A Hero's Song (Darkest Secrets Volume 1)

Chapter 15 - Evolution

Gabriel, WAKE UP.

It was a shame the man was yelling since he'd been about to hand Gabriel a pizza. He knew this must be a dream. He tossed his head to the side, shook off the sleep, and squinted.

The first thing he noticed was the pain in his skull. The throbbing ebbed away slowly, letting him regain his faculties.

Gabriel, are you alright? The pizza man asked.

Wait, pizza man? He opened his eyes to see himself in power armor staring from above. Shaking his head, he remembered the events of the previous night.

With a dry throat, he asked the suit, "Alfred?"
The very same, friend. Are you well, or do I need to get you to the infirmary?

Why did Alfred's voice seem to be coming from his head? His ears should be picking up the sounds emitted from the armor's speakers, but he could hear nothing but the soft whir of the flight generator. If he focussed, he could even make out the sound of his own heart. He determined his hearing was fine.

"Alfred, why can't I hear you when you speak. It's like someone is superimposing your words into my brain."

About that... it seems last night's attempt to transfer my consciousness may have had more significance than we assumed.

"What is that supposed to mean? What happened?" Gabriel implored.

I suffered a short circuit the moment you blacked out. Also, since waking, I seem to be speaking with you directly through your brain, which would mean I'm in your Neural Link.

You have an AI in your brain. I, on the other hand, now inhabit two bodies, yours and the suit.

Gabriel's mind reeled. He had messed up when he had asked Alfred to activate weapons. He shuddered to think what could have happened had something else gone wrong. As it was, he didn't feel any different, other than having a voice inside his head.

"What will this change? I have never heard of such a thing happening. Can you still activate the weapons?" He felt a wave of acknowledgment; it seemed that Alfred needn't communicate with only words.

"Alright, try to hover." He told the AI.

The suit shot up five or six feet and stayed there. Gabriel felt each movement of the suit as if he were wearing it. The dual overlay of senses was almost too much for him to handle. After a second to focus, he realized it would be easier to go by feel rather than trying to remain aware of the suit's position and state.

I have complete control over the systems. Would you care for more exercises?

"No, Alfred. I think your feel for the suit is answer enough." Gabriel answered.

Replying out loud brought to mind an essential question.

"Say, Alfred, can you read my mind?" Privacy had never been an issue for Gabriel, but the thought of another person observing his thoughts gave him chills.

No, I cannot. The most I can do from your Neural Link is feel your emotional state and basic desires. I can communicate with you through it with words, feelings, or raw data. You can project the same to me. You might be able to use my code structure, too, eventually. The suit hovered to the floor.

"What do you mean by using your structure?"

I am AI. My processes work infinitely faster than your brain's. I can think critically while making decisions, even with new information added constantly. To put it in simpler terms, your reaction times will be much quicker when you wear the suit now. You can subconsciously tap into my capabilities. I will also assist.

Gabriel understood the theory of what Alfred was suggesting. The only way for him to find out would be to don the suit and get into a fight. Luckily for him, he had just the place to train. A place he couldn't get hurt - even if he died.

Remembering the virtual training room, Gabriel smacked himself on the head. "Alfred, am I late to training?"

Fortunately, no, it is still early. Might I suggest returning to your quarters to sleep for a few hours?

Gabriel shook his head, "No, I'd rather spend some time getting accustomed to our newfound... proximity."

Alfred and Gabriel spent the rest of the early morning testing in a training room to see what effects their situation had on Gabriel's ability to fight and think. What they found was nothing short of astounding.

He couldn't move as fast as a Speedster, but Alfred tracked the movements of the objects around him precisely. If something came too close, Alfred would recognize it instantly, and Gabriel could react the moment a threat was made present.

For the most part, Gabriel felt normal. The most exciting thing was that when he focused on accessing knowledge he knew Alfred had, it just popped into his head.

I think you now fall under the category of Android.

Gabriel agreed. He was already able to understand and work with amounts of data no other human could. Now, it was like Alfred's code tripled the space in his mind. The images that used to show on his HUD now projected into his brain.

Even without the armor, Gabriel could still access networks using his Neural Link.

The hours rolled by quickly, but Gabriel and Alfred worked just as fast. Once they were satisfied that their connection was stable and safe, Gabriel decided to use the rest of their time to download maps of all the major cities and the floorplans of the Spire to his brain.

We should be going. If we leave now, we should be arriving when Zero materializes dramatically in the Training Hall. Alfred chortled a laugh.

Gabriel was already at the elevator.

Custodian 192-l found Falco's comment yesterday and shared it with the Custodians over the course of the next charging cycle. I think you refer to this as 'gossip.'

Gabriel snickered and stepped into the lift.

In the Training Hall, he noted that his teammates were already present. Falco saw him enter and zipped over, stopping short of crashing into his friend.

"Hey Gabe, how's it going? Excited? I know I am. So much fake training and sparring in the Academy." The Speedster asked.

"After dying yesterday, I don't think I should feel excited about the pain I'm probably about to feel," Gabriel grimaced.

"Aw, come on, bro! Don't be like that! I mean, hey, how better to train for a career where any day on the job means confronting at least one person who wants nothing more than to tear your throat out?"

He had a point — a very real one. There was no better way he could think of than actually fighting trained Supers without safety rules.

If he wanted to be a Sentinel, he'd best be ready to face the challenges that came with the title. He had been training his entire life anyway; stepping it up wasn't going to kill him. At least not in the real world.

He nodded. "You're right, Falco. I guess I am excited! What do you think Zero has in store for us today?"

The light in the room intensified as the shadows pooled in the middle of the lounge.

Zero puffed into existence and said, "Afternoon, team. We start in 30 seconds. Please assume the same places as yesterday."

When Gamma was in position, Zero stepped onto a simulation pad.

He cracked his knuckles. "Today, you fight me."