—In the Pocket—
Starter 1.1
November 11th, 2010
I stepped through the portal.
When I had first dreamt up my personal portalmaker, I had thought that it would take me to another Earth, like Aleph for example. I could use it to get away from Kaiser permanently, maybe build a life for myself elsewhere.
It was only when I had realized it was real that I'd paid attention to a few of the more important details.
For whatever reason, the portalmaker was attuned to just one world. I could use it to go anywhere on that world, from the highest mountain's peak to the bottom of the ocean floor, but it wouldn't go anywhere but this one world.
My powers had also informed me that this world was a little too dangerous for humans to occupy.
I had taken to calling it "Lalotai" consequently, since it meant "Realm of Monsters".
And monsters they were. I don't know where the knowledge came from, but instinctively I knew that the animals here could be dangerous on a scale far beyond the wildlife I was familiar with. They could breathe fire, shoot forth lightning, and even spit water at ridiculously high pressures.
They were, in short, as strong as your average cape. And my powers hinted at even more.
I pulled out the small metal ball resting in my pocket. I'd built it out of various scraps and an old run down computer, but somehow my power assured me it would work. With this device, I could capture, store, and even tame one of these monsters.
Since my powers hadn't opened up a path to escape, I had decided to use them to change Brockton Bay instead. With enough of these monsters in hand, I should be able to do just that.
The portal had opened up in a temperate area, which felt nice compared to the winter we were going through back in the bay. The gentle breeze played across my cheek, and the field of tall grass before me danced in its currents. Mountains rose in the distance, and there was a forest to my left, but as I looked around I didn't spot any movement.
That was good. I'd specified an area with relatively low amounts of wildlife when I turned on the portalmaker, as I hadn't wanted to be caught by surprise. I might have brought a capture device with me, but I wouldn't feel truly safe in Lalotai without a couple of tame monsters to defend me.
Still, I couldn't just stand here forever. Without an easy target in sight, I would need to go looking for one, and my time was limited. I stepped forward into the field, arm raised and my device ready to throw.
A sudden cry sounded from the ground, right at my feet. It startled me, and I dropped the ball as my head jerked down to get a look at the source of the noise.
A strange yellowish lizard creature glared at me with...closed eyes? How was that even possible? I had the distinct impression of displeasure, and from the looks of things I had interrupted its nap.
I moved to throw the capture device at it, remembering too late that I had dropped the ball earlier. Strangely enough, the creature vanished the second I moved.
I gaped in awe. It had teleported? Holy shit! That was...too useful to ignore. I needed to find another one of the creatures and catch it.
I picked up the capture device, and after checking to make sure that it would still function as intended I set about searching the field once more. Carefully.
Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be any more of the teleporters in the area. I couldn't help but sigh. My carelessness had already cost me when I missed the one that had sat right in front of me for several minutes. I needed to pay better attention than that if I didn't want to get hurt out here.
I could always come back another time of course, but there was no guarantee the creature would return even if I left. For now I would just have to keep looking.
I stepped back through the portal, shutting it off for a moment as I went to check on Aster. She was resting easy in her crib as far as I could tell, and the apartment phone indicated no missed calls.
With that done I activated the portal once more, stepping out onto a beach this time. It was a little chillier than the field, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. I told the portalmaker what I wanted, and it found the places that met my requirements.
Eventually I would build up a map of sorts, with data on what monsters were likely to be found where. For now, I just had to rely on my tech.
I looked around, eyeing the area. I knew the creatures were just as likely to be found In the sea, but I had no plans to go swimming at the moment. Hopefully I could find something on the land...
I caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of my eye, and I turned to see a...fish? I moved closer.
It was a fish. And it was flopping around uselessly, helpless outside of its element. I considered it for a moment.
I could probably have caught it. The capture device wasn't infallible but I was pretty sure that it would succeed in this case. I just...why? The fish would be of no use to me.
Shaking my head, I poked the thing with my finger. It provoked a series of flops, perhaps a little stronger than before, but I was completely unharmed. Sighing, I picked the fish up and set it down in the water. The moment the thing hit the water it bolted, vanishing from my sight in seconds. I suppose it could swim at least.
Ten more minutes didn't produce anything else, and I wasn't comfortable going too far from the portal just yet. I stepped back through and cycled it open to the next destination.
This one seemed much darker than the previous two, and even though I had noticed the sky darkening over the last half hour I was a little surprised. Was I on the other side of Lalotai?
I grabbed a flashlight, and once I was sure that it worked I stepped on through.
Immediately I was struck by this feeling of weight. This was clearly a cave, but I felt certain that it was deep underground somewhere. To my surprise, the light from the flashlight revealed a wide spectrum of colors. The cave must have consisted of quite diverse minerals.
Something heavy hit the ground beside me, and I jumped forward to put some space between me and it. The beam from the flashlight swung wildly as I turned it on whatever had made the noise, but I was distracted by a much louder noise that filled the air like thunder.
Whatever had landed beside me appeared to have tried to tackle me, which I discovered by turning my beam back on the wall that it had collided with after I dodged. The tiny thing, stubby and metallic, was stuck in the wall. I broke out into a cold sweat as I took in the sight of the massive cracks and billowing clouds of dust pouring out of the point of impact.
I had just narrowly avoided death. Whatever that creature was, if it could do that much damage to a cave wall, then my body likely wouldn't have been as much as a speed bump to it.
I took a deep breath as my heart raced. I was alive. I was still here, maybe a bit startled, but mostly unharmed. Moreover, the monster was stuck...
It slid down to the ground, rolling over to face me as I gaped in amazement. Based on the crunching noises emanating from its face that I really should have noticed earlier, it had just chewed through stone to get free.
The thing was eyeing me, and it did have eyes I saw, despite the flashlight focused on its face. It didn't try to tackle me right away, for which I was grateful. Unfortunately, my first dodge had placed it between me and my only way home.
I was distracted, briefly, by a number of thoughts on ways to make the portal more portable, but I shook them aside. I didn't have the resources, and if I didn't focus then I probably wasn't going to have the chance to build it anyway.
Build it...I would have rolled my eyes if I felt safe to break the staring contest. I had come here for a purpose, and if I couldn't use my capture device now, then what was the point of building it?
I would have preferred a weaker monster for my first attempt, because the tech was supposed to work better on an exhausted target. I suppose I would just have to make due with the way the monster had collided with solid rock a moment ago.
Taking careful aim, I lobbed the capture device forward. The creature tilted its head in a remarkably interesting expression of curiosity, before disappearing into the ball in a flash of red light.
I ran for the portal. Whether or not I actually managed to capture the wall crusher, I did not want it between me and the portal to safety.
I reached the portal in moments, gasping more from the adrenaline than any real feeling of exhaustion, when I heard the capture device give off a soft chime. I smiled grimly. It had worked.
It had worked!
I searched for the ball with my flashlight and retrieved it. Despite my recent haste to leave the cave, I stood for a moment with the ball in the palm of my hand.
This creature, this thing of monstrous strength, was mine now. Even now, the programming in the ball was working to train the monster to recognize me and my voice. In just twenty four hours it should be safe to release for some basic interactions, and eventually it would fight at my command.
It was a powerful feeling.
The capture device shrunk on command, and I slipped it into my pant's pocket as I stepped back through the portal. Saving the various coordinates of my three visits to Lalotai, I frowned.
I had been thinking of these things as monsters for so long now, but in the end they were only animals. There was no malice there.
Moreover, I didn't want to be like my father. The animal I had captured was strong, and I intended to use that strength, but I didn't want to value it solely for its strength. It was a living, breathing creature, and it deserved to be treated with respect.
Maybe I should name it?
No. Or rather, I would name it, but before that I needed a name for the animals in general, something other than "monster" to remind me that they weren't truly monstrous.
Unfortunately, while I did have the plans for an index of sorts, that should provide useful names for the individual creatures, there was no useful name for the wildlife of Lalotai in my head. I disassembled my portal generator and hid it under the bed once more before stripping out of my dusty clothes and preparing to take a shower.
It was a few minutes after my shower before inspiration struck, but when it did I rushed to the computer.
"Kaibutsu. Japanese meaning monster." I grinned. Someday I would be taking these Kaibutsu out as a hero, and when that day came this name would be perfect. The Empire would see it as Japanese, and hate it instantly. The ABB would understand the word for what it truly meant, and they would learn to fear it as they should.
And the rest of the city would just think it was some cape being eccentric, which, to be fair, I was.
I closed the laptop, careful to close out of the web browser. I checked on Aster before settling down for bed, my mind racing. I had barely scratched the surface of my powers, and there was still so much work to do that it felt like an impossible dream, far distant.
Still, I couldn't help but grin as I drifted off to sleep that night.