Gus turned and most of the others had already headed up the open gangway and entered the transport. He followed them in and they seated themselves in the main cabin. Two plush chairs on each side of the wide aisle were filling as everyone stowed their gear in the hold, while some secured items in storage above the seats. Aurora had saved him a seat. Gus was surprised; she had seemed distant after the others arrived.
“How are you holding up? You’ve seemed wrung out lately, Gus.”
“Physically, I feel fine, but mentally, I’m fried. Plus with my father here, it feels like things are slipping out of my control.”
“Well, I think you’re doing great, given the circumstances.” She looked up with concern. Gus’ anger at Aurora had evaporated in the conflict with Manticorps and finding out she was still alive. Still, things had changed a bit. Neither had apologized, but they tacitly moved ahead. Hanging out or training a bit, but they hadn’t talked as much. She had effortlessly slipped back into the others’ company and Gus felt like an outsider, as they kept mostly to themselves.
“I didn’t plan on all this responsibility. And at the same time, I get furious at the thought of someone taking it away from me, like I’m unable to handle it. I’ve always hated being volunteered for something by someone else, especially if I had other plans. Sometimes this feels like that, and even with all this power, people are still ordering me around.”
“You’ve made it clear how you want things organized. Even I was surprised at how you held yourself and laid things out. It wasn’t your typical Gus.”
Gus recalled how most of that came from Nick’s recommendations, but she didn’t need to know that. Gus felt he had a tenuous leadership established as it was.
Tempest made his way back from the cockpit and addressed the group.
“Okay, we’ll be in the air in just a bit. We’re going to visit the base where The Alchemist was last held. Something has definitely happened there recently, so be prepared for a fight…”
“Is it weird he is calling her ‘The Alchemist’ and not ‘Gwen,’ or ‘my wife’?” Gus leaned over and whispered to Aurora.
“That’s how people addressed her in the faction, so maybe he’s trying to keep it professional? Or how faction members knew her?” she replied, keeping her eyes ahead.
“It throws me off,” Gus said, folding his arms as Tempest continued.
“…will go in first to assess the situation. They will relay that to me and then we will progress in teams. Gus, you’ll be with me, Yuki, and Aurora. Team two will be led by Anastasia and team three by Grimdark. Everyone, accept the party invite and check your comms. We should be there in about two hours. Any questions?”
No one responded, so Tempest made his way back to the forward cabin. Gus tried to peek up to see if his father was helping fly the ship or just observing the pilot. Is he a pilot, too? Gus had to admit he didn’t know. How well do I know my own father? He conceded he had been self-absorbed for a while with his own life now that he was out of the house.
Gus leaned forward and rubbed his face with both hands. He usually liked to sleep on planes or transports, but there wasn’t anything to do. He could really use a handheld game system, or communicator to distract himself. With the constant chaos taking most of his mental RAM, he hadn’t had time to be bored. He needed something to do or level, or he felt like he was wasting time.
With a resonating hum that made his back itch until it cycled to a higher frequency, the transport lifted off and turned in the air. They were finally off.
Chapter Four
Soul Man
Gus leaned back and enjoyed the sensation of takeoff. Unlike his friend Chuck, who hated flying, Gus liked the feeling. For some reason it made him feel like a super, even before he ever had any powers. It was a far cry from the actual sensation of flying with powers, but they still elicited the same swell of emotions. As he dwelt on why, he recalled that whenever he had flown in the past, it was usually either for a family vacation to some exotic place or the start of a mission with his fellow henchmen.
Something new and exciting always seemed to await them. He closed his eyes as he was pressed slightly into his seat as the transport rapidly accelerated to their cruising altitude. When he opened his eyes, Aurora was already asleep in the short time it took to take off. He had planned on continuing their conversation but she must have thought he was taking a rest and decided to do the same.
After fidgeting for a while, he got bored, so Gus popped out of his seat and dug the cube from his backpack in the overhead storage. Staring at it, he tried using some of his abilities to see if it would reveal anything about the mysterious box. Telepathy did nothing, but perhaps it only worked on living things. That made him wonder what Electronic Mind would do to the cube. His tentative probe felt like it clicked into place when he tried to understand what the cube was hiding. Whether this was due to his skill or possibly some changes in himself from absorbing Methiochos’ ability, he could not say.
As he looked at the cube, he had a sudden feeling of falling forward. The side of the cube he was staring at appeared to stretch in all directions and there was a feeling of transition as he crossed the plane of the surface.
Then the world changed.
Looking around, Gus found himself within a labyrinth. Walls the color of circuit boards were chased with protrusions and soldered elements. Yellow pulses zigged and zagged through them. Sound seemed to be muted as
