Point Zero: Xiong

Point Zero: Xiong

…

Commissioned by Ichypa

Wordcount: 2500

…

I needed power.

It was through power that my family survived the catastrophe which befell China. It was through power that my family grew strong as others withered away. It was through power that my family was forced to break apart into myriad clans.

It will be through power that I will defeat the nation that calls itself the rulers of Asia, reforge my family, and regain my heritage.

All my life, I have trained, perfected my bloodline, and sought out others who would hear my cause. To gain respect, I fought against all who dishonored me. To gain funds for my efforts, I lent my fist to those who would pay for my services. To reach my goals, I threw myself into academics, martial arts, and everything else I could learn.

All for the singular goal of reaching Point Zero.

Point Zero was the pinnacle of mankind’s civilization. Situated upon the highest mountain on Earth, it pierced through the Heaven at the base of a massive, orbital elevator that opened the way to a galaxy filled with gods. Gods with mastery over the physical realm, who called upon the might of entire stars, and with vast fleets that could erase all life from Earth in seconds. Point Zero was the gate for humans to enter that realm, and a gate for that realm to enter our own world, and so mortals lived and worked to ascend to greater heights within the massive city.

I left the world of mortals behind, thinking that the perils I endured in my travels made me strong, only to be defeated a mere month after gaining entry. Even the petty criminals and gangs of Point Zero wielded ferocious weaponry, bloodlines, and assets as their own. In the arcologies of South America, the common footsoldier of criminals used body armor, assault rifles, and had explosives, but in Point Zero they had power armor, laser weaponry, and guided missiles.

I barely survived the first night I went forth to gather salvage and funds from the hidden sects in the grand city. My continued existence only came from the power of my bloodline, as I both gained incredible toughness and immense regenerative ability. After that first battle, I relearned everything that I could, so that I would never be beaten again… only to barely return to my home from a fight I barely won the next week.

My gains were barely enough to pay for my rent, even after finding trustworthy fences for the weapons and equipment that I gathered from those I defeated. The cost of my food was immense, the replacements for my armor and gear expensive, and so I learned of my true standing in Point Zero: a vigilante barely capable of surviving both inside and outside of battle.

However, an offer came from those who knew of me after several months.

Verdict, a UN-sponsored organization was recruiting Agents to police and maintain their control over the city. They sought powerful individuals who could replace an entire army as an occupying force in Point Zero. A force that could not only destroy the crime syndicates within the city, but protect it from those on Earth who wished to seize it, such as the loathsome “superpower” that tore apart my family, despite all we did for them.

I did not hesitate to be tested worthy of Verdict.

It was a place where I could do all that I wished, train all that I wished, and pursue battles in order to grow strong. Not only that, but I was to join with Verdict Agents of immense power, talent, and skill, which would make them worthy allies, subordinates, and superiors. Not only was it possible that I would make contacts and allies that I could call upon, but I could find individuals of fearsome prowess that could push me to my limits.

It was the perfect path to achieving power and I felt my heart soar as I was assigned to “Minos.” Minos was the most feared of the Verdict Commanders. A being who tore through crime syndicates and terrorists funded by those who now rule over China without being even scratched and without using equipment.

I had no doubt that I needed to prepare myself to Minos’ subordinate and steel my heart for what Minos would ask of me in return for the power that I sought.

…

“Hm? Want some ice cream?” Gwendolyn Elliot sat behind the commander table clad in a suit while consuming a tub of ice cream. She was consuming the tub with a small soup ladle. Her own, flying eyes watched the screens on her desk while a gourmet food fabricator chugged and produced ice cream that she was filling an entire fridge with against her office wall. “You don’t need to salute.”

My heart ached at those words, and my arm refused to lower itself from the salute that I practiced for days in anticipation of my meeting with the feared Verdict Commander. She stared at my arm while taking inhuman bites of ice cream, until I followed her order and lowered it. Then, she tilted her head as one of her floating eyes looked through my file, while others stayed locked on different screens of camera feeds, reports, and several streams.

The versatility of her power was frightening to behold… but on the surface I could only see a superior who was slacking off, eating ice cream, and completing her work at the same time.

My hopes and dreams were carelessly, utterly crushed.

“Hm. You look strong, but you’ve been beaten up a lot. Why?” A callous, confidence-destroying question left her lips and gouged its way through my heart. As if chastising me for my unspoken thoughts, her query struck me with the force of a train. I was judging her for how her office looked, yet her achievements outweighed my own immensely. An immense pressure imposed itself upon me as I took in the distance between herself and I. Not the physical distance, but in power and prestige. I was practically an insect in her presence. A negligible existence. “Hello?”

I grit my teeth and spoke past the crushing weight imposed upon me.

“I need to grow stronger, before I face the same foes that you face. I’ve been training, and my bloodline is strong, but it does not suffice for Point Zero.” I spoke in English. It was a foreign tongue to me, so I had difficulty being eloquent through its use. However, while all in Point Zero had a communicator with a universal translator, I still saw value in speaking to my superior in her own language. “I am honored to be here, but I know that I need more training. I would like to start immediately.”

Tendrils reached out from Minos and headed towards me. A few tended to the containers filled with ice cream churning from her fabricator to sequester them to her refrigerators, but one of the amalgamations of bone and muscle sinew came to me. I forced myself to stay still as it loomed over me in all its horrific, scarlet-and-white glory… and shuddered as it patted me on the head.

“You’re a good kid. I’ll train you well.” Minos stood up and looked upon me with eyes filled with acknowledgement. My feelings of success were drowned by a sudden burst of fear deep within the depths of my stomach. Her power and strength became all the more real as she walked towards me and kept easily manning her command. Her mind, body, and power were all in perfect harmony while I could barely make use of my power and body together in battle. “Let’s start now.”

The words barely reached me before Commander Elliot’s hand literally surged towards me, caught me by the throat, and brought me against the wall beside the door. Muscle strands connected the slim, gloved hand to the rest of her suit-clad form… until eyes began to grow from it along with lesser tendrils with sharpened bones at their ends. It fell off from her body as a part of her disconnected from the rest of herself… it opened the door and began walking me out of her office as she followed whilst consuming her newest tub of ice cream.

Her sheer power frightened me immensely, and the fact that she did not cease eating rankled my pride, but I knew that I needed to endure everything that Minos threw at me.

For the sake of power, for the sake of my goals, I had to endure everything.

Minos’ challenges were simply another trial for me to surmount through hard work and dedication.

…

Elliot once again threw me into the air, allowed me to fall, and batted me into the nearest wall with backhand from a tendril originated from the small of her back.

“That was better, but it wasn’t good enough. Again.” Elliot examined her latest finished tub and scraped its last remnants with her serving spoon. She discarded the tub and took the newest one brought to her by one of her massive, flying, and giant eyes with tendrils for manipulation hanging off its underside. “You will not service against mechanized armor with your current ability. The junk kind.”

I pulled myself out of the reinforced wall and did my best to regather my strength. However, I could barely summon up the willpower to stand up.

“There’s more to your power than just manipulation of the flesh.” I rose unsteadily as Commander Elliot looked at me. She took a bite of ice cream, but she nodded at my words. I knew it. There was more to her power than I expected. Then, I took note of how she wasn’t answering. “Are you going to tell me?”

Minos tilted her head at that, blonde locks falling askance to the side.

“Your enemies won’t tell you about their powers in the middle of fight.” Irrefutable logic left her lips. The answer stung, especially as she had access to my profile. She knew all my abilities because of the testing conducted upon me and my own divulging of information. “You want to train and get better. You will not if I tell you. So, learn and adapt.”

I laugh nearly left my lips at the words, at the possibility that I could learn and adapt.

Minos was a monstrous creature that stood against me wearing a simple, black suit. She wore no armor, wielded no weapons, and only stood at the center of the training facility eating ice cream. However, I could not breach her defenses, as even the slightest touch of the tendrils she used for combat threw me about more than they possibly could. Her powers and abilities were simply, utterly beyond my own.

Despair filled the very depths of my heart, but I took hold of it and fed into the flame that heated my determination. I used my shame and anguish at my despair to gain more strength, to surmount the tiredness in my bones, and stand taller while bringing my arms up. I called upon everything that I had, standing on my bones as to not burden my muscle, and approached Commander Elliot with the intent to see what more I can gain from the training I was presented.

This was what I wanted.

To be faced with a horizon and be told to walk forward, train, and grow stronger in order to reach it.

This training match I had with Verdict Commander Gwendolyn Elliot was the closest I’d ever been to achieving my goals… so why would I every consider stopping?

Minos took note of my renewed spirit.

“That’s good. Well done. Now fight me.”

The command was simple, but the demand behind it was immense, yet my entire body surged forward at the simple command.

I fought against them all.

When they brought me low… I rose once again, before trying again.

And, again.

And, again.

I fought until I could fight no longer… hours after I thought I couldn’t as my limits were utterly, completely broken.

…

I bit through a massive steak with gusto as my fellow Agent stared at me. O'Hara was an inventor and skilled skirmisher with many gadgets of her own design. Her role in Verdict was as an elite hacker and researcher. Therefore, she was an immensely impressive individual who I needed to be sure to befriend.

After I filled my stomach with meat, fried rice, and vegetables.

“Well, I gotta say, you sure can pack the food away kiddo.” O'Hara spoke with a slight British accent. The nuances of her speech were quite interesting. There was a slight American twang to her words. “If you replace all that food with ice cream, I’d almost think that you were the big boss of the place.”

My fellow agent took a seat at the table opposite of my own. Her own meal was light and expected of a regular, infected human. A whole, roasted chicken, a loaf of bread, and a bowl of pasta. A very light meal.

I was tempted to speak to her, but with my mouth full I simply nodded in greeting.

“Elliot had a lot of praise for ya. The commander thinks you should get outfitted in power armor and has me already working on it.” O'Hara  idly chewed through her meal primly and promptly. Her table manners made me slightly ashamed of my own, with all my dirty plates casting a shadow over my meals. My stomach’s complaints silenced the shame before it could gather more strength. I needed to eat. “So, what’ll you rather have? A very, very big gun or something that’ll protect ya, kid?”

I blinked at the offer.

O'Hara obviously wished for me to have armor, but I was sure that she’d gathered information on my fight. To directly go against the Verdict Commander’s orders meant the woman was worried for me. I should’ve realized it sooner. She was considerate of my youth while Elliot was not, therefore she was willing to do what she thought best: provide me with a large weapon that would keep me at range from the enemy.

I slowed my consumption of essential nutrition and addressed  O'Hara after wiping my face clean.

“I wish to follow orders. Provide me with the armor. I will fight on the front.” I decided without any room for contention. O'Hara sighed and shook her head, even as a weight fell off her shoulders, as she no longer had to go against Minos. “Thank you for your consideration, but I joined Verdict to become strong, Agent Stiles.”

“Yeah, yeah. I wasn’t going to force you on the issue. It’s your choice, kid.” O'Hara sighed once again and stared at her meal, before nodding to herself. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to give him hell for his decision though. Elliot’s going to have to give me a raise to shut me up.”

It was Stile’s own prerogative to air such words out to our superior officer, so I let it pass and continued to eat.

Still, as I ate, I furrowed my brow at her words.

Did she just call Gwendolyn Elliot a man?