Singularity: Part 14
Magnus leaned forward and as he did, I could feel energy moving around him, and remembered being told that despite losing the ability to influence with his voice, he could still do it somehow.
He could. As he spoke, everyone within the shimmery glow responded. Some turned to watch, but other reactions were more subtle—a pause before the next step, a blink, an indrawn breath.
As he did though, I saw energy move from the spheres above into the throne and to him. In the same instant I realized something else—the throne wasn’t real.
It was real in the sense that if I wanted to, I could punch it just like Magnus could sit on it, but not real in sense that it was a construct. What that construct was made of, I had no idea (maybe hard light?), but I could see it absorbing energy.
For lack of a better way to put it, when Magnus drew on energy from the device, the throne became transparent at the edges.
As involved as I was in understanding the world(s?) around me, I almost missed the more immediately important conversation in front of me.
“I felt your connection to me end and even though you’re here now, it hasn’t been reestablished. I don’t understand how that happened. I’m not sure if I can trust you.”
At those words, everyone around him from the Cabal soldiers to the True to Jody and to Power Burst and his gang of potential Artificers turned to watch as one. The Cabal soldiers adjusted their stances, ready to run or jump to Magnus’ defense. The True didn’t point their guns at Ray, but readied them so it would take much effort to raise them at fire.
“We do,” Magnus continued, “have a way to find out if you’re loyal. My assistant is remarkably persuasive and even more so now.”
Magnus eyed Colette and said, “Well?”
Colette’s hand dangled near the small crossbow hanging off her belt. She said, “Tell the truth. Are you working against Magnus now? Answer me.”
My sensors showed her voice hitting the frequencies I’d designed my buzzers to work against, but at a higher intensity than most versions of my buzzers protected against.
I guessed that had to be what happened when Magnus empowered a Dominator. I didn’t have time to be impressed by my foresight because Ray’s suit was missing the additional insulation that I’d added to the team’s suits.
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Still, my sensors showed that the frequencies detected should mean that the buzzer was working. On the other hand, Ray stood a decent distance away and my sensors weren’t perfect.
All I could do was wait for Ray’s reply.
Ray grinned, saying, “I’m not working against our dear leader. I have only his best interests at heart. Now, do you want me to help you find the Rocket or not?”
That didn’t make it clearer.
Magnus started laughing. It was the closest I’d ever heard an actual supervillain sound like a maniacal supervillain in a cartoon. Then he said, “Tell us, young man. Tell us where we can find my rival, this misbegotten tinker and toymaker, this fellow child of the stars and yet at the same time a copy with no identity of his own.”
Ray had been right about Magnus’ monologues. Come to think of it, I’d barely gotten a word in edgewise in any conversation I’d had with the man—not that there had been more than more than two that I could think of.
Grandpa’s helmet turned in my direction and muttered, “I’m not going to feel bad about hurting this man.”
I found myself both gratified that Grandpa cared even without knowing me, and annoyed because the only way he could hear that conversation was if the Mentalist pulled it from my surface thoughts and passed it on to the group—which I was fine with, but I’d rather that he asked.
“Over there,” Ray said, pointing almost in our direction but to the left. “They spread out.”
He was still working with us. He’d been wrong, but close enough to right for it to be a mistake.
Magnus grinned widely beneath his gray-tinged moustache. “Go kill the Rocket. Kill anyone who with him. No one in the Heroes’ League should survive this. In these modern times, where men are weak, you’ll show them the hardness the strong need to survive.”
“My lord,” Ray said, “the original Heroes’ League is here with him. Killing one of them might change the past in ways none of us can predict. It might even affect you.”
“Bah!” Magnus laughed, his head tilting backwards. “It doesn’t matter. I was alive before any of them were born. What’s the worst that can happen? Perhaps it takes me a little longer to find the key to this place? I have time.”
Colette leaned in, hesitating, but speaking in a low voice, “If you lose the key, what happens? Do we all disappear from here? The True might not exist. The second Heroes’ League rescued the device that created them.”
Magnus waved away her objections with his hand. “None of that matters. I had my eyes on the device before they saved it from the Hrrnna. Besides, you’ll be fine. You’re older than they are.”
Next to Colette, Jody frowned, “What about me?”
Magnus smiled, “You’ll be fine.”
Still frowning, Jody asked, “Are you sure? We were hiding from the Cabal.”
Turning to meet Jody’s eyes, Magnus said, “I wouldn’t do anything to risk your life. Kill them. Kill the Rocket. Kill anyone with him.”
Shouting at the rest of them, Magnus pointed at the area Ray had indicated. “Kill them all!”
Grandpa turned to Red Lightning and I, “Get ready. I’ll tell you when.”