Darling of Fate 3: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure, page 18
I desperately hoped that was his politician façade.
“Mr. Damascus—Dirk, may I call you Dirk? Please, come in.” His eyes trailed over Lacy, tracking from her chest up to her face—almost like an afterthought. The thought of pulling out a baseball and pegging him between the eyes with a [Sticky Fingers] fastball was almost overwhelming.
Thankfully, he dismissed Athena with a flick of his eyes, rather than the lecherous look he gave Lacy. That would have been too much, even for the new, more diplomatic me.
His look didn’t escape Michelle’s notice, who put a calming hand on Lacy’s shoulder.
“This is Lacy Wu, governor.”
He nodded absentmindedly. “Ah, yes, Ms. Wu. Welcome to the capitol.” He turned back to me, dismissing her in an instant. Coming around the desk, he shook my hand and held the grip as he spoke. “Dirk, my boy, it’s an honor to meet the man leading humanity into that Godforsaken Tower. Your name at the top of the Leaderboard is an inspiration to us all. Put those damn aliens on notice, you did. Humans are the superior race and we have you to thank for demonstrating that.”
A strange repulsion rose up inside of me. A distant memory clawing its way up from the depths of a long-forgotten time. A similarly corpulent man shaking a younger Dirk’s hand and thanking him for winning Olympic gold in Beijing.
“A credit to American superiority,” the president had said all those years ago.
I didn’t have the maturity at the time to understand just how xenophobic that statement had been. It was a different time back then, but at worst, it was a disgusting statement. What Johnson was saying now wasn’t just ignorant—it was dangerous.
“Thank you, governor. But to be honest, the Jree and the Co’xatl are not to be taken lightly. They’re stro—”
“Nonsense,” he said dismissively, waving his hand. “Humans occupy the top two slots and with a comfortable margin, too.” Before I could point out that Craig and I were on an island surrounded by the other two races, he turned to Lacy. “And you, Ms. Wu. Top 100, I’m told. Quite impressive.” For some reason, I felt the unsaid words at the end of that sentence: ‘Quite impressive, for a woman.’
Lacy being Lacy, she handled the dismissive undertone with grace.
“Thank you, governor. And please, call me Lacy.”
He nodded absentmindedly, walking over to a drink cart behind his desk. By my side, I felt Athena bristling, her face in a tight scowl—whether from his casual dismissal of Lacy or his complete disregard for her presence, I couldn’t say. I put a hand on her shoulder and her gaze shot toward me so violently I thought she was about to skewer me with her sword. But I gave her a calming look and a confident nod to remind her that I respected her, even if the governor didn’t. She nodded back, her face smoothing as she regained control.
“Drink, anyone?” Johnson asked. Lacy and I politely accepted, while Michelle declined. Once we had drinks in hand, he waved us toward the two chairs in front of his desk as he plopped into his. Athena looked annoyed that there wasn’t a third chair, but then spotted a couch and threw herself into it with a contented sigh. Michelle went around the desk and stood by Johnson’s side.
He took a slow sip of his whiskey, eyeing us over the rim of the glass. Lacy and I were both too seasoned to squirm and simply waited for him to make the first move.
After a long, drawn-out staredown as he swirled the whiskey in his mouth, he finally swallowed it with a sigh of pleasure and a clicking of his tongue.
“I’ll cut right to it, then. Now that we’ve met, my doubts can be put to rest.” He leaned forward, his eyes clear and focused despite the whiskey. “I want you on my team, son.”
The intensity of his stare as he said those words made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t show it. I forced a chuckle. “Well, it’s always nice to be wanted.”
He nodded as if he had said the most natural thing in the world.
“We’ll need to do something about the hair,” Johnson said. “And the cape has to go.” Red woke up at that, a killing intent washing through my mind. I shoved her down with a distracted thought. Why was he talking about my hair? He continued on, oblivious to my confusion. “I’m guessing it’s one of those magic doohickeys that my people mentioned, but that doesn’t matter anymore. A haircut, new wardrobe, and a good makeup artist will work more magic than any alien gizmo.”
My mouth finally caught up with my brain. “Uh, governor…I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
A self-satisfied smile formed on his lips.
“It’s simple, Dirk. We’re gonna make you a star. And with you by my side, the presidency is all but guaranteed. And when I’m president…well, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. President? Star? What the hell was he…
And then Michelle’s words from the car ride hit me.
She had laid it all out for me and I hadn’t taken it seriously. He wanted to parade me around like his pet Climber, using my visibility on the Leaderboard to raise his own stock.
“Governor, I think we’ve crossed wires,” I said. “I’m not interested in being famous or wading through the political quagmire. My only goal is to help humanity survive this Integration. I came here hoping to enlist your help in that regard.”
He nodded quickly, a sympathetic look on his face. It was bullshit, of course.
“Helping humanity is an admirable goal, son. And the best way you can do that is to unite us under a common leader.” He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers before him. “You see, the concept of nations is an outdated paradigm. With the reality of this alien invasion looming over us, now is the time to consolidate our strength. America is the obvious candidate to fold the other countries under our umbrella. Unless you want to be speaking Mandarin by Christmas.” He turned to Lacy. “No offense.”
Lacy narrowed her eyes in confusion, but had the good grace not to argue.
My first instinct was to disagree or point out that the last thing we needed was to get embroiled in conflict with other nations while the Tower loomed over us all. But I had to admit, the previous political structure of Earth had been broken before the introduction of the System. And from everything I’d heard, the Integrated Universe was a brutal and unforgiving place ruled by strength. What had Umndirop said to me when we’d made our alliance?
“You must make it your first priority to challenge these…democratic leaders for supremacy. A swift but fair execution will demonstrate your strength for all to see.”
Still, even if I agreed with Johnson, I adamantly disagreed that he was the one to lead us into that new paradigm. Before I could react, though, he dropped a bomb on us.
“Of course, I understand if you disagree. It’s only natural for a man with your…history to buck against authority and the concept of governance. Shit, son, if I’d spent ten years in prison for what could only be described as doing humanity a favor, I’d be bitter, too. By all accounts, the man you murdered deserved it and worse.”
The blood rushed to my face, my nails digging bloody crescents in my palms. Before I knew what I was doing, I kicked back the chair and bent over the desk to grab the man’s tie.
I stopped cold once I noticed the perfectly calm image of myself still reclining in the chair, a wry—almost dismissive—smile on my face. On the couch, Athena was staring at me—the real me—then did a double take to the fake me on the chair.
I heard my voice coming from the image and my brain finally cleared enough to realize what was happening.
“If you think you can rattle me, governor, then you’ve obviously misjudged me,” the fake version of me said casually.
I looked at Lacy who was staring up at me from her chair, a chagrined expression on her face.
“Sorry, Dirk!” she said quickly. “I might have taken some liberties with your image once I realized where he was going.”
A heavy sigh left me unbidden, a weight sliding off my shoulders.
“Thanks, Lace. I definitely shouldn’t have lost my cool.” I glanced over toward Athena. “You good?”
She shrugged, then cast a scowl toward Johnson.
“That guy’s a dick.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” I replied with a chuckle. I took in a deep, calming breath, then reset the chair using Lacy’s illusion as a measure. Sitting back into it, the eerie feeling of ghosting into my illusion self unsettled me for a moment before the two of us aligned perfectly. “Okay, Lace, I’m good.”
She nodded and I massaged that same wry look across my face.
The governor had been saying something and I strained to process the words.
“My apologies for trying to push your buttons,” he had said. “I wanted to see how your composure held up under fire. The press are gonna try and gut you and I needed to know you had a steady hand.” He leaned back and took another sip of his whiskey.
I held my hand out level. Despite the adrenaline of my outburst pumping through my veins, my Agility was so high from my traits that my fine motor control was enough to aid my charade.
“They don’t make ’em steadier than me,” I replied coolly.
He smiled and gave a pleased nod. “Good to hear, son. Good to hear.”
It was my turn to take the reins of the conversation. Despite getting caught off guard, I’d had my share of dick-measuring contests over the past week and I knew how to throw my weight around when needed.
“Now that we’ve established my steadfast nature, let’s cut through the bullshit.”
There was the slightest pinching at the corners of his eyes—barely perceptible without my heightened Perception.
“Please,” he said tightly.
“My value to you and your…campaign are obvious. My question to you is: what do I get out of it? Like I’ve said, I’m not interested in fame.”
His politician façade from earlier was erased in an instant and before me now was a businessman, through and through.
“Name your price.”
Chapter 21
My Why
Name your price, Johnson had said.
Well, turned out my price was my ten-million-dollar bounty—converted into one million Tower gold—a hundred competent soldiers to train on clearing the First Floor—with another thousand to follow within the week—and in exchange, I’d agreed to a meet-and-greet with the president and to do a press conference with the governor after I’d received my second batch of soldiers.
I’d also agreed to stand by the Governor and raise his political clout at these events. It seemed simple enough—just shake some hands and tell the truth. The Governor had provided much-needed assistance by providing soldiers to aid in rescuing those trapped in the Tower.
The only problem was, I hated kissing ass and hated politicians even more. But I’d do it if it meant saving lives.
We’d left Michelle and the Governor after the negotiations were settled and she’d passed along a cell phone with her number. Apparently, they were still sort of working but got screwy inside the Personal Spaces and were totally useless in the Staging Area and Tower.
Which didn’t surprise me—those spaces were probably not even in the same solar system.
As Athena, Lacy, and I left the Capitol, we took a slight detour.
I remembered what the sergeant at the first checkpoint had said about refugees, and the three of us agreed to take a look. I wanted to see for myself what kind of conditions the survivors of the initial imp wave were enduring. And if needed, I’d leverage Johnson to provide some aid.
It was easy enough to find. About five blocks out, there were signs directing us toward the camp and two blocks out, we could see signs of foot traffic and soldiers. The sounds hit us a minute later—the distant murmur of people going about their day, hawking items in trade, and even minor disputes signaled by raised voices.
When we came into sight, it was obvious that the refugee camp was a hastily constructed affair. Plywood, debris, and burnt-out cars formed a rough perimeter around an outdoor shopping mall parking lot. Two dozen soldiers manned the entrance while another dozen were visible patrolling the perimeter. Piles of imps were spread evenly outside the camp, their tough skin clearly shredded by bullets.
A few dozen people ranged about outside the camp, mostly collecting brass casings of spent bullets for some reason. But judging by the sounds, I guessed there were probably a thousand people camped here.
It was both an astonishing number and yet, shockingly low for a city that had numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Had most people found safe zones and entered the Tower? Maybe they were hunkered down in their Personal Spaces, waiting out this storm futilely?
It made me wonder, though, why were these people here rather than in a safe zone? Had they come out for food and become stranded? Had they even attempted a trek to a safe zone?
Either way, I wanted to find out more.
We approached the camp entrance and the soldiers let us past, though they eyed us suspiciously. It was true, we stood out from the crowd. For one, we were much cleaner than most of the people we saw—and that was saying something, because I was dirty as hell from clearing the First Floor earlier.
But I had to remind myself, the Apocalypse was only a day and a half old. People would just be getting their bearings or consumed looking for loved ones and too busy for basic hygiene.
And I couldn’t forget the blood-red cape billowing in the wind behind me—that marked me out no matter where I went.
Still, it was difficult to ignore the stares as the three of us passed the soldiers into the camp.
“Why are they all staring?” Athena asked softly.
“We don’t look like refugees,” Lacy replied. “We’re clean—well, clean-ish. And we’re confident. We strolled past the soldiers without even a glance. We’re not staring at the ground like people who’ve lost everything,”—She glanced down at Athena with a sympathetic look—“even if we have.”
The girl nodded, taking Lacy’s comment in stride. She studied the nearby refugees, watching them pick through garbage and barter family heirlooms for food or clothes. Some were sitting or lying down with distant gazes, the shock of the Apocalypse sapping their will. A kid no older than Athena huddled alone against a trash barrel, wrapped in a torn blanket.
She turned to me, her eyes sharp and full of fire.
“We have to help them.”
I sucked my teeth, not saying anything. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help them—just the opposite, in fact. Seeing these poor souls scrounging for scraps and hiding behind makeshift walls reminded me what I was fighting for.
At first, I’d embraced the Apocalypse for selfish reasons. I was bored, lonely, unfulfilled and without a purpose. Getting stronger for strength’s sake had been enough. A simple and direct goal—my favorite.
But that had changed. I didn’t fight just for me anymore. My party, Athena, Nikki, Lex—even the strangers trapped in the Tower—they all pushed me to get stronger, powerful enough to fight the aliens and see us through this Integration.
Still, people were complicated and sometimes they made it hard to want to fight for them—people like Governor Johnson, for example. But this camp brought into sharp focus just how badly this Integration had shaken humanity. There were thousands of kids like Athena missing their parents, and just as many parents missing their Athenas. They were worth protecting, worth risking my life for to get stronger.
This was my new why and I couldn’t let myself forget that.
“Yes,” I said simply.
Athena nodded and walked over to the boy that had caught her eye. She pulled some food from her Inventory and handed it to him. He flinched as her hand entered his line of sight, then looked up to see the girl’s friendly—if dirty—face.
“Th-thank you,” the boy whispered.
Athena grunted once then turned back to me.
“Can we bring him with us?”
No, I almost said. But then I had to wonder, why not? Why not bring everyone to the safe zones? With my infusion of cash from the governor, I could at least scrounge up enough food and aid to hold them over for a few days until they got on their feet. I had intended to use the gold to buy some cultivation aids, but I had to admit, this was a better cause.
Lacy started to speak before I could respond.
“We can’t, sweetie. We—”
“One sec, Lace. Yes, bring him. In fact.” I eyed the refugees all around me. “Bring everyone.”
It took only a few minutes to gather hundreds of people to the center of the camp. Not everyone followed, but most were intrigued enough to spare a few minutes.
When a dense crowd was formed around the three of us, I leaped on top of a nearby car and surveyed the people.
Weary and distrustful gazes looked back at me—some even angry for the disturbance. But every now and then, I spotted a hopeful look and it was enough to give me the courage to address the crowd.
My raw Charisma was 62 since I’d added 40 points already and had some additional points from my traits. In addition, I’d received plus 25 percent effectiveness from my Somebody Stop ME! trait when I’d killed Astrid and another plus 5 percent from reaching Peak Nascent. All in all, with my reduction from my Mantle, I was at 80 percent efficacy for an effective total of 49, which seemed to be enough not to be instantly booed off the car.
All the same, they weren’t exactly a rapt audience.
“Whatchu want?” a voice cried out.
“Thinks he’s Superman with that dumb ass cape!”
My skin flushed and I felt the back of my neck heat up. I opened my mouth to speak when a wave of…something, washed over my body.
It felt like a soothing ointment rubbed into my skin and my mind, settling my nerves and thoughts. Tiger balm for the brain.
