ryan nodded, and he followed Delilah to the elevator where she accessed a keypad that allowed them to go up to the penthouse.

Entering inside, Ryan saw a dark, open living room that had an overturned coffee table with a small fire building on the wooden floor next to it. Delilah proceeded to take a potted plant and dump the soil over the fire, extinguishing it.

A banging noise was then heard to their right and both Ryan and Delilah approached the kitchen area where a dark figure slowly rose from behind the kitchen island.

“Chris? Are you okay?” Delilah said with a cautious voice.

Groaning, Christopher said, “I…I can’t…” He then cried out, “Get away from me!”

Christopher suddenly jumped over the kitchen island and began sprinting towards them. Delilah managed to step in front of Ryan and then proceeded to materialize four, foot-long bladed discs with flat edges, a chrome finish and a small aperture at the center of each disc.

All four discs rotated in a circle in front of Delilah that created a field, blocking Christopher’s fist from reaching its target. The discs then generated a pulse that caused Christopher to propel backwards onto the floor.

Turning her head to Ryan, Delilah said, “Ryan! I need to get activate the kill switch in the other room! Can you restrain him until I activate it?”

Ryan nodded. “Go ahead!”

Delilah moved her discs, so they rotated behind her back before she ran to the other side of the penthouse. Ryan did what he was ordered and turned Christopher’s body around, placing his hands behind his back and restraining him.

“Don’t…Don’t…Let go of me!”

Christopher struggled under Ryan’s weight before he emitted a pulse like Delilah’s weapons that sent Ryan hurling backwards onto the floor. Groaning, Ryan looked to see Christopher walking erratically with his hands covering his ears as he talked to himself. It was like he was hearing voices that were hurting him somehow.

Christopher’s eyes then landed on Ryan, and with a snarl, he lunged towards Ryan with his fists ready to attack. Ryan immediately materialized the right gauntlet of his weapon system and blocked the attack. However, the impact caused the backside of his gauntlet to shatter and Ryan had to jump backwards to avoid Christopher’s other fist from hitting him. Never had Ryan’s weapon system been damaged to a degree that he had to materialize it again, only demonstrating Christopher’s immense power.

However, before Ryan could materialize his weapon, Christopher tackled him at a high speed, launching them both to the wall at the other side of the penthouse. With Ryan’s wrists were pressed against the wall, Christopher stared at him with wide eyes.

“Please. Please, leave me alone,” Christopher muttered.

“Christopher! Get a hold of yourself!” Ryan shouted as he struggled under his grip.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…you know I only wanted you, Travis,” Christopher sobbed.

Ryan was so confused right then. Who was Travis and why was Christopher apologizing to him like he was this person?

Before Ryan could speak, Christopher pressed his lips onto Ryan’s and a bright light shined within his periphery before everything faded to black.