“But I can’t be sure that if I send them back with the family that they wouldn’t just get thrown overboard or killed since I’ll have to restrain them somehow. Then what’s to ensure the men get tried for their crimes? That would require visiting a magistrate, testimony, and a lot of time. I get the feeling this family just wants to get on with their lives and get out of here.”
“Also true. I’ve got no easy answers for you, unfortunately,” Nick answered impassively.
“Why did this have to get complicated so quickly?” Gus ran his hands through his hair, lacing them behind his neck and looking up at the sky. “It would have been nice to level up a bit at my own pace and figure these types of things out in my own time.” He sighed again and stared at the sand.
“How am I going to do this, Nick? I mean, even if I figure this out, what happens when I get back to civilization? Do I join my father’s Faction and subject myself to their rules? Do I stay Factionless? Everyone has such strong opinions for one Faction and against another one. Everyone’s a villain to someone and adored by others. I just want to be a good guy and do good sometimes. And have a life somewhere in the middle.”
“You might have less freedom than you think if you join a Faction. They have their own rules, you know. Ones that regs don’t see or hear about. There’s always a bigger fish in the pond, and if you don’t think they have ways of dealing with cocksure young supers with ideas of their own, you’re in for some disappointment. Especially with noble ideals that conflict with the current mission in question. Just look at some of the things you were asked to do as a henchman. The overtly destructive ones. You think that changes just because you’re higher on the food chain?”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“I know. Gus, you didn’t choose this life as most do, but I have high hopes for you. I see you becoming a gunslinger, out there on your own, kicking ass and taking names. Plus you can’t see your own greatness, which is kind of refreshing, to be honest. You lack the ego that most supers have and the Faction academies promote. I mean, you could use a little more bravado at times, but right now I see you as a wild card, amirite?”
“I suppose.”
“Most supers are taught to suppress any and all Nth communication. They explain this connection as dissociative identity disorder that is a side effect of the anchoring of a person’s abilities. I mean, really, don’t the best of us all have voices in our heads?”
“Why would they do that? It seems like it would really restrict development.”
“It’s because of the Rooack—” Nick began but ended in choking noises.
“Because of what?” Gus asked.
“Oh, come on! Why is that restricted? It’s part of history!” Nick protested. “Sorry, boss. Quantum server is restricting that particular information for now. That’s pretty rare. That means some powerful people on this planet are currently using abilities to control the flow of information. All I can tell you is that this was intentional.”
“So maybe not going through an academy will end up being a good thing. I have been thinking I would always be so far behind other supers in the Factions.”
“Everything has a cost. The amazing help and guidance that Nth can provide, even if it isn’t noticed or appreciated sometimes by some people,” Nick’s inflection was jokingly exaggerated as he paused for effect. “No offense, Gus, but I doubt you could have achieved what you have without little old me.”
“No, you’re right about that,” Gus admitted, not taking the bait. “I may have gotten there in a couple decades, but I didn’t have that kind of time. I really am grateful. I have stalled enough though. I need to do something.”
Gus climbed aboard the boat and went below decks. He found a door with a large padlock on it and shattered the internal mechanism with Wreck-It-Gus. The lock emitted a loud crack, the stacked plates of the lock bent, and the loop disengaged. Pulling open the wooden door, Gus descended a steep ladder to the room below.
The cacophony that assaulted his ears was intense, as was the heavy smell of diesel and engine oil. The engine’s thrum was so noisy he wondered if the people trapped here would have permanent hearing loss.
Not to mention the heat, which was so sweltering that Gus worried that the occupants might have heat stroke. It was so hot that he couldn’t use any special filters on his displays to show the family. He made his way around the cramped machinery and found them crouched together next to one wall.
The father had been zip-tied to some piping and his wife and three girls gathered around protectively. They appeared to be of Asian descent, and while he knew Nick could translate for him, it would be like trying to carry on a conversation in a loud nightclub.
Gus held his hands up placatingly, showing he intended no harm. He slowly approached and removed the ties with a focused Wreck-It-Gus. He then motioned the family to follow him. They were skeptical at first, but after the father had secured a large wrench they followed after Gus had climbed back up the ladder.
Gus decided to let them come out on their own and went to retrieve the other two men. He was dragging them back to the beach on an ether sled when he saw the family come up to the top deck.
Anger was clearly visible on the wife’s face; the father looked disappointed, as if ashamed he couldn’t protect his family. The woman grabbed the wrench from her husband and jumped off the ship, heading to attack one of the men. Gus had to drop his burden and rush over to stop her from bludgeoning the helpless man.
“They
