Accidental Hero (Jack Blank Adventure) (12 page)

A surprised murmur ran through the panel. Prime tilted his head, clearly impressed. “Is this true?” he asked. When Jack nodded, Prime seemed pleased. “Just what are your powers, young man?”

“He doesn’t know what—,” Jazen began.

“I control machines,” Jack interrupted.

“You what?” Jazen asked.

“I figured it out last night,” Jack quickly whispered to Jazen. “I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want to freak you out. You know, seeing as how you’re technically a—”

“Don’t worry about me, tell them!” Jazen exclaimed.

“I control machines!” Jack repeated, turning back to Prime and the rest of the Circle. “I don’t mean to do it, it just happens. It doesn’t happen all the time, but that’s got to be it. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Machines react to my feelings. My mood. Yesterday I was really excited and drove a huge boat through a crazy storm to get here. I’d never even been on a boat before, but it worked with no problem. In the Hall of Records I had all this nervous energy and suddenly Jazen had a glitch. And before that…” Jack paused and thought about the events of the previous day in a new light. “Before that I was really scared and yeah, I’m pretty sure I used a power generator to blow up a Rüstov Para-Soldier.”

The Inner Circle whispered excitedly among themselves.

“Destroying a Rüstov Para-Soldier…,” Prime repeated. “Impressive for a boy your age. More than impressive.”

“It’s simply unheard of,” Virtua added. “Your powers must be mighty, indeed.”

“It makes sense,” Jazen said, seizing the moment. “It makes perfect sense. Let’s say Jack controls machines. The Rüstov are living machines! If his power is automatic, that has to be how he survived infection this long. His natural instinct to survive is keeping the Rüstov in check. That’s how he controls the Rüstov inside him!”

“But he doesn’t control his power,” Hovarth argued. “It changes with his moods. What if the Rüstov adapts when he relaxes? Gains the upper hand?”

“That’s why Jack belongs here, where we can teach him to control his abilities,” Jazen argued.

“It’s why Jack is dangerous,” Smart countered. “For all you know, this boy is controlling you right now. He could be using you to slip past our defenses so he can call back the Rüstov Armada!” Smart turned to his fellow Circlemen. “This is all the more reason why Emissary Knight has to be dismantled, if only temporarily. I want to run a full diagnostic on him. He’s not himself! I’m not questioning his loyalty, it’s this…
child
. He needs to be exec—” Smart stopped himself. “He needs to be
put to sleep
so that we can end this threat. Then I can dissect his body and examine both his biological organs and any technological tissue. It’s the only way to harvest his power so that we can all resist the Rüstov infection. That way, everyone can benefit!”

“Everyone except me!” Jack said. “They’re not actually going to do this, are they?” he asked Jazen.

Jazen looked over the Inner Circle’s faces one by one, trying to guess their feelings on the matter. “This is the
Imagine Nation!” Jazen pleaded. “Here, of all places, we should be able to find an alternative to this. I know what I’m doing. I’m not being controlled by Jack.”

“So
you
say,” Hovarth interjected. “Surely it is better to err on the side of caution, no?”

“Not if it means dismantling me and killing this boy,” Jazen said. “We’ve already sacrificed so much to the Rüstov. We’ve all but closed our borders. Now we’re going to kill the people who come here?”

“You’re the one who brought him here, Emissary Knight,” Smart noted. “His blood is on your hands.”

“Harming this boy won’t serve this city,” Jazen replied. “It will betray everything the Imagine Nation stands for. If you do this, the Rüstov have already won.”

“On the contrary,” Smart reasoned. “Legend’s sacrifice against the Rüstov proves that the suffering of one individual can, in fact, serve the greater good. The logical conclusion is that the more suffering we see, the better things are actually getting.”

“That makes no sense!” Jack objected.

“Child, don’t tax your feeble mind trying to understand why I’m right—just accept that I am,” Smart said. No one
else argued with him. Jack was suddenly worried. Coming into the sphere, Jazen had made it seem like Smart’s whole plan to dissect him was too crazy to take seriously. Now it looked like a real possibility. “Enough of this,” Smart continued. “I move that we vote on this matter now, and then proceed to the festival outside.”

“I have a question first,” Chi said softly, speaking up for the first time.

Smart blew a sharp snort of air out his nostrils and frowned. “How nice of you to join us, Chi,” he quipped.

Chi opted not to dignify Smart’s barb with a response. He directed his attention to Jack and Jazen. “How exactly did you find this boy, Emissary Knight? What led you to him?”

“It’s part of my job to seek out gifted ones, Circleman Chi,” Jazen replied. “Generally, when dealing with power levels like Jack’s, they’re impossible to miss.”

“Yes, but that wasn’t the case here, was it?” Chi guessed. “I reviewed the SmartCam footage from the Hall of Records. You told the customs clerk that you were encouraged to bring this boy back. What did you mean by that?”

Jazen hesitated but was compelled to speak. “Two
nights ago I received a letter… a letter that told me about Jack. It was from somebody important, somebody we all trust. He told me where to look for Jack. I followed the directions, and there Jack was.”

“Who was this letter from?” Chi pressed, digging deeper.

Jazen pulled an orange envelope from his jacket pocket and held it in the air. “It was from Stendeval,” he said.

The entire Circle let out a collective gasp, but no one was more shocked than Jack. A letter from Stendeval, the man who had been missing since the Battle of Empire City, written about him?

Smart wasted no time in casting further suspicion on the matter. “I can see why Emissary Knight didn’t bring this up himself. That letter was probably sent by the Rüstov!”

The letter was passed around the table, and the Circle erupted with arguments debating its legitimacy. All of the Circlemen were up in arms, quarreling. All except for Chi, who somehow maintained his Zen-like calm. “Thank you, Emissary Knight,” Chi said peacefully. “Jonas, I agree. We are ready for a vote. I invite you to begin.”

“I intend to,” Smart said. He stood up, clearly upset by the Stendeval business. He cleared his throat, then
straightened his jacket and hair, composing himself like a lawyer readying his closing statements.

“Even if you don’t believe this child is a Rüstov conspirator,” Smart began, “no one can argue that he is not infected. Our laws demand that we terminate him before he becomes one of the Rüstov himself. It is unfortunate, but there is no other possible future for him. Any attempt to forcibly remove a Rüstov parasite has resulted in the death of the host, in every case! On the motion to have my Peacemakers execute the infected child and donate his body to science, I vote yes,” Smart said, unflinchingly certain of his own infallibility.

As Jack listened to Smart pontificate before the Circle, he was floored by the man’s ice-blooded nature, as well as the absolute pride he seemed to take in that nature. Jonas Smart wore his lack of a heart on his sleeve.

“I might add that I resent Emissary Knight’s tactics,” Smart added. “Invoking the name of Stendeval in the hopes that it might sway this panel’s ruling. You dishonor his memory, sir.” Smart pointed an accusing finger in Jazen’s direction. “But perhaps that is part of the enemy’s plan. A mysterious letter written in the hand of an old
friend. Someone whom we all miss. Whom we all trust. But a letter telling you to bring an infected child into the Imagine Nation… It troubles me that you did not find this suspicious, Emissary Knight. I further move that the emissary should be dismantled immediately for a full system scan by SmartCorp engineers. Circleman Prime, you are next.”

All eyes turned to Prime, who was pondering the issue with a very serious look on his face. “As you all know, the Rüstov destroyed my home world and killed nearly everyone I ever loved,” Prime said, rising to his feet. “And despite everything they have done to me, I still say they will find no more ardent foe than you, Jonas Smart. You are willing to kill children to defeat them.” He shook his head. “I will not vote to kill this boy because we are afraid of what he might become. If he turns or corrupts the emissary, I will be ready. I am a Valorian soldier, and the sons of Valor know no fear. I vote no. On both counts.”

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as Prime returned to his seat.

The vote moved on to Hovarth of Varagog. Hovarth picked up his sword and stared down the blade, examining
it. “I’m sorry, lad,” he said with a distant look. “I mourn the loss of all who fall prey to the Rüstov, I truly do. But in Varagog we trust no machines, and it’s only a matter of time before you become one.” Jack’s face fell. “Take heart, young fellow!” Hovarth urged. “If what they say is true, if we can discover a cure to the Rüstov virus by studying your body, why, you’ll be remembered as a hero!” he promised with great enthusiasm. “In Varagog we ask nothing more from life. On both counts, I vote yes.”

Hovarth’s vote made the score now 2-1 in favor of executing Jack and dismantling Jazen. Jack’s heart pounded in his chest and his mind raced. What would he do if he lost the vote? There was no way for him to escape the sphere. He was trapped, and one more vote against him would seal his fate.

Chi stood at his seat, his expressionless face hiding any emotion. Jack fought the urge to hyperventilate. He was just about ready to really freak out.

“I vote no,” Chi said firmly. “Jack is an innocent child. Emissary Knight has done nothing wrong. No other explanation is required.”

Jack exhaled deeply and smiled up at Chi, mouthing
the words “Thank you.” He wasn’t out of the woods yet, though; it was time for the tiebreaker. He held his breath for the final vote.

“It seems that it is up to you now, Virtua,” Smart said fiendishly. “A word of advice before you decide this matter. Do not forget it was your predecessor, the android Silico, who was revealed to be the traitor to this Circle—the Great Collaborator responsible for the Rüstov invasion.”

Virtua looked daggers back at Smart. “I haven’t forgotten,” she said. “I haven’t ever forgotten! What exactly do you mean, bringing this up to me now?”

Smart put up a finger. “Think for a moment. A vote for this child could be interpreted by some as the behavior of a Rüstov conspirator. A vote to protect the infected? To protect the Mecha that brought him here? It all reeks of more traitors in Machina. Tread carefully, or I might be forced to send Peacemaker teams in to sweep your borough for Rüstov agents all over again.”

Virtua’s holo-image flickered as she let out a startled gasp. Prime pounded the table, his fist crackling with radiant energy. “You go too far, Jonas Smart!” the Valorian bellowed.

“The public would demand it!” Smart retorted. “Don’t subject your people to that over this boy,” he told Virtua. “Who knows who might get caught in the cross fire?”

“That’s not fair!” Jack yelled. “He’s bullying her! You can’t bully her like that!”

“This is blackmail!” Jazen agreed.

“I’m merely offering my opinion,” Smart said, waving his hands. “By all means, Virtua, vote your conscience. We are all equals in the Inner Circle,” he added with a smug grin.

Virtua looked trapped, and Jack could tell she was conflicted. The look on Jazen’s face didn’t do anything to put him at ease either. Jack could see that Virtua wanted to vote in their favor, but the looming shadow of doubt cast by talk of the Great Collaborator worried her, and that worried Jack. If one more vote went the wrong way, he would be as good as dead and Jazen would be spare parts.

“There is no cause for concern,” Chi announced. “I am sure your counsel is appreciated, Jonas, but the final decision will not fall to Virtua’s shoulders alone. You see, it is not yet her turn to vote.”

Chi motioned to an empty chair between himself and Virtua—the chair that had once belonged to Stendeval.

“You’re not serious,” Smart said, incredulous.

The Circleman of Varagog roared with laughter. “Chi, Stendeval has been missing for years! Do you think he’s going to come here today simply because the emissary got a mysterious letter? Jonas is right; surely the letter was sent by the Rüstov.”

“No, it wasn’t, actually,” Chi stated, his voice cool and even.

“You know this for truth? How?”

Chi reached into his robe. “Because twelve years ago Stendeval sent me a letter too. He wrote to tell me that on this day he was going to be fifteen minutes late for a meeting concerning one Jack Blank.”

The room fell silent as Chi dropped another, much older orange envelope onto the table.

“Imagine that,” he added with a smile.

Jonas Smart picked up the letter and read it silently to himself. The clock on the wall struck 12:15 p.m., and Jack saw all the color drain from Smart’s face.

A gust of wind blew through the room. Above Jack’s
head, tiny red energy particles swirled in the air, spinning outward from a teeny-tiny dot into a large ring. A humming sound grew and the room shook.

A radiant orange-white light flashed out, blinding Jack. When Jack’s sight returned a moment later, a man was floating in the center of the room with his legs folded beneath him. He had dark brown skin and red lines painted on his smooth, bald head. The entire Inner Circle, whom Jack imagined saw the impossible happen every day, fell speechless.

“Hello again, young friend,” the man in orange said to Jack.

“Am I glad to see you,” Jazen said.

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. “It’s good to see you again… Stendeval.”

“Og’s blood!” Hovarth exclaimed. The feeling was shared by everyone in the room, even if they didn’t put it the exact same way.

It took a minute for the group to get over the initial shock of Stendeval’s return and also for Stendeval to give everyone a proper hello. He first greeted Chi, whom he had written to about this moment so many years ago. Stendeval lowered his head in a formal bow to the ninja master, who returned the swift motion with his arms at his sides. Facing Prime, Stendeval raised a fist to his heart,
in what looked to Jack like some kind of Valorian salute. Prime snapped to attention and returned the gesture without a word. Next, Stendeval greeted Virtua and congratulated her on her election to the Inner Circle. He also offered his condolences about Silico, the reason her seat was open in the first place. On the other side of the table, Stendeval gave Hovarth’s hand a hearty shake. Hovarth leaned in to look him closely in the eye, perhaps to see if it was really him. Whatever he saw satisfied his curiosity, and he told Stendeval it was good to have him back. He appeared to genuinely mean it. The same could not be said for Jonas Smart. He reached out to Stendeval, offering his hand with all the strength and enthusiasm of a dead fish. “Welcome back,” he said drily.