Prodigy Returns (book 3)

Chapter Twelve

Kyodin led the way, trudging through the dense rainforest and clearing a path for Alex, who followed closely behind. Now that she had a guide, Alex was able to relax a bit more and enjoy her surroundings. She felt much safer being around Kyodin after seeing what his suit could do and the weapons he had. She wanted to learn more about that. In fact, the two had a lot to talk about and were both eager to learn from each other.

"Why do you come all the way out here to hunt?" Alex asked.

"It's a two-day walk, but I don't walk. With my suit, I can cover the same distance in a few hours."

"That's quite the suit you have," Alex said. "How does it work?"

"The armour is actually a synthetic material made from modified spider silk. The spiders ingest carbon nanotubes and graphene so that they produce a carbon fibre webbing. We take the silk and make whatever we want out of it. It's extremely lightweight and highly resilient to impact... as you are probably aware."

"I'm familiar with modified spider silk, we have similar techniques on Earth, which is probably where you guys acquired the knowledge to do this. But what I'm wondering is how you are able to flip through the air, run up trees, and levitate. It's almost as if you've found a way to circumvent the effects of gravity."

"I can," Kyodin said simply. "The suit is equipped with two anti-gravity scramblers in the back. Once activated, my weight is reduced by up to 75%, but I retain all my strength. So I can leap through the air like it's nothing. My boots also have an electromagnet accelerometer that matches the frequency of the planet and resists the drag. So in effect, it cancels it out. I can adjust it as I please so I can run on air, levitate, and even fly. It takes a while to get used to it, but I've had a lot of time to practice."

"What's with those three orbs that were spinning around you?"

"Right, those are really cool. They just allow me to be more stable when I glide through the air. I don't always keep them activated because I find them to be distracting, especially when fighting in hand-to-hand combat. I wish you could test all this stuff out, but unfortunately I only have one suit."

"That's okay," Alex said.

"Here, I have something else for you though," Kyodin said, removing a small object from his utility belt. He grabbed Alex's hand and secured it to her wrist.

"What is it?" Alex asked, staring at the electronic device.

Kyodin then pulled out his long sword from behind his back. Alex wasn't sure what he was about to do, but watched on with trepidation. Kyodin swiped at Alex, but instead of slicing through her, the sword hit an invisible barrier. Instinctually, Alex flinched and nearly tripped backwards as a network of blue veins spread out around her from the point of impact.

"See, works perfectly," Kyodin said, satisfied with his demonstration.

Alex's heart pounded violently even though she recognized she was not in danger. She let out a deep breath as she attempted to settle her nerves. "I'd appreciate a little more warning next time," she said.

"Sorry."

"I'm curious to know," Alex said, "with all this advanced technology, why do you carry a sword?"

"This isn't a regular sword," Kyodin smirked. "This sword utilizes sound frequencies to separate objects at a molecular level and cut through them with ease. That's why your puny metal sword did not stand a chance."

"Where are you coming up with all this technology? I've never seen stuff like this before."

"My dad... our dad... he develops it all. He's a genius... like you! He speaks highly of you, you know. I feel like I know so much about you already just by how much he talks about you."

Alex smiled. It actually warmed her heart to see Kyodin speak about Maxim in such high regard. She knew he was not an evil villain, and likely had reasons for doing what he had done. Ultimately, she missed her dad and was glad he had a second chance at being a dad.

"I'm sure he's going to be really excited to see you," Kyodin said. "Let's not tell him you're coming, I want to surprise him."

Kyodin beamed every time he mentioned his father. It was obvious that Maxim was a hero in his eyes, as he was with so many people on Earth. Maxim's wisdom and charisma were truly captivating. Growing up around a man like him would likely inspire a great deal of admiration and respect, especially if he was the only source of knowledge. Alex wasn't sure how to bring up the news about her father's failing health and being taken away by a large predator, so she didn't say anything.

"So where did you learn to fight?" Alex asked.

"Mostly self-taught," Kyodin said. "How about you?"

"Downloads."

"Figures. Father says everyone on Earth has a chip implanted in them at birth that makes them all really smart?"

"The chip doesn't make people smart, it just accelerates learning and retention. People download lessons on the things they want to know more about. But if they don't want to continue learning, they don't have to download anything... other than the mandatory lessons in school."

"Oh, okay."

"There are even some who remove their chips."

"Why?"

"I suppose there are different reasons for everyone. Some people don't want to be a part of the high-tech world and choose to live life as humans had done for thousands of years. Others don't want to be tracked."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a bit complicated," Alex said, thinking about her own situation. Maxim left before all the craziness happened in her life so he would not be able to tell his son. She didn't really want to get into it, so she left it vague. "The chips also allow the government to know certain information about you, and for some, they want keep that information private."

The two continued to walk, stopping occasionally for rest and food. Despite his limited perspective, Kyodin proved to be very knowledgeable about the planet. Many of the plant and animal species had been identified and catalogued — a truly enormous undertaking considering how few people were on the planet.

Through their discussions, Alex learned that most of the planet had yet to be discovered. Maxim forbade him to go beyond a certain point. When questioned further, Kyodin wasn't able to provide an adequate answer as to Maxim's reasoning for creating such a rule. He blindly followed his dad on every policy and took Maxim's word as gospel. Living such a sheltered existence, Kyodin didn't know any better. It was actually quite charming how much faith and trust he had in other people. He was a sweet kid and Alex was glad to have met him.