Kenji turned to us, cracking his neck.
"Beat it. If I hear a word from any of you I might just get a little trigger happy."
He jammed a thumb in the direction of the ashes being carried by a breeze.
I glanced at the rapidly cooling pool of lava at his feet.
Heat exchange.
Gi man poured his in the sky, Kenji poured his in the ground.
It wasn't magic.
It was physics.
Twisted and weaponized to all hell, but still physics nonetheless. Just one question, where is the initial heat coming from?
"You guys got a death wish? Get moving!"
He aimed his fingers at us.
Don't have to tell me twice.
The prisoners and I shuffled towards the hangar through the human-sized door.
When we stepped inside, I expected it to be pitch black.
But no, there was a lamp near the door. It sat on top of several crates and a little handwritten note. Everyone gathered around it curiously.
"So who's touching it?"
I sighed, pushing through the crowd.
"I got it, standing around won't change anything."
I snatched the note, opening it.
The paper was heavy, high-quality.
Not only that, but words scribbled on it were in high English, the old era.
I looked around.
"Can anyone read High English?"
Everyone looked around curiously, before shaking their heads.
Good.
I read it.
To my students,
I apologize if you're reading this, but it means I wasn't able to bring you inside the main building. It's no matter, I always prepare back-ups. In these crates, you'll find rations and blankets. There's enough for all of you, so don't fight, okay? See you soon!
Rest well, tomorrow we begin training.
–Master Apollo
There was a tiny drawing of him at the bottom giving two thumbs up.
I smirked.
This guy was a genius.
"Well, what does it say?"
I cleared my throat, looking around at the desperate faces around me.
I don't wanna face a stampede, not over a few rations.
"Everyone, step back, there's a bomb inside."
The prisoners hurriedly backed away.
I then stepped away from the crates with the lamp in hand.
"Okay I lied, it's food and blankets."
The silence was heavy.
Then, the group collectively rushed the crates.
"Get the fuck out of the way!"
"Touch me and you're dead!"
They ripped apart the first crate like a pack of wild animals.
I looked down at the lamp in my hands.
It was a simple high-powered LED, fueled via fusion cells.
I held it in the direction behind me.
This hangar was massive and empty.
The walls were lined with support beams that supported a ceiling stack with cranes and broken lights.
Welp, not even I can fix this anymore.
"Scaring the shadows?"
A chill ran down my spine as I looked over my shoulder to see the cultist standing behind me.
She held a few ration packs and a blanket.
"What do you want?"
The cultist sat beside me.
"The others have jumbled minds filled with fear. Bark, bark, bark, it's all they do." She spread out her blanket. "Not you though, your mind is loud in a different way, like Apollo."
I raised an eyebrow.
Okay, I have two questions.
"Can you read minds?"
The cultist looked up at me with a grin.
"Sometimes I hear voices that aren't from the void. Like you, you think about this machine spirit called Lola. Is she your daughter?"
I tensed, slowly turning to face her.
"What did you say?"
My voice was low and dangerous.
The cultist grinned.
"Death, death, death… You seek my death for speaking, don't you? Fear not, I've told not a soul of the desire in your heart."
I sigh, snatching a ration from her.
"Keep it that way, princess."
She giggled, "You have my sworn allegiance, Marcus."
I clench my jaw, narrowing my eyes.
Note to self: don't think too hard around the cultist.
I turned to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Away."
"Why?"
"Because I don't trust you."
The cultist tilted her head.
"Even so, do you trust 18 strangers? Whatever I do, pales in comparison to whatever they will."
I stopped, looking over the prisoners. They were already forming groups. The strongmen were hoarding blankets and rations. While the weaker ones shared amongst themselves. Then there were the women, who grouped up opposite everyone.
The law of the jungle was already in place.
I looked back at the cultist.
Her eyes were still unnaturally wide.
But, if someone came to attack us, she'd hear them.
"Fine," I grunted. I looked down at the lamp in my hand, then back at the other groups.
Best not to give them a reason to try anything.
I put the lamp down in the center, before walking back to join the cultist. I sat beside her, resting my back against the wall as I ripped into a ration pack.
I opened a pack of crackers and chewed mindlessly.
This place was weird.
The people were pricks.
And the power was off the charts.
What the hell have I gotten myself into, Lola?
— — —
"Hrk–"
I stirred to the sounds of choking.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the void cultist choking out a young guy. He was no older than 17. "Please," he gasped, "I wasn't going to do anything, I swear."
The cultist shrieked, gripping his neck harder.
"Lies, you thought of defiling me, I saw your mind. Do not lie to me, boy."
I blinked.
The boy's face turned a shade of purple that matched the bruises on his neck.
"Let him go," I said, rubbing my eyes as I yawned.
"I cannot, this boy's mind is filled with filth. Filth that will spread like a disease if I let him live. I must liberate his soul from this wretched vessel at once!"
"I… was… just… waking you… up."
His voice was barely audible.
"Yes, but your hands reached for my bosom did they not? Is that how you would wake your mother?"
The boy looked away in shame.
I sighed.
"Let him go, he's just a kid. Not like you haven't done anything crazy, like mass murder."
The cultist laughed softly, releasing the boy and watching him scramble back towards his group.
She turned to me.
"Why do you care to save him?"
"I don't, I just didn't wanna deal with Kenji."
I glanced at the door, it was open, with sunlight pouring through.
It wasn't long before Apollo stepped through the door, carrying a crate.
Behind him was a student in black.
She wore a gas mask around her neck and a rifle on her back. She was tall, with long blonde hair and round glasses.
"Hello my students, it's me, your Master!"
He grinned, setting down the crate with a heavy thud.
"And today is the first day of class." He pulled a crowbar from his gi, cracking open the crate.
Inside were a large number of rods made of different materials.
He placed one hand in the crate, and another on the floor.
"Monica, hit it."
The woman sighed, pulling out a speaker and hitting play. The sound of pianos and trumpets filled the air. Apollo smirked, bobbing his head as he began to suck up the metals in the crate.
Then, desks began to rise from the floor. The lights in the ceiling were repaired, and the walls were scrubbed clean of rust.
But one strange thing I noticed is that the temperature didn't change.
By the time the Gi man was finished, the hangar was an illuminated classroom.
The desks sat facing two chalkboards, with a desk between them.
The lights were bright and warm.
And though the entire hangar wasn't cleaned or illuminated, the fact was that this was a major upgrade.
The Gi man rushed outside.
And seconds later, he fired another beam into the sky.
It's like he's deliberately delaying the heat exchange of transmutation, which should be impossible.
We should all be dead from the heat alone.
But instead, he has some sort of buffer that allows him to hold it.
When Kenji fired his beam, the heat was all over the place.
But that still doesn't answer where he got the initial energy to create that beam. Either the ground, him, or the air, should've frozen over.
I gripped my head.
This is so confusing.
The Gi man returned, clapping his hands.
"Alright my kiddies, there's no assigned seating so just sit wherever you're comfortable."
The prisoners looked around hesitantly, before slowly making their way over to the desks.
The big guys made their way towards the back, while the scrawny guys found their seats in the front.
I chose a middle seat near the edge.
The cultist sat beside me, smirking.