A man commands, A slave obeys, But a Finn saves the day
I OWN AND REGRET NOTHING!
...III...
ANNOUNCEMENT!
I'M GETTING A BOOK PUBLISHED!
SUMMARY:
On the 13th day of the 13th month of the 13th year...magic will return to the world...and the streets will run red with the blood of the (semi)innocent...unless the world is saved by the most unlikely of hero's...baking cupcakes?!
The title is '13/13/13' and it'll be coming to a bookstore or E-Book site near you! Xilbris is the publisher, also available at Amazon, Inkitt and BarnesandNoble.
...responses...
...III...
"I can't believe their giving that madman a trial!"
"To be fair, it is his right as a citizen to ask for one..."
"That asshole gave up any right to call himself a citizen after what he pulled!"
Finn listened as he walked through the mall district. Everyone was abuzz with the upcoming parole trial of Ryan. Ryan had never asked for a parole trial in all his time in jail. Which everyone was fine with, as any parole trial would be a forgone conclusion and just a waist of time.
And Ryan clearly knew that too as he never bothered to ask for one...until last week. Everyone just dismissed it as a nuisance, knowing full well that his guilt was obvious and no sane jury will ever let him go free...
But Finn was worried...why now? Why after all these years of being left to rot was he asking for a trial out of nowhere that he had to know would accomplish nothing? Unlike Fontaine, Ryan still had a small yet devout following and Minerva had never been able to find or fully confiscate his assets...
Thankfully, his mother shared his concerns and promised to oversee the trial personally in case Ryan tried anything...
With that in mind, Finn walked into the elevator. It only goes up one floor-
ZAP!
The elevator lost all power, a portal popped up and a green version of Finn came out of it.
"Hey Fern." Said Finn as he 'tagged him in', thus giving him his appearance and updating his memories. Finn quickly ran through the portal.
The portal closes, 'Finn' waits for the power to quickly return and the elevator to continue it's ascent...he goes about 'his' routine...completely fooling an ever watchful Minerva...
...
While Fern was busy fooling his mom, Finn walked toward his self-defense class. Finn had wanted to learn to protect others and himself ever since the time of troubles...but his Mom forbid it as she didn't want him 'to hurt himself'.
There was no use reasoning with her when she was like that, so Finn searched for an 'alternative'...
That Alternative was Mr. Soklov...an eccentric inventor, under different circumstances he'd have been known as one of the greatest scientist Columbia ever had. Sadly, all his years of self-experimenting although yielding many breakthroughs...have also had the side-effect of causing his mind to deteriorate...
Things like the portal gun and Fern...he couldn't remember how to make them...and if Finn was being honest...it looked more and more like he was having a hard time repairing them too...
He'd been briefly been able to overcome this with plasmids...then it was revealed their terrible side-effects. Although the degenerative effects are delayed by taking more plasmids...Minerva had personally seen to the destruction of any source of Adam she could find to starve out the hordes of feral splicers that were still roaming the streets after the 'Time of Trouble'. Thus it was becoming harder and harder for Soklov to find Adam to delay his 'condition'...and Although his mother was still researching how to reverse the Splicer symptoms WITHOUT Adam...she'd made no progress...(1)
In any case, Finn- after much difficulty -had located him and after much back-and-forth had convinced him to be his self-defense mentor.
Among other things, he'd built various automatons for Finn to use as sparing partners and target practice. As well as make an interesting discovery...
BOOM!
Finn let loose the power of the 'Devils kiss' on the targets...
Apparently, when Finn's mom became the cities A.I. she was able to use her new-found resources and abilities to track down many hidden assets, estates and bunkers belonging to either Ryan or Fontaine. Fontaine in particular had a massive wealth of hidden caches squirreled away everywhere.(2)
She seized all of of these; but more importantly she seized a lab researching a most unsettling prospect. Turns out the reason why there were no 'little brothers' was because Fontaine was experimenting on the boys! Just hundreds of boys infected with slugs, tortured and experimented on until the ADAM slugs gained maturity, killing them to harvest the slugs, put them inside other boys, then repeat the process over and over. Most of the slugs were killed by this process. But one managed to survive.(3)
Although horrified by this; Minerva saw how it gave a person heavy resistance to damage and an incredible healing factor. So she implanted it into a young Finn to keep him safe.
Since further tests and experiments on the slug meant potentially harming Finn, she never found out that she'd also made him immune to all the negative side-effects of Adam. Allowing him to use as many as he wished if need be without repercussions.
Finn had wanted to tell his mom about this discovery, but Sokolov pointed out that he'd have to explain HOW he learned this and since Sokolov is technically a ADAM addict, he'd be shot on sight.
So Finn had to simply consent himself to allowing himself to be used as a guinea pig to find a cure...but between Sokolov's limited resources and his slow road to feral dementia...it was slow going.
"Alright Finn, now let's try some long-range target practice..." Said Sokolov, he was confined to a wheelchair attached to all sorts of devices and implements...
Finn cringed, "Uh...I Already did that." He says, pointing to the burnt targets.
Sokolov sighed, "Yes, of course you did." this was the fifth time he'd forgotten something like that today...he was clearly getting worse...
"Nevermind, let's focus on hand-to-hand instead." He said in a clear ploy to avoid the topic of his deteriorating mental capabilities.
He clicked a button and out came some robots- well, a bunch of 'things' that looked like they'd been cobbled together from random things taken out of the trash in any case -Finn gave his friend one more nervous look before he was forced on focusing on repelling their attack.
Sokolov sighed as he brought out a strange vial that seemed to be in a perpetual stat of frost, brimming with a strange sub-variant of ADAM.
"What's that one? A new Vigor of yours?" Asked Finn as he killed the last robot.
Sokolov nodded, "Yes...I think I'm very close...there's only two problems: 1. it needs to gestate inside a persons body for at least an hour before it can properly adapt to their unique gene structure and actually work. 2. Within minutes of it leaving a almost sub-zero temperature, it'll start to destabilize."
"So...what...you have to drink while Frozen solid?" Asked Finn confused.
Sokolov sadly nodded, "Yes, and since my cryogenic 'tech' is limited to cutting off my head and sticking it into a freezer, you'll understand why that doesn't appeal to me."
Finn nods and accepts a copy of the vial. Everytime he thought up a 'cure', he would give a sample to Finn in case he thought of something to help. But aside from some third degree burns, stab wounds, and pelican poisoning...he had nothing to show for his efforts...
"Oh, by the way. Your Pip-boy wouldn't by any chance have found any of my stuff?" Sokolov asked...for the fifth time that day.
Finn, rather then point that out and remind the poor man of his ever increasing mental issues...just shakes his head.
Although he no longer remembered most of them, Soklov had created many wonders. Most people didn't know this as Soklov had largely kept them secret. resorting to deplete his inherited family fortune to build them from the eyes of the city.
The reason? Technically he'd broken many of the city's founding laws to make them. Including sending spider-bot probes down to the ground below to gather data- turns out the Songbird cared nothing for robots, especially one's so small. Thus they were able to use small balloons to float down undetected and collect data, which he used to create many of his inventions. And he knew the corrupt council of the time would use that as an excuse to seize his life's work. So he was forced to keep it all hidden until he could figure out away to share his discoveries with the world WITHOUT them being stolen from him.
In any case, during the 'Times of Trouble' Soklov's home was attacked. Evidently Ryan had been suspicious of him for some time now, but lacked the evidence to act. But considering his current war with Atlas and the others, he no longer cared for such things and sent his men to seize them by any means necessary. He'd been fearful of what the likes of Ryan or Atlas would do with his work, so not having any other option: he'd quickly destroyed the data relay that connected his probes to him and took the entirety his life's work- data cores, blueprints, audio-logs, diaries, diagrams, maps, documents, inventions, prototypes, pictures, tonics, plasmids, vigor's, elixirs, equipment, etc. -and put them in nigh-indestructible tech canisters which he then jettisoned over the side of Columbia.
He then burnt the remainder of his worldly possessions AND his ancestrial home to cover his escape.
Not having time to input coordinates, the canisters had been fired at random. So he had no way of knowing where they were even if he COULD leave Columbia to look for them. Worse, that relay had been his ONLY way to communicate or control his probes...and he no longer remembered how to rebuild it to reestablish contact.
With no memory on how to rebuild any of them AND no longer having the funds to remake them...Sokolov found his situation going from bad to worse...
Still, there was a small- and VERY unlikely -chance that one of the canisters misfired and hit down somewhere in Columbia instead...or perhaps a probe somehow managed to find it's way back on autopilot.
So he gave Finn the special energy/signal signature unique to both his probes AND tech canisters, so his pip-boy could pick it up if he found them on Columbia...he never did...
No, for better or for worse it seemed all his life's work was now completely out of his reach on the ground...
"So Finn...what you going to do after you leave here?" Asked Sokolov, naturally wanting to change the subject.
"Oh, well...assuming Fern takes care of all the other things on my list...I'll go see my dad then."
Soklov sighed, "I'll never understand why you continue to associate with him-
"You, my mom, Sarah and everyone else in Columbia." Admitted Finn with a sigh, he'd heard this hundred of times already.
"Indeed? Yet you still do it? Go to visit the same scoundrel who nearly got you killed as a baby?"
Finn groaned at that. His dad used to 'help' Hiders escape...and by 'help' he emant that he just took their money only to double-crossed them and hand them over to the Seekers for even MORE money. He SUPPOSEDLY stopped when he married his mom...but then one of the Hiders he screwed over came back for revenge...he was forced to take Finn and help them escape yet again...long story short: SONGBIRD HAPPENED...and an infant Finn nearly fell to his death...
Needless to say his mom was NOT happy and now his dad faced life imprisonment.
"Look, I'm not saying he's perfect. And maybe he IS a criminal, but for better for worse...he is ALSO my dad and I think that should count for something."
Sokolov chuckles, "Your funeral my boy." But he says no more about it...
They do a couple more drills...then it's time for the 'switch' with Fern.
Before he goes, Soklov asks: "My Boy... I must ask...are you happy here in Columbia? With your life? Your future?"
Finn is surprised by this sudden question...but he thinks about it for a bit... "I don't know...I know I shouldn't complain, I DO have a good life here...but honestly? I just...I feel unfulfilled...like...I'm not being ALL I can be...dose that make sense?"
Finn then snorts before Soklov can say anything, "What am I saying? Of course it doesn't make sense! I mean what are my options otherwise? I LIVE in Columbia! I WANT to help people! Yeah, being a Helper with Mom around is largely redundant...and I won't actually be able to DO anything actually...y'know...IMPORTANT with my mom constantly hovering over my shoulder's keeping me 'safe'...but what else am I going to do?"
"Well...you could always LEAVE."
Finn looked at Sokolov in stunned silence.
Sokolov sighed, "Finn...I don't know if I've told you this before...so...just bare with me. But when I was just a lad I once helped some Hiders build an escape craft..."
Finn gaped in disbelief...but said nothing as he continued his story.
"Nothing? So I haven't told you this- Well, nice to see my odometer ain't over the hill yet!" He coughs, "ANYWAY it was only a job to me. But they offered to let me come with them. I said no...and then the idjits in charge of the group completely messed up my directions and got themselves blown up by the Songbird! Let me tell you something, I would NEVER build something that shoddy! If they had just pressed the ding-dang red button when I'd instructed! They'd- Again he coughed. "Well, nevermind. The POINT is...I always looked back on that day and I wondered... 'what if?'" He trailed off, looking in the distance...he then turns to Finn.
"I may not have my marbles playing with a full deck, but I do still have a copy of the device I gave them...I can get you out of here Finn...Don't make the same mistake I did...I played it safe my WHOLE life...and what did it get me? Flat broke, hiding in the sewers, my mind failing on me, my life's work forever out of reach, the threat of waking up a feral beast forever hanging over my head...it's your life Finn...you only got ONE...LIVE IT."
"Sokolov..." Said Finn deeply touched...he didn't know what to say...
For awhile...Finn said nothing...clearly in DEEP, conflicted thought...then he shook his head... "I'm sorry man...but I could never do that to my Mom, Sarah...all the people I've come to know and love here...I just Can't."
Soklov sighed... "I understand Finn." He said in a disappointed yet resigned way...
Finn smiled, "Hey man, cheer up! Your latest idea sounds like it could be the one that could fix your problem for good! There's a helper I know who works on cryogenics! I'm sure I could find something to get this working! Just hold on!" Finn implored sincerely.
Sokolov thanked him and sent him on his way, he made sure Fern had switched out undetected...then he slumped down in defeat...and took out a thing of fire whiskey...
Last week Minerva FINALLY caught Old Edgar, shut him down and wheeled his sorry butt over to re-education...he'd been the last ADAM supplier In Columbia...Sokolov had used up most of his remaining ADAM to create the Vigor he'd just given to Finn...he had a MONTH tops before he FINALLY ran out...and then...
Sokolov sighed, Not to mention he was pretty sure Minerva was finally getting suspicious that SOMETHING was happening under her nose...the other day he'd hacked into Helper records... and she'd recently TRIPLED the security on all Helper protocols, institutions and personnel.
Since the mass-death of most HELPERS during the 'Time's of Trouble', Minerva had worked overtime to prevent that from happening with the next generation...once Finn was officially inducted into their ranks after his Birthday...it would pretty much be impossible for him to sneak away to see him anymore! Among other forms of security, the boys nanities would be completely integrated into the city network and even HE couldn't block or fake that!
No...for better or worse...it looked like his story was coming to an end...and if it did...and he became a SPLICER...and actually tried to KILL someone...
He slowly reached into a drawer...and pulled out a pistol...he put it to his temple...
'No matter what happens...I REFUSE to become those monsters...'
'If I die...it'll be as a MAN and on MY terms, not the symptom of some assholes greed...'
He sighed as he put the gun away...not yet...he was still hopeful he could give Finn's story a better beginning...a beginning he DESERVED...it be nice if he could leave this world a LITTLE better off after all...
"Perhaps it was time I told him about THAT?..."
His thoughts trailed off as he drunk another shot of liquor...
...
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Ryan watched the pendulum of the clock go back and forth...as he'd been doing for YEARS since he'd been locked up here...
He knew most people arrested would just go in for Re-education...except for Minerva's Ex Martin...OR him...
Oh, she could give all the politicized reasons and legal jargon she wanted. But Ryan recognized a grudge when he saw it.
In a begrudging way, he could sort of respect Minerva. She did what no one else DARED to do, she gambled with her very LIFE to win the war...and WON the whole dawm pot!
But that being said...she refused to do what was needed. True a large part of his assets was still in the winds...but it would've been easy for her in her new- near omnipotent and technologically superior -form to ignore all the laws and take everything. Who would've stopped her?
But NO, she deliberately chained herself to the laws. She could've been queen of the dump...but instead she insists on being a 'Helper'.
What a crock! True, there was 'technically' a new council. But it mostly just sat around and did nothing! Minerva did all the REAL work to keep Columbia running! Her 'official' position was that of the Council's liaison to the Helpers, but they more or less just voted and rubberstamp whatever she asked for!
And what did she do with all this power? NOTHING, she focused on upgrading and maintaining Columbia's inner-workings, lock up the occasional Hider's and heal every Harry Hardluck ans Sally Sobstory that came into her clinic's...and that's it.
He found This infuriated him so much more then say; if the likes of either Fontaine, Atlas or Sophia Lamb had taken control. For all their faults t least they understood how the world really worked...how power SHOULD be handled.
But this woman...she had no vision! She had no plan! No ambition! She seemed content widdling away her life coddling parasites and that son of hers! It was enough to drive a man to drink!
But there was no need for drinks...Ryan was about to indulge in something FAR sweeter...
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Ryan continued to stare at the clock...
"Hey Ryan! There ready for you! Let's get this trainwreck over with already!" Shouts a guard as he enters the room.
Ryan says nothing as he allows himself to be cuffed and escorted away...he just takes one last look at the cloack...
'25 minutes...'
...
Meanwhile someone ELSE was looking at his watch...
"OY! THERE'S A CLOG IN INCINERATOR 45! GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN THERE!"
The janitor puts down his watch, grabs his equipment and waits for Security to allow him into the room...
QUANTUM LIFT STABILIZER
'24 minutes...'
...III...
TO BE CONTINUED?
(1): This wasn't helped by the fact she had no ADAM to research. She TRIED to keep a minimum amount for study, but a desperate horde of Splicers broke into her lab to get it and slaughtered hundreds. After that she had no choice but to destroy ALL sources of Adam and only study simulations or records.
(2): again, although she had great success with Fontaine here. Ryan had had made sure that a lot of his assets had 'multiple-investors' so no way to prove they were connected to his illicit activities or not...and those were just the one's Minerva KNEW about...she had her suspicions that unlike Fontaine, Ryan had been just a bit more clever about this.
(3): it's believed Fontaine was creating this for himself and using the boys was necessary, as anything made using the girls would be somehow incompatible with his genome...or so the theory went...
AN: Want me to continue this? I'm willing to take Bribes! Go to my P,a,t,r,e,o,n account!
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